Lecture 2 Flashcards
(16 cards)
Mise-en-Scene
refers to all the elements placed in front of the camera to be photographed: the settings and props, lighting, costumes and makeup, and figure behaviour
- also includes composition – how these objects are positioned relative to each other and to the frame
Setting
Are locations indoors? Outdoors? Are they stagey? Naturalistic?
Lighting
described in a number of different ways: direction, source, quality (relative intensity) and color (the classical Hollywood style, even in color films, heavily favors white light)
Lighting direction
Frontal, Back, Side, Under, Top
Frontal Lighting
Illumination directed into the scene from a position near the camera
Back Lighting
Illumination cast onto the figures in the scene from the side opposite the camera
Side Lighting
Lighting coming from one side of a person or an object
Under Lighting
Illumination from a point below the figures in the scene
Top Lighting
Lighting coming from above a person or an object
High-key Lighting
Illumination that creates comparatively little contrast between the light and dark areas of the shot; an overall sense of evenness dominates. Shadows are fairly transparent and brightened by fill light
Low-key Lighting
Illumination that creates strong contrast between light and dark areas of the shot, with deep shadows and little fill light
- also called chiaroscuro
Three-point Lighting
A common arrangement using three directions of light on a scene: from behind the subjects (backlighting), from one bright source (key light), and from a less bright source balancing the key light (fill light)
Staging
can be described in many terms: symmetry and asymmetry, horizontality and verticality, color contrasts, depth, time and movement
- many of these elements can be described in terms of the formalist/realist distinction
Symmetry
Symmetrical, Balanced, Unbalanced, Asymmetrical
Screen space
often described in terms of shallow-space and deep-space compositions
- describes the overall impression of depth that strikes the view – are there different planes of action, or is it largely flat and single-plane?
– deep-space compositions create the impression of depth in the image, drawing attention to the importance of different planes. Shallow-space does the opposite, minimizing that impression.
Movement and Performance
Often understood as ranging from realist or naturalistic to artificial, mannered styles, although the conventions of “natural” acting change radically over time
- The ’50s saw the increasing incorporation of the “Method” style of acting from the New York stage, initially most associated with Marlon Brando
