Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Assignment 2: "What I Hear"
I chose to aurally observe the going-ons of an alleyway in Chinatown. The first foreground I focus in on is a screaming Chinese lady blabbering something which I can't understand to someone else (hopefully). The sound of her voice echoes down the street and fades away into the distance. She picks up again, this time a dump truck roaring in front of her establishment. The engine hums as the truck idles, and the rustling of plastic garbage bags is buried beneath this woman screaming. The bags plop and make a dull thud. Immediately after, a door slams shut in the vicinity of the old woman. Her screaming stops.
The truck trots down the blog and remains an annoying "hiss" throughout the proceedings. Another door opens this time closer to me, and two Chinese men mumble. They spit saliva on the ground with such force that I heard them individually gear up whatever came up out of their mouths. Their footsteps are heard moving away on the concrete. "Clop, clop, clop."
A window located somewhere above me opens with a massive creak, and I hear the wings of birds flapping upward to my right. Another Chinese woman starts screaming out the newly opened window, this time a man fighting back. Every other fragment of what seemed like a sentence ended with emphasis. The words fly faster and I hear a hand making contact with a face, presumably. At that point, fortunately, my phone rang loudly and proudly projecting the quasi-patriotic "Superman" theme from the original 1978 film.
The truck trots down the blog and remains an annoying "hiss" throughout the proceedings. Another door opens this time closer to me, and two Chinese men mumble. They spit saliva on the ground with such force that I heard them individually gear up whatever came up out of their mouths. Their footsteps are heard moving away on the concrete. "Clop, clop, clop."
A window located somewhere above me opens with a massive creak, and I hear the wings of birds flapping upward to my right. Another Chinese woman starts screaming out the newly opened window, this time a man fighting back. Every other fragment of what seemed like a sentence ended with emphasis. The words fly faster and I hear a hand making contact with a face, presumably. At that point, fortunately, my phone rang loudly and proudly projecting the quasi-patriotic "Superman" theme from the original 1978 film.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Assignment 1: Mise-En-Scène and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"
Mise-en-scène refers to all the elements of a scene--lighting, color, location, blocking, sound, acting, dialogue, effects, costumes, make-up--which work together as a whole to make up said scene. Examining this for any given sequence in a film gives invaluable insight into the production process behind the film and what makes a scene a "scene." Alternatively, mise-en-scène refers to the elements of a scene that make a scene worth your time to watch.
Below is a link to a sequence from James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991):
http://youtu.be/VDVVAuz1v7U
In the context of the film, John Conner is at the galleria (mall) with a friend just goofing off on a Saturday afternoon. Two men are looking for John although their motives are not yet clearly defined. Both men are cyborgs from the future played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick. They both have a lock on John's whereabouts and that's where the sequence begins.
Cameron primarily uses medium-long shots, and long shots during the sequence with some close-ups added in sporadically depending on need and effect. The color palette for the scene is generally bright with a slight gray-ish/blue metallic tint to the proceedings. Cameron chose a bright palette since that was simply the way the location was designed, and does not necessarily distract the viewer in any way. In fact, as explained below, it will keep the viewers focused on the cyborgs and John.
At the start of the sequence, we see John playing war simulator arcade games which Cameron focuses on with close-ups of the game and of John's intense face--this is foreshadowing John's future as the leader of the human resistance once cyborgs take over the world after a nuclear disaster. John playing these games is cross-cut with the two cyborgs traversing the galleria.
The T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is primarily framed with a medium, eye-level shot. The T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is often framed with a low-angle shot which accentuates his tall, powerful, and intimidating stature. Cameron also shoots them both in long shots to juxtapose them amongst a regular crowd of people, increasing tension and building a sense of atmosphere. The T-1000 is dressed like a police officer which might lead one to think he's a good guy. The T-800 is dressed like a biker and is wearing sunglasses which makes one want to avoid him altogether. Cameron's purpose here is to mislead the audience and keep them guessing as to who's out to get John, and who's out to save him, or are they both out to get him? Their dark costumes against the sun-lit white walls of the galleria and the lightly-colored clothing of the bystanders make them pop and make the shots visually interesting. Cameron here also uses no dialogue when the T-1000 asks children where John might be, opting instead for insidious music playing over the whole thing with some sounds of the mall coming through. The overbearing music adds tension and puts the focus on the two cyborgs.
Cameron also almost always keeps the camera moving either by panning it, or combining a pan with a tilt, or tracking back from a subject or into a subject after/before panning or tilting. This keeps the viewer involved in the scene and not just a voyeur observing events transpire. (Alternatively, it's what makes a film a "movie.") Cameron also keeps any dialogue short and to the point--the whole sequence is almost entirely visual and only necessary information that moves the narrative forward is kept in the finished product.
Eventually, the T-1000 (dressed as a cop) spots John first. The music tempo rises as he approaches John, knocking children out of his way. The sound of the first kid hitting the floor is accentuating to showcase the strength of the T-1000. Robert Patrick's eyes also go wide and lock on target which makes him seem more like a cyborg. The T-1000 gives chase through the hidden corridors of the galleria, with just the sound of the surroundings coming through, and at this point little to no dialogue. We hear John panting as he runs which adds realism and more suspense to the proceedings.
Finally, John stumbles across the T-800 (Schwarzenegger) whom he recognizes instantly from hearing about him so much from his mother who dealt with him in the original Terminator film from 1984. Cameron tracks in on John and reveals the shock on his face, and the entire frame rate of the sequence slows. The T-800 moves towards John relentlessly, cocking a shotgun. Cameron uses a pan up from the T-800's chest to his face to accentuate the stature and intimidation, as well as Schwarzenegger's stone-faced expression which emphasizes that he's a cyborg without any emotion. The well-known Terminator theme plays over the sequence. John runs, still in slow motion, to a door that's locked in a narrow hallway. On the other side of the hallway, the T-1000 appears. Behind John, the T-800 catches up. Cameron uses medium close-ups of both cyborgs aiming their weapons in John's general direction to add tension to John's situation, and also keep them "equal" in a sense; at this point the viewer does not know who's the good guy or who's bad. The tight space they are now all in is established and we are brought to a critical peak in the sequence. Only when Schwarzenegger says "Get down" and fires a shot towards the T-1000 do we get any sort of release. The frame rate returns to normal. The lack of dialogue adds an urgency and intensity to the scene, and the residual sound from that first shot is climactic, and also the first shot taken against the T-1000 in the long fight against him throughout the rest of the film.
Shots ring out in full clarity (it is an action film) amidst John's boyish screams as the T-1000 relentlessly fires at the T-800 who's protecting John. He gets John to safety and advances on the T-1000, firing loud shots. The frame is another low angle to express the T-800's power and control. The smoke from the shots fired adds a certain mystery and visual interest to the shots. Special make-up effects are applied to Robert Patrick to make it look like there are metallic holes in his body. Shots fired at the T-800 are met with sounds of metal bouncing off of metal, added in post-production. After the T-800 knocks his adversary the ground, we see his metallic bullet holes seal up before our eyes which is achieved as a special effect in post production through computer imaging technology. The T-1000 engages, and Cameron uses close-ups on both their faces to show that they are expressionless (they are cyborgs, after all) and programmed killers. They begin smashing each other into (fake) walls, and Cameron uses "to-from" and "from-to" pans as they push each other around to keep the viewer involved in the action. Sound effects are amplified for the entire sequence for maximum melodramatic effect. Strains of the T-1000's theme is also played here as well, but not does not come to fruition until the next sequence begins.
All that just for one sequence--just imagine the rest of the film!
Below is a link to a sequence from James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991):
http://youtu.be/VDVVAuz1v7U
In the context of the film, John Conner is at the galleria (mall) with a friend just goofing off on a Saturday afternoon. Two men are looking for John although their motives are not yet clearly defined. Both men are cyborgs from the future played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick. They both have a lock on John's whereabouts and that's where the sequence begins.
Cameron primarily uses medium-long shots, and long shots during the sequence with some close-ups added in sporadically depending on need and effect. The color palette for the scene is generally bright with a slight gray-ish/blue metallic tint to the proceedings. Cameron chose a bright palette since that was simply the way the location was designed, and does not necessarily distract the viewer in any way. In fact, as explained below, it will keep the viewers focused on the cyborgs and John.
At the start of the sequence, we see John playing war simulator arcade games which Cameron focuses on with close-ups of the game and of John's intense face--this is foreshadowing John's future as the leader of the human resistance once cyborgs take over the world after a nuclear disaster. John playing these games is cross-cut with the two cyborgs traversing the galleria.
The T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is primarily framed with a medium, eye-level shot. The T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is often framed with a low-angle shot which accentuates his tall, powerful, and intimidating stature. Cameron also shoots them both in long shots to juxtapose them amongst a regular crowd of people, increasing tension and building a sense of atmosphere. The T-1000 is dressed like a police officer which might lead one to think he's a good guy. The T-800 is dressed like a biker and is wearing sunglasses which makes one want to avoid him altogether. Cameron's purpose here is to mislead the audience and keep them guessing as to who's out to get John, and who's out to save him, or are they both out to get him? Their dark costumes against the sun-lit white walls of the galleria and the lightly-colored clothing of the bystanders make them pop and make the shots visually interesting. Cameron here also uses no dialogue when the T-1000 asks children where John might be, opting instead for insidious music playing over the whole thing with some sounds of the mall coming through. The overbearing music adds tension and puts the focus on the two cyborgs.
Cameron also almost always keeps the camera moving either by panning it, or combining a pan with a tilt, or tracking back from a subject or into a subject after/before panning or tilting. This keeps the viewer involved in the scene and not just a voyeur observing events transpire. (Alternatively, it's what makes a film a "movie.") Cameron also keeps any dialogue short and to the point--the whole sequence is almost entirely visual and only necessary information that moves the narrative forward is kept in the finished product.
Eventually, the T-1000 (dressed as a cop) spots John first. The music tempo rises as he approaches John, knocking children out of his way. The sound of the first kid hitting the floor is accentuating to showcase the strength of the T-1000. Robert Patrick's eyes also go wide and lock on target which makes him seem more like a cyborg. The T-1000 gives chase through the hidden corridors of the galleria, with just the sound of the surroundings coming through, and at this point little to no dialogue. We hear John panting as he runs which adds realism and more suspense to the proceedings.
Finally, John stumbles across the T-800 (Schwarzenegger) whom he recognizes instantly from hearing about him so much from his mother who dealt with him in the original Terminator film from 1984. Cameron tracks in on John and reveals the shock on his face, and the entire frame rate of the sequence slows. The T-800 moves towards John relentlessly, cocking a shotgun. Cameron uses a pan up from the T-800's chest to his face to accentuate the stature and intimidation, as well as Schwarzenegger's stone-faced expression which emphasizes that he's a cyborg without any emotion. The well-known Terminator theme plays over the sequence. John runs, still in slow motion, to a door that's locked in a narrow hallway. On the other side of the hallway, the T-1000 appears. Behind John, the T-800 catches up. Cameron uses medium close-ups of both cyborgs aiming their weapons in John's general direction to add tension to John's situation, and also keep them "equal" in a sense; at this point the viewer does not know who's the good guy or who's bad. The tight space they are now all in is established and we are brought to a critical peak in the sequence. Only when Schwarzenegger says "Get down" and fires a shot towards the T-1000 do we get any sort of release. The frame rate returns to normal. The lack of dialogue adds an urgency and intensity to the scene, and the residual sound from that first shot is climactic, and also the first shot taken against the T-1000 in the long fight against him throughout the rest of the film.
Shots ring out in full clarity (it is an action film) amidst John's boyish screams as the T-1000 relentlessly fires at the T-800 who's protecting John. He gets John to safety and advances on the T-1000, firing loud shots. The frame is another low angle to express the T-800's power and control. The smoke from the shots fired adds a certain mystery and visual interest to the shots. Special make-up effects are applied to Robert Patrick to make it look like there are metallic holes in his body. Shots fired at the T-800 are met with sounds of metal bouncing off of metal, added in post-production. After the T-800 knocks his adversary the ground, we see his metallic bullet holes seal up before our eyes which is achieved as a special effect in post production through computer imaging technology. The T-1000 engages, and Cameron uses close-ups on both their faces to show that they are expressionless (they are cyborgs, after all) and programmed killers. They begin smashing each other into (fake) walls, and Cameron uses "to-from" and "from-to" pans as they push each other around to keep the viewer involved in the action. Sound effects are amplified for the entire sequence for maximum melodramatic effect. Strains of the T-1000's theme is also played here as well, but not does not come to fruition until the next sequence begins.
All that just for one sequence--just imagine the rest of the film!
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