Angle, Level, Height, and Distance in Cinematography

 1) Stills from existing media using angle, level, height, and distance to convey meaning

a. Still image from The Empire Strikes Back, 1980, showing how angle is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

The angle used in this frame was a high angle shot. The tension between the two characters is depicted in the still rather well, as they each keep a certain distance from one another. The difference in their clothes is also significant since it conveys the idea that they are rivals or, at the very least, come from distinct backgrounds and viewpoints.

b. Still image from The Shining, 1980, showing how level is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

This still was eye level. The still shows how the child struggles with him being loss. This eye level establishes a link with the spectator and helps illustrate how the child perceives his surroundings. The level choice makes it very evident that the child is lost and that his uncomfortable feelings may be the source of the conflict.

c. Still image from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001, showing how height is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

The still shows how high height is participating. Saruman's position standing atop of the rock, with his head tilted downward toward the group, is a clear indication of his power and superiority. Saruman's head angled slightly to the left, drawing the viewer's attention to the group, while they're clearly place on the left line of the Rule of Thirds. 

d. Still image from No Country for Old Men, 2007, showing how distance is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

The distance between the car and man attracts the attention mainly to him (although the picture I took is of low quality so we can't really tell apart both subjects) as he's in the middle of the scene and has a gun on his hand.

2) Stills I created using angle, level, height, or distance to convey meaning

a. A still showing how angle is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

I attempted to portray the girl as going through an internal conflict in this still by using a high angle shot.

b. A still showing how level is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

I've used a dutch level shot in this still to show the tension between the two dolls. Despite this, I positioned the male doll at the very top right of the tilt to heighten the tension and emphasize his supremacy. 

c. A still showing how height is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

Here, I've tried to capture the sense of suspended through a ground level shot. Also, it draws the viewer's attention to the man and the weapon in his hand and prompts them to speculate as to whether or not he is following someone. 

d. A still showing how distance is used to convey conflict, character, or development.

I used the girl's distance in this still to highlight her character development as she sits and looks outdoors. The girl's choice of pink and purple clothing contributes to drawing viewers in. 

3) Reflection

I struggled with color selection and deciding on what I wanted to portray in my stills. Because internal tension in a character may be shown as long as the viewpoint and subject are suitable, 2a wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated. For 2b, it took a lot of work to find a situation that the viewer could understand immediately. It was also difficult because I had no subjects that could help me. In the end, I tried to arrange the dolls in a conflict between them, with the baby doll at the center. However, looking back, I realize that neither of the subjects really conveyed the Dutch level shot I was aiming for. The still for 2c was perfect because I aligned the character with the Rule of Thirds, and the repetitive background—which doesn't often have any visually appealing figures—helped me draw the spectator in. The image of the man walking with his weapon gives the impression that he is either heading to deal with an issue or start a conflict. The girl's colors are meant to draw attention to her, but it was difficult to do so because of the lighting and other elements like the pull-down alarm and the exit sign. The viewer's attention seems to be drawn to both things more so than the girl herself. But in the end, color, focus, and lighting were the key factors in my struggles. I will try to work more in color and lighting which will be necessary for the next blog post.

Balancing Mise en Scène

1) Stills from existing media that demonstrate aspects of Mise en scène

a. A still image from The Dark Knight, 2008, shows how contrast guides the viewer’s attention.

 

The Joker's colors stand out against Batman's dark outfit. The scene depicts Batman appearing behind the Joker as he begins the interrogation; the Joker's interesting make-up and clothing choices give the impression that he isn't serious, but Batman's single-color costume shows that he is serious.

b. A still image from Blade Runner, 1982, shows how color guides the viewer’s attention.

The scene shows Officer K walking through the ruins of Las Vegas. The background's colors are warm but not too bright, highlighting the darker figure of Officer K, which draws the viewer's attention. He's in the middle and the only figure in the scene which also helps to draw the viewer's attention to him.

c. A still image from Child's Play, 1988, shows how size guides the viewer’s attention.

In this scene, Andy's mother is suspicious that Chucky is alive, so she tries to communicate with him, which leads her to hold him in her arms. This highlights the size gap between them as she holds him and fights him. He may look innocent and vulnerable at first, but later on, this is a wrong guess, as he can overpower her.

d. A still image from The Silence of the Lambs, 1991, shows how frontality guides the viewer’s attention.

In this scene, Lester moves closer to the camera while he speaks to Clarice, but it also provides a sense that he is talking with the audience, which draws the viewer's attention.

2) Stills I created that demonstrate aspects of Mise en scène

a. A still showing how contrast is used to guide the viewer’s attention.

The white towels stand out against the black background because they are the opposing colors. Also, the viewer's attention is drawn to one of the towels because it contains blue lines, while the other papers are all white.

b. A still showing how color is used to guide the viewer’s attention.

In this still, we clearly see the difference in color between their clothing, with one notable exception of the red sweater. The color difference between the two black outfits and the red one draws the viewer's attention.

c. A still showing how size is used to guide the viewer’s attention.

I try to capture the feeling of what the little girl's point of view could be like in this still. I position myself in front of her so that she isn't facing the camera, but the camera angle is adjusted to give the impression that she would see me that way.

d. A still showing how frontality is used to guide the viewer’s attention.

Because the woman is facing the camera directly, we can sense how she is interacting with the audience. And due to her opening her eyes widely we are automatically attracted to her even more.

3) Reflection

I had a lot of trouble with the still photos I took, but the color and contrast shots were the hardest for me since I couldn't seem to get the contrast picture I was truly going for. The color still background didn't really help much because of the colors, which appeared to highlight the wall more than the person in red, but I think it was still able to convey the idea. I think I could have performed better and with a different background, but the people's time was really problematic. Also, I think the contrast still I took was great since both the neutral backdrop and the blue lines helped draw the viewer's attention. I think I may have based my frontality too much on the example I offered from The Silence of the Lambs, even now I'm not sure if the frontality still is good enough. Both are almost similar and to be honest, I shot the image without noticing it. The size still was perfect, and I felt like I was able to express exactly what I wanted. It was difficult to position the camera properly since the young girl wasn't quite the size I was going for, so I had to get her on her knees. Overall, though, I believe that the contrast and color still managed to properly convey their technique, I believe I should focus more on the color in both images going forward and as I do so I should do better on the focuse of the camera also.

The Rule Of Thirds

 1) A still from the Money Heist, 2017, demonstrating 'The Rule Of Thirds'.

2)Places/Settings/Landscapes

a. A photo taken without regard for the rule

                     

b. A photo taken with the object figure aligned with hot spots on either vertical line

3)  One figure (human, animal, or stand-in)

a. A photo taken without regard for the rule

b. A photo taken with the object figure aligned with hot spots on either vertical line

4) Two Figures

a. A photo taken without regard for the rule

b. A photo taken with eyes and landscape aligned according to the rule and figures with neutral spacing

c. A photo taken with eye and landscape alignment and vertical placement to suggest agreement or attraction

d. A photo taken with eye and landscape alignment and vertical placement to indicate disagreement, conflict, or threat/menace

5) a. This still shot from Money Heist depicts/presents the series' crew, with the exception of The Professor, who is aligned with the Rule of Third's right vertical hotspot. Almost all of the important characters are present in this scene, with The Professor being the main emphasis, implying that he is the genius behind the entire scheme. The other characters who follow him express their willingness to join him and carry out his plan. However, if we look closely, we can identify which personalities are likely to cause trouble, such as the girl with short hair, Tokyo, who appears confident and intriguing but is unable to fully comply with it. We can also notice a hint with a character that will in the future have a lot of secrets, Berlin, who is in the center of everyone but all the way at the back, which could suggest that he would be in the middle of all the commotion amongst the characters. The Professor's biggest role is that since he brought the group together from the beginning, he would do his best to keep them all together so that he could maintain the plan under his control.

b. The white and black colors of choice influenced my character highlight and background choice.  In image 4a, the floor was an important aspect of demonstrating that the Rule of Thirds was not present in the photo; the floor made it appear like the rule was not being applied there due to the lines of the floor. For 4b, I was able to match the eyes of the two figures using camera help. however, while the eyes were able to meet, it was difficult to coordinate the figures' backgrounds and heights almost perfectly. In 4c, I brought them closer together to demonstrate a comfortable distance between them, and their alignment was mostly centered on the right hotspot. Finally, for 4d, I try to position both characters in their respective eye-views, but with the exception that they are in front of each other, practically facing each other, creating a threatening atmosphere between them. Also on a final note, the color of the background and figures made it so that they could be highlighted. 

Hello World!