King Kong (2005)

Lighting is one of the key elements of mise en scene. Since the film King Kong (2005) is a fantasy, it is largely filmed in front of green screen and blue screen. This affects the lighting of the movie. The lighting must be thorough with any scenes that include a green or blue screen; therefore, the lighting used in this movie is filmed with high-key lighting. Goodykoontz & Jacobs define high-key lighting as, “…very bright light over everything, with few shadows and relatively low contrast between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). To create this look with the lighting many bright lights hung over the set, above the area the green/blue screen and actors were recording.

 This lighting technique benefits the theme of the movie. It aids in representing the image that will be created on the green/blue screen. King Kong also uses a wide variety of computer-generated imagery, or CGI, which also plays an important role in the lighting of the film. Since CGI needs to be filmed in front of a green/blue screen, the film is dependent on the lighting being consistent and entirely lit. King Kong appears to be filmed in nature for the majority of the film, so this lighting technique is used carefully to create a natural light effect in the movie.

In this scene, Kong is on the Empire State building being shot at. The building is a scaled down recreated building used on the set and the background is a green screen or a blue screen. Thus, the lighting seems to be a natural sunrise, but it is actually a fully lit studio. If this particular scene was shot on the empire state building in “real time” with natural lighting this would be known as the golden hour. Goodykoontz & Jacobs write, “ the golden hour, also known as the magic hour (although it actually lasts only about 20 minutes), is the term used for the time of day just before the sunrise and the time just after the sunset, when colors appear more warm, almost glowing, and there are no shadows, since the sun is not in the sky” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). This demonstrates how this film could have played out this scene to capture the lighting. Instead, it was decided for the film to focus more on the green/blue screen and CGI techniques, which ultimately affects the lighting that is shown in the final cut of the film.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. 

[Untitled photograph of King Kong: Behind the Scenes]. Retrieved May 29, 2014, from: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9dnjzU32I1rdzko8o1_500.png

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoD85qZhkWY

 

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz was always a well-loved movie in my household growing up. The writers, Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson, worked with directors Victor Fleming and King Vidor to produce this movie, which was released in February of 1939. The main character is Judy Garland who plays Dorothy.

The movie begins in black and white and is set on an old farm in Kansas. In this scene a tornado forms and destroys the farm. Dorothy, who is hiding, gets hit on the head and knocked unconscious. The tornado picks up Dorothy’s farm house and places it in a new world- one filled with vibrant colors. When she awakes, she meets Glinda, the good with of the North, who gives her red ruby slippers of the witch her house fell on. Dorothy is told by Glinda to follow the yellow brick road to see Oz in Emerald City, but to be weary of the Wicked With of the West who will try to steal the red slippers. Along the way to the Emerald City she meets a talking lion in search of courage, a tinman searching for a heart, and a scarecrow who has no brain. As they continue their journey to Emerald City, the four run into conflicts created by the Wicked Witch of the West who is after the red ruby slippers. Ultimately, the four characters arrive in Emerald City to meet with Oz. Oz gives Dorothy a hot air balloon to return home. When she wakes up from her trip home, she is in her bed with her family at her side. The film is in black and white again and the audience believes all along Dorothy had been dreaming.

The film seems to be in chronological order, sequenced in order from start to finish. As the film comes to an end it is apparent that the film had actually been conveying Dorothy’s dream after she was knocked unconscious. The film does not appear to be non-linear order. Although Dorothy appears to be dreaming, her dream ends with her clicking her heels saying, “there’s no place like home”, which sends her home and then she wakes up. The aesthetic choice of only Dorothy’s dreaming revealing color has a significant meaning and impact on the audience. Showing color during her dream allows the story to build further and create a new dynamic of rich, vivid scenes, as well as intensify the drama.

The film presents foreshadowing in the beginning before and during the tornado. Before the tornado comes Dorothy has a small conflict with a neighbor, Miss Gulch. As the tornado takes Dorothy’s house she sees Miss Gulch outside her window and she begins to turn into the Wicked Witch of the East. Another instance of foreshadowing is when Dorothy is upset at Miss Gulch’s accusations and tells her Aunt she wishes she were in a place where there was no trouble. Dorothy then begins to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” which gives the audience insight to Dorothy’s longing for a place where everything is perfect; a place where there is no trouble. When she wakes up, she is in an enchanted place far away.

I believe the film would have an overall different presentation style it would have affected the storyline in a negative way. If the film had all been in color or only in black and white, the dream would have less of an impact on the audience. The chronological order also works perfectly with this film. If the order had been non-linear the ending may have been revealed or parts of the journey to Emerald City would have been insignificant.

This clip shows Dorothy leaving her farm house and entering the new brightly, colored Land of Oz.

 

This clip is a song “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” which shows Dorothy beginning to follow the yellow brick road.

 

References

American Film Institute. (2008). AFI’s 10 top 10. Retrieved from http://www.afi.com/10top10/

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6D8PAGelN8

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Rn6vAWMbA