Framing & Focus

After reading Film, Space, & Mise-en-Scene by Bernard Dick, it became apparent that more thought than we think goes into the production of films. Especially the ones that go on to win global awards, such as an Oscar. The fact that the arrangement of filmmaker’s shots could make or break their film. Filmmakers use a variety of different shot types in order to entice viewers and make the film more entertaining, one technique is Mise-en-Scene. According to Dick, “Mise-en-scene is really a form of framing…The filmmaker's canvas is the frame” (Dick 86). Mise-en-scene can follow various different styles such as tight framing. Another being canted shots “resulting in an oblique composition in which the frame looks lopsided” (Dick 88). Iconography, deep focus, shallow focus and rack focus are other elements that can be incorporated into Mise-en-scene camera work too.

In James Bond: Skyfall there are several scenes which include the tight framing of James Bond. This angle appeals to Sam Mendes as it helps the audience to pick up the tone of the scene, entailed in his face. James Bond here seems to be very serious yet upset; highlighting the trouble he is in with the agency that hired him. The scene came about after James Bond completed an undercover mission in which he over-killed, and caused further problems for himself and the English government. The shot aims to provide a close up to viewers so that they can grasp a feel for the emotions in the film. “Tight framing gives a feeling of oppression. To create an atmosphere of fatalism” (Dick 88). The oppression of James Bond here aids in the scene as he is being scrutinized for his decisions in the field, leaving him fragile, which is a rare position for James Bond to be in (normally being the oppressor; a professional killer).

Rack focus is another element that can be incorporated into Mise-en-scene. By arranging the scene so that the actor’s identity isn’t revealed to the audience, it adds suspense and a mysterious vibe to the screening. According to Dick, Rack focus “is one way of concealing a character's identity until the filmmaker is ready to reveal it” (93) By showing different shots in a series without giving away the actor helps to entice viewers, locking their attention for the whole duration of the scene, if not the whole movie. In The Dark Knight Rises (2012) directed by Christopher Nolan, the opening scene entails a group of robbers in masks raid a bank. Their identity isn’t revealed, and the camera is flashing between different elements in the scene, generally using a shallow focus, or shots from behind; teasing the audience as to who is behind the mask. Several scenes possess little light, whilst others switch so quickly it is hard to gain a grasp of who is committing the crime. Is it the Joker, or is there a plot twist? Here, we can see the different forms of Mise-en-Scenes aiding in the production of fantastic movies, and how assembling shots correctly can be detrimental to the outcome of films.