Cinema and Movies

What does the phrase mise-en-scene mean in English? What do we mean by this phrase in a broader sense when discussing movies?

The term “mise-en-scene” refers to the process of putting on or staging an event or scene.

The film’s general look and vibe

What are the two most important visual components of a scene?

Composition Design

Is the setting of a film chosen at random? If not, what or who decides?

The mise-en-scene in a movie is not by chance; it is knowingly and deliberately placed there by someone, arranged for the camera, and it occurs because filmmakers and their creative associates envisioned it.What are the principal responsibilities of the production designer?

Works closely with the director, art director, and director of photography, in visualizing the movie that will appear on the screen

Responsible for the overall design concept, the look of the movie and for surprising the heads of each department that creates the look

Name and briefly discuss the major elements of cinematic design.

Setting, Décor, and Properties

Setting –the environment in which the narrative takes place. Setting creates mood that has psychological, economic, social, emotional, and cultural significance.

Properties- objects such as paintings, guns, etc that help us understand the characters by showing us their preferences in such things.

Décor-the color and texture of the interior decoration, curtains, draperies, and furniture that help us define the world.

Lighting

Lighting is an important element of drawing the composition of a frame

It calls attention to shapes and textures

It is controlled and manipulated to achieve expressive effects

Costume, Make-up and Hairstyle

Costume- the clothing worn by the actors in a movie. Costumes contribute to the setting and suggest specific character traits.

Make-up and Hairstyle- used to enhance and alter an actor’s appearance

What is composition? What are the two major elements of composition?

Composition is part of the process of visualizing and planning of the movie. To be precise, it is the organization, distribution, balance, and general relationship of stationary objects and gigues as well as light, shade, line, and color within the frame.

The two major elements of composition are

Framing- the border between what the filmmaker wants us to see and everything else. It is the dimensions of height and width that provide the shape of the movies images

Kinesis-the movement of objects and characters within the frame and the movement of the frame itself

What is the difference between the static frame and the moving frame?

Static frame – camera does not move, it is fixed

Moving frame- camera moves

Why do most shots in a film rely on both on-screen and off-screen spaces?

As the frame moves it presents on the screen details that were previously off-screen, thus promoting us to be aware of the dynamic between off-screen and on-screen space. Most shots depend on both off-screen and on-screen space and our awareness of their interdependence reinforces the illusion of a larger spatial.

What are the essential differences between the open frame and the closed frame?

Open Frame- designed to depict a world where characters move freely with an open, recognizable environment. Used in realistic films

Closed Frame- designed to imply that other forces have robbed the characters of their ability to move and act freely. Used in anti-realistic films.

What are the two basic types of movement that we see on-screen?

The apparent movement of the frame itself

The movement of objects and characters within the frame

Chapter 6 Cinematography

What are the differences among a setup, a shot, and a take?

Setup- one camera position and everything associated with it. It is the basic component of the film’s production process

Shot- the smallest unit of visual information captured at one time by the camera that shows a certain action or event. The basic building block of the film

Take- the number of times a particular shot is taken

A cinematographer depends on two crews of workers. What is each crew responsible for?

Camera crew. Include camera operator and assistant camera persons responsible for everything related to the camera, lenses, supporting equipment, and the material shot on

Electricity and lighting crew- responsible for getting camera and lighting ready for shooting

How the lighting for any movie looks is determined, in part, by its source and direction. Explain these terms and the effect each has on the overall lighting.

Source- there are two sources of light: natural and artificial. Day light is the most convenient and economic natural source, however, filmmakers use reflectors and artificial light because they cannot count on nature’s cooperation. The light may need to be controlled. Two basic artificial lights are focusable lights and floodlights, which produce hard and soft lights respectively.

Direction-light can be thrown from any direction: front, back, side, below, or above. By direction, we also mean the angle of that throw. Angle helps produce the contrasts and shadows that suggest location of the scene, its mood, and the time of the day.

What are the four major lenses used on movie cameras? What is the principal characteristic of the image that each lens creates?

Short Focal Length Lens

Produces wide-angle views

More depth

Subjects appear farther

Exaggerates distance between and background

Objects moving from the background to the foreground appear to be moving faster than they actually are

Elongates depth

Long Focal Length

Bring distant objects closer

Less depth

Background to foreground slowly moving

Makes the subjects look closer together than they do in real life

Flattens space and depth in the process

Middle Focal Length

Day to day experience of depth and perspective

Normal lens

Zoom Lens

Simply magnifies

Variable focal length lens

Allows the cinematographer to shrink or increase the focal length in continuous motion thus stimulates the effect of movement of the camera towards or away from subject

Based on proximity to the camera, what are the three most commonly used shots in a movie? What principle is used to distinguish them?

Close Up

Long Shot

Medium Shot

Shot type depends on the implied distance between the camera lens and the subject

What is the rule of thirds?

It is a composition principle where frame takes the form of a grid, divides it into horizontal thirds representing the foreground, middle ground, and background and into vertical thirds.

The movie camera can shoot from various angles. What are they? What meaning does each imply? Do these implications always hold true?

Eye Level

Made from observers eye level

Subject is neutral

High Angle

Camera above the action

Makes subject inferior

Observer in a sense of feeling helpless

Low Angle

Camera below the action

Subject becomes superior

Intimidating

Dutch Angle

Camera is tilted

Creates anxiety

Arial View

An extreme point of view shot taken from an aircraft of a very high crane

Implies omniscience

What are the basic types of camera movement?

Pan Shot-horizontal movement of a camera

Tilt Shot- vertical movement of a mounted camera

Dolly Shots- camera fixed to a track, noiseless moving shots

What is a long take? What can it achieve that a short take cannot? What is the difference between a long take and a long shot?

A long take is a shot lasting much longer than the conventional editing space. It preserves both real space and real time. It enables filmmakers to present a unified pattern of events within a single period of time in one shot. A long take

Special effects create images that might not be possible with traditional cinematography. What are the basic ways to create special effects?

In-Camera Effects- created in the production camera. Include fade, wipe, dissolve, and montage

Mechanical Effects- on the set, in front of the camera

Laboratory Effects- on film stock

Computer Generated Imagery- application of computer graphics to create special effects