AESTHETICS

WHAT IS AESTHETICS?
Aesthetics refers to the style and look of a film.

The director uses a combination of elements to construct the style of the film which prompts the spectator to respond to
characters, situations and locations in a particular way.

The construction of the scene/film also allows the director to explore themes and develop messages for the spectator.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
This is the art of the camera, where it is positioned, how it moves and how the shot is lit.

When we are examining how a scene has been constructed this is an essential element in considering how the spectator has
been positioned.

For example: Are we close to the subject? Why?

Does this make us feel comfortable and safe or are we ‘too close for comfort’?
We should also consider how long the director is making us look at this moment (Editing).
CAMERA SHOTS
Extreme close-ups - reserved for moments of extreme emotion and intimacy.

Close-ups - allow the spectator to emotionally connect with characters.

Medium/Mid shots - for example from the torso to the head.

Long shots - show the full length of the character and may be used to demonstrate their isolation.

Extreme long shots - often used to establish a location or to ‘show off’ spectacular SFX.

High Angle - when the camera is placed high/above the subject. It can be used to imply a character is weak, submissive,
insignificant or victimised as the camera is in a powerful position ‘looking down on them’. Extreme high angles are called
Birds Eye View Shots.

Low Angle - when the camera is below the subject, placing them in a position of power, and the spectator in a lower
status, ‘looking up at them’. Extreme Low Angles are called Worms Eye view shots.

Dutch/canted angles - used to visualise a sense of uncertainty, that ‘something is not right’.

POV shots - through the eyes of a character, allowing the spectator to share their experience, usually preceded or followed
by a reaction shot so the spectator can then observe the character’s response.
Are we far from the subject? Why?

What does the director want the audience to observe here? Why have they allowed us to see ‘the big picture’ at this
particular moment?

How do you think we are supposed to feel about the subject at this moment?

How has the director filled the frame and why?

Are we far from the subject? Why?

What does the director want the audience to observe here? Why have they allowed us to see ‘the big picture’ at
this particular moment?

How do you think we are supposed to feel about the subject at this moment?

How has the director filled the frame and why?

CAMERA MOVEMENT
Aerial - these shots are usually taken from a helicopter and allow the spectator to enjoy the spectacle of the landscape.

Crane - when the camera is placed on a crane, it allows the shot to ‘sweep’ over the action of the scene.

Pan - the camera is in a fixed position and moved horizontally. A whip-pan is when the panning motion is very fast,
disorientating the audience, creating a sense of realism.

Tilt - the camera is in a fixed position and moved vertically.

Tracking - the camera is placed on a track in a dolly (like a train track and a car), and the dolly is then pushed alongside the
action. This is quite a fluid movement.

Steadicam - this is a type of handheld shot. A stabiliser is used to make the free moment of the camera operator smooth.
Handheld shots can also be wobbly and unstable, creating a more realistic and immersive effect.

Zoom - this is where the shot is moved by adjusting the camera lens, from close up to long shot is zoom out, or from long
shot to close up is zoom in
LIGHTING
When using a studio/set the traditional lighting set up is a 3 point set-up:
1. A Key Light is usually front
on to the subject and is the
main source of light

2. A back light is used to

define the shape of the
character against the
background

3. A fill light is used to

illuminate shadow.
LIGHTING
High Key Lighting
High Key Lighting is bright and full. This is used by a director to imply an upbeat and hopeful mood, often used in comedies
and musicals.

Low Key Lighting

Low Key Lighting is dark and full of shadow. This is used by the director to imply mystery, fear and uncertainty, commonly
used in horror and thriller genres.

Natural Light
When shooting on location, using natural light is preferable, but additional lights are needed to create particular effects, such
as a ‘halo effect’ created by back lighting to suggest an angelic trait within the character.

COLOUR FILTERS
These are a very powerful tool for the director.
Blue tones can be used to suggest decay and death, warm sepia tones can be nostalgic and comforting.
MISE-EN-SCENE
Settings
You should consider who does the space ‘belong’ to? And what does it say about them?
When exploring characters' personal spaces such as their room or their home, it is an extension of their character: what
does it tell us about their hopes, dreams and fears?

Spaces are designed to create meaning and are an extension of the directors’ aesthetic, but we also need to consider
HOW they have been shot, what angles and filters have been used? And what could that imply about the status of that
place and the people within it?

Props
These are another aesthetic design feature that can be considered as an extension of character, what can they represent
about them?

Costume & make-up

These designed elements express a character’s intention, mood and back story. The choice of colour, texture, and fashion,
hair and special effects make up, made by the design team, can tell us all about a character without words.
Characters can be designed to echo different eras, genres or styles to prompt the audience to read that character in a
different way.
SOUND
Diegetic - the source of the sound is visible, it is on the screen and of the scene, and the actors can hear it.

Non diegetic - these are added sounds they can be sound effects and music

Ambient - this is background sound.

Sound bridge When sound is used to connect scenes, when sound continues, or bleeds in, from one scene to another.
EDITING
The most common editing techniques used are:

Cut: Dissolve: Fade - the transition from one shot to the next. Dissolves and fades can be used to connote the passing of
time.

Continuity: this is where a cause and effect rule is enforced; it establishes relationships between characters and creates a
sense of realism for the audience.

Shot reverse shot - in order for the audience to experience something with a character we will see the character looking,
have a Point of View (POV) shot then a reaction shot of the characters. Similarly, in a sequence where two characters are
talking, you will have a series of over the shoulder shots (OSS) that go back and forth between the two.

Cross-cutting: When cutting from one scene to another and back again, it builds tension and implies that both scenes are
happening at the same time.

Pace: An editor can use a ‘long take’ to create tension or an uncomfortable feeling, or an editor can create a fast paced
montage effect.

Post production effects: visual effects are added as part of post-production. A visual artist can alter colours, add
explosions… anything.
THE THEORY BEHIND AESTHETICS
A film offers two principle pleasures, the pleasure of the ‘story’ and the pleasure of the spectacle.

In this section we will be examining how a director develops meaning throughout the length of the film by manipulating
aesthetic techniques, to create the ‘spectacle’ or look/style of the film. These elements of construction work together to
create the film's world.

How have the directors used editing, sound and cinematography to establish the world of the film?

PALE MAN SCENE

• How are the audience positioned in this scene? And why?
• How do we respond to the protagonist?
• What does the pace of this scene imply?
• What sounds have been amplified? And what is the effect on the audience?

How do mise-en-scene and cinematography work together to create a disturbing fantasy?

• What colours have been highlighted?
• How has the look of the film been created?
• How is the positioning of actors within the scene significant?
• Why is set design important to the directors message in these scenes?
PALE MAN SCENE
How does Pan’s Labyrinth offer an ‘aesthetic of childhood’?

• How does colour establish a nostalgic effect?

• What does character design and the positioning of that character within the frame imply about the antagonist?

• What does the design of the location connote?

• How has sound been manipulated in the scene and why?

AESTHETICS AND THE AUTEUR: SIGNATURE STYLES
What is an Auteur?

This theory was originally penned by American film critic Andrew Sarris in Notes on Auteur Theory 1962.

 “The way a film looks and moves should have some relationship to the way a director thinks and feels.”

This theory:
● Assumes the director is the ‘author’ of the film and is responsible for the style of the film.
● Explores how ‘well’ a director translates their artistic vision to the screen.

Sarris explains in Notes on Auteur Theory that an auteur director must:

● Have excellent technical competence
The director "has to be at least a good director. If he has no flair for the cinema, he is automatically cast out."
● Personal style
This is displayed by recurring themes and styles that are present throughout a body of work
● Interior meaning
The essence of the artistic creation – the spirit that is incarnated in film when a director combines technical competence and
style together. Filmmakers, like many true artists, often choose from a small list of personal beliefs and recycle them in
different ways, modifying or alternating the emphasis but not the message.
 What can we identify as Del Toro’s signature
style from Pan’s Labyrinth?
Aesthetic Motifs Thematic motifs
Describe the distinctive visual style of the film with examples Describe the recurring themes in the film with examples
REPRESENTATION OF GENDER
REPRESENTATION OF GENDER
The issue of gender is explored throughout the narrative and themes of the film.

In your group analyse the representation of gender as embodied in a particular character. Think about:

⮚ Their actions
⮚ Their motivation
⮚ How they respond to their own gender
⮚ How they respond to the other gender
⮚ The mise-en-scene of the character
⮚ Examples and quotes to illustrate the representation
REPRESENTATION OF GENDER
Pan's Labyrinth is awash with female sexual imagery and symbolism that suggests Ofelia's tale is a journey through
—or maybe away from—puberty, menstruation and eventually childbirth.

It is also a tale that makes a direct correlation between a patriarchal stepfather and authoritarianism: by disobeying
Vidal, Ofelia's rejecting both an overbearing male presence and a nasty political ethos.

Questions about Gender

1. Do you see similarities between the patriarchal family system and Spanish government?
2. How would you relate this theme to other themes in the film such as choice and rules and order?
3. What role do women play in the film when it comes to creating meaning and identity in the world?

Agree or disagree?
Ofelia's quest is a feminine one. She's pitted against a male world of war and tyranny…which is also reflected in her
fantasy world tasks.
Exam Practice

Explore how one example of cinematography is

used in one sequence from your chosen film.
(10 marks)

10 minutes
Exam Practice

Explore how aesthetic effects are created in your chosen film. Illustrate your
answer by close reference to at least one sequence from your chosen film.

In your answer, consider:

• what you understand by an 'aesthetic effect‘
• examples of how key elements of film form from your chosen film create
an aesthetic effect
• How they aesthetic effect creates meaning and response.
(20 marks)

20 minutes
Exam Practice

Explore how mise-en-scène in your chosen film can be interpreted in different

ways. Illustrate your answer by close reference to at least one sequence from
your chosen film.

In your answer, consider:

• what you understand by mise-en-scène
• examples of how mise-en-scène can be interpreted in different ways
• how at least one sequence from your film demonstrates the different ways
mise-en-scène can be interpreted
(20 marks)