Acting

 Expectations, norms vary over time, across cultures, Also stylised,

expressionist/realist, naturalist, Sometimes casting according to physical type

 Try to evaluate performance (gestures, facial expression) not as good/bad, but

according to function in a scene, a film

 ACTING
 An actor’s performance consists of visual elements (appearance, gestures, facial
expressions) and sounds (voice, effects)
 The most expressive parts of the face are the brows, mouth, and eyes. All work
together to signal how the character is responding to the dramatic situation.
 Evoke the character’s thoughts and feelings.
 Suggesting a strain of the crisis. Expressive.
 The context of a performance may also be shaped by the technique of film editing.
Because a film is not shot over a period of time, actors perform in bits. This can work
to the filmmaker’s advantage, since these bits can be selected and combined to build
up a performance in ways that could never be accomplished on the stage. If a scene
has been filmed in several shots, with alternate takes of each shot, the editor may
select the best gestures and expressions. Through the addition of sound and the
combination with other shots, the performance can be built up further.
 Camera techniques also create a controlling context for acting. As the camera can be
at any distance from the figure, If the actor is far from the camera, he or she will have
to gesture broadly or move around to be seen as acting at all but if the camera and the
actor are inches apart, actor’s tiniest eye movement may be revealed.
 Through the editing techniques of varied camera angles and point of view shots,
Almodóvar conveys a sense of human interconnectivity and suggests the innate
humor behind melodramatic behavior.

Camera movement (cinematography) - Distortions of perspective: shape and scale

distorted, Wide angle/normal/telephoto, Wide angle exaggerates distance between
foreground and background, creates depth of field, shallow focus

Boom shot 1:17:35 to 1:17:41 reveals information, follows the character into action, captures
the world surrounding them, showing a comprehensive vie of the scene, viewers able to see
everything and know where the story is headed = context

1:17:56 to 1:18:03 is a pull out tracking shot

1:17:27 shot above, escalator moving, finishing with a close-up of Lucia’s head

Mobile framing, tracking shot

Steadicam can follow characters reframing them or not

Static shot – dialogue, allows actors’ performance to shine, zero camera movement

Dynamic shot –
Pan – shot following pepa entering

Tracking – moves with characters, follow

Trucking left or right

An example of camera movement would be the trucking shot between 1:16:57 until 1:17:06
where the camera follows Lucia to the right and again between 1:17:12 until 1:17:26.
Another example is the boom shot from 1:17:35 to 1:17:41 which shows us her view of the
airport whilst going up.

• camera’s vantage point is selective – defines the image

• the Lumiere brothers’ famous arrival of a train – a very dynamic framing yielding a
dynamic composition

• 1:17:06 to 1:17:12 long shot of Lucia (like with the train

Colour – speed of movement, slow/fast motion, time-lapse, reverse motion

Colours from beginning to 1:17:06 bright, then changing to darker like everything is with vignette
1:17:41 colours are bright again
There is an explosion of colour, everything is vibrant, vivid, vivacious. The reds are luscious, the
greens rich and the blues profound.
The colour scheme alone does a good portion of the work of the film.
The use of colour in frame can also help direct a viewer’s eye. Triadic colour scheme / busy texture
Having ur suject lit surrounded by darkness
Colours can be an important component of setting
The dark colours make bright colours stand out
Parallels amongst various settings can be created by the recurrence of drab green backgrounds and
cold blue props and costumes
Can support the narrative development, everything should contribute to the feeling of the story

Diegetic sound – any voice, musical passage, or sound effect presented as originating from a
source (like barking dogs), music from radios, CD players, characters hear the sound, implied
to be present, character’s speech and voice, sounds made by objects and props in the
storyline

Framing
 • camera’s vantage point is selective – defines the image, aspect ratio – cinemascope
(The Robe), off-screen space – where do characters go when they leave the frame?
angle (low, high)

• distance: close-up/medium/long shot

• canted frames (top not horizontal to ground)

• no hard and fast meanings – they have a function in the system

• Mobile framing: tracking shots; tilts; pans; crane; helicopter; handhelds; Steadicam

• can follow characters, reframing them, or not

Lighting – interesting sets demand to be well lit, foreground/ background – creation of

depth, quality soft or hard, direction from below or above, left, right, rear light

Non-diegetic sound – background, only the audience can hear, characters don’t react,
enhances the experience of the audience, ‘mood’ music added to enhance the feelings and
emotions of the action within the screen, sound effects added in post-production for
dramatic effect, not implied by on-screen actors, narrator’s voiCE

Setting / Location- because they believe that greater realism can be achieved in a "real"
place; why setting means more than physical location in space.

The writer/screenwriter may have chosen a specific setting so they it plays against certain
themes or add more meaning. It could be as simple as making it relatable to viewers by
setting it

Photographic qualities – over and underexposure?

Bordwell and Thompson's "Film Art".

EDITING: FIND MORE EXAMPLES

• editing dominated by the need for continuity, because that ensures narrative
coherence, and the art of film is dominated by the mode of entertainment (rather
than political persuasion or art) and narrative is a key means for the delivery of
entertainment

• use of 180 degree rule so characters stay in the same place In the frame from shot to
shot

• The “180° rule,” shown in the diagram w, dictates that the camera should stay in
one of the areas on either side of the axis of action (an imaginary line drawn
between the two major dramatic elements A and B in a scene, usually two
characters).

• matches on action to imply the same movement, to imply continuity

  this combines different shots, fragments, and is one way of organising space, time,
graphic elements

 a single, long, take would be another way

 but editing is typically done in such a way as to help use to see the links between the
elements – to foster a sense of continuity in time and space

 The shots can be linked by graphic; rhythmic; spatial, temporal matches

 typically an establishing shot enables us to situate each shot within a bigger whole,
but not necessarily used

 sometimes, as with Kuleshov effect, close-up assumed to be in relation to each

other

 parallel editing – crosscutting – for suspense (to suggest associations and conceptual
links)

 can be used to expand/contract time – sometimes for suspense/heightened effect

frantic action = rapid cutting

Eyeline match – cutting to character’s perspective and what they saw – 1:18:05 – builds intrigue
by waiting to see what they see
How we pace a scene can affect emotion, style and tone. Is your scene mournful and
contemplative? Hold on shot for longer.
Dialogue scenes – held for longer
“An example of editing would be between 1.08.32 and 1.09.16, when the dialogue between x and y is
accompanied by a shot-reverse-shot sequence, which starts with a medium shot of x taken from y’s
point of view, and ends with a close-up of y.”

Graphically continuous, spatially/ temporally continuous, discontinuity, crosscutting, 180 system?

Continuity
There are two types of continuity in film: temporal continuity and spatial continuity. Temporal
continuity ensures that a film seems to flow continuously in time, and spatial continuity ensures that
the geography of a scene stays consistent

 match on action: film different shots of the same action with different framing/camera
positions, so you can cut between the different shots when you edit
 shot-reverse shot: film in one direction, then in roughly the opposite direction
 the 180 degree rule: by keeping your camera on one side of an imaginary line, you’ll ensure
that the shots make sense together

+ If you just film from one side, or in one direction, you only show half the space. To show more,
film shot-reverse shot.
180 degree rule – the gun scene
Eyeline match – conversationg of ivan and pepa

Continuos background sound

An example of editing is between 1:19:10 and 1:20:21 during Ivan and Pepa’s conversation where a
shot-reverse-shot and eyeline match show both perspectives, including a medium shot of Ivan
through Pepa’s perspective and a close-up of Pepa. Also from 1:18:08 to 1:19:13 the 180 degree rule
of editing can be observed.

LIGHTING
Much of the impact of an image comes from its manipulation of lighting. Lighter and darker areas
within the frame help create the overall composition of each shot and thus guide our attention to
certain objects and actions. A brightly illuminated patch may draw our eye to a key gesture, while a
shadow may conceal a detail or build up suspense about what may be present. Lighting can also
articulate textures: the curve of a face, the grain of a piece of wood, the sheen of a glass…
Highlights and shadows create our sense of a scene’s space. At the same time, it sets up a scale of
importance, emphasizing the protagonist by making him the most frontal and clearly lit figure.
The proper use of light can embellish and dramatize every object.
Lighting quality refers to the relative intensity of the illumination.
In nature, the noonday sun creates hard lights, while an overcast sky creates a soft light.
Frontal lighting = eliminate shadows, fairly flat-looking image
Sidelight = sculpt the character’s features
Backlighting = creates silhouettes
In 4.66 you can see three-point lighting, which centres all attention on the character.
Light and shadow – chiaroscuro, can turn even the most typical shot into gold
Lighting itself plays a massive role – can help determine the mood, guide a viewer’s eye and provide
insight on a character
Natural – fires included
Artificial
Ambient lighting – any lights included on the location which the crew didn’t bring – street lamps,
neon signs, or the moon
Practical – anything in the frame
Reflective light – the amount of light that reaches the camera
Colour temperature – daylight is bluer
Exposure is the amount of light that reaches the sensor or film stock
Contrast ratio
High and low-key lighting – brighter happier scenes / darker, dramatic scenes
Soft lighting – happier / romantic scene, creates a diffused illumination, blunts contours and makes
for gentler contrasts between light and shade.
Hard lighting creates clearly defined shadows, crisp textures, and sharp edges
Dumb side – lighting the side of a subject which is closer to the camera, more approachable
feeling
Smart side – lighting the side of a subject not facing camera, dramatic look

SOUND – speech, music, noise, sound effects:

• Music might relate to a given character/group of protagonists, to plot situation

• Might relate to the time, place

• The fact of it being diegetic or not, internal or external, adds a layer to that relation

• Source sound seen as more realistic, tries to influence us less overtly – hence
absence of non-diegetic music/sound seen as realistic

• sound not just an accompaniment to the images – often produced separately, can
be adjusted separately and doesn’t have to repeat what we see in the images

• can direct our attention to specific things we see in the image

• sound that does not repeat what we see: non-simultaneous, off-screen,

discontinuous. Here (The Mirror, Tarkovskii) we see a burning barn but hear the
sound of rain, creating a strange and unsettling feeling.

INDIEGETIC SOUND – everything experiences by the audience, sound effect, can enhance
motion, movement and intensity, can be used for comedy,
An example of indiegetic sound would be between 1:16:58 and 1:17:42, where the scenes are
accompanied by a dramatic music, which intensifies gradually until Ivan is seen at 1:17:42. Another
example would be from 1:20:20 when there is sad music playing after Pepa and Ivan’s dialogue,
continuing until 1:20:44.

DIEGETIC SOUND – everything the characters experience, inform setting, expand the world
beyond what we see in the frame, real suspense,
1:17:52 when the car stops suddenly and we can hear the breaks, 1:17:55 the women shouting and
rushing showing the urgency, intensity and seriousness of the situation
+ when the shot was fired and everybody went down, showing their fear and distress
Dialogue / Internal diegetic, thoughts

Diegetic sound is shown at 1:17:52 when the car stops suddenly and the breaks are heard, the shots
fired at 1:18:34 or another example would be any of the dialogues shown, for instance, between
Pepa and Ivan – 1:19:10 to 1:20:21 or the girls in the end– from 1:21:25 to 1:21:45.

PROPS OR ANIMATION
When an object in the setting has a function within the ongoing action, we can call it a prop. In the
course of a narrative a prop can become a motif.

Props are an important part of filmmaking. Props is short for property, and refers to items
owned by or belonging to a character in a film. Props are crucial in the story-telling; they
complement and motivate the character, helping the actor feel more 'the part', setting the
scene, identifying a particular time and place and cultural setting, sometimes even becoming
a huge focus of the film. A prop is something that a character interacts with.

Props can define a film! They “can make a scene feel more authentic” (VrU76c). Indiana
Jones’s bullwhip, Luke’s lightsaber, Wilson in Castaway, Ripley’s flamethrower, and the list
could go on and on. And what is the point of these? Giving the character a defining item,
and the audience something to remember the film for. It helps a film scene feel more
authentic and it helps the actors play their roles better at times because they can have a
physical interaction.

Props are usually physical items that can describe a character in a way, and help you
remember them

Shallow focus – dialogue between ivan and his girlfriend – in the background we can see lucia
coming up from the escalator – effectively removes the noise around the characters and keeps our
focus uninterrupted

In simple moments of conversioons or moments or emotions, prioritse the connection to what really
matters and keep our focus on the characters

Pay attention to something in particular, romantic effect, isolate a subject, embed a meaning,
suggest an emotional state, emphasise something

Follow shots

Rack focus – adjust focal plane, change focus, focus direction, control the eyes of the viewers,
emotional connection, make from a to b more profound, reduces shoot time, allows entire sequence
to play out in a single shot, create a connection between elements
Transitioning between different points of focus

Depth of field = Focus

Deep focus – everything is in focus, more visual information, allows viewers to explore at their own
pace, allows actions to stay in full view, our own eyes do the editing, ensure each element is equally
clear, layered images

Soft – out of focus, no portion is 100% sharp, enhance atmosphere, flashbacks

FRAMING
Single – 1:20:24 dirty single because the crows is in the back
Two shot
Crowd shot 1:18:34
Over the shoulder shot – get a perspective from both sides and feel included in the moment
1:19:30 until 1:19:40
Shot choices help establish the meaning of a scene. The tone, the rhythm
Wide shot – is used to visually represent characters relationship to their environment, lonely or
overwhelmed
Tells a story with the character’s face but also furthers the story with their body, posture and
wardrobe, make statements about a subjects physicality or present a character in their full glory
Medium Full or Cowboy Shot – use when you need to present a subject as confident, dangerous or
confrontational
Medium Close up at 1:19:40– reducing distraction, prioritising story and character
High Close up – shows directly characters thoughts and feelings 1:19:45
Medium (until chest) – more neutral, it captures the characters similar to how we interact with people,
use when u need to dig into a subject’s eyes without losing their physicality or environment

An example of Framing would be the dirty single shot at 1:20:24, the crowd shot at 1:18:34, the over
the shoulder shot continuing from 1:19:30 to 1:19:40, the medium close up of Ivan at 1:19:40 or the
high close-up of Pepa during their dialogue, for instance, at 1:19:45.
01:16:49 to minute 01:21:45

As you would expect, mise-en-scene includes those aspects of film that overlap with the art of
theatre: setting (set design), lighting, costume, behaviour of the figures, framing. In controlling the
mise-en-scene the director stages the event for the camera, It means placement on stage

There is mise en scene or montage

An unexpected change in lighting may enhance a dramatic effect

Actors can improvise their performances, making the films’ mise-en-scene more spontaneous and
unpredictable

Mise-en-scene might be used to create an impression of realism

The drama on the screen can exist without actors. A banging door, a leaf in the wind, waves beating
on the shora can heighten the dramatic effect. Some film masterpieces use man only as an
accessory, like an extra

The plot revolves around a

In one scene

They have stages the scene so that the kitchen and bedroom serves as two arenas for the action…

Natural mise en scene – familiar and realistic

Theatrical – unintended to be normal

Mise en scène

• ‘the director’s control over what appears in the film frame’ (B&T)

• the most theatrical, straightforward and untechnical.

• Three principal facets:

1. Setting and décor, costume

2. lighting

3. acting /behaviour of the figures