The exercise takes the form of a short commentary on a clip from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. This is a science fiction film, originally released in 1968. The clip contains two sequences: the first sequence shows a space ship in outer space, heading towards Jupiter; the second shows the lives of the astronauts aboard the ship.
You can find the clip here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cacd5myscf9ebc6/2001X.m4v?dl=0Links
If the clip does not play directly in your browser, you will need to download it to your device and play it from there.
Your task, for this analytical exercise, is to describe and analyze the mise-en-scne and cinematography of the clip. Answer all of the following questions, each in three or four sentences.
1. We see the space ship traveling through empty space, on its way to Jupiter. How is the ship lit up, and what does this lighting tell us? [Note: the film was made at a time when digital special effects, as we know them now, had not been invented yet; computers at the time were not powerful enough to generate complex images. The scene was shot using an actual 3D miniature model of the spaceship].
2. Turn now to the sequence inside the ship. How is the interior of the ship lit up? Is the lighting high key (bright and even) or low key (uneven, with lots of contrast and dramatic shadows)? What is the color scheme of the interior?
3. Bodies are weightless in outer space, but the effects of gravity can be simulated by rotation. If you are inside a rotating cylinder in outer space, you won’t float weightlessly; instead, any point along the circumference will feel like “down,” and the center will seem like “up.” This is the arrangement for the spaceship in 2001. Kubrick never tells us this directly, but he conveys it through mise en scene and cinematography. Describe how Kubrick accomplishes this. How does he place and move the camera? How does he demonstrate up and down? Do you find his presentation disorienting?
4. What do we know, through mise en scene and cinematography, about the daily lives of the astronauts during their voyage? What do they do? How are they dressed? How do they relate to one another? Are they happy? Are they engaged? Are they bored?
5. What do you make of the astronauts’ food? How would you describe it?
6. Describe HAL. Since his body is the spaceship itself, how does Kubrick give us a sense of his presence? What does he look like? How does his voice sound? How does he relate to the human members of the crew?
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