Television AestheticsCOMS 169: TV Criticism

Today’s Agenda

Housekeeping:www.thetvdoctor.blogspot.com

Have you chosen your text?

Mise-en-scene (elements prepared before recording)

Videography (elements used during recording)

Sound, Style, and Editing (elements used after recording)

Most of my examples tonight will contain multiple aesthetic elements. How many can you identify?

“Put in the scene”

A film term borrowed from theater

Mise-en-scene: Set Design

Studio vs. Location

No ceilings

Character entrance and exit

Mise-en-scene: Costuming

Mise-en-scene – Lighting(pay attention to how you feel)

Direction

Intensity

Color

Source

Mise-en-scene – Actor movement

Blocking

Shallow space Typical…lateral movement

Deep spaceOne actor near the camera, one far away

Some film people get

offended when you call it

“cinematography”

Both terms are technically correct!

Videography – Focus

Soft focus (glamour shots)

Deep focus (all planes are in focus)Closer to what the human eye experiences

Rack or push-and-pull focus

Videography – Framing

XLS (establishing shot)

LS (actor’s entire body)

MCU (actor’s chest up)

CU (shoulders to top of head)

XCU (anything closer than CU)

Videography – Framing

Zoom!The LENS moves but the camera does not

Traditional zooms feel outdated

Videography – Camera height and direction

Low angle (camera looks up)

High angle (camera looks down)

Canted angles

Panning

Tilting

Videography – Camera movement

Truck

Dolly

Crane

Hand-held“Documentary” style

Viewer is aware of the camera’s presence

Steadicam

Post-production

Sound, style, and editing

Point of view

CutFade, Wipe, Dissolve…but usually Cut

How long it takes versus how long it feels

ContinuityViolating our expectations makes us tense or suspicious, or we find it humorous

Sorry…more ER…a quick one

ContinuityPillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows Pillows

Pillows Pillows Pillows

Sound, style, and editing

Speech

Music

Sound effectsFoley artist

Diegetic sound (characters can hear it)

Non-diegetic sound

Listen…

What do you see/hear?