Mise-en-scene & Sound - 'Life On Mars'

Discuss the use of Sound and Mise-en-scene in the extract from "Life On Mars". Make specific reference to examples from the sequence.

Throughout the extract, Mise-en-scene and sound are used throughout, in particular to enforce the location, situation and atmosphere. The most prominent example of this is the sequence after which Sam is hit.

Before this however is the section in which there is a crime scene. We are immediately made aware of this via costume, as the actors behind the lead are wearing typical police costumes; this has denotations of the police and in-turn crime. As for the lead character, he is wearing a suit with a blue shirt and tie, along with the background artists, this suggests he is a part of the police and has more authority than the others. In terms of location, in the background we see council flats, this tells the area could be considered working class; also flats such of these have connotations of rough, crime ridden areas. When the camera pans down we see a blue shirt stained with what appears to be blood resting upon a children’s swing. This blood-like substance immediately brings to mind harsh/dark connotations, such as violence, like assault and murder. As the camera changes to an extreme long shot we see the swing is amongst a children’s play area, and with factories and another block of flats viable, our initial assumptions of the area are enforced.

As for sound in this section, we immediately hear radio chatter and soon after a helicopter is audible. These are both example of diegetic and synchronous sound; particularly the radio chatter, as in the background we can see police talking on their radios, these sounds remind us of crime, hence immerse us more within the scene. In terms of non-diegetic sound we have the score, of which in this section is a very slow melodic drone, played on strings, this at this particular moments conveys a sense of uncertainty and when the shirt is in shot the score alters to a ‘darker’ atmosphere as the music goes down in scale. As the first location begins to change the amplification on the score increases, eventually embodying the entirety of the audio featuring no diegetic sound, this eases us into the next scene.

The use of just the score effectively highlights and emphasises the emotion on screen, in that the mood shifts to reflect a sense of heartbreak, once again via the use of strings. To bring diegetic sound back into the scene a sound bridge is used, in that the sound effect of a car horn and screeching is suddenly audible. The score then fades out and we begin to hear the song ‘Life On Mars’, the camera soon reveals that this is playing through an iPod, making it diegetic.

As Sam is hit by the car, once again a sound bridge is used as the diegetic music immediately stops at the sound effect of him being hit by the car, to leave only the non-diegetic bass noise to be audible, highlighting the moment. A synchronous heartbeat is then audible and suggests the subject is in a life threatening situation. A white flash then fills the screen accompanied by a sound effect of almost lightning, which could suggest a defibrillator; subsequently the heartbeat begins slows-down, supporting this. During the asynchronous soundscape we also hear the noise of an ambulance, once again supporting this notion that his life is in danger. An echo of ‘Life On Mars’ can begin to be heard once more. We hear the dialogue “Charge to 200 joules” then “Is that clear?”, enforcing the idea that the lightning sound symbolises a defibrillator, as well as this we hear beeping, such as we imagine a defibrillator to do. While visuals show out of focus woodland, we hear a child’s whisper say “Where are you?”, which suggests confusion from the characters’ point of view and we then see what looks like a leprechauns shoe, which could suggest he is lucky to live? Also the snapping of twigs to represent motion with this woodland. As he opens his eyes, the beeping begins to slow and diminish in amplitude, leaving just the non-diegetic sound of the song ‘Life On Mars’.

As the camera circulates we see the character in a different costume, of which appears to be from the 1970s period. In the background we also see factories, some which are demolished, reminiscent of the same time period, the same of which applies to the car in the next shot. Again a final sound bridge is used to link the sound back to diegetic once more, as we see and hear the music decrease in quality, seemingly coming from a cassette, supporting the time period. We also briefly see what appears to be a government document, with what could be a metropolitan police logo, suggesting even in this period he is still involved with the police. We then see another subject in what appears to be a 1970s police uniform. In the background we also can hear a police car siren as we see the officer. In the background smoke is coming from the factories, indicating a working industrial period.

'The Trial' - Evaluation

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Magazine Analysis

To add to my analysis in more depth, within Empire there is a very clear sense of house-style.

Empire's house style features a black, grey, red, white and gold colour scheme. I believe this is as, in a sense, we associate these colours with cinema and film. A small font size is used to accommodate a large amount of text, common to Empire. Headings and subheadings are in a sans-serif font however all main text featured is published in a serif font. Within the text itself Empire writes in an unusual, yet interesting, combination of both high and low register writing.

The contents page features large images to the left of the page, highlighting the the main articles within the magazine. As well as this, very large stylistic page numbers are embedded within the images, of which quite obviously inform the reader where specific features are located. A small preview of the page is also included for larger articles. On the right however, below the magazines issue number/name, a more conventional contents list is featured. This of which is always split into three sections , 'Features', 'Reviews' and 'Regulars', under the appropriate sections the articles (or groups of articles) are listed. For each article yet another stylistic page number is used, maintaining the house style, as well as a short summary/description and obviously their title.

Preliminary Task - Magazine

Front Cover

Contents Page

Cinematography

Cinematography is made up of four different elements: Compostion/Framing, Angle, Focus and Movement.

Within Composition/Framing there are variouis shot types, all of which have a specific purpose.

Extreme Long Shot
The purpose of which would commonly be used to establish location and setting within a scene.
Long Shot
Long shots are used to introduce a full subject and to place them within a scene.
Medium Long ShotThese are similar to long shots, however rather than full body the shot is framed to feature the subject's knees and above.
Mid Shot
Commonly used when a subject is exchanging dialogue, framed from torso and above, the shot is able to capture a subjects body language as well as their facial expressions, all of which critical to how we communicate.
Medium Close Up
Framed half way between a mid shot and a close up. The shot captures a subjects face more clearly, without getting uncomfortably close.
Close Up
Framed from the shoulders and above, a close up highlights the facial expressions of a character in more depth. Often used to capture emotion response, of which may be critical to a story.
Extreme Close Up
Extreme close ups are used to highlight powerful, yet subtle, emotion. The frame of which positioned to only capture a subjects faced; between their eyes and mouth.

As well as framing, angles also serve a specific purpose.

High Angle
This is where a camera is positioned above a subject, of which from the viewers perspective seems as if we are looking down on them; this gives us the impression that they are inferior and retain a low status.
Low Angle
A camera is position bellow a subject, giving the viewer the impression we are looking up at them; of which implies that they are powerful and hold a high status.
Dutch Tilt
This is where a camera is intentionally tilted sideways. One of the many purposes of which is to convey a sense of confusion to the viewer.

Movement is another important aspect of Cinematography.

Pan & Tilt
Panning is where a camera is fixed to a spot and rotates around, while still remaining flat or at it's previous angle. Tilting however is where a camera remains fixed to a spot, but instead of rotating around, the angle of which it is facing up or down my increase or decrease.
Tracking
This is where a camera physically moves to track/follow a subject. In professional environment cameras are rigged and placed upon a track of which allows the cameras to move while still capturing smooth footage. Alternatively a camera could be physically moved by hand, of which grants more freedom, however to ensure smooth footage aid of a steady-cam rig would be required.
Crane
In most cases, unfortunately due to expense, they are only present in big budget productions. Cranes provide a unique effect as they are able to move a camera upon every axis, of which as a result they are able to capture elaborate epic shots.

Key Media Concepts

Target Audience
A target audience is the specific group of people that a media product is aimed towards. Target audiences can vary and be based upon multiple criteria. The purpose of assigning a target audience is for media production companies to specify a relevant group of people who may be interested in their particular product. Target audiences may be based upon age, gender, or other factors specific to a person's interests. An example of a relevant target audience would be that horror films, such as 'Saw', would generally be targeted towards individuals within the age range of 15-28+ (regardless of the BBFC rating), whom also enjoy the horror film genre.

Genre
Genre is the category in which a media products fits into. Every media product is assigned a genre, in some instances products can also be situated within multiple categories. There are many genres within film alone, just some of which are: Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi, War and Western.

Conventions
Conventions are the key features of which collectively define a given genre. For example within an action film, the viewer would expect the film to typically feature car chases, gun fights and explosions, etc. This is as we associate these specific features with the specific genre. Similarly within a horror film the viewer would expect the film to feature, a murder, a sense of isolation and vulnerability, death and gore.

Codes (Symbolic & Technical)
Codes are essentially a way of conveying meaning to an audience, without the need to describe or explain to the audience what is happening with the use of words. There are two types of codes, symbolic and technical. One example of a symbolic code, in this instance for a horror film, would be a knife visible somewhere in shot, as this would suggest to the audience a sense of danger, as we associate knifes with danger and violence. An example of a technical code, likewise for a horror film,  would be the use of gloomy colour grading and dark lighting.

Why I chose media studies...

I have always been extrememely interested in the media industry, particulary film and television production. At GCSE level I achieved the grade Distiction*. I have always excelled within media and I hope to one day have a successful career within the industry.

In my free my time I often create short online videos, as well as other forms of media content.

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