Film language- LIGHTING

Lighting helps to convey mood and atmosphere in a scene. It can also be used to guide the audience’s attention to a particular object, person or gesture. Lighting can also be used to cast shadows and build tension and suspense.

Back lighting: Light source is behind the person. If little or no light is used silhouettes are created. This causes the edges of the subject to glow, while the other areas remain darker. The back light is sometimes called hair or shoulder light, because when lighting an actor or an actress, backlighting will cause the edges of his or her hair to glow if he or she has fuzzy hair. This gives an angelic halo type effect around the head. This is often used in order to show that the actor or actress so lit is "good" or "pure". Backlighting helps to provide separation between the subject and its background.

In this image the backlighting makes the actor's hair look fuzzy, bright and white, making him look good and pure as the back lighting helps separate him from the background.
Key lighting: The purpose of the key light is to highlight the form and dimension of the subject. The key light is not a rigid requirement; omitting the key light can result in a silhouette effect. Many key lights may be placed in a scene to illuminate a moving subject at opportune moments. A key light positioned low appears to distort the actor's features, since most natural or ambient light is normally overhead. A dramatic effect used in horror or comedy cinematography is a key light illuminating the face from below. A high key light will result in more prominent cheek bones and long nose shadows

In this image of the film "Watchmen" the low key lighting makes the shot look tense and mysterious as the audience do not know who the dark figure is this making him look evil.

Filler lighting: Fill light may be used to reduce the contrast of a scene and provide some illumination for the areas of the image that is in shadow. A common lighting setup places the fill light on the lens axis, roughly perpendicular to the key light.


Star lighting: Bright lighting which focuses all around the person which who is well known to the audience in other theatre, soaps and films. By using this lighting on the person it draws an audience to a film with their photogenic appearance, inspirational acting, or some other quality.

Camera lighting: Lens flare is the light scattered in lens systems through generally unwanted image formation mechanisms, such as internal reflection and scattering from material inhomogeneities in the lens. A lens flare is often deliberately used to invoke a sense of drama. A lens flare is also useful when added to an artificial or modified image composition because it adds a sense of realism, implying that the image is an un-edited original photograph of a "real life" scene, for both of these reasons (implying realism and/or drama).

Angles of lighting:

Under lighting- is when the main source of light comes from below the subject. This tends to have a distorting effect on the character or object that is being lit and is often used in horror films. 

In this image it shows a close up of a man as the under lighting makes the man look dark and his facial expressions mysterious also as there is hardly any surroundings in the image it makes the audience focus on him.

Top lighting- is when the main source of lighting comes from above, highlighting the features of a character – it can be used to create a glamorous look in a star.

In this image the top lighting is used to show the creature/monster's features of his body and face so that the audience feels drawn to the creature by the use of the top lighting.

Types of lighting:

Low-key – lighting is created by the use of back lights. This will produce a sharp contrast of light and dark areas on the screen and cause deep shadows to form. This effect is known as chiaroscuro.

In this image it shows the character looking down as the low-lighting makes him look dark and mysterious as the audience hardly see his face.

High-key –this is when filler lights is used. The term means lighting that appears more natural and realistic to our eyes. It can be used to describe on brightly lit sets such as a recreated sunny day in the park, or to describe a more subtly-lit night time scene. Although shadows will be produced the contrast is a lot softer.

In this image it shows a person is shown close up while the high-key lighting making her stand out and also works on making her look attractive and pure as she as the lighting makes her look white. The high-key lighting hardly leaves any shadows on the characters face but brings out the make up used on her making it her lip stick for example look bright and classy.

Film Noir is the term given by French film critics to a group of American films released in the late 1940s and 50s. The plots were often based on detective novels set in big cities with dark alleyways, wet pavements and sleazy bars. The films were termed ‘noir’ because of the dark look of the films. The lighting was low key with strong areas of contrast between light and dark. Actors’ faces were sometimes lit this way to cast a dark shadow over one side, suggesting a darker side to the character.

In this scene below from the film ‘Se7en’ we as an audience are shown four types of lighting being natural, low-key, under-lighting and back lighting. The natural lighting is shown at the start of the scene as an introduction to a normal narrative but once the scene turns that much darker and serious we see props such as large shot guns which are used when the scene moves into a dark room apartment which is of low-key lighting this creates a mysterious uneasy effect also making the scene seem tense. The back lighting used is mainly on the characters wearing suits while the men dressed in all black leading the front are all low-keyed making them seem dangerous and serious, the audience then assumes that the characters are police due to the actions they take in storming a apartment. The back lighting used on the two men wearing suits makes them look pure and good another factor of showing that these men are good men who represent the law. Lastly the under-lighting is used when one of the police offices exam a body as he believes the person is dead he is then shocked when the person breathes; the under-lighting used on his face allows us to see his surprised facial expressions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7J02CRoYUk

Formats and other features

This document is an introduction of the formats and other features that belong to productions in films.

Shot: Is a camera position of where the scene will run a scene by positioning the camera from a far distance to create a long-shot or in front of person’s face to show their expression

Genre: Genre contains categories of film which certain amount of people prefer watching. Genres include: emotional real life stories, documentaries, escapism, police instigation, and humour.

Text: Titles that appear in the opening sequence and ending of the film. The styles it uses are, size, colour, background and pace as it can set up the outlook about the mood and way of the film is set. It also shows credits showing the main actors, the director, producers, ect, which are normally introduced at the beginning while more of the actors and members of staff and production team are mentioned in the credits at the end.

Music: Music helps to set up a sense of the pace for a scene. The tempo of music frequently helps with the rhythm of the cuts. The type of music can also help the mood of the scene for example fast paced music can help with the tension of a sports genre. Some music can also link shots, scenes and sequences.

Cut: Is a sudden change of shot which is known as an edit from shot to another. Cuts may change the scene, reduce time, and build up an image.

What is a thriller film?

My task was to watch the opening of the film “Seven” and identify the following points using PEER by using a table.

TASK 1

GC	Point	Evidence	Explain	Relate
Cinematography	Wide-shot	Shown at scene 1	Two police officers having a conversation.	This relates to the film due to the murder scene causing suspense.
Sound	Diegetic sounds of pictures being taken by cameras.	Shown in scene 1, heard in the background of the image of the fallen body.	Shows the diversity of evidence being taking by upper officials.	This relates to the film being a thriller as pictures are being taken for evidence as the corporate hasn’t been caught.
Editing	Credits of the film	Shows actors names at the end of scene 1.	By showing the credits for example actors and directors the audience can have a good idea how the film will be like due to actors and directors expertise.	Relates to the film by showing what the film will be like due to the actor’s film repetition.
Mise-en-scene	Character in kitchen with surroundings.	Shown in scene 1 of the opening of the film.	The character is shown with a number of objects including chess.	This doesn’t relate to the film due to it being the opening act.
Target audience	18 and above, also people who are admire of thriller films.	In scene 1, the audience is shown a dead body which is surrounded with blood.	The explicit content for example the blood making the film seem like a thriller and also making it known as a 15 and above because of the dead body props.	The age rating suggests that the film has scenes that are not appropriate for minors.
Surprise, shock, suspense	Dead body, blood, and suspense of fast music in the credits.	Shown in first scene while credits follow after.	Dead body surrounded by blood while music follows after in the credits.	The body on the floor is unexpected while it is surrounded by blood giving the audience a good idea what the film is about then following after with credits to cause a build up towards the audience.

Task 2

The film “Seven” is a thriller because it portrays the exploits of a deranged serial-killer. His twisted agenda involves choosing seven victims who represent egregious examples of transgressions of each of the Seven Deadly Sins. He then views himself as akin to the Sword of God, handing out horrific punishment to these sinners. Two cops, an experienced veteran of the streets who is about to retire and the ambitious young homicide detective hired to replace him, team up to capture the perpetrator of these gruesome killings.

Task 3

This film can help me plan out my own thriller by its use of cinematography and camera shots, the use of tracking movement by moving smoothly and focusing on the two cops which allows the audience to pay attention to the character. While using low angle shots making the officials seem high and mighty towards the audience and wide shots to keep more focus on them.

Now repeat 1-3 for the opening scene of the thriller film “Panic Rooms”

GC	Point	Evidence	Explain	Relate
Cinematography	Establishing shot	Shown at opening of the film.	Shows skyscrapers and buildings shown in the city.	This shows the audience that the film is based in this city which looks as if it’s New York due to its huge skyscrapers.
Sound	Diegetic sounds of people and cars in the city.	Heard in the first scene.	The sound of cars and people make the film seem normal.	Normal sounds within the city but covered up but not fully to allow the audience to hear the two characters talk.
Editing	Credits within the opening.	Credits shown at the opening of the film on the skyscrapers.	Shows which actors/actresses will be acting in the film and directors also producers who created the film	By showing the actors/actresses, directors and producers it gives the audience how the film will be due to the actors/actresses, directors and producers expertise.
Mise-en-scene	Empty house	Empty house shown in scene 1	Shows a family of 3 looking around in the house while a sales man presents them the house.	This empty house makes the audience feel as if the film is based there, also because the house feels old and unused it gives off an airy feeling towards it.
Target audience	All ages	No explicit scenes have been shown in the opening.	The film is only really introduced within the first five minutes.	No genre of scenes is shown who the filmed is aimed at in the opening.
Surprise, shock, suspense	Suspense of music and an empty house giving which is a surprise.	The intro music at the opening also then showing an empty house within the city.	The intro music starts out slow but calm but also has a horrible feeling to it while it speeds up at the end. While the empty house seem grey and dull giving off a surprise.	The intro music and empty house makes the film look like a thriller because of the dramatic music and empty house which is normally a main subject of a thriller.

Panic room is a thriller because recently divorced Meg Altman and her daughter Sarah have bought a new home in New York. On their tour around the mansion, they come across the panic room. A room so secure, that no one can get in. When three burglars break in, Meg makes a move to the panic room. But all her troubles don't stop there. The criminals know where she is, and what they require the most in the house is in that very room.

I can use this film to help me to make my own thriller is by using the use of props by using dramatic music and establishing shots that point out where the thriller is based.

Cinematography

Cinematography is the process of many shots used in the film industry to capture fast paced scenes, emotions, reactions and surroundings for the audience to see and view. Cinematography contains the three elements of camera shots, camera angles, and camera movement.

Each element contains a number of shots used for film which are

1.    Camera shots: Master shot, Establishing shot, extreme long shot, long shot, medium shot, medium close up, close up, extreme close up and a two-shot. Camera shots are important as they are used in films the most and are the most important.

·         Medium Shot (MS) - Shows the character from waist up usually. It also captures action well and shows detail in the shot.

·         Long shot (LS) - Shows full body shots of people of what they are doing also surroundings of areas for example forests.

·         Extreme long shot (ELS) – This shot is similar to an establishing shot as it shows full surroundings of the location.

2.    Camera Angles: High Angle, Low Angle, The Bird's-Eye view, Eye Level, and Oblique/Canted Angle.

·         High Angle -   Makes a person look small or with less authority to another.

·         Low Angle – Makes the person look big and powerful by looking the dominant force.

3.    Camera Movement: Panning shot, Tilt shot, Crane shot, Zoom, Point of view, Dolly shot, Hand-held shots, and Aerial Shot.

·         Panning shot – Camera moves across the room showing what’s in view. Usually used when someone is walking.

·         Tilt shot – Camera moves up and down. If someone is giving someone a dirty look from head to toe.

·         Crane shot – On a crane the crane movement can be quite flexible.

·         Zoom – Captures emotion or get away from it and also zooming in to objects to find something out.

·         Point of view – When a shot is presented from someone’s own view to create tension and suspense.

Frame restrictions

Action is tough to pursue in close up, and in small compact areas to contain the subjects movements, the subject might pass through the frame. It is risky using action in tight places unless your narrative or director wishes the subject to leave the frame and to lost action, that’s why frames are often wide in these scenes so that the audience may follow the movement. Where action can be expected for example someone standing the can normally hold the shot.

Camera movement

Subjects moving towards or away from the camera are more likely to stay in the frame than movement across the shot. When in filming the scene I as the camera man can move across the scene by panning with it although there is the trouble of the pan might overreach and shoot past the vital area.  There are other options for example cutting at the start if a move to another camera, to watch a subject enter the scene thus being appropriate.

In this video I will identify the 3 elements used in this scene to show my understandings of cinematography by explaining how each particular main shot was used by relating it to thriller.

In this scene from Child's Play 2 it shows the use of 2 elements of cinematography which are camera shots and camera movement.

The first shot shows the use of a medium shot of one woman and a toy like creature which can also been shown as a two-shot. This shot is used to intimacy of the conversation between the two people also as a medium shot to show settings of the scene as the audience understand that they are driving in a car. The two-shot shows the body language between the two as the female seems scared and intermediated by the toy as his voice is strong and demanding also as he waves around his knife around her this proving his dominance in the thriller.

The last element I have identified in this scene is a movement shot. A tracking shot is used to show the female's car moving fast as this draws in the viewer as a police car starts to follow them. This shot is used to make the audience understand why she is getting chased as the toy creature tells her to hurry up from before and threatens her. This builds up tension as the police chasing the female and toy inside the car put a dent in their goal.

In this second scene from Child's play 2 it shows the last camera element of camera angles. In this scene we see a police officer investigate a woman in a car from her window. As we see the office stand above her the audience are introduced to a high angle this is shown to show the police officer talk down to the female, implying his higher authority and power as the stronger person as he looks around the car and asks the female various questions and the female answer them anxiously. The low angle shot shown on the female makes her look small and weak as she looks up to the male officer weary and uncertain, the uses of these angles create a dramatic effect.

After analysing these two scenes from Child's Play 2 I felt that the camera shots, angles and movement used relate to my own production because of the way it is presented to the audience as both the main characters in these scenes are similar to my own as the female being shown as a scared portrayer and the toy evil and devious. Nearly every shot except the tracking shot shows facial and body language from the female and toy which are similar to my own narrative in production. Both scenes shots are well taken and portray each character's perception for example in the high-angle shot over the female makes her look vulnerable and powerless towards the police officer this shot helped me understand how to re-create my shot of by making my main character look worried and frightened.

The most common way of changing a shot is by zooming or dollying (tracking) to loosen the frame. As my role of being the camera man I can readjust the shot, so that I can include or exclude other information; by zooming in the audience will be able to see the detail better or for the use of excluding any eye catching distractions.

Switching to another camera in production immediately changes the shot size which is commonly the length of the shot or relocates the audience’s viewpoint. The editor of my production can change the shot size and direction on final cut pro, by doing this though it might confuse my groups target audience especially if they’re not able to identify the viewpoint. However if they’re expecting the sudden change by the set of narrative, we would be able to introduce normal switches to extreme ones for example overhead shots. Disadvantages of switching are reverse cuts and rediscoveries as my editor must learn to keep a focused eye when arranging shots as they are troubling to watch.

AS Media, MICRO ELEMENTS - DOOM THRILLER

I will approach the micro elements  from scene “DOOM” by discussing how they create a response from the audience, explaining how cinematography, editing, lighting, sound, mise-en-scene, and character representation are used in this scene to create maximum effectiveness the scene starts when we see a zoom in of the male proteigonist’s eye, then fades to black to indicate new action will begin, and ends when the scene switches from point-of-view shot to a medium shot of the character.

The scene is seen in low key lighting which allows the dark muscular tones on the character’s body and face to be emphasised, and implies the protagonists feelings and emotions are that of someone who is wary and on the edge. The low-key lighting creates an uncomfortable atmosphere as it is associated with horror and fear, which is conventional because it is dark, scary and mysterious, highlighting the sense of alienation for the viewers, creating nervousness and suspense amongst them.

As the character stands up, he shouts his female partners name as we see him walk towards a mirror and he wipes blood off his face. This makes him look very serious, as he is on a mission to search for this woman at any cost, making the film apparent of an action film, and this also reflects his importance in the film.   As he wipes blood off from his face and looks sternly into the mirror, this represents him as very masculine and determined to accomplish his mission. There is no mark on his face which suggests that maybe he has killed before, and this mission is one of many that he has survived, and bloodshed is something that is normal for him. This gives the audience confidence in their hero and belief  that he will trumph in battling the zombies/demons. This representation is conventional because the character stands out as a believable hero, one that the audience will hold faith in.

The character is dressed in all black with a bullet proof body shield. This suggests that he is a mysterious character and it emphasises once again his importance to the film. The audience can assume that he is the hero, as his black, masculine attire reflects his strength and significance. As he is the only person fighting against a large number of zombies who enter the scene, it reveals to the audience that he is the last man standing in his team due to his army/clothing and because of other iconography seen in the scene, such as guns, dead bodies and high tech-equipment, which all suggest that he may have been part of a team. The character representation is conventional because it displays him im as a powerful male, also as he is the only person left in his team. Even though the audience are led to believe he is very strong, as he is alone fighting against many zombies, creating fear and suspense amongst them.

The mise-en-scene of this scene is conventional and creates an exciteable response from the audience as the character walks through the door after reloading his gun, he is bought into a total onslaught battle with many zombies/demons. This represents him as aware of his surroundings, suggesting that he is trained for this kind of warfare, again reinforcing our belief in him. His masculine representation and iconography that surround him shows that he is not scared of anything as he attempts to battle every zombie that approaches him. He does not take any chances during the battle, for example, at one point he shoots a reflection of himself, which infers to the audience he is a strong figure who shows no mercy.

Our protagonist is a unique individual, and conventional because his masculinty creates excitement and the atmosphere around him is violent, dark, and dangerous making the audience feel anxious as they want to see the hero win against the zombies safely. The low-key lighting enforces the clear representation that this male character will defeat anything for his woman, and he does not care about anything that stands in his way.
The icongraphy seen is conventional and aids our understanding of the scene. Blood, gun fire, dead bodies, zombies and demons are all things the audience would expect to see. The character’s gun is unique and his use of it is very fast and stable, as he has perfect aim in killing all the primary targets he comes across. This helps the audience understand that the character is fully focused on killing, and that he is a fighter. The action is located in a secluded area which seems creepy, and isolated. There are many dead bodies scattered around and some which are seen to be eaten by rats, informing the audience that this is not a very nice place to be. The dead scentisits make the audience think that an accident like mutation has occurred which has created the multiple number of zombies. As we see the character at the end of the scene, we see a lockdown sign which shows the whole place is on red alert and tells the audience that this place is dangerous, and the low key lighting is now accompained by red light which connotes danger and creates further suspense to the scene.

The cinematography used provides the audience with a first hand experience of what the character is going through. After the fade to black at the start of the scene, the scene is almost entirely in point-of-view. Nonetheless there is one point in which the character is briefly knocked out and the camera swings to show him on the floor which creates fear and anxiety amongst the audience. The point-of-view is used to make the viewer feel as if it them that is the character fighting the zombie/demons and to draw the audience deeper into the movie. There is a flash of light on the screen when the movie returns to the point-of-view, as the character gets up and wanders around for the rest of the scene fighting zombie/demons with the use of props being several guns, chainsaws, and bombs. This use of point-of-view creates excitement as the audience sees the events through the leading actor's eyes, as if they were experiencing the events themselves again, demonstrating our trust in the hero as we become him.  As we see everything first hand, this makes the audience repsond to the scene by feeling sheer exhilaration, as the audience feel they are in the shoes of the character. There is also a point in the scene where a variety of micro elements are used to create intensity. By using intense non-diagetic sound, a fade to black and a medium shot when he is battling, it makes the audience believe that he has died as the fade to black is a representation of his heart beating slowly, however he revives himself and gets back on his feet which relieves the audience.

In the opening of the scene off screen sound of a woman yelling “I’m your sister” is heard as an echo, which is speeded up to suggest time has passed along with the fade to black. This creates anxiety for the audience and creates empathy towards the scene as the audience can identify the storyline of this character trying to find “Sam”, his sister, whilst having to overcome zombies. During this scene, parallel sounds resemble electricity and water dripping making the audience aware that this is a forbidden, isolated room which supports the mise-en-scene and understanding of this horrid, dangerous place. We also hear diegetic sounds of gunshots being fired and the sounds of rats squeaking in the background. This makes the audience feel unpleasant as they understand that the character is in a dangerous place, nonetheless represents him as fearless as he doesn’t care what he faces and what conditions he is in as long as his mission is completed. When the character moves from the mirror and reloads his gun, the non-diegetic music turns into a fast tempo beat which creates a dramatic and excitable effect on the audience as he comes up against the zombie/demons. The non-diegetic music changes its tempo to match the editing as it gets slower each time he walks round the corners then it speeds up when he sees a zombie/demon which creates more tension and suspense in the scene. This is conventional to an action movie because the sound creates excitement and tension to help the audience follow the important action. The editing supports the sound and action because as the music speeds up, the editing gets more intense and this adds suspense for example by stopping when the character is unconscious and restarting again when he wakes up. The fast paced editing is used to achieve heart racing response from the audience.

The audience can relate to the character of being a lone wolf as he looks as if he is without his team. He must take action against the zombies/demons by himself in an environment which is enveloped by death, danger, and chaos by trying to find a way to escape as we can see him making his way through all obstacles to the lockdown area at the end of the scene. The character is someone who gives hope to the audience by showing them never to give up against evil and fear

The film offers excitement and breath taking action whilst the point of view adds a real intense thrill. I believe that the mirco elements used can allow anyone to feel escapism enjoying this breath taking fast paced film.