Mise-En-Scene Production Folder by Mary Martins

U1012882

The Project The first project for this semester is called ‘Mise-‐En-‐Scene’, which is french for ‘what’s in the frame’. Marc and Mike have asked us to find three photographs and research the photographer of the one we choose. We then have to shoot a 1-‐minute scene bringing the photo to life. We have to consider the aims of the photographer and from there formulate our own narrative in order to stimulate our own imagination and creative thinking.

I first selected a photograph by Diego Ferrari. A photographer who I met a couple of summer’s ago through a good friend. We met at a bizarre exhibition of a photographer who lost her memory due to falling off a ladder and getting electrocuted on holiday in Spain. So we chatted and exchanged emails, I also looked up his work on ‘Urban Habitat’ as it was closely related to my experimental film on ‘London Metropolis’. The second photograph that I looked at was by a wedding photographer who is based in York, UK, called Andy Gaines. I immediately thought of ‘journeys’ when I looked at his photograph. The third photo that I looked at is unnamed and a more experimental approach to Mise-‐En-‐ Scene or what is described as ‘the magical powers of ‘mise-‐en-‐scene’ and ‘cinematic conjuring’ in Film Art by Bordwell and Thompson.

Film Art-‐ Bordwell and Thompson Mise-‐En-‐Scene ‘What’s in the frame?’ An expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means “visual theme” or “telling a story”—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction. Mise-‐en-‐scène is a French term and originates in the theater. It means, literally, "put in the scene." For film, it has a broader meaning, and refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including the composition itself: framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and gen eral visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the composition. Mise-‐en-‐scène can be defined as the articulation of cinematic space, and it is precisely space that it is about.

U1012882

Choosing 3 Photographs Three images that I stumbled across whist doing a search online: The first is by Diego Ferrari and is photographed at the Barbican Centre.

U1012882

Ink in Glass could be filmed and then the frame rate can be manipulated to create a scene more experimental and abstract.

U1012882

Urban Habitat: A Co-‐existence of the senses Diego Ferrari Photography Diego Ferrari described his work as follows: “In urban space I see an expression of a particular society’s values regarding democracy, identity and citizenship. Public and private space are key elements of the imagined communities we call nations. This project, investigate the individual’s relationship with their private habitat and the social built environment. From these two realms we construct our personal meaning of place. The private and the social realm are not segregated, of course; but the spatial ambiguity created between the personal subjectivity and social objectivity is a fertile platform to critically elaborate a psychological as well as bodily and metaphysical relationship to space. A lived in space always transcends geometry and measurability.”

U1012882

His work draws inspiration from Philosophy and in particular, the branch of Metaphysics, which deals with how we perceive the world. The Poetics of Space is a book by Gaston Bachelard. Bachelard applies the method of phenomenology to architecture basing his analysis not on purported origins but on lived experience of architecture. He is thus led to consider spatial types such as the attic, the cellar, drawers and the like. This book implicitly urges architects to base their work on the experiences it will engender rather than on abstract rationales that may or may not affect viewers and users of architecture. It is about the architecture of the imagination. Sometimes the house of the future is better built, lighter and larger than all the houses of the past, so that the image of the dream house is opposed to that of the childhood home…. Maybe it is a good thing for us to keep a few dreams of a house that we shall live in later, always later, so much later, in fact, that we shall not have time to achieve it. For a house that was final, one that stood in symmetrical relation to the house we were born in, would lead to thoughts—serious, sad thoughts—and not to dreams. It is better to live in a state of impermanence than in one of finality. —Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space

U1012882

Andy Gaines Photography http://andygaines.com/andy-‐gaines-‐creative/shed-‐7-‐chris-‐helme-‐york-‐barbican-‐york-‐ wedding-‐photographer-‐mixing-‐it-‐up/ Photograph Untitled A gig in York, UK Although Andy Gaines photograph may not be as intellectually challenging as Ferrari’s, I am still however drawn to the exciting possibilities that it holds. Following the movement of feet in a subway could be very challenging in terms of applying the right technique and process. It can formulate into an exciting piece of experimental cinema.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Analysis of the photograph: A man going to a gig in York, UK Subway/train station Following a person on a journey Focusing on the feet and legs and not the entire body Stranger Pace and rhythm Beginning or end of a journey Meeting someone or going home Do the legs interact with other passengers? Sense of isolation and mystery Rush hour or late at night Peaceful and calm Character

U1012882

Every time we use the tube, we are surrounded by thousands of strangers, most of them we will never see again. We are merely feet and legs as we travel around London living our separate lives. We go to work, to a gig, meet up with a friend for dinner or coffee; we make hundreds of journeys in a year, touching in and out. I will follow these feet and watch these legs at Kings Cross station as they make their journey around London on a Friday night. Their movement is a mystery to me but their presence is intriguing.

U1012882

Preparing to film With the use of a steady cam and a Canon 500D, the scene will be shot at Mile End, Bethnal Green or Stepney Green station. • •

• • • •

I would film a commuter’s legs as they step off the train and exit the station going up the staircase. The scene will look at how he interacts with other legs that surround him on the platform and use that to build up a narrative. Does he meet someone on the platform, at the bottom of the stairs or at the top of the stairs? Does someone get close to him and he steps away or will the camera watch him as he moves in and out from other legs. Film other objects that may spontaneously enter the scene. Place the camera under a chair on the platform to film legs stepping off the train and entering the train. Film the various textures in close up on the floor of the platform Incorporate varying speeds into the post-‐production stages, such as slow motion, reverse and increasing speed.

The Steady Cam

I am very lucky to get my hands on one of this; unfortunately it is only on loan from a friend. Changing the location to film…

U1012882

Kings X Station

Bethnal Green Station

U1012882

Bank/Monument Station

Initially I was considering constructing an ambient sound for the film but the diegetic sound may suffice. It adds to the busy commuter’s journey. The juxtaposition of the sound of people talking, train doors opening and the infamous ‘mind the gap’ will help build up my portrait of The Underground.

Diegetic Versus Non-‐Diegetic Sound Diegetic sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film: * Voices of characters * sounds made by objects in the story * music represented as coming from instruments in the story space Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film’s world Digetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. Another term for diegetic sound is actual sound

U1012882

Diegesis is a Greek word for “recounted story” The film’s diegesis is the total world of the story action Non-‐Diegetic sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action: * Narrator’s commentary * sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect * mood music Non-‐diegetic sound is represented as coming from a source outside story space. The distinction between diegetic and non-‐diegetic sound depends on our understanding of the conventions of film viewing and listening. We know of that certain sounds are represented as coming from the story world, while others are represented as coming from outside the space of the story events. A play with diegetic and non-‐diegetic conventions can be used to create ambiguity (horror), or to surprise the audience (comedy).

U1012882

Toronto Street Art -‐Artist Unknown Subway art has used the underground as a canvas, another way to explore the interaction with those around us. There is something quite intriguing about a subway, it seems to connect us with the rest of the world, with strangers but those we share the world with. We seldom talk and some people we will never see again.

I have managed to stumble across of couple of artists that work around the theme of journeys.

David Nash on Journey’s… David Nash is a British sculptor based in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Nash has worked worldwide with wood, trees and the natural environment capturing the theme of journey’s and space. Nash’s adopts a more abstract perspective on journeys; perhaps he is looking at the spiritual nature or a life journey.

U1012882

Inspiration from Andy Goldsworthy Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-‐ specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. I like how he has worked with natural materials to capture the theme of journeys. He is interested in individual and day-‐to-‐day journeys.

U1012882

Thinking about camera angles…

U1012882

Reflecting… Today I have been editing my mise-‐en-‐scene film and although a little disappointed with what I shot, it can still be developed and seen as work in progress. Andy Gaines took the photo of a man on his way to a gig in York. I could have re-‐created that and perhaps filmed someone on his or her way to a gig in Brixton or Hammersmith but would the station have resembled the one in the photo? It would have also been nice to follow someone with the steady cam but as the steady cam needed additional weights to support and balance my camera, this was not possible. Also, due to the amount of staff at Kings X I would have needed to gain permission to film at the station.

? r,J

s-r

; .'ts :) \]ary ..)

&l '-l

=:l Crl

-l

i.l

"] ,')bv '+?

\,J

L.{P

a-1

'4(-\

P\trr.r ci<(.5

'e '7

.ts

J ::/t

-r"')t L

.Y,r<:J :: i9 'i !.iv*t

-.J

-:b\-

Ld nr-\

't:. Y .rt*r .: :-

LAFLzTF t_

g, '.r

{t'.t

FJE

iJzJ L, L'JI_'i :g

t, l:

f.\2!1 L. .i/

I1.5

'-;

;-r-

\! i=

T {. rvz. \,

\v" I

i:rG

(;

{

{)

,:3

/-)

r.i

'lt >

r*1

i4 I

J:i

''1 .>

l-:

lr ?

.5 J

---)

\t ..\

.i/ f.1

L\)

'.iJ 3 w-l

'!;

\i i

\ L

t2 -,

LLr

r! lJ

a) "2 d1

"{r\r

'.4

--i"

t.-

\*.i

a\ +

P ,{_l

(\,J

U ,g

J ?

tJ 4v .-)

;

J 4+

4 d

;{ */ t,

g,FI .,.1 :1 l19 I i .<-I d'I I

f'l

tjt

5 I s-l "t lt"l

<i.r .ul:

1-13 tf

l--li rl

,.lJ

€ ') -J

<;l ]J

l'::

\\ rI

-J;

q= -l

\--'

-J

irs

) ?

3 .rln

i-'

,;l

.-5

!r=l-

\\Jt

'.}

I F

vll r-l

r-4

I I

J,a

.:-

d.j^i"=

(

t.Ur.-

t ,! \-

J i-S ; 15J -r+v

t f (r

i€

['ll

$ req1"9

+ trtl>ti-xg?fl

l_tr1vQft

fri:6EJ

.J.* )

a]ltr\lp,-! ,?nl lS

{\r?va

lroW

**SnV71 €+\J4at\

I Fnor'*.1*pt"g tnol'rt.,+t)q Z t tlet-r))i ?H} Co r44}, "vt^yZlr

aF-L

rvl t*"J,*+l ,Vlt*f

t I

$J J]

i 1

Jrf

? {:

{,r Jri

".1

.l)

l"l UI

r-?i l

,rQ't +i

?-i

A d

te r-i

T -.f 5

*lJ

-.t

$ ui g ti;

t:)r

.:)

TP =+

Yr'

{l JE

'il

ei +l

-_a .:l

-l

i.i

/\ *l 1i

\,!--

2l Li :i

+-:

-r

\r1r\.r4fl

n4l? ?.;i 3aV;"f r'tJP-Df'!'-'"""11

-!1:

-re?JTv$J f-l,S}]il-/rf

t,crtaY rvi nNrr:-vLj , ?V

\nflr -i l -4\./ llI

a L

3vvnlJo)

-eq,nO

*o1rJ

lsr-sraraU-1.

?l'r-.1- ?

t..n-.:Btn*I_4-1 i

rh#ad *l'rvr':3aar*

ruogdwo*/-.r ll4Mffda8 Qtt,S(j -

do 5n;orrdfln:s) 1vh4?*N

4^''9v}q)

Nl-t.'rAn 'f

a3g{.ry,1q.trJ

po f'!-}on1 Ar^l*r-dly\&) Allv}o} V 6)lff}-yr) J;})7W ,rarF,r€\ I

ry{lj

-r1o+1,]

? r.€?5=,

p;r\4\

- t"2 - }\!nl

d ?

0 Lz1

1 15

J al-

<..j

\r'

5!,

/ .? 2 :ua

4S :r> |5-

.'b

\J!

I I

) 4

ol +

,Ol

€

,t^

d, q

-.D

4 r{

1'/J

\] +l

{

A-

{i,,1

u.i.

Di :

$rl

'4-t

.q .l

)

:v4 fl/l

,\-

c-|

U'/I

2 .5

ri "l

o U

l-iJ

;L nf

3 {J

sl .sr

\41

"T\

.J;

L.r

,Jl

-r1

\l l

:J ,rl

) dl

dl q

'r9

o,! L-,\

t-i

{rl

J <l

!-r

ili

fi-+,, J,il

-l

H Ll

# ft

\} rl

-l

s u rl

: ,) c4

"tl

$,4

i \rf vll

l-l

i+ (J

J l

-J

J J

'44

,3 cl

u-l

{ti

4i a:

qI,

,!3 i?

..y

4 & i-

ntt

F -..j

J] L-i

.LJ

t-l

2 :l q F ill

ai rl

()

-dF rl 9 aL .l'l 3!/

r*l

4i .-l

l.Yi

ta \-i J {J

Lr .n

()? L

tAil

r;)

r-T

c.l

qB 1"

! u* o6 t

\j,) J L-

\!L q<,!,

? tr

*l "r \,

F U

-l

.-l c4

{-+:,

.,u

trt .4

i-r

\ it

il? s.o

€i

tt)

l']

{-,

.-{

\-;