Putting into Scene

 Recreate locations in more realistic detail.  Sets are constructed on a soundstage – where everything can be controlled for optimal film and sound.  Location shooting – set and filming takes place on a real site outside of a production studio.

 Sets are sketched by hand, visualized on computer programs or modeled  As the sets evolve the director work out the visual language of the film.  The sketches can be very detailed so that the director and producers can visualize the scene more and the film becomes more of a reality.

 Metonymy – in the film Grand Hotel part of a scene was narrowly viewed to make it seem like the space was larger.  Sets on Location – Real locations – both interior and exterior - lend a feeling of realism to the film.  Best way – shoot the real exteriors and then you cut to interior shots on the soundstage or a different location.

 Example – Pulp Fiction – The scene where they are at the restaurant – “Jack, Rabbit, Slims,” is actually the exterior and interior of a real diner in Hollywood known as “Mel’s.”  For the Interior – the owner’s changed half of their restaurant for the filmmakers.

 Milieu – sets establish place and time of a film. This could be a historical scene, an environment, and geography.  Period Pieces – A film set in the past, often characterized by lavish set design and costuming.  Sets need to create a sense of realism.

 The Beauford family home is decked out in lavish furnishings. This illustrated the wealth that was central to the film.  The home was actually the National Arts Club dressed to look like the family home as it once was.

 Just an example – There is a scene of the newsroom at the Pilot. The film crews did actually shoot in the newsroom, but the workers there were extras. They simply used the space.

 CGI – or Computer Generated Imagery: Set designs are enhanced or wholly created through digital design.  This is done through the use of a green screen.  Technically speaking the actor performs in front of a single color screen.  Separate images are fabricated onto the screen to fill the space occupied by the green screen background.

 Carpenters, electricians and painters create the sets. Then set dressers come in and “dress” it up with objects such as paintings and photographs. These objects are “props”.  Some props provide key elements to a story. Just like a lot can be said with one look – a prop can do the same.

 Makeup and costumes including hair style will set the scene and create additional realism to a film.  Kirsten Dunst as French Queen in Marie Antoinette.

 Blocking - the positioning of actors and cameras. This is carefully worked out before the cameras roll.  Actors must embody the character through posture, gesture, facial expression and voice.  If we can’t believe the actor then all the scenic work in the world can’t help the film.

 Read Chapter 3 in textbook.

 The choreography that goes into scene setting, acting and camera work.  Visual Design  Screen Acting  The importance of setting the right lighting.

 Blocking  There is a use of stripped cues on the floor that tells them where to stand. Where to walk/run to.  Blocking is meant to make the actor appear natural. But in reality those moves have been practiced over and over.  Certain stances/body language can reveal a lot about a character or the circumstances of a scene.

 Something to note – every aspect of a scene, of a character of a location may be considered to bring out the character or the importance of a scene.  But in other instances the visual design and end result of a scene is all a happy accident.

 Acting is dependent on the scene setting and the scene itself is dependent on actors.  Silent Films – Mirrored the acting seen at the theater. The gestures and facial expressions were exaggerated.

 It allowed actors to be more natural –  A Naturalistic style of acting came into being. Their gestures and facial expressions became subtler because through sound they didn’t have to use melodramatic gestures to show how their character felt.  They could do it with a look or with the tone in their voice.

 When actors act, they have to find a psychological truth within themselves to be true to the character they are playing.  They are asked to draw from “their own experience,” when playing emotional roles.

 The position of lights, or sources as they are known in the industry, can be used to highlight or eliminate shadows.  It can illuminate a shot, and direct our eyes to a certain portion of the frame, shape our impression of a character or a place.

 This is when you have three sources of light on an actor.  Key – this is the primary light source, typically placed in the front. It is the brightest light in the frame. Points our eyes toward a direction or object.  Backlights – create a halo effect  Fill lights – using a less intense wattage they fill in the areas that are not lit.  Low Key Lighting – When there is a sharp contrast between the illuminated area and dark areas.

 Used to illustrate glamour, especially if it is balanced correctly.  Lights can also be used to illustrate how a character feels about the world around him.  Example – “Social Network”

 Chiaroscuro – meaning dramatic high contrast lighting that exploits gradations and variations of light and dark in an image. In which the subject/actor is “half lit” (Two-Faced effect).  Under lighting – a scheme in which the key light is placed below the subject. This is used to create a unsettling or horrific effect.

 Done for dramatic effect and can sometimes be used to create a flattering and natural feel.

 Filters can create an effect. Cool colors (blues and purples) can give a dramatic effect for drama.  This is created through the use of a filter – or a think sheet of polycarbonate or polyester (colored gel) in front of the lighting fixture or window.  They direct us to “read’ or interpret a certain scene a certain way.  Clubs use this as well.

 Many times filmmakers rely on the use of artificial light. (It is more controlled than natural light). But there is a movement – Neorealism – This is a post WWII film movement that began in Italy. Directors adapted the documentary style in their fiction films. Roberto Rossellini; Luchino Visconti; and Vittorio De Sica

 Neorealism – Filmmakers use unfiltered light and only use natural light. (Heavily used in the 1940s and 1950s).  Dogme 95- movement from Scandinavian filmmakers who signed an agreement that they would abandon all aspects of Hollywood methodology. They use only digital cameras, shoot in natural light and don’t add music.