Film Clips From Different Eras - Cinematography

Young Frankenstein (1974)

This extract is from the film Young Frankenstein (1974). The film is directed by Mel Brooks and the cinematographer is Gerald Hirschfeld. In scene Frankenstein is saying goodbye to his wife at the train station. The first 8 seconds of the extract consists on of a long shot which pans towards a medium shot of the two characters, the use of the pan can emphasise the setting that surrounds the characters as it plays a key part in the narrative of the scene as the character is leaving by train. Through the extract medium shots are frequently used to show the actors expressions and emotions. When close ups are used on the female character the camera appears to at a high angle to show that she could be inferior to the male character as she is begging him to stay, similarly the male character is shown higher up showing he has more power. The various close ups used in the extract portray the emotions of the characters as it shows their facial expressions in detail such as the happiness of the characters compared to the sadness in previous close ups. The medium shots also show us the elements of mise-en-scene, like the costumes and setting. From their costumes we can guess that they are higher mid class. The setting is continually shown in the medium shots reminding us of the situation that the characters are in.

Film Stills - Camera Shots and Angles

Indiana Jones

This a shot from the recent film Indiana Jones : Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008). The shot used in this still is a long shot as you can see the whole of the characters body. This shot enables us to see facial expressions and body language which can give us clues as to the narrative. From this angle we can see their expressions of puzzlement, the way they are sitting can also give us clues to the narrative as you can see they are looking down somewhere at something unknown. The long shot also shows us various elements of the mise-en-scene such as the setting, lighting, costumes, props and make up. The setting makes a narrative enigma as we do know where they could be and what they are doing although from the costumes we can interpret they could be adventurers uncovering mysteries, this is supported by the use of props in the frame. This shot also emphasises the situation the characters are in whilst creating a sense of mystery.

The Shining
This is a film still from the movie The Shining (1980). They use a close up in this still to show the expression on the actor's face. From the close up we can distinctly see the emotion conveyed on his face, from his expression we can interpret that he could be evil due to his sinister smile and the menacing expression of his eyes. and the lighting also makes us believe this because of the shadows that are cast on his face. This shot does not give much away in terms of the mise-en-scene, this makes various narrative enigmas as the audience would want to know who he is and what he is doing. From this shot alone we can guess that the film could be a horror, and also imply that he could be the bad against the good.

Spiderman 3
This film still is form the film Spiderman 3 (2007). This shot could be interpreted as either a long shot or a medium shot, as one character has their whole body shown in a long shot whilst the main focused character is show in a medium shot. The use of the medium shot shows a portion of the characters body expression as we can see he is struggling. This shot also shows some elements of mise-en-scene, the most predominate are the costumes, one costume is red whilst one is black which can connote evil. The angle of the shot is also significant as its at a high angle looking down on the scene, the character in the foreground could be shown as the hero whilst the character further away in the blurred background could be the villain. This shot poses some narrative enigmas, such as what situation the protagonist could be in and what could have unfolded.

The Royal Tenenbaums
This film shot is from the film The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). This is medium shot of multiple characters through the eyes of another character in the form of a point of view shot. We can tell that its a point of view by the fact that all the characters are looking directly into the camera as if looking at the character. The expressions of the other characters faces may indicate that the character has said or done something rude or shocking. From the frame we can see many elements of mise-en-scene, props, costume, setting, make up, actors expressions and lighting. The narrative is unclear from looking at this still as nothing from the still can be interpreted to be part of the narrative form, enigmas are present as the audience wonders who these group of characters are and who is the character who is looking form the point of view. This type of shot (POV) can make the audience identify with the character and the situation.