MISE-EN-SCENE
Mise-En-Scene (MES) is a French theatre term used to describe “Setting the scene”. It is used to describe how the stage is set in theatre and obviously in film and TV how the scene is set.
MES comprises of the following areas.
Location
1: Provides a space for all of the MES factors to inhabit.
2: Can be used to set the tone. Ie. Dark haunted houses in Horror films.
3: Can be functional ie a bar or office that the characters frequent.
Props
1: Put in the location to help produce atmosphere and tone.
2: May be integral to the plot & used in the action. Action props ie. guns etc.
Costume
1: Can help to define a character. Lifestyle, job, class, place and time.
2: Can help define genre. Ie cowboy hats, guns etc define a Western.
Performance
1: Actors performance and expressions can be used to tell the story.
2: Verbally and non-verbally the actors pass on information to the viewer.
3: Stars can alter our perceptions of a role. Also stars may link to genres.
Lighting and Colour
1: Lighting decides what can be seen & therefore what is important in a shot.
2: Can be High Key ie bright locations or Low Key dark but lit in key areas.
3: Position of the lights can give various effects. Ie shadows in horror films.
4: Colour effects mood. Black can signify a bad guy, red passion, green envy.
Composition The way that the objects are composed in the frame can affect the way the viewer sees it. Symmetrical and balanced is comfortable; Asymmetrical is less balanced awkward and uncomfortable.
MY NOTES ON MES ON SIBLINGS:
Location
Plain and stark possibly black. I have tried mock ups of different backdrops testing what it may be like to film them in the locations of the adults that they are representing on-screen see right. This included a school and psychologist type setting. However I do not want anything to detract from the boys or divert attention from them as they are the key to the piece. Also i like the ideas of the boys being naked from the waist up and their torsos showing and this looks very strange in these other locations and starts taking on completely different meaning and connotations.
Props
Simply not needed for the same reason as above. They will be sitting on chairs or stools but these will be out of shot.
Performance
A tricky one as this is what the piece is based upon either performing as others OR performing a little for the camera. As much as possible I want them to NOT perform or be directed throughout especially in their own pieces where they are talking about themselvesCostume
None. I have tried variations of costume see images right to represent the different characters psychologist shirt and tie and even putting T shirts on the boys to cover them up and avoid the naked debate but this is not really working. I still love the boys personalities and identities being laid naked in reality and metaphorically and no shirts on works for this best. it also allows their physiques and physicality show through other things that define them and set them apart from their brothers.
Lighting and Colour.
The lighting was an issue as I really wanted the boys to look as natural as possible but filming in a TV studio meant no natural light. However the standard film and TV lighting set up for documentaries is three point lighting. A backlight to create a halo around the subject and separate them from the background really important when you have a black background as I aim to have. Then you have a fill light which gives a good overall light to the subject and this is generally 50% lower than the final light which is the key-light. The key light does most of the modelling to add shadow and depth to the subjects face. This set up will work best for me. I tried a few variations and some mood lighting effects for the 4 different aspects and people talking about the boys but it merely looked too contrived.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
This is another important tool that the filmmaker has at their disposal. It basically concerns how the camera is set up, the shots and camera movement and what exactly they decide to include in the frame and shoot. Framing What is included in the shot and the frame? Nothing else matters as this is what the filmmakers has decided is important for the viewer.
Shot Size
The size of shot decides how much information you as the filmmaker decide to shot the viewer. A long shot (LS) or wide shot (WS) contains a lot of
information and is good for establishing a setting or location. A close up (CU) is good for pointing out important detail ie a facial expression, a hidden gun.
Length of Take
Linked to shot size and editing. As a whole the more information that there is to take in from the shot the longer it needs to be. So a LS or WS will need to be longer than a CU as there will be more detail to take in.
Camera Movement
This effects our perception of a shot and how the director has decided to follow the action. For instance in action films there will tend to be a lot of camera movement to inject energy and pace. There are 4 main types.
1: Pan (left to right)
2: Tilt (up and down)
3: Crane (camera moves up and down on a long arm)
4: Tracking (the camera moves on a set of tracks and a dolly)
There are also another couple of types you can use the camera handheld this adds a little more energy and roughness to the shooting. A steadycam is good for keeping the camera steady and following the action around. A zoom is not a camera movement but a lens movement.
Camera Angle
This is at what height the camera is placed. We usually view things at our eye level so if the director places the camera higher or lower it effects how the viewer perceives what they are looking at. There are 2 main types.
1: High angle positions the camera placed high up. This can give a good overall view of the scene and also can make the viewer feel powerful by looking down on the subject.
2: Low angle positions the camera is placed low possibly on the ground. This forces the viewer to look up at the subject making then feel weak.
Depth of Field
This what exactly is in focus in the shot. Obviously what is in focus is important, as it is what our eyes are drawn to and what the director wants us to look at. There are.
1: Shallow focus is when something in shot is in focus and nothing else is.
2: Deep focus is when the whole shot is in focus from the fore to background.
3: Pull focus. This is using shallow focus but moving it from one subject to another therefore highlighting one subject then another.
MY NOTES ON USE OF CINEMATOGRAPHY
As with all of my use of film language for this project the cinematography is also stripped back only to its bare essentials so the focus is solely on the boys.
Shot Size
I have also been very playful with the typical documentary talking head shot.I tried a variety of these see right to see what worked and the looser MCU nearly a MS worked best. It not only put some distance between the audience and the subject but allowed more torso to be seen. This was great for seeing the physicality of the boys another facet of their identity AND allowed for more moody movement that the tighter MCU and CU would not allow. Traditionally a documentary talking head shot is between a MS and MCU and is the de-facto interview shot. I liked the idea of mimicking this BUT breaking the fourth wall. This takes what the audience expect from a talking head interview but allows the subjects to directly address the audience a very privileged look in film and TV. This creates an uncanny subversive feel as most of what the audience expects is there but unlike they often see it.Camera Movement
I did some tects with a bit of movement but everything I tried looked too forced and disrupted the impact of the shot size I mentioned above so did not pursue this too far.
Camera Angle
Again here I stayed to much of documentary convention and thinking by deciding to shoot them at eye level with the boys throughout. I did play around with shooting the adults bits from a lower angle so the boys would look more powerful in these parts especially the psychologist but again less is more proved to be the case. It looked too forced and feedback from a few colleagues suggested this too. I tried and only slight angles but it was simply not needed and eye level seems to be the way forward.
Depth of Field
Again not too much messing here. I wanted enough DOF for most of the features to all be sharp but as the background was black and there was nothing in the foreground it did not matter too much as long as the boys features were sharp.
SOUND
Sound can be split into two distinctive types that appear in films dependent on where they originate from and how they are used.
1: Diegetic sound is sound that originates from within the action in the film. Examples are dialogue, gunshots, cars screeching around corners etc.
2: Non-diegetic sound is from sources outside the action of the film. A typical example is music/soundtrack used to enhance the action but may also be, voice-overs or sound effects. An example may be a romantic couple running across a deserted field to the sound of orchestral music. This is Non-diegetic. If however the camera pans and there is an actual orchestra in the field with them it would be Diegetic!
Types Of Film Sound
Other types of sound that often appear in films would include.
1: Music creates mood. Horror music will be very different to romance.
2: Sound Effects are added to enhance scenes, gunshots, footsteps etc.
3: Ambient sound. Background sound to create atmosphere. Busy pubs etc.
4: Voice-overs are often used to fill in storylines or show character’s thoughts.
Using Sound In Film and Video
Sound can be used in various ways to have an effect on the viewer.
1: Parallel sound reflects action. For instance upbeat music in action scenes.
2: Contrapuntal sound goes against the action. For instance upbeat funny music in a violent movie scene. Makes the action seem even more graphic.
3: Sound Bridges is music or sound taking the viewer from one scene to another playing under both. Makes for smoother transitions linking the two scenes.
MY NOTES ON SOUND FOR SIBLINGS
The simple answer to most of the sound aspects above is to use a little as possible.
Diegetic Sound
This will simply be the boys voices themselves and any other sound generating form the scenes. I do not expect anything other than their voices and movements. The only interesting sound will be the use of lip-synched voice over with voices coming from the boys from the people whose opinions they are talking about replacing their own. In tone, pace timbre and phrasing of the boys will be the only constant wether their own words or repeating those of others.
Non-diegetic Sound
I do not plan on using any non-diegetic sound as I want the boys comments to remain clear and not start using music to create emotion but rather let this happen through what they say or do. I did do a couple of tests.
Sound effects.
These were tried at an earlier stage with computerised effects on the boys voices and was simply too ham fisted. This will be avoided as the "uncanny" is really interesting as strange voices appear to come from the boys.
EDITING
Editing is the end process where all of the shots, sound and other effects are all put together to form a completed film. As a viewer we have to suspend belief whilst watching a film as in real life we do not see things happening cutting from Long shots to Close ups but due to being exposed to film we do not question this. We traditionally cut straight from one shot to the next. There are two main types of editing, Continuity and Discontinuity.
CONTINUITY EDITING
Where the action is designed to appear to be flowing, so viewers do not question the cuts. One shot logically following the other smoothly and seamlessly. A number of techniques are used to make this possible.
1: Movement and speed. The action in the shots when linked must be at the same speed for it to seem continuous.
2: Shot Sizes. Traditionally we move from a WS to MS into a CU in the scene. This ensures interest and draws the viewer into the action after establishing it.
3: Shot reverse shot. This is where we see one character talking to another and then cut to whom they are talking to for their reply.
4: Eye line match. If you are using the above the eye lines must be the same, the characters must appear to have eye contact otherwise it will look strange.
5: Match on action. When we cut from say a MS of our character to a CU they must be in exactly the same position and the action must be the same.
6: Cutaway shots are edited into a scene but not directly related to it. They may show an important CU of something that is important to witness.
7: Cross or Parallel editing is when 2 storylines are intertwined through editing and shown next to each other. Ie people robbing a bank and the police heading to the bank cutting between shots of either to build tension.
DISCONTINUITY EDITING
Discontinuity where the action does not flow but has a disruption between one shot and the next but creating a representation of the action. Unlike continuity that supports meanings within the shot to represent narrative, Discontinuity editing produces meanings by the way that the shots are edited together.
There are several ways this can be achieved.
1: Montage. This is shots that when combined create meaning. An example is the famous Psycho shower scene not continuous action but edited to create a representation of the action.
2: A Graphic Match is when you cut from one shot to another but they are graphically the same size, composition, movement and shape.
3: A Freeze Frame is where the action freezes on screen. This gives the viewer more time to take in the information on screen. Lock, Stock uses this.
4: A Symbolic Insert is a shot inserted to give meaning or represent some action from the film. If a character is dying to represent death we may see a shot of a dead animal for example.
EDITING TRANSITIONS
As well as cutting straight from one shot to the next directly replacing one shot for another there are various transitions that can be used.
1: Fades often fade to black at the end of a scene and then from black into the next scene. These are good for showing a passage of time.
2: The new shot somehow Wipes across the screen replacing the old one.
3: With Dissolves the new shot appears through the old one replacing it.
PACE AND RHYTHMN OF EDITING
This is important as it creates a sense of mood or emotion in a scene. Dream sequences will have long shots and possible dissolves to create a dreamlike quality. Fast action scenes will have lots of hard cuts and shots to create the tension and pace of the scene.
MY NOTES ON EDITING FOR SIBLINGS
Again this will be as light a touch as possible so as to not interfere with what the boys are saying. I did try cutting some GV (general view footage) in really early incarnations of the piece but it simply did not need it and was far more interesting to allow the viewer to dwell on the boys.
Both continuity and discontinuity editing are not really used as the sections where the boys are talking are one long take each time. The only edits if you like are the creation of the boys taking it in turns to talk created in the edit when they were only shot one camera, but the aim is to make even these invisible and the focus not on techniques but on what they boys are saying.
That said there will be transitions between the sections and their comments. I have tried fades, and even wipes which i really hate to see if they work but fades to black and up again work best. They are almost a palette cleanser in between the sections showing an end in one and the start of another. They also allow a moment of suspense as to what the audience will see next and where the boys will pop up and what voices and action they may have.
Editing Effects
I tried out a few of these the B/W pixelated psychologists earlier on, even blue grading to make the psychologist look colder and the early brightly coloured animation effects but they were all too much. the nakedness of the boys and the thoughts of themselves and others on them work best when the footage is as naked as possible too.
That said i may try to grade the footage when it has been shot to try and give it a more uniford feel across all of it and add a title to the start but that will be about all.
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