In class on the 20th, we started where we left off, with elaborating how choices in mise-en-scene elements could affect the narrative with no words even being used. The class then broke up to look at the images that we were assigned over the past couple of days, and to come up with strong sentences to analyze how mise-en-scene elements have produced a narrative.
In my group's case that was an image from the movie Her. For example, a sentence that we came up with was that the lighting key was dark, but also had a high amount of contrast to emphasize the bright red coat that the character in the middle is wearing. The class then regrouped and wrote the sentences they came up with on the board.
After formulating these sentences, we had to take these same sentences to develop a balance between specificity and clarity. Clarity being how clear a statement is, but specificity referring to answering the infamous interrogative adverbs (who, what, when, where, why, and how) that we've been hearing for at least 10 years. We demonstrated this by taking a quote such as "the subsidiary features set the scene in a casual, lower class setting," in regards to the picture of The Wire. This could be extended to answer the "How?" questioning by looking at the buildings in the background, looking similar to those like that in a urban, inner city project, and the "What?" by looking at the laundry hanging outside, the garbage can with graffiti on it, and the fact that there is a couch just sitting in the middle of a street.
Extending what we learned in class today to a larger view of the world, what we learned today could be used to break apart specific shots in a film and analyze them and elaborate on the feeling they give. For example, instead of saying, "The shot is scary," we could use what we learned to say, "The shot develops a scary feeling due to the axe in the middle of the door, combined with the women in the back screaming, and the darker lighting, leaving only a side of the axe well-lit while everything else is dark and the setting being in a mental asylum based on the writing on the walls and the bars over the windows.
Mr. Rivers then gave us a homework assignment; take one of the quotes on the board and answer those interrogative questions to the best of our abilities. For these images, check the Google Classroom.
Really well organized and thorough work here, Nate. If I had been absent on this day, then I'd know EXACTLY what we did as a class. Great job organizing details into logical and coherent paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteAs for the next piece: Where is the extension? Remember that 50% of this assignment is about extending it beyond the classroom walls. You may update for partial credit, but let me know when you've made the necessary changes.