An introduction and guide to film studies

An activity booklet and guide to to film history,
mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing, designed for
GCSE Film Studies.

SECTION 1: A history of moving images, cameras and projection
YOUR SUMMARY OF THIS SECTION:
SECTION 2: The Lumiere brothers, short films and the feature film
SECTION 3: Hollywood and emerging technologies
SECTION 4: New cameras
SECTION 5: Today and the future

SECTION 1: A HISTORY OF MOVING IMAGES, CAMERAS AND PROJECTION
INTRODUCTION
Before we can look at the history we need to know why we call it film studies. Film is a complicated
noun. It means a lot and can being about emotive reactions. It can also be a verb. But what does it
mean and why do we use it.
Film itself refers to the material and object that traditionally was used to record, store and play back still
images. Today the vast majority of still and moving cameras, such as the ones in phones, tablets, DSLRs
and used to make feature films, use digital sensors to record images. Traditionally however, cameras
needed to be loaded with specially created material called film that reacted when light was shown onto
it. We’ll look at this in more detail below, but the important thing to know is that this was a very difficult
process and in order to create moving images, it essentially involved taking a lot of photos (still images)
in quick succession and then in-turn, these had to be shown in quick succession. Let’s take a look at the
development of film cameras and projection to see how we got to where we are today and to
understand how films get made.
THE EARLIEST PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE CAMERA OBSCURA
The invention of the still image camera was, like many inventions, developed by multiple people over the
course of history. But the camera was as we know it today, was invented by French inventor Joseph
Nicéphore Niépce in (around) 1816. Today we recognise Niépce as technically took the first photo on a
homemade camera and his image was forced onto silver chloride covered paper. The camera, as is the
case for all cameras now in some form, was essentially a closed box that was pitch black inside. When
light was let into the box via the lens, the ‘thing’ that the lens pointed at was then ‘burned’ onto the silver
chloride covered paper thus creating an image. The actual process was much more complex than this,
but it led the way for others to create processes that were more straight-forward.
You will find many different dates and names if you research “the first
camera” online however. Over a period of nearly 300 years people were
inventing and developing techniques for capturing and projecting images.
Niépce was the first to create and develop a photograph, though it wasn’t
particularly successful, as you can see to the left! However, as it can still be
seen in the University of Texas and is the oldest surviving photograph, it’s
regularly cited to be the first. The photo, taken from an upstairs window
at Niépce's estate in Burgundy, is of an unrecognisable image, in part due to
the way in which the process Niépce used chemical reactions to create an image.
The Daguerreotype process was the photographic process which was first widely
available to the public and created much more readily recognisable images.
From around 1840-1860, daguerreotypy became the world-wide standard for
creating images, after French inventor Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre introduced
the technique in 1839. To make the image, a sheet of silver-plated copper was
polished to a mirror finish and treated it with fumes that made its surface light
sensitive. Then it was exposed to light in a camera for as long as necessary, often
for a few seconds. The resulting image was made visible by using mercury vapor
and its sensitivity to light was removed a chemical treatment and then dried. The
final image was easily ruined so was kept behind glass as the surface was very delicate, and even the
lightest wiping could ruin it.

However, putting images behind glass wasn’t the intent of photographers-people wanted to see the
images and this has been the case for centuries. This desire to see images projected in large formats had
was most readily seen in the success of the camera obscura. These show how light can be used to project
an image onto a flat surface and can be made by anyone relatively easily. You may have also heard the
term pinhole camera. The only difference between a pinhole camera obscura and not, is that a basic
camera obscura uses a lens, while a pinhole just has the open hole.
This technology became popularized in the 17th and 18th centuries when artists used them to help
project drawings they could then trace.
But there was no actual way to preserve the image.
This is why we credit Joseph Nicéphore Niépce with inventing the camera because by 1816 he had
started, (though not fully successful) capturing images.
The earliest “cameras” weren’t used so much to take
pictures as they were to study optics. Camera
obscuras demonstrate how light can be used to project an
image onto a flat surface. In some cases, these are similar
to a pinhole camera. You may have also heard the term
pinhole camera. The only difference between a pinhole
camera and a camera obscura is that a basic camera
obscura uses a lens, while a pinhole just has the open hole.
Camera obscura’s became popular in the 17th and 18th
centuries when artists used them to help project drawings they could then trace or even paint, but there
was no way to preserve the image as a direct copy of what was shown: as a photograph. This is why
many people, including Joseph Nicéphore Niépce sought to invent the camera- because people wanted
to capture images.
THE EARLIEST MOVING IMAGES
Once the Daguerreotype process became familiar to many, not only were people looking to refine and
improve the process, but the desire to see images projected in a way like a camera obscura drove the
desire to see moving images. Early developments again came from France, and the Phenakisticope was
introduced in 1833 by inventor Joseph Plateau. This machine used a spinning
cardboard disc attached vertically to a handle. There were a series of pictures
showing different moments or images of something in motion and small slits that
were spaced evenly around the rim of the disc were used for the user to look
through whilst spinning the disc. The images within the phénakisticope became
distorted when spun fast enough to produce the illusion of movement and while
most animations were not intended to give a realistic representation, people still looked to improve upon
the process. The next machine to make a significant improvement was the which was a cylindrical
version of a phénakisticope and even had easily replaceable picture strips, was introduced as a toy
by Milton Bradley in 1866 and became very successful. The next step from this was to create realistic
images, and to do that, photographs were needed.
.
KINETOSCOPE AND THE BLACK MARIA
The inventor Thomas Edison met with Eadweard Muybridge in 1888 in part, to discuss how to develop a
system for projecting moving images. It was around this time that 35mm celluloid strips had become
available and offered a fairly accurate reproduction on them and with the development of long, flexible
celluloid strips by the Eastman Kodak Company, Edison and many others looked to take many
photographs of people and objects in motion so that, when viewed back at speed, the illusion of
movement was created. It was in this period that modern movies were essentially conceived and people
came to discover that by showing between 12 and 24 photographs per second, you could replicate

movement in a way that appeared to modestly realistic. These photographs
were taken by exposing light onto a strip or sheet of transparent plastic film
coated on one side with a very thick liquid, minute emulsion that contained
almost invisibly small light-sensitive silver halide crystals. The short name for
this? Film, film stock or film strip. What Edison and others needed, was now a
way to show or project these images quickly enough so that it appeared as if
they were moving. It was another French inventor. Louis Le Prince who
invented the kinetoscope, but it was Thomas Edison and his employee William Dickson who created the
first usable device. The kinetoscope was not a projector rather a wooden cabinet that one person could
look into at a time. A series of spindles and an electronic wheel drew film continuously underneath a
magnifying lens while an electric lamp shone up from beneath the film through a lens for the person to
look through to see the moving image. The fundamental parts of this were later used for the opposite
purpose-to make a camera which fed ‘blank’ film reels through the machine and let light in at specific
moments. This was called the kinetograph. Of course, because film stock reacted to light, and Edison
knew that in order to capture the images he wanted, he needed to control light itself. So, in 1893, he
built what is now known as the first production studio, called the Black Maria. The Black Maria was
covered in black paper and had a huge window in the ceiling that opened up to let in sunlight to help
produce clear images on film. To help this further, the building was also constructed on a giant turntable
so the window could rotate toward the sun throughout the day,
supplying the light Edison needed for the production of movies. When
word spread about the new invention, performers flocked to the Black
Maria from all over the country in order to be in the films. People such
as dancers, pugilists, magicians and vaudeville performers all wanted
to be in these moving image movies. Edison was happy to oblige, as
he saw these as publicity opportunities and would often pose with the
performers for newspaper articles.
THE KINETOGRAPH AND THE CINEMATOGRAPH
It was around the same time that Edison was inventing the Kinetograph and creating the Black Maria,
that two French Brothers were also looking at the issues of recording and projecting images to create
movies. Their invention was called the cinematograph and was remarkably unique as it was both a
camera, could develop the images on film and project the images it had taken. It
was lighter than a kinetograph, produced a brighter image and projected a
sharper image than the kinetoscope. Whilst Edison’s machines were powered
using electricity, the Lumiere’s instead used manually-operated cranks, but the
main difference was in its method of projection. The kinetoscope only allowed
one person at a time to view the projected image and in a box. The
cinematograph however, could project the moving images onto a screen, so that
a large audience could wat at the same time. The Lumiere brothers then invented
the cinema. After its initial showing in 1895, the cinematograph became a
worldwide phenomenon with people watching the projected images back in fairs
and exhibitions. Movies were short (less than
1 minute) and often simply recorded a small
section of everyday life, like short
documentaries and it was in the power of
watching something or someone that audiences had never seen
before, that the power of the cinema began to emerge. The first
moving images by the brothers was recorded and projected in
1895, with the short film Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory.
TASK:
Below is a timeline with 10 spaces on it. Read back through the information about and add 10 key
moments of your choice from the history of the camera, images and projection. You can choose any 10

but you MUST be able to summarise what that moment, invention or person is/did in the space provided
and be able to add these in chronological order. The last one has been added for you as an example.
1895

TASK:
In no more than 100 words in the space below, explain which development or invention was the most
important from 1816-1895, giving reasons why.
TASK:
As we discovered when reading about the work of others, that to create something that looked like it
was moving realistically, between 12 and 24 shots had to be shown in the correct order every second.
Most films these days run at around 24fps. Calculate how many individual shots ate used in films of
different lengths. Add your answer to the right of the run time but there is space below to do some
working out.
1 minute long.
24 minutes long.
An hour long.
A film that is one and a half hours long.
A two hour long film.
The runtime of the last two Avengers films.
The runtime of Lawrence of Arabia.
The total runtime of all the MCU films…
TASK: Draw 24 frames of a story. It’s up to you what this story contains, what part of the film it is from
and who the story features, but it must ‘move slowly’, as these frames will only last for one second of
screen time! This means that the images should only change slightly from one frame to the other, perhaps
with only the slightest of differences between the images.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN FILM AND FILM TECHNOLOGY
As we’ve seen, the technology to record images and then project them in a way that
created the sense that the images were moving realistically took a lot of development but this
happened in a very short space of time. We generally accept that film as an art form began in
1895, but the technology used to make films has changed dramatically since then. Whilst the
last 10 years in particular has seen a drastic change, with the introduction of things like drones,
LED-panel screens for studios, motion-capture and more, we’re going to study and learn 10 key
pieces of technology and events that have helped to create the modern film industry.
The 10 key events are as follows:
1895 First moving images (Lumière brothers)
1895-1927 Development of silent cinema from early short films to full-length
feature films, during which period the foundations of filmmaking
were established – e.g. cinematography, the principles of
lighting and continuity editing and an extensive range of mise-en-
scène, including location shooting
1920s Gradual emergence of a vertically integrated Hollywood film
industry, established by 1930 into five major studios (Paramount,
Warner Bros, Loew's/MGM, Fox [Twentieth Century Fox in
1935] and Radio Keith Orpheum [RKO]) and three minor studios
(Columbia, Universal and United Artists) – the so-called Big 5
and Little 3
1927 Alan Crosland's, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson - the first
feature film with a soundtrack
1935 Rouben Mamoulian's Becky Sharp, the Technicolor Corporation's
first feature length, 'three strip' colour film
1948 Paramount court case which prevented studios from owning all
phases of the production, distribution and exhibition process
('vertical integration') which led, in the 1950s, to the emergence
of independent film production and agents producing films for
the Hollywood studios to distribute and exhibit
1950s Emergence of widescreen and 3D technologies as a response to
the growth of television and the corresponding decline in cinema
attendance
Late 1950s Although not the first examples, lightweight, portable cameras
were produced suitable for hand-held use (which had an
immediate impact on documentary filmmaking and were used by
a new generation of directors in France – French 'new wave'
directors)

1970s (1975
specifically)
Steadicam technology developed by cinematographer Garrett
Brown (a stabilising device for hand-held cameras to keep image
'steady' whilst retaining fluid movement). First introduced, 1975
1990s More widespread use of computer-generated imagery, most
significantly pioneered by Industrial Light and Magic in the
1970s, resulted in a move away from filmed 'special effects' to
visual effects created digitally in post-production to the computer
generated imaging of characters in films
1995 First moving images (Lumière brothers)
2000s Technology available to ordinary people makes significant
strides due to developments with lightweight cameras and mobile
phone technology, seeing a rise in ‘citizen film-making’.
2007 Netflix – the first legal streaming service for film and TV is
launched.
2010s Successful feature length films shot entirely on iPhones now
released – notable releases include TANGERINE (Baker, 2015)
and UNSANE (Soderberg, 2018).
2017 Film and TV streaming and download sites such as Netflix, Sky,
Amazon and Apple overtake DVD sales for the first time
increasing by 23% in one year.
2018 AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR becomes the first Hollywood film to
ever be shot entirely with IMAX cameras.

1895 - THE LUMIERE BROTHERS AND THE FIRST SHORT FILMS
As we’ve seen, the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, were among the first people to
pioneer the creation and projection of moving images into short films. Their invention, the
cinematograph was a worldwide sensation and for the first time allowed people to not
only take many photos quickly, but then play them back and project them onto a screen
for an audience of many people to watch at once.
Their films documented every day like in France, and some of their most famous films are Workers
Leaving the Lumiere Factory (1895), The Water Watered (1895) and The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
Station (1896). It was the shared experience as well as providing insights into worlds and experiences
never before seen by these audiences, that helped to established the idea for the cinema experience that
we know today-a large group of people communally watching moving images in a large, dark room.
1895 – 1927 – FEATURE FILMS
The Lumiere’s films were very short, often only a minute long, but with the method of
shooting enough footage to create moving images now
relatively easy, people were quickly experimenting with the
format and developing longer and more complicated films.
Another Frenchman, George Méliès was arguably the most ambitious and
well-known of the filmmakers at the time. He experimented with editing,
special effects and telling stories in new, fantastic ways unlike many of his
contemporaries who were still making what were essentially documentary
films. His most famous film, A TRIP TO THE MOON is a sci-fi adventure film featuring special effects and
which runs for approximately 9 minutes, far longer than anything the Lumieres had produced. Edwin S
Porter made one of the first films to retell a narrative with THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903). This 9
minute long film used innovative practises such as shooting on location and in a studio as well as film
techniques that had become popular, such as camera pans and a close-up. But it was the film THE
STORY OF THE KELLY GANG in 1906 which was an hour long that really began to set the expectations
for the length of a feature film. This continued, as did the innovation in
visual storytelling, over the next 20 years. Films such as the controversial
THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915), pushed run times to over 2 hours,
used techniques such as fade-outs and dozens of extras for the first time.
The Director of BIRTH OF A NATION, D W Griffiths, was an ambitious
innovator and his next film, INTOLERANCE, featured one of the most
extravagant sets ever built and a reported 67,000 actors, helping to
emphasise the storyline which covers a period of over 2500 years in a runtime that runs over 3 hours. In
Russia, one of the most enduring of the film language innovations of the time was developed, in the form
of montage. The most famous example of this was seen in the film BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (1925) and it
arguably contributed more towards modern filmmaking than any other before.
TASK: In your own words, summarise the information above in this box. You MUST include any
words in italics or names of people involved in this technological advancement.
SECTION 2: THE LUMIERE BROTHERS, SHORT FILMS AND THE FEATURE FILM.

1920s – THE BIG 5 AND THE LITTLE 3
As film became more popular and rapidly became a profitable business, a number of
film studios emerged who were making a vast number of films and becoming very
profitable as a result. By 1930 they became known as the Big 5 (the 5 biggest and
most successful studios) and the Little 3 (the smaller, but still prominent studios). These
big 5 studios, funded their own films, made them usin directors and stars who they
had exclusivity contracts with, shot the films in their own studios in Hollywood and would then put these
films into cinemas that they owned. Some of these studios are still house-hold names today though some
no longer exist. The 5 are Paramount, Warner Bros, Loew's/MGM, Twentieth Century Fox in and Radio
Keith Orpheum, known as RKO.
Paramount had a roster of incredibly famous and successful film stars who made films exclusively for
them, including the like of Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich. Warner Brothers was an innovative film
studio, pioneering technology such as sound and colour in films. RKO produced 2 of the most famous
films of all time in KING KONG (1933) and CITIZEN KANE (1941), MGM was a hugely successful
studio financially and used that money to help develop colour film and a roster of star actors and
directors and 20th
Century Fox (named Fox Films until 1935) was a large studio with an often turbulent
business.
The Little 3, Columbia, Universal and United Artists were, financially, not as successful as the Big 5, but
were still successful in not only being responsible for some excellent, famous films but Columbia and
Universal continue to be successful film studios to this day.
1927 – THE JAZZ SINGER AND SOUND
Whilst many film studios and short films had been experimenting with sound in their
films, it was THE JAZZ SINGER in 1927 that was the first feature-length film to feature a
synchronised recorded music score and lip-synchronous singing and speech in some of
the sequences. Its release marked the beginning of the end for silent film and the rapid
rise of “talkies”-films with sound. Produced by Warner Bros, THE JAZZ SINGER had a
crude, but effective method of creating a film with sound, using a “sound-on-
disc system” which was ‘locked’ to the projector showing the film, so that the film could
be played in synchronisation with the sound which came on a separate disc.
Sound has come a long way since, from stereo (two separate speakers), to surround
sound and more recently with Dolby Atmos, a technology which uses dozens of tiny
speakers placed throughout a theatre that allows the filmmakers and exhibitors to
control exactly where, when and how an individual sound is heard by an audience.
SECTION 3: HOLLYWOOD AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.

1935 – COLOUR FILM
As with sound, film studios were working on competing technologies to create colour
films for years before 1935 and the release of BECK SHARP. Created using a three
strip technology called Technicolor, the complex process involved various film strips
and large, bulky cameras and needed bright, clear light to shoot in. Despite this, it
was a huge success and within 20 years not only were the vast majority of films now
colour, but companies sought to constantly improve and refine the technology in order to create clearer,
more accurate colour reproduction.
1948 – THE PARAMOUNT DECREE
The American film industry, mostly based in Hollywood in California, had become incredibly
successful and mostly very profitable. This was, in part, due to how the film industry had
evolved to become vertically integrated. This meant the film companies used their money to
make their films, starring actors they had under exclusive contracts and would then only
show the films in cinemas that they owned. If an audience member wanted to see Gary
Cooper in a film an audience would likely have to watch him in a film made by
Paramount which was then shown only in a Paramount cinema. Having such exclusivity rights was
technically illegal in America as the law attempted to create a free-market whereby companies were free
to compete and engage in competition that was free and open to everyone. In 1948 however, that all
changed and there were many consequences from this decision. Some, such as Paramount selling their
cinema chain, were relatively minor. However, this ruling paved the way for the end of the dominance of
the Big 5 and gave rise to many more independent film studios and cinemas in later years, arguably
offering audiences a more varied and wide-range films.

1950s – WIDESCREEN AND 3D
In 1950 there were 6 million TVs sold in America, by far the highest number sold in
the country before. Before the decade was out, over 67million TV sets had been sold.
Estimates suggest that the vast majority of homes had a TV in by 1960, fuelling a
dramatic rise in the need for TV programming, but also contributing towards the
decline in cinema attendance. In 1946, approximately 70% of the 177 million
people who lived in the USA went to cinema at least once a week. 10 years later, this
figure was closer to 25%-a huge decrease. One of the main reasons for this was the rise of TV ownership
and as a result, film and cinema companies needed to develop technologies that gave people a reason
to visit the cinema again. With colour TVs being developed and improving all the time, cinema looked to
giant, wide screens and 3D as a means to entice people away from the homes and offer an experience
that simply could not happen in homes.
“Widescreen” was essentially that-large movie screens that were rectangular and wide in shape. They
offered not only a larger picture than before but allowed filmmakers to create wide images of
landscapes and large-scale scenes that would have not been as spectacular if on the traditional screen
shape and size. As with most technologies and advancements in film and cinema, a range of competing
technologies emerged during this time. One such unique idea such was Cinerama, which involved using
3 projectors at once to create a huge image that was incredibly wide image projected on a huge curved
screen. Cinerama was seen as more of a gimmick and while some films we moderately successful, it was
an extremely expensive and complex format to work in. More traditional widescreen technologies
included Cinemascope which was developed by 20th
Centrury Fox which used a special lens attached to
existing equipment and VistaVision by Paramount which involved using a 35mm film strip but filmed and
projected sideways, to create a wider, 70mm size image, which resulted in a widescreen image.
The development of 3D was even more complex, using new and again, competing technologies to
create an experience that was simply unachievable on home screens. It was film pioneer Edwin S Porter
who developed some of the first 3D technologies for film in 1912, but between 1952 and 1954 a slew
of feature films, cartoons, short films, documentaries and experimental films used anaglyph and
polarization techniques to create 3D images that aimed to create brand new experiences. This process
involved However, the format was essentially dead by 1955, in part due to the costs and problems of
making and projecting the image, but also because audiences often felt that the quality of the films were
lacking and eventually stopped watching.
Of course, over time, widescreen TVs became the standard format and 3D became a novelty format
which improved over time and made comebacks in the late 80s and then the mid to late 2000s.

LATE 1950s - PORTABLE CAMERAS
The earliest hand-cranked cameras, such as the cinematograph, were too heavy and
bulky to be easily moved and carried around. They also needed tripods in order to
keep the camera steady and out of the hands of the operators who were unable to
hold the heavy machines. Filmmakers did begin to attach cameras to things like trains,
wagons and horses in order to create variety and develop their visual style, but it took
further development in camera technology to progress these
ideas further. As we will learn about in the Cinematography unit, camera
accessories like cranes and dollys were invented and cameras were then able
to move in a wider variety of directions with improved fluidity. These camera
movements helped to establish the language of camera movement as we
understand it today and allowed filmmakers to create a ‘mobile frame’, rather
than a purely static one like photographs of old.
However, filmmakers sought an increasing amount of
movement and freedom and in World War 2, 16mm film (half the regular size
film strip) allowed the development of smaller, more portable cameras and this
then lead to the development of cameras that were even more portable. This in
turn lead to filmmakers developing their own artistic styles which aimed to
produce a more ‘realistic’ and less rigid visual style. This is perhaps best seen in
the French New Wave movement which wanted to reject traditional film making
styles and create a new, unique and innovative style. This can be seen in the use of wheelchairs and
modified cars being used to mount lighter cameras that provided unique perspectives into the lives of
characters. Many critics took against this often “shaky”, “mobile frame” style because, in part, it did not
follow formal, classical Hollywood styles. However, the influence of the French New Wave is
undeniable, whether seen in horror films to create immediacy and realism, or in action films to create
pace and offer engaging and dramatic perspectives.
SECTION 4: NEW CAMERAS

1970s - THE STEADICAM
One of the developments that came from the creation and development of increasingly
portable cameras was the Steadicam. As we have seen, many found the visual style of
the French New Wave to be jarring, unpleasant even and the jerky, mobile shots and
scenes were, to some, difficult to watch. What was undeniable however, was the
possibilities that moving the camera around afforded-no longer were filmmakers
content to stick to the classic, rigid styles of classical Hollywood and instead wanted to
be able to offer fresh, immediate and innovate movements and perspectives. So, how could these two
competing ideas, a mobile camera but one that offered a smooth and steady frame, be achieved? By the
creation of the Steadicam, by cameraman Garrett Brown. His invention involved placing a camera onto
a complex mechanical setup that ensured that any knocks or jolts were absorbed, resulting in the ability
to place the camera in a range of places and situations but avoiding the previously shaky and uneven
picture. Australian Garrett was an experienced and successful cameraman and put his invention to use
first in the 1976 film BOUND FOR GLORY, but it was his use of the Steadicam in ROCKY (also released
in 1976) that really caught the imagination of filmmakers and filmgoers alike. The now famous scene of
Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art was captured using a Steadicam and the
smooth movement of the camera makes it almost look and feel like Rocky and the audience are gilding
up those stairs. The Steadicam was used throughout the film, from following Rocky during his training on
the streets, in his small apartment and in the ring during fights, with each example offering new
perspectives and image quality that would come to help define the look and feel of modern filmmaking.
The Steadicam is now the industry standard and has also been used by the TV and sports industries for
years and it’s only since the rise of drones, mechanical wires and programmable robots, as well as
virtual cameras used in CGI, that has seen the use of the Steadicam become less ubiquitous.
1990s - CGI

1990s – CGI
Computer Generated Imagery. These three words have transformed the film industry
and with it, audience expectations of how a modern, ambitious film should look. This in
turn, has changed the very nature of the stories being told by film and the potential of
films is now limitless-filmmakers are only limited in their ambition and budget.
The history of CGI is a long and interesting one, but to get to the core ideas, we need to go back to turn
of the century in France and look once again, at the work of Gerorge Melies. He was fascinated by the
potential of film and his own ambitious ideas led him to play visual tricks on the audience and to
manipulate the very nature of film, by cutting uo some reels and adding in and removing some shots to
create the sense that characters would disappear, he’d shoot a scene and reuse the film to use
superimposition and create more than one shot on screen at the same time, and use paintings and
models combined with inventive camera angles and movements-all things he’d learned from his time as a
stage performer and magician in French theatres. His films such as A VOYAGE TO THE MOON resulted
in fantastical images created by effects never-before-seen on screen. Melies, and indeed many others,
may have paved the way for in-camera effects, but this was never enough for some filmmakers and the
desire to tell more complex and visually ambitious stories drove the need for better ways of creating new
scenes, characters and perspectives in storytelling.
Some of the earliest examples of CGI occurred in the 70s, with films like
WESTWORLD (1973) and STAR WARS (1977) using computers to create basic
additions to an existing shot, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that computers became
powerful enough to begin to create characters and large-scale special effects that
actors would need to interact with. Films like TRON (1982), THE LAST STARFIGHTER
(1984) and YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (1985) pushed the idea of what a computer could create
further and by the time JURASSIC PARK was released in 1993, computers were beginning to be able to
successfully and accurately animate non-human characters. The remainder of the decade was a constant
series of improvements and developments, from the first fully CGI film in TOY STORY (1995) to ground-
breaking techniques like ‘bullet time’ in THE MATRIX (1999) and even replacing a deceased actor with
CGI-enhanced images. The use of green screen technologies continued to develop through the years and
in the 00s, the quality of CGI was so lifelike that films began to travel less to shoot on location and
instead use Green Screens that could be used to ‘paint’ in a location for the characters later on. This of
course has bought problems to the filmmaking process but CGI continues to evolve and adapt in a way
that perhaps no other film technology has.
The technology used in film has been ever-changing since the very first films. It’s impossible to predict
what might happen next or how technology could change film and the stories that are told in films. One
thing is for certain though; filmmakers will continue to develop new and exciting technologies to help
create increasingly-realistic and inventive films.
SECTION 4: CGI
TASK: In your own words, summarise the information above in this box. You MUST include
any words in italics or names of people involved in this technological advancement.

In some respects, it’s easy to suggest that technology in film has matured and developed to the
point where there is nothing else to develop! Films are shot digitally in 8K, edited and stored
‘forever’ digitally, projected digitally and then stored digitally in the cloud for people to watch
forever. CGI is so good that it’s essentially indistinguishable from ‘real imagery’ and filmmakers can now
use CGI, VR technology (known as The Volume) that means that even the imagery used when making
the film is pixel perfect and almost makes filming on location pointless. The driving factor for all of this?
Shrinking and improving technology. Almost everyone can carry around a tiny digital camera in their
pocket and some can even edit the film and upload to the internet for anyone to watch as well!
This has empowered people: the ‘entry’ to making a film is now less than ever before and this has partly
transformed the film industry in a way that hasn’t seen such a change since the rise of the independent
film in the 1960s onwards. As a result of this, as an audience we have the possibility of seeing a much
wider range of films from a much broader range of filmmakers and this is also made possible by the
other major technological advancement-an increase in speed of the internet across the world. The days
of needing to wait for a film to be on TV, to have to travel to a rental video store or even physically
buying a copy of a film have all been eradicated because of how quickly internet speeds have become,
allowing us to easily access a film online. This began in the 2000s, the rise
of digital technology meant that even with analogue films being needed to
record onto, cameras and the film/tape was becoming smaller every year
and eventually led to entirely digital cameras that could record images onto
a digital card. Camera formats such as DV and Mini DV gave way to SD
cards and the like, and as digital lenses improved and shrunk, so did the
ability to shrink cameras and eventually the cost of owning one.
At the same time, rental services such as Blockbuster struggled to keep up with
internet based rental companies who would post the DVD you wanted to rent
directly to you. Services like Netflix in the US
and Love Film in the UK meant that people
could spend less time at the video store and
choose the films they wanted to rent on a
website and have it sent to them. Both services then pivoted to
streaming, and in 2007 Netflix launched the first legal streaming service
for film and TV is launched, even removing the need for a disc or
postage at all. As cameras got smaller, so did mobile phones, and by the 2010s the two technologies
converged and high-quality cameras could now be placed into phones and it was the iPhone that really
pushed the quality of what a phone could achieve. Whilst many amateur filmmakers were using phones
to make films, Steven Soderberg, a key figure in the rise of independent films in the 80s and 90s,
released a film called UNSANE in 2018. This was a horror/thriller and received a full cinematic release,
but was perhaps most notable for being filmed entirely on iPhones. This followed Sean Baker’s film
TANGERINE a couple of years earlier in 2015 which really showed off what a camera phone to do,
filming his film also entirely with iPhones.
SECTION 5: TODAY & THE FUTURE

With the film industry collectively moving towards an internet-based industry, physical sales of DVDs &
Blu-Rays fell away and the convenience of owning digital copies of films meant that by 2017 film and TV
streaming and download sites such as Netflix, Sky, Amazon and Apple overtook DVD sales for the first
time increasing by 23% in one year.
Film exhibition was not left out of the development of the industry: with the convenience of digital films
and increasingly large TV screens, people once again begun to
shun visiting cinemas. Cinema chains then had to fight for audiences
to come to them for increasingly unique spectacles, and the last 2
decades has seen a series of fads and gimmicks being developed,
just as cinemas did in the 1950s. 3D was the first major technology
to be introduced in the early 2000s. This time it didn’t use the same
technology of the red and blue filters as the 1950s and was a much
cleaner experience, but still mostly required the viewer to wear cumbersome glasses that took the
originally blurry image and smooth it out to create an interesting, if gimmicky 3D effect.
With the popularity of the format soon came 3D TVs, but over time audiences grew wary of the glasses
and the often silly nature of the films made to take advantage of the format. Since the decline of 3D, a
raft of other innovations have appeared in larger multiplexes, including 4DX which includes a 3D image
alongside seats that move with wind and water blown into the face of audience viewers, ScreenX which
has 3 screens-1 at the front and 2 on the side walls and IMAX, the largest screens in the world. IMAX
has been around since the early 70s, but it was the late 2000s that saw an explosion in both the number
of films being shot for IMAX and the number of IMAX screens being made available. Essentially a very,
very large screen, IMAX often is much taller than it is wide, allowing filmmakers to create huge images
that show much more of a filmed scene than a regular screen which may cut off an image due to the
smaller screen size. It was perhaps THE DARK KNIGHT in 2008 that really saw a push with the IMAX
format, as the film featured several scenes that were shot with IMAX cameras and the larger 70mm film
format (most films are still shot on 35mm film or the equivalent, making IMAX images twice the size of
‘regular’ film). However, because of the larger film needed, IMAX cameras are also significantly bigger
than ‘regular’ cameras and in the case of THE DARK KNIGHT, the sheer size of the cameras meant that
very few scenes were actually filmed in the IMAX format. As with other cameras though, the technology
improved and over time, the cameras shrunk, the costs
reduced and as the screens were able to show more
feature films and fewer documentaries, the more
audiences grew to appreciate the format. By 2018 then,
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR became the first Hollywood
film to ever be shot entirely with IMAX cameras and
perhaps not coincidentally, became one of the most
successful films of all time.

TASK:
Read your summaries of the information above. You’re now going to reduce this information down even
further. For each of the 10 developments in film technology, you are to choose just ONE word or name
for each one, to remind you of what that development or invention was. You will also add the date to
each one so that you can learn the key dates in order and a word associated with that time period.
DATE
ONE WORD OR
NAME TO
SUMMARISE THIS
DATE AND THE
DEVELOPMENT
DATE

Below is a slightly expanded version of the timeline of film and film technology as part of Component 1.
You’ll find a series of blank spaces: use the word bank at the end of page 2 to see what words are
missing and fill in the gaps. A quick note: each word/phrase can only be used once…
In the late 1800s, all across the globe people, photographers, inventors, engineers and ambitious
magicians were all attempting to be the firs to make images and pictures move. From Edison in America,
Birt Acres and Louis Le Prince in Britain and the Skladanowsky Brothers in Germany, there was a
genuine race to be the first to record and project a film. It’s widely recognised though, that it was the
Lumiere Brothers who were the first people to exhibit ________ ________ in Paris on 28th
December
1895.
For the next 32 years, there was a consistent development of silent cinema from early short films to full
length feature films, during which period the ____________ of filmmaking were established – e.g.
cinematography, the principles of lighting and continuity editing and an extensive range of mise-en-
scène, including location shooting. During this time, the idea of film went from a curiosity, to a hobby, a
carnival exhibition and slowly a notable and noteworthy new artform, which saw a rapid development.
Across the whole world thousands of filmmakers developed the new medium and it saw consistent
innovation. One natural by-product of the popularity of film was that it became monetised and turned
into an industry, with the American film industry quickly becoming one of the most prominent and
successful. After many studios and producers moved from New York and the East Coast of America, the
1920s saw Hollywood in California on America’s West Coast become the new ‘home’ of film. During
this decade, the gradual emergence of a __________ ________ Hollywood film industry took place,
and 1930 it has established into five major studios (Paramount, Warner Bros, Loew's/MGM, Fox
[Twentieth Century Fox in 1935] and Radio Keith Orpheum [RKO]) and three minor studios (Columbia,
Universal and United Artists) – the so-called Big 5 and Little 3.
The next big innovation took place in 1927 when Alan Crosland's, THE JAZZ SINGER, starring Al Jolson
– became the first feature film with a __________. Relatively soon after in 1935, Rouben Mamoulian's
BECKY SHARP, became the first feature-length colour film when the Technicolor created the 'three strip'
________ film, which resulted in a colour film that by modern standards looks quite unnatural.
However, the ubiquity and power these film studios created over the next two decades saw they produce
monopolies that stifled competition and prevented consumers from being put before profits of the film
studios. Asa direct result, the Paramount court case of 1948 ruled against all studios and prevented them
from owning all phases of the production, distribution and exhibition process ('vertical integration') which
led, in the 1950s, to the emergence of ____________ film production and agents producing films for the
Hollywood studios to distribute and exhibit.
Post-war America saw much change and by the 1950s cinema chains and film studios had to fight
against a slump in cinema attendance. Most notably, the emergence of ____________ and __
technologies were a direct response to the growth of television and the corresponding decline in cinema
attendance.
Later in the decade in the late 1950s, although not the first examples, _________, ___________
cameras were produced and were suitable for hand-held use. This in-turn had an immediate impact on
documentary filmmaking and were most notably used by a new generation of directors in France – by
'new wave' directors such as Agnes Varda, Jean-Luc Goddard, Francois Truffaut and many others.
Camera technology developed further in the 1970s when __________ technology developed by
cinematographer Garrett Brown created a stabilising device for hand- held cameras to keep image
'steady' whilst retaining fluid movement. First used in the film BOUND FOR GLORY (1975), this was

quickly followed up with a wide range of uses in films, most notably in ROCKY (1976) THE SHINING
(1980) and THE RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983).
Whilst camera technology had developed to the point where it seemed that there was little room for
development or improvement, the move from analogue to filmmaking became increasingly more possible.
A key aspect of this was the consistent ‘shrinking’ of literal technology, making microchips more powerful
as a result. In the 1990s this led to a more widespread use of ________-_________ __________ which in
turn resulted in a move away from filmed 'special effects' to visual effects created digitally in post-
production to the computer-generated imaging (CGI) of characters in films.
This technological advancement meant that by 1995, the first CG (computer generated) feature length
cartoon – ____ _______ directed by Jon Lassater for Pixar Animation Studios was possible, and the film
industry never looked the same ever again.
The increasingly portability of powerful technology eventually made its way from film studios to normal,
every day users and consumers. This meant that in the 2000s technology was available to ordinary
people which made significant strides due to specific developments with lightweight cameras and mobile
phone technology, seeing a rise in ‘_______ film-making’.
Coupled with this, an dramatic improvement in internet speeds and a mass adoption of Boradband and
meant that the move from physical media to digital and digitally distributed media meant that in 2007,
DVD rental company Netflix became the first legal __________ service for film and TV.
Then, in the 2010s this technological advancement reached its next logical development, and successful
feature length films shot entirely on _______ were now released – notable releases include TANGERINE
(Baker, 2015) and UNSANE (Soderberg, 2018).
The improvement in consumer broadband and rise of the ability to use mobile devices to access digital film
stores and streaming services meant that in 2017, the use of film and TV streaming and download sites
such as Netflix, Sky, Amazon and Apple ________ DVD sales for the first time increasing by 23% in one
year.
To round out our brief history, one of the most successful films of all time is released: AVENGERS:
INFINITY WAR. Not only did it smash box office records but it was also notable for becoming the first
Hollywood film to ever be shot entirely with _____ cameras.
TOY STORY
iPhones
overtake
IMAX
foundations
vertically
independent
widescreen and 3D
moving images
citizen
streaming
steadicam
integrated
soundtrack
lightweight, portable
colour
computer-generated
imagery

GLOSSARY
PLAYLIST FOR FURTHER VIEWING
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeNerb9lxe3mgY-4wUbw6um0al-kjKtNW

SECTION 1: Mise-en-scene introduction, settings & props.
SECTION 2: The position of people and objects.
SECTION 3: Costume, hair and make-up.
SECTION 4: Summarising mise-en-scene.

SECTION 1: MISE-EN-SCENE INTRODUCTION, SETTINGS & PROPS.
INTRODUCTION
Mise-en-scene is a French phrase that means ‘placing on stage’. It is used to
describe aspects of film that we can see. Over this half term we’ll be learning how to identify
the different examples of mise-en-scene, explore why they’ve been included and what we learn
from their inclusion.
To analyse and discuss mise-en-scene we need to identify and analyse 4 main areas;
1. settings and props,
2. position of people and objects,
3. costume, hair and make-up,
4. facial expression and body language and
We’ll look at each one over a range of different lessons and then ensure that we can evaluate
the use of mise-en-scene in any film we watch.
Let’s begin with Settings and Props.
SETTING
The setting refers to the place that a film is set in. However, almost every film takes place in
more than one place, so there are often multiple settings in a film.
The setting is used to help show where a film takes place, but it can also help to show when a
film takes place. While a setting in a film can also show where a character comes from or is
going to, it can also suggest things about a character or the story, for example-the size of a
house can reflect the wealth (or not) of a character. This can be taken even further though: a
specific room within a building can also help to convey something depending on what the type
of room is and how it looks. The key things to consider when watching a film is, why these
places? Why these buildings? And why these rooms? Why did the screenwriter, director or
producer make these decisions? To tell us something.
When we consider setting, first identify the place, then what is happening and then finally,
consider why the scene is taking place there.
Second to this is the idea of filming location. In order to make a film it will need to be filmed in
a specific location that looks like the identified place in the film. We can also consider then, the
filming location to get an idea of what has been filmed and where, to understand why a certain
setting or location has been chosen.
For JURASSIC PARK, it mostly takes place on an island called Isla Nublar. However, this is a
fictional place, made up for the purpose of the book that the film is based on. Therefore, much

of the film was shot on location in Hawaii, which looked like the perfect representation of Isla
Nublar. But the film also has a range of other settings-the first major scene takes place in the
Badlands desert in Montana, America, then in a trailer in that desert, later over Isla Nublar in a
helicopter, and numerous locations on the island itself, in just one example, in an auditorium.
TASK:
Now that you know where these scenes takes place, consider why they take place there: what is
the reason for having these scenes in these places? These are available to watch on YouTube if
you wanted a little more context beyond the images provided. The link is at the end of this
booklet.
Consider things like: what are the characters doing there? What do we learn from this? Could
the same conversation or scene have taken place somewhere else and if not, why?
In the boxes below, write down why the scene takes place in this setting and what we learn
from this.
1 2
3 4
1 2
3 4

Settings then often work well as the first things we see on screen because they can tell us
WHERE a film is set, WHEN it is taking place and also SUGGEST something about a person or
place-they instantly tell us what is happening.
This can be done in two ways: explicitly, with a title card (more on this in a moment) or
implicitly by letting the audience work it out for themselves.
Title cards look a little like this:
This is a quick and simple way of establishing place, time and tone. You may recognise the
places, but some might be slightly more obtuse and ambiguous. By including the name on the
screen however, it quickly communicates the idea of where or when this scene is to the
audience. This is especially important if the place itself has some relevance or connotations
associated with it. Again, some are more obvious than others: for example, France in 1941
likely has a lot more connotations than ‘Ego’s Planet’ has.
TASK:
Connotations are things that we think of when we see or hear something. List as many
connotations for each of these locations as you can. If you don’t have any connotations for a
particular place take a look at what it looks like or ask someone nearby for ideas.
1 4
2 5
3 6
1 2
3 4
5 6

Settings can also be established using props in the scene to tell the audience where someone is
or where they’re going to, for example using signs or famous landmarks:
TASK:
Take a look at the shots below-match the name of the city to the image and write the name
below the image.
London | Shanghai | Rio De Janeiro | San Francisco | Sydney |
St. Petersburg | Dubai | New York | Tokyo
TASK:
Research and list the names of films which feature these cities in them. Aim to find at least one
film per location, but you’ll probably find more than one quite easily.

Settings can also be used if they’re not places that are instantly recognisable as they help to
establish tone or genre.
Tone is a way of describing the mood of a scene. There is more work on this in the
Cinematography unit, but just by looking at an image it can help to help suggest the mood for
the audience or, what type of film or scene we’ll be watching in this setting.
TASK:
Below each image write down what type of film (known as genre) you think this scene is
suggesting the scene or the film will be, and then what you think the mood is.
As an extension, give reasons why, focusing on things like the colours, light, props and anything
else you see that makes you think of that genre and mood.
Just like these exterior shots that we’ve been looking at, interior settings can also reveal what a
person or place is like, establish tone and help to reinforce genre. Interiors are especially useful
for suggesting things about people quickly and implicitly. Part of this will be done through the
use of props, of which we’ll learn more about soon, but the overall style or aesthetic of a setting
is called the set design or the art direction and when combining props with setting and
cinematography, we can then understand what a person or place is like.
TASK:
For example, in this shot to the right we can see a small group of people but
they’re not the important factor here: look at the size of the room-it has 5
people in it but still has plenty of room around them suggesting that it’s a very
large room. This then suggests that these people are rich or at the house of
someone rich. This is reinforced by the presence of the chandelier and the
expensive looking furniture. There is another room beyond this that looks large
as well, emphasising the wealth of the owner. Finally, notice how the curtains
billow here: this is because the windows are open and this is could be because
this is setting is either in a warm country or it’s a hot time of year.

TASK:
Take a look at the 3 images below. Using the example on the previous page, analyse at LEAST
ONE of the images and aim to establish what genre they could belong to, what we learn about
the places or the people in the settings. Aim to explain why and how you came to those
conclusions and aim to focus on the setting and the things in there rather than the people.
Finally, to create a settings used in a film, there are three main options; either filmed on
location, or shot in a studio where people have made sets that look like they’re a real location,
or, finally, a studio which uses green screen to augment the setting.
On location refers to filming in a real place which exists. This could be in a new country,
in a specific house that already exists or in a location which needs some changes
being made to it through use of physical sets. On the next page we can see how
STAR WAR: THE FORCE AWAKENS and THE REVENANT were filmed on location.
As we learned in the Film History unit, filming on location was the most immediate and original
way of making a film. The Lumiere Brothers filmed everyday life to document what a camera
could capture and to show an audience what they may not have seen before-they created
essentially, documentaries. However in fictional feature films, filming in the place where the film
is supposed to take set, it not only creates the sense of realism to the setting and the film, but
adds authenticity and allows the audience to be submersed in the world, just like the actors
were.
Your analysis:

A location scout will work with the rest of the crew before filming takes place to find
locations where scenes in the film would be best filmed. They may scour the entire
earth looking for somewhere suitable and may end up filming in an entirely
different place compared to the name of the place in the film. This can be very expensive;
moving an entire film unit and all of the cast and crew to a specific place can be very costly and
time consuming, so other options might be preferable. Of course, filming on location like in the
shots above, may not be convenient or even literally possible if working with a sci-fi film, so the
location scout will find somewhere that looks like as if it could be the setting.
Even if filming takes place on location, often that location may need to have changes made to
it. At the most obvious it will be to include a range of adaptions that allow for cameras, sound
equipment and most crucially, lighting setups to be added, as seen in these behind the scenes
photos from ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, SPECTRE and the HARRY POTTER series.
Scenes in STAR WARS like the one on the next page below
were filmed in the Rub' al Khali desert, near Abu Dhabi to
stand in for the planet of Jakku.
Some of THE REVENANT was filmed in Argentina to
represent the middle of America during Winter.

If a location cannot be found, if something isn’t suitable, if it’s too expensive to use or if
it’s technically very difficult to film on, a film set in a studio might be used. These
have been the traditional way to make films, especially in Hollywood during the
‘golden age’ of Hollywood between 1910 and 1960s. Some studio sets were made at
huge expense and used for only one film, such as DW Griffith’s astonishingly ambitious set for
the film INTERLORANCE in 1916 (below on the left), or Fritz Lang’s sci-fi masterpiece,
METROPOLIS (1927) below on the right.
However, not all films had the budge to create sets on such an extravagant scale, and the
dominant method of filming would be the use of a studio lot, where film companies would build
entire studios and a range of sets which could be used for many different films and could be
reused quickly and cheaply. The images on the next page give some typical examples of what
this looked like, with permanent structures used for a range of different films.
Eventually, as cameras became smaller, as portable lighting became easier to create and as
CGI became more prevalent, working on a studio that already existed became less and less
popular. Many of these old studio lots can be visited and toured around. These days studios are
used for all kinds of films, with some of the most famous props and costumes still on display.

Of course, films are still often shot in studios, but these tend to be huge spaces that can be
changed and adapted for each film, often at great expense. Peopl may build not just rooms,
or house, but even entire villages in order to achieve a realistic setting. You can see the
level of detail and therefore expense that has gone into the set from SPECTRE and
INCEPTION below, so that he filmmakers can achieve exactly what they wanted from the setting in their
film. We can then see in the shot next to it on the right that this also allows the filmmakers to create
interesting and unique visual styles because they’re able to control the set in a way that might not be
possible if filming on location. Of course, not every film has the budget to make such huge sets,
especially ones which will then be dismantled after use or that are so bespoke that they cannot be used
again in another film. There are some options in this case.
One is to create a ‘miniature’ set. These have been used for decades and involve making a smaller
version of the setting, usually for the larger areas such as a whole building, street or even city. These are
then filmed in a way that, when projected onto a screen, give the illusion that this a ‘real’ size place. We
can see in these classic examples below from STAR WARS and GHOSTBUSTERS how miniatures were
used to create large scale scenes before CGI allowed filmmakers to do so.
However, miniatures have made a comeback in the last 15 years or so, as filmmakers seek to create
realistic looking settings that can be manipulated, such as being blown up, destroyed and generally
messed around with, in a way that looks more realistic than CGI can. We can see in these examples
from INCEPTION and the HARRY POTTER series however, that the idea of a ‘miniature’ doesn’t
necessarily mean that these models are small!

In the modern world of film making, the reality is that all methods of creating a set are used, including
using studios and real life locations but combined with green or blue screen technology to allow
filmmakers to create real sets for the actors to work with, but then augment, develop and extend these
sets using CGI. This can also allow filmmakers to include additional details like characters or special
effects like explosions, magic or specific weather.
As well as this, the advancements in CGI and physical technologies such as lighting and giant
displays using advanced technologies mean that even the traditional ideas of what makes a
set are changing. For the TV series The Mandalorian for example, the variety of locations
needed to create a convincing series of locations in space, meant either travelling around the world at
great expense, or using CGI which can produce
slightly unconvincing results. In the end, they used
a new technology which involved the actors
working in a set with a giant display above and
around them to create ethe sense that they are in
that setting. Not only that, but the amount of
control offered to the filmmakers meant that that
were able to easily manipulate the setting and
the lighting and weather conditions in a way that
is not only innovative, but realistic and relatively
cheaply compared to some other methods.

SUMMARY
Overall then, scenes in a film are set in specific places for a variety of reasons. The way in which these
look are partly to do with props, which we’ll look at later on, and cinematography, which we’ll cover in
a different Unit of work.
The actual places where these scenes are filmed are chosen for a variety of reasons and in modern
cinema tend to be a mix of technology, meeting budgets and the requirements of the cast and crew.
Complete the tasks below to show your understanding of setting in film.
TASK:
Describe, in as much detail as possible, referring to a range of examples, what kind of settings, buildings
or overall places you’d use as a setting for these types of films below:
A horror film: A teen film:
A Western film: A sci-fi film:
TASK:
What can a setting in a film can suggest or what can it be used for? Read back and summarise these
ideas in exactly 40 words below.
TASK:
What are the 3 different types of setting when making a film?
For each one, give at least one thing positive about using it and one negative thing about using it.
1.
2.
3.
TASK:
In your own words and in the space below, explain why films aim to be shot on location. Then, explain
why it make be easier for filmmakers to shoot in a studio and use green screens.

TASK:
Research the filming locations for Harry Potter films.
Give a list of at least 5 filming locations, either real or in a studio. For each one, explain why you think
that location was used as a filming location.
Then, choose ONE of the scenes and explain what it tells the audience and how it does this.
SETTING ANALYSIS TASKS:
Now is your turn to analyse a range of different settings. You will do so by describing the explicit details
of that setting and then the implicit suggestions that come from that setting. You should use all of the
ideas and information you have learned so far to help inform your analysis.
EXPLICIT: (describe what you can see) IMPLICIT: (what this setting suggests)

SETTING MINI-ASSESSMENT:
Watch the following clip from Mission Impossible: Fallout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W70CRKtm1do
Firstly: identify what type of setting this is and what genre of film you think it is.
Then: where or how might this scene have been filmed and why do you think that place or method of
filming was chosen?
Next: what mood do you think the film is seeking to achieve for the audience? How does the setting help
to achieve this?
Finally: what is the significance of choosing this setting for this scene? Look at what you can see and
what can be seen in this setting-why does this setting work for what is happening in the film?
GLOSSARY
aesthetic
art direction
augment
bespoke
connotations
context
explicit
exterior
genre
implicit
interior
location scout
mise-en-scene
on location
props
representation
setting
studio
tone

While this shot from TAXI DRIVER shows that this is a local corner
shop style setting (often referred to as a ‘deli’) in America, but the
messy nature of the props and the inclusion of the gun shows that
a violent crime has taken place.
In this shot from FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, props show that this is
an ornate and luxurious setting, but also that the character is
intelligent and calm: playing competitive chess in front of a crowd
but happy to relax and smoke a cigarette as he does so.
PROPS
Props, or to give them their full name, theatrical property, are the objects in a scene that help to make a
scene appear realistic or at the very least, as if the film we’re watching is a real place. Props can help to
make somewhere look old or new, busy or quiet or just show us what is happening. They can create
convincing worlds in a sci-fi film, suggest ideas about a character or propel a story.
Props can be almost any item that is included in a scene, such as food, furniture or photos but they can
be items that people use, things that people own or even things which we as the audience don’t see, but
the characters do or are aware of. We’ll visit this idea in more detail later.
As with most aspects of film language, props can work on two levels-the explicit description of what we
can see, but also the implicit suggestion of what the props suggest. For this reason, a setting may have
been carefully created by a prop master, working with a production designer. Every setting then will
include a specific set of props to suggest what the person in the person or people in the scene is like, or
as we learned about settings to create tone.
In the remainder of this unit, we’ll be exploring why props matter. They’re often overlooked in favour of
analysing other aspects of a film, but as we can see from above, props hold significance and provide
interesting relevant detail in ways that demand a closer inspection. We could list thousands of uses for
props but we’re going to focus on just 5; they establish the world of the film, they create deeper
meaning, they represent characters, they develop the plot and they set the tone.
The key thing to remember is that they’re objects, but objects that have been placed on screen for a
reason. As a result these objects are significant, either to a character or the film as a whole and we need
to try and find out why those objects have been included-what do we learn from their inclusion?
The inclusion of the food and drink items in this shot from SHAUN
OF THE DEAD make clear to the audience that this is a local corner
shop, despite not being told that explicitly.
At first, this shot from the film NINE looks like a behind-the scenes
shot of a film. That’s because the use of props in this shot here
help to accurately recreate what a film set would look like.

PROPS ESTABLISH THE WORLD OF THE FILM
Every object is placed on screen, in a specific place, for a specific reason. Most props, when used
correctly contribute to the verisimilitude of the film and the scene . However, anything that looks out of
place in the world will snap the audience out of the film because it won’t make sense visually (a good,
literal, example of this on TV was the mistaken inclusion of a Starbucks cup in an episode of GAME OF
THRONES). The introduction of the now iconic blue lightsabre gifted to Luke Skywalker in STAR WARS
(1977), suggests that this really is a galaxy far, far away. In the other shot below from
BLADE RUNNER 2049, we see hundreds of children stripping electronic components from old
electronics. The props in their hands and the piles of them on the table depicts precise, painful and
repetitive work that suggests the world we are seeing on screen represents a period of time after basic
electronics are no longer used or have much importance or value beyond scrap. It also suggests ideas
about child slavery, orphans and the conditions in which they live.
TASK: THINK OF AND/OR RESEARCH, EXAMPLES OF PROPS HELPING TO ESTABLISH A WORLD OR
SPECIFIC SETTING IN A FILM
PROPS CREATE DEEPER MEANING
Some props can offer a deeper insight or meaning to something or someone. Objects can be seen
throughout a film and can simply be an object, but later be revealed to be something significant. In
CITIZEN KANE for example, the revelation (SPOILER ALERT) of Kane’s final word of “rosebud” is that it
refers to a small sled from his childhood. It represents that, despite all of his success in life, the sled from
his childhood represented simplicity, comfort, and his mother's love. In the 1992 Director’s Cut of BLADE
RUNNER, the seemingly odd prop of an origami unicorn represents that (SPOILER ALERT) the main
character is in fact, a robot. Though it’s a bit more complex than that!
TASK: THINK OF AND/OR RESEARCH, EXAMPLES OF PROPS CREATING A DEEPER MEANING OR
UNDERSTANDING.

PROPS REPRESENT CHARACTERS
A prop can represent and provide insight into a character in many different ways. It can show or suggest
a way of life, a character’s social status, or can even become a character itself. When a character has
an emotional connection to an object, such as Thor and his hammer, the prop becomes a key part of the
story. But in THOR, Mjölnir is not only used to provide and support Thor in his physical strength, it is also
represents the journey he must go on as in order to become a worthy, mature leader. It later becomes
Thor’s best hope for survival, and as such, is an essential part of his identity and then as a result, a
symbol of hope for others. In RUSHMORE, props are used to show the hobbies that the protagonist Max
fleetingly adopts. In the example below we can see his stamp and coin collection but notice how large
the collection is and how he’s looking after it very carefully. Not only does this implicitly suggest that
he’s taking this seriously and caring for the things he’s collected, but stamp collecting can be said to be
quite a boring hobby for many, so the props here suggests that he’s also somewhat of an outsider.
TASK: THINK OF AND/OR RESEARCH, EXAMPLES OF PROPS REPRESENTING CHARACTERS, EITHER
EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY.
PROPS DEVELOP THE PLOT
Some props are so important that they put entire plots in motion. An example of this is
the pregnancy test from the opening scene of JUNO. A single shot of a positive test
result sets the entire story in motion. Props can not only
propel the story but can be so important to the story that
the film is named after them! In THE MALTESE FALCON,
the object of a statue of a bird is central to the mystery
of the film and therefore is the reason for the entire story. In THE LORD OF
THE RINGS, the Ring in the title also becomes the whole reason for the
story and the prop of the ring is not only important to every character in
the film but has become an iconic object in its own right.
Objects like these are often referred to as a plot device and their main, if not sole purpose, is purely to
drive the plot, to maintain the development in the story or to resolve situations within it. These objects
could be something everybody wants to obtain or a device that must be destroyed. It may also be an
object or gadget introduced early in the story for the sole purpose of solving or saving someone later on
in the film. To take this even further, an object which initially seems to be insignificant on the screen in
the setting or mentioned in passing, but later turns out to be important, is known as “Chekov’s Gun”.
Named after Anton Chekov, this Russian playwright and author once wrote that "If you say in the first
chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off.
If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."

The Winchester rifle from Shaun of the Dead, a literal
gun and a perfect example of Chekov’s Gun.
An obvious example of this is the rifle in the Winchester pub in
SHAUN OF THE DEAD. This gun is mentioned early in the film
as a seemingly random discussion piece but later turns out to
be an important object that the characters need to use.
Over time, Chekhov's gun has come to be synonymous with
foreshadowing and when you realise how often this is used in
films, you quickly become suspicious of any object that a
character mentions early in a film!
In some ways, the opposite of a Chekov’s Gun is a MacGuffin. This is an object, though not always
actually shown, that is a term for an object that is used to drive the plot but serves no further purpose. It
won't pop up again later in the film once it’s been used or tracked down, it won't explain the ending,
and in some cases, it won't even be shown. It is usually a mysterious package/artifact/superweapon that
everyone in the story is chasing. An example is the briefcase in PULP FICTION — it adds mystery and
intrigue to the moment while effectively building tension every time it makes an appearance because the
contents of it are never shown on screen-we just know that it’s important, that characters want it and that
it makes people’s faces glow golden when it’s opened.
PROPS SET THE TONE
As we discovered when looking at setting, the mood of a film or an individual scene can be established
through the things we see on screen, no matter how briefly or if they’ve been referred to. Whilst
Cinematography plays a large part of this, a character selecting a weapon will instantly suggest a tone
of conflict, anxiety or aggression. We can see in the example below from TERMINATOR 2 that the tone
of the scene is one of aggression and of being very serious, creating a sombre tone, created in part by
the selection of and need for, the weapons. Similar props are used in KICK ASS, but here the tone is
lighter and slightly more comedic because of the absurdity of having so many options, especially when
there is a small child in the room and her father who seems very blasé about the props and the situation.
TASK: THINK OF AND/OR RESEARCH, EXAMPLES
OF PROPS WHICH MOVE THE STORY ALONG.

TASK: take a close look at the image to the left,
and using the ideas above, aim to analyse what
you can see and then what these props suggest.
In another example we can see how this shot from HOME ALONE, which is a comedy, not only
establishes the time period through use of props, but by having the festive props to the side and back of
the frame, it allows the dark boots to be central to the frame. Whilst boots are part of costume, which
we’ll cover later, the tone here is much more dramatic and almost threatening because the bright and
colourful props are not the most immediate things in the frame. Finally, this shot from the beginning of
BLADE RUNNER 2049 shows large vats of a strangely coloured chemical. When you combine with the
pipes coming from these into the water and the in a strange suit which looks like a cross between an old
diving suit and an astronaut’s suit, you get a very strange, mysterious tone which make the audience feel
quite uneasy but also intrigued.
TASK: THINK OF AND/OR RESEARCH, EXAMPLES OF PROPS WHICH HELP TO CREATE MOOD.
In this shot from the end of INCEPTION, the table reveals a
lot of information through the use of props. We’ll start at the back of
the table where the amount of fruit suggests a healthy person or
people live there. To the left are some toy dinosaurs which suggest that
a young person or people not only live there and this is reinforced by
the child’s paintbrushes and paint and the toy monkey. Because they
have been left on the table perhaps they left them in a hurry or that
they’ve been recently playing with them and stopped. The neat and
empty side of the table could imply that the adult likes to keep things
today where they can. Notice also the spinning object-it has a lot of
significance from the film, but for now, simply note how it’s still
spinning, suggesting that people have only recently been at or near the
table.

HINT: What do the props here tell us about character? How?
HINT: What do the props here tell us about the world of the
film? How?
HINT: Look closely! What do the props here tell us about tone of
the character? What do the How?
TASK: Below are 3 shots that each feature an array of props.
Look at them closely and pay attention to what you can see and consider why those props have been
included. Working your way through them, from top which is the easiest to hardest at the bottom, firstly
explicitly identify what you can see. Then, consider the ideas from the previous pages as to the 5
reasons props get used and then write down what you think each shot is implicitly suggesting. To help
you, each comes with a small hint or clue of what to focus on.
SUMMARY
Overall, props are placed in films for very specific reasons. Whilst there are many of these reasons,
we’re focusing on just 5 of them but all involve firstly identifying then and then working out why they’ve
been included. Props work in tandem with other aspects of film form and language, we need to be able
to analyse them and recognise their importance in their own right.
Complete the tasks on the next few pages to show your understanding of prop use in film.
2
3

KNOWLEDGE CHECK: PROPS
TASK:
Below is a list of film genres. For each, list a range of props that you would expect to see in any scene in
a film from that genre.
Action: Sci-fi
Western: Romantic comedy:
Fantasy: Horror:
TASK:
List the 5 main reasons why props are used in a film. In your own words, summarise what each means.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
TASK:
Below are a list of props you might find in many films. Next to each, note what tone you think each
could enhance or create and aim to explain why. Avoid describing what might happen.
A gun: A teddy bear:
Some pots and pans: A jumper:
Some food: A bottle of alcohol:
PROP HOMEWORK/EXTENSION TASK:
Watch a scene from any film of your choice. Ensure it has props in it! List the props used in that scene. If
there are many props, list the most important ones. Then, explain why those props have been included,
referring to the implicit idea in their inclusion and at least one of the 5 main reasons props are used.

PROPS MINI-ASSESSMENT:
Watch the following clip from JURASSIC PARK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsoQzBLkA1g&t=17s
Firstly: identify what type of setting this is from 34 seconds in and then what genre of film you think it is
based just on what happens in this scene.
Then: identify the relevant props based on our 5 reasons to examine a prop.
Next: what mood do you think the film is seeking to achieve for the audience? How do the props and the
setting help to achieve this?
Finally: what is the significance of choosing this setting for this scene and how do the props contribute
towards this?
GLOSSARY
artifact
Chekov’s Gun
insight
MacGuffin
plot device
production
production designer
prop master
verisimilitude
PLAYLIST:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVCkuJFnA4k&list=PLeNerb9lxe3mFwo9AjIwGzmqz2CN32Lty

SECTION 2: THE POSITION OF PEOPLE AND OBJECTS
INFORMATION:
We’ve explored how settings and props work to provide information to an audience.
Often, this is done implicitly through use of connotation or inference. A key aspect in this
is where on the screen in relation to the word of a film someone or something is placed.
Therefore, the position of people and objects is important as it helps to inform the
audience as to where to look first or what to focus on, if the scene is especially busy. Of
course, every person and prop on screen is important in some way-that’s why they’ve been included in
the scene, so the key is to first explicitly describe where someone/something is and then to analyse what
the implicit suggestion is of them being in that place is. As we’re exploring mise-en-scene in this unit, it’s
important to remember that this literally means, ‘putting on stage’ and therefore, has developed since
the original use in theatre. A theatre stage is a 3D space, almost a large box, in which the characters
can move around in it in any direction. When we watch a film and to analyse position, we need to
consider both what we can see, the film on a screen, but also consider the world that we are watching to
be a 3D space. We’ll look at this in more depth later, but at its most basic, someone, or something, close
to the front, or the middle of the screen suggests importance or power. The further away they are and
the less central they are, the less important they are.
TASK:
Look closely at the cube below. Imagine that the front is the screen and that the ‘cube’ area behind it is
the world of the film (if it helps, think back to that idea of a stage in a theatre. Then, use the words below
to accurately label the blank cube. This will allow you to explain positions in film studies accurately.
Front | Middle | Back | Left | Right | Top | Bottom
TASK:
Below is a screenshot featuring two people. Firstly, describe, using the words above, where they are in
the shot. Then try to analyse why they are where they are. Consider what the reasons might be and why
these two people are in two very different positions in the frame.
The shaded area indicates
the 2D screen that we
would watch the film on.
Where are the people in this scene? What does their positioning suggest?

TASK:
Now have a go at analysing the position of these people in these shots. Remember to again describe
where people are in the shot first and then try to analyse why they are where they are. You may need to
consider the setting and any relevant or prominent props to help do this.
TASK: Now combine what we’ve looked at so far in total and analyse positions, props and
settings. Annotate the image with explicit details and then, aim to develop your annotations to
then include implicit suggestions from all 3 aspects of mise-en-scene.

We can see how the vast amount of negative space here in THE
DARK KNIGHT creates the sense that our protagonist, Bruce Wayne
is isolated and lonely, whilst his placing in the centre of the frame
shows his importance.
In this shot from THE RAID, note how the negative space works in
two main ways here: it firstly draws attention to the characters
and their own situation, but it also allows us to clearly see what
the apartment looks like.
As we’ve seen so far, positioning, like props and setting, can be used to communicate ideas to the
audience but given that people and objects can move, or be placed anywhere, it’s difficult to say for
certain that there are rules. However, we’re going to dip into the worlds of art and photography and the
ideas of composition. This is an area that is vital key in cinematography and we’ll revisit composition
when we look at that Unit, but it’s also important in mise-en-scene as it helps to inform the ideas about
the position of people and objects on our screen. Therefore, we’re going to use these 10 rules of
composition when analysing position or people and objects:
1. Negative space
2. Rule of thirds
3. Top intersections
4. Leading lines
5. Diagonals
6. Foreground
7. Background
8. Symmetry
9. Centre framing and
10. Close up.
NEGATIVE SPACE
The first of our rules of composition then, is negative space. This is an idea that has come from the world
of photography and art and as a result the effect of it is a recognisable feature in the composition of film
shots. Negative space is simply the space around and between the subject of a composition. For
example, in a wide shot of a man standing in an empty field, the sky, ground, and everything in between
would is the negative space. The power of negative space is that it can be used for many different things.
More than anything, it's used to isolate a person or object to focus our attention on them/it. This can be
done to show that someone is important, to show us the answer to something or, as in the case of horror
films, to allow something to pop into the negative space to scare the audience. Of course, this means it
can also be used for comedy by using the negative space as a place to add a surprise.
We can then combine the idea of negative space with other aspects and rules of composition to provide
different reactions and experiences for the audience.
TASK:
Summarise what negative space is in the box below, aiming to fill it as much as possible, but not writing
outside of it!

The lines on this image from CHINATOWN have been added by
me to show the shot has our protagonist positioned so that he
is ‘on’ the intersecting lines created when using the rule of
thirds. Notice how it also allows us to see the character in the
background and our main character.
In this shot from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, the inclusion of lines
not only shows how the characters have been separated and
are equally positioned on screen, but that the background is
now what we should be looking at. In the next shot, it’s
revealed that the background holds some interesting secrets.
Note how the rule of thirds and negative space have been used
here in combination with the lines created from the walls and
doors of the corridor to create some leading lines. If you follow
the lines and look into the background, you might see
something strange…
Just like the shot on the left, see how this shot from TAXI
DRIVER uses the rules of thirds to position the character to the
left but being in the foreground means that we still appreciate
that he’s important. Notice though, the leading lines on the
right. What are we being told to look at. And why?!
RULE OF THIRDS
Our second ‘rule’ is a compositional guide that trisects the frame vertically and horizontally, dividing the
shot into small sections which then creates a dissected composition. The idea is that your characters or
object are placed at the intersection of some of the lines which then psychologically, creates for an
interesting composition.
TOP INTERSECTIONS
If we look at the top section of the frames above, the lines along the top, the intersections, are important
because they help to suggest power. Note that in both images, the eyelines are near the top
intersections rather than the bottom. This is because, as we’ll continue to see throughout our work on
mise-en-scene and cinematography, the idea of power is deeply attached to the power that someone or
something has. Generally, the lower an object or person, the less power they have, literally or
metaphorically and therefore, the top intersections of a frame can help to indicate power.
LEADING LINES
A key aspect of composition is where you are being asked to look at. This is achieved, in part, by using
the intersections from the rule of thirds, but also using the setting and often lenses that allow the camera
to focus on a range of things at once. Just like all of these techniques, there is no literal lines put on the
screen, rather we notice these would imaginary lines, also called vertices. Often there might be a lot on
screen, or it’s clear that we should be looking elsewhere,, rather than our main character or object.
sometimes much of the frame goes ignored by the human eye, certainly, we can't focus on every element
in an image at once. As well as this, because we can’t focus on everything at once, a clear use of
leading lines can help to guide our eye toward a specific point in the frame.

In this famous shot from THE EXORCIST, the diagonal line we’re
looking for is created by the light from a room in the house,
which then highlights the fog. Notice how the diagonal here
links the person in the foreground to the room, indicating that
that, as our eyes have gone, he will also have to go.
This shot from STAND BY ME is a clear example of how
diagonals lines can work. Notice that they don’t cover the
whole screen, but work as classic leading lines here, moving
the focus from foreground to background and showing how
large and dominant the train tracks are.
DIAGONALS
Diagonals are part of leading lines because they lead the viewer's eye towards something in particular.
However, instead of the audience being lead into the image, they're instead lead across the
composition, which creates "movement". This is because diagonal lines are more ‘intense ‘than
horizontal ones. Take the first image below: notice how the diagonal lines cover the entire image, not
just from left to right and also up to down but also from front to back. Therefore the diagonal, crossing
so many of the intersectional lines of an image separated by the rule of thirds, creates the sense that the
birds are inescapable and dominating the sky line. These lines do not have to be a literal diagonal line
and can be suggested by the outline of things, be part of the environment or even created via light.

FOREGROUND
At the start of this we began by referring to the screen, or the part of a theatre stage
nearest the audience as the ‘front’. The correct terminology for this however, is the
foreground. This is such an important area for film, photography, art and the theatre because placing a
person or object in the foreground not only brings them closer to the audience but also puts them in front
of others in the scene. This reinforces the importance of that person/object as it shows that they’re
essentially "first in line" and as we tend to look at the things in the foreground first and then move
backwards through the image, being at the front gives objects and people power. The use of the
foreground doesn’t mean that there is nothing of interest in the background, simply that it’s not the thing
we should concentrate on just yet.
BACKGROUND
Just like placing something of importance in the foreground is a useful compositional element, as is using
the background. Again, the thing/s in the foreground are still important, but the inclusion of something in
the background has been done for a specific reason. One key part of this is the use of focus depth and
this is something which we’ll look at in the cinematography Unit, but if there is something clear and
perhaps dramatic in the background, that suggests we should look there first. The reason for use of the
background is an important area of the scene is that it creates an interesting juxtaposition; because we
naturally look at the foreground and now need to look at the background too, it creates a relationship
between them that allows us to make new meaning.
For example, in the shot on the left from ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN, the inclusion of the man in the
background, hidden in shadow, suggests to the audience that he is hiding and is distant from us and the
people who will be standing in the foreground. In the shot from CITIZEN KANE on the right, consider
why this shot isn’t just the man in the foreground watching, or just the rally with Kane. This is because the
composition is designed to suggest that there is a clear relationship between the two.
TASK:
Using the boxes below, draw (to the best of your ability) one shot that places something of emphasis in
the foreground (remember to draw a background though) and then one shot that places something in
the background of the shot that suggests a relationship between the foreground and the background.

SYMMETRY
Symmetry is the visual arrangement of something being made up of exactly similar parts
facing each other. This creates a visual balance-things look very similar, if not identical, on
both sides of the image. This in turn brings balance to the image we’re looking at and it’s
believed that balance creates peace and tranquillity-essentially this means that we like to see symmetrical
things. Asymmetry creates the opposite-a sense of chaos, imbalance and an overall feeling of things
being complicated.
Consider these two shots below. Notice how other aspects of composition such as leading lines and
diagonals can be used to help create symmetry. Also note how the two sides do not need to be identical
but do need to be as visually similar as possible to each other and this often means that the two sides
have similar sizes, shapes and angles to each other. This also ties in with the idea of the one point
perspective or vanishing point which we’ll look at in more depth in Cinematography and below, in
‘centre framing’.
TASK:
Using the boxes below, draw (to the best of your ability) one shot that places something of emphasis in
the foreground (remember to draw a background though) and then one shot that places something in
the background of the shot that suggests a relationship between the foreground and the background.
You can see that I’ve drawn on a line through the center of the
image to help highlight that the image is very, very similar on
both sides, therefore creating symmetrical image. This has
been achieved via the framing of the shot, something done as
part of cinematography, but here the mise-en-scene contributes
to the meaning of the scene in its visual serenity.
Another classic shot here, this time from 2001: A SPACE
ODYSEEY, and again you can see how the added line through
the centre of the image helps to make the symmetry clear.
Note that the image is not perfectly symmetrical, but the
overall appearance is that both sides are generally the same,
part of the style of the film but also creates a pleasing image.
This shot on the left from SNOWPIERCER, you can see that the shot
isn’t symmetrical-the random nature of the plants and the trees
mean that the shot isn’t the same on both sides. However, the use of
architecture of the room in terms of the lines on the wall and ceiling
and the use of the fountain in the centre of the frame create a sense
of symmetry. In such a tranquil and peaceful scene the symmetry
really helps to sell the idea that this is a pleasant and enjoyable
place to be.

In SOME LIKE IT HOT, we can see how the choice of using centre
framing helps to really emphasise who we should be looking at
and paying attention to, even on a beach where some people
are sat in similar positions and with similar props.
There is a lot to consider in this shot from SPIDER-MAN: INTO
THE SPIDERVERSE, but for the moment, consider how the centre
framing highlights that, of all the things going on in the city,
it’s our protagonist that we should be following.
CENTRE FRAMING
The centre of the frame is one of the places which are eyes are drawn to first. As a result, it’s
an important area for placing people and objects as it tends to dominate our first initial
glimpse at a shot. As we’ve seen though, it doesn’t necessarily mean that placing something in
the middle of the shot makes for a particularly nice image to look at and it can make things a touch too
‘obvious’. Of course, it's still a vitally important part of the screen and therefore placing someone or
something in the middle of a shot can be a useful way of communicating ideas. It can also help to
contribute to other ideas involving composition. For example, notice how the image below from THE
SHINING uses ideas of leading lines, diagonals, symmetry, foreground AND background to help
emphasises the idea emphasised here from centre framing-that our protagonist is important but that
they’re now in direct sight of something, or someone, sinister at the end of the journey that they’ve been
on.
With centre framing, be sure to consider not only why something may be positioned in the centre of the
frame but also why something may not be in the centre. Don’t forget our other aspects of composition
though-something in the centre of the frame in the foreground may mean something entirely different to
something framed in the centre in the background.
TASK: First of all, describe in detail
what is in the centre of this
screenshot.
Next, analyse why you believe this
shot has been constructed in this way.
What does it suggest? And how does
the centre framing do this?

An introduction and guide to film studies

An introduction and guide to film studies

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to An introduction and guide to film studies

Similar to An introduction and guide to film studies (20)

More from Ian Moreno-Melgar

More from Ian Moreno-Melgar (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

An introduction and guide to film studies