The shining features brilliant Mise-En-Scene, this simple fact can be rooted to the director, Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick is a well known director and for good reason, his films feature the best uses and interpretations of the micro elements in all of film, this is probably because he spent years just writing and planning any film he made because he wanted the few films he DID get to make perfect. But I choose his most popular film, The Shining(1980, Kubrick) because I feel the Mise-En-Scene carries great weight and meaning in the film.

In a Scene where Danny is playing with his trucks….

Track(steadicam):

A tracking shot is where the camera follows the character(s) while they traverse the setting, tracking shots can either be made with a Steadicam or without. In older movies you would probably tend to see more handheld tracking shots – this is because they had to use a track around the set for the camera setup, and since a tracking shot can follow the characters from behind the viewer would see the track the camera has yet to go on, this would tear the verisimilitude and make the movie objectively subordinate to others from a technical standpoint. An example of a tracking shot that doesn’t use a steadicam would be a scene in Pulp Fiction(1994, Quentin Tarantino) where the camera follows a character walking through a broken barb wire fence. The inevitable shaking of the camera can actually work in the filmmakers favour as the shaking can actually convey an ominous mood, this may be because the observer could relate the shaking to when they themselves may shake when they’re feeling anxious/nervous – so when they see this happening to the camera it almost universalises that emotion with the audience and the character which makes them feel further connected and therefore easier to follow (story wise)

Pan:

A shot which uses a pan is where the camera moves like how your vision shifts focus when you move your eyes. In simpler terms a pan moves the camera fairly quickly along either a vertical or horizontal plain in order to show the audience what: the character is looking at, the characters are talking about/referencing or what the character should’ve seen/noticed. A pan shot can also be used to simply follow something across the screen, for example in The Shining (1980, Kubrick) a pan shot is used to follow Johnny’s axe while he swings it at the door. By doing this Kubrick emphasised the force in which Jack is using to break down the door to then murder his family, showing this conveyed to the audience that the Jack they were introduced to at the beginning of the film is gone now and this version of him is not going to hesitate to kill anyone regardless of who they are – this idea was in fact demonstrated a bit prior to the scene where Mr Halloran was murdered by him for standing in his path.

Rack Focus:

Rack focus is when the focus is sharply changed – so lets say the character is in the background of a shot and there’s something the director wants the audience to notice, rack focus will then be used to focus more on the object (which is closer to the camera). This can be very dramatic and adds a lot of tension when it’s done right and saved for the right time, an example would be in Breaking Bad(2008, Gilligan) where Jesse is forced to shoot and kill someone(Gale) because otherwise he’ll be paranoid that someone will come after him and kill him. So while Jesse is facing a Self vs. man conflict silently the camera uses rack focus to shift the focus from Jesse’s distraught face, to the gun which he’s holding. By doing this Gilligan prepared the viewers for another untimely death in the show, he most likely did this because the previous episodes in the show built on his(Gale’s) character so instead of killing his character off, Gilligan made an effort to possibly just remind the viewers that Gale is dead for certain and he’s not coming back, by doing this obvious but secrete emphasis Gilligan builds more upon the already brilliant verisimilitude

Film	Preference /10	Memorable scenes	Film Element Focus
The Shining (1980, Kubrick)	8/10	1.”Here’s Johnny” 2.Redrum 3. Dick Hallorann coming back to check on the family	Cinematography

One Point Perspective:

One point perspective is the horizon of the shot and how it directs the viewers attention using the horizon and framing. An example of this would be a famous shot from The Shining(1980, Kubrick) He used One point perspective in a scene where a tracking steadicam shot follows Danny through the house and he eventually runs into the Grady twins at the end of a corridor, this narrow corridor creates a very vivid framing for the scene which acts as a guide for the viewers attention, this guide directs the observers attention towards the Grady twins and because of the One Point perspective the viewer is almost forced to keep looking at the twins almost as if there is no where else for them to look. This scene can be seen to imply a sense of no escape, as if the family is trapped in this house for the winter and the ‘Exit’ sign on the right side of the shot creates a sense of irony while also hinting to the idea of the family being trapped.

Symmetry:

Symmetry is a technique which makes a shot seem unnatural, it reduces the verisimilitude within the narrative. But a shot which uses symmetry can be visually stunning and done right can attract the viewers attention more and get the observer more interested in the film. A symmetrical shot can be used to imply an idea, such as a mundane routine, A director/cinematographer could use symmetry to emphasise the idea and concept of a mundane routine which a character may follow. Furthermore, another example of where a film COULD use symmetry is if a character is lost, whether that be a maze or not, a good example of this is scene in The Shining(1980, Kubrick)

Deep Focus:

Deep focus is where everything in the shot is in focus, the background, foreground e.tc. In Citizen Kane(1941, Orson Welles) deep focus is used to display to the viewer all the context and information about the argument/discussion that they’re having. To further explain- the parents are the closest and therefore the biggest in the shot, this is because they have the most power in this situation since they’re arguing about their son. The other person, who’s trying to persuade the parents to sign over their son is further from the camera than the parents because he has less control/power in the situation. In the far background, through the window in shot, the boy is playing outside in the snow – this would make him the furthest from the camera and this has obviously been done to convey the message that the boy is oblivious to what’s happening inside.

Steadicam Tracking:

Steadicam tracking is when a cameraman uses a steadicam while tracking the character or object. This is commonly used when the camera is following a characters who’s running away from something, and this can be seen to convey the message that the thing that’s chasing them(if anything chasing them) is getting closer, this technique builds huge suspense, tension and anxiety for the viewers especially in horror films where that’s the goal. In The Shining(1980, Kubrick) this was used brilliantly is one of the ending scenes where Danny is running away from Jack in a maze, The tracking shot is accompanied with a eye-level shot from behind Danny, which creates more tension on top of the tracking shot because is could emphasise to the viewer that Danny is only a small kid, which would create more sympathy/empathy within the viewer for Danny.

Extreme Close-Up (XCU)

In Kill Bill: Vol 1(2003, Tarantino) an XCU is used to convey The Bride’s thought process in a crucial fight scene… As enemies are flooding through the exits and entrances, she analyses all of them before they are all ready to fight. Using the XCU in this situation could also be seen to emphasise the tension and sense of urgency in this scene, giving that message to the observer can make it much easier for the observer to emphasise with The Bride or put themselves in The Brides situation, whether that be hypothetically or not.

Establishing Shot (XLS):

In Bladerunner 2049(2017, Denis Villeneuve) An establishing shot (also known as an extreme long shot) is used at the start of the movie to establish the scenery and the setting of the movie or at least the setting of the majority of the movie, This shot is very large and contains no characters just scenery, this can be seen to help the verisimilitude towards the viewer as seeing this fiction, dystopian world would be hard to see as real and will there for make the movie worse for the observer since they probably won’t be fully invested into the story because they don’t yet believe this world and its construct.

Medium Close-up(MCU):

In Avengers: Endgame (2019, Anthony and Joe Russo) a MCU shot is used as the past Thanos believes he still has the stones and is about to snap his fingers in order to wipe all life from the universe in the timeline(present) the movie is set in, but is unaware that Tony Stark swiftly stole the stones as he acted out he was just trying to take the gauntlet. So the MCU is used to see a few of Thanos’ emotions, him being complacent as he’s about to ssnap and snapping, his initial turmoil as he realises he isn’t feeling any pain and there has been no affect on the surroundings yet and of course the surprise when he realises what Stark actually did. this technique is also used as a tension builder to indicate to the audience that something huge is about to happen, there are left uncertain on whether it’s going to be good for the avengers or bad but there anticipation rises quickly.

What went well:

I personally think that our group had good communication and could get our ideas across and discuss what would work best effectively. We used Intra-diegetic and extra-diegetic, and had a range of angles and movements.

What could we do better:

I think we could’ve made a plan which was detailed and had all the information we needed to start as soon as possible so we could have more time for shooting. Furthermore, we could’ve had much better time management. I think that having more equipment(such as a tripod, steadicam e.t.c) would’ve improved the quality massively. With a more detailed plan we would’ve been able to shoot more scenes which would make the editing process much easier.

Name Of Shot	Description of shot in relation to subject	Use In Storytelling
Extreme Close-up(XCU)	Part of the face takes up the entire screen. (eyes, mouth e.g.)	Gets inside the head of the character
Close-up(CU)	Whole face takes up screen	Reveals characters emotional state.
Medium Close-up(MCU)	Head and shoulders in frame	subjects emotions +surroundings.
Low Angle LA High angle HA	Waist/knees upwards.	Shows what characters are in power and who are not. Intimidated or intimidator.
Extreme Long Shot (XLS)	Only scenery visible, Characters barely or not visible.	Used as an establishing shot.
Medium Shot (MS)	One or two characters in frame from waist height or sometimes over the shoulder of one of the characters (OOS)	Often used as a master shot/Two shot/shot-reverse for conversations
Pan/ Tilt	camera moves across the horizon/camera moving up and down.	Mimics a static character looking around.
Track (on a Dolly, steadicam or handheld	camera follows subject moving along with them	audience is following the action, more involved.

1. Summer Task (What makes a good film? )
2. Activity 1 Induction slides :Connecting the IB Learner Profile to Film Studies
3. Activity 2 Induction slides: Categorising Film.
4. Activity 3 Induction Slides : Identify a Formula for Box Office Hits
5. Mise en Scene “Chaotic vs Anally Tidy” Examples.
6. Mise en scene definition
7. Mise en Scene Choose a Film which you think demonstrates “excellent use of Mise en Scene” and explain why. (Remember to illustrate your ideas with still images from the film!)
8. Homework WK 1: (20 /09/21) Film as Art “Spectrum” Activity (from Monaco How to Read a Film).
9. Bladerunner First Response and Memorable Scene
10. Homework WK 3: (27 /09/21) Bladerunner Mise En Scene Essay (E MAIL TO ME DIRECT)
11. Cinematography/Cinematographer definition (28/9/21)
12. Diegetic, Intradiegetic, Extradiegetic gaze examples (30/9/21)
13. Shot Distances Examples (1/10/21)
14. Shot Angles Examples (1/10/21)
15. Shot Movement Examples (1/10/21)
16. Shot Types Table (4/10/21)
17. 1st group shoot evaluation
18. Kubrick cinematography.
19. The shining first response
20. Homework WK 3:Shining essay on Cinematography (18/10/21) (E MAIL TO ME DIRECT)
21. Definition of Editing (18/10/21)
22. Kuleshov effect
23. Joker Project

Mainstream	Historically Significant	Art Film
Deadpool 2(2018,David Leitch) Deadpool 2 is a superhero movie, starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin and Julian Dennison, which is known to use the extra-diegetic gaze for comedic purposes. Just from the cast list alone you can see that this film was bound to do well.	A Bug’s Life(1998, John Lasseter) may seem like a mainstream film at first glance but this film was actually the second film to use completely computer generated animation, obviously this shows now due to a fast acceleration in technology which allowed this animation style to become much better but it still hold the test of time fairly well.	The shape of water(2017, Guillermo del Toro) is a film about a lonely janitor who meets and then falls in love with a humanoid amphibious creature. I put this film in the art category because it’s definitely not a film that the masses would enjoy which eliminates it from the mainstream category and I don’t think it was Historically significant either.
Love, Simon(2018, Greg Berlanti) is a story based around Simon Spier and how he keeps his sexual orientation a secret from his family. However, when a blackmailer threatens to reveal it, he goes on a roller-coaster journey to come to terms with his identity. I cant see this fil in any other category.	The wizard of Oz(1939, Victor Fleming) is a play/movie which is well known for being the first ever film to use colour, and keeping in mind that basically every film being made and probably to be made will be in colour I think it’s obvious to put this film in the historically significant category.	Battleship Potemkin(1925, Sergei Eisenstein) is a 1925 Soviet silent drama film produced by Mosfilm. Directed and co-written by Sergei Eisenstein, it presents a dramatization of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against its officers. A silent film is usually going to be an art film, this film could be argued to be in historically significant but I think it belongs in art film.
The Breakfast Club(1985, John Hughes) is about Five high school students, all with different mindsets, who face detainment in their school library on a Saturday morning. As time passes by, their egos fade and they become close buddies.	Toy Story(1995, John Lasseter) is Historically significant because it is literally the first completely computer-animated film, Bugs Life being second. With a 30 million USD budget it was extremely impressive since A bugs life has 15 million USD more and still was debatably visually subordinate.	The seventh samurai(1954, Akira Kurosawa) is based in Japan and follows a veteran samurai, who gathers six samurais to protect a village from the cruel bandits. As the samurais teach the natives how to defend themselves, the village is attacked by a pack of 40 bandits.
Submarine(2010, Richard Ayoade) Oliver (Craig Roberts) is a Welsh teen who has some things on his mind. First is losing his virginity before his 16th birthday. He sets out to woo his feisty classmate Jordana (Yasmin Paige). Then Oliver focuses on holding his family together. By the narrative this film is definitely fitting into the category ‘Mainstream’	Once upon a time in the west(1964, Sergio Leone)  Leone changed his approach over his earlier Westerns. Whereas the “Dollars” films were quirky and up-tempo, a celebratory yet tongue-in-cheek parody of the icons of the Wild West, this film is much slower in pace and sombre in theme. Leone’s distinctive style, which is very different from, but very much influenced by, Akira Kurosawa‘s Sanshiro Sugata (1943)	Fitzcarraldo(1982, Werner Herzog) This film is an art film because I feel the target audience is very niche which implies the director was aiming to make a film he was interested in and didn’t care if the masses enjoyed it, I think the film is foreign which would make the audience even more narrow but regardless its been nominated for awards.
Manhattan(1979, Woody Allen) Director Woody Allen’s love letter to New York City stars Allen as frustrated television writer Isaac Davis, a twice-divorced malcontent facing middle age alone after his wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), leaves him for a woman. Isaac is dating fresh-faced Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), a high school girl. Tis film just doesn’t sound historically significant or like it fits into the art film category.	AlphaVille(1965, Jean-Luc Godard) Government agent Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) is dispatched on a secret mission to Alphaville, a dystopian metropolis in a distant corner of the galaxy. Caution is hot on the trail of rogue agent Henri Dickson (Akim Tamiroff) and a scientist named Von Braun, the creator of Alpha 60, a computer that uses mind control to rule over residents of Alphaville. Caution is aided in his quest to destroy the despotic computer ruler by Von Braun’s own daughter, Natacha. I put this film in historically significant because it was and still is very loved and is known to be one of the best sci-fi films to be made. But I also get the sense that this film inspired ‘Bladerunner(1982,Scott)

High Angle:

A high angle shot is used to diminish/belittle or show who or what is being faced/challenged with a higher power. A good example of this shot being used is in The Avengers(2012,Joss Whedon), at the start of the final fight scene of the movie where aliens are invading New York City under the influence of Loki the avengers are faced with an army much greater than theirs so they take a minute to prepare and comprehend the task which is being asked of them, to protect. Meanwhile the camera angle is looking down upon the 6 which indicates to the viewer that the invaders are much more powerful than them and they are overwhelmed.

Dutch Angle:

The Dutch or canted angle is used to show a sense of unease, it shows something is off in the scene. It can also be used to emphasise a sense of speed, so in a running scene, a car chase scene e.g. In the Action movie Free Guy(2021, Shawn Levy) the dutch angle is used very well in a scene where the protagonist ‘Guy’ breaks the games programming by simply asking for a different coffee than the one every NPC in the game is programmed to ask for, so the camera zooms in on the barista as she tries to correct him and ask what Guy is asking for, Using the dutch angle in this scene emphasises the barista’s sense of turmoil and indicates to the viewer that Guy is the only NPC like him.

Low Angle:

A low angle shot, the opposite of a high angle shot, is quite similar to a high angle shot in the sense that a low angle is used to show what characters are in power, for example in the well performing box office film The Avengers(2012, Joss Whedon) a low angle shot is used to display the six avengers have overpowered the antagonist ‘Loki’ and his army he came to invade NYC with. Furthermore, the shot shows an intra-diegetic view of Loki’s perspective of the six, by doing this it communicates the idea that the avengers are no longer asking him to surrender but are forcing him to.