Film Aesthetics

Once we have accepted the notion that studying the cinema isn’t an absurd idea,
the question arises: How do we study the cinema? The cinema has been studied
from a multitude of approaches. Following, and modifying, a list, we can identify ten
approaches to the cinema (the list is not long);
1. A technological history which may emphasize pioneers, such as the Lumiere
brothers or Edison, and/or technological innovations such as the coming of sound,
the development of colour.
2. A study of techniques: either historically, which asks questions such as: when was
the first close-up used? Or critically and analytically.
3. A study of personalities (studio, Moghuls, stars.....)
4. Study of the relation between film and other acts, usually theatre or a novel.
5. A sequence of past events of old films.
6. Film in relation to society. Film can be studied in relation to important social
events, such as the second world war.
7. History of Hollywood studios
8. Study of directors
9. Study of genres – either formally or as a social ritual
10. Regulation of the film industry by means of censorship and anti trust.

Mise -en-scēne
One of the most frequently used terms in film analysis is mise-en-scēne, which
literally translates as ‘putting on stage’ or ‘staging’. The term originates from the
theatre, where it designates everything that appears on stage-set design, lighting
and character movement. Mise-en-scēne often has a vague meaning: it is either
used in a very broad way to mean the filmed events together with the way those
events are filmed. Or it is used in a narrower sense (close to its original theatrical
meaning), to designate the filmed events. Mise-en-scēne in its narrower sense
means what appears in front of the camera-set design, lighting and character
movement. Another term used to name the filmed events is mise-en-scēne, are
filmed-namely, mise-en-shot, which literally means ‘putting into shots’ or simply
‘shooting’
Mise-en-shot
The distinction between mise-en-scene (staging) and mise-en-shot (shooting, or
filming), have been established. Mise-en-scene designates the filmed events-set
design, lighting and the movement of the actors. In this sense, mise-en-scene refers
to a stage of film production that exits prior to filming. We can clearly understand
from the way it’s filmed. The process of filming, of translating mise-en-scēne into
film, is called mise-en-shot, a term invented by the Soviet film maker Sergei
Eisenstein.
A major part of the art of filmmaking involves the interaction between the filmed
events mise-en-scēne and the way they are filmed (mise-en-shot). To make a
successful film, filmmakers need to establish a productive relation between mise-en-
scēne and mise-en-shot.
The main parameters of mise-en-shot include:
• The position of the camera • Style of movement • scaling of shots • One shot
duration • Progress of editing
Let’s look at the options directors have in rendering a scene on film. The three
options are:
• Using a long take • Using deep focus photography • Using continuity editing
The long take
The long take is the name given to a shot of long duration. In itself, this definition is
not very informative, because we have no background information with which to
define ‘long duration. Fortunately, the work of the film analyst Barry Salt, who
calculated the average length of shots in Hollywood films across the decades. The
work he carried out is extensive and detailed and the results reveal the most
common shot lengths for each decade. Example: the most common shot length in
1940s Hollywood films is 9 seconds. This means that, in a Hollywood film of the
1040s, there is on average, a change in shot every 9seconds. What this average can
define are the deviations from the norm, such as the long take. A long take in the
1940s is obviously longer than 9 seconds.
Deep focus photography
All three, Foreground, middle-ground, background are focused all the time during the
photography of deep focus which provides space for several action shot at the same
time. These shots can be edited together to present action..
The long take and deep focus photography are usually combined. Orson Welles was
one of the most celebrated directors in 1940s Hollywood who consistently used the
long take with deep focus photography. Several scenes in Welles’ films Citizen Cane
(1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) were filmed using the extended take
with great depth of field. The extended take plus great depth of field is therefore one
of the obvious choices made by Welles.
Why did Welles make this choice? We can only answer this question by taking into
account, The Magnificent Ambersons which has the most well-known great depth of
field. In the parlour scene Welles uses an extended take with great depth of field
photography. In the front George sits on the left while his aunty feeds him Strawberry
shortcake. The anxiety is that in fact they are discussing about Eugene, with aunt
Fanny is in love with. Uncle Jack jumps into the scene and pokes fun of aunty
Fanny’s love for Eugene. She runs out of the shot sobbing. The camera remains in
the same location while this is happening, with a trivial camera movement for
reframing.
The way Welles shot this scene suggests that he was unwilling or refused to
interrupt the events as they unfolded and developed. In other words, the translation
of mise-en-scēne into mise-en-shot is kept to a minimum. Andrē Bazin a film critic
had this to say about this shot:
‘The option not to move the camera all through the scene’s length, especially when
Agnes Moorehead is in an emotional crisis and rushes away (the camera keeping its
focus stubbornly glued to the strawberry shortcake), is significant to making us testify
to the the event in the position of a man helplessly strapped to an armchair.’
What Bazin recommends is that the still nature of the camera for an extended
sequence of the boundary of time the audience’s participation with the events and
characters. The extended take takes the spectators away from the events and
characters
Continuity Editing
Editing simply means the break down shots or scenes using the techniques of
editing. It is advantageous if you don’t want to waste so much time and money on
extended takes and great depth of field photography. Continuity editing is a lot like
creating a synthetic unity of space and time from the scene or cuts. Filmmakers may
undeniably use editing instead of the long take. To define that preference, let’s figure
out what are the techniques of continuity editing. Shots that are controlled and
regulated by a series of techniques, that would enable the spectators to make sense
of it, and not just randomly sticking together pieces of scenes and shots together.
Take for an example a jigsaw puzzle, it’s just like that, you fit the all of it together to
finally design a whole picture. When we watch a movie with editing, our minds try to
fit the shots and give it meaning or realization. Technically, each film creates
understanding and directs the spectator by using the 180° axis of action line. Please
keep in mind that scenes are filmed and cut so it places the spectator on the same
side of the story action. The spectator is always taken to the fourth wall. The point of
action (or centre) becomes an illusionary vector of movement, actor placement and a
look in the scene should not deviate over the axis. In all the regulations, is the axis
line followed?, screen direction will be followed, whenever there is a cut. Here are
some styles that creates understanding and direction-
• The eye line match
• The match on action
• Continuity direction
• Cutting at the point of view
An example of an eye line match would be this – A shot of a woman, she turns and
glances to the left, in the next shot, the object or subject should be shown. A match
on action, is a cut from one shot to another, the action is continued from one shot to
the next. It is this continuity of the same action that creates coherence and
orientation. In direction of continuity, is where a character exits the shot from the
right of the screen, than he enters from the left in the next shot. Point of view
continuity, is basically moving the camera as a character would. Example, if the
character is drunk than the camera would sway from left to right, just as a drunk
would and eventually go out of focus, which represents the blurred vision of a drunk.
Editing versus the long take Scenes only come together when the shots are edited
together, would you shift vantage points on the events and actors just to risk
disorienting the spectator? The director who insists on complete control over events
and actors was Hitchcock. To shoot a long scene continuously may make you loose
your grip, cinematically of course. The screen speaks its own language and by
treating each scene as a piece of raw material, It manages to maintain its expressive
visual pattern. The advantage of editing over the long take and deep focus is that the
director can fully involve the spectator in the action. In Hitchcock’s movie Notorious,
Dalin rescues the undercover spy Alicia from the house of the Nazi, Alex Sebastian.
The action in this scene is simple, Dalin guides Alicia down the stairs and through
the front door, while the other nazis and Alex’s mother watches.
Why did Hitchcock use 57 shots in only 2 minutes 5 seconds. There are 5 set-ups
with rapid cuts – 15 shots were on Dalin and Alicia, 17 shots on Alex, 5 shots on
Alex’s mother, the Nazis 9 shots. By cutting all this 5 points together, the spectators
get to know all the events, and access the characters reaction as the events unfolds.
The surprising thing about this is that the rapid cuts do not speed up the action, but
actually slows it down especially descending down the stairs. It prolongs the
suspense.
Editing in Jurassic park
In the opening scene of Jurassic Park, the scene where the wardens are releasing
the dinosaur. In this scene where one of the wardens is pulled in by the dinosaur,
has 43 shots and it is 2 minutes 30 seconds. The main reason for having such rapid
editing is to get the spectator into the action where inserts of two points outside the
crate and inside the crate. In the filmmaking process, rapid editing was used by
Spielberg to get the spectators into the action, rather than focus on character
performance. Spielberg very seldom uses storyboards, he instead breakdowns the
scenes and draws out the action, but it contains camera angles, camera movement
and the placement of characters.
Montage
Continuity editing attempts to create a coherent scenic space whereas montage
editing attempts to create symbolic meanings. It achieves this by juxtaposing shots
together. Continuity on the other hand is simply sequential editing. The symbolic
meanings created by montage is also called Associations. In simply means creating
a chain of associations that has no connection to one another. For an example an
Egyptian hieroglyphs, two hieroglyphs may not make any sense but it is in the
simplest form, it represents a product. The value of another degree, each taken
separately corresponds to an object and concept. Example:-The representation of
water of an eye signifies to weep – that’s montage for you. So basically hieroglyphs
and montage create abstract and symbolic meanings by juxtaposing concrete
objects. An example, the famous Odessa steps sequence, where the battleship
Potemkin fires on the headquarters. There are three shots of the stone lions, the first
depicts a lion lying down, the second depicts a lion seated and the third a lion
standing up. What does it mean? When these three shots are put together, it depicts
that the stone lion has moved from a sleeping position and has stood up. It gives the
impression or the illusion of a lion being woken up.