MSTU1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gattaca, Sidelight
MSTU1001 Lecture 1
Screen aesthetics
• Audience and screen culture
• Tech elements
• Political and economic elements
• Mise en scene -composition and storytelling – to put or to set the stage
• Camera angles and shots/ lighting
• Some kind of actions – cars, extras
• Setting and props
• Actors and acting
• Costume
Styles of mise en scene:
• Classical – restrained, conveys story, style is understated; The Seven Year Itch (has children,
Monroe is elevated in her sexualized image, clothing is seemed a bit naive and clueless,
silhouetted in doorway of the unknown woman
• Expressionist – colour, composition used for theme and meaning, more cinematic and less
realistic, flashy i ters of style; In the Mood for Love (each is having an affair with the
others partner, shot in profile, not able to see eyes
• Mannerist – OTT such as Baz Laumann; Clockwork Orange (held gaze for a long time, braking
of the 4th wall (eg talking to the audience), camera is acknowledged, excessive mannerist,
think outside the box, symbolic mise en scene
Setting:
• The Grand Budapest Hotel (changing colour palette)
• Mirroring of the relationships – setting of 96s Hog Kog
• Allusive mise en scene – changing focus and being hidden, smoky atmosphere
• Deliberate and meaningful
• Stalker – setting or zone is the story
Mood:
• Affect (felt dimension of emotion) and emotion
• Cognitive, affect and desire
• In the Mood for Love – never see faces of adulterous
• Missed meeting and opportunities
Lighting:
• Use to construct character
• 3-point lighting (key, fill, back lighting) – 3-point high key illumination (80% of films
• Low key
• Toplight (shadowy and threatening, making of expression)
• Backlight (separates the character, halo effect, smoke Gattaca)
• Sidelight or crosslight (sculpts form and shows a shadowy side)
• Underlight (horror and distortion of features)
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