Exercise: spaces, my comments

I think it is easier to find an oppressive, cluttered space than an open space containing one intriguing item. When I have made the pictures in the wood I thought it is easy, but looking on them in computer I can see how flat they are and it was the reason I put there some photographs during  reconstruction of roof. They are much better and I think it is the light / composition which make the picture more interesting.  I had problems to isolate a thing and hence made a space with one intriguing item was hard.

I remember that I have read that filmmakers work in studios just for the reason they can control the mise-en-scene and this exercises is about a control of it.

Looking back on Project 2

Looking back on the project 2 I have immediately noticed that my starting frame is wide frame of fighting crowd (even it is smaller part of the painting). I think the starting point of the story would be more interesting not to show the whole scene of fight but some closer frames of fighting man, their moving legs, fighting guns, shooting guns etc. I think by this we can capture more attention of audience. They should ask themselves what is going here, why there is a fighting, I want to know more (just my opinion). The mise-en-scene, a very important person is injured and others are trying / looking to help him. We see a battle, we see red uniforms - so maybe British army, there is an 'Indian', so it is on America continent.

I did not use whole painting as wide frame but I think it could be good as an end of the sequence now. I think that I could put the frame with the detail of injured body two position further. To hide on what the people are looking e.g. 

Particularly interesting scene

I especially like the scene when man is talking with his tool which does not want to open the door. Amazing scene again. I like this Kubrick's film and I could watch it many times. The mise-en-scene was made so brilliantly that we can feel like in cosmos, lost, alone, thousands miles away from our home (Earth).

The scene starting with extreme CU of Hal camera, it is a little bit same as in Godfather scene. We saw as fist of the CU frame and after few frame we see wide frame.

Particularly interesting scene

I like the opening scene from Godfather1. A man speaks about his daughter which was outraged. The frames are slowly changed from CU to wide shot of the Godfather office. Great scene. The atmospfere is build by the frames of coarse but the lightning here is also great, the darkness plays its role also, the man is asking for murder and here it is the right place. Actually there is a wedding day of Corleone's daughther. Outside are smiling people and in this dark place is make a deal.  

The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola

I like the series of Godfather directed by Francis Ford Copolla. The Mise-en-scéne is build beautifully and we believe that we are in days after second world war. The cars, the make ups, the suits those actors have. It was amazing to watch the film. The performance of all actors are great but Marlon Brendo (he got an oscar for that role) and Al Pacino were excellent. Here some videos. 

Exercise: Spaces

An oppressive, cluttered space:

I took a walk with my dogs to my favorite place in a wood around my house.

and here are some choices from my photographs library:

An open, honest, simple space containing one intriguing item:

18.09.12: Today I walked  out and photographed open spaces. 

A stark, empty hostile space
I used my iPhone and photographed a celler

A warm, friendly, cosy space

Raimi's Evil Dead II

I put this film here because when I was young it scared me. Today it is more funny and some scenes are great.

How does the scenes feel?

Uncomfortable, creepy.

How has this been achieved?

A cottage in dark forest. Small rooms. Screaming. Blood. Everything is moving. Camera unnatural angles.

Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this?

Of course, the cottage itself is ugly, the small rooms are uncomfortable. The people possessed by demons. Guns shooting. The mise-en scene is building nasty, ugly and really uncomfortable feeling. I think no one would stay there one night.     

Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene?

It is a horror movie and the MeS conveys meaning that there are other dimension such as dead evil.

Amazing spiral camera.

I like the cut when he looks on car and then his eyes shift in right and cut we see car accelerating.

Great idea with mirrow.

Great POV camera.

An example of depth of field.

Craziness - an example of tilted camera.

Screaming and flying camera

Nice cutting.

When he is in the middle age the color is changed.

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Kubrick's Clockwork Orange

How does the scene feel?

Violence, craziness.

How has this been achieved?

A gang of young guys who menacing their environment.

Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this?

I like Kubrick's composition. Similarly as in Odyssey he show us perfectly arranged rooms. I like the writer house, which reminds me functional architecture. Everything has its own purpose within the frame.

Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene?

The long shadows represents the danger. The prison scene is great and tells that it will not be easy to be here. The car scene shows that the young have luxury (sport car) and nearly no constraints. They think they can do everything, next scene in the writer house. They do the things because they can. Even they have great life and everything for cozy living their behavior attitude is bad and must be punished. I like the end where cured Alex is not able to do violence but everything changed when he tried kill himself. The political context is very powerful, the same party which allowed to use the cure is blamed that it is dangerous due to suicide. The party turn whole situation back to explain that Alex is normal as before.

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Split scan video technique

I like that technique. Kubrick used it in the Odyssey for light effects.
http://gizmodo.com/5923614/this-slit+scan-video-will-break-your-brain
http://aftereffectstutorials.blog.com/2011/07/15/slit-scan-effect/

I tried something:

Kubrick's Space odyssey

This film is a journey to the space, I saw it as a child and was captivated by the effects and the story.  

How does it feel? Aloneness, reliant on Hall computer, nearly timelessness.

How that has been achieved? Long time shots, the pace of film is slow.

Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this? The effects and compositions are marvelous. The space is huge. I like the scene when Hal killed hibernated crew and does want to open the entry for one pod. The wide shot of the ship and pod shows that Hal has control under situation and human being must think how to overcome him. The spaces are arranged perfectly, we believe that we are on the board of a ship. The shapes of the spaces, colors, technologies which still seems up to date (when they have breakfast they watch tablets :-)) even the film was introduced 1968, build the atmosphere that we are participants of something different than we are facing every day, we want to know what happens next.

Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene? I have read that the breathing represents our weaknesses when we are out of our nature environment - we need oxygen for our life and computer need not.  There is battle between man and his tool. There is an evolutionary line from apes (who use a bone as a tool) to a man with a technology which allows him to reach space and mission to Jupiter but we see that the man must learn new things like walking in no gravity etc. At the end the man must destroy his tool (HAL) and the evolution ends when we see space child.

In this shot I like the cut from a bone to ship (man tool / man tool).

I like here the door opening, it is abstract until we see the sitting woman and man.

Being in space you need to lear how to walk.

 Great landing composition. 

The moon monolit meeting. I like the shots especially the walking camera.

Introduction of bone ship. Running in circles is amazing (up and down).

Tablets and Hal. There are great compositions, the angles supports that we are in no gravity space.

Talking with Hal. Hal watches man and is interested in his drawings.

Wrong antenna - Hal's mistake.

Hal watches man and knows that they want to turn him off.

Battle between man and his tool.

The man is turning Hal off. Amazing light effects and atmosphere.

Being alone the man is ready to face his death. Great light effects again.

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Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief

I could not change the German  language, so I just chose some scenes which I like.

The opening scene: I like the contrast between zoom shot which reveals us a sign "If you love life you will love France" ......... . So easy, scary, amazing.

The restaurant scene.

How does it feel? Hostilety.

How that has been achieved? Every character do an action which supports the hostilety: waitress did not answer to greeting, the cook wriggles the carrot etc.

Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this? In the kitchen there are knifes and many others things .... .

Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene? The kitchen is a background of restaurant but the main element. Usually it is not allowed for customers to see the kitchen and maybe the meaning is here that something is hidden.

Cary has message: I like how camera changed its angle when Cary read message from low to high. 

Shadow in her face: the shadow in face is perfect for her talking about real face of Cary.

Seduction scene: I like the connection between the kissing and fireworks.

Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Police station scene:

I like that scene because there is a mystery man who is telling the main character that he should not talk anything about what he knows to the police.

How does it feel? Uncertainty. Fear of his boy.

How that has been achieved? A call phone of unknown man. Stewart's expression. The CU moving shot from the phone to his face and slow motion of the forefinger.

Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this? The space where is sitting the unknown looks threateningly. The long shadow of the chair. The table with grapes, the checkered floor .

Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene? There is someone very powerful who wants that the doctor must not tell what he knows to police. 

The calling scene: I like here how two shots are connected to build tension.

The hotel room scene:  I like here the Steward's shadow when he looks on his sleeping wife.

How does it feel? The light here is perfect. It is night and they must leave the Marrakesh to find their son in London. There is again an uncertainty and Stewart packing their things.

How that has been achieved? I think the light here is strong element, the Stewart's expression and the fact that his wife is sleeping because he administered to her a sedative to overcome the fact the their little boy was kidnapped.

Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this? The room is here shoot  from different angle than we have seen it before. The color and decoration helps to give a sense of different world. The contrast is Stewart's suit and the decoration. That they are leaving supports the open baggage, he is packing. That there is problem or tension supports the fact that his wife is sleeping and he is looking on her.

Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene? Maybe that he is the main character who can change / or have the situation under control.

The police station but in London: I like the file closet which represents the main thing that reminds that we are in a police office. I like the high angle when the couple is receiving a call.

The echoes:  Amazing scene where I firstly thought that there is problem with sound. Hearing the steps in echoes build the tension that there is something strange. I like the shot where the camera is moving forward and looking back and a stranger appears at the corner and is walking to us. Great tension, angles of camera. The scene is empty we are only focused on the sound and those two characters.

The church scene.

How does it feel? He is closed and locked in the church, he is alone, his wife somewhere outside gives call to police. She is only hope for him and their boy.

How that has been achieved? Empty church, somebody is closing and locking the entry.

Has the mise-en-scene played a part in this? Those empty chairs in wide shots are strange and tell us that nearly nobody is there.

Is there any meaning conveyed by the mise-en-scene?  I think we think that the church is a place of piece but when the main entry is closed we are not sure what is hide. And in this case it is very dangerous to know it.