Task 2: Mise en scene/ Visual Composition
Visual Composition includes
- everything within the frame,
- the placement of the elements within the frame,
- the use of foreground, background and ‘rule of thirds’.
These elements can be expressive or naturalistic. Analyse the visual composition of this shot. Begin by describing what is in the frame- foreground etc including set design, costume, props, colour, texture, framing and movement within the frame. Then discuss the meanings and messages intended by the director in creating this frame design.
on February 20th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
In this fram for the movie Run Lola Run, there is three different shots combined together. On the left is a frame of Manni, on the right is Lola and down the bottom is an etreme close up of a clock one scond off strinking twelve.
Manni is Lola’s boyfriend who is in trouble and needs her help. The significantssignificance of the clock in the bottom of the frame is showing the auidence that when it is twelve o’clock Manni was going to rob a supermarket. The shot of Lola is of her still runing to get to him in time. For both Manni and Lola it is a close up of their faces so you can see their expressions. Manni’s expression is showing that it is 12 and Lola is not there.Good Andrea, you have described the construction of the frame well, you have also given us some meaning for the characters. to exntend the answer further, you could have talked about symbolism. Why is the screen split three ways?does this create any deeper meaning for the three?
on February 22nd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
This frame consists of three different shots. To the left is Manni, to the right is Lola running and across the bottom is the top of the big clock in town showing that its 11.59. This is indicating to the audience the urgency of time and raises narrative possibilities,good such as ‘Will Lola make it to Manni before he robs the Bolle store? Will Manni wait for Lola or will he begin his hold up?’ which increases the tension as the audience awaits the result. greatBoth the image of Manni and the image of Lola are close ups so the audience can see their facial expression. This helps the audience to relate to what the characters are feeling.great again In the foreground Manni is looking in one direction (presumably at the clock and seeing if Lola is coming). He looks concerned and uncertain. In the background we see the backs of people’s heads. This contrasts with Manni who is about to do something life changing, while the others are completely oblivious to what might happen.fantastic On the right, we see Lola running in the foreground. It is possitioned so she is running towards the Manni on the left, which is important, because if she was runningto the right of the frame, the audience could interpret Lola as running away from Manni.fantastically fantastic Her red hair can be thought of as foreshadowing wow great use of the word what is about to happen, symbolising danger, or blood when she gets shot. Lola looks desperate and exhausted but she is determined to reach her boyfriend. This reminds the audience of what Manni says at the beginning when he is on the phone to Lola, ‘You said love can do anything,’ so the audience anticipates whether or not this is true.you go girl In the background all we see is a blurred wall, which reminds us that Lola as running; she is zoned out to her surroundings (as is the case when she runs past the homeless man with the money!) wanting only to be with her boyfriend.
The clock is a constant symbol throughout the film that reminds the audience of the race against time.right The image of the clock is subtle and consumes only a quarter of the frame, but the clippingcropping of it we get to see is enough to remind the audience that Lola has only a minute to reach Manni. This is important for reminding the audience of the difference a minute can make. The fact that the frame is split into three different parts could relate to the three different ‘games’ or alternatives Lola takes in the film, exploring the theme causality.You’ ve done very well again Lucy, lets see…. a virtual Turkish delight for you!
on February 22nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
To describe this frame as simple would be an insult to director of Run Lola Run Tom Twyker,Tykwer and a drastic underestimate of such a complex frame. Each layer of this frame intends to communicate a message to the audience and each tiny detail may play an important code or role in RLR. Firstly and most noticeable is that the frame has been divided into three separate images (The rule of thirds). For this frame the thirds are not divided evenly which creates a sense of disharmony and underlines the anxiety which reflects what the two protagonists (Lola and Manni) are feeling, this frame is very nearly and could be balanced and symmetrical or ‘perfect’ if it wasn’t for that medaling extreme close up of the clock almost striking twelve. goodThis clock shot cuts straight across the bottom of the frame and interrupts the audience from seeing a symmetrical frame, this annoying reminder of time in the form of a heavy bare clock distorts an equal frame for the audience, it also echoessuggests how Manni and Lola are irritated by the obstacle of time. In Lola’s portion of the frame, although it is hard to spot the audience can see that she is wearing earrings, which is a reminder to the audience of Lola’s punky or random style. The viewer can also tell because of Lola’s blurred hard brick wall background and the movement of her symbolic red hair that she is rushing and running to save Manni. The red hair especially in this frame may conjure up feelings of passion to rescue Manni, danger for the audience, as it is unclear weather Lola will reach Manni and save him or that Manni will commit the robbery. It is also the similar colour of a warning or stop sign, suggestswhich is exactly what Lola is trying to do to Manni. In Manni’s section of the frame the viewer instantly identifies a mixture of emotion on Manni’s face. He has a concerned worry and perplexed look, this is because he is deeply worried about why Lola has not made the effort that she promised over the phone to save him. And he is also left perplexed because he is unsure of what to do next and also why Lola isn’t here. In the background the audience can see the entrance to a busy supermarket though an electric sliding door, the numerous blurred heads, which are going in and out of the supermarket, justify this busyness of the supermarket. The doors also divide Manni’s section into thirds but the most important character of the door is the gold/yellow doorframe. This regular motif occurs in RLR to suggest to the audience Manni’s obsession of 100’000 marks.??? The audience can mayalso interpret that the colour is there to give them a hint about Manni being a coward (yellow belly) to Ronnie, and also that because yellow is a colour that represents caution it represents the caution and presence of danger that Manni must avoid when he robs the supermarket.Great work Nicholas- just remember to keep your interpretations/ analysis to ’suggestions’, not definitive facts. A virtual coconut macaroon for you ( since you’re a chef, I figure you know what they are)
on February 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Sorry but I forgot to mention…
That the division of the screen also creates an artificial wall between Manni and Lola. It further separates these two protagonists and stresses even more that they are unable to reach each other and gain support. great point- good job
on February 23rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm
In the shot above, the screen is dividedinto three, using the rule of thirds for the bottom shot. Each top side shows a medium close up of a main character- Manni on the left, Lola on the right. the bottom shot shows an extreem close up of a clock, the second hand about to strike 12.00.very good start The significance of this is that Manni needs Lola’s help, and at 12.00 he will rob a supermarket if she’s not there. She’s runinng and trying as hard as she can to get there on time, and Manni is watching the clock. Manni facial expressionseems almost in shock, for Lola isn’t there on time, he also shows concern.
The screen is split in three because each has equal significance at that point in time,excellent the can’t be shown in order, or in a rotation- it wouldn’t have the same effect. A good first response Kat, you probably could have developed the last idea more- pretend you’re writing to someone who hasn’t seen the film
on February 23rd, 2009 at 8:13 pm
The shotframe has three parts. Manni, Lola and the symbol of a clock. In the background of Manni’s third on the leftare the blurred heads of people entering and leaving the supermarket he is about to rob, and the camera is focused on his face. In Lola’s frame on the rightis the brick wall including Lola running and the bottom third is a zoomed shot of the clock that is about to hit 12 o’clock. Lola’s familiar red hair, blurred figure and facial expression create a sense of urgency with Manni looking seemingly deep in thought about his prospective robbery. The camera remains zoomed in all three frames showing the lack of time Lola has to get to Manni before he robs the store, as well as her frustrated and his anxious expressions.Good The rule of thirds reinforces the main storylineprobably theme is better here and allows the audience to feel what Lola is feeling when she believes that she has run out of time. The director may have goodintended to build tension by previously cutting the screen to each of the characters separately and then putting all three of them into the same frame. Tykwer good correct spellingmay have intentionally built suspense for the audience by using this frameworkframe construction/ design? to reveal narrative possibilities and the importance of Lola turning up on time. good work Kaz, note to everyone the ‘rule of thirds’ is not the same as dividing the frame in three the way Tykwer has…I will explain in class
on February 24th, 2009 at 11:42 am
In this shot we are shown to the left Manni outside the supermarket he is about to rob, to the right we are shown a slightly blurred Lola running towards Manni and to the bottom of the frame is a clock about to strike 12, this suggests through a blurred image of Lola that she is moving fast and desperate to get to Manni and help him before he robs the supermarket. The shot of Manni shows him looking to the direction of where Lola will come and then to the clock to see if it is time to rob the supermarket. The image of the clock shows the super extremeclose up of the clock showing the time and seconds before 12. This visual composition is important because it can show three different shots while showing they are happening at exactly the same time.excellent It gives an accurate view rather then flippingcutting between the three it shows them all together all working as they would be in real life. Good answer Tom, you’ve described the frame composition well, you could have talked a little more about the implied meaning though
on February 24th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Manni and Lola’s facial expressions show that they are worried about something. Lola’s red hair is a symbol of ergancyurgency/trouble, which matches the scene. The clock shows the audience that there is a time limit, Lola’s running and the way manni is looking around for Lola indicates that lola is trying to get to manni in they time limit. what you can see in the background of manni and lola shows that they are both in city areas becasue there are buildings and people around. this builds suspence because Lola is close, the audience willcould belive that she can make it in time. having all three shots shot in conventional colour film it show that thay are all happening in present time. any other time would be shown in either black and white or video tape.good point the rule of thirds is used to show three things happening at the same time. it would have been more difficult to portray this scene if they were all in different shots. by dividing them into three, the audience can clearley see what is going on and can get a grip on the events. in other words, this use of thirds makes the scene easier to understand.Sam when answering questions about mise en scene, you need to describe whats in the frame first then suggest meaning from the placement of elements within the frame.- you need to pretend your reader can’t see the frame and you have to describe it in great detail.
on February 25th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
This frame is split into thirds; in each third is an important part in playing the game.good In the top left thirdexcellent we have Manni with the bolle supermarket behind him. This is the supermarket that he is going to rob if Lola does not reach him by the time the clock strikes 12 o’clock with the money that is needed (100,000 marks). On the right side of the frame at the top is an image of Lola running in her race against time trying to get to Manni with the money so that he doesn’t have to rob the bolle supermarket.right In the last third at the bottom is the clock. The clock is just about to hit 12 o’clock which means that the end of the game is close which means success or failure for both Manni and Lola. good work Jess, you’ve correctly described the placement of elements within the frame and proposed a meaning. For an extended answer, you would develop your description of what you suggest the meaning to be, more.
on March 10th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
The frame is divided into thirds with each one connecting with one another. Manni (Lola’s boyfriend) has gotten himself in a situation in which he has to pay a man 100,000 marks (Germany’s currency) in order still be living after 12:00pm. Once the clock strikes 12:00pm Manni will die in a way that the audience is unawhere of as it is not mentioned in the dialogue.good Manni’s will to live is driven strong by emotions, as he plans to rob the supermarket not that far from where he is standing.good This is what he is willing to do if Lola doesn’t come with 100,000 marks at the designated time of 12:00 midday.
In Lola’s frame she is sprinting as her hair is thrown back by the force of the wind and the expression on her face is serious. Her destination is Manni as she is going to try and save his life, but time is not on Lola or Manni’s side.right
The time at the bottom of the frame the clock is representing the time that Lola has to get to Manni with the money, or the time that Manni has to live. Therefore the three pictures divided into the one frame shows that all events are happening at the same time.Good Nathan, you described the meaning of the three parts of the frame, you probably needed a little more to begin with on the structure of the frame eg. the frame is divided into three sections…on the right is manni….
on March 12th, 2009 at 9:26 am
in the frame shot we see three different shots of manni, Lola and the clock.this 3 images potrayes the thirds rule. in the first thirdon the left we see manni, looking really stressed and confused, he doesnt even know what hes doin and in the background we see the image of the shop.therefore hes about to go rob it.good In the second thirdon the right we see Lola, her hair is all fuzzy and the picture is kind of blurry so this shows us that Lola is running to get to Manni before he does something bad.right In the last part of thirds theres the clock.lower part of the frame The clock is about to strike 12. This shows that the game was about to beginor end? and the sence of emegency just started. in all these 3 pictures we see that in the movie RUN LOLA RUN, its all about racing against time.good Tawanda