Micro essay

How does mise-en-scene, sound and cinematography construct meaning and provoke a response in a sequence from fight club?

This sequence in fight club relies heavily on micro features in order to set up enigmas and foreshadow events that will become clear to the audience further into the narrative. The sequence opens with a mid-shot, revealing the location and the protagonist. The background appears out of focus, through the use of a shallow depth of field, drawing the audience’s attention to Norton’s character, making him appear significant. The lighting on the character highlights his face, however only on one side which portrays he has two sides to him, a good and an evil one as black connotes evil and white connotes innocence .I thought the fact the darkness was creeping over his face more created an effect that the evil is starting to take over him and his actions which made me question what was causing this to happen thus enigmas were set up for the audience.

 

The character is dressed in a grey shirt, which is scruffy looking due to the top buttons being undone and his tie not being tied, the colour grey suggests to the audience that the character is lonely or empty meaning a piece of him could be missing which creates an enigma as to why he is alone. This combined with the effortless presentation suggests he is filling his emptiness this could be due to the presence of his new friend.

The camera switches to reveal the other character, Pitt, by using the same mid-shot a comparison between the two characters is provoked, though it is made naturally, and they appear to be quite the opposite. Pitt’s character is dressed rebelliously wearing a red leather jacket which connotes danger and reflects his personality whereas Norton’s however appears to be a stereotypical office worker

Pitt’s character’s tone is strong and serious, showing he has power and takes orders from no one. The fact he gives a blunt command to the other character to ‘hit him’ shows already he is starting to have control over him. His command confuses the audience, as it is unclear as to why he would want to be hit, thus an enigma is created as the audience question Pitt’s character. Norton’s character has a slight uncertainty in his voice and tries to act as if Pitt’s character is joking by letting out an unsure laugh, this reveals that he is uncomfortable with fighting but also portrays that he is scared of causing trouble.

A similarity can also be identified through the use of lighting; Pitt’s character also has his face half highlighted which creates a connection between the characters, revealing both of them have two sides to them. The fact the two characters are opposites also creates an effect on the audience that they are the good and bad side of each other, this effect caused by the lighting is used to foreshadow the ending of the film. The characters are also placed symmetrically facing each other which gave me the impression of looking in a mirror, which foreshadows they are the same person.

A beam of light can be seen heading towards Pitt’s character, which creates an effect of the protagonist fuelling him, allowing him to become more powerful by being in his presence. This is also the key light in the scene which reveals s the power is strong.

A long shot is used, which now puts a door, lit with colourful lights in view. The audience’s attention is immediately drawn to the door due to the bright colours used on it which resemble happiness, and the fact the characters are on the other side portrays they are making a decision which will not result in happiness but in fact the opposite. This could be used to foreshadow the start of project mayhem, a later event, as it results in death.

Two bottles are seen being placed onto the ground. These two bottles are identical and symmetrically positioned like the characters were in the frame, and appear to represent the characters and how they are the same. However, this only becomes clear to the audience once it is revealed they are the same person. The fact Pitt’s character is placing the bottles had an effect on me as it seemed clear to that he holds the fate of both characters and shows how he has power over them. Combined with the fact the bottles are black glass show how fragile the characters relationship will soon become, and that their friendship will quickly be broken due the black having negative connotations of death which creates an enigma for the audience as they are intrigued to find out what will cause this deterioration . The colour choice also works as a way of foreshadowing later events, due to Norton’s character’s ego being destroyed in the end. Pleonastic sound is used as the bottles are placed, to heighten the tap of the glass. The use of this technique makes the bottles more significance and has an effect on the audience to realise they are important.

 

A white car has been placed behind Pitt, which looks distinct due to the colour being emphasised by the darkness. the colour white connotes innocence and purity and could reveal the character is leaving it behind thus resulting in the loss of innocence, which reveals a theme of the film, this could be due to his later actions or the fact he is wants violence to commence.

Traffic disrupts the silence, which resembles Norton’s character’s thoughts as he is being pressured, therefore resulting in clashing thoughts similar to traffic. Once a punch is finally thrown, it sounds weak as no non-diegetic sound has been added because the character was hesitant and afraid of the consequences as it could turn into a full on fight. This works in sync with Pitt’s character’s speech, which mentions how ‘hard it is to start a fight’.

A sense of irony is created from the punch as Pit was punched in the ear in front of the telephone box, an object used for the characters to regain contact and Pitt’s character had listened to Norton’s problem through it. This reveals that he will soon not be acknowledging the Norton’s characters problems. A slight beat sound can be heard which has a tempo increase, this resembles a heartbeat and creates an effect amongst the audience of a build-up of adrenaline, which ties into the theme of violence.

The camera is at a high angle, allowing the audience to look down on the characters. This makes them appear minuet and draws attention to smoke emerging from the building, which is an omen and suggests that the fight will result in something more dramatic happening such as an explosion as smoke is the after math of an explosion.  Again this is used to foreshadow later events, which will occur in the film.

 

A two shot is used to display the characters, this is used to show the characters being in sync as they are performing the same action. It gives a sense of the characters personality and feelings as Pitt’s character is smoking, and smoke is associated with evil and the other character is drinking which is associated with depression. As a result of this shot I thought it was clear to see that Pitt’s character has created an impression on the other as they are acting almost identically, which portrays that Pitt’s character is able to change the other character, revealing to the audience he is manipulative.

 

Police sirens can be heard, this creates an effect on the audience that the characters are soon to rebel against the law thus indicating their violence is only going to progress into something with a greater impact on society. Pitt’s character throws the bottle which shatters this is a representation of the character not being real. Norton’s character copies this action, which reveals he will destroy his alter ego.

 

All the micro features work together to create effects and enigmas for the audience. The lighting reveals the characters are participating in something slightly obscure due to it being low lit. The lighting is also used to create an impression of the characters as it affects both their faces, raising suspicion for the audience as distrust is created. Colour is used to give a sense of the characters personalities, for example Pitt’s red jacket provokes an impression of him being evil.

The use of sound is used to subliminally hint out future events, such as the police sirens as it allows the viewer to identify that something illegal is about to commence. I personally thought the micro features in this scene are used intelligently, as I can see how they impact the rest of the film such as the colour black being an indication of project mayhem and the glass bottles which work with the character position to reveal the protagonist being schizophrenic, which is the twist of the film and the fact this can be identified early in the film intrigues me.

Pleonastic and Foley sound example

This is an example of pleonastic  and foley sound. To create pleonastic sound the sound of the footsteps was heightened creating more impact as I walked down the hall. The Foley sound consisted of an added heartbeat, and added breathing . We also added an editing technique, slow motion, to create suspense as I walked down the hall towards my death,

Is citizen Kane the greatest film ever made? Film review

Is citizen Kane the greatest film ever made?

Citizen Kane opens with the viewing of an expensive looking building which appears to be abandoned and lonely, this works in sync with the next scene which portrays the death of a man, and snow globe that is seen deteriorating as it crashes to the floor, the fact this is shown in a close up shot emphasis’s the significance of the object making it seem sacred, this is a very obscure significance however it foreshadows the end of the film as it represents his childhood and resembles the scene revealing Kane as a child. The whole life of the man the story is based upon is revealed to the audience within the first five minutes of the film through the showing of a film reel ,which makes the real storyline the past of Kane, and how the events came together to create this story of confusion. The film reel itself is a narrative device as it conveys the story’s plot to the audience.

Citizen Kane follows the story of a group of reporters who view the film reel, just as the audience do, which simply reveals the life of a man named Charles Foster Kane, who is recently deceased, disappointment strikes the reporters as it doesn't inform the reporters on the in-depth story of who Kane really was. In a hope to discover the truth about this man they set off and do a series of interviews on those who have been close to Kane throughout his life to discover the mysterious ‘rosebud’, the dying words of Kane himself. In a winded path of misleading factors the reporters struggle to discover the truth, and the film consists of a chronological sequence of flashbacks of all characters interviewed, with each interview comes an extra piece of the puzzle which builds up to create the final truth of rose bud. Citizen Kane, an engaging and unpredictable ‘master piece’ realised in the early 1940’s, and often considered one of the greatest films of all times, which with feedback alone so highly rated it simply must be seen just to justify whether or not it deserves it’s places at the top of the list. Is it really a true perfection created by an outstanding genius? Or is it simply just another over rated disappointment lacking any form of entertainment?

With Citizen Kane being realised in the 1940’s bad effects are expected, simply due to the lack of equipment available during the time period, however this isn't the case with citizen Kane. Besides from the visually viewable old fashioned look given by the camera the effects are well disguised and reek with sophistication which leave the audience questioning how it was really done due to it being truly remarkable, especially for it's time. This level of advanced effects is even suitable for expectations of modern film. The main effect used throughout the film is a simple dissolve to pass through a passage of time; this can be viewed in the opening sequence as the camera tilts up to reveal an abandoned looking building. This is a simple yet an effective form of cinematography as it looks very professional and way ahead of its time without a great deal of effort, this is just one of the things which makes you truly appreciate the film and creates an enigma for the audience  as you watch in wonder of what it would be capable of being like in if recreated in modern day cinema. A wonderful example of editing in this film is elliptical editing, this is shown in a scene of Kane and his wife and it reveals the deterioration of their relationship as they go from star crossed lovers to none talking acquaintances, this is all shown through elliptical editing as it allows you to see time pass by through the shots. The clothing choice also emphasises the couple’s relationship as at first a real effort seems to be put into both characters appearances and as time progresses their costumes get more subtle and darker toned to represent the dying love.

Throughout the whole film Kane is often being portrayed in front of fire, this creates an impression of the character being devilish and evil, especially considering the candle lights in his home forms the shape of a devils fork. Therefore I think the lighting has a dramatic effect on the audience as it stands out with such precision, whether it is figures emerging from shadows or well-lit characters sitting in front of a homely fire. This is an aspect of the film which I found truly outstanding and different to any film I have ever seen, never have I spotted the lighting as the first key item in a frame, but as the lighting is used to such intensity it portrays feelings, emotions and even character personalities. A clear example of this is when Kane hits his wife, she brightly highlighted making her seem angelic and strong sympathy is felt for her, however Kane is shown to be almost completely obscured by the lighting portraying his inner evil.

The same effect is also created with the use of cinematography, it is used to see and feel obvious feelings, a good example of this is at the first interview conducted by Thompson, the camera goes in through a shattered window at a high angle, and the window in itself connotes depression and the woman being broken emotionally, which fits the character as she is drinking herself away at a lousy bar. The fact the high angle is used however show her vulnerability, creating a feeling of sympathy for the character, which is outstanding as the film can have an effect that strong simply through the use of a high camera angle.

I thought the actor taking the role of Kane was done to surgical precision, as the actor managed to portray Kane as a powerful and in control man, who slowly loses control throughout his life, this is clearly shown towards the end when he wrecks his room. I think this was the impression the director intended to be shown due to the low angles being used to make Kane appear to have authority and power, hence why the actor did an outstanding performance as the character.

However although this film deserves a strong praise it also has a high amount of negatives that must be touched upon, one is simply the structure of the film. This is confusing and throws you off course and just doesn't have a strong enough sense of encouragement to make you want to find your way through the maze of the story line. Unless you are fully aware of every situation and realise you are watching a load of over used flash backs you will experience a brain ache of bewilderment as you won’t understand if you are seeing the same character at a different period of their life or if you are seeing a completely new side of a story. The flash backs are slightly vague due to the film being in black and white, and stereotypically in modern film a distortion of colours will be shown as an effect indicating a flash back, this isn’t the case in citizen Kane as you are blind when it comes to uncovering a flashback. The flash backs are another form of a narrative device as it provides the audience with a substantial amount of information with each and every one which all adds to the plot.

Citizen Kane used a vast amount of extreme deep-focus photography which made everything in shot become significant, I found this to be a negative as it was too much information to take in and created an enigma as it resulted in curiously wondering where your eyes were supposed to be examining. On the other hand this was very artistic and worked powerfully to make the film unpredictable which made the ending seem more intriguing and mysterious. One scene in the film truly stood out, this is when Kane is being shown as a child. All is white, due to the snow, this connotes purity and happiness, however this is juxtaposed with the fact Kane is throwing snow balls at his mother’s building, and this allows the audience to see a sense of neglect from Kane's parents who seem to see him as a disturbance. The fact Kane is playing alone, with nothing but his sleigh also has a dramatic effect with the audience as it appears he was not given attention as a child, this is backed up by the fact his mother gives him up in this scene and also that his dad closes a the window on him which shows he wants to shut him out of his life. The deep focus photography is used here as his parents are discussing giving up Kane, who is clearly visible in the background and due to the brightly lit snow more attention is drawn to him. Once the film has come to an end a clearer understanding is provided as to why this scene is so powerful and important, this is due to the message behind Kane's life as even though he become rich and had all he desired he still died alone, longing for the memories of his childhood as they were the most special moments in his life.

Another negative was the unstructured perspective of who was telling the story, this becomes a negative due to the flashbacks as each character has their moment of telling the story and certain scenes are even replayed at different angles to show others perspective, an example of this is at the opera performance when two characters points of views are portrayed.

To summarize Citizen Kane it is a very artistic film, which challenged the norm of 1940’s cinema and had a huge impact on films, although rather impressive it does have a strong effect of boredom when there is a certain unawareness in the storyline, especially considering the length of the feature which is to dragged out and too much to handle in a single viewing. The film only starts to become intriguing in the last ten minutes due to the journey finally coming to end and the desperation of wanted to discover who rose bud was is finally at an end. The fact the film takes the route of not ending in restoration makes it unique from other 1940’s films which acted upon the films behalf to make it more successful, however this still doesn't make up for the over devolvement of story line never the less it is still as classic. The best part of this film was how unpredictable the whole thing was as the whole way through rose bud wasn't at all expected to be an object of childhood which hold a greater and significant meaning to Kane himself, and a sense of realisation is felt by the audience as finally everything adds up just from that one simple answer.Also, one of the final shots is a birds eye view of all the antiques Kane has collected over the years, this has a deeper meaning as it resembles Kane trying to fulfil the happiness in his life but even though the room is full it still seems so empty due to the lack of importance of the statues. This film deserves a spot on the best films list, however not the top spot as even though it changed cinema it doesn't quite meet the standards and expectations expected when watching ‘the greatest movie of all time’.

Split screen example

This is a split screen created through final cut pro. A split screen was used to create the effect of the two clips becoming intertwined into one video, the use of split screen informs the viewer that the two sections will eventually interact.

Expand your mind - "dangerous" cinematic women studies

This article ' "Dangerous" cinematic women studies' is based on a feminist film theory that consists of the explanation of how women are portrayed in film noir. The women are referenced as 'femme fatale' which means an attractive or seductive woman who brings disaster to any man who becomes involved with her, this portrays that women were seen as tools of seduction and the article informs this was due to their clothing and the rest of their appearance. A clip is attached to the article from a 1946 film and shows a woman dressed in an impressive tight black dress, to emphasize her body features, performing a song and dance as she takes the role of a character by the name of Gilda. In video it is revealed that the dress the character wears is inspired by the painting 'Madame x' by John singer Sargent. In the clip it is said that Gilda seems to be 'refashioning' the femme fatale, due to the dress being a modernized version of the 'Madame X' dress, as Gilda's is strapless to fit into the 1940's fashion trend and enhance the sense of pure attraction. The fact the dress is being refashioned portrays that the characteristics of a 'femme fatale' lives on, however it is adapted to fit the generation the film is set it, telling the reader that this character is found in both modern and classic film.   I found this rather interesting as it was rather unusual to discover inspiration from paintings being used in a more sophisticated way, in this case a film, and being represented over 100 years later to create a simple effect on how women can be dangerous in there ways of seduction. I can see why that certain dress was chosen for the character Gilda, due to it being revealing and in films it appears to be the only way for women to get what they want, through their ways of promiscuity.

The article then continues to inform the reader on the characteristics of the character Gilda and explains how she has traces of mythical female figures such as 'Cleopatra', this was another element of the article I found interesting due to the in depth analysis of the character profile and the immense amount of thought put into the construction of a single female character. It's also intriguing to have a taste of the of the progress and effort which has gone into forming a character, especially considering she isn't completely original and has parts of females from all different eras constructed into her creation to create a flawless femme fatale.

The article makes key points on how women's roles in film noir are presented. It explains how women’s roles of 'eternal victims' are challenged due to the themes running throughout film noir such as violence, sexuality and pathology. This informs the reader of females being rather underrated in cinema, as they are either being portrayed as a victim, which connotes weakness and vulnerability, or as attractive eye candy. The article also presents men as being 'paranoid', which adds to the image of woman characters because by them being paranoid shows that they are weary of the danger of women and what they can do to them both emotionally and physically. It also portrays a certain weakness of men due to them constantly falling for women, as seen in films, even though they have full awareness of their plans of destruction.

The article also informs the reader on film noire being rather predictable, thus making it cliché and rather sexist. The fact the writer quotes that the heroine dies a 'violent death' conveys a message to the audience that stereotypically the female dies in film noire, the fact the female dies leaves an impression of women being unworthy as they are unable to live and it's almost like there death is a way of symbolizing the wrong they have done by luring the men into there 'danger'.


After reading this article I got a sense of realization as I immediately understood the character profile it was trying to describe, the alluring female role that is always seen in detective films lingering around in the males eye line and catching their attention every time. I found this interesting due to the understanding I took away with me from the descriptions given, I also liked how it made me think about femme fatale being used in more modern circumstances of film as I can only picture the character type staring in a 90's film. However due to the refashioning of the character profile it makes spotting the character more obscure.

To conclude this article was interesting, descriptive and factual, although the intensity of the language does slightly throw you of course but never the less it is overly informative and covers every scrap of information you need to know about the dangerous cinematic woman theory. It includes visual representations of femme fatale and written, which together cover the whole character profile, the theory, how women are portrayed and provides examples to back up all the points made.

Words I didn't understand and definitions.

Rapacious - Aggressively greedy or grasping.

Manifest - Oblivious or clear to the eye or the mind.

Femme fatale - An attractive or seduction woman. She especially will bring disaster to a man who becomes involved with her.

Patriarchal - relating to, or characteristic of a patriarch or characteristic of a system of society or government controlled by men: "patriarchal values".

Film noir - A style or genre of a film which is marked by mood of pessimism, fatalism or menace. The term was originally applied to American thrillers ,or films of a detective genre, produced in the time period of 1944-1954.