When it comes to the question of mise-en-scene (the cinematic use of space), a lot rides on the various values of a given shot in relation to the film’s adjoining shots (which means that in a sense, we’re always already dealing with time as well as space, since shots are experienced one after another). The point is that a shot’s values are relative: a close up produces meaning not simply because it shows something “up close” but because it produces a change in visual volume (the scale or proportion of specific objects in relation to the frame). Likewise with the question of a shot's "number" (the difference between a one shot and a two shot): the point here concerns the change produced by the movement from one to the other shot design (a movement never entirely dictated by content of the scene's action or dialogue).
Here’s a review of the shot-analysis categories we discussed in class the other day, all of which have to do with the shot’s visual qualities in relation to the shots that surround it. You can use these categories and attendant terms to keep your analytical paper grounded upon your chosen films’ material attributes.
MOTION: Movement of camera through space and/or change in camera's angle (through rotation of a tripod head, for instance).
SIZE: Proportion of material in relation to the camera frame. (The question of shot size pertains to all shots, whether or not they contain human figures--however, the size categories are often conceived in terms of the human face/body: i.e. a medium close-up shot would generally show the actor's face as well as a portion of the actor's body.
NUMBER: Number (and nature) of human figures on frame. In a dialogue scene, for instance, weight can be given to one character or the other through oscillation between one-shots and over-the-shoulder shots.
DEPTH of FIELD: Portion of the Z-axis (the line extending from the lens into infinity) held in focus in a given shot. Narrow depth of field leaves most of the frame out of focus to draw attention to a particular figure or object. Deep focus (long depth of field) can produce an uncanny sense of relationship between elements.
To see examples of the below categories, go to the "resources" page and follow the link in the "Mise-en-scene" box to the MediaCollege.com "shot types" page. (MediaCollege includes a few terms we're not using, but their list correlates well enough with ours--you'll get the idea. Examples and discussions of terms listed below but not covered by MediaCollege.com will be easy find elsewhere on the web.)
MOTION | SIZE | NUMBER | DEPTH of FIELD |
Push or pull | Extra wide | One-shot | Narrow focus |
Truck | Wide | Two-shot | Focus rack |
Pan | Medium wide | Over-the-shoulder | Focus pull |
Tilt | Medium | Deep focus | |
Crane | Medium close up | ||
Cowboy shot | |||
Breast shot | |||
Close up | |||
Extra close up | |||
You can usually get a good start toward the description of a given shot by touching on these four basic attributes.
So an analysis or description of a shot might start out something like this: “Ford’s camera pushes in from the cabin’s dark interior toward the sunny vista beaming through the open doorway, with the door jam framing the back of Martha’s head in a medium one-shot and the camera’s deep focus revealing the red cliffs on the horizon in sharp relief.”
So an analysis or description of a shot might start out something like this: “Ford’s camera pushes in from the cabin’s dark interior toward the sunny vista beaming through the open doorway, with the door jam framing the back of Martha’s head in a medium one-shot and the camera’s deep focus revealing the red cliffs on the horizon in sharp relief.”
CS
