Mis-en-Scene

The Dark Knight-The Hospital Scene

Wally Pfister, Director of Photography 

Filmography:

• The Dark Knight Rises
• Batman Begins 
• Inception
• The Prestige
• Moneyball
• The Italian Job

Pfister has been Christopher Nolan's go-to guy for many years, and the two have collaborated on multiple projects. Both have a dark, almost gothic style of filmmaking, and they have used it to bring blockbuster movies to the big screen. 

For the hospital scene in "The Dark Knight", Pfister implemented the use of multiple IMAX cameras, including one on a crane, which tracked Heath Ledger as he walked out of the hospital and into a bus before the camera zoomed out to a wider angle to include the image of the hospital exploding. That part of the scene only took one shot. The use of IMAX cameras caused a more dramatic effect on the audience.  Both Nolan and Pfister said they wanted the audience to feel a sense of insecurity, like anything could happen and nothing was impossible with the Joker.  

Link to Behind-the-Scenes

Update: The scene was originally not going to include the image of the hospital exploding and collapsing, but Nolan, Pfister and Co. decided they needed it in order to have the desired effect on the audience. 

Compose your frame

I took this photo at Dixie High School as I was walking near my friend's house. I borrowed his iPhone 5 to take this shot. I tried to make the shed the subject of this photo and place it in the upper left third. Although I like the diagonal lines of the stairs leading the eye to the shed, I feel like this would be better if there was a little more contrast in the photo. I like the blue power, but there could be improvements to this, which is why I am no photographer.

Axioms of Web Design

For this assignment I chose to evaluate ESPN.com. This is a site that I visit several times a day, and not just for the obvious reason that I love sports. The design of the site, especially the home page, is extremely simple, yet, very pleasing to the eye. The placement of the company logo is is second only to the placement of top story media in the left center of the page. This is a natural spot for viewers to place their immediate attention. From there, other top stories are neatly organized below with corresponding media. To the right are links to top stories. Above this is the customizable navigation bar, with current scores above. My favorite thing about the site is it doesn't allow much scrolling. I'm a very big fan of a deep site with lots of links with visual aides, as I'm sure most sports fans are.

I think ESPN is one of the top companies in the world in maintaining its strong brand, and its consistent website attracts millions of hits per day for a reason; the organizational pattern it follows is outstanding.

Balance, Harmony, Contrast

This photo is mainly about Harmony to me, with the meaning behind it being the most important element to me. I served an LDS mission to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, not a place known for many beautiful things, other than its sunsets. This area is subject to a lot of drug cartel related violence, along with illegal immigrant controversy and other issues. It is also extremely hot and humid for many months of the year. Most days were physically a literal living hell. However, at the end of almost every day, the sun would set on the horizon and provide amazingly stunning and peaceful sunsets, of which I had never seen the likes of.

I love the contrast in this photo of the Rio Grande and the sky above it. The texture of the ripples in the water and the clouds in the sky truly give this a peaceful tone, not the violent one you might experience while watching an episode of "Border Wars." I think the balance of land, water, and sky allows a very appealing and powerful effect.

Design Evaluation

For my design evaluation, I decided to compare car advertisements found in ESPN The Magazine. To me, it is very clear which one is better.

The Bad

In my opinion, this advertisement for Kia is very poor in quality of design. One element that particularly bothers me is the the attire worn by the model. I understand that football and futbol are different, but WTF does the American football equipment have to do with anything?

The overall continuity of the ad throws me off as well. It took me about 30 seconds to figure out that this was one single ad, not two ads on adjacent pages. One reason this happened is because the athlete is kicking the ball in the wrong direction, drawing my attention off the page and away from the product on the opposite page. While attempting to be simple, this ad has become complicated.

There also is a bit of closure lacking; I can not tell if the is in the middle of the field or  close to goal, and I also do not know if the cars are supposed to be near the stadium or not.


The Good
This ad for Jaguar is really appealing to me. Because this is the World Cup issue, Jaguar also goes with a soccer theme, just like Kia. The difference? This one makes sense and actually advertises the product. The natural lines of the car leave a direct path to follow toward the city, the stadium, and the Christ statue.

The foreground/background relationship is marvelous, and makes both the car and Brazil very sexy. The contrast is very well done and the design of the text goes very well with the brand that Jaguar has established.

Visceral Response

I selected this photo from National Geographic for multiple reasons. First, the game of soccer is a beautiful sport, and in this photo it is being played in a beautiful and mystifying location. The various textures of the mountains, ocean and sand give me the feeling that I am in an odd paradise: a beach in a mountainous region. The black and white effect adds to the mysterious tone of the photo, especially with the ocean mist floating in the background. It also allows the players to stand out more from the background.

The mood of this photo is very soft and peaceful, and that is where I find beauty. I hope to be able to visit this area of Brazil some day.