MOONLIGHT CINEMATOGRAPHY
This shot from moonlight is a closeup. The effect this scene has on the audience is unique. From this point of view, we can truly experience Chiron’s life with an addict mother, no personal space, his feelings being disregarded, and his mother coming to him for money to purchase more drugs. This POV makes it look like Chiron’s mother is trying to sympathise with us, the audience.
This low angle shot represents Kevin as an aggressor, making him look bigger and his presence more demanding. This technique is used to show that in this moment he has the power over Chiron and is using it against him.
I have chosen this scene to represent camera movement. In this scene the camera is moving in a corkscrew like fashion around this character. This technique creates a sense of foreboding and tells us that something bad is going to happen. This is like a personified version of someone” spiralling”
joker mise en scene
Joker-Mise En Scene
Lighting-
I have chosen this scene from the Joker to talk about lighting. This is the scene where the joker is in a mental institution and there is a lot of light coming in from the back window. You can also notice the bloody footprints on the ground from where the Joker was walking. This is a good example as it is a strange contrast of light as he is going into the darkest time of his life and the joker acts like he has been enlightened and everything around him makes sense now. The effect on the viewer is that they have a sense of hope that the Joker will turn his life around as white reminds people of hope.
Costumes-
This is the most iconic Joker costume as it is abnormal. This is the scene where the joker is waiting to go on Murrays talk show. Though he has ridiculous make up and costumes he is still sat frowning honestly thinking about what is about to happen. The costume is a good contrast with what his older outfits were as he was quite blandly dressed always in brown, black or white but when he’s in his clown costume even when he was working for that clown company, he is a completely different person in a good and a bad way and it acts like a mask of who he truly is. The effect
Props-
I chose this picture for props as it was so basic yet so over the top. It was basic because it was just the background of Murrays talk show, but it was over the top because it has so many colors which was strange as the colours in the joker were minimal because of the genre of the movie but this was bright and colourful.
Makeup-
I chose this for make up because this scene was so incredibly put together. As everyone knows set designers and people that do makeup plan everything in the moving but the tear streaming down the Joker’s face says a lot about him as he is trying to act as if he is okay that is why he is forcing himself to smile but you can tell that he is not okay. In the end, the differentiation on his face goes well together.
Colour Grading-
The hue of this picture is a blueish- green which shows the sadness of the scene as blue is correlated with emotion. The saturation of this scene is dark and ominous, and it is not intense at all. There is no brightness in the picture because it is not the cheeriest scene. This scene is where Arthur watches the television whilst his mothers on life support and he watches the Murray show and Murray starts talking bad about Arthurs standup comedy act.
Low key/ High key lighting-
For low key lighting i chose this scene of the joker as it works in two ways. The picture has low saturation and only a few bits of light. It also works to say that he himself was in low key lighting you can tell that he is depressed and deep in thought.
For high key lighting I picked this scene as it was abnormal. It was one of the only times we saw the joker with actual light around. The scene is quite eerie because the joker had this look on his face like he was terrified of himself. The background had warm lighting to fit the atmosphere that is being shown. There are few props in the shot. There are two different lightings. There is the florescent light thats being given from the mirror.
moonlight camera sizes, angles and movements
Cu/bcu (close up/ big close up)
I feel that this type of shot was chosen for this scene because it gives you an insight to how Chiron could have been feeling. By having the camera this close, it almost puts the viewer in the Pov of Chiron, therefore getting the audience more attached to him as a character and his story. This shot is effective in being able to capture the stress Chiron would have been in every day from how his mother acted, the way she would change depending on if she wants something from him.
Mcu (middle to close up)
A lot of the shots in this movie are very effective in putting the viewer in Chiron’s position. By having this shot almost at eye level, it once again puts the viewer in Chiron’s Pov. In this scene, there are a lot of shots like his, or ones that are close ups of characters looking down the camera lense, which in a tense and emotional scene like this is very effective.
Xls (extreme long shot)
By having an extreme long shot here, it emphasizes Chiron’s loneliness and his isolation from his peers. The way that he is separated from the people his age emphasizes the fact that he is separated from them.
Slight high angle
The way that the camera is slightly looking down on Paula Could be Replicating how Jaun feels about her. The way he slightly looks down on her because of how badly she treats her son. But throughout the scene, the shot becomes more of an eye level shot, which could be replicating the way that Paula scolds Jaun because he is disappointed in the way she treats her son, but he is the one who is selling her drugs.
High angle shot
The high angle shot in this scene could represent how Chiron feels less than people. It could also represent his innocence while asking these serious questions to Juan, the camera making him look smaller and more venerable.
High angle/Bird’s Eye
The way that this shot is placed high above the pair makes the audience feel like they’re almost intruding on a private conversation. By having the camera in amongst the trees, it adds to the feeling of the audience knowing something private and since it makes it more private, it makes the audience feel more invested.
Pan down
In this shot, it pans down from Jain to Chiron. This happens as Juan is telling Chiron a story, this movement of the camera could be a visual representation of Chiron taking this story he’s being told to heart.
Handheld cam
The camera in this scene is handheld, letting the waves move it around. The jerky movements of the camera coupled with the waves submerging more than half the lense at some points, makes for a powerful scene. the way i view this scene, the shakiness of the camera is meant to mirror chiron’s nerves.
Dolly shot
The camera seems to be on a track during this scene, following Chiron as he walks through the corridors of his school. Shots like this are great at building suspense as the audience cannot see the characters face, making them unaware of and unable to read a characters facial expressions to try and predict what they will do next.
Moonlight shot distances
This close-up shot in the movie moonlight added extra emotion for the audience, for example, it added a sense of inclusion since the character stares directly at the audience, making it appear like she is talking to them. As an audience member, the close shot made me feel like I was close to the character on screen, and it added a sense of tension since her gaze was unavoidable which further enhanced the scene. The close up shot also made it clear that the only thing that mattered on screen was the character of the mum since everything else was blurred and out of focus.
This close-up shot makes the scene more colorful and less bland. It also makes the audience have more of a picture of the scene since the focus remains on Chiron since he is the only one in the scene, but it also shows the importance of the area he is in since you can see the bright colored tiles on the floor. It also creates some distance between the character and the audience, which shows how detached Chiron feels from everyone else.
This Long shot moved the focus on the main character, Chiron. This showed how he is the focus of the scene and how he is the main character. This also Made him look weak since the long shot displayed his whole body and how he looked small and helpless in comparison. This could make the audience feel pity for Chiron since he is all alone and does not have anyone to help him. The long shot made me feel like there was no one there for Chiron since there was no one else in the scene other than the long empty road which made him look small and helpless in comparison.
This high shot added a lot to this scene and made it feel more intimate. This is because we can see both characters look directly into the camera at the same time which would make the audience members still feel like spectators but more included in the scene. The high shot also lets us see how vulnerable and careless they are since, as the audience, we see them as smaller and feel more impower. As a viewer I felt like this camera angle made the scene feel more peaceful since we can see that they are looking up at the night sky.
The eye level camera angle makes the audience feel more drawn into the conversation between Chiro and Kevin. It also makes both characters seem equal in the conversation and more intimate. Both characters are centered which allows their eyes to be in the center of the screen, making it easy for the audience to follow the character’s gaze. As an audience member I felt like this scene flowed very well and the camera angle helped keep the pace of the scene smooth and coordinated.
This low angle shot makes the audience see Juan from Chiros perspective, since in this scene chiro is much younger and much smaller than Juan. It also shows the audience the dynamic between the two since Chiro is looking up to him as a father figure or a guide since Chiro doesn’t have anyone else to look up to. This made me feel compassion for Chiro since it’s evident he’s a small child looking for role models in his life.
In this scene, the camera pans over to the right of Kevin, this creates a very intimate scene since it’s just a close of Kevin’s face while the camera moves to show the audience Kevin’s side profile. This allows the audience to have a moment with Kevin since he is a large part of the movie, it also gives the eyes something to visually look at and makes the scene more interesting even though nothing is happening in the scene.
In this scene, the camera pans down across Chiron’s bathroom shelf. This shows the audience a physical depiction of Chiron’s state of mind after the fight. It also shows Chiron’s home life since his bathroom is dirty and filled to the brim with pill bottles and various other bathroom supplies. This helps the audience feel more sorrow for the main character since we get a chance to see parts of him that were hidden and horrific to see.
Joker: Mise en Scene
Joker: Mise en Scene
I selected this scene from the climax of the film where Joker is on the murray franklin show because it encapsulates the elements of mise en scene well. The set design is detailed as there is a full filming studio built for Joker; additionally, how busy the set is as there is a lot for audiences to look at reflecting the busy atmosphere of New York where the film is set. In contrast the costumes of the other people on screen besides joker are very simple causing Joker to stand out more as they are in muted, neutral colours while Jokers costume is very brightly coloured, reflecting how viewers focus should be on him in this moment. The foreground of the scene is quite quiet with there only being cameras and low lighting whereas at the back of the scene is the focus, as the characters are there the lighting is much higher and the main set design is. The key light is directed at Joker as he is the center of the scene and additionally guiding audience to focus on him. There is low lighting in the front of the scene showing how that area is less important at that moment. The composition is quite unbalanced, drawing attention to the middle where Joker is sat. Joker’s extensive makeup increases the verisimilitude of the scene as he looks more like a clown and a joker. The other characters’ makeup is very natural and almost unnoticeable compared to Joker giving the impression that they are not part of Joker’s community and are different to him. The scene is widescreen, which gives a fuller experience as more of the set is shown and audience members feel completely submerged into the film.
Set Design is clear in this scene as it is not a real location, so it has been made for the film, the set is very detailed as it contains all the furniture, the fake tv studio and the fake camera equipment to make audiences think Joker is on a real tv show. The set design adds verisimilitude to the scene. The audience also see the set behind the original studio, which makes the scene more immersive as it feels like viewers are there inside the film.
Space is important in this scene as Arther is in the background of the scene which is uncommon in Joker, and he is surrounded by upper class men as they take up the foreground which may be the director wanting to portray how the upper-class characters should be the audiences focus as they are Arther’s in this scene.
However, due to the composition of this scene the scene is very symmetrical bringing our focus to the center where Arther is stood which can reflect how viewers’ attention is forced onto Arther. The upper-class characters are also closer to each other compared to Arther, who is further away reflecting the society at the time of how separated upper- and lower-class people were.
Makeup is important in this scene as the ‘blood’ on Arther’s face after he kills his coworker ads a sense of verisimilitude and makes the scene more graphic, and violent. Additionally, Arter has his Joker makeup underneath portraying how Joker is his violent persona as all of Arthers acts of violence connotate to his Joker makeup. Joker is also known for his makeup as it becomes a sign of rebellion as many wear clown masks as their form of Joker makeup.
Costume is prominent in this scene of Joker as Jokers costume provides a strong contrast from the costume to the background, the background colours of the shot is very muted and shows the society of poverty, depression and littering. However, joker is dressed in very bright colours which commonly reflect positivity yet the character and plans that Joker has (to kill on live tv) juxtapose this.
Lighting is clear in this shot as on the left side there is harsh, bright light from behind Joker whereas on the right side the lighting is much lower, making Joker look much more sinister, the change in light can also reflect Jokers light and dark side of his personality as later in the film Joker does become a much darker character.
Hairstyles are important throughout the film as it shows a clear transition from Arther to Joker as he is known for his florescent green clown hair like the masks work at the end of the film. However, Arthers real hair, seen in this shot also shows his persona before Joker and emphasizes poverty as his hair is quite unkept and looks unwashed.
Cinematography example in Moonlight
Camera Movement – Moonlight
The long uncut tracking shot, in the open scene of Juan arriving to assumingly sell drugs in his neighbourhood, effectively uses panning to build the world in which these characters live in, as the use of panning shows the audience a lot more of the scene in which the characters than just a single shot would.
The director, mainly throughout the first act of the scene, zooms in on the character of Chiron, I think, to convey to the audience how small and insignificant he feels in the society he lives in. The director also does the same type of zooming in on the character of Juan, which could be the director trying to convey that Chiron feels like Juan was the first ever person in his life to care and understand him and how he feels.
Shot Angles – Moonlight
The shot shown below, which is a High Shot, shows Chiron and Kevin sitting on the beach, smoking weed together. The director has chosen this shot to show to the audience the closeness of the two character’s relationship, but perhaps also to foreshadow the following scene that will take, and that they will become sexual partners.
A lot of the shots in the film, such as the one shown below, which is taken from the scene in which Chiron and Kevin fight, are shot at Eye-level. In terms of the whole film, this is done to make the audience feel like they’re part of the events and witnessing them in real life, making more the film more immersive. In this scene, I think this shot has been used to portray to the viewer how betrayed Chiron feels, as he is now getting beat up by this person who he had a deep experience with.
Shot Distance – Moonlight
The shot shown here is from the first act of the film, and it is where Chiron is being taught how to swim by the father figure in his life, Juan. The director, Barry Jenkins, has used a MCU (Medium Close Up) to immerse the viewer in the scene, and make the audience feel like they’re really there, and to perhaps make the audience feel like they’re part of this close relationship, which would help them understand it better. If this was the director’s vision, I think this has been executed very well.
ost shots of Chiron, in the first act, such as one the shown below, which is a LS (Long Shot), picture Chiron being small and vulnerable, whether that be like the example below or just showing his face through a CS (Close Up), portraying to the viewer that he feels powerless in this society.
This shot shown below, which is once again a CS (Close Up), shows once again a sense of weakness and powerlessness within the society, but this time this feeling is coming from the mother, who is addicted to drugs, and begging her son for money, which I personally think is quite a weak thing for a person to do.
Moonlight – Cinematography Examples
Moonlight – Shot distance.
In this close shot of Juan and Chiron, you are Made to feel like you are there using a low shot angle. By seeing them and seeing the water it captures the surrounding of what it will feel like to be in the water with them in that moment.
In this medium close shot, it gives the perspective from Chiron’s mother. The close shot helps emphasise what emotions Chiron is feeling in this moment. As there isn’t much background is showing the intense and fierce conversation/ confrontation from the mother’s part.
In this long shot of Chiron’s mother. The perspective is from Chiron, this long shot helps emphasises the distance and how isolated the relationship between Chiron and his mother, and how they are not close at all as they grow up.
Shot angles –
In this scene of Chiron and Kevin, the shot angle being used is of a low shot angle. This almost makes them seen as superior and in power. It also shows the growth and how growing up as made them more inferior from any others.
In this high shot angle of Chiron laying on the ground after pretending to fight with is friend Kevin. The high shot help show the defeat that was made and to help show the tiredness and worn-out state that Chiron is in making him seem smaller and less strong to his friend.
In this almost eye level/ low shot of Chiron swimming on his own it helps capture what it would be like to be in the water with him, the use of slapping in the water it creates a sense of panic and like you have no control of the water.
Camera and lens movement-
In this scene the camera zooms in and then zoom out. Chiron’s mother backs away as the camera zooms out to show how she doesn’t care about Chiron’s feelings and to show how selfish and show how she doesn’t not act very maternal for her son.
In this scene the camera tilts down then tilt up. It starts off with the camera tilting down to show the gun in Juan’s hand and it is also a slight enigma code as we are not sure just yet who the guy is. However, when the Camera moves up, we see that it is Juan, in this scene Chiron enters his house without warning this make Juan seem paternal as he is trying to look after him and his family.
In this scene the camera pans left to right to show the anger and pace of Chiron who is about to throw the chair over a boy. The camera pans left to right to show the speed of Chiron walking and the intense moment of this scene.
Moonlight (2016) Camera Shots, Angles and Movements
Shots
BCU
This BCU of Chiron puts us in the position of Kev as Chiron gets up from his beating. It shows us Chiron’s indomitable spirit and emotional strength, able to stand up to someone who was a friend after being beaten down. We are shown his stoic expression in extreme detail, which makes the audience respect him as a character.
LS
This long shot puts us in the shoes of Chiron hiding from the group of bullies. It shows us the futility of Chiron’s situation, showing us all of the open space on school grounds, blocked off from him by one small group of people.
CU
This close up of Chiron after the bullies attacked him after forcing Kev to punch him gives the audience a sense of Chiron’s pain. It shows us the blood over his face, the cold water that makes his skin glisten in the school bathroom light. It shows us Chiron’s frustration and anguish in detail, as well as representing his loneliness by giving a close up on his face against an empty white wall. This shot also precedes the scene where Chiron breaks a chair over Tyrell’s head, and this shot gives us Chiron’s emotional motivation for his action by showing his mental state
Camera Angles
Bird’s Eye
This bird’s eye shot of Kev and Chiron on the beach shows them close together on an uneven backdrop that is the sandy floor. This gives the viewer a strong sense of friendship between the two, and the plain sand backdrop against the two looking up at the camera, breaking the 4th wall in a sense, creates a strange atmosphere, almost like a dream.
Eye Level
This eye level shot of the “Little” segments Chiron and Kev portrays a sense of comradery between the two. We get the sense that they are equals and friends.
Low Angle
This low angle shot puts us in the perspective of Chiron’s mother talking to Juan, the man who was taking care of Chiron. This shows us the height difference between the two characters, creating a power dynamic between the person who was meant to look after Chiron versus the person who actually did take care of him.
Movements
Zoom In
This zoom in to the “Little” segments Kev and Chiron gives the audience the feeling that we are getting closer to the characters emotionally. This zoom in happens during a scene where Kev is telling Chiron that he can’t let people push him around and he needs to stand up for himself. The zoom in shows us that these characters are getting closer together, and gives the audience a sense that they are prying on a private conversation between to very close friends.
Pan
This scene where “Little” Chiron is running down towards the waves and then running away when the waves come up utilises a pan to follow Chiron as he runs. It puts us in the shoes of Juan, who is teaching Chiron to swim, and invokes a parental feeling of keeping eyes on the young child, looking after him, making sure he is safe and okay. It shows us Chiron’s relationship with Juan.
Ped
The cooking scene from the “Black” segment utilises peds to follow the movement of Kev’s hands while he is cooking, showing the effort and care that goes into the making of the meal for Chiron.
Joker Mise en scene
From my understanding mise en scene is the combination of all the aspects of a film that make up each shot. All the thought and time that went into each moment and aspect of the film, from costume to the lighting. All aspects of a film must be thought about with each shot, because all of them could have a second meaning that would push the story’s narrative more.
I’ve selected this moment from the Joker because it is a good example of the mise en
scene. I think this is because it has a realistic set design of a sound stage that is used on a tv show set. This medium shot encompasses Aurther’s desire to be seen as a comic, and later revealed, just to be seen at all especially by Murray. The shot is an almost point of view shot, but from a spectator. Aspects of this set could have been made for the movie, but I doubt that all of it was, i feel that the parts that specifically align with the Murray show where probably made for the movie, while the actual stage would have already been made for other talk shows. The composition of the shot brings attention to Aurther and Murray, while still showing the camera/film crew in the background, though the audience isn’t supposed to pay them much mind, as they have been blurred.
I feel the composition of this shot is very balanced, with Aurther in the middle and the alleyway on each side. It is clear that this is a real alleyway and not one constructed for the film, but the props and rubbish that are on the sides probably were placed there by the crew. The way that the sign is laid out broken on the floor could be read as a reflection for Aurther’s current mental state. The lighting is also slightly low-key and almost dirty looking, again to highlight the state Aurther is in, compared to a couple moments before when he is working, where it is much brighter.
I feel that the lighting in this scene is very strong, because it changes depending on where you are looking on the screen. Toward the staircase you have more low-key lighting, which lets the audience know where to look, making them focus on Aurther. Whereas the single florescent bar and the dim light from the window that are lighting Aurther are really standing out. Having Aurther be the only thing that is lit makes the audience know to look at him. While bright lights can often be associated with happiness or joy, here the bright florescence is more associated with hospitals and institutions of a similar sense. I also feel it important to mention that the camera angle that this is shot from could be a representation of Aurther’s spiraling mental health at this point, as he has just finished running down spiral stairs and finding out he is adopted, which could be considered as the catalyst for the rest of the movie.
The costuming for Aurther’s “Joker” persona is a very important aspect of the film. Most people who would have gone to see this movie would be expecting makeup like this on him for the whole movie because he is based off the Joker character from Batman. having this makeup be foreshadowed by the clown masks that begin to be worn by the people protesting because of Aurther’s murders is a very smart move. The makeup itself is a very classical clown look, something people will automatically know is meant to be a clown. As for the costume, I feel that having him dressed in bright contrasting colours was a choice made to have his actions happen after being even more surprising. This also could be so that the fictional audience of the Murray show would be more surprised because of his almost jolly look. The bright colours contrast with his dark actions and mind.
The use of space and lighting in this shot is very effective. The way that the officers stand up and Aurther sits down can wordlessly portray the power difference between them, their presence making Aurther feel smaller, or at least he is portraying that to them. BY having there be a lot of space between them, it creates a sort of “us vs them” mentality that Aurther is setting up by this point in the movie. By this point, Aurther has already started to think that the whole of society is against him, so having this very visible space between them shows that. The lighting in this scene is again reminiscent of that same florescent hospital lighting. By having the officers in almost complete darkness, shows the audience that from Aurther’s perspective, they are the enemy. While Aurther, has some light behind him, showing that he truly believes he’s done a good thing.
I feel the use of this film’s aspect ratio is done very well here. By having a slightly taller screen, you are able to take in the beauty of the theatre that they are in. But along with that, with the screen not being too thin, you are able to see the slight audience reactions from the people either side of Aurther. Aurther being in the center could be a slight foreshadow to how Aurther is at the center of all the chaos and destruction that will happen and mostly affect the people who are watching this film. In this show, the viewer is able to almost get into the mind of Aurther, by feeling how invisible he must feel because he was able to just grab a uniform and come into this screening.
I feel that the use of space in this shot is very telling of Aurther’s mental state. The way he is off center could be showing how mentally he is declining. As well at this, having the camera slightly blur out the background, it still makes sure the viewers eyes are drawn to Aurther and not the things in the background.