Hello. This is a cinematography essay. You can choose any movie you want. I thought about the one about I am a legend, but it is up to you. I just need you to have seen it or to see it and remember all the details and events that happen. In the essay, you must describe the staging, the sound, the lighting, the cinematography, the character of the actor’s mood, and discuss specific scenes of the film, give details about it and if you can describe some shots in the film, how it started and what it happened. These are the instructions for my teacher’s essay. maybe it will help you understand it better: A film journal is a two to three page paper (double-spaced) in which you discuss your observations concerning mise-en-scene or editing. You will analyze a film and discuss how and why the film succeeds in terms of editing or mise-en-scene. For example–if you choose to examine the film, “Back to the Future” and if you pick “mise-en-scene” as one of the filmmaking areas to examine, you could discuss how effectively mise-en-scene used in that film. You might point out how the effective use of mise-en-scene in the film allows us to SEE what characters DO WITHOUT having to TALK about what they do. In the film’s opening scene, we can see that Doc is an inventor, without Marty having to talk about it. This is effective mise-en-scene… as audiences usually enjoy learning about characters through VISUAL observation, instead of through verbal information. Now don’t get me wrong, the words a character speaks are important… but a key strength of FILM is that it is a visual art. Audiences enjoy learning through visual observation–and the effective use of mise-en-scene allows audiences to learn about character, mood, and setting VISUALLY. As you write about scenes from the film, discuss your examples in detail. Don’t assume that I have seen the film that you are writing about. Sample film journals are below. Here is an example or idea that they will give us of how we should do our essay: A great Alfred Hitchcock classic, Rear Window, is a film about a voyeuristic invalid Jeff Jeffries that spies on his neighbors and witnesses a possible murder from his apartment window. The two areas of concentration I want to focus on in regards to this excellent film are mise-en-scene and editing. By incorporating both of these, the story is told in a more visual manner, and the essence of the film can shine through. First, I want to talk about the mise-en-scene, which originally meant a director’s staging of a play (or in this case – film). It mainly consists of the settings, the subjects being filmed, and the composition. Basically, through effective mise-en-scene, the film allows the viewers to see what is going on without having to talk about it. In Rear Window there are many examples of mise-en-scene especially in the three major aspects of filmmaking listed above. The setting of the film is where the story takes place. The opening credits show a series of blinds used to cover the windows being raised. It also pans outside of the window to the nearby buildings. Without having to say anything, it is evident that the setting takes place in an apartment building. When panning across the screen, the viewer sees several rooms and several neighbors. With common knowledge of what an apartment is, nobody has to actually say, “This story takes place in an apartment building.” Also, there is a series of shots that allows for the viewer to understand that it must be summer time. Towards the opening credits there is a cutaway shot to a thermometer reading 90 degrees. It follows with a pan shot showing a couple sleeping outside, a young neighbor wearing skimpy clothes, the main character with an unbuttoned shirt and sweat rolling down his face, and another neighbor rolling up his sleeves. Again, without saying anything, the viewer is able to tell a lot about the setting. The subjects of a film can also be highlighted throughout the use of mise-en-scene. When first introduced to the main character, Jeff Jeffries, a pan throughout his apartment, shows him in a cast, a broken camera, and a picture of a bad crash. Just by incorporating these details in the movie, the viewer can gather that the main character is a photographer and more than likely was injured when shooting that shot of the bad crash – hence the cast and the broken camera. To look even more in detail and make an even deeper speculation, other pictures inside the room are of explosions and fighter jets, so one may infer that his specialization is of war photos. Other characters that can be inferred about are the neighbors and his fiancé. One neighbor across the courtyard is seen playing the piano; he plays a couple of notes and then jots something down. He then plays a few more and continues to jot something down. With the possessions in front of him and through his actions, one may infer that he is a songwriter. His fiancé is seen wearing a magnificent dress, hiring a doorman to bring her belongings upstairs, paying for his taxi, and preparing lobster and champagne for dinner. Her appearance along with her possessions may direct the audience in feeling a sense of elegance or richness about her. Lastly, composition is included with the mise-en-scene. One neighbor is seen preparing a candle lit dinner, going to the door, greeting an imaginary man, pouring two glasses of wine, and then hanging her head low and starting to cry. With this scene, there is evidence of empty space (or imbalance). This gives a sense of loss and while watching this, the audience can understand that this poor woman is lonely. Also, the use of symmetrical composition is evident. In the conversation between Jeffries and his fiancé, the two are seen on opposite sides of the frame to give a feeling of balance. Editing is another important aspect of filmmaking seen in Rear Window; to be more specific, continuity editing is highly evident. Through the use of eye line matches, the 180 degree rule, and close-up and reaction shots, emotions are intensified and the audience’s reactions can be influenced. First is the use of eye line matches. In the scene where Jeffries is suspicious that the salesman murdered his wife, he grabs his binoculars and looks outside the window. The next shot takes the audience from viewing Jeffries looking at something, to becoming Jeffries looking at something. By incorporating this type of editing, the viewer now becomes part of the story. Next, the 180 degree rule is seen in the film. At one point during the film, the detective and Jeffries are seen having a conversation. It is a series of shots actually, in which the 180 degree rule comes into play. Though there are several shots of them talking at very different angles, every shot stays on the same side of that imaginary line and helps to prevent confusion from the audience. Another editing technique is the use of reaction shots and close up shots. The close-up shot that is most prominent to me is towards the end of the film when Jeffries is spying on the salesman; he looks through his camera, and the next shot is a close up of his neighbor. By getting that close to the subject, the audience can feel and see that Jeffries was just caught spying on his neighbor. The look on the salesman face shows his anger and gives insight to what happens next. The reaction shot that I found most obvious is in the scene where a girl is heard screaming and glass breaking. The next shot is of Jeffries’ face. It is very evident how Jeffries feels a genuine concern just by looking at his reaction. This reaction of his also seems to guide the audience’s reaction in feeling the same way. By incorporating editing and the use of mise-en-scene, the audience is able to learn through visual experience. Overall, Rear Window is an excellent movie.It truly is a classic Hitchcock film and does a great job of teaching the audience through visual observation and pulling them into the film to the edi…
