Mise-en-Scène
Mise-en-scène encompasses all elements within a film frame: sets, props, lighting, costumes, and actors. It sets the visual tone and mood.
Setting
- Set Design: Defines the physical environment where the story occurs.
- Color Palette: Influences mood and atmosphere.
- Props: Objects to convey themes or information.
Costume, Hair, and Make-up
These elements define characters’ personalities, periods, and statuses, indicating their psychological state.
Lighting Techniques
- Hard Lighting: Creates harsh shadows, used for drama.
- Soft Lighting: Produces flattering, gentle shadows.
- 3-Point Lighting: Includes a key light, fill light, and back light for balance.
- High-Key vs. Low-Key: High-key is bright and even; low-key features stark contrasts.
Color and Mood
Color temperature (warm vs. cool) impacts emotional tone.
- Performance: Encompasses gestures, expressions, and voice; influenced by realism, individuality, or stylization.
- Staging: Positioning and movement of actors.
Camera and Composition
- Shot Types: CU (Close-Up) focuses on the subject; ELS (Extreme Long Shot) establishes setting.
- Balanced Composition: Even visual weight; unbalanced creates tension.
- Rule of Thirds: Placing elements along grid lines enhances interest.
Framing and Angles
- Headroom: Space above actors' heads.
- Hitchcock’s Rule: Importance indicated by shot size.
- Camera Angles: Low angle suggests power; high angle implies vulnerability.
- Movement: Techniques include tilt, pan, and dolly.
Editing Techniques
- Long Take: Extended shot for dramatic effect.
- High vs. Low Contrast: High creates drama; low appears softer.
- Freeze Frame: Emphasizes a moment; utilizes telephoto lens for magnification.
- Pacing: Quick cuts speed up rhythm; cross-cutting builds tension.
Sound in Film
- Sound Characteristics: Pitch, fidelity; external vs. internal sounds.
- Score: Enhances emotional tone; silence conveys tension.
- Foley Effects: Artificial sounds created post-production.
Genre and Iconography
- Functions of Sound: Enhance realism, evoke emotions, signal shifts.
- Genre: Categories defining films by themes and stylistic traits, serving as a blueprint and marketing tool.
- Iconography: Recurring elements like lighting in horror and technology in sci-fi.
Themes in Genre Theory
- Rites of Order vs. Rites of Integration: Protagonists' journeys to restore order or reintegrate into society.
- Empiricist’s Dilemma: Challenges objective study of genre and cultural phenomena.