Introduction
Cinema is one of the most important kinds of art nowadays. Its significance is proven by numerous viewers and the extreme popularity of movies made every year. For this reason, there are numerous methods and approaches to creating a unique work that will be recognized by viewers. Specific lighting and setting provide the filmmaker with an opportunity to attract the audience’s attention to a specific object or hero and create the necessary atmosphere. Comparing the movies “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory,” “Metropolis,” “Trouble in Paradise,” and “Rear Window,” the paper will investigate how filmmakers use these tools to achieve different goals and create various visual images. The paper also focuses on how the genre of these movies helped to speak about social norms and their vision.
Background
Making a movie is a complex and creative process depending on numerous aspects. The director has to combine numerous elements to ensure the necessary image is created. Thus, mise-en-scene is fundamental for films as it is the “first step in understanding how films produce and reflect meaning” (Sikov 18). It also means all filmed objects and how they are presented to the viewer (Sikov 18). The term includes critical elements placed in front of the camera, influencing how the whole scene is viewed and understood by individuals. These include settings, lighting, costumes, behavior, camera actions, angles, and props (Sikov 18). In such a way, mise-en-scene is fundamental for any film starting from the first stages of cinema’s evolution and ending with the modern age. The alteration in how these elements are used can be traced by comparing these aspects in various periods.
Lighting
Lightning is one of the critical elements of mise-en-scene used by filmmakers. In many cases, the available lightning “might not express artistically what you want to say” (Sikov 67). It means that directors face the critical task of selecting the necessary source of light and using it appropriately to emphasize a particular object or attract viewers’ attention to a specific place (Sikov 68). The basic lighting setup, or key light, fill light, and backlight, is traditionally used to create the classic image (Sikov 68). However, in some cases, the pattern can be replaced by other approaches to reflect the unusual vision of an artist or convey a specific meaning (Sikov 69). For this reason, lightning plays a vital role in how the movies are considered by spectators.
For instance, “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory” is often considered one of the first motion pictures. It depicts people who move and leave the factory because their working day is over (Lumiere). The movie does not have any specific meanings because it was made as an attempt to test new technology and demonstrate it to the whole world. For this reason, little attention was given to mise-en-scene elements. However, they are still present and can be analyzed. Thus, the light comes from the natural source as the sun helps to highlight objects and ensure they are seen in the image. In such a way, the main idea of using lighting was to ensure people could be seen and recognized by others who saw the movie.
The silent era became another essential aspect of the development of cinema. The moviemakers started to use new technologies to make films more understandable, engaging, and attractive for viewers. Thus, Pearson assumes that “the introduction of artificial lighting in the form of mercury vapor lights in 1903” became another vital stage in cinema’s evolution (28). It altered the approach to lighting and provided artists with an opportunity to build new mise en scenes. For insane, in the movie “Metropolis,” the lighting is used differently compared to the previous movie. It is more complex and is used by the filmmaker to create a futuristic image and emphasize the unreality of all events (Lang). As a result, a unique silent film demonstrating the images of the future was created.
The further development of technologies contributed to the emergence of the first sound films and their further evolution. The lighting also became more complex, and filmmakers started to use the classic composition consisting of the three elements. For instance, the romantic comedy Trouble in Paradise is one of the masterpieces of that period with a strong influence on the whole art. The director used light for various purposes. First of all, it emphasizes the love relations between the main characters and their feelings (Lubitsch). Intensifying or, on the contrary, making the light less bright, the director highlights the moments of intimacy and creates the atmosphere necessary for the improved understanding of the movie and its central moments by spectators. Light serves as a potent tool to make the desired visual image and convey specific messages.
Finally, movies of the post-WWII era acquired features typical for classical movies and complex mise en scenes used to create the needed atmosphere. For instance, in “Rear Window,” Hitchcock uses numerous lighting techniques to attain the desired effect. First of all, low-key lighting is employed, with the background dark and only the actor seeing in front of the camera. It establishes a mysterious, suspicious, and nervous atmosphere vital or the movie. It also helps to create a specific image of the protagonist of the movie and his character. At the same time, natural light is used for scenes that should not be viewed as dangerous or intense ones (Hitchcock). As a result, different approaches used by the director contribute to the creation of a unique visual appeal of the movie and a better description of the main characters, their motifs, and their actions.
Setting
The setting is another crucial aspect of mise-en-scene and cinema. It can be defined as the time and place of the story (Sikov 38). Any film is an “art of both space and time,” meaning it is important to consider both these elements when creating the film and trying to convey a specific message (Sikov 38). For this reason, filmmakers have always been concerned about the correct choice of setting and how it can be used to describe the main characters, their motifs, and stories (Sikov 38). The emergence of synchronized films contributes to the fixed length of movies, meaning that time became not real but a relative aspect. Creators acquired the chance to play with the setting and change it to guarantee that the necessary associations and emotions are created.
Thus, the first period of filmmaking’s evolution was characterized by the attempts to create the first short films that could be presented to the audience. For this reason, the setting was given little attention, the same as in the short movie “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory.” It depicts the real facility with people who worked there in real-time (Lumiere). It is explained by the primary purpose of that movie as the directors tried to test the technology, with no attempts to add any meanings or convey a hidden message. For this reason, little attention is given to the choice of time and space. However, during the further development of technologies and this art, the setting transformed into the fundamental element of any movie, as seen in the next example.
“Metropolis” is a perfect example of the growing importance of setting for understanding the movie and conveying the central messages. The film depicts events taking place in the future, meaning that the director uses this tool to embody his vision and ideas (Lang). The colossal buildings, the dominance of wealthy industrials, and the megapolis of the future required using specific decorations, light, and costumes to make a movie. It means that the choice of the unusual setting became fundamental for the story, the way it was presented, and how the actors played. At the same time, it became possible due to the development of the whole industry and the possibility to use more complex decorations and tools to shoot the needed scenes and make them understandable for a viewer.
Movies of the sound era are characterized by various motifs and settings. The further evolution of technologies provided filmmakers with an opportunity to select the space and time and use these elements to attract viewers. Furthermore, the clothing, weather, buildings, and places become more diverse, representing the growing demand for this type of art. In “Trouble in Paradise,” the director selects a specific setting that can help to make the plot more understandable to a viewer. Venice and Paris are chosen as the central locations for the movie to show its romantic nature and associations with the luxurious life (Lubitsch). The places and the clothing create the atmosphere necessary for a better understanding and help to create a unique film.
Finally, “Rear Window” by Alfred Hitchcock has a unique setting important for understanding the plot and the main idea. The actions take place in Greenwich Village, while the whole movie takes place in the apartment of the main character (Hitchcock). He sits there in his wheelchair and observes the neighborhood, other people’s lives, and their businesses. The given setting is critical for understanding the film and its primary idea. The given choice helps to create a suspicious and dangerous atmosphere and makes viewers think about something unpleasant that might occur. In such a way, being limited to one apartment, the setting still helps the director to create a movie with a unique plot and use it to inspire and amaze spectators, which is vital for cinema.
Established Gender and Social Norms
Cinema also has its genres introduced regarding the differences in plots, described events, and characters’ actions. There are numerous established genders, such as science fiction, horror, Western, romantic comedy, or documentary, that can be found today. Adherence to a particular genre implies following the existing rules and frames typical for it. At the same time, filmmakers might use an established gender to comment on social norms and ideas that are important for society at the moment or that the creator wants to discuss. For this reason, it might be used as a tool to introduce additional meanings and convey specific messages.
The movie “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory” can hardly be analyzed from this perspective. Being the first attempt to make a film, it simply depicts a group of people moving in a particular direction. At the same time, it can be viewed as one of the first documentaries observing the significant peculiarities of the genre. It offers an accurate and objective image of reality for viewers to acquire an improved vision of how people looked, were dressed, and lived. In such a way, the film helps to view a short episode from the past with no additional comments from the filmmakers. It was a pure depiction of the epoch when it was created.
The second movie, “Metropolis,” represents science fiction. It means that the movie shows how the filmmakers view the future of humanity and people’s interactions. It is one of the most popular established genders important for cinema. At the same time, it offers numerous opportunities for creativity. In “Metropolis,” the rich people comprise the elite ruling the world (Lang). The movie was created in the 1920s, in the industrial society with the increasing importance of money and power they guaranteed. For this reason, using science fiction, the filmmakers demonstrated how the given norms might evolve and cultivate a new, cruel reality.
“Trouble in Paradise” is a typical romantic comedy with numerous features peculiar to the genre. It depicts two people in love who have to overcome numerous obstacles to realize they love each other (Lubitsch). The choice of the genre is not accidental, as it helps the filmmaker to speak about the existing social norms and ideas. First, the main characters do not want to follow the rules accepted in society as they restrict people’s freedom and regulate their lives. On the contrary, the heroes challenge this framework and want to act independently. In such a way, the filmmakers show the dominance of strict norms and the necessity to challenge them to be happy.
Finally, “Rear Window” is a mystery thriller movie that observes the genre’s canons. The events in the story are suspicious; they threaten viewers and make them feel anxious, which is one of the primary goals of the filmmaker (Hitchcock). At the same time, the director introduces the idea of voyeurism as the primary social stigma of that period. People liked to watch each other and gossip. The private life of others was an object of interest that should be researched. As a result, it promoted numerous unpleasant situations similar to those described in the movie. In such a way, Hitchcock comments on accepted social norms by judging them and showing the risks of interfering with other people’s private lives.
Conclusion
Altogether, cinema is one of the most important forms of modern art, which has numerous peculiarities. By using specific lighting and setting, filmmakers acquire an opportunity to attract the audience’s attention to an object or hero and create the necessary atmosphere. The movies “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory,” “Metropolis,” “Trouble in Paradise,” and “Rear Window” showed how light, place, and time was used differently to create various visual appeals and ensure viewers will be attracted by the movie. The filmmakers also selected specific genders to offer their vision of social norms and how they might impact people and society.
Works Cited
Hitchcock, Alfred, director. Rear Window. Paramount Pictures, 1954.
Lang, Fritz, director. Metropolis. Parufamet, 1927.
Lubitsch, Ernst, director. Trouble in Paradise. Paramount Pictures, 1932.
Lumiere, Louis, director. Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory. Lumiere, 1895.
Sikov, Ed. Film Studies: An Introduction. Columbia University Press, 2009.
Pearson, Roberta. “Transitional Cinema.” The Oxford History of World Cinema, edited by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, Oxford University Press, 1999, p. 23-42.