Extension Task

1. Analysis (Mis-en-scene)

This still image is taken from the film "the Pursuit of Happyness" which is a very distressing film. The director has shown this through this image very clearly. For example, the man is dressed in business suit with a brief case indicating that he is wealthy or has a good job. However he is shown spending the night in  what seems to be a public bathroom. This suggests that he might have been wealthy or had enough money to own a suit but something has changed the situation and therefore why him and his son are spending the night there. The tissues on the floor also indicate that do not belong or are new to the situation that they are in as they are not use to resting on the floor. You can also tell the actors body language that he is going through a tough and stressful situation as he is on the floor and is sitting in a slouching position portraying defeat and impotent. Also the way he is holding his son conveys that he is trying to everything he can to protect him. The setting is a clear indication that the film is distressing as this image shows them in a public bathroom , resting which is usually a sign of homelessness. The cinematography is used effectively here also as the camera is showing them from a birds-eye view referring to vulnerability and powerless.

2. Comparison

 The first image shown is an image from Indiana Jones and is in the genre of Adventure. This is shown within the image as, for example, the costume that the character is wearing seems to be a costume that is usually linked with Texas, or North Americans. The lighting in this image is used very effectively as the object in front of the character is appearing to light up. If an object is lighting up it indicates that the object is special or important in the film. Therefore, lighting has been used to show the importance of the object that the character is reaching for. Another thing is, the character seems to be thrusting itself to grab this object and his facial expressions shows determination. This suggests that he really needed to get this object or is fighting to get this object as fast as possible. It is suggested that he has been fighting for it as if you glance at his face closely, it has dirt and mud on it which shows that there was a struggle to get to where he is now. The object in the image is portrayed as something heavenly and as a protagonist as it is shining brightly compared to the background which is dark. Also the way the character is launching for the object shows that he needs it to perhaps save a situation. The setting of this image seems to be set in a cave or some dark underground space where the special object lies. On the other side, the second image is clearly shown as a horror/thriller genre film. This is due to the way the antagonist, behind the girl, is dressed with dark clothing a mask. The dark clothing connotes mysterious look which links with the idea of a mask as the mask hides their identity which create a much more scary image for the audience as they look disfigured. Lighting is also used in this image but instead of using lighting to glorify something as done in image one, lighting is used in mainly low-key  to create suspense for the audience so that they can set the tone of a fear. There is also under-lighting or back light used under the actors faces to create a distorted besides dramatic effect and if used on the protagonist, it indicates that that character is in danger. The girl's facial expression is a bit frightful or in shock as if she has just realised someone is behind. The antagonist's body language is quite firm and tall in posture compared to the girl conveying that he is more powerful and stronger. The setting in this image is in a house and behind them is an open window which insists that that was the way the killer came through. The setting is set in a spine-tingling way which represents the genre of horror/thriller. Instead of using lighting as the main feature in this image/ extract, the director of Titanic has shown the romance in this film particularly in their body language. However, lighting does play a part in this as the background of this image clearly displays a dark environment suggesting it is night time and yet the two characters are shown a light . This illustrates that it is the love that is setting them a light and so lighting can also be used to show a connection between two characters. The costumes that the characters are wearing show a bit of background knowledge as you can tell the girl is more wealthy due to the jewellery and expensive dress but the boy looks like he comes from a poorer area compared to the girl character. The body language between the two shows that they have a love relationship because they are close together and are lovingly looking into each others eyes. Their facial expressions towards each other is quite lost which depicts that they have lust between each other. If you examine the background cautiously, you notice that there is a moonlight in the distance and that it is a dark clear night which is usually used as a romantic scene or background which enhances the fact that this extract is a romance genre.