Cinematography: Camerawork in Carlito's Way (1993)

Whilst watching Carlito’s way study the following elements:

• Describe the opening sequence in regards to the camerawork utilised by De Palma and what you think it means as a spectator?

• What does Carlito’s narration serve to do for the film?

• De Palma uses a variety of camera techniques throughout the film – identify when he uses the following and why?

• Breaking the 180 degree rule

• Aerial shots

• Extended subjective point of view shots

• Dutch tilts

• Birds eye view (high angle) shots

• 360 degree pans

• Crane shots

• Dissolves


• He also utilises a LONG TAKE? When is this camera movement incorporated and what effect does it have on the sequence?

EDITING

EDITING

The long take: the long take involves filming a lengthy sequence without cuts. This is considered to be the essence of filmmaking as it is extraordinary difficult to achieve. The concept of the long take was taken to the extreme by Sokurov, in 2002 in his film ‘Russian Ark’ where the whole film is a long take

St Petersburg's Hermitage Museum is the Russian Ark guarding art and history. Alexander Sokurov's unique tour of the museum, consists of one, 96-minute-long, continuous tracking shot - the longest of its kind in the history of the medium. To have pulled off such an ambitious task proved no mean feat but the film's achievements are not restricted to its technical prowess.
Unmistakably the work of an autonomous talent, the word "director" hardly seems to give Sokurov enough credit. Yet Russian Ark finds each of its 2,000-plus cast and crew rising to the occasion.
After three false starts, the film was captured on the fourth take. In contrast to Sokurov's film, Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream contains more than 2,000 cuts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/cinema/features/russian-ark.shtml
 WATCH THE TWO EXAMPLES OF LONG TAKES FROM:
 Atonement (2007) Directed by Joe Wright
 Hunger (2008) Directed by Steve McQueen
Q: Discuss what the function is of these Long takes?
Q: What are the similarities & differences between them?

Montage functions as the opposite of the long take where various images are cut together in a sequence; this challenges the spectator to make meaning from the rapid use of images, relating the images before and after an image to make sense of the sequence.

Watch the Odessa steps sequence from Battleship Potemkin (1925) and its homage from Brian De Palma in The Untouchables (1987)
http://www.kjudge-asfilmstudies.blogspot.com/


Match on action or ‘cut on action’ is a component of seamless editing where a point of action (like handing something to someone) is shot from different angles and cut at the point of action creating a match.

Media Forms & Conventions

Media forms and conventions

FORM:

Form is the shape, structure, skeleton of a media text. Narrative provides the basic structure of a media text. Structuralists such as Propp/Todorov suggested all stories contain the same basic structures – but different media texts do have different structures which are individual to them. i.e. Soap operas don’t have the same kind of closure as films – for they are continuous, never-ending, multi-stranded storylines – usually ending with a cliff hanger. Films do conventionally have a beginning, middle and end and are often over 1hr25 mins etc

STYLE:

Style refers to the look of a media text – in films a directors style can be identified through use of MISE EN SCENE which would incorporate a particular or regular use of certain lighting, set design, editing, music , camera angles, movement etc.

Identifying films by Scorsese and Spielberg are easy to do as they have distinctive creative filmic traits –

GENRE:

If a group of media texts have a similar form/structure or pattern of elements – then this might be a link to particular GENRE. Film genres can sometimes be sub-divided in SUB-GENRES – this includes films which combine parts of traditional genres such as

HORROR/SCI-FI = ALIEN
ROMANCE/COMEDY = 2 weeks notice etc

Films which use combinations of different genres and create sub-genre films can also be called HYBRIDS

In your opinion what combination of film genres are the following films?

• PREDATOR (1987)
• SEVEN (1995)
• SAW III (2006)
• THE TERMINATOR (1984)
• DOG SOLDIERS (2002)
• BLADE RUNNER (1982)

MISE EN SCENE: Cinematograhy & Realism in Colour film: Saving Private Ryan (1998)

COLOUR: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

Study the way in which Steven Spielberg has used Colour and lighting to represent the D-day assault on Omaha beach in Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Also assess in relation to the following:

 Camera movements,
 Editing,
 Sound,
 Mise en scene


REALISM

Key words:

‘Verisimilitude’
‘Generic verisimilitude’
‘Cultural verisimilitude’

A film like Saving Private Ryan offers a sense of ultra-realism, through a bright screen, clear and powerful dolby sound and a darkened room experience.

These factors heighten the senses for the spectator and gives a sense of SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF. (Research term for homework)

Such ‘appearance of reality’ is called ‘Verisimilitude’. This is a convention as there is nothing genuinely realistic about media images or indeed the Omaha beach landing in SPR.

There are 2 types of Verisimilitude:

GENERIC VERISIMILITUDE convinces us because of the genre we are watching (in Horror it seems to be realistic for a vampire to sink teeth into a person’s neck/In American gangster films it seems to be realistic that most gangsters are Italian American and wear sharp, Italian suits and so on)

CULTURAL VERISIMILITUDE seems realistic because it mimics real life.

Q: Which type of Verisimilitude is being used by Spielberg with SPR? And SCHINDLER’S LIST?


*Read handout on Saving Private Ryan – Highlight key points regarding the depiction of reality as portrayed in the film

MISE EN SCENE: Cinematograhy: Lighting & Black and White film: The Elephant Man (1980)

MISE EN SCENE: CINEMATOGRAPHY

BLACK & WHITE: THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) Directed by David Lynch

CINEMATOGRAPHY: LIGHTING

Lighting can create atmosphere and mood as well as signify meaning.

High key lighting is used in Romantic comedies and gives a sense of light, happiness, joy etc

Low key lighting in various genres has the opposite effect in that it creates a certain atmosphere, darkness that can evoke many different connotations

Spotlighting can be used from above or below and usually picks out a character from a group

Natural lighting is often used if filming certain genres such as ‘Documentary’ and external shots on location as it is natural, organic and gives a sense of reality; opposite to Synthetic lighting

Full face lighting suggests openness and honesty -
Shadow can suggest fear or lack of trust and so on.

Q: What type of lighting (from above) has been used in the Elephant Man (1980)

Q: Why has David Lynch used Black & white film stock to make The Elephant man?

What could be his motivations? Economics? Style?
Narrative? Discuss

MISE EN SCENE: Location & Settings, Performance & Movement/Body Codes. Case studies: Casino Royale (2007) & Se7en (1995)

MISE EN SCENE:

• Location
• Settings
• Performance & movement: Body Language
• Costume
• Props
• Cinematography: Lighting

Study the opening sequence of Casino Royale (Campbell,2006)

Settings

Describe the settings used as much as possible

• What settings are being used in the first 3 minutes – before the opening credits?

• Why have those settings been chosen?

• Are the settings appropriate to the film? If so why, in what ways?

• How has the setting informed you about James Bond?

Performance and movement

• Analyse the facial expressions of the characters and how does it inform us about them and what they are thinking?

• What do we learn about Bonds movements in the sequence?

• Consider his acting immediately before and after apparently drowning the man in the toilets?

BODY CODES

Actors are able to generate audience response to their performance in a whole range of subtle ways. A range of ten body codes have been identified:

1. Direct bodily contact
2. The proximity of one character to another (or proxemics)
3. The orientation of one to another (i.e. the extent to which characters stand with their bodies turned towards or away from each other)
4. General appearance of individuals (e.g. Tall and thin, or short and fat)
5. Head movements (e.g. nodding or shaking of the head)
6. Facial expressions
7. Gestures (or Kinesics)
8. Body posture
9. Eye movement or contact
10. Aspects of speech, such as pitch, tone, stress, accent, volume, speech errors (all of which are termed paralinguistic codes)

(Adapted by Argyle in Hinde 1972 and Fiske 1982)

SEVEN (Fincher, 1995)

Performance and Movement

• Study the sequence with Detective Mills and Somerset in the office together in terms of body language and behaviour.

• Analyse their body language in relation to the 10 body codes defined by Argyle (1972) and Fiske (1982)

• Try and incorporate the terms PROXEMICS, KINESICS AND PARALINGUISTIC CODES in your analysis



Lust killing analysis

• Now assess the body language of the character who is forced to kill in “LUST”

• How many of the 10 body codes does he incorporate in the interrogation sequence and how has the scene been shot?