2001 - Mise en scene

2001: A Space Odyssey is often considered a revolutionary film not only in the science fiction genre, but in the overall complexion of cinematic history. Stylistically, science fiction is among the most recognizable genres in film, and at first glance 2001 appears to adhere to its traditional staples. Although the film utlilizes the conventional motifs of space travel and technology, Kubrick crafts the mise en scene of 2001 to scrupulously explore each of these concepts.

Among the most indicative techniques used by Kubrick in 2001 is the long shot. The long shot sacrifices minor details in favor of observing the big picture, both of which prove to be conducive to the statements being made in this film. Sacrificing minor detail reduces the impression of human presence, while the big picture reveals the ideologies that have replaced it and become dominant instead. With the long shot the frame can focus on its subject while also observing the largest possible scope that depicts the elements that are influential to the subject's surroundings. In 2001, however, the elements are few. Instead the subject is enveloped in a seemingly endless environment.

This technique is integral because it relates back to Kubrick's commentary on the concepts of space travel and technology. With the long shot, characters are rendered almost completely helpless, either within the infinite emptiness of space or the overwhelming complexity of their technology. The film uses these two concepts almost interchangeably, encouraging parallels between the two especially when it comes to what cannot be grasped or overpowered. Scenes outside of the ship portray an abyss so vast that it is unfathomable. Likewise, characters' unquestioning reliance on the superior technology within the ship is expressed by the fact that the sea of machines within the frame are indistinguishable from one another.

Scene Analysis - The Conversation

The film, The Conversation, intentionally employs an extremely limited perspective within the film's sujet. That perspective is almost entirely exclusive to the film's reclusive protagonist, Harry Caul.

As a renowned surveillance expert, although it has distanced him almost entirely from having a personal life, Harry's solitary nature has rewarded him with success by allowing him to remain detached from those he observes. He struggles to separate the neutrality of work with invasive curiosity, though, when he begins uncovering a murder conspiracy.

One scene that insightfully characterizes this is in the argument that Harry has with Stan while attempting to focus on the conversation. The scene intercuts between the man and woman's dialogue and Harry's dispute with Stan. It serves two essential purposes. There is the more obvious intention of progressing the storyline of the conspiracy for the audience, but there is also the less explicit unveiling of the development of Harry's character.

As the recorded dialogue plays, Stan cannot resist asking Harry nosy questions, provoking Harry. Stan's innocent inquiries cause Harry to grow defensive, insisting that what he is doing is work and not infringing on anyone's privacy. This examination of Harry's morality is punctuated by his demands that Stan abstain from cursing.

In the end, Harry earns his own privacy. With Stan gone, Harry finally indulges his curiosity by unscrambling what is clearly the most dramatic moment of dialogue, exposing the possibility of murder both for himself and the film's audience.

Narrative Structure of The Graduate

The film, The Graduate, exemplifies the standard three act structure that has become emblematic to the cinematic narrative. The film follows the protagonist, Ben, a recent college graduate who has acheived success academically but struggles to find direction after receiving his diploma.

The setup of the film portrays this struggle as Ben insincerely accepts congratulations and lazes around the house. Ben's pre existing life is disrupted by Mrs. Robinson who proposes that they have sex. Ben resists initially, but after returning to his normal, monotonous daily routine he decides to pursue an affair with Mrs. Robinson.

The two of them continue to meet secretly at night, while Ben remains content to lounge around at home during the day. His parents grow suspicious of Ben's habits and try to persuade him to move on with his life, but Ben refuses to make any changes. Ben and Mrs. Robinson's arrangement is nearly ruined when she forces Ben to promise not to date her daughter. Although he is offended, Ben agrees. However, Ben has no choice but to go on the date with the daughter, Elaine, when Mr. Robinson and his parents coerce him to do so.

The midpoint of the film follows when Ben's plan encounters the complication of Elaine. Ben intends on keeping his promise to Mrs. Robinson by sabotaging his date, but finds out he has feelings for Elaine. They continue to date and grow closer until Mrs. Robinson finds out and threatens to reveal everything. Ben has no choice but to tell Elaine on his own, resulting in the second major reversal.

Ben follows Elaine back to school and nearly convinces her to marry him. However, Ben reaches his lowest point when Mr. Robinson finds out about the affair and threatens to take action if Ben comes near their family, and Elaine intends to marry another man.

The third act has Ben racing to the wedding. He arrives in time to rescue Elaine and the two of them escape on a bus.

Editing in Be Kind Rewind by Ashley Akunna

Michel Gondry’s film Be Kind Rewind is a film that pokes fun at and removes the underpinning of film editing. This film is fundamentally about the art of story telling and editing. Throughout the film, the ideas of the rules of editing and filmmaking are completely nonexistent, as the main character of the film, Mike and Jerry, shoot films and release them, with no type of post-production process.
Be Kind Rewind follows Mike, played by Mos Def, and Jerry played by Jack Black, friends who work at a failing video store. When Jerry mistakenly becomes magnetized he accidentally erases all of the VHS tapes in the video store, leaving a mob of angry and disgruntled customers in his wake. To fix this problem, the pair decide to re-create famous Hollywood films, to satisfy their costumer’s needs. The results are films that are put together in one take, no budget, and no editing involved. However, the community is surprisingly receptive to these poor quality remakes, and business begins to boom. Gondry exposes the world of editing in this film, in a way that says big budget films and continuity don’t matter if the passion to make the film is there, someone will like it.
There is a use of pastiche in this film, where different forms of art collide. The story of Fats Waller is used throughout the film as a point of reference. These scenes are in black and white, and are visually creatively different then the rest of the film. The Fats Waller clips are more documentary style, with the use of voice over and interview.
The idea of time compression in this film is used in a montage sequence where the filmmaking team is in full swing. This montage sequence is unique in the sense that it shows the elapsing of time, as well as is also a montage sequence of the different films they are filming. As we move along the set, time passes, and we are introduced to various movies the group is “sweding”.

In The Mood For Love

NARRATIVE FORM IN WONG KAR WAI’S In the Mood For Love
By Ashley Akunna


Wong Kar Wai’s film In The Mood For Love, is a film about two people finding love in the midst of heartache, and ultimately not acting upon these feelings. Chow Mo Wan is a journalist who has just moved into a boarding house with his wife, who is constantly working. Next door, is a lonely woman, So Lai-zhen, who lives with her husband who is continuously working. As the story unfolds we learn that both Chow and So’s significant others are having an affair with each other. The direction in which In The Mood For Love takes, affects the narrative form of the story, in an unexpected way.
The use of fabula, events that are implied but not overtly represented, can be seen extensively throughout the film. When Chow first gets his apartment, we know he views the apartment, but we never see him agree to live there. The next seen we see is of him moving his belongings into the apartment. This technique was most likely used to compress time.
A big omission in this film, are the faces of the spouses who are cheating, their faces are never revealed to the audience. This is done intentionally by Wai to emphasize the unimportance of them. The affair itself, and what the adulterers are doing is not supposed to be important to the audience. However, the way in which this affair affects Chow and So, and ultimately brings them together, is what the story is about. This choice is bold because, not only are we as audiences used to films where there is a big confrontation scene, but you find yourself waiting for one. Only to realize that this is not the direction in which the film is going. We never see Chow ask So out on a date. However, we see them out on date for the first time, after many nights of solitude and loneliness.
I would classify this film as an episodic narrative. In the book “Film” by Maria Pramaggiore and Tom Walls episodic narrative is defined as, “Events that are not tightly connected in a cause and effect sequence. Character actions may appear to be unmotivated, with hours or days unfolding in a spontaneous flow and the movie may seem to digress. An episodic structure emphasizes the repetition of everyday events rather than the dramatic accumulation of tension toward a moment of crises.” The film seems to be various moments between the couple in which they spend time together, eating, or contemplating what they would say if they were to confront their spouses. However, a confrontation never occurs on screen. Also, we never see a consummation of their relationship on screen, and the nature of their relationship is left ambiguous. This omission of sex on screen is done to emphasize the fact that the act itself is not what is important, but the emotions of the two and ultimate refusal to act on these emotions is what is intentionally being focused on. An episodic structure brings attention to the repetition of everyday events, which is clearly stated in this film. We continually see the pair together, discussing the affair, as well as spending time with each other and away from their neighbors. The film is left open ended, without a resolution, the pair do not get together, and we are left with many questions. Is So’s child a result of her relationship with Chow, and not her husband? Is that why she is not with her husband at the end of the film?

Me and You and Everyone We Know by Ashley Akunna

ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW

Miranda July’s film, Me and You and Everyone We Know is a film that is ultimately about the connections human beings make. The film deals with the theme of the odd reality of human connections, through an ensemble cast of characters who cross paths with each other throughout the course of the film. The film also addresses the issue of loneliness, and how it enables the characters to do unusual things.
Throughout the film there is a theme of the fear of interacting and making visual connections with people. Instead many of the characters in the film take to other ways of communicating with each other. Andrew played by Brad Henke is a shoe salesman who begins a relationship with two teenage girls. However, the relationship only exists through written messages the trio writes and post to each other from a distance. For instance, there is a scene when the girls catch Andrew staring at them from his window, and he quickly falls to the floor in order to hide from them. The relationship within itself is odd because the girls randomly pick Andrew as a “guinea pig”, and Andrew readily follows their lead. However, the “relationship” becomes purely illusory, with both parties being afraid to meet with the other. At one point, the girls even knock on Andrew’s door, and instead of answering the door he hides. Which alludes to the fact that Andrew did not want to engage in sexual intercourse with the girls, despite what his vulgar messages said. It seems that he is just a lonely man, looking for some excitement.
The film deals with people who are looking to pass time. There is a scene where Miranda July’s, Christine, character is driving an older man home. The pair spot a car with a goldfish in a bag, accidently left on the roof of the car. The scene turns into such a dramatic escapade for the pair. They are truly worried for the fish, and the emotional distress the owner will eventually go through. The smallest of events, is turned into the most important, because this is a mechanism the characters use to pass time.
Christine’s character is an example of the loneliness we all feel, and how sometimes we rush into a connection just to have one. She meets a shoe salesman named Richard, and it is clear that she is instantly smitten with him. There is a scene where Christine and Richard are walking down the street and they begin to talk about a relationship between them, that has yet to have occurred.
At the end of the film Richard’s son Robby, goes outside to investigate a noise he’s been hearing repeatedly over and over. He finds a man standing outside tapping a coin onto a post. Robby asks the man what he is doing, the man responds, “Just passing time.” I think this statement ties all the characters together. None of the characters really with motivation, in fact it seems to be quite the contrary. They seem to just act. Like the two teenage girls who begin a sexual relationship with Peter. Throughout the whole movie they harass him, and then end up performing fellatio on him, not because they like him, but because they are simply passing the time.

Cinematography - The Conversation

In The Conversation, The cinematography works to provide more image/sound relationships and more incite into Harry Caul’s mind. For example, many times, the camera will remain static in a place where the foreground, mid-ground, and background are separated by frames within the frame creating a sort of fractal image. Though Harry is moving from room to room, disappearing and appearing, the shot will not follow him. Every now and then it will lag far behind his movements, but it rarely moves at all. By having Harry Caul be obstructed from the audience’s view, the director manages to further the development of the character and the story by drawing parallels to how both Harry’s subconscious and the truth of the conversation the couple had are greatly obscure in their meaning.
We see this when William P. 'Bernie' Moran [Allen Garfield] is asking Harry about how he pulled off a certain surveillance job in New York. Harry does not want to talk about this case. It troubles him greatly. He also will never disclose any of his secrets to his competitor. So, to represent this with the image, Harry meanders over to the drinks, which lay behind a sheet of privacy glass. Now, aside from the obvious connection between Harry’s secrets and the privacy glass supporting it, you also see that the area of his shop, which contains his secret inventions, lays in the next fractal of the image behind Harry. This is another example of the image/sound relationship. Just as the truth of the target audio hides behind electronic and ambient garbage, Harry hides his secrets (and self) deep within his subconscious (or privacy glass). The cinematography gives the audience more incites into Harry Caul and the situation he is in.

The Conversation [Francis Ford Coppola] Scene Analysis

The opening scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation sets up the themes and underlines the dramatic tension of the film. The very first shot in the film is an astonishing three-minute long take; the camera starts wide on the square, establishing it as a major set-piece for the story--the setting where the elusory conversation takes place. The first two minutes of this shot are spent easing down into the square by a slow zoom, where the camera lens focuses in on a mime. The significance of the mime is to highlight the auditory disconnect from the visual in the film. When the camera is wide at the top of the shot, the sounds of the square sound distant; but as the camera pushes in, sounds like the dog barking become loud and crisp. This is done to establish to establish the theme of distance in the film, bringing the viewer into the movie through the auditory perspective of protagonist Harry Caul. Before it’s explained that high-powered microphones are miking the square, bitcrusher/phase distortion obscures pieces of the soundscape, the primary source of dramatic conflict for Harry that sustains the duration of the movie--an unclear, incomprehensible conversation.

Continuing with the theme of separation of audio and their corresponding visuals, the next shot is blocked so that the characters being miked disappear behind a Christmas tree as the camera pans and don’t reappear on the other side.

The next orchestrated shot pans left following a piece of a conversation with Harry in the background eavesdropping, and as soon as the characters leave his earshot, the camera pans right following another conversation until Frederic Forrest and Cindy Williams enter into frame with Harry. This highlights the motif of auditory distance and proximity. The camera pans with them until it cuts to a shot with the eavesdropping cop in the foreground; he continues to pan and they walk in front of Harry again. This furthers the motif while characterizing Harry as a powerful combatant of the dilemma of hearing a quiet roving conversation in a loud wide-open space.

The viewer remains in Harry’s auditory point of view after he enters the van. There is a disconnect between watching Forrest and Williams talk in medium shot not from Harry’s perspective, but hearing the garbled audio transmitted to the van. It’s very voyeuristic, objective shooting with a very subjective soundscape, since this film is primarily about hearing, not seeing. This continues to build the character of Harry Caul as an individual who relies on hearing more so than any other sense. It also establishes the conflict and strengthens the motif sound plays within the film.

Ricky Leighton The Conversation

In The Conversation, Gene Hackmans character Harry Caul is submerged in his own audible world that alienates him from the rest of society. Due to the mental trauma he received when people were first killed because of his work, his character becomes obsessive and skeptical of other human beings. The fact that Caul spies on people causes him to become cautious of getting too close to others as well.
Walter Murch (Sound Editor) isolates specific sounds that help to heighten the intensity of Harry's situation. For example when he runs into the women who he believes is going to be killed, Murch takes the sound of the elevator, eliminates everything else and raises the volume of that sound. This gives the audience the feeling that drama and tension are building.
When Harry listens to his recording of the conversation, he hears one of the subjects say "He would kill us if he had the chance". This causes Harry to become obsessive over the tapes and question whether or not he should hand them over. He is still troubled from the previous incident when people were killed. Harry's alienation is evident when he is laying in bed with the woman who eventually steals the tapes. Despite her attempts to capture his attention, Harry can't stop listening to the tapes over and over, evidence of his moral uncertainty.
Through out the rest of the film, Harry continues to cut people out from his own personal world. He installs several deadbolts on his door, he plays saxophone alongside loud jazz music and keeps a telephone in his drawer. Eventually, Harry starts to choose what he wants to hear. He goes to the Hotel and believes that he hears the woman and man getting killed. He is in his apartment in the end and believes that he is being bugged somewhere in his apartment. Harry's work leads to his demise but it also leads to his lack of personal relationships. Even when he has a party, he insults someone and everyone leaves. In the end, the film is not about the conversation between the two subjects but the effect of conversation on Caul and the people around him.

Me and You and Everyone We Know Redux - Stone

In Me and You and Everyone We Know (Miranda July 2005) there is one scene in particular that grapples with a huge theme in the movie, human beings reaching out through technology. The scene I’d like to look at is the one in which Nancy Harrington, the gallery director, returns to her office and watches the rest of Christine Jesperson’s (Miranda July) video.

The scene is shot in a sort of shot reverse shot between Nancy, standing at her desk, and Christine, superimposed on the TV. This gives the scene the feeling that there is a real conversation going on. This touches on a broader theme in the movie, this idea of technological communication in the new millennium. In the scene Christine has a mock back and forth with Nancy who naturally does not respond to any of Christine’s questions, as she is alone. And yet the scene feels like a real dialogue laced with each characters misconceptions about the other. Nancy Harrington looks at Christine as a young untalented young girl, and as expressed in the dialogue Christine is sure that Nancy, who she thinks will never watch the film, has a big family. Christine’s assumptions are immediately understood to be untrue, as Harrington is standing alone at her desk. What the viewer will find out later is that Harrington is trying to meet a man online.

You can see this developing theme in the scene of reaching out. Christine is desperately reaching out to Nancy, almost begging her to call so that she knows she has seen her work. Nancy as the viewer finds out later is reaching out for human interaction. As Christine’s words in the scene touch a nerve with Nancy the camera creeps in closer. This seems to be another theme in the film that is touched on in the scene, this idea that in the completely informal, impersonal technological world there are still moments that can change people, or touch them in some way.

"Daughters of the Dust" Scene Analysis

In Julie Dash's "Daughter of the Dust", in a critical scene the family is gathered around on the beach to celebrate and commemorate the elder family members and the crossing of their family onto the mainland. The scene starts with an extreme long shot of two people riding across the beach on a bicycle who start in frame ad then go out. Then there is a cut to the face of an elder in the family speaking about the importance of their gathering. The actors are blocked in such a way that they overlap in a sense no one person is ever by themselves. Thus, no character is ever in a single shot alone. There is always at least one or more other characters within the same shot. For instance when the elder who speaks to the family is shown, the head of another family member is shown behind him, as if to comment on the family's supportiveness. Most of the characters lean on eachother and sit very closely which further reveals a since of protection and security amongst them that they value.
The interaction between the figures and the landscape is another key consideration for the setup of this scene as well. For instance, most of the family is seated on the sands of the beach while they listen to the elders in the family speak, but the audience doesnt see the vast space of the beach as shown previously. In one frame, the characters are seated specifically around the older man who talks about the importance of the things they're parents taught them and honoring the "old souls." They all look up at him, listening carefully and seem to be at one with eachother which calls attention to the theme of unity. The beach is a major forefront of the film as a whole cause most of the scenes take place on it. However, in this scene less attention is drawn to the depth of the surrounding shown by tighter framing on the family.
In addition, the costumes in this scene create an important aesthetic thematically. During the commemoration, there is a tight shot of half of the family sitting together looking up at the figures standing. It seems that the shot was put together in such a way that near the foreground of the frame from the center to the right, all of the characters are dressed whites and cream colored clothing. They also happen to be the younger members of the family. Whereas in the middleground and background towards the left, characters placed wear navy blue and black colored clothing. These are the older members of the family who take on leadership roles. This is important because the difference in costume immediately signifies a difference in the characters position or role within the family.
The stylistic use of blocking, the interaction between figures and environment, and costumes employed in this scene suggest a running theme throughout them film that calls attention to the importance of unity and security amongst a family, as in efforts to remember pay homage to those who have paved the way for the younger generations.

The Conversation

The Conversation is a film in which the sound design shows incredible insight into the mind of the protagonist, Harry Caul. For example, the scene in which Harry runs into the woman he suspects will be murdered in the elevator.

The elevator is crowded, adding to Harry Caul's issues of paranoia, claustrophobia, fear and dislike of people in general. We see Harry see the woman from behing, watch him watching her. It adds to the suspense and panic. The use of close ups on Harry heightens our knowledge of his fear.

The sound design of the scene adds even more to the fear and anxiety of it. As the woman enters there is whoosh sound which grows louder and louder as the scene goes on. It finally stops with a loud screech which is then revealed to be a sound bridge to the next scene of what Harry is listening to.

All of these things work together to give the scene an intense feel of fear, paranoia, anxiety, claustrophobia, and guilt.

CONVERSATION, THE

The final scene of The Conversation is a scene of purely over-powering paranoia. After Harry’s big realization about what the true motives of the couple were, he succumbs to an extreme revelation. He knew the truth. At this point he heads home and starts playing his sax again. The camera pans back and forth. This is the setup for one last twist. Harry plays his instrument and tries to fit in with another place. I find this to be symbolic, but it isn’t even close to the meat of the scene. While Harry is playing, the phone rings, suddenly he’s pulled back into the real world. He gets up to answer it, but no one is there. He sits back down, and starts playing again. The camera pans back to that side of the room. But then the phone rings again. He gets up again and this time Martin is on the line. He tells Harry that everyone knows that he knows the truth and who murdered who etc. Because of this, they’ll continue listening to Harry. They play a recording of him playing saxophone from moments earlier. At this point we pan the room, and Harry bursts into a fit of paranoia. He tears his house apart looking for contraptions or bugs that they are using to spy on him. At this point in the film we know he hates being spied on (although he’s pretty much completely susceptible to it). He tears up the floor and walls looking for the bug. He smashes everything, even his statue of Jesus. This proves his total commitment to his cause, altered incredibly by paranoia. He’s so paranoid and scared that he doesn’t even remember that we learned how this bugging trick was done earlier in the movie. Obviously Harry isn’t exactly stable at this point so he rips up his house until it’s no longer recognizable. This represents his cutting off of ties to the real world. Then he goes back to playing the sax, giving Martin something to listen to.

BY FRIEDMAN, SAMUEL

Meshes of the Afternoon

Meshes of the Afternoon is a classic example of avant garde at its finest. The main figure in the film, Maya Deren, has some kind of subconscious struggle within herself that is shown through a repetitive dream sequence. In this nightmare of a dream, the viewer is put both subjectively and objectively in Maya Deren’s perspective of herself. The film leaves the overall thematic context open to interpretation, but the scene beginning the dream sequence is significant to the film in three aspects.
The scene starts off with a medium shot of Maya opening up the door to her house and gazing inside with a flustered look on her face for a few moments. It then cuts to a first person point of view shot that pans and ends focuses on a knife. Introducing the importance knife by cutting to a close up, it shows to the viewer that there is some symbolism within. The close up of the knife is the focal point for a couple seconds but as Maya enters the frame slow motion begins.
The slow motion of her feet running up the steps alters the perception of time by changing up what Maya Deren is experiencing and also emphasizing that she is dreaming. The slow motion continues even when it cuts to a shot above the steps showing her face rather than her feet, which makes it seem like she leading to something. As she reaches the top of the steps, that something she was heading towards was her bedroom, but in another dimension. A shot of her floating through the curtain signifies that she is in a different space in time.
This whole scene there nothing but ambient sound, but when she is in her alternate dimension she sees the knife again and her reflection inside of it. The cut to the close up shot of her reflection, the eerie repetitive musical score starts dramatically and she is sucked back into the reality of the dream. Everything with the film begins to get crazy as the banging pot and pan music radically increases. The cuts begin to get faster and the camera movement begins to twist and turn spiraling into a crazy hysteria.
This scene justifies that the main character, Maya Deren, has a deep inner conflict that is symbolized by the knife. The style of editing and choices in cinematography in this dream sequence, distorts the overall time and space of Meshes of the Afternoon.

Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep, by Charles Burnett, is a film about the harsh realities of growing up and living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in the inner city of Los Angeles. Visually, this film parallels the lives of the children in the neighborhood with the main character, Stan’s, life and work at a slaughterhouse to convey the idea that growing up in this faceless environment makes its inhabitants anonymous beings also.

The scene I chose to analyze is a scene between Stan working at a slaughterhouse and its parallels to three boys living in the neighborhood. At Stan’s slaughterhouse, countless numbers of sheep are seen being mechanically moved throughout the factory. Later, three sheep are hung up vertically next to each other presumably to be slaughtered. The following shot shows three boys riding on a single bicycle together away from the camera. The bicycle tips over and the boys are nearly run over by a car before scattering off down the street. The cut between the three sheep and the three boys is no coincidence. It is clear that these two visuals and the matching cut are used to say something about the deeper ideas and themes within this film. Burnett compares the sheep to the boys to perhaps suggest the tight confines of the inner city slums, as well as to perhaps suggest the plight of the boys; not that they will be slaughtered but rather to suggest the affects and the danger of the monotonous routines and faceless surroundings on the neighborhood’s inhabitants. The sheep are indistinguishable, as are the boys, who are generally faceless amongst the large group of youth that inhabit the personality-less environment.

  In summation, Killer of Sheep is in many ways a film about the seemingly never-ending plight of this neighborhood’s residents and Burnett’s use of cinematography and editing underline this. The scene with the sheep in the slaughterhouse paralleled with the three boys on the bike focuses the audience’s attention on the underlying message in Burnett’s film: that sometimes the most dangerous aspect of inner city poverty is the undistinguished environment’s affect on the neighborhood’s youth.

Michael Curcio-Scene Analysis- Be Kind Rewind

The montage sequence in “Be Kind Rewind” played upon many different elements and themes carried throughout the film. The music bolsters the “ho-hum” small town attitude that the film portrays. It’s beeping indie soundtrack pumps the scene to an exciting pace but does not take away from the action at hand. This subtle display of music shows the characters’ “sweding” accomplishments but much like how the music is handled in the rest of the film, it allows the story to unfold without strangling the audience with an overbearing song.

            Gondry edits this sequence in a flowing, transitional pattern that does not break into cuts. Instead, the camera turns, pivots, pinwheels, changes color, rotates, and bounces from one “shot” to the next all while maintaining clean and smooth camerawork. Gondry has perfected this technique, which is often cheaply imitated by less-than-savvy indie editors. This montage showcases Gondry’s attention to detail and mise-en-scene by including necessary props that show show the audience what kind of “Sweding Filmmakers” they’re dealing with at this point (and here on out) in the movie. Jack Black, Mos Def and their crew use household supplies and junkyard scraps and a whole lot of imagination to create their films. The entire film relies heavily on this concept that Gondry so geniusly extrapolates on in this montage; it conveys the motif of a rag tag group of filmmakers rushing to make blockbusters their own way. Gondry chooses not to break the scene up with any quick cuts or spliced edits because he takes the time to plan and execute this montage-which I’m sure took weeks-to show the audience that even though the filmmakers in the movie make hack interpretations of Hollywood films, their imagination and attention to detail, no matter how small, makes their films worth watching because they do so much with the little they have.

            Gondry’s expertly crafted montage breathes clarity into the quaint film while reminding the audience why he, Jack Black, Mos Def and their crew are worth watching.

scene analysis

 In the Mood for Love

I chose the scene when Li-zhen is going to get noodles. The opening of that scene we hear Yumeji's Theme (written by Umebayashi Shigeru). A low angle shot of a women holding a bucket. We don't see her face but we already know that its Li-zhen, by her graceful walk and one of her many beautiful dresses. Camera follows her up the dark alley down the stairs. I think that Wang used that shot to emphasize our characters emotional state. We don't see where the stairs lead her, the only thing we see is her going down, bellow the ground as representation of her own hell. Next shot we see her waiting for noodles, she is surrunded by people but she doesn't talk or look at anyone. The cinematography in this shot helps us to sense her emotional state. We see a big shadow over her  silhouette, to show her isolation and distance from her environment.

 Then camera starts to follow her as she walks out of the alley and up the stairs where the camera stops as she walks out of the shot. The next thing we see is Mo-wan walking into the shot and camera starts panning, following him the same way it did with Liz-zhen. Heavy use of slow motion was used to show characters paralyzed state of mind. They are lost in their routine of doing same thing over and over again, going to work, getting noodles and accepting the unfaithfulness of their spouses.  In that scene we don't see our protagonists ever stopping and having a conversation with each other, when she is walking up the stairs he is walking down. Yet we get a sense of developing bond between them. 

The continue editing was used to show a slow passage of time, to emphasize our characters routine. In mise en scene Wong uses Liz-zhen dresses to show the passing of days in that scene as well as thought the movie. In my opinion that scene plays one of the most important roles in the movie, for it establishes characters emotional bond as well as resemblance in each other lives.  The use of cinematography, cuts and mise en scene shows us the psychological state of characters. The scene ends with slow motion shot of rain on the sidewalk as the reflection of Liz-zhen and Mo-wan feelings.

The Conversation - Scene Analysis

From Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, the scene I'm analyzing is the one in which our protagonist, Caul, invites a fellow surveillance expert from the East coast, Moran, back to his workplace for a post-convention party. Among him are other guests, including Caul's partner Stan and a showgirl floozy who seduces Caul. This scene says so much more than what's on the surface, revealing a lot about Harry Caul, as well as the theme of the film.

For one, the dialogue spoken by Moran is invasive and annoying. Throughout the whole scene, he interrogates Caul about a previous assignment back on the East coast. He keeps asking him, "So how'd you do it? Back in '68, how'd you do it?" He then tells the others that this job Caul was involved in later resulted in the death of two people. Caul never directly answers the question, leaving us wondering why, for someone who invades others' privacy for a living, he's so guarded and protective of himself. Perhaps being in the surveillance industry has left him in a permanent state of paranoia. Or perhaps he simply wishes to not reveal the information of his secret, a humble way of keeping his reputation as "the best in the business."

This section of the scene also differentiates Caul from Moran through choice of lighting, costumes, and set design. At one point in their conversation, Caul unlocks the heavily guarded chain link gate into his personal workspace, adorned with a sign that reads "Keep Out." While this is a practical set design move (i.e. it makes sense for someone in his profession), it also represents his undisclosed nature: he's both literally and figuratively locking others out from his life (and in this case, Moran). Another interesting aspect of this scene is the fact that while Moran is questioning him, he's fully visible and well-lit standing in the main room of the warehouse with the rest of the party guests. He wears a rather tacky and colorful red leisure suit and has slicked-back hair and gold jewelry, boasting about his newest "bugging" invention, a pocket pen that's a mini microphone. He speaks to Caul through a barrier: an odd sandblasted piece of colored glass that only reveal Caul's shadow. When we get a shot of Caul's reaction to Moran's questions, we can see that the glass is in the way and Caul's face is half hidden in the dark. And Caul's clothing choice is much more subdued: plain gray suits, glasses, nothing fancy. This shot composition separates the two as complete opposites. Moran isn't hiding anything. He's boastful and egotistical, and reckless in his profession. On the flip side, Caul is careful and precise in his profession, hiding his personal life from others.

This scene certainly isn't the longest in the film and it doesn't necessarily enhance the "A" story plot of the recorded conversation and the impending murder, but it reveals so much more that's under the surface. Through use of shot composition, dialogue, costume and set design, and mise en scene, this scene in Coppola's The Conversation emphasizes the protagonist's guarded and mysterious life rooted on his profession as a surveillance expert, as well as the theme of the film: invasion of privacy and its consequences.

Burnett's Killer of Sheep

Charles Burnett’s film Killer of Sheep is rife with metaphor for the hardship of growing up in an urban society below the poverty line. The majority of these metaphors are predominantly expressed visually throughout the film, although none have quite as much impact as the scene in which the protagonist, Stan, is working at his job at the slaughterhouse. Three sheep are pulled from the stifling crowd of livestock to be strung up together from the ceiling to move on to the killing floor. The on-screen visual then cuts immediately to a group of 3 boys from the neighborhood crowded onto one swerving bike as it travels down the street. The positions of the three boys are paralleled directly by the positions of the sheep during the cut, drawing the obvious comparisons between the boys and the sheep.

The implications of such a cut are vast and far reaching, with many layers of depth ranging from the most obvious issues of overcrowding in poor urban neighborhoods being akin to the conditions faced by sheep packed into slaughterhouses, to the much deep-seated commentary about the futures faced by these specific boys due to the nature of their upbringing. The sheep on their way to be slaughtered paralleled with the boys’ doing such a seemingly innocent activity of riding a bike down the street hints at their eventual approach into adulthood that can, because of the opportunities not afforded to them by their environment, end in very few ways.

In the final moments of the scene, we see the boys on the bike swerve to avoid an incoming car, falling from the bike and scrambling into the street to avoid being struck, again paralleling the children’s immediate danger in the scene with the eventual plight of the sheep and, although the children avoid it this time, the implications still remain.

The Conversation Scene Analysis

In Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation," the scene in which Harry breaks into the hotel room is the climax of the film and also the most memorable scene that conveys that all things are not exactly how they seem. After Harry leaves Robert Duvall's office, his paranoia reaches new heights. Harry is hesitant but eager to find out if he really saw the woman murdered on the hotel balcony or not. After harry breaks into the hotel room, Cinematographer Bill Butler does a slow pan shot around the room as if it were from Harry's point of view.

As we enter the hotel room, we see the bathroom light on and hear the diagetic sound of water running while the camera is panning around the room. The room is dimly lite and it appears as if no one had rented out this room and no murder had taken place previously before. Harry along with the audience are confused and suspicion is at an all time high. After Harry hears the running water, he notices the bathroom light is on and the door is open. This leads us to believe that someone may have been in the room earlier since the light was left on and the running water was either coming from the sink or the shower.

As Harry walks into the bathroom, we are taken into a point of view shot of Harry looking down at the toilet and realizing that the sound of water running he heard was coming from the toilet. The sound of the toilet we hear in this scene is the sound one would hear after flushing a toilet and the toilet in this scene appears to be unused because it still has the wrapping around it. Harry understands this and is suspicious of it.

The only consistent sound in the scene at this point is the sound of the running water. Up until this scene, throughout the film we had heard the non diagetic score mixed in with the diagetic sounds in the film. Using diagetic sound for the majority of the climax builds eerie tension and anticipation for what awaits when Harry flushes the toilet and all of our suspicions and speculations are confirmed. Walter Murch deciding to utilize the sound a toilet makes after being flushed to get Harry's attention and speculation about the toilet connects to the central theme of paranoia because it shows that Harry's paranoia wasnt getting the best of him and he did actually witness a murder being commited. As soon as Harry lifts the toilet seat up, an eerie non diagetic score plays. Throughout the film, we consistently heard the same types of non diagetic songs playing but the song that plays during this climax is very eerie and conveys the feeling of discomfort and disgust.

Cinematographer Bill Butler choosing to position the camera behind Harry's feet in a mid shot gives us an uneasy feeling that makes us cringe and the shot placement makes it feel like Harry is trapped and cannot escape the overflow of blood. The blood overflowing at Harry's feet is symbolic because its almost as if it was Harry's fault this happened and now he has gotten the blood on him.