1. Classical Realist Texts: American Films between 1916 and 1960 Mise-en-scène

2. Table of Contents 1. Visualizing methods in classical American films 2. Mise-en-scéne in classical American films

3. Visualizing Methods in Classical American films (Mise-en-scène = ‘put it in the scene’; what is filmed, and how it is shot. It includes the directing of performance, the placement of cameras, the movement of the camera, lighting, the choice of lenses, set design, property, costume, location hunting, etc.)

4. Visualizing Methods in Classical American films (Montage = editing, how to present shots. It includes cutting, mixing sound effects and music, and dubbing)

5. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Classical Hollywood films aimed to make the spectator think that they were not watching a film but reality. They do so through telling a plausible narrative. In making narrative the dominant force in a film, the classical Hollywood cinema chose to subordinate mise-en-scène and montage (film form) to narrative. It lets mise-en-scène serve for the ‘invisible’, plausible and realistic narrative.

6. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films They achieve reality and truth effects by concealing filming techniques through sophisticated filming teachniques MISE-EN- SCENE and MONTAGE Unartificial → natural → real Use of arts → make a film look artless → natural → real

7. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Film arts which are employed to make a film artless No unusual angles, eye-level placing of camera, follow-focus (follow shot), no strong contrast, choice of normal size lens (35 to 50 mm), balanced composition, verisimilitudinous camera movement, etc.

8. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films ANGLES OF FRAMING Straight-on angle shot High angle shot Low angle shot

10. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Straight-on angle Following the point of view of a character - the most natural way to deciding an camera angle Orson Wells, Citizen Kane (1941)

11. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films ANGLES OF FRAMING High angle shot Low angle shot Camera angle can suggest either the vulnerability or power of a character.

12. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films HIGH ANGLE SHOT A character or an object seen ‘from above’ It looks smaller It can be seen as ✓ weaker ✓ less powerful ✓ less superior

13. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films LOW ANGLE SHOT A character or an object seen ‘from below’ It looks larger It can be seen as ✓ more powerful ✓ more dominant ✓ more important

14. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Expressive angles Extreme low-angle shots used in Citizen Kane Formalist approach

15. Extreme high angle shots in Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange and Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs Tarantino

16. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films LEVEL OF CAMERA Eye-level shot – the camera is placed at the level of a character’s eyes Little or no psychological effect on the spectator

17. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films LEVEL OF CAMERA Low-level and high- level placing of the camera Following the eye level of a character - the most natural way to decide the place of the camera.

18. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films However, eye-level positioning of camera becomes expressive and formalistic, when it is set at an extreme level. Expressive level Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting (1996)

19. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Dutch Angle Shot – the camera is set at an angle on its roll axis. Vertical lines at an angle to the side of the frame and horizontal lines not parallel with the bottom of the frame. Make strong psychological effect on the spectator

20. Carol Reed’s The Third Man, an expressionistic and formalist film noir, uses Dutch angle shots throughout the film.

21. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films COMPOSITION The important figure should be place in the slightly off-centre of the frame

22. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Slightly off-centre composition in a widescreen format: Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas

23. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Yasujiro Ozu’s famous composition in which a character comes right in the middle of the screen Unconventional composition stands out in his films - more formalist stylistic element Autumn Afternoon 1.10.00 Autumn Afternoon

24. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films DEPTH OF FIELD: FOCUS SELECTIVE FOCUS or SHALLOW FOCUS = only one plane in a shot is in sharp focus To direct the viewer’s attention to that plane.

25. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films RACK FOCUS Changing of focus within a shot in such a way that one plane of the frame goes out of focus and instead another plane comes into sharp focus. Peking Young VictoriaPekingYoung Victoria

26. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films FOLLOW FOCUS Keeping a moving object or character in focus More natural focusing Paths of Glory Paths of Glory

27. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films DEEP FOCUS Keeping elements at different depths of the field in focus, by using a relatively wide angle lens, strong lighting and a small camera aperture. Preferred by realist film makers

29. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Deep focus photography is normally associated with film realism. It could be used for expressionistic and formalist purpose. Citizen Kane

30. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Watch the two film clips and identify the types of focus used in them. 1. Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather 2. Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Tango in Paris What types of focusing serves better to the creation of truth effects? Which one(s) are more formalist shot(s)?

31. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Camera movements The camera moves following the movement of a character - the most natural way to move the camera Tracking shot or dolly shot – the camera moves when a character or an object moves North by Northwest North by Northwest Martin Scorsese, The Age of Innocence Is the camera movement in the opening scene realist or formalist?

32. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films LIGHTING High-key lighting: all areas of the image are equally lighted. Low-key lighting: create strong contrast between light and shadow e.g. A Touch of Evil

34. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Mise-en-scene ought to be motivated as narrative does. The chain of cause and effect shoould dictate mise-en-scène. e.g. When a character is a hero, he may be placed in the centre of the frame. When he walks into a room, the camera also moves with him. When he is walking in the darkness, no strong light is cast on his face.

35. Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films However, Mise-en-scène should not let itself stand out. e.g. A protagonist must be placed in the centre of the frame, but not in the dead centre. When he walks into a room, the camera also moves with him rather than it uses rack focus. When he is walking in the darkness, not too much contrast between light and shade.

36. Mise-en-scéne in classical American films F.W. Murnau, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) Travelling shot from a tram Motivated: when the characters and the vehicle on which they are on move, the camera moves. Sunrise