Mise en scène
Mise en scène is the stage design and arrgement of actors in scenes for a theatre or film production, both in visual arts through storyboarding, visual theme, and cinematography, and in narrative storytelling through direction.
Set design
Set design is about the setting of a scene and the objects visible in a scene. Set design can be used to amplify character emotion or dominant mood, which has physical, social, psychological, emotional, economic and cultural significance in film.
Lighting
The intensity, direction and quality of lighting can influence an audience’s understanding of characters, actions, themes and mood. Light and shade can emphasise texture, shape, distance, mood, time of day or night, etc. Lighting affects the way colour are rendered, both in terms of hue and depth, and can focus attention on particular elements of the composition. For example, highlights, call attention to shapes and textures, while shadows often conceal things, creating a sense of mystery or fear.
Space
The representation of space affects the reading of a film. Depth, proximity, size and proportions of the places and objects in a film can be manipulated through camera placement and lenses, lighting, set design, effectively determining mood or relationships between elements in the story world.
Composition
Composition is the organisation of objects, actors and space within the frame. One of the most important concepts with the regard to the composition of a film is maintaining a balance of symmetry. This refers to having an equal distribution of light, colour, figures and objects in a shot. Unbalanced composition can be used to emphasise certain elements of a film that the director wishes to be given particular attention to. This tool works because audiences are more inclined to pay attention to something off balance, as it may seem abnormal.
Costume
Costumes in narrative cinema are used to signify characters or to make clear distinctions between characters.
Metaphor
A visual metaphor is also known as an analogical juxtaposition in an idea, a feeling, or a story represented in an object.
Zootopia
For Judy, the police bunny, they serve as a symbol for progress, equality, and opportunity.
- For her, the badge isn’t just a badge.
- It’s sign that she has officially ‘made it’ in the big city and that dreams are truly possible.
- In addition to this, it is a symbol of authority and power – something she has never had much of in her large family nor in society at large (due to being a bunny).
For Nick, the conman fox, the police badge and uniform represent something different.
- To Nick, they represent a type of oppression and as a discriminatory authority.
- Whereas Judy has been given power by the same images, Nick has felt his power has been stripped from him.
- The authority the cop image holds aims to punish him for his hustles.
- This effectively disempowers him because it’s the only way foxes can truly make a good living.
- It proves to Nick that the shiny gold badge is there to keep the status quo and keep him in his ‘place’.
The badge and uniform are dynamic visual metaphors, though. Their meaning changes for Nick by the end of the movie.
- Instead of symbolising oppression, they represent progress just as they did for Judy.
- Nick receiving a real badge represents acceptance, support, and positive change.
- It represents similar things for society in general, as it shows a drastic change in the perception of foxes and bunnies.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics in film is a philosophical study of the art. Aesthetics is a very abstract concept, it cannot be described by words, instead, it can only be felt by heart. There is no rule for deciding what is good or bad aesthetics. However, I think the film with good aesthetics is that it has unique and unusual shooting style (e.g. unbalanced shot, 1/3 composition method), great colour composition which looks harmony but not weird, etc.
Colour composition
Rhythm
The skill of pacing does not mean moving at an exact measured pace all the time, but knowing when to cut out of a certain shot and into the next to create an engaging dynamic. An editor needs to know just how much time is necessary to give the audience a breather to absorb a moment, or when to trim and cut out of a shot before it lingers on for too long. These ups and downs, or waves, are important to avoid moving at a monotonous speed. In his book Art of the Cut, Steve Hullfish gives the perfect example of this by comparing editing to dance. “Dancers do not simply make a movement or a step on every single beat. Dance rushes forward, then holds, then flows elegantly, then spins and drives.” There are innumerable films to use as references here, but as I was recently watching Moneyball, I could not help but notice Christopher Tellefesen’s instinctive editing style. The scenes in which players were being traded over the phone had a fun, back-and-forth exchange between Billy Bean (Brad Pitt), and Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). This dynamic was beautifully juxtaposed with the long and awkward, one-shot scenes of the players receiving the news that they have been cut from the team.
There is no rule or formula to follow to determine the pace and flow of sequences. I think that the majority of editors would agree that it is a matter of instinct, or according to Anne V. Coates, you must “have the courage of your convictions”. It cannot be taught as much as it is felt; you will know when you have made a good editing decision when it feels right emotionally. We all have that one friend who knows how to tell a good joke, or a good story. They know precisely when to hold on a certain beat, or when to pickup the pace to build up to a climax, and surely enough the audience react at just the right moment with a laugh or gasp. This is what editors are meant to be doing when cutting the story, whether by creating tension in long drawn out shots, or cutting an action sequence with a flurry of footage. If you know exactly what you want to be telling in every scene, then how to say it will follow naturally.
Generally, the actors or the genre of the film dictates the rhythm. Often times, however, that natural pace gets thrown off if an actor pauses a bit too long on a beat when delivering lines, or a camera movement is too slow or too fast that it does not feel right. But, I do believe that if a shot is framed beautifully, the acting is adept, and the emotion is there, stay on that shot, because some moments are simply more genuine and powerful when there isn’t a cut.