The "Good" Peaceful Moors VS the Power-Hungry Patriarchal Kingdom
The "Good" Peaceful Moors VS the Power-Hungry Patriarchal Kingdom
Cinematography and Mis-en-Scene
Embedded Files
Another way the Maleficent film allows us to connect with Maleficent is through setting and lighting. The audience is let into Maleficent's surreal magical world, and the director and cinematographer contrast it with the harsh and greedy kingdom ruled by Stefan. We know that Maleficent comes from a world of good and peace, not led by a king or queen but by "trust in one another" as narrated in the beginning of the film. Young Maleficent is seen using healing powers, getting along with every creature in her path, and being moral - when she berates Stefan for stealing. In the Moors, the land that older Maleficent resides and serves to protect, the use of CGI and serene blue and green colors for the creatures and the environment is prevalent. This symbolizes the good magic that Maleficent still surrounds herself with, which she later shares with Aurora. In comparison, the lighting of the Kingdom's castle and outside environment is dark and cold, occasionally being lit by fire. This is meant to show how there is no magic or pure goodness in the patriarchy/human world, and the strategic placement of fire when King Stefan or his soldiers are in frame implies how rageful King Stefan is with Maleficent that he will go to war. There is also a striking similarity between the thorns that Maleficent builds to defend the Moors and the spindles that King Stefan locks away and burns, perhaps signifying the evil within their characters.
“The depiction of light was exciting,” [Cinematographer] Semler continues, “the way the huge castle windows were single-light sources, how the walls receded into moody shadows, the importance of fire and candlelight, how the exterior sets could be brought to life with backlight. When I timed the film many months later with Yvan Lucas at EFilm, those images on the office wall were alive on the screen"
"Principal photography for Maleficent began in mid-2012 at the Pinewood Studios facilities located west of London. The action for the film occurs mainly in two worlds: the morally murky land of the humans, which is dominated by the cool tones and deep, rich shadows in the castle of King Stefan (Sharlto Copley), and the Moors, the colorful, sparkling forest home of the fairies, pixies and other fantastical creatures. Sets for the huge, looming castle were built on several of the soundstages, while much of the Moors was filmed on an exterior set on the Pinewood “back paddock,” as Semler calls it"
"One of the funniest moments on set was when Elle, as Princess Aurora, is brought to the fairy forest and sees the happy, sparkly, glowing little creatures for the first time,” recalls Semler. “Rob wanted to use some interactive lighting on Elle because the digital pixies he’d be creating later would be glowing. So three big blokes from the electrics department enthusiastically waved 200-watt bulbs on the end of blue painters’ poles inches from Elle’s face. Like a true professional, she ignored the hairy men and enjoyed the little lights.”
Quote and Information sources:
Staff, A. (2022, January 21). Dark majesty: The rise of maleficent . The American Society of Cinematographers. https://theasc.com/articles/dark-majesty-the-rise-of-maleficent
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