We have discussed various techniques in filmmaking throughout the first quarter, focusing on (among other things) mise en scene, color, camera angles, lighting, style, and editing. In this project I want you to take a look at one sequence in a movie and see how all of these elements come together.

Select a specific scene in any movie. (It will be a lot easier if you own a copy of this movie, even easier if it is on DVD, but of course you can always rent.) The scene should be a significant moment in the movie, not an inconsequential or expository scene. It should also have a minimum of 50 separate edits.

Create a storyboard for this scene on the template available on edline. Show the duration of each shot and what happens in it along with any dialogue or musical cues that accompany the action. Be sure to include all shots. Note if there are any effects such as dissolve or fade.

After the storyboard has been created:

Write a brief (one page typed) essay in which you explore how the editing of this scene affects the viewer. What are the significant elements of the editing that cause this effect? Is there some repeated mise en scene, some lighting or angle or whatever that indicates the director’s focus here?

The essay should be stapled in front of the storyboard, and the whole packet is due by April 4.