My coursework 1st draft

How does the use f cinematography and Mise en scene create suspense in the Escape from the Bastille (01.47:40 to 01.50: 08) from The Man in The Iron Mask? 

This scene starts off with a long shot of a grand tall building which sets the scene to the audience for where this takes place. Then tilts down when the Musketeers walk past, they are carrying someone with them. The audience knows which ones are the Musketeers by what they are wearing, the Musketeers are wearing black capes which shows that they could die while wearing this uniform, they are wearing hats with black and red feather to show the danger of their job and what could happen to them but it could also show their passion, they have silver strips going down the side of their uniform to show that they are pure at a heart and the gold cross on their chest show that they have wealth or their protection, it could also show that the person paying them for their protection is rich. The Musketeers are the guards to the King and royal family. Then is cuts to a close up of a steel door with a spy hole in it, this is to show the audience that this place needs to be guarded and not anyone can walk in there. This door shows the time period they are in because most places nowadays have steel doors like this now. The audience is shown the person behind the door and the Musketeers hand him a note. Then it cuts but to the Musketeers one of the Musketeers has their face hidden which adds a little mystery to the scene but this mid shot is to show the audience that they are shocked that it actually worked and it added a little humour to the film, this made me laugh because they way they looked at each other was like ‘wow it actually worked’ and how one Musketeer was rubbing the back of the prisoner. Also the way the camera is angled it shows that the Musketeers are only a little higher than the prisoner they are carrying which shows that there is more going on here then they are showing. This also went well with my view because rubbing someone’s back is a sign of affections, you wouldn’t do it to a stranger you are carrying into a prison. Once the Musketeers enter the prison it cuts to a high angle, which shows the inside of the prison and where they are walking. This could show that they are out of their depth and they are overpowered because of all the prison guards and there is no way they can actually pull this off. This made me feel really nervous because I didn’t know how this was going to turn out and they looked so small and powerless, I was routing for their success but I couldn’t see a good outcome at this point. The fact that there are a lot of dark place surrounding them shows that they are unsure of their surroundings and they don’t know the best route out, this adds more mystery and makes the scene more worrying for the audience if they know it or not. The unknown is scary and it plays on your mind. This shot also shows that this prison uses fire touches to light certain areas up, this tells the audience the time period that this is set and it is also a convention of this genre. The use fire could also have religious connotations with hell, this deed they are carrying out could end them up in hell because it is a terrible thing they are doing. Then it cuts to a mid angle to show the audience that the musketeers are coming down the stairs they are no longer holding onto the prisoner and as they are coming down the stairs the lighting is coming through the bars to create a sense that they are good people and they could actually go to heaven, this is another connotation of religion in this scene. Also this mid shot shows them walking down the steps but they are behinds bars which shows the audience that they could either end up dead and either go to heaven or hell, or they could end up in prison themselves. Once they are all down the stairs Aramis removes a piece of paper from his glove which shows that audience that they are a plan, maybe a note of where something is or maybe a map. At the same time the prison removes the tatty robe to reveal that he is another Musketeer, which makes it the clique of ‘The three Musketeers’.  Then the camera pans as the Musketeers move into the shadows first of all the audience thinks that they are starting their journey to find the thing they are looking for. But then the camera pans back when the guards run past and then the audience knows that they were hiding from them instead. Then it cuts to the outside, where the trees are making a good view for the man on a horse, this place is well kept and looks grand so wouldn’t be near the prison. This is scene is shot in a long shot the audience cannot see the face of the man on the horse so it leaves then feeling suspense because they want to know why he is there and why is he so far away and on his horse? Then it cuts to a mid shot of a woman who is standing at an open door as if she is closing it, on the door there is a cross which is a religious connotation.

The Shining scene 2 anaylsis

This scene starts off with a mid shot of a door with a key in the lock. The key ring is red that shows the audience that something dangerous is behind the door, this builds tension because the audience cannot see what is behind the door, and there is just a sliver of what you can see through the open door. Then using parallel editing it cuts to Danny who is sitting in the dark which is low key lighting, he is shaking and dribbling, he is also wearing a red jumper which suggests that maybe he knows about the danger that is behind the door. The camera zooms in on Danny’s face to show that he is pale in the face and he eye are squinting this may suggest that he is unwell and struggling with what is going on at the moment. Then is cuts to a point of view shot of the hotel room the camera pans to show that the person who is seeing this is walking and it makes the audience feel more involved. This made me feel uneasy like I was looking around my house to see is someone had broke in, I didn’t enjoy this part much. The camera used in the part would be a handheld to get the effect of them walking and it being a point of view shot, this is effective because them they can make this scene more realistic and scarier. In the background there is this horrible non-diegetic music would reminds me of a heartbeat maybe this is to build tension in the audience because they can hear a heartbeat and it raises theirs. The cuts at this point are quite slow to tell the audience the story and it builds better tension in the audience to watch this and not break up the scene by going back and forth, it might also suggest that the environment that Jack is the known and the audience has to stay with him in order to find out. As the camera closes in on the bathroom door a hand slowly pushes the door open. This made me hide behind myself because I thought something horrible would be there to scare me. But there was nothing there just a well lit bathroom just like the rest of the hotel room. Then it cuts to a mid shot of Jack and how he reacts to this. It makes this scene relatable because his face was probably the same as yours. Then it cuts back to the bathroom, again something strange, but the shower curtain was drawn a little. I thought nothing of it first of all it wasn’t until a hand slowly appeared on the edge of the shower curtain in order to pull it back. Again this action was slow to build tension in the audience. Then a woman appeared from behind the curtain. Then there is another shot reverse shot to show the audience Jack’s reaction to this, and he doesn’t mind that much. The woman slowly rose from the bath and another shot reverse shot to show that Jack actually likes the show he is getting. Then the woman stepped out of the bath, shot reverse shot but lingers on Jack to show his little smile at the corner of his mouth. The woman starts to walk forward from a longs shot to a mid shot then there is another shot reverse shot to show that he wants to move forward to meet her in the middle. I personally could see the point in having this part in the film, I didn’t see any meaning behind it and I felt as a woman that it was unnecessary for this scene to be in the film or done in this way. As Jack kisses the lady strings are added to the non-diegetic music to make it more eary and unpleasant to listen to, tell the audience that something is going to happen to Jack in a moment. The music gets the audience ready for the thing to come and change the story. There are more and more strings being added as this carries on and Jack find out that he is actually kissing an old lady who seems to be rotting. This is shown through a mirror which is a convention of the horror genre, in this scene the mirror is being used to show the truth to Jack and this is an effective technique and has been used before in this film. It shows Jack the truth and shows the audience it as well along with Jack’s reaction. Then there is diegetic laughter which is quite evil and shows that this woman tricked Jack and she has bested him. Then it cuts back to a close up on Danny who is still shaking and dribbling and the laughter is carrying on through this parallel editing. The cuts are getting quicker now to build uncomfortable tension in the audience as it switches from Danny to the woman rotting in the bath to Jack shaking and walking backwards with a tracking shot maybe showing the woman’s point of view. Then it cuts to Jack’s point of view showing the creepy rotting old lady following him out of the bathroom. The diegetic laughter is carrying on through this scene. Then it cuts to Danny again getting a little closer to him now showing that he is really struggling with this. The non diegetic music is getting creepier now with the added bangs in places. Then the cuts are getting a little quicker when it cuts to the lady in the bath then to Jack scared, confused and trying to escape. It cuts to the old lady and it looks like she is really enjoying this and then it cuts to an extreme close up on Danny to show that he is squinting at something like he is seeing something. This all make the audience myself included creped out and uncomfortable. I even felt dirty after watching that woman and her awful skin.  

The Shining scene 1 anaylsis

This scene starts with a close up on Danny’s face and then zooms out into a mid shot to show the audience that nothing out of the ordinary is going on. This is just setting the scene of what Danny is doing so the audience can understand. While the camera is zooming out the audience is shown that Danny is playing darts, while watching this I didn’t feel scared or worried about Danny it seemed pretty normal but then I noticed that the darts are red. The connotations of red are danger, blood, love etc. So this was telling us the audience to maybe look out for anything that could be a danger to Danny. Also while this scene is going on there is some non-diegetic music playing in the background, it is horrible music because it is quite screechy and annoying and it make me cringe when it got louder. Once the camera has zoomed out into a mid shot Danny has thrown his last dart and he walks over to the dart board as he is doing this the camera pans so it make the audience feel more involved because you are going along with him also this happens when the camera tilts when Danny stands on the chair to reach for the darts. Danny takes two darts off the dart board and turns around then the camera quickly zooms into a close up of Danny’s face to show his emotion and to tell the audience something weird is happening. This made me worry about Danny because you couldn’t see what he could, my vision was restricted and I was scared of the unknown. This tension I felt was created by the camera lingering on Danny’s face for a long time. The non- diegetic music then becomes a lot lower in pitch and made me feel drained almost like my balance was off because the music is so horrid it hurt my ears. Then it cuts to a point of view shot to show the audience what Danny was looking at and it was two sinister looking little girls, this is a convention of the horror genre use to scare the audience. This just made me confused and a bit uneasy because they looked normal just a little pale but the way they were standing was a bit weird. The dresses they are wearing show that maybe they are not from that time because they were old fashioned and also they were blue, the connotation of blue is sadness, maybe something sad had happened to them. The dresses are also the same suggesting that maybe they are twins. Then there is a shot reverse shot to show Danny’s reaction to this. Then is cuts back to the little girls and they look at each other and they walk away in an ordered fashion clockwise around each other. This made added to my uncomfortable feeling about them. This whole scene is set in high key lighting showing the audience that it is set in the day time but also nothing really bad is going to happen at this point. Then it cuts to Danny’s family being shown around. I noticed that the man showing them around and Wendy are on the right side and Jack is on the left this told me that maybe I should watch out for him because he isn’t on the same side as his wife. This scene is shot with a backwards tracking shot, this get the audience involved with the narrative because they are moving along with it. There is no non-diegetic music in this scene because the audience needs to focus on what is being said. When they are walking the man says goodbye to some lady in the background, as she is walking with her bags she lifts a red bag up so it looks to the audience like it is touching jack and showing up that he is the danger in this film and to watch out for him. Everyone is leaving the hotel and the man is saying that no other room is heated in the winter this tells the audience that they will be the only people in the hotel at that time which is another convention of the horror genre, being in an isolated area.

Revolutionary Road

Camera: In this scene they mainly use duel shots to show that there is a relationship between and later you find out that they are married. They also use wide shots to give the impetration that they are in a world of their own and the outside world won't affect what is going on in their life at that time. There is also a lot of over the shoulder shots to make the audience more involved in the scene but it makes them feel awkward because them they are watching an argument. They also show a long shot of she walking away this could show the distance between them at this time or that she is trying to escape the argument for a little while.

Lighting:
In the building at the start it is high key lighting but then for the rest of the scene it is low key lighting to show the audience that it is night time and also to show that they are in a dark place at the moment because they are going through at rough patch in their marriage. I found it difficult to watch because there wasn't much lighting I couldn't see what was going on.




Editing:
In this scene they use shot reverse shot to show the conflict between the two characters. They also use fast editing to build tension created by the main characters.


Mise en scene:

Everything in this scene tells the audience something about the story. The costumes tell them about the time that it is set because the woman is wearing a beige pencil skirt and a white blouse, He is wearing a brown suit with a red tie which shows that they are in the 1950's or a time near it. Also the car they are using has the huge steering wheel which is mainly in old fashioned car. The actors facial expressions show that they are in a fight and angry because the man is frowning and he is also pacing which is the tell tale scenes that he is angry with his wife. She walks away from the car really quickly which shows the audience that she is trying to escape the fight with her husband. Then he punches the car which is the biggest show of his anger. This made me feel awkward to start off with because I felt like I was ease dropping on their argument, but  then I felt angry when he goes to hit his wife but then hits the car a sign of relief rushed over me.

Sound:
The sound in this scene was mainly diegetic because the audience needed to focus on what was going on in the scene and not hide it behind the backing track.