Mis en Scene and Sound in Phantom of The Opera

Mis  en scene and sound in Phantom of the opera

By Katy Williamson

The Phantom of the Opera (2004) by Joel Schumacher, & produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber begins with a candle which smokes makes the titles in the credits. We then see and a painting of a building in the city, the painting is then panned towards by the camera. As we move towards it elements of the picture begin to move, we can see people on the street and old fashioned cars, the picture is at first sepia toned and the sound is non diegetic but as we move in closer the picture starts to become black and white. In the distance we can hear a bell in the tower of the building chiming, the non diegetic sound from the previous scene bridges over into the next scene with the off screen diegetic sound from the bell this joins the scenes well together and we get a flowing and cohesion.

When we zoom into the street we can see it is busy and littered with leaves, this suggests it is set in autumn and we can see that it is very windy as well. We see a man’s feet come out of a car and he is helped into his wheelchair. He is wearing a pair of brogues and a suit, therefore we could assume is a high powered man and reasonably  well of, when he gets out of the vehicle we are also given a quick glance of a family crest which again signifies the wealth and power of the character.

The lighting on the street is high key lighting to create a normal and realistic light. This is done by brightly lit sets and subtly lit scenes. However, when we move inside the opera house the lighting changes to low key lighting, this creates more contrast and distinct shadows.  This creates mystery and works well against the colour and brightness later in the scene and also suggests a negative tone to the scene and that it is very old fashioned and boring.

The makeup in the scene makes the characters look very old and tired, we could suggest that they themselves are mirroring the building.  The costume is old fashioned, which places us in the setting and allows the audience to know what era and where they are. They are also wearing black clothing this could suggest a dark and sinister side to the opera building they are standing in as black connotes death and evil. However, it also represents mourning so we could say that they are mourning the death of opera.

In the auction the numbers 666 are called out, this is the number of the devil and again could suggest a supernatural presence in the opera.

Also the facial expression of the two characters shows their feelings towards each other and creates an importance to the audience of these two characters as they are both staring at each other and introduces the relationship between the two characters. Both look anxious and curiously at each other. The fact that both characters are also in the centre of the frame also highlights that these two characters are very important.

How does this my opening sequence research link to our production?

Legally Blonde: At the moment we are thinking about a horror so this style is not what we are aiming for however, the same basic codes and conventions can be applied to all openings. It is obvious that the mis en scene fits with the genre of this film and so do the credits. Very girly and pretty writing is used for example for the romantic comedy. In that sense our credits must reflect the genre we go for. In these credits the titles are over the top of the beginning of the film, so the narrative has already started. This is something I would quite like to do in our film as I think it involves the audience more straight away although, ultimately the decision will be made by the group.

The Shining is a horror film; I picked it because I could look at the codes and conventions in horror films. I really like the different angles used in this and think that we could definitely use this in our credits as it can create more visual interest for the audience. This is also one of the things we were told worked well in our preliminary task. The fact that it is in a isolated place and also picturesque is something I think is very effective and I would like to use that.

The sound in the Shining is also really scary and i like the high pitched sounds as this also connotes something that is not quite right. Something like this would be interesting to recreate.

Again in the Texas Chain Saw Massacre the sound is high pitched and can be irregular. The sound is also non diegetic but realistic. There is the sound of the news in the background which is informing people about the events but subtlety, this would be interesting if we needed a way of adding extra information in to the sequence. The other sounds used are also very sensual and link to what you are seeing. They make you squirm which I think works well. Also I really like the cutting to a black screen as it builds tension I would be interested in using this especially as Legally Blonde also builds tension by gradually showing you parts of the character and her surroundings but not her face. This is something i have noticed in other sequences; therefore i think this enigma is critical no matter what. 

One of the things that I took away from Black Swan is that the sequence intensifies, I think this really works for the opening sequence and I think this would work well for ours also no matter what idea we go for.

Research into similar media texts: Black Swan

BLACK SWAN

• The movie opens with white writing on a black background for the credits. There is classical music playing in the background. The music is quite creepy and goes to loud to quiet and is arrhythmic. This introduces us to the genre as thriller and the black and white is simple and clean, but also matches the title Black Swan which is oxymoronic. The black and white colours could also be a refence to the genre as lots of Thriller films use black and white. 

• It then fades to Natalie Portman who is standing center stage with low key light which creates shadows and suggests an eeriness. Her being in the center of the shot means that we knows she is important and introduces us to her as a central character. The film is also showcasing her, her being the first thing you see allows the audience to connect with her early on in the film. It also means it is obvious who the film is about, and when we later see her wake up from her dream, we know it was her who we just saw dancing. 

• The camera then focuses on her ballet shoes and we watch her delicately dance,the low key lighting again juxtaposes something that is delicate and pretty to suggest something dark and hidden.

• The music intensifies and becomes more random when the second character appears. He is wearing black and contrasts with the swan. The colors connote purity and delicacy for white and evil and corrupted for black.

• The camera also pans round her and the male dancer quite quickly to match with the increased pace of the movie.

• The camera movement in the opening sequence changes from a smooth tracking of Portman as she dances to handheld and more shaky when the male character is introduced, this matches the characters as she is dancing as a white swan, which is pretty and delicate, while he is meant to be evil. The handheld style gives the impression we are watching her and preying on her. 

 

Research into Similar Media Texts: Texas Chainsaw Massacre

 TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE

I used this for my next opening sequence analysis as it is a classic horror movie and it is a budget film which we are intending ours to be. 

• The movie starts with who the film is by, this fits the conventions of the majority of films and the ones I have looked at.
• The movie also begins with a voice over and some text giving a brief introduction to the film, it claims that it is based on true events to attract a wider audience and as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate, the majority of the plot is fiction; however, the character of Leatherface who is the main antagonist were inspired by the crimes of real-life murderer Ed Gein.
• The voice over and text is something I have not seen before in this genre so that intrigued me. 
• It then sets the date of the film, by showing a title on screen, again something that is not very common to me.
• The films then starts with a black screen and some very weird noises that sound like something being ripped, although it is not entirely clear what it is. As we can not see anything our senses our heightened and a tension is built. We can also hear something breathing quite heavily. The film then has shots of light which light up areas of a body, the first we see is a of a disgusting looking hand. The shots also focus on the body part and then go black for a second and when it flashes back it is zoomed in on to them. The tension is brought by the fact we have been given very little information and are waiting for the next flash and something more gory. The hidden information also gives the film a very surreal film and this is added to by the flashes of light as they are so bright against the dark screen. 
• The sound is also eerie feeling as their is a high pitch noise coming from what must be the camera flashing. As we get to the skull and it starts to become more obvious what this is their is also a distorted sound as well. A radio presenter can also be faintly heard and this soundbridges into the next scene. The purpose of this is to make the audience familiar with the location and also what is happening. The audience is given information but not in a direct way. 
• It then cuts to the body in early evening, this shocks the audience as you can now see all of it, it starts of close up and pans away slowly, allowing audience to take it all in. This allows them to get the information they need and process what is going on. 
• The opening credits then start and are black and red which connote evil and red. The also move which adds to the surrealism. 

Research into Similar Media Texts: The Shining

THE SHINING

For my second opening sequence I used the Shining. I choose this because it fits within the horror genre.

• The film opens with the Warner Brother logo-this fits the usual conventions. 
• Then there is an establishing shot of the landscape which is an extreme long shot, we zoom in to the island in the middle of the lake and then the camera tilts. This is effective as it shows that something is not right in this beautiful landscape. This conveys that it is horror. 
• The sound used in the clip is also haunting. It is non digetic. 
• The music is very low and quite eerie at first. It remind me of echos which links to the vast open space seen in the opening sequence, this could connote loneliness and isolation. 
• Then the music gets higher towards the end suggesting increasing danger, the bizarre music creates a surreal feel to the film.
• The music is also played all the way through the opening sequence which helps build tension again meaning when the shock comes the audience are more scared.
• The setting is also very beautiful and picturesque which means that the audience least expect violence, also the fact that it is being shot in daylight which is not usually expected in horror films. The audience least expecting it means that when you show them it will make the jump, which is of course one of the reasons why horror can be so enjoyable.
•  The camera shot from above the car shows how small it is and where exactly it is. The overhead shot also shows power and a sense of watching them without them really knowing.
• The titles start after some shots of the area have been shown. 
• They are in simple blue writing, this doesn't detract from the footage as it is being played behind them.

Research into similar media texts: BeetleJuice

BEETLE JUICE. 
For my research into similar media texts I looked at the opening to Beetle Juice (1988). This a horror movie although it comes under the sub-genre of comedy horror where the audience is scared however there are comedy outlets so the audience can laugh at their fear.

• The opening sequence fit my expectations as it started with a production company name, the music started as this was playing with an echoed "beetle beetle" having a production company first is common in opening sequences, we will include one in our opening sequence and I will do research into different production names and the way they are presented.
• The text was very different from the other opening sequence I looked at Legally Blonde however this is not surprising at all as they are totally different genres. I will apply this when doing my opening sequence that it is very important that it all links together.
•  Beetle Juice has the credits first on a black screen for the production company, the distributor and Tim Burton the director.  It then plays the text over the footage. 
• The text is black and white, with a blue haze behind it. It reminded me at first of something to do with ghosts and the cool colors used indicate that this will be scary. The title of the film surrounded by skulls in the border also confirmed this for me.
•  Next there was an establishing shot of the town, this is common in opening sequences and matched my expectations. Again I hope to use this in our opening sequence as It is important the audience know where they are in the beginning of a movie. 
• The movie opens with a helicopter shot over the town and it follows the road, this build a sense of tension as we don't know where we are going and it takes quite a long time, however it does mean we know where we are in relation to everything. It then ends on a long shot of the house. 

Research into Opening Sequences: Legally Blonde

 As part of my research I looked into one of my favorite opening sequences. 

The first opening sequence is Legally Blonde:

•  Immediately we are aware of the genre of this film as a Rom-Com and who its main audience are.

• The swirly pink writing gives us a clue that this is about a girl and also that she is young and a typically girly girl.

•  The writing also has many connotations and the audience are expectant that the character will fit within certain stereotypes.

• She is blonde and within the first 18 seconds we can see she has fake nails on. Already we know a little about her character. She is clearly concerned with her looks.

•   The mise en scene in her room also shows this, she has lots of magazines stacked up and a bottle of blonde hair dye.

• The setting for the opening sequence is shots of a girl on her bike on her way to the main characters sororities, it is obvious that the girl is popular we know this by the amount of people are signing this card the friend is delivering to her and the amount of trouble they are going to. She has something on her desk which has her name and then “President”.

• On her wall she also has a homecoming queen banner which further adds to the development of her character.

• The music also says a lot about the movie, it includes the lyrics “it’s a perfect day, nothing standing in our way” this and the setting shows that these girls live almost perfect life’s and are clearly wealthy. It is very upbeat and clique and this helps build the genre further.

•  The lighting is also well balanced and bright with little shadows or contrast, this show that it is a light hearted movie.

• The main character Elle is not shown until the very end of the sequence this build tension and we wonder what she actually looks like as we know so much about her and her life