LO3: Production Techniques

Production Techniques, need linking to meanings.

Mise-en-scene:
What you see in the shot, costume, lighting(low-key/high-key), location/iconography (time period, where we are), gestures, props, actors.

Mise-en-scene meaning, binary opposition (Levi Strauss 1958) narrative theory opportunities.

Mise-en-scene can also connect to sub-genre (Barry Keith Grant 1995), location and iconography, for example sci-fi films, a shot would show a futuristic landscape.

Acting gestures, stock characters Propp (1928).

X-Men days of future past example find out.

X-Men days of future past uses low-key lighting in the future fight scene, where the mutants battle with robot assassins sent to kill them. The whole setting is dark, which connotes danger and death. The robot assassins themselves due to lighting have been made out to be the darkest characters in the film, which connotes that they are the most dangerous and possibly the most evil. Meanwhile the characters which are fighting the robot assassins are presented with high key lighting, which makes them look bright which connotes goodness. (Binary opposition Levi Strauss 1958, good vs evil).

X-Men days of future past also uses costume to show the reader that Wolverine has travelled back to 1973. The character Quicksilver wears a pink floyd t-shirt, which is a band which was very popular in the 70s, and the director makes the audience recognize this, becuase it is important that they know that Wolverine has travelled back in time, since it is important that the story line makes sense. This connects to the sub-genre (Barry Keith Grant 1995) of "time-travel", which is usually within the genre "Sci-Fi".

Mise-en-scene - what is included - relate to film meaning.
Camerawork - pick three key scenes.
Identify techniques - relate to film meaning.
Editing - same key scenes - continuity techniques.
Sound - diegetic, non diegetic - effect and impact.

MICRO Production techiniques
MACRO Meaning
Genre
Narrative + Story
Representation characters

Camerawork:
Shot types:
-Close-up
-Medium Close-up
-Extreme Close-up
-Long-shot
-Aerial-shot
-Establishing shot (wide shot)
-Mid shot
-Extrmeme Long Shot
-Two Shot
-Over the shoulder shot
-Crowd shot

Angles:
-dutch angle (connotes confusion)
-low angle
-high angle
-eye-level shot

Movements:
-track forward
-track backwards
-tracking (side)
-tilt shot
-panning shot
-hand held
-zoom

Composition:
-rule of thirds
-shallow depth of field (something in the foreground or background is in focus everything else blurred, connotes importance)
-deep depth of field

X-Men: Days of Future Past uses Camera Movements such as a tracking shot, and a dutch angle in the scene when Quicksilver runs incredibly fast, and the film slows down time to show what its like from his perspective when hes going so fast. Quick Silver runs on the floor, and the tracking shot follows him. The jacket that you see is silver, which makes the audience think of his naem "Quick Silver". The director has used this iconography of Quick Silver because the film fits into the Super Hero Theory (Barry Keith Grant 1995).

Editing Techniques:
Continuity:
-(Invisible)
-Shot-reverse-shot
-Insert
-Action match
-Eye-line-match
-Cross cutting

Non-Continuity:
(Notice the editing)
-Montage
-Flashback
-Flash forward

In X-Men Days of future past, the film incorporates flash backs and flash forwards, which are non-continuity techniques. The character who has the flash backs is wolverine, becuase of his traumatic past. The flash backs link to Tim O Sullivan et al. (1998) theory who thinks all media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves, which I think is saying, that some people can relate to Wolverine, becuase they also had a traumatic past (and may also have flash backs) which makes him appeal more as a character, since he learns how to over come his problems.

Sound:
Diegetic
Sound effects - foley
Ambrient and off screen sound
Wild track
-diaglogue - accent line - mode of adrdresss

Non-diegetic
-Theme music
-Incidental music
-Narrative
-Sound motif
-Sound bridge (invisible editing technique)

X-Men Days of Future Past uses Diegetic sound when Quicksilver puts his headphones in and listens to Pink Floyd. The Diegetic sound gets louder, as if the audience is hearing what Quicksilver is listening to. This again links to Barry Keith Grants theory, since the song links to the fact that they are in the 70s.