Research Activity 1
- Settings & Props
The first shot is a door, and there is a nameplate on the door, which says: elementary chemistry grade 6 3 / 4 Miss muskrat’s class. It shows that it is a laboratory.
The second scene is in the laboratory. Two foxes are operating on the test bench. There are many test tubes on the table, which contain liquids of various colours. Behind them, there is also a bar with multiple chemical molecular bond models. And reagents, and even an ecological tank. The picture is full of laboratory elements.
- Costume, Hair & Make-Up
The character A (first male fox) was wearing a sweater and a cloak. Character B (a female fox) is wearing a suspender skirt, character C (second male fox) is wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and character D (a beaver) is wearing a short-sleeved shirt. What is more, They all wear goggles. It is funny that the female fox painted her eyebrows and eyeliner, and she had two pigtails.
- Facial Expressions & Body Language
The character A fox is doing the experiment, while his partner, character B, constantly stares at another fox. When the camera moves to the other laboratory, we can see that character C also stares at the female fox shows the spark between them. We can see that the mole’s movements are very clumsy in experimenting. In contrast, character C is much more reliable when using fire extinguishers to deal with sundries.
- Lighting and Colour
This scene is mainly indoor. I think it is not easy to light the indoor scene in 3D animation. I believe there are some problems with the lighting of this scene. In the first test-bed, we can infer from the shadow on character A’s clothes that the primary light is warm and on the roof behind them. But the strange thing is that the female fox’s skirt is very bright, and there is a shadow above her arm, which gives people the feeling of a light source under the table. Obviously, even if the director wants to express the light of the flame on the test bench, it is wrong because the brightness should not be so bright, and secondly, the direction is also wrong. The lighting of the second scene is much more comfortable.
- Positioning of characters/objects within the frame
The proportion of the two foxes in the picture is the same, showing that the two foxes are equal. So do the other two characters.
- What role does the shot choice (Cinematography) play in the scene?
Medium shot, head up angle. Due to the wide range of shooting, two characters can be shown in the same picture, which explains the relationship between the characters and shows a specific environment and atmosphere—often used to narrate a plot.
Research Activity 3
- Can you describe the mise-en-scene in this picture? How are the characters placed in the frame?
Depending on the style of the bed and slippers, the scene may take place in the hotel. Their hair and clothes style indicates that the character is middle-aged or elderly. They just lay half in bed, staring sadly at the ceiling as if thinking about something heavy. The light is dim, and the colour is warm. The two characters are in the middle of the picture, and the camera is taken from top to bottom so that the audience can better capture the characters’ expressions. The whole picture forms an asymmetrical structure, which can reflect the different psychological activities of the two characters.
Research Activity 3
- Can you describe the relationship between the characters? in this picture?
The relationship between the hostess and the housekeeper. On the right side of the scene is the housekeeper, on the left is the hostess.
- How do we know what the relationship is?
The relationship between them can be seen from their clothes, dialogue and expression. The hostess was dressed luxuriantly, the housekeeper was dressed seriously, the hostess looked embarrassed, and the housekeeper looked serious.
- Can you describe how the mise-en-scène works together to tell us what the relationship is?
The contradiction between them can be seen from the light and dark relationship of the picture. The hostess dressed in a light dress forms a bright area in the picture. In contrast, the housekeeper wears dark clothes, which shows that Mrs Dancers looks quite serious, and Rebecca feels scared and uncomfortable.
Research Activity 4
- Can you describe the mise-en-scène in this picture?
In the middle of this picture is a little girl with a red scarf around her head. She holds the scarf in one hand and her bag in the other. She looks flustered and seems to be avoiding something. The headscarves, robes and beards of passers-by indicate that the location should be on the street in the Middle East. The colour of the whole picture is warm and unsaturated, which is also a feature of the site. The light comes from the natural light on the upper left.
- What type of shot is it?
Medium shot.
- What is the camera angle?
Eye-level camera
- Where is the character location in the frame?
In the middle of the camera
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