Inception

Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Christopher Nolan
Produced by	Christopher Nolan Emma Thomas
Written by	Christopher Nolan
Starring	Leonardo DiCaprio Ken Watanabe Joseph Gordon-Levitt Marion Cotillard Ellen Page Tom Hardy Cillian Murphy Tom Berenger Michael Caine
Music by	Hans Zimmer[1]
Cinematography	Wally Pfister
Editing by	Lee Smith
Studio	Legendary Pictures Syncopy Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	July 8, 2010(London premiere) July 16, 2010(United States)
Running time	148 minutes[2]
Country	United States United Kingdom [3]
Language	English
Budget	$160  million[4]
Box office	$825,532,764[5]

Slow motion

This shot apply slow motion to arouse the attention of the audience. Let the audience to guess will the main character awake from his dream.

This scene is also another slow motion shot in the movie. This shot is illustrating the dream of the main character.Using slow motion is to create a spectacular, stunning and exaggerated  effect.

Panning

And this is also a panning shot, it is used to show clearly what is the whole street happening and also shows the stunning effect to the audience.

This another panning shot to show the audience the view beside the main character which they are walking by, and shows how large of the world and how small are they.Besides, large angle are used, which can let the audience to see the whole view.

Birds eye shot

The birds eye shot is to show a hints to the audience that the scene has been change, and show this is another layer of the dream to avoid the misunderstanding of the audience.

Canted shot

The shot is sowing the movement of the character. It shows that the place where they stay are moving, showing the audience that this is a dream of the character and they are not yet arrive to the real world.

Selective focus & Medium close-up

This girl is important in this scene, therefore, she is focused and closed up in this scene,and the background is blurred. It is used to arouse the attention of the audience of what the girl are talking.

Tracking camera

This scene is tracking the van, since all the character are inside the car, so it is used for focus with happening with the main character in the movie.

Cinematography task－Raging Bull

Raging Bull (1980, Martin Scorsese)

Walking to the ring

• What kind of camera work is employed?

Since the shot is following the character during he was walking to ring, tracking camera is employed. The camera report down the facial expression and the action of him  Besides, due to the shot is not shaky but steady, we can know that steady camera is used.

• What kind of focus is used?

Selective focus is used. The whole shot is focus on the audience and the boxer.when the camera focus on the boxer, the audience are blur, vice versa.

• What are the effect?

 Tracking camera and selective focus are used

Entrance to the ring

• What kinds of lenses are used? Why?

Wide angle and telephoto shot are used, it shows the area of the boxer and the audience. Therefore, the atmosphere of the competition is shown.

• How is panning used?

Panning is used to show the audience, the space of the boxer and the relationship between the audience and the boxer.

• What is the effect of the close -up/medium close-up shot?

It is used to show the excitement of the woman and the relationship between her and jake.

The fight

• What kinds of camera angle and shot types are used?

Slow motion and low angle are used.

• What is the effect?

Hard shadow,low angle and close-up to the closer different body parts to show their pain and the excitement.

End of the fight

• How is a canted angle used? Why?

The canted angle is used to illustrate the pain of the loser and the feeling of glory of Jake. It shows the emotion between the two boxer.

• Where is the slow motion used? Why is it used?

It used to present the judge judging the result and make a nervous atmosphere to the audience, and set more time to let the audience to expect the result.

Celebration 

• Where is a tilt shot used? How is it used and why?

The victory time that the winner wear on his belt, the shot use for showing his power.

• What is the purpose of the extreme close-up?

It shows the happiness of the winner, and also present the feeling of glory of the winner.

Mise En Scene :Metropolis

Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1926: opening scene

How does Fritz lang use the devises of mise en scene to develop the characters, themes and narrative at the beginning of metropolis?

Location 1

• setting

At the beginning of the movie, there are some gear wheel and machine are shown at the opening scene. They were operated by the workers in the factory.Besides, a clock was shown also. The clock's short hand and long hand move quickly, it signifies that the worker works hard in long hours.

Moreover, the scene above shows the factories are spreading out some smoke, and they do signify that the workers are working busily.And the industry works prosperously.

• Workers

Indeed, there are two parts divided in the first location, which is underground and overground.

The workers world is underground and they move slowly and queuing up tidily with their head down. It shows that they are obeying and work with decipline. besides, they walk as slow as a mummy and without any facial expression shows that they are unhappy.

the other world are some people which live in overground.They don't need to work and they live in a world without any  stress.They are running and play with their smile.

• lighting

The movie use different type of lighting colour to establish mood of story, setting, character. The movie use the warm light to establish the life of the people are living in the overground. They are symbolic energetic, cheerful and optimistic. Oppositely, the workers who live in underground are using the cold light which symbolic their glommy life.


Location 2

• setting

The main character, Freder is living inside the Eternal Garden.One day,he is attracted by a woman. He is told that the woman is the daughter of a worker. She is leading a group of children.They see each other in the Eternal garden with a fountain.

• The main protagonists

The main protagonist are the woman and Freder. They are put to the middle of the scene, since they are important.

The man are playing happily in the garden and the daughter of the workers come out from two different location. The man is in a relaxing garden and the woman are from a disaster factory,which cause a big contrast.The man represent the rich and the woman represent the poor.

• Development

The man follow the woman and first seeing the life of the workers. The factories became a monster, which signify how tough the workers are. They slave for their work and some of them even died. He is really shocked to see a total different world from himself.

• New setting

The scene back to the prosperous city, which cause a big contrast again.The scene has high buildings, airplane, car etc. It signifies that the prosperous city is just a fake scene ,which means the hidden truth are the sweatshop.

Mise en scene ( Media Task 1)

setting (background):

It is take place in a garden in front of a house with red door. There are grass ,plants and white fence.It suggest that is a garden.Besides, the house looks large and luxury, it suggests that there are so rich people living inside.
There is a western man kneel down on a floor, and he looks panic.Probably, he is not living inside.

There is bright sun shining over the garden suggest that the scene was taken in the morning or afternoon, we can say that must be taken in evening.

position:

The man was posted in the middle of the picture which can told us that he dominate the mise en scene. He was the focus of this scene. Besides, he kneel down on the grass and his briefcase was fallen, some of his document fell. The man are tidying his briefcase in a hurry.

costume & character:

The man was wearing a grey color formal suit with white shirt and was wearing a pair of oxford shoes . Besides, he is holding a briefcase. It suggest that he is probably a businessman.
The man has a tidy and neat haircut. his age should be around 30-40 something. Moreover his skin is in white suggest that he is a western.

face:

He looks panic and worried in this scene and tidying his things outside the house in a hurry. It suggested that he was not happy at all at the moment and he doesn't look relax, he probably  not living inside the house.We can guess he is not satisfy with his job cause he looks impatient.

period:

I guess it is in the 1970s.

genre:

it should be a drama.