Blade runner uses many elements of mise en scene when introducing Deckard to the audience. Ridley Scott wants the audience to understand clearly who the protagonist is as well as the kind of world he lives in. As many other elements in the movie are very complex, it is understandable why Scott and his team wanted to help the audience get a grasp of the kind of world they will be entering.

SET DESIGN

I think that set design is arguably one of the most important parts of mise en scene for introducing an audience as it has the potential to immerse the audience right from the very start of the movie, creating a sense of immersion and verisimilitude. When the film was released in 1982, it had critical acclaim due to its realistic looking future (created by Syd Mead) as many people believed that the future would look similar to that of Blade Runner’s. The way that Mead and Scott created such a believable world using neon signs similar to that of the already futuristic city of Tokyo, or the high rise skyscrapers that tower over downtown Los Angeles, all of these elements were fairly accurate to real life and what has happened since the movie’s release. However there were still many elements that Mead was incorrect about such as the billowing smoke towers or flying cars. The introduction to Deckard in this cramped and busy environment, perfectly sets up the rest of the Blade Runner world, and manages to easily immerse the audience into the film.

LIGHTING

Lighting is yet another key feature in Blade Runner throughout the film, however the opening to the film when Deckard is introduced, is very different to much of the other lighting in the film, yet it still has undertones of the darker and more gritty world that the director wanted. This scene is very bright and the neon signs that litter the streets provide a top lit effect on Deckard. This effect creates shadows on Deckard’s face, and this combined with the rain and darkness of this scene shows the bleak undertones brought to us in the rest of the film. Throughout the First scene, Deckard is predominantly lit from above, or behind by artificial light, whether from the neon signs or the lights above him when he enters the noodle bar. Compare this to the minimal lighting used in the chase through the abandoned building between Deckard and Roy Batty. There is much less light and is lit mostly by shards of light from billboards outside, which is a huge contrast to the bright artificial light of Deckard’s introduction

COSTUME

Costume is incredibly important in a movie such as Blade Runner as it must be expertly designed to look how Syd Mead imagined it. The introduction to Deckard shows that he is out of place as many of the clothes worn by the mixed race culture that surrounds him are very different to his own. Similarly to the undertones of set design and lighting, Deckard is wearing a very bland and bleak outfit, with different shades of brown and black, where as many of the other people around him are wearing colourful, over the top outfits. Combine this with the bright colours of the neon lighting, and it makes Deckard seem very out of place in the current environment.

COMPOSITION

The composition in this scene is crafted incredibly well as the use of sound as well as the use of the rule of thirds. Deckard is shown in many of the Shots to be off to the side of the frame, while there is something else happening on the other side of the frame. This helps give the film a satisfying and professional look. The use of sounds help achieve verisimilitude by giving the audience a feeling of the busy and cramped world.

SPACE

The use of space in the Scene where Deckard is introduce shows the crowded and overwhelming world that the audience is stepping into. The use of extras walking through the busy street to give the city a feel of being alive and lived in makes the world much more believable and increases the sense of verisimilitude. The panning shot that opens the scene does not focus on anybody specifically until it reaches Deckard, showing the audience quickly and easily who the protagonist is.

Shot Distance

This is my work on Shot Distances for the film Shaun of the Dead

In the film Deadpool 2, the main character Deadpool is able to break the 4th wall throughout the film. usually in films, this is used to either give extra context to the audience with complicated events in the film, r it’s used for comedic effect. In this film, it’s used mostly for comedy, but also sometimes used to give context about Deadpools past and his feelings about whats happened. For example, he breaks the fourth wall in order to tell the audience how he got his powers, but he mostly uses it to tell the audience a joke or talk about another character in a comedic way.

In Cloverfield, they use an Inter-Digetic Perspective throughout the whole film. This is used to give the audience a new perspective, like they’re one of the characters in the film. It also gives us less information about the film, leaving us to guess more. Stuff like not knowing so much about the monster, or what other characters are thinking. you only know as much s the character does.

a Digetic is used in point of the film of Johnny English. Throughout most of the film this film is a comedy, but there are point where things became serious, and in those moments the Cinematographer has used a Digetic perspective to get that across.

Cinematography is the use of camera work, photography and framing of shots in film-making. the role of cinematographer differs from the role of a director as it is only focused purely on the camera-work elements in film making. These elements include controlling camera movement, shots and framing, as well as angles, shot distances and depth of field.

Cinematography is the art of photography and camera work in  film making.

Blade Runner Mise-En-Scene

The lighting in this scene is high – key but it does not convey a positive mood to the audience because the lighting is really harsh and this tells the audience that the film is set in a harsh world and there is harsh light as a result. From a narrative standpoint , the lighting  shows how badly this world is polluted as the light from the sun seems to be unnaturally bright and distorted and this may make the audience feel  unsettled. Furthermore , the Lighting tells a story on it’s  own and it saves the characters from having to explain what had happened to the environment to the audience as they would be able to work out what had happened from the fact that the sky had turned black and from the context of the film and this helps to add to the story in an innovative manner

The costumes in this scene are reminiscent of the clothes that were worn in the 1940’s and this pays homage to the classic noir thrillers and Blade runner is part of the Neo – noir movement that was prevalent in the mid 1970s and early 1980s. Rachel’s hairstyle and makeup is also an homage to the old noir thrillers of the 1940s and she resembles a typical femme fatale that was a common archetype from films in that era and this may make the audience feel nostalgia due to all of the homages that are paid to the film noir style in the film and this helps to establish the as part of the Neo – noir movement , which was a movement that was inspired by the classic noir thrillers but it updates them for a more contemporary audience.

In this scene , the set design is very simple and it is quite understated and this may be because the costumes and the lighting are meant to draw the viewer’s attention and the sets are designed to add extra dimension to the scene by making the sets seem more realistic and this will help convince the viewers that what they are watching could be real. In addition, there are few props in this scene and this helps to bring attention to the characters and their motivations and it helps the audience to become emotionally  invested in the characters and what happens to them in the rest of the story and this is a pivotal scene where the relationship dynamics between the characters are being established so the minimalist set design helps to draw attention towards the characters. Furthermore , the set and prop design resembles decor that was popular during the 1940s  and this is in keeping with the noir style which Blade Runner pays homage to.

In this particular scene , Deckard and Rachel are placed at opposing ends of the frame ant this may indicate to the audience that  they might become enemies and this may also serve as a subtle hint to the fact that Rachel is a replicant  because Deckard is a Blade Runner and Blade Runners and replicants are sworn enemies and it is  unknown at this point in the film if Rachel and Deckard will become enemies because of Rachel’s status as a replicant . Rachel is supposed to look like the traditional femme fatal  and this scene helps to add to the ambiguity of her character , as ambiguity was a common facet of the femme fatal archetype  and the scene composition also makes her relationship with Deckard ambiguous until they enter into a romantic relationship and then the ambiguity fades.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWPyRSURYFQ

Favorites

• Best picture: Logan (James Mangold)
• Best Director: Edgar Wright (Baby Driver)
• Best Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
• Best Actress: Uma Thurman (Kill Bill)
• Best Soundtrack: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Oscars

• Best Picture: Get Out (Jordan Peele)
• Best Director: Jordan Peele
• Best Actor: Garry Oldman (Darkest Hour)
• Best Actress: Frances McDormand (Three Billboards…)
• Best Original Screenplay: Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)

I find that a “good” film has a balance of many different elements throughout. For instance, a film can be directed incredibly, have amazing cinematography, impeccable sound design and talented actors, but if the writing is awful, it brings the whole film down, and this is interchangeable with many of the micro and macro elements of filmmaking.

As well as this balance, there also must be a reason for people to want to watch your film; this could be due to a unique but recognizable editing style, like that of Edgar Wright’s films, or Quentin Tarantino’s writing and directing style of extended dialogue and non-chronological storylines. The style of a Director will attract different audiences to see different films. It is also important for a “good” film to include things that many audience members will take for granted, like sound design and editing. In my opinion, these elements are some of the most important as they can really immerse the audience into the film, and help the director get across what they want the audience to feel.

In connection with this to this, there is the cinematography of a film, and while it is a slightly more obvious part of filmmaking that audiences will likely notice more than sound or editing, there are still many people who will take for granted the way a film is shot. For instance, when I saw ‘The Revenant’ for the first time, I took the incredible sweeping shots of the forest and natural lighting for granted, but after researching it, finding out how it was shot and how there was no artificial lights used, it made me appreciate an entirely different side to the film that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

The narrative of a film is shown in many different ways; most obviously there is the narrative through dialogue and characters, however using visual elements to convey the story, when used effectively, can produce a much more realistic and immersive world for the audience to get involved in.

In conclusion, a “good” film must have a balance of all the key micro/macro elements, as well as a style to distinguish it from other movies and directors, making your film recognizable, without people necessarily knowing whom the director is before hand. However, I find the most important characteristic of a film is to get the audience immersed in the film using all of the micro and macro elements.