The Graduate- Ben and Mrs. Robinson Fight
Dominant
Mrs Robinson as she is light from below, suggesting her dominance also in the relationship.
Lighting Key
Low key, shadows and contours place emphasis on Mrs. Robinsons face whilst Benjamin is in the dark, possibly both physically and emotionally
Shot and camera proxemics
Medium shot, both characters from waist up.
Angle
Low angel, we appear to be looking up at the characters placing al of our attention on them.
Color values
Dark, cold colors, predominantly grayscale over Benjamin, whereas Mrs. Robinson is wearing dark colors, her face and body are brightly lit suggesting her dominance over the comparatively youthful Benjamin.
Lensfilterstock
None obvious, possibly a fast film stock due to grainy texture but this may be because technology has improved greatly since this was made in the 60s.
Subsidiary contrasts
Main subsidiary contrast is Benjamin, as he is placed in shadow our eyes are drawn to him second, after Mrs. Robinson whos face and body are brightly lit.
Density
Moderate, background is noticeable but not densely packed with information, characters are main focus in the center of the shot.
Composition
Diagonal, Mrs. Robinsons gaze is upward at Benjamin, whereas his is downwards at her creating a diagonal composition in accordance with their gaze and postures.
Form
Difficult to gauge, neat framing suggests a closed form, but natural relaxed postures suggest an open form.
Framing
Loose, characters have room both between eachother and to the edges of the shot to move without the camera having to move to track them.
Depth
Moderately shallow, foreground frame is the dominant one, but picture on the middle frame is noticeable, and background isnt obscured to de-emphasize its importance.
Character placement
Both characters in center of frame, but Benjamin placed physically higher than Mrs. Robinson causing her to appear submissive, although vulnerability not achieved due to lighting. Her dominance despite being below him only emphasizes her control in the situation.
Staging positions
Both characters are shot in profile, showing their absorption with one another and no other external influences
Character proxemics
Personal, although fixed gaze on one another suggests a more intimate relationship is about to occur shortly.
The Night of the Hunter- Hallway announcement
Dominant
Eye is drawn to John as he is placed in the center of the frame and lit more brightly than Preacher.
Lighting Key
Low key, shadows and contrast create a sense of unease as felt by John as Preacher looms over him
Shot and camera proxemics
Long shot, see full bodies of characters and surrounding locale which emphasizes the confined space they are in and Johns feeling of being trapped by Preacher.
Angle
High angled, represents Preachers dominance over the small and vulnerable John and the size difference between the two.
Color values
Difficult to gauge as shot in black and white however Preacher is dressed is darker hues whereas its safe to assume John is in lighter or brighter colors, signifying Preachers bad characterization.
Lensfilterstock
Possible wide-angled lens creates depth and the feeling of all the objects in the room and the walls themselves are looming over John, again showing his vulnerability and lack of power in the situation
Subsidiary contrasts
Preacher as he is the only other character in the shot besides John, his dark colors in his dress make him subsidiary to John who is lit more brightly.
Density
Moderate, the objects as walls we see as a result of the wide angled lens, whilst we are made aware of their presence they do not create a busy or shot which is densely packed with information.
Composition
Vertical. The lines of the walls, doors, shadows and postures of the characters all create strong vertical lines, which signify Preachers strength over vulnerable John.
Form
Closed, the selection of a high angled shot does not seem the natural way to frame the characters, suggesting that there is a reason for shooting the scene as such.
Framing
Whilst the shot seems loose as the characters have room to move, the shot seems to emphasize Johns lack of freedom and he is not free to move out from beneath Preachers looming figure.
Depth
Multi framed, we are aware of the foreground and background, whilst the main action of the characters is placed in the middle frame, meaning that we are aware of the location of the shot and the feeling of entrapment felt by John is communicated through the foreground and background.
Character placement
Center, our eyes are drawn to the characters and it is their dialogue and body language which communicates the action of the scene.
Staging positions
Both characters are in profile, Preachers only concern is extracting information from John and John is forced to be concerned about Preacher as he looms over him in a threatening manner.
Character proxemics
The distance they are from one another seems intimate, however, given the context I believe the closeness represents a threatening relationship with one another and Preachers wish to control John by being close to him, as opposed to any affection.
North by Northwest- Rodger Confronts Eve
Dominant
Red of Eves dress and her light hair draws the eye to her.
Lighting Key
Moderate lighting, it is neither particularly bright nor is it particularly in shadow, giving the impression that nothing sinister is about to occur.
Shot and camera proxemics
Mid shot allows us to view seemingly awkward body language between the two characters.
Angle
Eye level shot suggesting no power imbalance between Eve and Roger.
Color values
Eves red dress and preened appearance have connotations of a femme fetale, suggesting that all may not be as it seems with her characterization. Roger however is dressed more mundanely, reflecting his seemingly normal existence before he was brought into this situation being confused for Kaplan.
Lensfilterstock
High quality of the shot given the un recent nature of the film suggests a slow film stock as the lines are crisp and clear, indicating a lot of artificial lighting has been used to light this scene.
Subsidiary contrasts
Roger is the subsidiary contrast as the eye initially is drawn to the attractiveness of Eve. This suggests that she may have the power in this relationship.
Density
Moderate, we see objects in the background however they are not intricate or interesting enough to detract attention from the characters.
Composition
Vertical as opposed to binary as the characters do not seem to be interacting with one another. The position of the arms and standing form creates vertical lines.
Form
Open, the positioning and framing seem like a natural way to shoot this scene, without too much attention being pulled to other objects or noticeable features about the shot.
Framing
Loose, the characters have room to move within the shot without too much difficulty. A relaxed shot seems to contrast with the tenseness we can read from the characters body language and seems to serve to highlight this awkwardness.
Depth
Deep, but not too noticeably so. He characters are clearly identified as the main spectacle of the shot.
Character placement
Center, our eyes are drawn to the characters and it is their dialogue and body language which communicates the majority of the action of the scene as opposed to location, props or scenery.
Staging positions
Both characters adopt a quarter turn, which seems odd given the intimate relationship we have already seen between them. Their positioning suggests and awkwardness with one another, we could second guess that one is hiding something from the other they do not wish the other to know. They seem guarded to one another, not wanting to absorb themselves fully in the other and wishing to keep some distance.
Character proxemics
They seem to have a social distance from one another, but their raised arms also create a further physical barrier between one another, again suggesting that they do want wish to become too intimate with each other for one reason or another and there is another factor which prevents their relationship from being intimate.
Part two- Short essay
Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Composition
Tarintinos use of composition within his film Inglorious Basterds allows the audience to gain a further insight into the action we see unfolding on screen, signifying to the audience issues of control and characterization, which is a key part of this text given the setting and theme.
For example, if we look at the shot one we see characters Aldo and Donny looming over a Nazi. The composition consists of vertical lines, in the posture of the characters, Donnys outstretched arm, the trees in the background and Aldos knife. Using this element paired with the low angled shot the audience is given the strong impression of these characterss strength over the Nazis relative weakness. The size of the trees, the size of the characters and their weapons on thus emphasized to again show us of this relationship. In addition, by also portraying this through a point of view shot, where we the audience are looking up at the menacing expressions on the faces of these two actors, there is no question as to who holds the power here and we are able to empathize with the feeling of vulnerability the Nazi must be feeling.
Similarly in the next shot Ill be looking at composition greatly enhances the feeling of unease in the opening scene of Inglorious Bastards. The main focus of the shot is the character of Hans Landa, and as he reclines on his chair, the other characters similar diagonal posture work together to create almost an arrow shape pointing at the floor, where we are aware there are Jews hiding under the floorboards. In addition, all the other elements in this scene, the table, the vertical lines of the wall, the table leg and the braces of the character on the left seem to be similarly pointing our attention downwards. These features together function to create a very tangible sense of unease within this scene, which lasts a few minutes as the audience, aware that Hans knows of the Jews under the floorboards, we know this as in this shot he seems to actually be pointing at them with his left hand, wonder how he is going to behave.
The final shot I shall be looking at is that of Melenie as she adjusts the film reels in preparation for the events which occur at the final climactic point of the film. Whilst she is positioned to the right of the shot, she is clearly the dominant feature of it given that she is the only character to be ascribed a colour value as she is clothed in a red dress, and similarly has red nails and lipstick heavily coding her as a femme fetale and a rare dominant female in film. In addition, whilst the majority of the film is chiaroscuro, by shrouding her in red the audience is hailed to regard her as important. However, whilst we are aware that she possesses power, in the centre of the shot and therefore were know of importance is the film reel. It is ultimately this object which comes to cause the death of lots of high powered Nazis, and possibly without this object Melenie would hold little power. The message portrayed through this composition of this shot therefore is that it is Melenies ultimate relationship with the film reel which holds the real power and dominance in this film, causing two generally underestimated elements, that is females and the power of film, to lead to the end of a great deal of Nazi power, something Tarantino seems to use his film to make strong a political and social point about being a film maker himself. Similarly, our attention is further directed to these objects through the use of shallow focus, causing us to overlook the density of the objects placed in the background. Again as these two elements create strong vertical lines through Melenies posture and the positioning of the film reel she is coded as being powerful and in charge.
In conclusion, through use of the element of composition Tarantino is able to communicate clear indicators of status and character to the audience as Melenie, Aldo, Donny and Hans are all positioned and framed in such a way that there is no question as to their dominance and power in each context. Whilst it is often the case that Tarantino leaves the audience guessing about power and control in terms of narrative, by looking at composition rather more consistent messages are portrayed, allowing the audience to be able to follow the narrative in a more linear fashion, picking up addition pieces of information to create a consistent text. Through Tarantinos adoption of a classicist mode to portray his narrative, elements of style and creativity are able to be expressed through mise-en-scene as details are given of above. However, Tarantino is prevented from losing the audience and the narrative and presentation of it remains wholly plausible and believable, to work together to create a text which is both highly stylised however still has an air of authority and truth.
Overall, I would consider Tarantinos use of composition to be on the same lines as others we have viewed this semester, as the composition does communicate a great deal of more subtle messages regarding integral plot points and character relationships, similarly in Citizen Zane for example, shots were also set up in such as way so as all elements of the mise-en-scene were carefully constructed to communicate a deliberate message to the viewer. However, the differing styles of these two directors has meant that the relative interplay of the elements which contribute to a mise-en-scene vary so as to allow each director to put their personal stamp on their own film and for it to reflect their own style of film making.
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