LO3: Production Techniques

Mise-en-scene:
Iconography
Location
Costume and Make up
Lighting - High and Low Key
Acting Gestures
Colours
Props


Main reason for Mise-en-scene is binary opposition (Levi Strauss 1958)
Stock characters often or always appear in a media text (Propp 1928)
Females are objectified in media texts (Laura Mulvey 1975)

In Inception, there are a number of stock characters - such as the comic relief (Tom Hardy), the Sidekick (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) etc
In Inception, the protagonist and antagonist dress and act similarly, so mise-en-scene is used to distinguish which is the 'bad guy' by making Frost appear in often dark places, which look professional and intimidating with similarly appearing collegues, while Cobb appears in lighter conditions, in less formal dress with less formally dressed character.


Theories that relate to parts of Mise-en-scene

Iconography -

Location - Inception goes against Branson and Staffords theory (1999), as although it features large, well known cities, it doesn't focus on these, or even the environment of dream states, preferring to focus on its narrative, which as a film not part of a franchise makes sense. So Inception doesn't use similar and well known features to cut marketing costs.

Costume and Make up -

Lighting - High and Low Key - In the first scenes of the film, low key lighting is used to show confusion when Cobb is being interrogated - neither the audience or the character is aware of what is happening. This serves to create meaning, as lighting, or the lack of it, creates feelings for the audience.

Acting Gestures - Inception has a sub-genre in action, which can be seen by the importance of action scenes such as the 'Corridor Fight scene'. This supports Barry Keith Grant's theory (1995) that all genres have sub genres, as it is a primarily Sci-Fi film. So it uses common tropes of action films - gun and fist fights, explosions etc, to appeal to an audience and create meaning by using this sub genre - for example, action and the generic elements that come with it show desperation and pressure that is felt by the protagonists.

Colours -

Props -



Camera Work

Shot Types - Close up (Extreme, Medium etc), Medium (Extreme, Medium etc), Medium/Mid, Long (Extreme, Medium etc), Establishing/Wide, Aerial, Two (two people), OTS (Over The Shoulder), Crowd

Angles - Low, High, Dutch/Canted (skewed), Eye Level

Movements - Track Forward, Track Backward, Track Sideways, Tilt, Pan, Handheld, Zoom (In, Out)

Composition - Rule of Thirds, Depth of Field (Shallow, Deep)


Verisimilitude is conntoed and reinforced in the Corridor Fight scene with the use of Handheld movements with the camera, which serves to make the audience feel like they're in the scene - they're looking from someones perspective. So using Handheld movement connotes versimilituse to connote the meaning of confusion, pressure and danger in the scene. Tracking forward and back in the scene, while staying at a similar distance and angle throughout, also connoted to the audience that they were in the scene, providing visceral pleasures for the audience.



Editing

Continuity - Invisible editing, makes the product flow.
Insert shot
Eyeline Match
Shot-reverse shot structure
Action Match
Crosscutting


Non-Continuity -
Graphic Match
Montage
Flash forward/back


Continuity
Action Matches are used in the Corridor Fight Scene/Car Chase/Fortress Fight Scene, to show action from all dream states.

Non-Continuity
Flash backs are used in Inception is used to show an overall trajectory of enigma resolution (Pam Cook, 1985), as it repeatedly shows Cobb's children as a constant reminder tothe audience of the disequilibrium in the film, and the goal for the character(s). Because of this, the restoration of equilibrium (Tzetan Todorov, 1977) at the end of the film, which shows the kids shown in the flash backs reuniting with Cobb, feels more important, and it also raises the question of whether they were flash backs or forward, further confusing the audience by giving them more Intellectual Puzzles (Rick Altman, 1999) to solve.



Sound

Diegetic - Appears like it comes from the world of the story

Foley Sounds - Sound effects made in post, but added to highlight action, but appears to come from the scene

Ambient and Offscreen Sound (sometimes known as wildtrack sound)

Dialogue - Mode of Address (how it's spoken), accent, tone, say who character is
Music from TV, radio etc

Non-Diegetic - Does not appear to come from the world of the story

Sound track

Narration

Motifs
Theme music
Incidental Music

Sound bridge - Sound across a series of shots to make it seem realistic

A sound bridge is used across the Corridor/Car Chase/Fortress fight scenes, in the form of fast paced music in the sound track, to connote to the audience that all the protagonists on each dream level are in equal amounts of danger, and they all effect each other, making it more important.

The lack of ambient sound in the flashbacks, including only non-diegetic sound of children's laughter (connoted to be from the children but at a different time), is used to show the audience that it feels unrealistic and distant. In addition, adding ambient noise when the same scene occurs at the end of the film shows realism and denotes to the audience that this is the payoff of the film, again supporting Pam Cook's theory of enigma resolution (1985) by showing the scene is real they show the payoff, which also again suports Tzetan Todorov's theoy (1977), as it shows restoration of equilibrium.