Mise-en-Scene : American Beauty

American Beauty: The "It's just a couch" Scene



Our roles:

- Director : Breanna

- Director of Photography : Mike

- Production Designer : Karli
- Art Director : Megan

- Make-up & Wardrobe : Jill

Director of Photography - Video - The video director of photography (D.P.) is in charge of the overall visual look of the video, as seen through the camera. They recommend which cameras and lenses to use for the production. They design the shot's framing, and the camera movements in conjunction with the director. They are also in charge of the camera crew, lighting design and collaborating with the gaffer.
Original DP for this film was Conrad L. Hall, listed as Cinematographer. He was DP on such memorable films as Road to Perdition and Marathon Man and television shows like The Outer Limits.

For American Beauty - the "It's Just a Couch Scene":

• I would work closely with the Director, Art Director and Production Designer to see where to place the cameras and what the scene needs to have for shots. What is needed for the interaction in this scene.
• I would also need to know what the wardrobe for the scene was, to make sure that there was no bright color that might not work with the lenses or camera settings I was using. So I would have to work with the Wardrobe department.
• I would have to choose which lenses to use on the sound-stage/set, possibly a 50mm and a 30mm, maybe an 80mm in a few places, but keeping it wide in most of the shots seems to be what we would go for this kind of scene.
• I would also make sure the lighting was used properly for the exterior lighting that comes through the windows, making sure it was the correct daylight effect. The film seems to be overcast most of the time, either because of the location of exterior shots and the time of year; or due to the mood of the film, making it an intentional decision to make it gloomy and sad weather wise.
• Also coordinate the lights inside the room, if any are needed, to light the scene. In some cases the light from the windows might not be enough, but its hard to tell if additional light was used in this scene. There are a few dolly moves and camera tilts to time out. So that would be coordinated with the Director and Camera Assistant to make sure those went smoothly. Using the rule of thirds in each scene needs to be balanced out as well, and overall, it seems to be used for the entire scene, with the exception of the final scene where Carolyn goes up the stairs.
• At the point where Lester moves in close to kiss Carolyn, the camera slides in for a tight shot on a dolly, moving in close for the intimate moment. But when Carolyn interrupts the kiss, just as she is about to let go, she breaks the mood with her comment about the couch and spilling beer, Lester moves back on the couch and away from her, then stands up, and the shots are wide again.
• Overall, in each separate shot for this scene, the camera moves from far away at the beginning to closer, and then back out far away by the end of the scene. This was used to illustrate the moment visually, to bring the viewer into the scene with greater depth. The camera tilts down with her when Carolyn sits down, keeping her performance in frame at all times.