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

Purer Form of Realist Narrative Purer form of realism in narrative is found in non-diegetic elements. Diegetic - being relevant to the progress of a story Non-diegetic - being irrelevant to the progress of an imaginary story

Purer Form of Narrative Siegmund Kracauer finds an inverted relation between those images that further the story and those ‘retain a degree of independence of the intrigue and thus succeed in summoning physical reality.’

Purer Form of Narrative Roland Barthes characterizes literary reference to objects that have no discernible narrative function except to give a material, worldly weight to the description as ‘reality effects’.

Purer Form of Narrative A purer form of film realism is found in an incidental or contingent element in narrative. ‘… in the middle of the chase the little boy suddenly needs to piss. So he does.’ (André Bazin) Vittorio de Sica’s Ladri di biciclette (1948)

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

Visualizing Methods in Classical American films (Mise-en-scène = ‘put it in the scene’; what to shoot, how to shoot. It includes the directing of performance, the placement of cameras, camera movement, lighting, the choice of lenses, décore, costume, location hunting, etc.)

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

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Classical Hollywood films endevoured to make the viewer not aware that they were watching a film. They tried to achieve this goal through telling a plausible narrative. In making narrative the dominant force in a film, the classical Hollywood cinema chose to subordinate mise-en-scène to narrative. It lets mise-en-scène serve for the 'invisible’, plausible and realistic narrative.

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

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.

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

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Straight-on angle Following the point of view of a character - the most natural ways of deciding angles Orson Wells, Citizen Kane (1941)

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Expressive angles Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange (1971) Extreme low-angle shots

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 ways of deciding levels

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)

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

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Slightly off-centre composition: Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas

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

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

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.

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films FOLLOW FOCUS Keeping a moving object or character in focus DEEP FOCUS Keeping elements at different depths of the image in focus More natural ways of focusing

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Watch the four clips from three different films and identify the types of focus used in them. 1. Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather 2. Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Tango in Paris 3. Federico Fellini’s Le Notte di Cabiria 4. Orson Wells’ Citizen Kane Which one(s) serves more to the creating reality effects? Which one(s) more formalist shot(s)?

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Camera movement The camera moves following the movement of a character the most natural way of moving the camera Martin Scorsese, The Age of Innocence Is the camera movement in the opening scene realistic or formalistic?

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

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Mise-en-scene ought to be motivated as narrative does. The chain of cause and effect dictates mise-en-scène (what and how to shoot). 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.

Mise-en-scéne in Classical American Films Mise-en-scène should be motivated without letting 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.

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