Research- Mise -en-scene Ms heath/Miss- Gibbings

 Mise en scene means the visual elements of a film. Mise-en-scene is made up of five elements:

• Settings and iconography 
• Lighting and colour
• Facial expression and body language
• Costume, hair and make-up
• Positioning of the characters within the shot/frame

Settings and Iconography

Settings and iconography are used to manipulate the audience by setting certain expectations. Settings are usually built on a set or time is taken to find a real suitable location to film at.

Lighting and colour

It is used for several different reasons, lighting can be used to reflect a characters mood or mental situation or to highlight the important subjects within the frame.

Facial expression and body language

Facial expression and body language is an important element when connecting to the audience. This allows the audience to recognize how a character is feeling or the relationship between characters.

Costume, hair and make-up

This tells the audience about the characters personality and allows the audience to identify what character they are playing in the film. The clothes the characters wear is an instant indicator to what job and social status they withhold.

Conventional Mise en scene within a thriller.

Settings and iconography:

Weapons

- Guns, knives etc.

Abandoned locations: warehouses, houses and in the woods etc.

Costume, hair and make-up:

Black clothing

Mask

Wild hair styles

Dark make-up

Facial expression and body language:

Frightened expressions

Determined expressions

Vulnerable positions

Confident body language

Lighting and colour:

Low key lighting

Under lighting

Black, white and red colours- connotations of blood and death and purity.

Positioning of characters/subjects:

Middle of the frame- shows importance

A clip from the dark knight film.

 

In this clip of dark knight , setting is used to create that sense of isolated place , its quite empty , its a sort of place where the antagonist can't escape. In addition there is not a lot of iconography however there is  a few, which are the handcuff , the lamp , chair and table. The handcuff may suggest that the character may have commit a criminal offense.The lighting used is low key lighting and the source of lighting is coming from the lamp to show the characters face as its highlighting their facial expressions. as the the scene goes on the lighting changes to high key lighting this is to show the audience whats happening between the two characters.The antagonist is quite cheeky , confident character he shows it though his facial expressions, where the protagonist is where a mask so the audience are unable to see his facial expressions,never the less the audience can sort of still predict the protagonist's facial expressions through his body language and also we can see his eyes , which tells us he is angry with the antagonist. Costume and make-up is really effective in this clip because , the protagonist is wearing dark costume with a mask which makes the audience think he is the antagonist due to the colour black meaning 'evil' this plays with the audience expectations of a protagonist.The antagonist is wearing make up of a clown but a evil clown. His eye make-up is quite dark , its sort of conventional to a thriller.

Overall looking at the use of Mise en scene help me get some sort of ideas of how i will use Mise en scene in my thriller film and to really think about each elements of Mise en scene. The use of iconography in each film is conventional to the narrative as well as the genre. I have recognized that weapons are a main choice of iconography with thriller films as there is always a kill/torture scene. i will be using  weapons such as knives which are conventional  iconography and have influenced me into using them into my thriller scene.

Research- Narrative theory - Miss Hawkins

Narrative Theory

In media terms , narrative is the coherence organisation given to a series of facts. 

The human mind needs narrative to make sense of things.

In everything we seek a beginning,middle and an end, we relate and understand things with our experience of reality and previous texts, each text becomes  part of the previous  and the next through its relationship with the audience

-story line 
-message
-structured (BM) Non-chronological , non-linear 
-Characters affect on the narrative 

Propp's theory

Vladimir Propp discovered a number of things of Russian folk tales and  thought that most of the same events kept repeating in each of the stories, creating a redundant consistency in all folk tales.A Russian arctic active in 1920's published his Morphology of folks tale in 1928.

Folk tales were similar in many areas, they appeared to have stock characters.

According to Propp, characters have a narrative function;they provide a structure for the text

                                                 Characters that perform a function. 

The Hero; Normally the main character(protagonist) of the narrative that is on a quest to fulfill 

to get some sort of reward afterwards.Mainly males back then as they come across as strong, brave but nowadays you might see a female as the main character(protagonist) in some fairy tales that challenge the stereotypical of males being the hero in every fairy tale.  

                                        

The Villain; Usually the main character (antagonist)that tries to stop the hero from succeeding in quest. The villain typically is morally bad and sometimes shows the goodness in the hero as they come across as morally good and protecting others.Sometimes the they might want the hereon for themselves also the villain can be both male or female depending on the story line.

The Donor; helps the protagonist by providing objects(magical weapons) that they can use to defeat the antagonist or just give them just a wise speech. Their role can also be combined with the helper role.

The Dispatcher; its the character that usually sends the hero on a quest , this character can be a family member or a close friend or even the princess's father in order to gain the hands of the princess and for the king to except him. This role also combines with the false hero who tries to trick the hero in to doing something.

The false hero-  Is the character that disrupts the hero's success by making false claims.Also tries to steal the hero's role , by wanting to marry the princess,controlling her father and can easily get mistaken for the real hero. 

The helper-  Helps out the hero on his quest by finding out information or things he might need in order to complete it.

The Princess- Acts as a reward to the hero, when he completes his mission.The princess might  not appear much in the story unless she goes on the quest with the hero and falls in love with how brave he is and his charming looks.The princess may fall for the false hero and as audience we might get annoyed.

The princess's father - who acts to reward the hero for his effort ,plays a big part in the story too as he is very protective of his daughter (princess)

Actions as functions of Narrative.

Preparation.

A community/kingdom/family is in an ordered state of being.

A member of the community/kingdom/family leaves home.

A warning is given to the leaders of the community or rule is imposed on the hero.

The warning is discounted/the rule is broken.

The villain attempts to discovers something about the victim of the broken rule.

The villain tries to deceive the victim to gain advantage.

The victim unwittingly helps the villain.

Complication 

A state of disorder.

The villain harms a member of the community/kingdom/family.

One of the members of the community/kingdom/family desire something.

The Hero is sent to get what is desired. 

The hero plans action against the villain.

Transference 

The hero leaves home.

The hero is given a test or attracted/he meets the test and is given a magical gift or a helper 

The hero reacts to the donor.

The hero arrives at the place where he can fulfill his quest.

Struggles 

There is a struggle between the hero and the villain.

The hero is branded. 

The villain is overcome.

The state of disorder is settled.

Return 

The hero returns.

The hero is pursued.

The  hero escapes or is rescued.

The hero arrives home and is not recognized.

A false hero claims the reward. 

A task is set for the hero.

The task is accomplished.

Recognition

The hero is recognized.

The false hero is unmasked.

The false hero is punished.  

The hero attains the reward (the princess and the kingdom).

CRITICISMS

Propp's theories seems to be that the hero is always a male ,never the other way round and the problem with his theory is that it only applies to fairy tales and not all narratives.

 Todorov theory on narrative 

Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium or status quo where any potential opposing forces are in balance. There are events, setting in chain a series of events. Problems are solved so that order can be restored and the order of the narrative continues. It consists of five stages.

- A state of Equilibrium (all as it should be)

- A disruption of that order by an event.

- A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

- An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption

- A return or restoration of a new equilibrium.

Narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one. The narrative is driven by attempts to restore the equilibrium. Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption. The disruption itself usually takes place outside the normal social framework, outside the ‘normal’ social events.

Aristotle

Aristotle theory is based on themes and here are some of the themes;

Inciting Incident

Dramatic Question

Character Goal

Antagonist/Protagonist

Stakes

Resolution

Sympathy/Empathy

Aristotle's literary criticism is probably most famous for the "unities": time, place, and action. Aristotle's most complete analysis is of 'tragedy', which is arguably the basis of most 'serious drama'.

Subversion of narrative structure 

-Challenge viewers expectations 

-Twist in the plot 

-Plot device to ensure understanding 

-Maintain audience engagement 

-Reflecting reality 

-Character engagement 

-Stand out from other film.

Overall looking at different narrative theory gave me ideas in which narrative theory i will be following.Based on what i learned i'm going to be following Todorov's theory because my narrative starts of everything fine then that's when the disruption happens.





Research-Editing - Ms B

Editing

Editing is when selecting the scenes to be showing and putting them together to create a film. Films were originally edited on flatbeds or KEMS machines that looped. There are number of elements combined when it comes to editing process;dialogue, music and sound effects. All the editing techniques has/creates an certain a effect on the audiences.Also the length of each shot determines the pace of the film and helps determine the mood. More over editing can be done while making the film but its mostly edited after making the film.

Film trailers are a good way in connecting an audience to a film. film trailers mainly use a mixture of editing style techniques and also speed to appeal to an audience and to also advertise a film. If a trailer is not full interesting and full of suspense/ tension and capture the audiences eye, they would not go watch it, that's why in all trailers, it has slow/fast editing to add suspense and rise the tension to have a dramatic /catchy effect  on the audiences leaving them wanting to watch it.

key terms

Straight cut; when one shot moves into another shot in an edit and does not confuse the audience.

Fade to black; when one shot goes/moves into another and there is a black filter in between.

Fast editing; when clips are put together at a fast pace, to create suspense and thrill.

Slow editing;when clips are put together at a slower pace,this is to create suspense and capture the action.

Reaction shot; any shot in which a subject reacts to a previous shot.

Shot reverse shot; this is mostly used in films where a conversation is taking place and it is when  a shot quickly follows another.

Jump cut;a drastic camera movement that is noticeable to the eye, the shot/edit almost jumps. 

Montage; is the speed of editing , where shots are quickly juxtaposed  together to create excitement.

Wipe cut; when the shot slides into another. 

Dissolves;when one shot disintegrates into another. 

180 degrees rule; when you have a line ,which is 180 degrees and the camera can only be at one side of the line or other wise , it confuses the audiences.

Taken 2 trailers - example of straight cut /fade to black editing

 

In this trailer taken 2, straight cut editing is you when it starts you see the first shot of where you see the location then it moves to another shot where its a bit more closer and you see the men in the grave yard. This is called a straight cut because one shot moves into another shot in an edit and it does not confuse the audience.

After you in the explosion fade to black editing is used , we see the mans face  then the shot fades to black for a second then shows the location again of the grave yard this is called a fade to black because in between the shots there is a black filter.This makes it interesting as it adds suspense to the film  and surprises the audiences.

                            Psycho- the shower scene example of reaction shot

This clip is a good example of a reaction shot ,as we can see the the woman's reaction when shes about to get stabbed. we see her facial expressions in different camera angles/shots this also has a reaction on the audience too because they react to the fact that the woman is about to get stabbed to death.The speed of the editting changes due to her gettting stabbed , its meant to get the audience feel like they're init too make them feel that panic attack.

Insidious example of slow/fast editing

In  this trailer, you will see slow editing and fasting editing, as it starts of, the pace of the editing is slower this is because its to create suspense in order for the audiences to get drawn in to the the film and also to emphasize the actions.However as tension builds up the pace of the editing rapidly increases this is used to create suspense and thrill leaving the audience shocked ,frightened and speechless.

example of shot reverse shot

In this clip,there's shot reverse shot being used,where the conversation is taking place between the two characters,where a shot quickly follows another.This makes it easier and allows the audiences to know whats going on and doesn't confuse them. 

Conclusion

Never the less for my own thriller opening there are numerous editing techniques i may want to consider using to meet the conventions of a thriller. In this research i found out the effects of different editing techniques how i might want to appeal to my target audience.If i wanted to create tension i would use slow motion/slow editing to show the action happening as it will be a in a slow pace leaving the audience in suspense longer.I would also use fasting editing if i wanted to create dramatic effect and be over the top and use fade out black to surprise the audiences.

Research- Sound Ms B

Sound in films

Sounds are used in films to create and understanding for the audience and to create more meaning about the character and their emotions. Sound is also used to create a response from the audience. Sound  is really important to thrillers because with out sound it wont be as scary as it normally would be. Sound adds tension and suspense to thrillers

Key terminology's 

Diegetic sound: sound, which is part of the film world e.g. dialogue, music from the radio or jukebox, the sound can be on or off screen.
Non-Diegetic sound: sound which is not a part of the film world e.g. soundtrack, sound effects, voice covers

On screen sound: You can see where the sound is from e.g. radio, cars
Off screen sound: You can hear sound but cannot see where it is coming from but makes sense to film world (traffic sounds, coughing)
Parallel sound: When the sound you hear in a film is what is expected e.g. a scene with children in a class room the parallel sounds would be, children& teacher talking, and sound of pen on paper.
Contrapuntal sound: When the sound does not match the expectations of what you are viewing an example of this is jaws , the scenes of the beach are accompanied by the contrapuntal sound of them , tune 'dur dur' which does not fit in with the happy images.

House at the end of the street

  

On Screen Sound; when girl  is along an empty road , its dark and there's trees around it, looks like a forest then you hit the road . As she walks on you suddenly hear the sound of the car as its moving slowly ,this is to build tension and let the audience know that the car is about to stop,but what they don't know is who's driving in the car this is to add mystery ,then eventually they see the boy's face as he starts talking to the girl. Also non/Diegetic sound is used when the woman starts talking about the house the sound tempo builds up.

                                              

         

Cici's death in scream 2

               

Non Diegetic;as the girl walks sluggishly ,not knowing whats going to happen the mystic sound slowly builds up,this is used to create suspense this has an effect on the audience making them clueless to whats going to happen..keeps them wondering/on the edge.

Off screen sound while shes walking through the living room ,we hear a dog braking that's when she turns around as she looks frightened , this is used to create tension. 

Non Diegetic sound is used when the girl stares at the door and unexpectedly looks behind it thinking somebody was behind the door,the sound created was so dramatic,sounded like something dreadful was going to occur.However this was used to make the audience think that someone was actually behind the door,its almost like their playing with the audience's mind, expecting something to happen but another thing happening instead.

Diegetic sound is used when the phone rings,making the girl jumpy.This is used to create a 

scene that she's going to answer the phone. Makes the audiences wonder who the phone call might be from as she looks scared to talk,has the audience's attention. 

Non Diegetic sound creeps in as shes starts, to speak.... then out of the blue the killer pops out of the closet and she turns around horrified and tries to run. this added a lot of tension/ suspense , got the audiences feeling expect the unexpected, unaware of the next movement  Also as the antagonist chases her the sound tempo firmly increases this engages the audiences to join in as they might be screaming "his behind you..run!" creates that effect that their on the girls side as they have sympathy for her.

Conclusion 

 

I think that in thriller movies, sound is the most important aspect because with out sound it would not be as tearful as it normally would be.Sound can have so many effects on the audiences whether its Diegetic or non Diegetic etc.,it creates a whole lot of different atmosphere depending  on the scene/ plot. This research made me think about how I'm going to use sound to create a certain effect on the audience and also what type of sound i might want to use to create tension and suspense. In my own thriller , i will be using none Diegetic sound because , that's the one that mostly creates suspense as i would want my audience to be frighten.

 vc

Research-Lighting Ms Heath

 Lighting MS Heath

-Lighting helps to convey mood and atmosphere in a scene/film. It can also be used to grab the audiences attention to a particular object, person emotion or gesture.Lighting can also be used to cast shadows and build suspense and tension. Lighting is a important aspect of the film production whether natural lighting is being used or professional lighting equipment,the lighting needs to be suitable for the story or a certain scene.

Angles of lighting

Under lighting; Main source of lighting comes from below the person.This tends to have a distorting effect on the character and is often used in horror films. 
Top lighting; Main source of lighting comes from above, highlighting the features of a character and is often used to create a glamorous look in a character.
Back lighting; Light source is behind the person. If little or no light is used, silhouettes are created.

Types of lighting
Low key; The lighting is dark with small areas of light , which also creates shadows.
High key;Lighting appears more natural and realistic to our eyes for example it is used films to create a sunny day in the park.
Natural lighting;When no lighting has been added , it is what you expect to see.

-Romance

-Thriller

This is an image from the thriller movie fatal attraction, for angle of lighting , top lighting is used as the lighting is coming from above , highlighting the woman's features especially her face as we as audience would want to see her facial expression as the man is about to stab her. 

Low key lighting

For the cover of the thriller movie House , low is lighting is used to create shadows as you can see it from the image that a faded face is appearing and the angle of lighting is top lighting because its showing the features of the mans/creatures eyes.



Low key lighting

The Moon  and the Gutter                 

The type of lighting that was used in this video is low key lighting ,when the moon appears and everything else is dark with small areas that are a bit light , this creates shadows also a red cloudy appears which associates with murder, it almost looks like blood and then it disappears. The angle of lighting used when the woman is walking is under lighting ,the light is coming from below which creates a distorting affect on the character .The woman is wearing a white dress ,makes her look innocent. We can't really see her face due to the lighting and then suddenly we see a man walking behind the woman but only see his shoes , makes the audience wonder who he is ,this can make it nerve racking and adds tense to the atmosphere because there’s not a lot to see compared to other types of lighting where it might be bright etc..and doesn't give in that its a thriller.The lighting on the character from the bottom makes the scene appear evil or dangerous but this is also to add/create shadows.On the other hand for a thriller, most of the lighting needs to be dark in order for it to be scary and be mysteries e.g. having shadows etc. The colour red continues to appear which gives a hint that the woman is going to be murdered , as she keeps looking back and the man starts to chase her,as the audience have sympathy for the woman as shes out in the night and about to be killed.Secondly the lighting made it frightful as it was meant to have that effect on the audiences .

 

                                    

                                                                       

Overall analysing this video help me develop ideas for my own thriller film in terms of what type of lighting i would want to use and the angle of the lighting to create an effect on the audience.I will be using low key lighting in my thriller film following the conventional of a thriller. 

Research-Cinematography Ms B

What is cinematogrpahy ?

Cinematography is looking at the way the shot is framed,the angle it is taken in and the movement of the camera. All these things give the audience a different representation of the characters and all the audience  to respond in different ways. Its history includes aesthetic elements, such as the way a set or location may be lighted to bolster the drama.

When looking cinematography there are three elements you look at;

-shot sizes 

Extreme long shot- Everything , persons whole body and surroundings. 

Long shot- whole body

Medium close up- shoulders and above

Mid shot- waist and upwards

Close-up - To show facial expressions

Extreme close up- showing things/someone in details

Examples



CU

-This image from the thriller insidious is a close up shot , they choice this close up shot to show the fear in this woman's face so the audience know that shes scared ,she looks like shes about to cry ,and looks confused , all this we can tell about her facial expression.



LS



-Images also from the thriller insidious is a long shot , this is to show the audiences the setting and by them just looking at the setting , they can tell a lot of whats happening or whats going to happen!

XCU

- This image is from the film psycho ,its extreme close up. To show the details of her mouth and the water drops, we can tell that's shes screaming from the shape of her mouth.

MS

Image is from the film scream,its a mid-shot. This is used to show her body language gesture also allowing the audience to see enough to whats happening in the scene. 

-Camera angles
 High angle

Low angle

.

Low angle

Low angle is used when a character is looking down on something / someone to give them a high status.

High angle

High angle is used to me make the character look unimportant giving them low status.

-camera movement
Panning shot-camera  moved across showing whats in view.

Tilt shot-camera moves up and down

Crane shot-Basically, dolly-shots-in-the-air.

Zoom- used when needed to see emotions or things in more detail

Point of view-when it looks like its from the person's vie to create tension and suspense.

Hand held - moving with the camera

Dolly shot -The camera is placed on a moving vehicle and moves alongside the action

Camera angle -insidious trailer

In the video there's a part where the little boy drops in the attic when his standing on the ladder is a low angle as the boy is short this shows that his brave as his just a little boy , gives him a high status , fearless. there's another high angle where the woman is directly looking at baby monitor.She heard some sort of sound also she looks frighten , you can tell this by her facial expression and her body gesture.

Camera Movements-insidious trailer

There's a lot of camera movements but most of them are zoomed in.Where the mum walks in to her sons room the camera zooms in to her face this tells the audience her facial expression , they can straight away see that she got that shocked scared look in her face. Another camera movement i saw was point of view , when the dad is sitting with his eyes closed  and the camera slowly zooms in straight on his face this adds a bit mysterious to it.

Conclusion

The research of the cinematography has helped me a lot because now i can start thinking about what shots sizes,camera angle and camera movements i would want to have on my thriller when it comes to planning it&making it. Also what i can start thinking about what effects my choice of shot sizes ,camera angles and camera movements will have  on the audience and why it might be so effected. My research has made it a lot easier for me, i know what my teacher will expect from watching my thriller.