DAA 364 Beauty and the Beast Expressions Assignment Spring 2015

I took some screen grabs for a dialogue project from Beauty and the Beast

In this scene, Belle has saved her father after she is released by Beast and brings him home, Belle is watching over her dad who wakes up and we open with a shot of his blurred POV.

As the image comes into focus, Belle tells her father everything is alright and they are home. We hear Maurice say "Belle"; the look on Belle's face and the sound of her dad speaking is enough to motivate for a cut. 

We cut to a MS/MCU so we can see Maurice express but also to describe where Belle is in shot. (the above is from the Work In Progress version-my favorite version of this film).

We cut again to show Belle and her father hugging when Belle tells him how much she missed him.

We cut in again to catch the tenderness of the moment. The camera pulls out to allow Maurice to realize that she is safe from the clutches of the Beast. This opens up for a cut on action to a reverse...

 CU OTS on Maurice as he shows how he feels about the Beast and wonder of at how Belle escaped.

Cut to CU on Belle.  We don't need an OTs here as it is clear that Belle and Maurice are the only players and they are stationary so a cut in on Belle's face work fine to allow her to express how she feels for Beast. Something off-screen grabs her attention.

And we are motivated to cut to the purse/satchel/handbag/saack.  Drift right as Chip appears and falls on the mirror.

Cut to a close shot of Chip, for expression. "Hi!" the cup exclaims.  But his eye line leads us back to Belle.

A return eye-line is carried by Belle  and Maurice.  because of this, we know where in the room Chip is even though the shot begins without him in the frame. His quick action up the bed to Maurice's hand is cause for the dolly in to a two shot with Maurice and Chip. Reason: Chip is small, a subtle move is needed to get Maurice and Chip to interact.  

Cut on action to CU Chip in Maurice's hand, he looks up behind him to reestablish Belle's location. this motivates for a cut to:

CU Belle.  She wears a pained expression, it was a difficult decision to leave the castle and return home.  This expression also reflects her concern for Chip's feelings (and all of the characters in the castle).  She smiles to reassure but is interrupted by a knock OS.

Here is the scene (missing Belle's Vo but you don't really need sound...so until I put up an unmodified version of my own, this will due).

The script for the above sequence is below.  I will come back to address this topic more thoroughly later.  thanks for stopping by.

(Cut to black.  POV of MAURICE as his eyes open. He sees BELLE.)
MAURICE:      Belle?
BELLE:        It's all right, Papa. I'm home.
MAURICE:      I thought I'd never see you again.
BELLE:        I missed you so much.
MAURICE:      But the beast.  How did you escape?
BELLE:        I didn't escape, Papa.  He let me go.
MAURICE:      That horrible beast?
BELLE:        But he's different, now.  He's changed somehow.
(There is sound coming from BELLE's pack.  The flap opens and the MAGIC MIRROR
falls out with CHIP rolling to a stop on it.)
CHIP:         Hi!
BELLE:        Oh, a stowaway.
MAURICE:      Why, hello there, little fella.  Didn't think I'd ever see you
              again.
(CHIP turns to BELLE with a look of question on his face.)
CHIP:         Belle, why'd you go away? Don't you like us anymore?
BELLE:        Oh, Chip.  Of course I do.  It's just that--

Camera terms: Profile

Profile; a shot in which the camera is positioned so that only the side of a subject can bee seen. This type of framing does seem to get a good deal of use especially in visually describing a couple interacting as in movie posters that feature a love interest.

This is true also in films as seen in "The Princess Bride" 1987. Ah love..."Is this a kissing book?"

But profiles are also used to portray two subjects at odds with each other. Like Prince John and Sir Guy from "The Adventures of Robin hood" (1938) See how they are not seeing 'eye to eye'?

Or in this shot from "The Fall" (2006).  Clearly the guy on the left doesn't like the guy on the right.  The cinematography in this film is amazing!!  Every shot is beautiful! But if you're not into that, the car alone is worth the view.  It gets pretty rough at the end, there so consider yourself warned.

Profiles are used to show two armies clashing together in battle as well.  Ever since 2001's "Lord of the Ring; Fellowship of the Ring" it seems that whenever there is a battle of armies in a movie, the profile is (yawn) go to choice for this kind of thing. It's effective but it's getting pretty stale.  Guaranteed, if a movie has two armies in it now and they fight of screen, you'll see this setup even in the trailer which will usually have some VO then pull out the sound just before the two armies collide and as soon as they do, it will cut. Formula, woot!

Profiles also help to set up what a person is thinking.  In the case of "Hunt For Red October" (1990) we end the film with a series of profiles to suggest the great submarine commander, Ramius, wonders what to do with his new life as he leaves the old one behind. That so called "far away look".

Profiles are great for covering space quickly such as in "Run Lola Run" (1998),

Or in "Cars" (2006).  Okay - sorry, my kids watched this movie all the time and despite my dislike for the storyline and characters, the compositions are wonderful!

But the best use of profiles in visual media are to describe a character's hidden agenda.  They may speak and agree with another but have something else on their mind or may know something the other character or the audience doesn't. "I'm smarter than you!" says the detective to Verbal in "Usual Suspects" (1995).  I am not going to give this one away, but Verbal may know something Agent Kujan doesn't.

Use a profile when it's necessary, not when it easy. I see a lot of profiles which shouldn't have been profiles, rather 3/4s.  Profiles tend to break the eye line or line of action is they get used to much.

TRY THIS: The next time someone asks you a question, speak to them only so that they see your profile.  They will think you're dodging them, or are hiding something. Like this:
"Who was that on the phone?"
"Nobody" (in profile)
"What? Who was it really?"
"Nobody, really...wrong number..." (stay in profile)
"O...kaaaay."
See the power of profiles now? Use them sparingly.

Camera Terms: Three Quarter 3/4

Three quarter (3/4) shot is a composition created from positioning the camera off of center to favor one side of a subject.  This is a very common setup because of its natural feel.  Used in almost every conversational situation, it reflects how we typically see the world.  Not in frontal, not in profile but comfortably with a sense of space.  Think you need to use a frontal or profile? I doubt it.  In fact if a whole movie (Alien 1979) can feature a spaceship full of characters that pick up a 'passenger' with "a wonderful defense mechanism" that will (spoilers) eventually kill all of them except one...and a cat, and show them all in 3/4 then yes, you too, can use 3/4 shots liberally.

Sheesh, 3/4s for everyone!! Including the freakin' cat...

 ...AND THE ALIEN...

 Then use this shot to get realism and don't rely on the frontal or profile to get your point across. Perhaps practice your drawing skills so they are something more than mediocre?

Gosh, snarky!

Welp, now that I've Alien-ated you (pun, see?), thanks for stopping by.

Camera terms: Over the Shoulder OTS

Over the Shoulder (OTS) shot: Camera is positioned so that a subject appears in front or frames another which is further in space.  This is a great framing tactic in setting up shots as it instantly describes the spacial relationship of subjects and what the setting (environment, time period, action) looks like.

Generally, the lens shoots just off the shoulder of the nearest character (subject) on to the face of the other and is typically coupled with a Reverse shot and seen below from Sin City (2002).  One character speaks to another which sets up a new shot .  These are the go-to shot for dialogue sequences but their use is fragile.  Too much of the same type of shot makes the sequence feel stale.  Note, in this case that we don't see an exact reverse and are shown Shellie's point of view even in a cut to Dwight.  We are ERL on Shellie and look up to Dwight.

 

In Iron Man (2008) Tony rushes to Yinsen's side after He has found a way to allow Tony more time to get the Mark 1 armor up and running. Tony learns that Yinsen has sacrificed himself for Tony which begins a series of events that will change the billionaire's life.  Here, we look up at Tony, and down at Yinsen, this is not an intentional set up of power/status, it's just a way to continue the feeling of Yinsen laying dying on the ground and Tony being over him. The two are the same size and mirror the other's composition putting them on the same level, allowing them to share a commonality. Don't get me started on the hidden meanings in these compositions...that is for a different post.

An OTS can also be used to describe a size variation between subjects as in this set from Iron Giant (1999) (See what I did there?). The Giant towers over Hogarth but the two seem to share similar cinematographic presence due to their non threatening posing.

The OTS shot does not need to be coupled with a reverse. In Jaws (1975), Chief Brody is chumming for the shark and snarking at Quint when, who should appear in the background, but the shark AKA Bruce? In this OTS, we get to see Brody at his snarkiest but also see the hugeness of the shark which stays out of focus. Had this been a dialogue shot, we may have cut to a reverse OTS off shark on to Brody as he whirls around to face the giant fish. But what gives this shot power, is how Brody looks behind him and then bolts out of shot, think about a time when you reached into a bush or cabinet and something moved and you jumped back-that is empathy. We see Brody back his way into the cabin to setup another OTS, this time with Quint in foreground and Brody taking the left side.  This is a fun way to portray Brody's two antagonists surrounding him without a reverse. Note how Brody can't take his eyes off the stern where the shark was, that makes for a pretty cool eye line. "We're gonna need a bigger boat!"

Another example of not needing a reverse OTS is from Jurassic Park (1993) (see what I did here?) Grant and Lex get up close and personal with the T-Rex. This OTS describes the sheer size of the dinosaur and the utter believability of the moment. The next shot in this sequence is a profile of Grant and Lex while the T-Rex skulks into shot from the frame's left side allowing us to continue experiencing the moment in Grant's Point of view.

An OTS can also be used to suggest a goal. Wreck it Ralph (2012) employs this OTS to describe Ralph's situation.  He must get the medal so he can go back to his game and get respect.  But where is the medal? Way up on the top branch of a candy cane tree in the middle of a saccharine world, continue making the task harder and the story deepens. 

It's not just movies that have an affinity for the OTS,  great painters of the past used the OTS to bring their viewers into scene as in "Holy Week In Seville" by Jose Jimenez y Aranda (1879) All of these images are larger, just click on them as it's a crime to view the paintings below so tiny.

Or "The Rehearsal Onstage" by Edgar Degas (1874).

Illustrators have been using the OTS to tell stories for years and years, here is one example from Dick Stone.

 

Sandro Symeoni, Italian illustrator's OTS.

 And Haddon Sundblom's Coca Cola Santas used the OTS.

Concept artists like Ralph Mcquarie knew the power of the OTS.

In fact whole genres of films seem to begin with a movie poster as seen in OTS.  Of course the "S" may actually mean a woman's legs (OTWL?)

Or in terms of horror, through foreground elements such as thorns (OT...T?)

Go out there and come up with some OTS shots coupled with their reverse!  Have fun drawing, Thanks for stopping by.