George Gordon Painting

As a group we checked out this painting at the Leeds Art Gallery. Its a picture of General George Gordon who was a British General killed and beheaded while defending the city of khartoum. Back home he was seen as a hero so when he died it was a terrible shock to the nation. This painting shows his final moments before his death, meeting his fate head on, meeting his enemies.

Unknown to me at the time this painting's composition is not overly special, its formulaic.

When looking at this painting most of our eyes are drawn to Gordon standing proudly and clearly at the top of the stairs. Then our eyes naturally drift down to the enemies and circle the foot of the painting then follow back up to the general once again. There is a reason most of us follow this movement which I'll get to latter, I just want to look at some of the things I noticed when looking at this painting first.   

• He is wearing darker clothing than his enemies so he stands out a little.
• He is above his enemies, on the stairs the man closest to him is almost kneeling, worshiping this British figure.
• He is standing to left while his enimies are to the right. If you read my post on 'Space In Film' you'll see the significance of this.  
• He is calm and reassured while his enemies appear savage.

These are just a few points that I made when looking at the painting but there is another reason that the painting is interesting. We have to look at The Golden Section to understand why.

When you place the golden section over the painting the image seems to fit perfectly. The enemies are below in the larger empty section and Gordon is placed in the middle of the line on the left hand side. It's really interesting. The golden section is considered to be aesthetically pleasing and its been used throughout history, in art, architecture and even in finance. I dont quite know that much about the golden section so I'll have to do a little more reading.

The reason your eyes sort of do a circular movement while looking at this painting
(Gordon to enemies to Gordon) is found when you create a spiral formation within the golden section. This design is found all over the place, in our culture, in nature and in the universe. Our eyes seem to travel along an invisible line that looks something like this.

But that's not all the painting has to offer.
Now we look at the rule of thirds.

Its said that an image of an actor/actress/subject who is placed in the middle of the frame is really unappealing and in film terms; makes them look weak. The rule of thirds breaks down the frame into nine sections and within those sections you can build your image. Where you put the horizon, where the characters are placed ect...  Using the thirds rule allows you to create a more dynamic and interesting shot. Most digital cameras have a function were you can bring up the nine square grid and lay it over the image in your LCD screen.

If we take the rule of thirds grid and lay it over the painting all the lines seem to be perfectly matched with the people and locations on the canvas. This painting is the perfect example of perfect composition. It ticks all the boxes!

Mise-en-scene

(To put in the frame)

Mise-en-scene is simply the term used when you want to create meaning in your films. The lighting, the lenses, the costumes, the composition, the locations ect... All these, and more, are elements of film that help create meaning. All of the listed are visual elements, visuals the audience will see and interpret, so you need to create the meaning you want the audience to interpret. Everything in a film is there for a reason; to give the film meaning.

Understanding Scripts

We've taken a look at a couple of scenes from films in script form, in each scene the 3 act structure is clearly identifiable. But there is a way to read a script (and write them) that is crucial for any director/ filmaker who wants to create a meaningful and dramatic story.

Lead characters in films need goals, they need an opposite (antagonist) and they need obstacles to overcome to achieve those goals. Its creates drama and intrigue which is key to an interesting story.

Reading the script you have to ask yourself a number of questions and you need to understand what your reading.

• Who is the protagonist?
• Who is (is there?) the antagonist? 
• What are their goals?
• Identify the obstacles in their way. Inner & Exterior.
• How does the hero achieve his goals, does he achieve his goals? 
• Identify the 3 act structure    

The 3 Act Structure

 

Most films have a 3 act structure similarly to this diagram above. There is the hook, then there is an event that makes the character act which leads onto act 2. There is usually a midpoint crisis to keep the film in full swing, then at the end of act 2 there is another turning point, perhaps a realisation ect... that brings the films events into focus and gives the character a final push towards his/her goal.

But it's not just the full film that obeys the 3 act structure, each scene also tends to follow the same structure. So if you break down the film into 3 acts you can also break down each scene into 3 acts as well and when you look at a film this way you see a clear formula at work. Understanding this formula is key to good screen writing, if anything it makes the job easier.

Here's a short film I watched that shows the 3 act structure at work.



There is another theory. The 3 acts are broken up into eight sequences and each of those sequences has its own part to play in creating a whole film. We've just taken a look at The Matrix and this film uses all the eight sequences to tell it's story. The formula is hidden in plain sight.

• Act 1 - Sequence 1 & 2
• Act 2 - Sequence 3,4,5 & 6 
• Act 3 - Sequence 7 & 8 

In sequence 3 the meat of the story is usually reveled and the premise is set, when coming into sequence 6 if the film has a sub plot ie. a love interest, it usually hits its peak which in turn helps the character change perspective, opinion, situation and enables them to reach the climax of the film with a flourish.    

Of course all these rules can be broken and many of them are but you still need to understand them. 

Maverick Screenwriting Techniques

In the classic structure of a script the lead character is usually in control of their own destiny. In Maverick  films the characters are at the mercy of the world around them, they do not always posses the power to change their fate.

Notes on International Cinema

'The Lady In The Lake' is a film Noir made in 1946, its based on one of the classic and popular Marlowe crime novels.
It was film maker - Mick Garris's - 1st feature film and he used a very peculiar and brave method of capturing the point of view of the main character. He films the entire picture in 1st person, the other actors in the film talk directly to the audience (Marlowe) which must be really peculiar to watch.



Double Indemnity is another film Noir co wrote by the writer of the Marlowe crime novels, Chandler. This really hit big with the audiences and critics at the time. Its helped define the genre of film Noir but most importantly it managed to get across a point of view that wasn't gimmicky like the film above, this was achieved by having the writer of the novels on the production team.



Italian Neo-Realsim was a national film movement characterized by stories of the poor and the working class (similar to Britain's Kitchen Sink Drama?). It was filmed on location usually with unprofessional actors in post war Italy. This movement laid down the foundations that helped shape Hollywood, Novelle Vague and much latter on; todays Modern Cinema.

Godard's first feature film 'Breathless" was one of the most influential films of the Novelle Vague. The story featured a very existential lead character, unlike any hero of the screen at the time. The film also introduced the jump cut to cinema, a stylistic approach to editing that has flourished ever since.



Interestingly enough, on the 3rd episode of Ghost In The Shell The Stand Alone Complex there are lost of Godard references in a particular scene and most of the dialogue is inspired or replicates this film in some way. I'll have to check it out.