RTF 301D - Media Analysis II

Mise En Scene

Control over a film’s framing/look and how elements interact

Aspects of Mise En Scene (6)

1. Lighting

2. Color

3. Setting

4. Costume/Makeup

5. Staging

6. Props

Lighting

Brightness, shadows

Source

Where lighting is from, either in the movie’s world or set

Hard Light vs Soft Light

Defined light vs diffused light

High Key vs Low Key Lighting

Less contrast, soft shadows vs More contrast, hard shadows

Direction

Where is the light facing?

Types of Lighting (5)

• Front

• Side

• Back

• Under

• Top

3 Point Lighting

1. Key light - Primary

2. Fill light - Removes shadows

3. Back light - Placed behind subject

Setting

Where the film takes place & set design

Real or fantasy?

Composition

Arrangement of a shot + subjects in it

Unbalanced vs Balanced Composition

Unbalanced - Uneven placing

Balanced - Even placing

Hitchcock’s Rule

Size of an object in the frame = to its importance in the story

Headroom

Space between characters head and screen

Rule of Thirds

Foreground vs background

Shot Distance

How far the camera is from the subject

Extreme Long Shot

Super wide shot that shows the setting

Long Shot

Full body shot of subject

Medium Long Shot

Half up knees → body of subject

Medium Shot

Waist up body of subject

Medium Close Up

Shoulders body of subject

Close Up

FACE!!! of subject

Extreme Close Up

Facial features of subject

Wide Angle Focal Length

Shows realistic depth, distance

Blurred background

Medium Focal Length

Shows as is

Semi-blurred background

Telephoto

Narrow, super flat/no depth

Selective Focus

Specifying certain things to be clear

Rack Focus

Changing focus on subjects in a shot

Masking

Seeing through a POV in a different way

Multiple Frames

Showing more than one frame of character reactions

Split Screen

Two events in one shot

Depth of Field

How much focus/space there is

Rear Projection

Shooting images behind a screen

Superimposition

Layering two subjects that look distinct

High Contrast vs Low Contrast

Stark, focused shadows vs diffused shadows

Frame Within a Frame

A shot that is within a setting’s frame

Continuity Editing

Editing the story clearly/in order- could be broken up

Types of Transitions (4)

1. Fade (A → B/W)

2. Dissolve (A → B)

3. Wipe (A/B)

4. Cut (AB)

Graphic Match

Matching an object to another as a transition

Murch’s Criteria for Cuts (6)

1. Emotion

2. Story

3. Rhythm

4. Eye-Trace

5. 2D Plane of Screen - Visuals

6. 3D Plane of Action - Movement

Kuleshov Effect

Order of shots = different emotions

Purpose of Editing (3)

1. Nonlinear production

2. Make the story understandable (visual, narrative)

3. Call attention to itself or not

Rhythm Elements (3)

1. Shot Duration

2. Patterns

3. Pacing

Spatial Elements (2)

Helps audience to keep up with the narrative

1. Linking Space

2. Cross Cutting

Graphic Elements (4)

What do you see?

1. Composition

2. Lighting

3. Color

4. Movement

Temporal Elements (3)

1. Order

2. Duration

3. Frequency

Elliptical Editing

Cutting to two different points in time to reduce filler

Punctuation

Highlighted moments

Empty Frames

Shots with no action to transition into it

Overlapping Editing

Same action shown but at different angles

Montage Sequences

Condensation of time → progression

Purpose of Sound (6)

1. For the audience to be aware/expect something

2. POV of characters

3. Rhythm

4. Characterization

5. Continuity

6. Emphasis

Characteristics of Sound (4)

1. Pitch

2. Loudness

3. Quality

4. Fidelity - Does it match the source?

Asynchronous Sound

Origin of a sound being ??

Simultaneous vs Nonsimultaneous Sound

Matches events on screen or not?

Onscreen vs Offscreen Sound

Does the sound happen with what you see or not?

Diegetic vs Nondiegetic

Is it within the story or not in the story?

Types of Sound (4)

1. Vocals

2. Environmental

3. Music

4. Silence

Foley Sound

Reproducing sounds IN SYNC of a scene’s occurence

Sound Effects

Artificial sound additions

Dialogue vs Narration

Speaking from characters vs explaining the story

Genre

Patterns in media

Determinant Space

Specific environments that result in conflict

• War, gangsters

Indeterminant Space

Character interactions that result in conflict

• Romance, drama

Iconography

Repeated visual elements that have meaning OR meaning x objects

Plot Formulas

Repetition of certain elements in a genre/group

Syntax

Basic conflict of a genre

Rites of Characters

What do characters go through to be changed or cause change? Order or integration?

Order Rites (5)

• Individual

• Contested space

• External conflict

• No closure

• Social order is back (back to normal)

Integration Rites (5)

• Collective

• Civilized space (realism)

• Internal conflict

• Closure

• Social integration (new life)

Genre Hybridity

Combining multiple genres, can change meanings/analysis

Multiplicities

Media that repeat/exploit previous works to integrate into itself

THERE IS NO END!!

Semantic Approach

Surface level of genre, characteristics, following rules

Syntactic Approach

Focus on basic conflict, themes, how is the rules shown

Pragmatic Approach

Focus on cultural, social contexts of the rules/genre

Structural vs Ideological in Genre

Structural - Films that never solve the problem, always negotiate the big question

Ideological - Films that solve the problem, go with the status quo

Empiricists Dilemma

Do you identify genres first? Or characteristics of existing films that make a genre?

Purity Thesis

The best example of a genre

Biologism vs Normativism

Biologism - Are genres universal?

Normativism - What makes this this genre?

Mode

Visual style of production

Cycle

Series of texts that have shared elements

Fusion vs Fission

Fusion - The theme in a creature/thing

Fission - The theme in a concept

Teaching vs Preaching Narrative

Teaching - POSITIVE lesson

Preaching - NEGATIVE lesson

Speculative Fiction

The what-ifs of reality

Discovery vs Overreacher Narrative

Discovery - Find the monster, survival

Overreacher - Make the monster, battle

Intertextuality

System of connections between texts, audiences, etc.

Horizontal vs Vertical Intertextuality

Explicit links primarily vs links between primary/secondary/tertiary sources

Radical Intertextuality

Two things within a medium drawing from the same story/worldbuilding

Dominant Reading

Understanding a text with the creator’s intention

Transmedia Storytelling

Connections between different mediums

• Makes a cohesive web of a story

• Keeps us entertained to the next thing

Transmedia Extensions (4)

Allows:

• Character bios

• Worldbuilding

• Alternate character POVs

• Audience engagement

Commercial Transmedia Supersystem

Motivating people to consume transmedia

Collaborative Authorship

Extensive stories that need user participation

Additive Comprehension

Additions to the plot in one franchise that change your POV on the story

Negative Capability

Leaving gaps in the story intentionally for theorization/later expansion

Migratory Cue

Cue to go to other medias for buying

Mothership

Core of a franchise = $$

Synergetic Storytelling

Incorporation of stories from different companies

Ex: Marvel x Disney

Grindon’s Cycles and Clusters (4)

1. Modes - Broad categories

2. Genres - Specific categories

3. Cycles - Changes in films (what’s popular, evolution)

4. Clusters - Possible cycles (common patterns that could grow)