Harper, Minority Report

In Minority Report the other is considered the potentional criminal. The potentional criminal is treated wrost than if they actually comitted the crime. In Hollywood and the Rhetoric of Panic by Antonio Sanchez-Escalonilla says that, "The conflict between national security and civil liberties is one of the underlying themes in Minority Report." These potentional criminals aren't being given their rights. In the movie it seems that all forms of privacy is abused. The governement basically examines people's thoughts and deteremines whether they're a criminal or not. The problem with that is that people change their minds and some people do not fully act out their thoughts. In many ways, I believe, this movie shows how America treated Middle Eastern people after 9/11. In the film, the potentional criminals aren't asked any questions about what they were going to do and they are abusivly handled. While the authorities and other people observe and applaud because they believe that everyone should be safe, even if it means invading privacy. America, in other ways, did this to Middle Eastern Americans. On planes and in stores and almost anywhere (after 9/11) Middle Eastern people were outcast.

Harper Casablanca

Casablanca related to its' audience at that time. It was released in January 23, 1943, in the mist of WWII. The film made sure not to alienate their audience by using underlined messages through out the film that related to the War and America's position in it.

This photo is from the last scene of the movie when Rick is saying his goodbyes to Ilsa.

Dominant: The dominant in this scene is the shape of Rick and Ilsa's body. It shows their closeness without having them being too close.

Lighting Key: It seems that the lighting in this scene is low key because it's night time of course.

Camera Proxemics: The shot is very open. It still shows the caption in the scene and the planes in the background.

Angle: The angle seems to be straight and on the main subjects in the scene.

Subsidiary Contrast: The main eye stops, after the dominant, are the plane in the back and the caption in the eft corner.

Density: The scene is detailed. It has a lot of things that the eyes capture when looking at it.

Form: The form is very open as you can see everything is being shown in this scene.

Framing: The Frame is loose.

Character Placement: The character's occupy the right side of this shot.

Character Proxemics: The characters look personal, but also intimate because the way their heads are positioned seems as if they're about to kiss.

McCay: Beowulf Blog Prompt

Choose a scene from Beowulf that needs further editing or enhancing and do an analysis of how you would change the scene. Do not forget to post a picture. Your mise en scene analysis should point out the weakness in the scene.

Harper Closer

In the film Closer, I believe that the strongest character is Clive Owen's character Larry. He seems to show the most emotion in this film. When I began to watch the movie my first thought was to say that Jude Law, Daniel, was the strongest character. But then the movie introduced Larry into the "love square" and I knew that he was going to be the strongest character. Without his over emotional questions to Julia Roberts' character, Anne, during the break-up, the whole "break-up scene" between both couples would have been unrealistic. His sexual desires, cheating, lying, anger, and choice of words all seem more realistic than the other characters in the film. No one else showed as much attitude or personality as he did. Although, I believe that Natalie Portman's character, Alice/Jane, was the main character she was not the strongest.

Character Placement: Owen is placed to one side of the frame while Portman is place to the opposite side, but them as a whole (looking closely into each others eyes) are very much centered.

Framing: The frame is tight. In this scene the characters were in a private room, The Paradise Suite, where Alice danced for Larry. When Larry is in the room at first he seems intrigued by Alice dancing and stripping for him. Then he gets frustrated with her because she does not tell him who the "real" Alice is.

Character Proxemics: The space between the characters is personal. They are close, but they aren't too close. Alice keeps reminding him that there is a no touch policy, which makes this shot impossible to be intimate.

McCay: Closer Blog on Acting

Which Actor emerges as the strongest character in Closer (remember, actor applies to both male and female)? Choose a frame of that actor (post it on the blog,) and do a mise en scene analysis of the frame to support your claim. You must analyze three elements of mise en scene in your blog.

A. Harper The Other Boleyn Girl

For my Mise en Scene I picked the movie The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). This picture is from the scene where Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) is preparing her sister Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to meet the king for the first time.

Dominant: The dominant of this picture is the two sisters. They attract the eyes because of the light on their faces and both of their facial expressions, exspecially the character of Anne. She looks a bit nervous as she prepares for and awaits the kings' arrival.

Lighting Key: The lighting in this scene is natural. I say this because of the shadows behind the two characters, how the edges of the scene are darker, and the little bit of lighting that is on the characters faces.

Character Proxemics: The characters are very close to each other and are practically touching each other, with the way that Johansson is fixing Portman's necklace. This scenes' character proxemics is intimate.

Camera Proxemics: The camera is not extremely close to the characters. It seems to be showing the characters from the waist up; I would say that the camera proxemics is personal.

This frame illuminates the larger scene because it shows how close the sister were in the beginning of the movie. If you have not seen the movie, this scene shows you the personalities of the characters. Portman's face does not look relaxed, her face looks more angry and serious, while Johansson's face seems more relaxed and calm. Through out the movie Portman's character seems to be the wild sister, while Johansson's seems to be the innocent sister who is very reserved. Further into the movie the two sisters grow apart and Mary Boleyn is executed by the king.