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Moonlight

Moonlight Cinematography

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CU – Close up shot 

This affects the viewer by making us feel connected to Chiron, the proximity can also create an unease. This was done because the director wants the audience to feel how the character feels, the betrayal and anxiety. 

TS – Two shot 

This scene makes the viewer feel calm, the shot captures both characters in the scene, showing their interactions from an invisible 3rd point of view (us), conveying the fact that they’re in their own world, confiding with each other about their sexuality. 

MLS – medium long shot 

The framing and distance of this shot makes the viewer feel like a spectator, watching Chiron take care of himself as his mother is incapable of it due to drug addiction, making this scene still and harsh. 

Birds eye angle 

This angle choice is designed to convey Chiron’s point of view after running away from a group of boys, hiding out in an empty apartment (?), peering out through the cracks in the window. This helps the viewer understand Chiron’s need to hide himself from threats, this is a common and important theme throughout the film. 

Eye level angle 

Using the eye level angle allows the scene to feel intimate for the viewer, this is because this angle is how we usually perceive others around us every day, giving this scene good verisimilitude as it feels realistic. 

Low angle 

The low angle is effective in this scene particularly because of how Juan feels towards Paula (Chiron’s mother), it’s intense and uncomfortable. For context, Juan is a drug dealer and is selling to Paula, yet Juan is conflicted as he also cares for her son, Chiron, hence why the low angle successfully conveys the discomfort.

Arch Shot 

In this opening scene, the arch shot was smartly utilised to portray the intense environment to the viewer as well as showcasing the environment in an efficient way. It gives the audience an immediate introduction to the world the film is set in, a real one, and how the Miami drug scene is so prevalent out in broad daylight. 

Pan Left 

This scene starts with Chiron walking home, but then suddenly whips to the left to show his mother rushing towards him in an erratic fashion. This builds suspense for the audience as we don’t know what she’s going to do, especially since up until this point she has proven to be unpredictable. 

Ped Up 

In this montage of Kevin cooking for Chiron, it moves from his hands plating up the meal to his face, consistently drawing our attention back to him. This keeps the audience intrigued into what he’s making, what he’s potentially thinking/feeling whilst cooking. 

Joker

Joker: Mise en Scene

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Joker – Mise en Scene 

I selected this moment from Joker (Phillips, 2019), to show how mise en scene can be utilised in film. It is set in the last segment of the film, just before chaos is unleashed, misleading the audience into believing that things will go right this time. 

1) This scene was shot in a built set, in the frame there are colourful curtains and vanity lights in the background, the camera clearly focused on Arthur Fleck who is in the centre of the shot holding a cigarette. His serious demeanor and dark appearance, being dimly lit in comparison to the surroundings, stands out; this indicates to the audience that something awful is about to happen, wherever he goes he brings a darkness with him. 

2) In this scene I find that the makeup is coinciding with the transformative aspect of Arthur’s character and physical appearance from the beginning of the film to the end. This scene is shown at the beginning of the film, showing how he goes from Arthur to ‘Joker’, and as the film progresses his personality and behaviour becomes more impulsive and bolder, lashing out in fits of casual violence. For the audience, the makeup can show that he’s finally coming into his own skin and embracing his nature, when the makeup is on, he gains a surge of confidence in his actions, an example of this would be during the talk show scene with Murray, Arthur simply shoots him on camera. 

3) This scene shows the audience a good usage of location filming, as well as giving us an infamous scene which will forever be associated with that location. West 167th Street Step Stairs in the Bronx (New York) was used to film this scene, adding authenticity to the scene, and the film overall even though this world is fictional. For the audience, it could convey a realistic tone to the film, especially if they’re from that area, keeping them drawn into the storyline. Filming this stairs scene in the Joker in a real location, not a studio, successfully portrayed authenticity and a ‘too-close-to-home’ feeling for a portion of the viewers. 

4) Using a wide shot, the camera is unsteady, moving slowly as if it’s a person watching Arthur, effectively making the audience feel like they’re in the room with him. It’s unnerving to watch as Arthur lethargically empties the fridge, followed by crawling into the newly vacated space himself. Additionally, the perspective is shot just outside the room he is in, indicated by the doorframe obstructing the sides of the frame.  

5) The costuming in this scene purposely highlights the growing riots in Gotham city; The crowds all wearing the same clown mask, unionizing the hatred towards the overprivileged rich population of Gotham. Another thing to point out is that Arthur stands out especially, bright red suit jacket in the centre of the shot as he’s running away from the police, a costuming design choice made to highlight that Arthur does stand out amongst the general population, even out of his joker attire he stands out as a person. 

6) The set dressing in this scene shows the stark contrast between Arthur and everyone else; he doesn’t belong there. In the frame here is him and his mother, he is a looming presence even though he’s looking after her, the pink floral wallpaper and the warm lighting is nothing like him at all – it’s his mother’s space. This sense of exclusion is a common theme throughout the film, driving home the point that Arthur does not belong, and he comes to accept that in the end. 

7) In the opening chase scene there is a good use of sound effects in the background, this was made using sound stages. As Arthur is chasing down the group of teenagers who stole his sign, there can be taxis honking and V-8 engines heard blaring in the background, stacking onto the adrenaline in the scene, making the audience get a better understanding of how he is feeling.  

Moonlight

Moonlight: First Response

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Moonlight first response 

Jenkins, 02/09/16 (release date) 

Critical score: 7/10 

Thoughts: I really enjoyed the pacing of the film, how it was split up into three time periods: Child, teenager, and adult. The usage of colour grading and camera work paid off largely, making the storyline enticing for the audience, making us want to keep on watching as it told an important story of real-life issues such as racism, homophobia, and drug usage. One issue I had was that the child and teen casting were perfect, but the adult casting of Chiron felt out of place. 

Memorable scene: I chose this scene because it managed to convey the harsh reality of living with a parent who’s an addict, the disdain shared between Chiron and his mother; I’d also like to note that there was no dialogue at all, just silence and music to cover up the noise when his mother yells at him just after. 

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Y12 FS Monaco: The Spectrum of the Arts A.G

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What does Monaco mean by the term “The Spectrum of the Arts”? 

James Monaco’s concept of the “spectrum of the arts” refers to the idea that art comes in many forms, varying sensory inputs and executions – whether that be history, music, poetry, comedy, tragedy, dance or astronomy (these were what the ancients considered to be art). In the Roman and Greek times, only three were recognised: Lyric, Dramatic and Epic, their muses were Euterpe, Melpomene, and Calliope. By the 16th century, art equated to skill, such as musicians, craftsmanship or medicinal skills; In the late 17th century the range narrowed down to what we now know to be ‘Fine Arts’, this included painting, sculpture, drawing, architecture. 

With the rise of modern science, astronomy and geometry were no longer regarded as an art form. 

The 19th century introduced the ‘avant-garde movement’, this means new and experimental, so things such as plays rose to popularity. Back then all arts were in ‘real-time’, meaning it was all performed live and produced live, elements like post-production and recording weren’t implemented until the 1910/20s. The adaption of novels and playwrights into performances (theatre and film) allowed a new perspective on stories, for example, using sound effects and facial expressions from the actors to imply background sounds and emotions – instead of just reading the description of them on paper. Film is an art form which incorporates sound and sight, making it stand out from poetry, music, comedy and dance. 

Joker

Joker First Response

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Joker first response 

Phillips, 04/10/19 (release date) 

Critical score: 5/10 

Memorable scene: When the dwarf, Gary tries to escape Arthur’s apartment, but he can’t reach the lock, so he asks Arthur to unlock it for him which is a tense moment since he just saw his colleague get killed in front of him. This makes the scene oddly comedic in an awkward sense, Arthur was completely calm after committing an act of random violence. Then there’s the casual joking around, for example when Arthur pretends to lunge at Gary.  

Thoughts: Overall, it was okay, I don’t understand the hype about it but there were some good cinematic shots throughout, although the narrative switched up from serious and gritty to stereotypical action movie, which was off-putting and underwhelming. 

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Categorising Films

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Art Film 

Alphaville – 1965, sci-fi/noir. This is an art film because its aesthetics are stronger than the actual plot of the film. 

Fitzcarraldo – 1982, adventure/drama. This is an art film because it is independently produced, as well as a weaker storyline in comparison to the visuals. 

Mainstream Film 

A Bug’s Life – 1998, family/adventure. This is a mainstream film because it’s made for everyone, mainly children, as the topics aren’t difficult to understand and its purpose is entertainment, not a statement. 

The Shape of Water – 2017, fantasy/romance. This is a mainstream film as it did well at the box office. 

The Breakfast Club – 1985, comedy/drama. This is a mainstream film because it’s widely known by all cultures, ages, genders. 

Love, Simon – 2018, drama. This is a mainstream film because the topics within it are widely accepted, and to some people it’s relatable. 

Historically Significant Film 

The Wizard of Oz – 1939, musical/fantasy. This is a historically significant film because it was made over 80 years ago, it has a deeper meaning, representing various flaws in people, and it’s Judy Garland. 

Battleship Potemkin – 1925, war/thriller. This is a historically significant film because it recounts the events which occurred during the Russian Revolution. 

Seven Samurai – 1954, action/adventure. This is a historically significant film because it influenced The Magnificent Seven, as well as many other films of the same genre. 

The Magnificent Seven – 1960, western/action. This is a historically significant film because it is one of the most accurate representations of professional gunfighters.