Cinematography Analysis of 2 Extracts from Different Eras

The Blob

(1950s)

"The Blob" is an independently made American horror/science fiction film from 1958 depicting a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorises the small community of Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

When watching the extract or most likely the film the audience will be able to see that there has been a close-up shot used within the first 12 seconds of the scene to show the actors' reactions to the film they are watching which allows the audience to see how the actors react to watching what appears to be a horror movie with the medium shot being used to show their body language which appears as though they are very comfortable with watching the movie and are not at all phased by what does appear to be a horror movie. We then see that there is another type of shot used at about 0:15 seconds which could be described as a tilt shot but not a full one due to it only going up. The scene then cuts to a big close-up shot to the air ventilator on the wall showing the amoeba-like creature coming through it which connects to the title of the film as this is in fact "The Blob".

There is a close-up shot of the man in the projection room who is operating the film, he appears to be distracted by his book and the movie and does not notice until he turns around what is actually going on around him; this is shown at 0:49 - 0:59 seconds where we continue to see a close-up shot but this time of "The Blob" growing larger and attacking the man. A close-up shot is seen near the end of the extract which shows the audience the actors' facial expressions which shows them to be very disgruntled and annoyed due to the movie having stopped playing oblivious to what has happened to the man in the projection room.

Seen at 1:16 - 1:22 is another close-up shot showing the audience that "The Blob" is getting ready to attack the audience who are watching the movie who are unaware that this is happening.

The Faculty

(1990s)

"The Faculty" is a 1998 horror/science-fiction film about a fictional high school; Herrington High School at which the faculty and staff have become taken over by alien parasites.

Within this extract taken from the film "The Faculty" there is first a big close-up shot of the girl who is listening to the other girl talk which shows that her face is sort of distorted and blurry therefore connoting to the audience that the girl who is listening is more important within this part of the film, this is put into force when the other girl says "Aren't you tired of being something you're not?, I know I am", through the use of the big close-up shot the audience are able to see the other girl's facial expressions which show her to be quite scared when reacting to what the other girl is saying to her.

There appears to be a type of low angle shot shown when the alien is revealing itself, showing it to be a great importance connoting to the audience that they should be afraid of it. From 0:23 - 0:28 seconds and then again at 0:33 seconds the audience are able to witness the alien revealing itself as it shows the arms and the face; there is a big close-up shot of this as the audience are allowed to see the girl transform into the alien showing them what the alien looks like in full view.

To me it looks as though a crane shot has been used at 0:31 - 0:32 seconds, even though this type of shots are usually used at the end of a film, I think the director probably used it here to allow the audience to see more of the setting, it then allows the scene to go into a tracking shots where the audience see the male and female actors running away from the alien.

...Key Differences...

* More big close-up shots are used within the extract taken from the film "The Faculty" than the film "The Blob" which allows the audience to see more of the features of the alien within "The Faculty".

* Within the extract from the "The Blob" there is a type of tilt shot as we see the camera going up whereas in the extract from the film "The Faculty" there are no tilt shots shown at all, instead there is a type of crane shot which allows the audience to see the setting as a whole. 

* There is not much movement seen within the extract from the film "The Blob" which inhibits any tracking or crane shots being used. 

* There is a low angle shot used within the extract from the film "The Faculty" which lets the audience know that they should be afraid of the alien. 

* The tracking shot used within the extract from the film "The Faculty" allows the audience to see that the actors are running away from the alien while in the extract from the film "The Blob" there are no tracking shots used at all as the actors do not know that they are about to be attacked by an alien and therefore do not run. 

* There seem to be more close-up shots used within the extract from the film "The Blob" which shows the actors' facial expressions when they are watching the movie. 

Analysis of 4 Film Stills - Camera angles and their effects

House of Wax

This still image from the film "House of Wax" shows that the director has used a medium shot which allows the audience to see the actors' body language. The image shows one actor crouched down on the floor and the other sitting on then floor which in a way connotes that they have been hurt by someone or something. Through the use of the medium shot the audience is also able to see the actor's facial expressions and body language without being too close or too far, they are also able to catch a glimpse of their costumes and the setting behind them therefore allowing them to see some of the aspects of mise-en-scéne within this film still. By allowing the audience to see the actors' facial expressions through the use of the medium shot it allows them to see how the actors are feeling which in some way allows the audience to empathise with them. Due to the actors' surroundings and the way in which they are holding on to each other the audience knows that they are scared; this creates an enigma for the audience as they do not know why the actors are scared. The medium shot used for this film still creates a type of suspense factor not only in the film still but probably for the entire film as they do not know what they are looking at or why they are scared.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

The camera shot used for this film still appears to be a long shot as we are able to see some of the aspects of mise-en-scéne within it such as the actors' costumes and the setting, the long shot used also allows the audience to see the actors' body language which shows them to be quite dominant due to them standing up. From looking at the film still the audience are probably able to guess that it is a sci-fi film or has a sci-fi aspect to it due to the bright neon colours in the background. The audience may also think this as they may notice that the actors' costumes look a bit futuristic due to the woman wearing a type of catsuit and the man wearing a suit which appears to be made out of plastic. This has an effect on the audience as they are probably wondering who are these people and what do they want, due to the long shot which results in them appearing as being very important people within the film. The long shot allows the actors to appear closer to the audience than the background which as a result will grab the audience's attention instantly as they will be wondering who these people are.

Thir13en Ghosts

The shot used for this film still is a close-up shot which allows the audience to clearly see what is going on within the scene. With the use of a close-up shot the audience is able to see the actors' facial expressions which in most cases helps contribute to the narrative of the film. The image shows two females with one standing close and the other standing behind her. By looking at the image the audience will probably be able to tell that the female standing closer towards them is probably looking into a mirror as it appears that she is doing her hair, however this film still creates an enigma for the audience as they do not know why she is smiling when there is another female who looks quite scary and frightening standing right behind her. This image can be interpreted in a number of ways, one of which will lead the audience to probably think to themselves that she may not be able to see this other female therefore letting them know that she is a ghost, but what's more is that she is not able to see the blood on the glass in the background which as a result will probably delve into more of the narrative aspect of the film. The close-up shot used for this scene creates tension and apprehension for the audience as they do not know how the narrative will develop. 

Flightplan

The shot used for this scene from the film "Flightplan" appears to be a close-up due to the audience being able to clearly see the actors' faces. Close-up's usually display the most detail but do not include the broader scene within films and their scenes, such as this film still where we are not able to see the background. Within this film still we are able to see most of the detail such as the actors' facial expressions and their hand activity, an actor's facial expressions within a film often reflect their emotions and how they are feeling, within this film still the actors look quite sad and gloomy showing the audience that something terrible has probably happened to them and has deeply affected them. The close-up used within this film still shows that both or possibly only one of the actors plays a very important role within the film. The close up allows the audience to see that the little girl in the film still is probably pointing at something she is looking at or possibly wanting to draw something on the window which often emphasises an important significance within films showing the audience that these emotions portrayed by the actors may end up leading to something of a greater deal.

Film Noir's Distinctive Lighting Style

...Film Noir...

Film Noir is a film genre often classified as providing dark or fatalistic interpretations of reality, meaning "black film" in French it is a cinematic term predominantly used to describe Hollywood crime dramas mainly for those that emphasise the moral ambiguity and sexual motivation seen within them. The term is applied to the films of the late 1940s to the early 1950s that often portrayed a rough or criminal underworld and cynical characters. Films seen within that era were often noted for their use of harsh, expressionistic lighting and stylised camera work which was often employed in urban settings.

Stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s film noir has always been associated with the low key lighting seen within the genre's films as often being weak shades of black and white. Although film noir does mean "black film" the emphasis of light and dark is deeply shown by the high key and low key lighting used within the films of that genre which makes it appear as being very accurate and precise.

One of the key features of film noir lighting is the intensity of the darkness which is provided by the low key lighting of the shadows, due to the single light source used to create a film noir film it is often easy to create a superb cinematic lighting. The use of stark, high-contrast lighting is the most noticeable visual feature of film noir. The shadowy noir style can be traced to the German Expressionist cinema which has greatly influenced film noir.

These lighting effects were often used in films such as:-

Rebecca (1940)                                                This Gun for Hire  (1942)

                                               

The Big Heat (1953)                                                      Loophole (1954)

                                             

Night scenes often filmed in glistening wet streets also connote the cinematic attribute of low key, chiaroscuro lighting due to the use of shadow to comment on a character's mental make-up such as blocks of shadow which can often suggest that the character has an unrevealed "dark side". These lighting effects are often put across as being striking in black and white which greatly represent the film noir genre. 

The shadows of Venetian blinds or banister rods would often provide an iconic visual in film noir due to the use of low key lighting; these were regularly cast upon an actor, a wall or an entire set which had become well known to be done during the film noir era. Characters' faces were usually cast out from the scene because of the low key lighting shone upon them initially providing the murky darkness that the character may entail, this was regularly done partially or wholly which was a key feature in Hollywood film making of that time.

Lighting and its effects of a Still Image and Short Extract

Carrie

This is a still image from the film "Carrie" which was produced in 1976 by Brian De Palma. From looking at the image you will probably notice that there is a mixture of lighting which has been used as it shows both high key and low key elements. Low key lighting has mainly been used in the background which in a way represents the danger that may be seen within the film. High key lighting has been used to make the image appear more realistic giving a definitive meaning possibly behind the narrative, the way in which the woman in the blue garment is positioned and the way in which the high key lighting is shining upon her face links to how her character could be portrayed within the film, possibly a deep believer in God as she is also looking up. The audience get to see the characters' facial expressions due to the lighting on their faces, the image shows that the young female character is possibly scared and unsure of what the older female character is going to do and it appears as though she is struggling to set herself free from the older female character's hands due to her tight grasp of the younger female character.

A typical convention of horror films (which is the genre of this image) is underlighting, within the image this has provided a distorted effect which contributes to the genre of the film due to it's use of making the two characters seem more creepy and frightening. With both uses of high key and low key lighting seen within the image, it also let's the audience know that either one or both character's seen within the image have another side to them, possibly a dark one which will make the audience prepare themselves for what events may unveil within the film and how these events may lead to the climax of the film.

This is a short extract taken from the film "Carrie", there appears to be a distinction between the types of lighting used or at least seen within the extract. Mostly seen within the extract is low key lighting, this gives the impression that something unpleasant may be about to happen, this makes the film or at least the extract appear more realistic as low key lighting greatly represents the horror genre.

Although it is mainly low key lighting being used within the extract, there are elements of high key lighting which have been provided by the filler lights which helped to soften the shadows created by the characters; this enables the extract to appear as dim as possible allowing the setting of the extract to be taken into account of with it being a prom. Throughout the extract we also see that a red type of lighting has been used possibly provided by the underlighting, we mainly see that this has been used throughout all the extract, with red possibly connoting blood and death within the film, the audience get a quick insight into how this may be linked to the climax of the film and possibly what could happen. As with the still image and the connection between the high key and low key lighting being used the audience know that the female character at one point within the extract does have a good side which is portrayed by her winning Prom Queen but they may also realise that she does have a bad side deeply represented by the amount of low key lighting used within the extract.

Mise-en-scène Analysis of a Still Image

Daredevil 

Costumes = The costumes that are worn by the characters within the poster tell the audience that there is a type of comic book aspect towards the film as they are dressed as super-heroes and heroines. One of the characters shown on the poster is dressed in a suit connoting that he could have a different agenda within the film than the other characters.

Lighting = As said before, the actors and actresses are shown to be portraying super-heroes and heroines, but because of the low key lighting used you could also say that there is a portrayal of villains within the film. There is use of both high key and low key lighting within the poster, both connoting an idea of there being an aspect of good and evil contained within the film.

Actors = All four characters seen within the poster are shown to be standing on the roof of a building connoting to the audience that these characters are superior towards them. The way in which their bodies are positioned on the poster also connotes what type of role they are playing; the character wearing the red suit is shown to be the main hero of the film as his body language shows him to be somewhat brave and courageous, but the body language of the characters in the background seem to differ from those in the foreground as it shows them to be very corrupt and errant, this can also be connoted by their facial expressions.

Make-up = There isn't very much use of make-up, this may have been done because within the poster the audience may have not been able to see how dynamic the film is based on the make-up alone. The director of the film probably thought that the audience would get a lot more information on the narrative from the costumes rather than the make-up when it comes to the narrative of the film as the costumes appear to be more detailed.

Props = The main props used within the poster appear to be swords which are held by the female character and one of the male characters. The use of these props lets the audience know that the film will include a lot of action and may include danger. If you look closely you will be able to see that the actor on the right hand side is holding a cane, this ties in with his costume as both portray him as being a prime character within the film and in someway show him as being the mastermind behind all the action and danger of which may take place within the film.

Setting = The setting as a whole appears to be very contrasted due to the use of high key and low key lighting and the position of the characters, it shows them to be very superior towards the audience. Due to the skyscraper buildings in the background, the film appears to be set in a city where crime is most common.

...Genre...

The film appears to have a hybrid of genres as it includes action and fantasy with the main basis of it being a superhero film; this is represented by the costumes worn by the actors and their body language. With the characters standing on the roof of a building, this in a way also connotes the superhero genre to the audience as they are each shown to have a very good stance and posture and are also shown to be very superior.

...Target Audience...

It would appeal to 15 year olds due to it being a superhero film but because of the content that would be seen within the film such as the action and danger it would most likely appeal to those between the ages of 18-35. Gender wise I think it would most likely appeal to males rather than females as the film is based on a comic book and therefore would be better perceived by the male gender.

...Typography...

The typography is very dynamic and vigorous, the use of the red colouring makes it stand out as being bold and eye catching as it would be the first thing that the audience would see if they were to look at the poster. Once again, it has a type of comic book aspect to it as it appears to be very vibrant and animated.  

...Expectations...

Based on the mise-en-scène seen within the poster, the audience could expect to see a lot of action and drama within the film. The film obviously comes under the genre of action which can also be tied in with the superhero aspect of it due to the actors' costumes. The film is most likely to be about the battle between good and evil with the basis of it being about life and death represented by the high key and low key lighting. The title of the film connotes there being a risk-taker within it maybe portrayed by the actor in the red suit as he is more faced forward and in the foreground more than any of the other characters.

Mise-en-scène Comparison of 3 Film Extracts

Coming to America

(Comedy)

Dirty Dancing

(Romance)

Chicago

(Musical)

Costumes = The costumes seen within the extract from the film "Coming to America" don't really reflect on the title as they do not show any connection. The costumes worn by the actors seen within the extract seem to reflect a church type environment connoted by the hats, dresses and suits, there is also a connotation of there being a band within the extract as some of the actors are dressed in the same costumes while the costumes worn by the actors in "Dirty Dancing" do have some type of reflection on the title of the film. The female actors seen within the extract from the film "Dirty Dancing" are wearing dresses while some of the men are dressed in suits with others dressed casually wearing shirts and trousers, you would usually associate these costumes with the word "dancing" which is part of the title whereas the costumes seen within the extract from the film "Chicago" don't really have a connection to the title but have a connection to the era of when the film was set. "Chicago" was set in 1920s Chicago, the way in which the costumes connect with this era is that they are very sexy and seductive connoting the rough/raunchiness not only seen within that period of time but also seen within the film.

Lighting = Natural lighting has been used within "Coming to America" showing that there is not much of a connotation seen within the extract when it comes to the lighting however a mix of both high key and low key lighting have been used within the extract from the film "Dirty Dancing" connoting on the genre of the film as it creates a type of sultry effect within the setting again connoting on the genre as it is shown that there is passion between the two main characters. Again there is a mix of both high key and low key lighting used within "Chicago", at the beginning of the extract from the film there is high key lighting focused on the female character while low key lighting is focused on the other actors around her, this shows that there is a connotation of her playing a very important role within the film.

Actors = Most of the actors in "Coming to America" look a bit bewildered as to what the character "Randy Watson" is doing .i.e. the way he is singing which may connote that they either don't like him or may not like his voice whereas in the extract from the film "Dirty Dancing" the two main actors seem to have very good eye contact with each other as they look at each other the whole way through the extract, this connotes them showing how much they are in love with each other; this is also represented by their body language which shows them to be very relaxed with one another as they dance closely in each other's arms. It could also be said that there is good eye contact provided within the extract taken from the film "Chicago" as the blonde haired female character seems to be star-struck by the dark haired female character who is singing, this is connoted by the blonde haired female keeping her eyes focused on the dark haired female. At one point in the extract she imagines that it is her singing connoting the idea of her wanting to experience the stardom of which she strives for.

Make-up = Within the extract from the film "Coming to America" it looks like there isn't much make-up used giving off a real effect of it being based within a church type environment as make-up isn't something someone would necessarily need to wear when going to church whereas in the extract from the film "Dirty Dancing" you can tell that make-up has been used with the aim of this possibly being that the directors probably wanted the film to appear very passionate and amorous represented by the use of lipstick and eye make-up, not trying to take away from the genre of the film but then again not trying to over indulge it. You could say that an equal amount of make-up has been used in the extract from the film "Chicago" as the bright red lipstick and heavy eye make-up connote the flirtations between people in the 1920s as a basis of the females' make-up.

Props = There is a similarity between the props used within the three extracts as they all include chairs and tables (most noticeably seen within the extracts from the films "Dirty Dancing" and "Chicago"), these props show that the actors are performing to an audience which is also represented by all of them performing on a stage. Not as many props have been used within the extract from the film "Dirty Dancing" as we only see that chairs, tables and evidently tiny light bulbs have been used which can be seen on the stage where the two main actors are dancing; these have been used to add extra lighting to the scene however there is a clear similarity between the props used in the two other extracts. Within the extracts from the films "Coming to America" and "Chicago" there is clear use of musical instruments; for example, guitars, drum sets and microphones have been used in both to show that there are music bands incorporated within the films however the visible musical instruments used within the extract from the film "Chicago" such as a piano and a saxophone connote on the view of there being a Jazz band which is also portrayed by the music of which they play.

Setting = All three film extracts are shown to have a stage included within the setting connoting that there is a performance going on however each of their settings are very different to one another. When watching the extract from the film "Coming to America" the audience may come to think that it is based in a church, even though it is not an actual church it has a church like setting due to the costumes worn by the actors and the staging. The costumes worn by the actors and the non-diegetic sound heard within the extract from the film "Dirty Dancing" connote that it is a film set in the 80s also portrayed by the dancing seen within the extract. As said before the setting of the film "Chicago" is 1920s Chicago, from what I could see within the extract I would say that it is set in the type of 1920s nightclubs due to the music played and the environment focusing on the lengths that people will go to in order to get to where they want in life.

...Target Audience...

There is a difference between the target audiences of the three film extracts.

Based on the extract from the film "Coming to America" it is most likely that the target audience will be those aged 12-24 possibly going up to the age of 35 due to the content of the film as it based on comedy giving off the aspect of humour seen within the extract from the film, you could also say that it will appeal to both men and women therefore having a mixed target audience.

The target audience for the film "Chicago" seems to be a lot older than it is for the film "Coming to America"; this is due to the content shown within the extract from the film. During the beginning of the extract the female character is shown to be hiding a small pistol and washing blood off her hands connoting that there is some sort of violence which may be seen within the film, this also most noticeably connotes the idea of there being a murder within the film, due to this I would say that the target audience will most likely be those aged 18-35 with it appealing to women rather than men due to it being a musical.

The target audience for the film "Dirty Dancing" seems to differ from the target audiences for the two other films, this is because "Dirty Dancing" appears to have two target audiences; one being the primary audience and the other being the secondary audience. The primary audience for the film "Dirty Dancing" would most likely be women aged 18-35 and the secondary audience would most likely be tween/teen girls aged 12-17 due to the genre of the film however you could probably say that the film was produced mainly for adults as there were clear boundaries set as far as the make-up and dancing went seen within the extract.

Institution Case Study

Case Study (#1)

Revolver Entertainment

Revolver Entertainment was founded in 1997 by Justin Marciano, since then it has become one of the UK's largest film distributors being listed at number 14, it is also the 20th largest home entertainment publisher. The company works with various charities by making film premieres which are available to those in need at Gala fundraisers; a big example of this is when Revolver Entertainment produced "The Best Comedy DVD in the World" which was released in 2005 with all the profits made going to UNICEF, in under 12 months it raised just under £1 million for children who were affected by the Tsunami disaster which occurred in 2004. It is one of the UK's leading independent film companies which have managed the industry with a distinctive approach in releasing films and DVD's. Although situated in the UK, Revolver Entertainment also focuses on releasing French-noir films.

Revolver Entertainment leads a team of people from all different backgrounds of the media industry such as production, broadcast, distribution, PR (Public Relations), marketing, journalism, creative backgrounds and advertising. 2008 marks Revolver's most successful year to date as they released 15 melodramatic films and over 50 entertainment titles.

Films released in the UK which have been produced by Revolver Entertainment include:-

Chunky Monkey (2001)                                      Tell No One (2006)

                                 

Kidulthood (2006)                                              Zombie Diaries (2006)

                              

After the launch of Revolver Entertainment in the USA in 2007, it's brand has been able to spread widely across the Atlantic which began with the release of home entertainment titles all throughout the country.

Some of the films released in the USA which have been produced by Revolver Entertainment include:-

Savage Grace (2007)                                                3000 Miles (2007)

                              

Farce of the Penguins (2007)                                The Wackness (2008)

                                      

A lot of the films produced by Revolver Entertainment in the UK and the USA are mainly horror based or crime thriller based. The marketing team based at Revolver Entertainment continue to win awards for the originality and creativity with the films they produce; this has led to their films being nominated for Oscars and BAFTA Awards.

Recent developments show that in order to respond to the "new media" age Revolver Entertainment will be collaborating with Image Entertainment which is a leading independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America as their reputation in the UK will help them achieve a stronger representation of their films within other countries.

Internet Sources:

http://www.revolvergroup.com/index.html

http://www.revolvergroup.com/us/profile.htm

http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3DI5686B63UN5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_Entertainment