This week, we began to look at the techniques of continuity editing as developed by Edwin Porter and D.W. Griffith, including the match cut, cross cut and analytical editing. Along with continuity editing, aspects of mise-en-scene (the elements/figures placed before the camera to be photographed) play a significant role in the viewer's comprehension of the film story.
1) From your reading in Film Art (Chapter 4), identify and briefly describe the four aspects of mise-en-scene in the following clips:
The Baby's Meal (Lumiere Brothers, 1895)
The Cook in Trouble (George Melies, 1904)
2) Exercise: 180-degree rule (screen direction)
The 180-degree rule states that when filming, the camera must remain on one side of the 180-degree line (axis of action) in order to maintain consistent left-right relations from shot to shot.
In this brief clip from Frank Capra's Meet John Doe (1941), locate the axis of action and provide a brief explanation as to how you've determined its position.
1) From your reading in Film Art (Chapter 4), identify and briefly describe the four aspects of mise-en-scene in the following clips:
The Baby's Meal (Lumiere Brothers, 1895)
The Cook in Trouble (George Melies, 1904)
2) Exercise: 180-degree rule (screen direction)
The 180-degree rule states that when filming, the camera must remain on one side of the 180-degree line (axis of action) in order to maintain consistent left-right relations from shot to shot.
In this brief clip from Frank Capra's Meet John Doe (1941), locate the axis of action and provide a brief explanation as to how you've determined its position.
14 comments:
Our course text Film Art defines the term mise-en-scene as all elements to be photographed and that the four aspects of these elements include the setting and props, lighting, costumes and make-up and the figure behavior. In Lumiere Brothers’ short film ”The Baby’s Meal”, the setting is that of a French outdoor meal at home including the typical china, home, furniture including a period high-chair and even the bottles of wine. The lighting is bright for an outdoor scene. The costumes are typical for the period/country and for the age of the actors. The actors spend the whole film encouraging/feeding the child, thus the title of the film. It is interesting that the man is doing the task of feeding. The film clip from “The Cook in Trouble by George Melies depicts a large estate kitchen with cooks dressed in white uniforms and caps engaged in the tasks of cooking such as stirring food or peeling vegetables. While the backdrop is painted, the overall scene creates a realistic image of a large kitchen.
The 180 degree line, the ”axis of action” or center line in the film “Meet John Doe” (1941) by John Capra is evident by the position of the three main actor in the room and their position in relationship to the door and window. The center line is established by positioning the two characters opposite each. This center line of action is enhanced through alternating conversation, eye contact, and hand-gesturing. One male character leaves the room along this axis to the door and indirectly calls your attention to the axis by knocking over an object. This action is then followed a few shots later by the main female character entering the same door and eventually sitting down in a chair opposite the boss in the same axis of action as the opening scenes.
In film, there are many conditions which the director must be conscious of if he or she wishes to grasp the full aura of each shot. This means that when photographing shots a film nothing is put or taken out of the shot without stern scrutiny to maximize each scenes aura and consistency. Looking at the shots from the Lumiere Brothers and Melies’s films it is simple to see how such techniques like mise-en-scene, match cut, cross cut, and analytical editing were used. In The Baby’s Meal I noticed right away that no space in the shot goes unused, that is that the eye is drawn from the bottom to middle to top exploring the objects in this “real life” setting. In comparison, Melies does things similarly but in his illusionary “magical” way. The position of everything and everyone in the scene is precise in that the foreground and painted backdrop hold all of the objects in place and gives the viewer the sense of being at a live action theatre. The setting, costuming and make-up, lighting, and staging elements are all fulfilled in these two shots through the ability of the directors to know exactly how and where to use them. Another topic we discussed is the 180 degree rule or the axis of action which the camera draws upon the flow and continuity of each scene from left to right and from shot to shot respectively. In the clip from Meet John Doe, I noticed this rule multiple times but especially when Ann enters the office. As she enters and walks to the desk there is an eye-line match between her and her boss while the camera switches back and forth from behind her to behind him making the viewer feel almost apart of the conversation. This scene is a good example of the 180 degree rule because we stay on one side of the office never looking at the actors say from the doorway in because that would distort the perspective of this whole scene.
in the first photo, the costumes of the parents have both black and white on them, while the child has plain white to show purity and cleanliness. The parents clothes are alike because it shows that they are married to each other. The setting is at the family's patio with their house in the background. This shows that it is like a home video or is documenting real life. The lighting is a natural lighting so it looks natural and realistic as well. The staging shows all three characters but with the bottles focused on the left, it keeps the attention on the father and child because it emphasizes the action of the father feeding the child.
In the second photo, the costumes separate the characters as well. The two people in all white are the chefs in the photo and the two people in both black and white are workers for the chefs or the people that are going to cause complications to the chefs. The setting is in a kitchen that is very unrealistic to show that it is a story and not a documented film. The lighting is standard to keep the lighting stoic between the whole shot. the one chef and the troublemakers and in the left corner of the screen where the main action is. The other chef in the background is there to even out the shot, but the main focus is on the left side of the screen.
In the video clip the axis of action is between the man and the door. Even when the other man is talking to him the axis of action is between the door and the main man. you can tell the axis of action here because the camera doesn't change only to follow the man out of the door, then it cuts to the main man talking on the phone with the same line of action. The axis of action changes when the woman gets closer and talks to the main man. It changes completely when the woman goes to sit down. Then the action stays the same for the rest of the clip. You can tell this because it uses the three main camera angles for the 180 degree rule, the middle angle when both characters are seen and when on character is looking at the other character over their shoulder.
In The Baby’s Meal we find very basic and practical use of mise-en-scene. The setting is a nice garden where we find the family enjoying a meal. Costumes are period clothing, although for the documentary style of this film, I suspect that not much thought had to go into the costuming. Lighting appears to be natural, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had added some key and fill lights to capture the images. The staging is typical for early cinema. Each person is sitting on one side of the table with the camera static for a medium shot. This allows us to be able to see everything that is happening. As for Melies, The Cook in Trouble we find the setting to be a bit whimsical. The stage is designed as a theatrical stage with a painted background and exaggerated props. The costumes are generic, but make it easy to identify each character. The lighting seems to be a simple set-up consisting of key lights and fill lights. There are no defined lines created by the light. Rather, the defined lines are created by the painted set. The Cook in Trouble has staging that is similar to The Baby’s Meal, in which we find a static camera that captures a long shot encompassing the whole stage.
In Meet John Doe you can easily identify the axis of action by comparing the eye-line of the characters to the set. When the clip begins, we find the two gentlemen talking to each other. The camera never crosses their eye-line. The eye-line is the same as the relation of the office windows to the door. At no point in this clip does the camera cross the line between the windows and the door.
Nathan Irish
TA Dayna Moses
The lighting seems simple, the costumes seem simple.
It all seems very typical for its time. There are outdoor shots, theatrical looking shots, baby feeding shots the whole sha bang bang. I loved it.
Chapter 4 of Film Art discusses the four aspects of mise-en-scene, which are setting, costume/makeup, lighting, and behavior. In The Baby's Meal, we see a baby sitting at a table outside with two adults. The table has plates and tea cups. There is a house behind the man, which makes the viewer assume they are in the back yard or porch. The baby is wearing white, which attracts the viewer's attention to the baby. The adults are wearing darker colors to contrast with what the baby is wearing. In addition, the clothing is formal, which may mean it is a formal meal. The lighting makes the scene bright, which gives the scene a cheerful feeling. Finally, the man is feeding the baby and the woman is eating. In The Cook in Trouble, the characters are sitting in basement of a building, yet the set is fake, unlike The Baby's meal. Next, they are wearing cooking uniforms and casual clothing. Then, the lighting is used to make it look like they are down in the basement. Finally, three of them are sitting and one is standing while cooking. One of the characters is laughing.
The axis of action is defined by the characters and where they are positioned in the scene. In the scene from Meet John Doe, the axis of action is defined by keeping the camera facing the door in the office. The camera switches between the man on the phone and the woman when she enters. We get shot from behind the man showing the woman, yet the camera does not break the axis of action.
Erik Wagner
T.A. Dayna Moses
Sec. 801
The four aspect of Mise-en-Scene include setting, costume and makeup, lighting and lastly staging: movement and performance. The first clip is of a family, ma and dad sitting at the table with their baby. The setting looks like its taking place in the 1940 or 50 just due to the type of props being used. The dishware on the table seems to be an older set, giving me the idea of the year this photo was taken. Also the costume and makeup was an older style. That outfit style is worn more in the past than now. During our time, guys don’t wear that kind of outfit on an occasion, unless it’s for a special event. This picture could be taken at a special event, I don’t know. The lighting on the picture seems to be steady, there doesn’t seem to be any over exposure or underexposure. There also doesn’t seem to be any shadowing. The lighting just seems to be just a common picture taken. Lastly the staging movement and performance. Well I can’t really see the movement, but by this picture, I can see that the dad is feeding the baby, while the baby just seems to be curious of what the food is. The mother seems to be preoccupied with her coffee as well. This picture could have just been as easily a Sunday dinner picture or a quick snapshot of what a common family was doing on a day. I don’t know
This setting looks like it is taken place in a workshop. If I were to guess, the picture is of a play that is being performed. The sets look fake but done well enough for the play. The setting gives me the idea of being in a factory. There is a kettle in the middle, and a stove in the middle of the stage, and then on the ceiling there is a wire that looks like a conveyor belt sort of speak. The costume gives the idea to me that it’s a factory because they are in clothes that look like they are in a kitchen. Two of the guys have white kitchen aprons on. The other guy looks like he is a common worker or something else. I think that is a women sitting in the middle of the two guys in awe. She’s got a piece of clothing that covers the head giving me the idea it’s a women. Again the lighting seems to be steady. There are the common lights and darks but none that seems to give an idea that there is a dark or mysterious scene going on. Lastly, the staging, which seems to be the people working in a factory. The one guy to the right seems to be sitting and holding something. I can’t make it out though, the picture is too blurry. The guy on the other side seems to be admiring him for what he is looking at. The women, sitting in the middle, seems to be in awe of what they are looking at. She has her mouth halfway open and is in excitement. The other guy in the middle of the stage seems to be checking something out in the container. Could these people be demonstrating realism… well maybe but I think it is more of a picture that is taken off a play or skit.
In the video clip, I am suppose to determine where there would be a line for the 180 degree rule. I would have to say that the line is a vertical line that goes in the center of the screen. The reason I say this is because it seems that everything that happens on the right side of the stage stays on the right side, and same goes for the left side. If the actor starts to walk in the direction of the opposite side, the camera shot is changed. It is really rare that the actors or actress stand or sits in the middle of the scene on the imaginary line. So it just seems that the line would be in the middle of the stage since no one seems to cross that line.
Kevin Witkowski
The four elements of mise-en-scene include: setting, costume/makeup, lighting, and staging. In The Baby's Meal (Lumiere Brothers, 1895), the setting appears to be a yard with a picnic table right next to a white house. The costumes are clothes from the early 20th century in France. The baby is wearing white while the mother a striped blouse. The lighting is natural, with the only source coming from the sun. The staging shows the father, mother, and baby sitting at the table with the father trying to feed the baby.
In The Cook in Trouble (George Melies, 1904), the setting appears to be an alley in the 18th century city. It’s really hard to tell. It’s obviously done in a studio with a painted back drop. I can tell there are stairs, stoves, and barrels placed in the scene that all involve setting. The costumes include two white apron attires, a guy with pants and rolled up shirt and a large baby costume (I think) with something covering the head. The lighting is done with studio lights from all directions. I only see very light shadows. The staging shows what looks like three cooks around a barrel peeling potatoes with one cook stirring something in a pot. There is meat hanging from some string above them or maybe its clothes from another house. It’s hard to tell because the realism is very poor and the size is also small.
The axis of action is set with a line going through the two main characters. These two characters are talking to each other in the beginning of the scene and if you draw a line connecting those two characters, the camera never goes pass that line. It does come close when it has the over the shoulder shots but the camera stays on the same side of the 180 degree line. One of the characters leaves the scene but he is just replaced with a woman and the axis of action doesn’t change. You can also tell where the axis of action is because you always see the same background. When you always see that background, you know you don’t cross the 180 degree line.
Kevin Witkowski
TA Dayna Moses
Li Wang
Film 114 Section 801
According to Chapter 4, mise-en-scene includes four aspects: setting, costume and makeup, lighting and staging. For the Baby’s Meal, Lumiere Brothers selected the existing locale in a yard beside a house. The windows, plants behind the actors, chairs, table and tableware in the scene also served as the setting of this film producing a realistic scene that a couple and the baby were having a dinner in their yard. Viewers can easily notice that even the containers of baby’s food were set close to the actor who was feeding the baby. Actors were in the appropriate and ordinary clothes in that period which identified their own characters though without makeup. From the shadows of the tableware, we can tell that the lighting is the sunlight. The performance of actors including the baby was very realistic.
Apparently, in the scene of The cook in Trouble, Melies constructed the setting for his film. The stools and tubs together with a mural behind the actors serving as the setting which indicated that the event was occurred in a kitchen. It is not difficult to recognize that two men in white robes were the cooks and the others probably were the persons who would bring trouble to the cooks. The costumes of the actors were also successfully identified their own characters. The man with white patch in his face and the woman acted in a pretty theatrical way. The lighting for this scene was frontal lighting since we almost could not see the shadow in the screen. The mise-en-scene in this scene generated a theatrical atmosphere.
In the clip from Frank Capra's Meet John Doe, the axis of the action was between the man holding the phone and the person he was talking to through the scene. At first it was a conversation scene of the man and the tall man in a hat following by a shot that he saw from the right to left and the tall man saw from left to right. Thus, the axis of the action was located between them. Then the tall man went out and a woman went into the office. Although the man began to talk to a different person, the establishing shot and the shot/reverse-shot were similar. So we can still tell the axis of the action was located between the man and the woman.
Samantha Furseth
The mise-en-scene is all of the stuff that is put into the film. The Film Art text book goes into detail about the four aspects of mise-en-scene; Setting, costume and makeup, lighting, and behavior of figures in space and time. Each of the clips show the different aspects of mise-en-scene used. The Baby's Meal by the Lumiere Brothers clip can be identified and remembered by the costumes the actors are wearing, the contrast in lighting, and what the actors are doing in the clip. According to the Film Art text, the mise-en-scene is not about the actual clip, but more so about what is put into the clip and the details of the setting. The Lumieres Brothers clip shows a family eating a meal with there baby. It took place in 1895 and the costumes show that this would be true. The George Melies, The Cook in Trouble clip uses great techniques with the mise-en-scene because it allows you to get a sense of what is going on in the clip with it just being a photograph of one clip. The costumes give away the cooks and the setting allows us to notice where they are at and let's us know that they are in an outdoor setting and cooking.
The 180-degree line which is also called the axis of action is where the filmmaker will plan to edit the shots around the center of the action. The axis of action in the Frank Capra's Meet John Doe film is between the desk and the door that the actors are entering in. The camera pans from left to right and stays in a consistent motion.
T.A. Dayna Moses
Section 801
The four aspects of mise-en-scene are setting, lighting, staging, and costume/makeup. In the first photo the setting shows a family eating outside. There are two adults on either side of the table and a little baby in the middle. To fit the setting there are some props used, such as cups, plates, wine bottles, and various other eating utensils. I assume that the main, if not only lighting is natural light from the sun, though it’s possible that there was some artificial light used. The staging is set up with just a medium close up used to show both the actors, and the various props.The final aspects of mise-en-scene are costume and makeup. I assume that these are people that were actually eating outside and not actors, so they are using their own period clothing and probably no makeup. The entire mise-en-scene looks too convincing for me to believe that those are actors.
The photograph of “The Cook in Trouble” depicts three people pealing vegetables and one person in the back by the stove. Unlike the first photograph, this one looks a lot more staged, and the people in it are obviously actors. The setting is a chef’s kitchen. There are very few props in this image, since most of the background is painted. Even the stove fire on the stove is painted. The lighting in this photo seems to be a simple set up used to balance out the shot. The staging used here is a rather large shot, because the entire kitchen fits into it, and it is balanced out well. There are a few people sitting down in the front, in the middle ground we see the chef by the stove and in the background is painted and seems to imply that the kitchen is outside. The makeup and costumes seem to be made to add a laughable sense to them. Only one of the costumes seems to be serious, and that is the costume of the chef by the stove, the other ones are comical; including a fellow wearing a bonnet with a peculiar facial expression. I don’t see very much use of makeup, although one of the characters has white on his face.
The axis of action is very easy to identify in Meet John Doe. It is established early in the clip, at first we see three men standing by a desk, then one of them walks and the camera angle changes, but remains on one side of the 180 line. At one point the camera is placed right next to the line as it moves to see someone walk into the room. Throughout the clip the line is never crossed and provides a consistent and cohesive 180 degree line.
The Mise en scene of film is made up of setting, lighting, costume, and behavior. The Baby’s Meal seems to have a pretty standard mis en scene. The setting is outside in the yard of a house, giving it a personal family touch. The lighting is natural, appearing to be a sunny day. The clothes are simple, with a sort of black and white theme matching the white house and darkened window. The clothes are typical of the early nineteen hundreds, especially the baby’s white dress. It makes the audience focus on it, the baby being the subject matter for both the viewer and parents. The mood of the film seems to be light and cheery.
The Cook in Trouble also seems light, but has a less realistic mis en scene. The setting seems more like a theatrical set and the characters are farther away, making it look like a stage. The costumes define the characters; they are cooks and their clothing unites them. The painted background set offers some bright points, bringing out the direct theatrical lighting. The characters seem carefree and even happy, suggesting this is a comedy with a resolution.
The 180 degree line, or axis of action, in Meet John Doe is at the door and the characters at the desk. The men are talking around the desk, with one in the center of the room. The camera switches often to the door, making this the new line of action with the entrance of the woman. Then the focus is back to the desk, where they speak. The characters move, but they follow a straight path and don’t cross the line.
Cassie Hutzler
Dayna Moses
Matt Dwyer
Film 112 Section 33068
Mis-en-scene includes the four aspects of setting, costume/make-up, lighting and staging (movement and performance.) The Baby’s Meal takes place on hot, sunny morning. The lighting projects a happy, warm feeling and helps connect the family in the shot together well. The costumes and table settings of the family show that they are of a higher class. This is probably done to show some amount of envy and aspiration for the viewer with the actual work. The staging of the mother and father on opposite sides of the baby projects their joint effort and the actual idea of parenthood to the viewer.
For The Cook In Trouble, Melies takes a different route, breaking off from realism and instead using absurdity. The painted background makes the scene more comical and fanciful. The setting does a nice job of showing the time period as well. The men in more modest clothing show there status as mere worker while the hats worn by the other two show the view that they are indeed chefs. The lighting is overall plain and makes the viewer focus more on the subject for the mood than by the lights.
The axis of action spans from the chair in front of the desk to older man standing behind the desk. I determined this by the fact that the camera never once goes past the chair or the opposite side of the man.
In “The Baby’s Meal” the actors are wearing costumes to show the common dressings of the time period. It also uses natural lighting and setting to make the scene more realistic. Also the setting is outdoors and it looks like a real house with real props to make the picture as a whole seem like just a natural family setting. The staging is set that the people are taking up the entire frame and they are feeding the baby so they are doing the “baby feeding movements.” In “The Cook in Trouble” the costumes that they are wearing seem more theatrical and fit more into the ideal “costume” image because it is not what average people wear around unless they actually are chefs. The setting looks fake in the background and the props that they are using also look fake. The lighting is natural looking meant to imitate outside light. The staging is set in the way that three of the actors are off to the left of the screen and all of them are sitting. The fourth actor is at the right and is standing.
In “Meet John Doe” the 180° line is positioned at the end of the desk. It swivels around while the actors move around. With them moving about the axis of action also moves and it goes from the view of the desk and to the door. It never looks to the other side of the office where the camera is positioned.
Kaitlyn Murray
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