Film Techniques

an introduction

The drama, the attraction, of film lies not so much in what is shot – that's the drama of subject – but in how it is shot and how it is presented through editing.

– James Monaco, How to Read a Film

If a writer uses the word 'rose', the reader is free to imagine any of a thousand different possible roses.

When a film-maker shows us a rose, we all see the same rose.

But we can be told a vast amount about the rose, much more than a writer can tell us, by the way it is filmed

– from above or below,

close or distant,

frontally lit or back-lit,

moving or still, in full colour,

accompanied by music or silence, and so on.

black and white

desaturated colour,

or special effect

Atmosphere can be created, symbolism implied, metaphors intended – all in a brief moment.

The possibilities are endless

And every image, every frame, of the film will be the result of dozens of decisions about what will be shown – and how.

Part 1: Useful Termsmise en scène

This refers to all the things that are 'put in the scene', as well as the way that we are shown them.

Or, put more technically, it means the arrangement of visual weights and movement within a given space.

Jesse and Jane in front of his phat new flatscreen

In movies, it is defined by the edge of the picture – the frame that encloses the images.

refers to the relationship of the objects in the shot to the frame

is usually used for close shots.

tight framing

framing

The composition is so carefully balanced and harmonised that the people photographed have little or no freedom of movement.

Walter about to mess up some guy who was making fun of Jr.

The tight framing underlines the concern of the three at what they are seeing.

The composition is looser and freer within the confines of the frame so that the people photographed have considerable freedom of movement.

loose framing

usually in longer shots

A much looser MS THREE shot

Chemistry can be a lonely and dangerous business

The loose framing is appropriate for an open road shot – and also has a more comic tinge.

the rule of thirds

for centuries, artists have followed this rule of composition, and photographers and cinematographers have followed suit

The rule of thirds divides the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically.

The points where the vertical and horizontal lines cross are aesthetically pleasing spots to place subjects or to have perspective lines converge.

Look at the way these shots have been composed with the 'rule of thirds' in mind:

Note how each of the two figures is just to the side of a vertical and how Walt is trapped in his vertical whereas Jesse’s hand crosses the plane of a vertical, and how each of the nine segments contains a point of interest.

Jesse contemplates Walt’s bad driving

when an object is placed centrally, it can become confrontational

as in these shots

Walt does his laundry

the gun is right at the centre of the frame

Without getting into complicated mathematics, it is a proportion based on a ratio of 1:1.618.

The other mathematical basis for composition has also been used for hundreds of years.

It is variously called the golden section, the golden ratio, the golden mean, or the divine proportion.

It provided the measurements for the beautiful proportions of ancient Greek Temples:

Although architects no doubt measured, artists, photographers and cinematographers usually use their eyes: it is the most pleasing of proportions

Saul scheming yet somehow looking vaguely regal

In fact, everything that takes place on the set prior to the editing process.

Cinematic mise en scène encompasses both the staging of the action and the way it's photographed:

set design,

composition,

lighting,

costume,

props,

and the general visual environment,

as well as camera placement and movement,

placement of actors,

and what they say and do.

Walt and Skylar have another chat

Everything in this shot is the result of a decision that has been made: the crib in the back ground, where and how they are sitting what he is wearing, how he is sitting, what they are saying, the light and colour and so on. It all comes under the label of mise en scène.

In this scene, Walt is positioned in the background and is out of focus and Skyler is positioned in front and in focus. This is meant to suggest the growing rift in their relationship and Walt’s emotional distance due to his new “career”

The close angle of this scene suggests the growing relationship between Skyler and Ted and it suggests intimacy

Hector and the cousins arefar from comfortable visiting Gus.

Their stances are unrelaxed, the composition is unbalanced and the frame seems to be in direct opposition to whatever

is off screen.

In My Father's Den (2004)

Heisenberg and Gus have a meeting.

The distance between them underlines their mutual hostility, and the scene is set against the stunning desert background which evokes this distance. Notice also the halo of light around Walt which casts him as the “good” guy.

The representation of space affects the reading of a film.

deep space

when significant elements of an image are positioned both near to and distant from the camera

these objects do not all have to be in focus

Walt wonders why he bought the damn thing in the first place

Meeting in the desert

In shallow space the image is staged with very little depth.

Jesse quite literally with his back to the wall

Shallow space can be staged, as this is;

The figures in the image occupy the same or closely positioned planes furthermore they are seen through the opening of a barrel

again, the metaphor of being trapped is powerfully created by the shallow space.

or it can be achieved optically as in this shot :

While Gus is clearly visible in the backround his positioning suggests his dominance over Jesse and Walt

and the fact that they are trapped under his power

Although it doesn’t always have to suggest being trapped

In this scene, Gus is confronting the gunmen head on and letting them know that he is in charge

A wide shot [WS] gives a broad view of an area, and conveys scale, distance, and geographic location.

A wide shot does not refer to the actual width of the shot, since the frame width cannot alter.

It refers more to the content and purpose of the shot.

Extreme wide shots [EWS] are often used as establishing shots; they often have great depth as well:

Important business at Pollos

Heisenberg gets ready to meet Gus

Trouble in the lab

WIDE EST. SHOTS can be of interiors also

Walt and Gail in the lab