Mise en scene

Mise en scene is a French phrase, meaning "what's in a scene" and is a loose term applying to the props, background and what's in the scene. Mise en scene can be very important as it can create atmosphere, develop story-lines, give clues into the nature of characters and give viewers further information into what's happening in the scene.

A good example of mise en scene being used well is from this scene from inside Howl's bedroom in Howls moving castle. this scene shows all of Howls magical gadgets and gizmo's and gives the viewer an insight into his personal world and his life. By choosing to include every inch of detail in this (hand drawn) scene the animators were able to show the clutter and mess that signifies what is happening inside howls head.

It is useful to know how mise en scene can effect a piece as I can use this information in my final piece to help portray the right ideas. 

Film poster deconstruction

The poster for the film "Watchmen" is incredibly well composed and draws the viewer in to watching the film using a varied set of techniques. The vibrant yellow colour that contrasts against the dark blues and blacks in the background pops out making the viewer read the title and lines of text in the upper section of the poster. The figure with their back towards the viewer in the centre creates a sense of mystery as to who the character is and what they are doing (including why they are in the middle of the road). The blue colours are very dark and add to the sense of mystery, while also adding a sense of fear. The low angle shot of the buildings makes them seem very imposing and scary, almost making the whole city seem big and scary, and making the character in the centre seem very small and weak, although the light "aura" around the character in the centre has the opposite effect and makes them seem powerful and almost holy, hinting at the characters anti-hero role in the movie.

Rule of thirds photography

What is the rule of thirds?
The rule of thirds is a technique used in photography to add balance to photos, draw the eyes to the focal points of the photo and make the shot overall more pleasing to the eye. With the rule of thirds the picture is divided into 3 sections both vertically and horizontally, so that the picture is broken into a 9 square grid. Focal points should lie on or near intersections, where the vertical and horizontal lines meet, and strong lines in the picture should lie along, or close to the lines on the grid.

Examples
The rule of thirds can be seen in these pictures below:




The rule of thirds is often used in photography, however it can also be used in film to make a scene or shot especially striking. Like all rules however, the rule of thirds can be broken, and impressive and strong shots can also be achieved without using this technique.

Camera Shots and Angles

In this post I am going to show some camera shots and angles and explain the effect they can have on the film.

Low Angle
A low angle shot is a shot where the camera is placed below the characters eyes, looking up towards them to make the character look imposing, powerful, or scary, such as this shot of Batman.


High Angle
High angles are when the camera is looking down upon the character, making them look smaller, weaker or possibly inferior to other characters, such as this shot of The Avengers, which even makes superheroes look weaker and inferior.


180 degree shot
The 180 degree rule is a rule that dictates that if two characters are facing each other a line should be imagined between the characters faces, and that line should not be passed by the camera, unless it is part of the shot. This is because if the camera were to pass the line it would disorientate the viewer, it can be seen in use in this shot in The Shining.


Establishing shot
An establishing shot is a long or extreme long shot that shows the setting in which the characters are. It is used to tell viewers where the action is taking place, by showing them the surroundings. It is used well here in Skyfall.


Medium Shot
A medium shot is hard to define as it is somewhere between a long shot and a close up. It is used when there is a need to see the characters face and what they are doing with their bodies, such as in this shot of Katniss Everdeen.


Close up
A close up shot is used to show the characters facial expressions and allow for the viewer to see more detail on the characters face. these shots can be used to add greater insight into what the character may be thinking or feeling, such as is shown here with The Joker

My top 5 favourite films

Here I am writing about my top 5 favourite films, they will be a mix of different genres and styles, with different reasons that I will list as to why they are my favourite films. In no particular order, here are my top 5 favourite films.

 

Pulp fiction is an inspirational cult classic following many different characters lives (played by a cast of incredibly talented actors) as they intertwine dramatically and often fatally. The Quentin Tarantino film is not shy to include vast amounts of gore, however also manages to make potentially dull scenes such as car journeys witty and funny with the use of compelling dialogue, such as the "big mac with cheese" scene.

Another of my top 10 favourite films has to be Hot fuzz, a story following Nick Angel (Simon Pegg) and Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) as they uncover a series of shady events in the town of Sandford, it is the hilarious second film of the 3 flavours Cornetto trilogy and easily deserves to be in this list due to its comedy factor.

A third addition to my list is the big Lez show; Choomah Island 2, an animated movie as part of a series of animated episodes, the whole movie being drawn frame by frame on ms paint adds a very homemade feeling to this comedy following a group of intoxicated people, sasquatches and aliens. the funny, compelling characters and antics that ensue draw viewers into the series and into the recently released movie.



Son of Rambow is a film that makes it on to this list because of its compellling, charming storyline. the story follows a story of two boys from very different families who develop a bond like brothers through them making a film together. The films charming nature makes it stick in my mind and makes it a very memorable film.

Technically not a film but a whole series is the "Lord of the rings" trilogy, consisting of "The fellowship of the ring" "The two towers" and "The return of the king". The trilogy
is an action packed fantasy story taking place in Middle Earth that follows the destruction of the One Ring. The series is a personal favourite due to the lore that surrounds it, the beautiful sweeping landscapes in the films and the vast amounts of violence, swords and Orcs.