CSI CIN 100 Week 1-6

Mise-en-scène translates to?

"place on a stage"

Auteur

the French term for the Director

Oeuvre

a French term that refers to the entire body of work of a single director.

Art director

completes research and primary design sketches

What is referred to when mentioning mise-en-scene?

Everything seen in the frame- Lighting, costumes, make-up, décor, and people

What can placements of these objects suggest?

A thematic idea.

MGM Studio

specialized in glamour and luxury

RKO Studio

known for their white polished Art Deco sets

Famous Auteurs:

Alfred Hitchcock (UK/US)

Orson Welles (US)

Martin Scorsese (US)

Spike Lee (US)

Vittorio de Sica (Italy)

François Truffaut (France)

Jean-Luc Godard (France)

Chantal Ackerman (France)

Akira Kurosawa (Japan)

Dorothy Arzner (US)

John Ford (US)

Howard Hawks (US)

What does one look for to identify an auteur's work?

Similarities, patterns, or repetitions in lighting, performance and mise-en-scène

Setting

a fictional or real place where the action and events of the film occur

Set

A constructed setting, often on a studio soundstage.

Realism

an accurate and truthful depiction of a society, people, or some other aspect of life; aims to achieve verisimilitude

Verisimilitude

the quality of fictional representation that allows readers or viewers to accept a constructed world, its events, its characters, and their actions as plausible; literally "having the appearance of truth"

Performance

describes the actor's use of language, physical expression, and gesture to bring a character to life and to communicate important dimensions of that character to the audience

Blocking

the arrangement and movement of actors in relation to each other within the single physical space of a mise-en-scène

Directional lighting

may appear to emanate from a natural source and defines and shapes the object, area, or person being illuminated.

Three-point lighting

a common style that uses three sources: a KEY LIGHT to illuminate the object, BACKLIGHT to pick out the object from the background, and FILL LIGHTING that minimizes shadows.

High-key lighting

diffused, low-contrast lighting, flattering effect

Low-key lighting

high-contrast style, harsh effect

Citizen Kane by-

Orson Welles, 1941

Strangers on a Train by-

Alfred Hitchcock, 1951

The cinematographer is also known as:

Director of Photography (DP)

when did color experimentation begin?

as early as 1910. grew in popularity after WW2, in 1930

Early color styles

Hand-tinted/Hand-painted

1930's color style

Technicolor

What type of lens is used to record distant objects and make them appear closer?

Telephoto/ Long Lenses

What is another name for Normal lenses?

Standard Lenses

What type of lens has a wider field of view than standard lenses?

Wide-Angle / Short Lenses

What is Depth of Field?

A focus in which multiple planes in the shot are all in focus simultaneously.

What type of cinematography produces Depth of Field?

Wide-angle cinematography.

Which film notably used Depth of Field?

Citizen Kane.

Shot length

The duration of individual shots

What is fast film stock?

Highly sensitive to light and can register images with little illumination.

What is fast film stock good for?

It is good for documentary filmmakers who want to catch images impromptu.

What is slow film stock?

Insensitive to light and requires a great deal of artificial light.

What is slow film stock good for?

It is good to capture precise color in a studio setting.

Gauges

Four principal film gauges:

8mm and super 8mm

▪ during the 1970s, many directors trained on these

▪ very popular for home use, family outings

16mm

▪ used by young filmmakers at college to learn the basic mechanics of working a camera.

35mm

▪ the standard gauge which is shown is most movie houses

70mm

▪used at movie theaters for special presentations of big screen, blockbuster films

Storyboards are...

Hand-drawn sketches that represent individual frames for each shot of a film

7 basic moving camera shots

1. Pan

2. Tilt

3. Dolly Shot or Tracking Shot

4. Crane Shot

5. Zoom Shot

6. Handheld Shot

7. Aerial Shot

Panning

horizontal movement of the camera

Tilt Shot

vertical movement of the camera

Dolly Shot or Tracking Shot

taken from a moving vehicle of some sort

Crane Shot

Airborne Dolly shot

Zoom Shot

Done with zooming lenses, no camera movement

Aerial Shot

a shot from high above, usually from a crane or helicopter

5 Basic Mechanical Distortions

1. Animation

2. Fast Motion

3. Slow Motion

4. Reverse Motion

5. Freeze Frames

What is the purpose of animation?

To create the illusion of movement in an animated production.

How many drawings are necessary for an average 90-minute animated feature?

Over 129,600 drawings.

Fast Motion

achieved by having events photographed as a SLOWER rate than 24fps

Slow Motion

produced by recording the images at a faster rate than 24fps and then projecting those images at a standard rate

Reverse Motion

photographing an action with the film running in reverse

Freeze Frames

suspends movement and time on the screen.

Casablanca by-

Michael Curtiz, 1943

Continuity Editing

preserves the fluidity of an event without literally showing all of it

ex: we do not see every detail of a person driving home from work

Jump Cut

occurs when movement onscreen appears jumpy or fragmented

Which key filmmaker helped establish continuity editing as a Hollywood standard?

DW Griffith

Classical Cutting

editing for dramatic intensity and emotional emphasis

CLASSICAL CUTTING SEQUENCE

1. A film sequence begins with a MASTER SHOT or ESTABLISHING SHOT (coverage) 2. CUT to Camera

2 (over the shoulder)

3. CUT to Camera 3 (reverse shot, over the shoulder)

Conclude scene: return to ESTABLISHING SHOT -OR remain in a close-up of one of the characters to register their final emotional response

Two important rules of continuity editing:

Eyeline match

180° rule

What is an eyeline match in film?

A technique that involves two shots shot at eye level of a character.

What does an eyeline match create for the spectator?

An illusion of the character's point of view matched with that of the spectator.

What is the 180° rule in filmmaking?

The camera must stay on one side of an imaginary line on the axis of action.

What happens if the 180° rule is violated?

The spectator's point of view is confused.