In class we did a practice exercise on how to tackle the first exam question.
How is meaning created?
We had to consider these 4 technical areas:
- Mise-en-scene
- Sound
- Cinematography
- Editing
These are some of the quick notes I came up. Also, some additional informations:
Studio canal → both distribution and production, mainly
distribution (co-production), often financing, one of the subsidiary
of one of the Big Six owned by NBCUniversal
Film4 → UK TV channel, if seeing Film4 or (BBC films) immediately
denotes Low Budget probably Indie, financing company,
BFI → funded by the UK governments, gives grants to films that
they think needs support, see in most Indie film, replaced UK
Council
Co-production
even for the Big Six is common. Spilts the risk.
Accent
is an important bit of representation(Northern english) which you
wouldn’t find in working title movies. In American drama they use
the accent to indicate working class, poor. The thick New York accent
would connote posh, upper class.
The
longer takes it is the less appealing it is to younger audience.
However, in the movie you have a balance of long and short takes.
The
seniors coming in and there’s a tacking shot but in extreme long
shot then centrally framed where the sides are reserved for the
inferior people.
Editing:
Didn’t get an establishing shot aka ELS.
No fade in, in first shot or audio → “Straight cut” enhance
the impact in brutality
ellipsis
audio bridge between boxing scene and running scene
editing style has changed (longer takes, )
almost a match cut archived through audio
Cinematography:
a lot of medium close up
partially find shot reverse shot
a lot of fast pace short takes
whip pans
a lot of fast pace, handheld tracking shot
a lot of movements, shakiness
odd framings
low key, naturalistic lighting
male character then get the equivalent shots as the senior officer
Title:
white font, serif, on black background which connotes
seriousness/drama
different sizing of names to distinguish different types of roles
Film4 and BFI are in capitals because they are important (financing
companies)
2nd title regional financing companies (Screen Yorkshire,
Creative Scotland)
Audio:
audio bridge (we don’t see the shot)
which also adds narrative enigma
people shouting, sound of impact
diegetic sound
could consider the crowd to be ambient sound, non-diegetic, adds
verisimilitude
the drum kicks in the background would connote sinister (something
is going to happen)
Mise-en-scene:
make-up (blood)
sweat
uniform
short hair
people in the background also have sweat (meaning created, details)
everybody has the same hair cut, wearing the same uniform makes it
more realistic
not a wealthy guy because the male character is taking the bus
instead of driving on a sports car
the scene in the bus refers to the title because of the old man
smoking on the bus which isn’t allowed now but probably around
1971 it is
not in a fancy restaurant, small cafe
Central
protagonist:
tracking
not focusing on the senior guy, always focused on the male character
centrally framed
cut to get a tighter shot of the male character (from a medium long
shot to a medium close up)
shallow field of focus, male character in focus
always cut back to the male character, still centrally framed and in
focus
