Film Theories
Film theories are fundamental approaches utilized in analyzing movies to understand their relevance to society. The film theory concept began in the 1920s due to filmmakers' desires to understand motion picture elements ( Lambert, 2017) . It was also developed to enable the filmmakers to understand how they could contribute to making their movies more effective and meaningful. The early film theory analysis was based on camerawork and editing. In the 1940s, film theorists based their filmmaking concepts on reality. In the 1960s, film theorists were influenced by academic motion picture issues such as gender studies and psychology ( Magliano & Clinton, 2016) . In the 1990s, the film theories formulated were influenced by technology. The paper will discuss film theories in Gladiator . Ridley Scotts produced the movie in 2000, and it is illustrative of a classical approach and mise-en-scene theory of filmmaking. The use of the theories contributed to the high emotional appeal of the featured motifs and themes in the film.
Theoretical Approaches in Filmmaking
The film theories within Gladiator include the classical approach and mise-en-scene theory. The classical approach entails the use of series of shots and sequences in the making of the film. In Gladiator , the different scenes are connected using short camera shots. Mise-en-scene theory entails the positioning of a podium and the utterance utilized by a filmmaker to outline the motion pictures and blueprint of the film ( Smith-Rowsey, 2018) . The battle scene in Gladiator demonstrates the use of the theory. Genre is viewed as the style or the category of music, art, or literature used in the production of a film. In Gladiator , Scott used action, drama, and romance genres. The action genres include opening battle scenes in Germania, two big gladiator fights in Africa, the battle at the gladiator barracks, and Maximus attempted escape ( Cufurovic, 2018) . The drama genre is illustrated by the conversation between Senator Gracchus and Maximus. The romance genre is illuminated in the romantic feelings of Commodus towards his sister, and the sub-genre presented in the film is sword-and-sandal. In Gladiator , sandals and swords were featured prominently. The film elements used in Gladiator include the colors of the afterlife and lighting to portray the characters.
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The classical approach entails employing Western traditions related to Roman literature. In Gladiator , Scott successfully deployed the traditional Roman cultures in the film. It depicts the historical drama of Roman movies and their real ancient culture by utilizing the accuracy of the historical data and research about the Romans. According to Balanzategui (2017) , Classical theory entails creating films based on their primacy of original context. Whatever is imitated in the film must not change the fundamental elements of the theoretical period. In Gladiator , the actions were kept logical and continuous to avoid confusing the viewers. For instance, despite the existence of many prolonged time-lapses in Maximus story on justice restoration, the cinematic presentation of the film appears plausible to the historical context of the Romans ( Lambert, 2017) . As demonstrated in the pictures below, Scott expressed his ideologies of Roman civilization as being totalitarian, decadent, conquering, and powerful.
Scott also demonstrated the classical approach in filmmaking in Gladiator by epitomizing Rome's grandness and monumentality. The film has similar thematic concerns of the grandeur of the classical period. The city comprises an elite class in society who tower above while the poor and the commoners live in dystopian and dark places ( Smith-Rowsey, 2018) . The making of Gladiator is based on a similar pattern of hierarchy in city life. Commodus building is an example of classic architectural viewpoint and class in the film.
Gladiator film was also influenced by mise-en-scene theory in its creation. T he film theory entails arrangement and the presentation of things in a literary piece, and the approach includes positioning of props, costuming, and lighting. In Gladiator , Scott used set designs to emphasize the historical authenticity of the film. The mise-en-scene approach is used to demonstrate the Roman classical period designs. For instance, the use of swords and sandals reflects the ancient Germania scenes. The picture below illustrates the set design used in Gladiator .
Mise-en-scene theory has also been illustrated by costumes used in creating the film. Scott used accessories, colors, and fabrics to reflect the historical accuracy and role of the characters in the film ( Olenina & Schulzki, 2017) . For instance, Lucilla is dressed in velvets and silk to reveal that she belongs to high-class society. The fabrics in her dress also reflected her nature, something which was common in Roman Empire.
The mise-en-scene theoretical approach of filmmaking is also demonstrated in the lighting effects used. Throughout Gladiator , Scott used natural light and dimming effects. The use of natural lights helped in the delivery of the overall tone of the film. Scott used dim lighting to create dramatic and serious scenes which are evident in Germania setting ( Olenina & Schulzki, 2017) . An example of lighting technique in Gladiator is whenever Maximus was on his farm; it was projected in a dim color as seen below;
Film Production
The methods that the filmmaker used in the production of Gladiator include Classical cutting, painting and props, camera angles and lighting, and old visual effects. The classical cutting technique involves editing a film to create emotional and dramatic intensity (Balanzategui, 2017). In Gladiator , the film producers utilized illumination as an instrument of the psychological plausibility of the on-screen actions. An example of the legitimacy in the film was the close-up in Commondus face when he was talking to his sister Lucille as captured below.
From the illustrative photo above, one side of Commodus face is shaded. The primary purpose is to reflect the character's dark side regardless of his self-assumed posture as a benefactor of Rome (Cufurovic, 2018). The visual effects were used in the film production to generate maximum impact in the scenes and restore the vision of the ancient Romans (Yacavone, 2016). The cinematic arena reinforced the glory of ancient Rome to the modern audience. Scott recreated the classical world using specially created sets of location, with various visual effects that helped establish desired illusions. The method of camera-angle film production connotes the implicit message of the mise-en-scenic rule of editing films (Magliano & Clinton, 2016). The camera angle was based on a bird's eye view. The use of the camera method reinforces the dramatic appeal of the film
Based on the theoretical analysis of Gladiator, it is evident that Scott epitomized the classical approach and mise-en-scene in his filmmaking process. The subject matter is associated with the state of affairs of the Romans during the ancient period. Despite the film being produced in the 21 st century, the mise-en-scene theoretical features such as design, visual effect, and costumes enable the audiences to connect with ancient Rome. The theories and the methods of production used by the filmmaker establish the preconditions of film production. The mechanism facilitates easy mastery of the moral backbone of the film.
References
Balanzategui, J. (2017). Book review: The return of the epic film: Genre, aesthetics and history in the 21st century. Media International Australia , 164 (1), 159-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878x17709662d
Cufurovic, M. (2018). Popular imagination versus historical reality. Public History Review , 25 , 1-16. https://doi.org/10.5130/phrj.v25i0.6157
Lambert, M. (2017). The Self-Reflectivity of Silliness: Sullivan's Travels' Critique of the Classical Hollywood Film. Journal of Popular Film and Television , 45 (3), 165-171. https://doi.org/10.1080/01956051.2017.1302921
Magliano, J. P., & Clinton, J. A. (2016). A vision of the viewer: situating Narration in the fiction film in the context of theories of narrative comprehension. Projections , 10 (1), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.3167/proj.2016.100103
Olenina, A. H., & Schulzki, I. (2017). Mediating Gesture in Theory and Practice. Apparatus. Film, Media and Digital Cultures of Central and Eastern Europe , (5). http://dx.doi.org/10.17892/app.2017.0005.100
Smith-Rowsey, D. (2018). Historical Epic Blockbusters: Are You Not Entertained… By Actors?. In Blockbuster Performances (pp. 13-39). Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51879-8_2
Yacavone, D. (2016). Film and the phenomenology of art: Reappraising Merleau-Ponty on cinema as form, medium, and expression. New Literary History , 47 (1), 159-185. https://doi.org/10.1353/nlh.2016.0001
