How does the director establish character in the opening of 'Se7en'?
One way the director establishes character in the opening of 'Se7en' is through mise en scene. In this scene, the mise en scene used gives us the idea that Detective Somerset could be a violent character due to the switch blade he owns that sits on his dresser. Although we believe that he is dangerous because of this weapon, he is also shown as being intelligent. This intelligence is seen through the chess board in his apartment; this shows us that he is good at figuring things out and is a deep-thinker. Furthermore, the chess board indicates that he is good at making good decisions, which is key for his character - a detective.
As well as these things, we learn that Detective Somerset is very well-presented, tidy man. This idea is established through his tidy apartment and how neat and crisp his bed sheets are. In addition, when he is dressing himself, he inspects his suit to make sure that it's speck free before he puts it on. Also, all of the objects on his dresser are arranged in such way so that they're all straight and tidy.
One of the objects he carries - the paper rose- intrigues the audience as we haven't any idea of it's significance. However, we can kind of guess that it is a symbol of live from a wife or partner who may no longer be with him. This establishes character as it could show that he is a loving, sensitive person, despite the dangerous switch blade which he also carries.
In his apartment, he has a metronome on his bedside table which he uses to help him fall asleep at night. This creates character as it shows that Detective Somerset may be "mentally disturbed" and that his active mind is keeping him awake at night.
Other than props, another thing which creates character is the sound of rainfall throughout the opening scene. This constant sound of rainfall gives us the feeling that Detective Somerset may be miserable and sad a lot of the time, for reasons unclear to us as the audience.
How does the chase sequence and opening scene from "The Third Man" use framing and composition techniques, mise en scene and cinematography to create meanings, metaphors and effects?
Figure 1
The opening scene from The Third Man uses composition, framing and mise en scene to construct metaphors and meanings of disorientation and evil. The staircase shot (figure 1) uses a low angle, tilted shot creates an off-balance image, creating a sense of disorientation and the shot confuses us. Another technique used in this scene is the classic Film Noir convention of German Expressionism; the angular, straight lines are used to create connotations of panic and anxiety, which were the main feelings hanging around after WW2. The sharp, straight lines lead our eyes in different directions, confusing us and making the shot seem disorientated. Chiaroscuro lighting is also used in this shot to emphasise the panic and anxiety: intense key lighting from below the staircase creates very angular shadows on the doorway at the top of the stairs. The effect of this is that it creates the feeling of hidden darkness and evil within.
Figure 2
Stairs in film noir usually symbolise moral ambiguity. In this shot, the use of the stairs creates a metaphor for Heaven and Hell; where a character stands on the stairs is a metaphor for being good or evil. In this case, Holly is standing at the foot of the stairs, implying that his character could be evil. Key lighting is also used in this shot to create connotations of evil: the dark shadow cast on the wall gives us the feeling of paranoia and "evil within" in Holly's character. German Expressionism in this shot creates sharp, angular edges which create a sense of danger as sharp edges can be linked to knives and blades. Another technique used in this scene is the tilt shot. This tilt shot creates connotations of disorientation and confusion. As well as the shot being tilted, Holly's head is also tilted which emphasises the disorientated feeling.
Figure 3
In figure 3, we can only see Harry's shadow and not his physical body. This symbolises how throughout the movie, Holly has been chasing Harry's shadow, unable to find him; this shot represents how he is still unable to catch him. The powerful key lighting creates the large, dark shadow on the wall: the dark shadow creates a feeling of darkness/evil within Harry, which he can't escape - it's a part of him. As with most shots in this film, this one is tilted. The tilted shot creates meanings and connotations of disorientation; these represent how disorientated Holly has been through the film - he hasn't been able to find Harry until now and has been very confused. Also, we can't see the vanishing point in this shot, which creates an unsettling feeling. Furthermore, it creates the sense of ongoing and never ending, which represents how Holly's search for Harry could last a long while.
Figure 4
Figure 4 incorporates one main aspect of film noir - German Expressionism. This shot is very angular with the kiosk in the middle and the building behind it, the sharp edges create connotations of danger, even though the kiosk is not something considered dangerous. This sense of danger could represent Harry's personality and the things he's been up to during the film. This shot uses a strong key light from behind the kiosk, which draws our attention to it and makes us believe it has some kind of importance. And it does - we find out later in the film that it's what Harry uses to disappear into the Vienna sewers. Another feature which shows importance of the kisok is that it's centre frame.
Our task was a continuity task, in which we had to include filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom they then had to have a short conversation with. In preparation for this task, the other members of my group and I created a floor plan, where we mapped out where each camera would be and how the room would be laid out. Our floor plan helped us to avoid breaking the 180 degree rule whilst we were filming, as it guided us as to where we should place the camera to film. Another part of the preparation was the storyboard; we used a storyboard to plan the camera angles we would use and when, and what would be seen in each shot. As well as this, we rehearsed our dialogue to ensure we didn't mess up too much whilst filming, also we did a few practice scenes so we had a rough idea of what to do. The purpose of each stage of the planning really helped when it came to the day where we actually filmed as it helped us get things completed swiftly and easily and we didn't have to do too many takes to get it right. In our preliminary task we used a wide variety of camera shots/techniques and angles. For example, for this shot to the right, we incorporated an extreme close up (ECU) and a high angle shot into one shot. The effect of the ECU is that shot focuses closely onto the lips and when the character speaks, we listen intently as to what they are saying. The use of the high angle shot down onto the second character shows the idea of the character closer to the screen is more powerful than the character furthest away. We used this shot and angle to create a sense of intimidation and hierarchy. For this shot, we used a long, low-angle shot to show the surroundings, and to let the audience see where the character is travelling to.This shot is used to make the audience aware of the positioning of the scene. The long shot provides an extended view of the scene. Something that we did quite well in our preliminary task was the way we edited the scene to make continuous. For example when the character is walking through the door, it was very continuous. For that specific part of the scene we used 2 different shots, which were quite different in positioning, so making it continuous in the editing was important.
I was really happy with the end product of our preliminary task. I like all of the shots we used and how well edited it is. I especially like how we incorporated a "quirky" shot into our scene - inspired by "Coffee and Cigarettes"; we incorporated a bird's eye view shot. This shot adds extra tension and a bit more drama to the scene.
Overall, our preliminary task went pretty well, however we did have a couple of issues whilst filming. The first issue is the sound quality; because of the background noise of our location was quite loud, this noise drowns out the conversation between the characters. Also the quality of the audio in general isn't great. In my thriller task, I will be sure to use a boom mic to ensure better sound quality and I will also film in a quieter location.
Another problem we faced was that when editing, we suddenly realised we needed an extra shot to fill a gap. However we didn't have time to film this shot so we just improvised and moved some audio and shots around to get around this issue.
In order for directors to film an interesting and intriguing conversation, they must use a wide range of camera angles and camera techniques in order to hold the audience’s attention so they don’t get bored. Jim Jarmusch’s “Coffee and cigarettes” uses the 180° rule; where you only film on one side of an imaginary line – all cameras are required to be on one side. This imaginary line passes through the actors’ faces who are facing each other, so usually we only see one side of each actors face, unless they turn their head of course. The purpose of this shot is to let the audience see the positions of each actor and let them get a feel of their surrounding environment. The 180° rule prevents confusion in the audience as they just get to see one side of each actors’ face, and the camera angle changes aren’t too harsh and extreme and makes it easier for them to follow the actions the actors are doing and the conversation that they’re having. If the director wasn’t to use the 180° rule then the shots would then be disoriented, this is called a reverse cut which most directors aim to avoid. This scene also uses a shot/reverse shot. This type of shot is when something what one of the actors is looking at is shown, then shortly after is seen looking at that object, or this could be the other way around. In the clip below, it is clearly shown when Iggy Pop is shown looking at something, however as the audience, we aren't really sure what it is until the next shot shows it. Shot/reverse shots are used to create tension, suspense and mystery in a scene, as at first we only see how the actor behaves because of such object, and this creates an aura of tension as we are left wondering why the actor is behaving because of this object. It is also used to show significance of something in a scene or the whole film it's self, by showing the actor's interest in it, it becomes a key part of that scene/film.
Another scene which incorporates what a director should use to film a conversation is the rule of thirds, which is displayed in the clip below from Lord of The Rings of Gollum and Smeagol. Although there isn't actually two characters and it's just Gollum talking to the other part of himself, a good, intense conversation is still achieved. The way the rule of thirds works is a grid is set over the top of scenes and images and the camera returns to a set of 3 shots in the scene; the effect of this is it creates the sense of isolation and claustrophobia for the audience as the shots focus on these 3 shots.
Another filming technique that causes the feeling of claustrophobia, discomfort and isolation is the lack of head room in this scene. When the camera zooms in onto Gollum's face when he is being mean to Smeagol, it makes the audience feel uncomfortable with the lack of head room in the shot. This makes the scene intense and intriguing for whoever is watching it, which is a good thing as it keeps the audience interested and on the edge of their seats to see how the conversation will end.
Again in this clip below from "The Tomorrow People", the director sticks to the 180 degree rule. The reason for this is to let the audience see the whole of what is going on in the scene and to help them not get confused by the cameras' positions, the do this by keeping the cameras on one side of an invisible line.
Like with the "Lord of the Rings" clip, the director zooms in on the actors' faces in attempt to create an air of suspense, uncertainty and discomfort. This works very well for this scene in particular as Stephen is trying to prevent the woman from discovering the truth about something; by zooming in on each of their faces during this interrogation, it makes us feel uneasy whether or not she's going to sniff him out.
How does the director of 'Peaky Blinders' use camera angles
and mis en scene to establish expectation and character?
The vibrant colours such seen in the shot from the fire in the background gives this shot a bit of an edge, as most of the other things around them are dark - these bright colours disrupt the norms of the rest of the scene, this could show how these characters are going to disrupt things. Also, the fire in the background connotes danger; fire is a powerful element and the use of it here could be used to show how powerful this group men are, and how they could cause a lot of trouble. The fire could also connote hellishness and brutality, which could be one of the group's main qualities. The use of the side shot here profiles each character as they walk past, letting us see how serious these guys are.
This shot is taken from a low angle, which gives us the sense that these men are very powerful as we are looking up at them from below. This shows us that these men mean business and that they are very high up. The type of clothes these men are wearing signify violence and gang culture, which fits perfectly with this type of shot as people in gangs tend to be very powerful and are commonly known for their violent and brutal tendency.
Just before this shot, the water was all still and calm, representing calm and tranquillity. When this group of men step in this puddle, it's almost like a metaphor for them disrupting the calm of everything, causing havoc and just creating trouble in general. The puddle also juxtaposes against the gang as the puddle is all calm and tranquil whereas the gang of men are violent, disruptive and just trouble makers in general. This is a quirky shot used by the director because it appears the camera is upside down, however we later find out that its just because it's shooting at the clear, calm puddle. We only find out it's a puddle and the camera was the right way around when the men step in the puddle.
This scene from 'Kill Bill' shows Lucy Liu and her crew walking down a corridor and into a room in what seems to be a music/dance venue. This sequence switches frequently between real time speed and slow motion, which is also used in ' Peaky Blinders. This is effective for the same reason in both scenes - it adds tension and makes both groups appear to be very dangerous but very powerful. Furthermore, it lets us see each character individually and enables us to see what each of them is like.
One way the director establishes character in the opening of 'Se7en' is through mise en scene. In this scene, the mise en scene used gives us the idea that Detective Somerset could be a violent character due to the switch blade he owns that sits on his dresser. Although we believe that he is dangerous because of this weapon, he is also shown as being intelligent. This intelligence is seen through the chess board in his apartment; this shows us that he is good at figuring things out and is a deep-thinker. Furthermore, the chess board indicates that he is good at making good decisions, which is key for his character - a detective.
Other than props, another thing which creates character is the sound of rainfall throughout the opening scene. This constant sound of rainfall gives us the feeling that Detective Somerset may be miserable and sad a lot of the time, for reasons unclear to us as the audience.
