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‘Spider-Man’ is one of the most well-known and beloved superheroes of all time, serving as a cultural icon since his creation. +
Created in 1962 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spider-Man first appeared in a comic book named ‘Amazing Fantasy #15’. The character was so well received that it debuted in its own series called ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ the following year. +
The web-slinging hero has since featured in countless comic books, films, TV series, and video games across the world. +
For many, however, Spider-Man is most memorable for his appearances on the silver screen. Feature films produced by Sony Entertainment Pictures are largely responsible for the mainstream appeal that Spider-Man has today. +
Totalling eight with more to come, these films include Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy, Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ series, Watts’ ‘Spiderman: Homecoming’ series, and the animated film ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’. +
Produced by Sony Entertainment Pictures and presented by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment, ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ was released in 2018 as Sony’s fourth and most recent iteration of the Spider-Man franchise. +
The film tells a story that is independent of its live-action counterparts as it follows New York teenager, Miles Morales, as he dons the Spider-Man mask and joins other spider-powered heroes on a mission to save all realities. +
Currently, ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ is the best-reviewed Spider-Man film to date. https://youtu.be/tg52up16eq0 ">https://youtu.be/tg52up16e... +
This thread will hence analyse the ways in which mise en scene is used in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ to distinguish the film and mark it a distinct screen media text within the Spider-Man franchise. +
Pramaggiora and Wallia delineate mise-en-scene as an integrated design program that dictates the look of a story world in film through the artful arrangement of actors, scenery, lighting, and props. +
They elaborate that it encompasses everything seen on screen and is comprised of four major components; setting, the human figure, lighting, and composition. Cui confirms that, though some differences exist such as actors and casting, this also holds true for animation. +
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ primary point of difference is its use of animation, utilising a variety of techniques that would otherwise be extremely difficult to replicate in live-action. This is most apparent in the film& #39;s use of comic book style imagery. +
A particular feature of which being the clear absence of soft lines and blurring. Ben-Day dots and cross-hatching are used to portray colour and lighting. Lighting is used throughout the film to portray the moods or experiences had by certain characters. +
For example, this soft, backlit shot of Miles conveys a sense of comfort comfortable, providing a stark contrast to this scene& #39;s bright, neon lighting used to convey panic and disorientation. +
The use of animation to exaggerate particular aspects of scenes, such as lighting, contribute to the overall mise en scene of the film and allow for greater artistic expression of which other Spider-Man films lack. +
Setting in the film is also expertly crafted. In the climax of the film, characters are placed in an abstract environment that is reminiscent of German Expressionism; incorporating harsh lighting and acute angles to convey the tense atmosphere. +
There are also multiple scenes that employ forced perspective to create the exact shot sought after by directors. A specific example of this is the ‘leap of faith’ scene in which Miles free falls and is encompassed by New York city buildings. +
The animators explain that simulated cameras and 3D building models were drastically skewed and disproportionate in this scene, being constructed in an extremely specific manner to create the perfect shot. This is not dissimilar to traditional film settings being constructed, +
however, the degree to which this setting may be customised and created is far greater in animated media. Thus, the film depicts settings and scenery that are visually distinct from, in that they cannot be replicated by, other feature films in the Spider-Man franchise. +
As well, a range of camera techniques are replicated via animation in this film. For example, misaligned colour palettes are used to simulate the effects of live-action lens-blur, where colours become more misaligned as objects move out of focus. +
Many scenes of the film are also animated ‘on twos& #39;. Altering the frame rate in this manner gives a choppy feel and is used to portray clumsiness in comparison to characters who are animated ‘on ones’, or to allow the viewer to observe characters or events more closely. +
These techniques, though reflective of traditional film techniques, would be extremely difficult to translate to live-action and thereby attest to the film’s unique visual aesthetic within the Spider-Man film franchise. (end)
