Northshore probs

To what extent does the world in the work of art shape the person the character becomes?

 

Mise en scene - the composition, setting, sounds, lighting and props that define a scene also shape the person the character becomes.  We all respond to the world around us. An artist or director has the ability to manipulate the mood of the scene, the subject(s) and the audience by controlling the mise en scene.  

 

Weather can immediately set a tone: sunny=happy, foggy=mysterious, rainy=lazy, stormy=sinister.  A character’s outlook likely relates to the weather clues.  Lighting, similar to weather, is fairly universal in its meaning; bright=good and dark=bad in simple terms.  Scenes are often lit to highlight the hero in a bright light and the villain in a dark light.  The same background can be dramatically changed by altering the weather and/or the lighting.

 

The sound in a scene elicits a great emotional response from both the character and the audience as well.  Heavy piano music always creates suspense.  Characters typically respond with cautious movements, suspicion, and fear.  Chirpy piano music, on the other hand, might cause a character to walk with a skip in her step, carefree and hopeful.  The music is definitely chosen with regard to the character’s frame of mind.

 

The props and costumes in a scene also define the characters.  The clothing can suggest an occupation (scrubs=doctor/nurse), age (trendy fashions=teenager, “mom jeans”=middle-aged), or social standing (certain jewelry=wealth, ratty shoes=low-income).  All of these are carefully chosen in a film to complete the character’s image.

 

My physical surroundings also play a factor in my formation.  My home is comfortable and casual, and kind of unorganized.  So am I.  My school is intense and competitive.  So am I.  The people in my world have shaped me as well; I’ve absorbed values from my family and humor my friends.  As a northshore teen and New Trier student, I'm getting ready to go to college and taking my "northshore probs" with me. I'll meet new people from new places with their version of probs and we'll influence each other.  My world will continue to shape and change me as I grow and adjust to my environment. 

Everything's there for a Reason

EVERYTHING'S THERE FOR A REASON
By Meg Wozniak

"Mise en scene" is a French term meaning "put in the scene". Although we can learn a lot about a scene from the characters expression, dress, and placement in the frame, it is the objects and background that really allow us to understand not only WHERE they are physically, but also what their role is in that moment. For instance, in Double Indemnity, it is the character's (Neff's) surroundings that lead us to believe he's up to no good. First of all, the rule of thirds immediately draws our eyes to the label on the office door. We automatically understand that this is Keyes' office and we are not looking at Keyes. We know it is his office because of the desk, the pens, the reports, the recorders, and so on and so forth. I believe that the reason the director chose to put a coat rack was to emphasize the fact that there are no coats on it. Keyes isn't in his office at all. Then there's the big poster chart behind Neff halfway hidden by his shadow. Apparently this chart represents that the insurance business was really thriving at the time and because we know about Neff's scheme, we can see why he's literally standing in the way of this. Another factor that seemed to have a big influence on the type of set and lighting (dim, always has shades on windows, lots of shadows) was the fact that this was a Noir film.
In the second picture, from LA Confidential, the set sort of mislead us to thinking this man was innocent. He seems to be just sitting in his living room in his underwear, watching cartoons, eating junk food. He has some old stuff piled up on the side of the TV but nothing incriminating. Seeing this scene without watching the film, I would have never thought that this man was a rapist, let alone about to be shot. I think that the reason the director set this up like this was so that we could see this man from the shooters point of view and see that he didn't appear to be a threat. It's just to emphasize the poor police system (his shooting everyone). The windows are open and he's sitting right by it, relaxed. He's laughing and doesn't seem to be anxious in the least while in the Double Indemnity shot, Neff looks stiff, quiet, and worried. Without both characters surroundings we wouldn't know the full story. The background isn't everything but you need it to understand the full idea being portrayed. Every object in the set was carefully thought out and was placed to complete the picture.

Blurred Lines

BLURRED LINES                                                                                    by Meg Wozniak

“Sometimes, in order to see the light, you have to risk the dark.”
– Dr. Lois Hineman

Things aren't always black and white, right or wrong, good or bad.  This scene challenges the certainty of the precogs predictions. The quirky and eccentric Dr. Iris Hineman has apparently seen the light and turned away from her controversial research in PreCrime technology. Her current workplace’s organic nature is in stark contrast to the slick, high-tech world of the precogs.  Her attire and demeanor are both strikingly casual considering the weightiness of her position.  The split branch in the center frame of the background suggests a fork in the road, indicating a free will to make our own decisions, to create an alternate fate. The entire scene questions the movie's premise of predetermined fate.

Anderton and Hineman are equally important in the frame, though there is an interesting conflict in the image. Anderton appears to be the aggressor, leaning into the center frame. He is the darker, more threatening of the two characters in appearance, but a bright pure light surrounds him. Hineman looks matronly and nurturing (watering can in hand), yet the lighting surrounding her on the left side is foggy and mysterious. The lines are blurred between good and bad, just like the story line suggests.

The tilted shot emphasizes the enormity of the scene’s revelation, the minority report. The characters seem bigger, more powerful because of the angle. The creator of the system (Hinman) exposes the fatal flaw in PreCrime technology which allows for errors in the permanent verdicts. Meanwhile, the audience is made to feel small and vulnerable upon the realization that the lives of the movie citizens may have been manipulated. Nothing is certain. Lines are blurred.