Sherlock Holmes Mise En Scene Review

     

    

      This still frame of the movie Sherlock Holmes is when Holmes is trying to get information from a man but then it ends up becoming a chase between each other. The whole building they're in gets completely demolished and Watson has just saved Sherlock's life.

       Our eyes go towards Sherlock and Watson first. The background is too bland to really grab our attention but when you look at Sherlock and Watson' facial expressions it makes you wonder just happened or what on Earth are they looking at. There isn't much lighting to this image other than the light coming through the background and the lighting on Watson's face. 

       The shot is not quite a full shot or a close up of the two but it's in between so you can see parts of the background bu also see Watson and Sherlock. We seem to be at eye-level, slightly looking up at the characters as far as camera angles go. This image has more warmer colors such as some browns, grays, and blacks. The way the lens is shooting the image makes the background look sort of distorted or crumbled to show that something crazy just happened. 

       Aside from the main focus being Watson and Sherlock, the whole open background is an eye-stopper. The visual information that this image provides is moderately detailed. Nothing too crazy is going on besides the obvious parts of the construction broken or destroyed. The composition of this image has a right, left, and center. It in a way gives off suspense. The image also is open with everything placed well enough to balance. 

      The framing is loose, giving the characters enough room to move around if need be. There is a lot of depth to the background with tons of openings. Sherlock and Watson are placed in the center almost to the right side of the shot. It only makes sense that they are in the center to show they are the center of attention. Watson faces towards the audience while Sherlock has his back and shoulder towards us, although both of the characters seem to be looking at something above us. There isn't much space between Sherlock and Watson considering Watson jumped out to save Sherlock's life. So there as close as you can get. 

Sherlock Holmes Photography Review

       Philippe Rousselot is French born cinematographer who worked on films such as "Sherlock Holmes" (2009), "Big Fish" (2003), and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005). He caught the attention of Hollywood with his work as cinematographer on the John Boorman film "Hope and Glory" (1986). Aside from being known in America he is also celebrated throughout Europe and in native France for many years.
       The Vaugirard film school in Paris is what sparked his interest in photography, which is where he ended up studying at. Some artistic influences for him were paintings of Pierro della Francescsa; the photographic works of Sarah Moon, German Expression; the paintingsof the French 18th century school.Other artistic influences with films would be Sergei Chereau, Fritz Lang, Kenji Mizoguchi, Federico Fellini, and many more. Rousselot has said that his most satisfying moment on a project was "A very simple shot of an actor wearing a brown shirt against a wall that was the same color. In that moment, I realized I could get away with not using any backlight".
        In the film Sherlock Holmes the scene The Gravity of Coming Events was shot between cage bars. Sherlock on one side and Blackwood on the other. These shots were a very interesting technique made by Rousselot.  Another scene like this one was when Sherlock and Watson are in the slaughter house. They are searching for clues and suddenly hear Blackwood's voice. At some point Sherlock has his back up against the wall with a gap in it. Blackwood appears right into the gap next to Holmes. This shot was another good technique made by Rousselot.