Textual analysis is used by media scholars and researchers to analyze visual messages like films and music videos. Textual analysis is important for various reasons but it is usually used to describe the function, structure and content of the message contained in a text(Mckee). In this essay, I made use of the miseenscene, cinematography, editing and sounds, in relations to the repertoire of elements in a genre to analyze scenes from the television series Suits.
The analysis of a film by media scholars is based on miseenscene, cinematography, sound and editing. Genre isborrowed from the French word for kind or type and it the categorization of a film based on the narratives or response to the film. Films are categorized in a genre according
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The miseenscene is the beginning of the analysis of any film, it is a French word and it means everything that appears before the camera and its arrangement. It is the characters, costumes, sets, lighting. In the simplest form, it is everything within the frame. The miseenscene provides the audience a useful description of what they are watching. As audiences, we notice the miseenscene when it describes a world entirely different from ours. For example, we pay more attention to the miseenscene of a horror movie or sci-fi movies than the miseenscene of movies related to our world. The miseenscene is divided into five categories and they are setting, lighting, costume, hair and makeup and figure behavior(Vilarejo). There are only two character types in these scenes, there is a flat character which is the minor character, the flat characters are Pat and Frank. The round characters are the main characters, the round characters in these scenes are Harvey, Donna, Mike and Alex. In The Good Wife Alicia, Carey, Kalinda and Eli Gold are one of the main characters and the flat characters are Peter, Jackie and Merissa Gold. In the legal drama Boston Legal, the round character is Shirley Schmidt and one of the flat characters is Whitney …show more content…
The setting in a film helps illustrate the emotions of characters and the mood in the film. Settings are the background, time, place and the location (Vilarejo).The scenes in the clip I used to analyze Suits were shot during the day at offices in high-rise buildings downtown New York and Toronto, a private room in a prison and the reception of a large law firm. The setting in the film shows that most of the characters are top executives at their law firm and one of the characters is a criminal. In a legal drama, the settings are usually a law firm and other fixed locations. The iconography in a genre is the visual images used in the interpretation and it can also mean an image associated with a subject. In a legal drama, the iconography mimics a real world and it is naturalistic.Other dramas with the same iconography and setting areThe Good Wife and Boston Legal. The Good Wife and Boston Legal are also filmed in a law firm and courtrooms and other fixed
Giannetti defines mis en scene as, “the phrase that refers to the arrangement of all the visual elements of a theatrical production within a given playing area” (50). This French theatrical term provides an understanding of the meaning of arrangements the director chooses to place in the frame and where they are located. While mis en scene can be analyzed in any film, we looked at The Sandlot and The Longest Yard for strong examples. The Sandlot (1993) directed by David M. Evans is a film about a new kid, Scotty Smalls, moving to a new town and trying to befriend the local boys and finding a love for baseball while playing for the Sandlot team. On the other hand, we have The Longest Yard (2005) directed by Peter Segal, which is about Paul
"Genre: A group of films having recognizably similar plots, character types, settings, filmic techniques, and themes." (Konigsberg:165) The Genre of this film is difficult to define because it is not composed of a single agenda. The director makes a point of talking about Tosh’s life, but because of the cinematic themes and the film’s style it is not solely a documentary. This film is also a multimedia film because elements of music and concert footage are added to the essential plot. This film is avant-garde in it’s nature. "Avant-garde [refers to films that] deny the traditional narrative structure and techniques of commercial films by seeking to explore new modes of visual and emotional experience." (Konigsberg:25) It could be considered an anthology film, because of the various concert footage that is woven throughout the movie. "An Anthology film is a full length film made up of excerpts from other films which are related by some theme [or] the appearance of the same performer." (Konigsberg:16)
The film Wendy and Lucy, directed by Kelly Reichardt, presents a sparse narrative. The film has been criticised for its lack of background story, and as a short film, much of the story is left to the viewer to infer from what is presented in the plot. However, Wendy and Lucy is able to depict the intimate relationship between Wendy and her dog as well as reflecting more broadly on the everyday, and commenting on the current economic state of the film’s setting in America. This essay will examine how film form contributes to the viewer’s awareness of the story in Wendy and Lucy and allows a deeper understanding of the themes presented. The aspects of mise-en-scene, shot and editing and sound in the film will be explored.
Barry, , Keith, and Grant, ed. Film Genre Reader III. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press,
Mise en scene is a French term, which refers to the visual and design elements of a film. Literally, it is what we actually see on the screen – locations, sets, background details, costumes, even the use of colour and lighting. Mise en scene is used to describe every scene, including framing, composition, costuming, setting, objects, lighting, sound and camera angles. Everything is done purposely and intentionally.
John Gibbs and Douglas Pye (2005) Style and meaning : studies in the detailed analysis of film. Engalnd: Manchester University Press, pp 42-52.
Mise-e-scène is one of the most recognizable conventions in filmmaking. It translates literally from the French to “staging” or “to put in the scene” in English. When applied to film studies, mise-en-scène refers to all the visual elements within a particular shot or sequence. Mise-en-scène consists of 5 distinct categories which assist in the development of a film’s visual narrative: Setting and Design, Costume and Make-up, Lighting, Acting and Movement, and Framing. These elements together and separately help to inform the viewer by giving them visual cues as to the nuances of meaning within a film’s structural form. Mise-en-scène may gives the viewer insight into the nature of a film’s characters and their subsequent state of mind, the time and place in which events are occurring, the mood and meaning intended by a particular scene, and also help the viewer to form expectations based upon the filmmaker’s interpretive point of view. In the film, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Director Michael Gondry utilizes mise-en-scène to denote the complex temporal relationships between his characters, their circumstances, and a fragmented plot structure which progresses through elliptical patterns between memory and reality. In fact, the use of mise-en-scène in Spotless Mind is central to understanding the inner construct of Joel (Jim Carey) and Clementine’s (Kate Winslet) personalities and personal motives, as well as the antagonistic mechanism at play in their relationship.
When it comes to films most people think that the filmmakers just draft up the script, hires some actors, films and edits some scenes, then releases the next number one movie in America to the world (or select theaters near you). In actuality, there are a lot more details that go into film than that. Filmmakers are constantly making decisions in regards to a films narrative and cinematic style and making sure a film comes out as well as it can. One of those decisions fall under cinematic style and is called mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene has four elements: lighting, costume/makeup, sets/props, and figure expression and movement. The three that will be focused on when analyzing the film Modern Times are costume/makeup, sets/props, and figure expression
Mise-en-scene includes everything that appears in front of the camera. The director generally controls these elements. The mise-en-scene affects if the audience perceives the degree of realism or fantasy in the film. Broken Blossoms clearly aims for realism, however, the actors needed a more expressive style in order to portray their characters without sound.
How does it feel starting over in a completely new place? In the movie “The Karate Kid”, Daniel, the main character, and his mom moved to the California from New Jersey because of his mom’s new job offer. Daniel started going to school in California and met a girl named Ali, whom he started to like. He started going out with her. Daniel was getting beat up by some bullies; one of them was Ali’s ex-boyfriend. They knew karate very well, but Daniel did not. So Daniel decided to learn karate. Daniel and his mom were living in an apartment and one day he discovers that the handyman at his apartment, Mr.Miyagi, knows karate very well. He asked Mr.Miyagi to teach him karate, and Mr.Miyagi became his karate teacher. It was hard for him to make new friends in a new place and he believed that Mr.Miyagi would be the only best friend he ever met.
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
“A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory” argues that the application of film and literary genre theory do not fully translate when analyzing television, because of “the specific industry and audience practices unique to television, or for the mixture of fictional and nonfictional programming that constitutes the lineup on nearly every TV channel. 2” The goal of media genre studies, Mittell asserts, is to understand how media is arranged within the contexts of production and reception, and how media work to create our vision of the world.
A genre is a type or category of film (or other work of art) that can be easily identified by specific elements of its plot, setting, mise en scène, character types, or style. (Goodykoontz, 2014) The gangster film is a sub-genre of the broader genre of crime film. A genre main objective is to classify the depiction of entertainment. The genre of my movie is a gangster film. My movie I chose was Scarface. Directed by Brian De Palma.An update of the 1932 film, Scarface (1983) follows gangster Tony Montana and his close friend Manny Ray from their trip on the Cuban Boat Lift for refugees to their arrival in Miami. (Scarface, 1983a)
...-en-scene to emphasize the films themes and emotions. It can even be taken into consideration that cinematographer’s use of light isn’t just important when it is used, but also when it is not used. Visually, mise-en-scene allows cinematographers to help guide the audience through the story, making the story powerful and memorable, whilst portraying the mood, tone, and dimensions of the imagery. These techniques also underscore the themes of paranoia, anxiety, and angst, as well as underscoring double identities and shifting values. In essence, mise-en-scene is successful in that it undercuts the typical shot in film, and then creates a visually unstable environment by splashing the screen with low-lighting, shadows, and ambiguous scenery. This visually impelling sequence and imagery evoke all principles of safety and security, thus creating a noir-esque atmosphere.
Barsam, R. M., Monahan, D., & Gocsik, K. M. (2012). Looking at movies: an introduction to film (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Co..