Mise-En-Scene

Mise-en-scene is the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing of the shot– actors, lighting, décor, props, and costume. Mise-en-scene is a French term that means “placing on stage.”

The Five Key Features of Mise-En-Scene are:

1. Setting and Props
2. Costume, Hair and Makeup
3. Facial Expressions and Body Language
4. Lighting and Colour
5. Positioning of Characters/Objects within the Frame 

Mise-en-scene creates a great movie because it allows the audience to immerse themselves into the action. In some cases mise-en-scene can be used to change the mood or style of the movie for example the set can be given dark lighting, claustrophobic scenery and distorted shapes to create an evil aura and so that they can enhance the horror the audiences feel. The film 'Black Swan' has great mise-en-scene because it envelopes the viewer into the set, because of this I am going to evaluate the trailer for the movie.

In the opening scene of the trailer the set is enveloped in darkness with a spotlight centring on the stage, providing the only light on set. There dancing is a ballerina in a white tutu, this is can be interpreted as innocence or naivety because when we think of a tutu we think of a child. She is positioned slightly off centre which can show that she possibly feels that she isn't the main attraction. When the lighting is evaluated it can show that ballet is the only positive or good thing in her life because it is the only light in the darkness. The shot matches on action and we can see her feet as she dances it then changes to a medium shot which is zooming out that shows her still dancing.

The next change in shot shows the practice room where a multitude of dancers are performing rudimentary steps, they are all dressed in the same of colours of white, grey and black, all of them are in the exact same position this can show that they are all performing as one or that they all think the same and blend into each other. Gym bags are at the end of each barre this adds to the realism of the scene. The lighting is high-key, the sort you would normally see in a studio and the colour is warm.

After this shot you have an over the shoulder shot that focuses on a man and behind him the other dancers are blurred, this shows that the main character only focuses on him and the other dancers don't worry her. He is wearing a white button down shirt with a black scarf around his neck, this can show that he primarily is good but then he has a dark side to him. His body posture is tense and he is looking down on her, this makes the audience feel that he is judging her.

This then changes to a close up of Natalie Portman's face, the background is blurred, and this can show that she feels that nothing matters apart from herself and the man. Her face is focused and taut, Portman's makeup is minimal which shows that she is either in a ballet company that doesn't allow makeup or that she doesn't care for it and that she only cares for her dancing. Her hair is in a tight bun this highlights her minimal style. She is wearing a white top, a dainty gold necklace that we can't see all of and she is then wearing small earrings that are pink, they look to be in the shape of a heart and are crafted from a gemstone, it looks to be rose quartz, this can show that she wants to look natural but still wears expensive things to show that she is superior than others.

The shot then cuts to a woman who looks to be in her mid 40's and is wearing slightly similar style, a neat bun, a dainty gold necklace, medium size earrings and a black top, this shows that she is professional and cares about her appearance by the medium amount of makeup she wearing. The walls in the background are covered in a floral pattern with a green trim; this makes the audience feel that this is an old house. The lighting on the woman is very warm and bright, high-key lighting, showing that she is a very good part in Portman's life whereas the background has quite a cold look to it, meaning that the character doesn't care for the house. 

We then see Natalie Portman's character that is also in a warm light, high-key, in this shot we see circles under her eyes that we could not see in the shot before, this could mean that she doesn't show her weaknesses when at work but at home she can relax.

It then cuts to a shot where Portman is stretching and is rolling her foot; it looks as if she is in pain but fails to show it. Her head is cut off in the frame making the viewer only focus on her stretching this shows that it is important. In the background we see books piled on top of each other, so that she likes to read but doesn't spent a lot of time doing it because she is busy practicing so it is in the background of her life.

After we see her stretching again but we also can't see her face like before, this can mean that people look at her body not her face which in her line of work is understandable because the audience can't see her facial expressions. She is wearing grey jogging bottoms and a pink top, the colour grey represents control so it can show that she is in control of her body and the colour pink shows passiveness, love and feminine qualities. She is stretching in front of a mirror this shows that she regularly looks at her body and evaluates it, this could put the thought in the audiences head that maybe she is too hard on herself.

This is the part of the trailer that I analysed: 

By analysing the mise-en-scene in Black Swan it has helped me notice the intricate details of the scene and know why they have been placed there, this will help when we film our main task.

Camera Angles in Zombieland's Opening Scene

In this post I will be analysing the opening scene from the movie Zombieland because the film is one of my favourites as well as being what I believe to have a great opening scene.

The establishing shot is a close-up where the camera is on it's side with what seems to be a flag in focus whereas the background is blurred. This initially confuses the viewer because we usually view films upright and not on their side. This shot slowly zooms outwards gradually giving the audience more information as they watch the shot, we soon recognise the shot has an upturned car as the main focus.

The camera quickly turns upright and zooms out more this shows a car which is upside down, which we recognise as a car the President of the USA may use - this is further proved by it panning over to the United States Capitol Building which is in Washington, D. C. As the camera pans we realize that it is a POV shot.

The shot then pans down to a gun on the floor another thing the viewer isn't used to seeing because guns are normally handled with care and are locked up but seeing it on the floor shows something bad has happened to the world.

The shot then pans over to some vehicles and suddenly moves to a medium shot of a creature jumping on top of the 'camera man' this is unexpected so it makes the audience jump and be afraid because we believed ourselves to be in the camera man's position.

The creature then proceeds to chase the camera man and then eats him. At this point we see the creature in a close-up shot so we can be disgusted at the once human being. This is all a sequence shot.

The shot then proceeds to an image of where the first shots were taken on a map, that then zooms out to view the whole world in complete and utter chaos, the camera then slowly spins down so we view the bottom of the world which looks destroyed, the camera then zooms in to see a wide shot of a football field.

The shot we then see is a medium, low angle shot of a two pairs of feet running this then pans up to see a fat person running from a zombie, this causing the audience to feel humour because we weren't expecting to see this scene. 

The camera angle then changes to a wide shot where we see the person running again, this gives the audience different view points to see the action. This is a title in the shot called "Rule #1 Cardio" this provides humour the audience. The shot then changes to see the fat person again but this time it's mid shot of the person's face, this is also funny because it is in slow motion and you can see the man emotion's which provide humour to the audience.

We then see a long shot of the duo running again, this then quickly changes to a close-up of the man's face; this creates comedic tension and makes the audience wait.

The zombie then over powers him, we see this from a low angle with a long shot.

To watch Zombieland's opening scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FpdzBfEA2s

By analysing this opening sequence it has helped me learn the importance of interesting shots, and that opening sequences use titles that are edited in.

Rules of Photography

In photography and when using shots there are certain rules that most of the professionals use - these are called 'Rules of Photography', there are several different rules to create a great photo or camera angle.

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By having knowledge on the rules of photography it will help my film making skills because I will know how to frame a shot and make it interesting.

Analysing Skyfall's Film Poster

I chose to evaluate and analyse Skyfall's film poster because I feel there's many different aspects and qualities of it that are overlooked and that it's also a great poster because it is very eye-catching. 

By analyzing this film poster it has helped me learn about the portrayal of characters in films by the use of their costume and will help me decide on how to dress the actors for the main task so that the actors will portray the right character.

Remake of Amber Run - I Found

This is mine and Imogen Millard's remake of Amber Run's music video 'I Found' for our Media Studies AS coursework. 

This is the original section of video that we copied:

My Evaluation of our Remake
For our piece I'm really proud and I like the steadiness of the camera shots considering that it was filmed handheld using an iPod Touch 5th Generation. For the parts of the video I really like the lighting like when Tom is going up the stairs, I feel that it is quite aesthetically pleasing. Also I really like the flow of the shots between 0:40 and 0:58. However if we were to do this again I think we could improve the editing with including light filters and improving some shots.

What I learnt from the Remake
I learn how to film and edit videos using Adobe Premium Elements CS4 which I previously had not known. I also did not realize how many shots were filmed to go into such a small amount of time in a video. Learning about how to use Adobe Premium Elements CS4 will help us in the future with our main task because we will know how to edit.

My TV Drama Task

For my 'TV Drama Task' I chose to write about The Walking Dead as it's one of my favourite shows currently.

If you haven’t heard of The Walking Dead it’s an American horror TV drama that follows a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse as they try to stay alive, find shelter and get food; but it’s not only the zombies that they should fear as some other survivors will do just about anything to live.

I originally wanted to watch The Walking Dead when it first debut on TV because of the dramatic and exciting storyline that was depicted by the trailer that I had randomly found online. However it was only last year that I actually began to watch the show because I had recently taken out the free 30 day trial with Amazon Prime and saw the advertisement for it on the home page. At that point there was also a lot of hype from my friends and also the media was advertising it a lot.

Some shows are loved because of their believability for example NCIS and Hawaii Five-O which are clearly exaggerated like all TV drama but I do think they are quite realistic. Obviously there is the clear fact that there aren't zombies roaming the streets so in a way it’s not believable but I do think that the characters emotions and reactions have an air of truth to them and I often find myself agreeing with their decisions because I think that’s what I would do in that situation. I do think that believability is important because that’s what gets you so hooked, you start to imagine yourself in those situations, how you’d react, how you’d survive.

Whilst watching, I found parts of my personality in many of the characters; because of this I agreed with their decisions – it made me want to keep on watching so that I could carry on with their journey. I think because of this, it's why I love it so much, sure I got annoyed at the program and definitely disheartened when they killed people off and characters turned out to be evil but it’s part of the excitement and the pure addiction to carry on watching.

To watch the Walking Dead season 1 trailer clink here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJRNHAJAcYg

Different Camera Angles

Here are six different camera shots and what they show when used:

Extreme Close-Up: This shot can be used to show emotion on the actor's face, this can give the audience an insight into what they are feeling. It can also be shown to give extreme detail which the viewer may not normally be able to see. Tension can be created when using this shot because as viewers we tend to prepare for a jump-scare or we start to wonder why the camera is so close; it creates a mystery. 

Close-Up: The close-up concentrates on either a face or a very specific detail of the set, other than this the rest of the shot tends to be blurred, this effect allows the eye to focus on one precise factor; because of this the close-up is a very good shot for showing the audience the actor's emotions and like before can be used to create tension. 

Medium Close-Up: This is halfway between a close-up and mid shot it can be used like a close-up to bring focus and detail to the object or person but also as an action shot so you can see what the character is doing as well as part of the background.

Mid Shot: A mid shot can be used for action because you can see the character emotions, actions and also the background. Seeing the actor's body language is important because it helps the audience determine how the character is feeling without them having to say it out loud, it can also help progress a scene along.

Full Shot: This is where you can see all of the character and clearly see the background and what's happening in it. This means it can portray the setting they're in and therefore answer a lot of questions the viewer may ask.

Distance Shot: A distance shot (sometimes called an Extreme Long Shot) is mainly to show the scenery and buildings in an area so you can see where the character or scene is set. This gives you an idea of the weather, temperature and the wildlife.

This will help me when doing future practical work since I learnt these shots I will be able to communicate with other students about what shots will look best and what we can experiment with filming. 

My Top Five...

Here are my top five favorite films and music videos. 

Favorite Music Videos:

1. Sia - Elastic Heart

This video is quite controversial to many people, because of the fact that there is a young girl and an older man - they say that is promotes pedophilia. However the true meaning behind it is that she is fighting with her past and she finally comes to terms with it but then she tries to bring it with her into the future but she can't because she needs to move on. I really like the video because of the choreography and the harsh white lighting since it tells me a story.

2. Melanie Martinez - Dollhouse

I think this is a great video because it really takes the lyrics of the song and creates a video around it, unlike other videos which are nothing to do about the song. I love how the costumes, make-up and mise-en-scene all follow the theme religiously. 

3. Amber Run - I found

I'm actually recreating this video for part of my Media Studies work, I really like the narrative of the story how it immerses you and makes you want to know more. The director has worked really well to make the audience like and dislike certain characters without them saying anything.

4. Michael Jackson - Thriller

I think this video is a true classic when it comes to music videos, it was one of the first music videos that I watched that actually had a narrative, which I love. Another thing that I loved was the make-up of the zombies at the end, how the originally normal looking people suddenly turned into these creatures but because I watched the video at such a young age I was afraid of them even though I knew they were human.

5. Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin' Down

I think I partly love this video because it was the song of my childhood but also I love it because of the wacky characters and funny story line.

Favorite Films:

1. Zombieland 

Zombieland is my all time favorite film because it's witty, funny and has lots of action. The plot is really interesting and made me want to watch more. I really enjoy the characters as well as the people who played them, they really brought the characters to life and created great comedy for the audience to watch. I particularly love the opening scene where they state the rules if you want to survive the zombie apocalypse.

2. Now You See Me

This caper film originally got my attention because I had nothing to watch and I saw it on Netflix, however after watching it I wanted to see it again so I could possibly understand some of the tricks they pulled. I really love this movie and it's a shame that not many people know about it because it thrills you, makes you laugh and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I truly think this is an amazing film and I am very excited for the sequel and the possible third movie in the works.

3. The Dark Knight

I think I only really love this movie is because of Heath Ledger, I don't really care much about Christian Bale or Batman but the way Ledger acted was one of the only reasons that it pulled me in. He immerses himself in the character of the Joker and truly captivates you into watching this movie.

4. Mr & Mrs Smith

I think one of the reasons why I love this movie is because of the chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and also the amazing fight scenes the movie presents. The sound work is especially good giving a light-hearted feeling to an otherwise dark scene.

5. Funny Girl

I only saw this movie the other day after watching it on the TV, but even though I haven't known about it that long I still love it because it shows a woman who is being oppressed by the man she loves and even though she divorces him she can still carry on by doing what she loved in the first place. I also feel that this movie is where female comedians were finally being recognized and I see some of the jokes said by them in this movie.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my media studies blog! 

This is where I will be putting up my coursework for Media Studies AS, this will focus on investigating and creating media. 

Everyone all over the world use media daily, whether it's using your phone, reading a magazine or listening to the radio - many people interact with media on a day-to-day basis. With the media you can learn about important news, listen to your favourite music or talk to distant family members. However we don't notice how much it affects our lives until we stop to think about it, whether it's what type of cereal you should be buying or what political party you should follow, it influences our decisions and how we view certain situations in the world.

I chose to take Media Studies because I am very interested in the entertainment business, I love films and TV shows as well as the script and story line behind them - this is one of the reasons why I took English Literature also, since script writing is a possible future career path for me. I hope to work in the entertainment business in the future after I go to University and most likely study a course around entertainment.

Thanks for reading!