Tony  Shepherd  

Project:  Mise-­‐en-­‐scene  

 

Photograph  Research:  

Jeff  Wall,  Forest,  2001  

image from:

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/jeffwall/rooms/room9.shtm

Tony  Shepherd  

Image and information taken from:

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/jeffwall/infocus/section6/img2.shtm

This image was taken in what looks like a dense woodlands. Within it we can see two figures, a male and a female, with the female making her way towards him. There is also what appears to be a small camp nearby, with something possibly boiling in a pot.

I have chosen this photograph because the location attracted me, and the fact that the couple appear to be alone, with a makeshift campsite. This tells me that camping wasn’t planned, or it was a last minute idea, or possibly that the couple are homeless, with little to their name. This gives me a few routes to take in the form of a storyline, such as how they become homeless, or why they seem to be unprepared and lacking equipment

Tony  Shepherd  

Possible ideas I can go with include:

- A couple on the run, in hiding

- A homeless couple struggling to survive

- The couple on a spontaneous adventure

- Hunters not wanting to leave much of a trace

I like the idea of either having the couple struggling to survive, with maybe a horror twist to the story, or to have them on the run, after maybe a robbery or other criminal offense.

Tony  Shepherd  

Moving  Image    Mise-­‐en-­‐scene  Shot  List    

 

Shot  1:  

Establishing  shot,  which  is  a  representation  of  Jeff  Wall’s  original  image.  Here  we  see  a  wide  shot  of  couple  in  the  woods,  on  what  looks  like  a  cold  autumn  day.  Tress  and  branches  in  the  foreground  break  the  vision  of  the  couple.  Here  the  female  and  male  characters  are  around  the  boiling  water.  We  see  the  male  character  show  a  sudden  amount  of  anger  and  aggression,  who  then  walks  to  the  edge  of  the  shot.  The  female  soon  gets  up  and  follows.    15  seconds  long  

Shot  2:  

The  camera  shows  a  front,  mid-­‐shot  of  the  male,  who  is  looking  upset  and  angry  as  he  looks  into  the  distance,  as  though  he  is  thinking.  In  the  background  we  see  the  female  approach  him,  who  places  her  hand  on  his  shoulder.  When  the  hand  touches  the  male,  he  looks  down,  then  back  up  towards  the  hand,  and  feels  a  sense  of  re-­‐assurance,  and  he’s  face  shows  less  emotion.  5  seconds  long  

Shot  3:  

Now  the  camera  view  is  over  the  females  shoulder,  and  focused  on  the  guy  as  he  turns  around  to  face  her.  The  guy,  still  looking  upset,  hugs  with  the  female  for  a  moment,  as  emotion  begins  to  overwhelm  him.  Once  they  let  go,  the  male  looks  at  her,  then  puts  he’s  head  down  and  walks  past  the  camera,  back  to  the  boiling  water.  The  female  slowly  turns  and  watches  him  walk  away,  and  we  see  that  she  is  also  very  emotional,  with  an  upset,  worried,  expression  on  her  face.  15  seconds  long  

Shot  4:  

We  now  have  the  guy  walk  into  the  frame  from  the  left,  and  kneel  down  to  the  ground  back  at  the  camp.  7  seconds  long  

Shot  5:  

We  now  see  a  close  up  of  the  males  face,  as  he  looks  deep  in  thought  once  more,  kneeling  down  near  the  camp.  After  a  moment,  we  see  him  with  a  shocked  expression,  as  his  eyes  widen  and  he  raises  his  head  slightly.  The  words  ‘I’m  sorry’  are  heard  from  the  female’s  voice,  which  is  trembling.  9  seconds  long  

Shot  6:  

The  camera  switches  to  a  front  view  of  the  males  face,  at  an  angle  so  the  female  can  be  seen  directly  behind  him.  The  female  has  an  outstretched  arm  pointing  a  gun  at  the  back  of  the  male’s  head.  The  male  now  looks  scared,  with  the  focus  still  on  him.  The  female  is  shaking  with  nerves,  looking  distressed,  as  though  she  is  holding  back  the  tears.  The  shot  fades  to  black,  and  a  gunshot  is  heard.  End.  9  Seconds  Long  

=  1  minute  

Tony  Shepherd  

Mise-­‐en-­‐scene  project  Storyboard  

 

Shot  1  

 

-­‐Establishing  shot            -­‐  wide  shot            -­‐  Audio  is  woodland  noises            -­‐  15  seconds        

-­‐My  re-­‐enactment  of  Jeff  Walls  original  image.  The  couple  leave  the  camp  and  walk  to  the  left  of  the  frame.  The  guy  shows  aggression    

 

Shot  2  

 

-­‐Mid  Shot            -­‐5  seconds  long            

-­‐Female  walks  towards  guy  and  places  hand  on  shoulder  

Tony  Shepherd  

Shot  3  

 

-­‐Mid  shot            -­‐  15  seconds  long              

-­‐Guy  turns  around  and  hugs  the  female.  He  then  exits  the  shot  to  the  right  of  the  frame,  as  the  female  watches  him  walk  away  

 

Shot  4  

 

-­‐Mid  shot            -­‐7  seconds            -­‐Guy  walks  into  frame  from  the  left,  and  kneels  down  

 

 

 

Tony  Shepherd  

Shot  5  

 

-­‐Close  up  of  face            -­‐9  seconds            -­‐Audio:  Girls  voice,  “I’m  sorry”              

-­‐Guy  looks  shocked,  and  viewer  knows  something  is  wrong            

 

Shot  6  

 

-­‐Over  the  shoulder  shot            -­‐9  seconds            -­‐Audio:  Gun  shot  at  the  end  

-­‐  Girl  nervously  holds  gun,  shot  fades  to  black  

Tony  Shepherd  

Recce: Mise-en-scene

 

The  image  above  is  my  attempt  at  mimicking  Jeff  Wall’s  original  photograph.  

Light:  

Although  trees  surround  the  area,  it  is  still  well  lit,  even  on  grey  days.  Natural  light  fills  this  space,  and  as  seen  above,  brightness  may  be  a  slight  issue  on  a  sunny  day.  There  is  obviously  no  power  supply  in  the  area,  and  so  I  will  need  to  rely  on  daylight  when  filming.        

Sound  

The  area  is  genuinely  quiet,  with  distant  noises  of  the  occasional  car  passing  by.  Other  obvious  sounds  can  be  heard,  such  as  birds  chirping,  and  the  wind  rustling  the  branches.  Ideal  for  any  quiet  shots.  

Power  

The  biggest  issue  with  filming  in  this  location  is  that  there  is  now  power  source  available,  and  so  any  electrical  equipment  needed  will  have  to  run  on  battery  power.  Checks  will  be  needed  before  filming  to  make  sure  all  equipment  is  fully  charged.  Nearest  power  supply  is  at  a  local  farm,  a  10-­‐minute  walk  away.    

Space  

The  location  is  in  an  open  space  in  the  woods,  which  is  surrounded  by  trees.  This  allows  enough  space  for  all  the  equipment  and  crew,  without  anything  getting  in  the  way  of  any  shots.        

Tony  Shepherd  

Evaluation: Mise-en-scene

For this project, I chose to work on a picture by Jeff Wall, in which was taken I a forest, and showed a couple who appear to be living rough. My initial reaction to this was that I could make a horror story out of it, with a hack-and-slash feature within it. However after some discussions, it was decided that I should not follow up this idea. Instead I went with the idea that the couple are in hiding, for a reason that the viewers are free to make up themselves. Furthermore I went with a twist at the end, to make the scene interesting, and hopefully attention grabbing.

I am pleased with the outcome of the video and I feel that there were some strong points to it. I am particularly happy with the location I found to recreate the original image. I think I found a good spot, tried my best to mimic the image with similar objects such as papers and a pan. Furthermore, as I haven’t had too much experience with film before, I felt pleased with some of the shots I acquired. I believe I stuck closely with my idea, and worked well towards the shot list and storyboard. Furthermore I enjoyed experimenting with different shot-types, and storyline ideas.

Although some areas were pleasing, I also believe that some parts did not work so well. One issue was the brightness of my video compared to the brightness of the original photograph. My video appeared to have much more sunlight in it then needed. This is an issue, however I was only able to record the footage at a certain time of the day, as it was difficult getting everybody involved free at the same time. To fix this in the future, I would consider filming at a slightly later time, when the sun starts to set. Another area I had trouble with was the amount of leafs visible on the trees. This is an issue, as the trees in the photograph were bare. This problem is a difficult one to deal with, and can only really be sorted by waiting for the leafs to fall. This was not an option, as I was working towards a deadline. In future, I would maybe consider waiting slightly longer to film if possible.

Overall, I am pleased with the end result. I enjoyed creating the video, and believe I have managed to create a decent story from Jeff Wall’s original image. I enjoyed directing the actors, and taking control on the situation, and I am aware that this is something that I will need to work on in future in order to get the most from my talent.