Everything you see in a film is constructed to fit on a screen. Filmmakers think about every element that is shown every shot, nothing is accidental (generally, of course, I’m leaving mistakes out of the equation).
By controlling what is shown in the boundaries of a screen, a filmmaker controls the understanding of the audience. All that the director puts into the scene and films is called the “mise-en-scène”.
The mise-en-scène is how a filmmaker creates meaning – they use it to develop a character (or give subtle hints as to their nature), to set the mood, to increase realism (or surrealism), or to explore the meanings of the film’s theme.
To help you analyse as well as understand a scene, you have to ask who and what are in the scene and …show more content…
Think about symbolism, connotations, links, et cetera o How were the effect and its meaning created? o Why were they created in that way - what is the director’s purpose?
You could try this out by looking at this shot of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises: Figure 2- Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012, Christopher Nolan) - source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Consider how objects and people are placed within this shot, what colours are used, how the shot is lit, the people’s costumes – consider what feeling the shot is supposed to elicit. What was Nolan’s goal, with this shot?
Example: A quick analysis
This shot establishes chaos: sheets of paper scattered everywhere, people scrambling to get away from the threat; it also evokes fear, clear in the expressions on the innocent bystanders’ faces. Bane is set in the dead centre of it all – he is the source of the chaos, the fear – a terrorist. Note the American flight in the top right corner, it’s covered but still there, signifying that good shall still prevail – the American flag frequently symbolises the “good guys”.
However, as the scene is set at a stock exchange, the flag hanging vertically (placed this way on purpose) may also signify the crookedness and dishonesty of the stock exchange, essentially blaming them for the Great Recession of the late
By controlling what is shown in the boundaries of a screen, a filmmaker controls the understanding of the audience. All that the director puts into the scene and films is called the “mise-en-scène”.
The mise-en-scène is how a filmmaker creates meaning – they use it to develop a character (or give subtle hints as to their nature), to set the mood, to increase realism (or surrealism), or to explore the meanings of the film’s theme.
To help you analyse as well as understand a scene, you have to ask who and what are in the scene and …show more content…
Think about symbolism, connotations, links, et cetera o How were the effect and its meaning created? o Why were they created in that way - what is the director’s purpose?
You could try this out by looking at this shot of Bane from The Dark Knight Rises: Figure 2- Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012, Christopher Nolan) - source: Warner Bros. Pictures
Consider how objects and people are placed within this shot, what colours are used, how the shot is lit, the people’s costumes – consider what feeling the shot is supposed to elicit. What was Nolan’s goal, with this shot?
Example: A quick analysis
This shot establishes chaos: sheets of paper scattered everywhere, people scrambling to get away from the threat; it also evokes fear, clear in the expressions on the innocent bystanders’ faces. Bane is set in the dead centre of it all – he is the source of the chaos, the fear – a terrorist. Note the American flight in the top right corner, it’s covered but still there, signifying that good shall still prevail – the American flag frequently symbolises the “good guys”.
However, as the scene is set at a stock exchange, the flag hanging vertically (placed this way on purpose) may also signify the crookedness and dishonesty of the stock exchange, essentially blaming them for the Great Recession of the late