Cinematography: Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Starting at Andy’s escape, the cinematography begins to change from how it was prior to this scene. The camerawork moves in a way that the audience becomes on the character’s level, rather than watching him from a distance as an observer. By this I mean the camera follows his movements, instead of staying stationary. This gives the effect of us being with him on his journey, and having his exertion visually impacting on screen.

In comparison to the previous cinematography in the film, the tonal range suddenly becomes very slim, with only shadows and strong light having a distinct shape. This enhances how dark the situation is in both actual brightness, and mood. At first, as Andy is embarking on his breakout, the only light source is from a torch. By doing this, not only are the shots highly contrasted, but it also allows the scene to appear authentic and un-staged. It is also shot from inside of the tunnel, in front of the character’s face. Due to it being a close up and in a tight frame, the audience is made to feel ‘trapped’ because it is emphasising how confined the space is and how much of a struggle it is putting on the character.

After Andy is out of the tunnel and in a more spacious environment, the shots become busier and contain a little more colour. Stressing how much worse the character’s position was beforehand. However, they are still highly unsaturated and have no real definition. It has an overall tone of blue, indicating a cold and empathetic outlook. This approach to colour causes the conditions to seem a lot more dramatic and increases the intensity of the situation. There is only minor diegetic sounds, but with presumably non-diegetic (only because it’s questionably coincidental for the time of filming) loud thunder and lightning, dramatizing the whole event immensely. There are quick cuts between Andy and the window where the lightning can be seen. The cuts clarify where the sound is coming from, and allow us to see things from his perspective, but also adds anticipation and tension.

When Andy is out of the prison, the camera movements are shaky and unstable, following his posture, making us visually feel his exhaustion. We then see things from the sky’s point of view, as it zooms out from a bird’s eye view as though to suggest it was communicating with him since he hadn’t seen it for years. The distance of framing and establishing shot of the prison allow us to see how far the character has come, and highlights how shallow the framing whilst Andy was still confined.

A technique that remained throughout the escape scene, were the textures. The whole sequence felt wet and heavy; allowing us to understand the strain and fatigue the character had to suffer. I believe this effect was intended to be the result of all the cinematography in the scene- to portray Andy’s hardship.

Mise en Scène: Cool Runnings (1993)

In the scene starting at the final bobsled Olympics, the audience can learn a lot about a variety of characters from through a diversity of props, costume, lighting and a few other informing factors. To begin with, there is an obvious bobsled theme. We see the main characters wearing helmets and their sports uniforms, standing in front of their bobsled. But more importantly, is the setting behind them. There are many others wearing thick coats and woolly hats, which both tells us that the weather is cold, and it lets us know who are the competitors and who are the observers. Costume is a simple yet effective way of dividing and distinguishing social groups. The sports uniforms are relatively new at this point in the story, indicating a change in character. The same goes for their coach, Irv, whom goes throughout the film being openly negative about the idea of a Jamaican bobsled team and showing no sign of succumbing. But in this scene the audience will notice that he is attired with a new jacket, adorned with the colours of the Jamaican flag, confirming that he has had a change of heart. Also discreetly noticeable, unknown to some viewers, are the brands on the extra’s clothing. It’s subtle, but it is showing a distinct change from costume worn previously in the film. Branding establishes wealth and vanity. Something which is a main topic expressed throughout the film.

To further this point, during the whole sequence where the Olympics are taking place, there are cross cuts to the main character’s family and friends back home in Jamaica, watching it on a television. The lighting is brighter, and there is a vast array of colourful costumes, emphasising that it is a much more optimistic and cheerful environment. We also notice that the television is not a modern one, and that the majority of the island had come to watch it. This could just mean that they all wanted to watch the event as a group, but to me it also proposes the idea that it might be the only television they know of, as we are already made aware earlier in the film that that particular area has poor economy, making it less likely for people to own a television. In addition to this, it is also conveyed that it is a very communal and hardworking place, portraying the possibility of nobody actually wanting to watch television when there are things to be done and people are very sociable. There is also a massive distinction in environment. The building that the people are in is made from wood and has holes in the design, showing that it must be extremely hot. Characters wearing baggy clothes and hats also verify this judgement.

Aside from grasping the contrasting backgrounds from the things that are directly in front of us, the different themes are also accentuated through movement and expression. During the shots of the Olympics, the audience don’t really respond to what’s happening very much. It’s still, intense, and the audience gets put on a personal level with them by watching the race and feeling that they should also be anticipating the result. From this, it is recognised that that group of people take the event very seriously, but in the way that it’s important who wins. On the other hand, we see the Jamaican community jumping up and down and cheering even though it’s unlikely most of them would understand what’s actually happening. They are just being supportive and having a good time no matter what the outcome. This establishes a certain division in social groups, jumping between overtones of the subjects of prosperity and welfare. The entirety of the mise en scène techniques in this film help bring us to comprehend the meanings of success and hardship in real life, therefore actually affecting audiences rather than just contributing towards a visually stimulating film.

Narrative Structure: The Prestige (2006)

The opening scene contains a notably high use of narrative structure techniques. This is intriguing, as usually the structure can only be fully appreciated after the whole film has been watched. Straight away the introductory scene establishes that the film is going to develop through circular narration. It tells us this because the opening shot cuts to a completely new scene which doesn’t relate, thus suggesting that it wasn’t the beginning of the story, and more likely to be a flash forward.

What is also interesting is that commonly there is a main character which drives the narrative structure forward. This isn’t always obvious at the beginning, neither is it in ‘the Prestige’. But what I found particularly likeable about it in this film, is that no particular role has a higher significance than the rest in terms of storytelling. As previously mentioned, it’s typically restricted narration by the main character, controlling the cause and effect throughout. But instead, there are two main characters in control, as well as the benevolent character that holds the two together. It’s strange how the film is structured, but it’s in no way ineffective. It seems apparent at the start that the film will be narrated throughout by the same voice, purely because it’s a generic technique used in the industry to give separate information over the top of the screenplay. But it isn’t at all. During the film, the audience hears several individual accounts from the three characters described, all in non-diegetic form. This is clever, as we get to understand the plot from contrasting perspectives, but connecting them all the while to create our own ideas of what is happening; therefore encouraging the story to progress.

What’s proficient about the opening scene especially, is that not only does it consists of multiple crosscut scenes differing from the present time to the future of the film, but the narration over the top matches up to the action on screen. E.g. ‘the magician shows you something ordinary’, and the character on screen is holding up a bird. So all at the same time, we are learning the basis of the film plot, but also finding out presumably, the ending. This has to be done exceptionally well in order for the audience to still be hooked to find out how the ending got to that stage.

The smartest snippet of the narrative structure in this film, to me, is right at the very start when the first voice is heard over the shot of the ending. It asks ‘Are you watching closely?’. That one sentence placed at the beginning of the film could mean so many things. One, as we already realise that the initial shot is from the ending, it can be taken personally in that the audience needs to pay close attention if they wish to know what happened. Two, it may be indicating that it’s going to be a significant, repeated quote in the plot, which again will become clear at the end. Three, it’s possible it could be both of those combined; and four, it could be to throw the audience off. It might not mean anything, but we are compelled to continue watching to find out.

There are two different ways of looking at this; either the story is told all at once, or it isn’t told at all. Either way, the audience are left with numerous questions just after the first few minutes, persuading them to watch the whole film. Thus concluding that the narrative structure doesn’t always have to be straight forward for a film to be successful, it can be the complete opposite and be just as effective, if not most.

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ Essay

For a film to tell a story, it has to be crafted from many different elements of film techniques; and these techniques have to have an appearance in the first few minutes in order for the audience to wish to continue watching. Therefore, the opening scene in any film, is the most crucial part, whether it be the most favourable or not. It is imperative that enough information is given to us for us to understand the concept of the story almost straight away, whilst enjoying it without being overwhelmed. A film that efficiently demonstrates this is ‘Little Miss Sunshine’.

The opening scene in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ tells us who the characters are going to be and allows us to hazard a guess at what the story is going to be about in the form of a montage. A way the audience can know a little about the characters and plot, before they begin speaking, is by mise en scène. The setting of a scene can convey valuable amounts of information about the two; whether it be props, costume, lighting, expression, or other techniques. The mise en scène is intended to do exactly that, as quickly and effectively as possible. We are presented with a variety of environments, differing between a living room, a stage, a bedroom, a bathroom, a car, and a hospital. All of which giving vital clues about the characters; e.g. we learn that the character in the hospital, Frank, has mental health issues, which could be guessed just from the setting. The colour and lighting remain a similar tone throughout, except for when we are introduced to Frank, where both become dull and grey, establishing that we are supposed to focus on that particular area and conveying he is not as well and content as the rest of the characters. This idea is used for costume too, except it is exaggerated for emphasis and humour. Dwayne has dyed his hair black and wearing scruffy clothes, and Olive is wearing a colourful outfit with accessories, both stereotypically stressing their ages and genders.

Adding to the mise en scène, the setting would not be as important without cinematography underpinning it. That is what causes the audience to appreciate the surroundings as well as the characters. To start this off, we are met with a close-up shot of a young girl. The shot is in shallow focus, framed just between her forehead and mouth, purposely drawing us to just the character’s eyes. As she is evidently young, and the shot is concentrated on her eyes, I believe we are meant to feel an empathetic connection as her expression is child-like, curious, and innocent. At this point, I began to think this character was possibly feeling alone. There is not a lot of attention given to her environment, giving the impression that she was absorbed in her own world. ‘When you get close to the actor with a fairly wide lens, it creates a slightly artificial feel which in this case conveys a sense of distance between Amin and the world around him.’ (Oppenheimer, Shattered Past, 2013).Furthermore, the television show she is watching reflects on her glasses and then the audience watches it from her perspective. This puts us on a personal level with the character. After this scene, we are introduced to Olive’s father, Richard. The camera angle is directed up at him, already telling us that he is going to be the most domineering character. Partnering this with the fact that he is on a stage and public speaking, it is thought that he is of big importance. Especially since it is filmed in fairly high contrast lighting in comparison to Olive’s scene. However, the scene then ‘deflates’, as the camera then shows the audience who he was talking to in low contrast lighting, and no particular thought provoking framing. It illustrates a small classroom with minor attendees, indicating that our presumptions were completely incorrect. A teenage boy is then presented, doing exercise in his room. The camera differs between deep and shallow focus depending on when the dumbbell comes towards the screen. This is an interesting effect, as it is like it is controlling our vantage point for us, as if we were on top of the dumbbell. The progression of Dwayne’s scene then uses similar cinematography techniques, alternating between watching him and being him. Shallow focus is then used again, but this time concentrating on a new character’s hands, intentionally directing our attention to what he is doing rather than what he looks like. Up until a certain point, all of the characters are represented as quite secluded and immersed in an activity. Opposed to this pattern, Sheryl is then introduced. To me, she is not portrayed like the others. She is shown as being really anxious, as the shot consists of a burning cigarette with her shouting before we even see her face. The framing, camera angle, and rickety filming also make it seem as though she is sitting next to the audience, like they are in the car understanding her mood. This describes the possibility of her being the character that holds the rest together, as she is the only one not doing her own thing. Uncle Frank is also introduced to us through her perspective, rather than having his own montage like the others. This can be seen as him not being able to be on his own, so is recognised as a pair with Sheryl. The cinematography contrasts between seeing him through the door from the outsider’s standpoint and as though we are watching him from a distance. But never from his outlook which is quite interesting, as it poses the dark idea that it is not one the audience would want to see, taken from the condition that we are presented with. The most significant knowledge the cinematography gave to us, was that each member of the family is alone in their own way. There is a shot for every character, other than Sheryl, where the person is by themselves surrounded by almost empty space. The focal lengths are wide angled in order for us to see more of the props than the character, conveying them as being small and isolated.

The sound used in the opening scene is simple but effective. For the majority, the only diegetic sounds you hear are the television right at the start, the quiet placing of objects and people’s voices. But mainly, we pay attention to the relatively melancholy, non-diegetic music playing throughout the sequence. I find it particularly clever as it actually controls the timing of the introductory scenes. Every time a new character comes onto screen, a new instrumental riff is added to the song, so it is gradually building up through the story progression. After the film title rolls on, the music fades out as if to suggest the audience needs to pay attention at that moment, because this is where the story is going to start. In addition to this idea, I think it could be a possibility that the music fades out to express the emptiness of Frank’s state. Like the common technique of making the music louder when a character puts on headphones to get inside their head, but backwards. There are only two voices we hear at the start, both highly contrasting. One is of Richard, who speaks calmly and low in pitch; and Sheryl, who is shouting and speaking fast. Both are American, but neither have particularly well educated nor unrefined accents, so we assume they are from average backgrounds.

Editing is one of the most indispensable techniques in a film, as it determines how the audience sees the story at the same time as keeping their attention. ‘Editing is probably one of the closest processes to directing.’ (Roth and Addison, The Wonders of Editing: an Interview with Mathilde Bonnefoy and Tom Tykwer, 2011). There isn’t particularly a large diversity of methods used in the opening sequence, as most editing techniques I am aware of are used for interactions between two or more people, but this does not actually happen at all until the very end of the opening scene, where only shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule are used within a conversation between Sheryl and a doctor. Nevertheless, this film does use discontinuity editing, which is quite uncommon but very effective. Because the opening scene is used to introduce us to the characters individually, continuity would be boring as there are too many contrasting personalities to try and depict at the same time. Although, even though discontinuity editing is choppy and usually only used for conflicting symbolism, it is not seen like that, and I think it to be artistic and original. The scene with Grandpa is particularly interesting, as it uses cuts during the same activity without any frame or angle changes. It comes across as being quite fidgety, which could be to indicate how he was feeling, given by the fact he is taking drugs. Other than those mentioned, the remaining scenes simply consist of quick cuts between watching the character and seeing things from their angles. I think this was used to get information across quickly, as well as putting the audience on a personal level with them.

I believe the story can be depicted from the opening scene quite well, as there is a good ratio of time spent between all the characters, giving us enough time to understand what is happening in each of their lives. We can already see that the film is going to be circling around the themes of success and failure, by the contrasting shots of motivated characters against those that are clearly struggling for reasons that are unknown at that point. As described earlier on, all of the characters are alone in their own way, and the opening sequence portrays that each individual has their own goal which will be pursued throughout the story ‘but such messages are delivered relatively subtly.’ (Smith, Little Miss Sunshine, 2006). There are also other themes tied in throughout the film, varying from social problems to love. The focus on social problems consistently underlines the majority of the film, distinctly where we see the family arguing or hiding away from each other in multiple scenes. We quickly learn that the characters are a family, but don’t communicate to one another very well at all, making it uncomfortable for even the audience to watch at times. Which I think is purposeful, due to its ‘indie/black comedy’ nature. For the theme of love, however, we only ever see it through Sheryl and Olive until the very end. Sheryl is the connection between the characters, keeping them together as one, so is close to all of them and shows affection in various scenes. As for Olive, she is the wide-eyed, unknowing child, so does not show anything but fondness and love towards her family. Although not conveyed explicitly, the rest of the main cast only appear to really think about themselves until Olive needs their support during the ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ final. This is the only time in the entire film where they all come together, confirming that the theme of love was in the story the whole time, just seemingly the opposite until this moment.

As mentioned previously, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ is believed to be ‘indie comedy’ or ‘black comedy’; although research showed a small number of audiences to define it as just plain comedy. The humour throughout the film, not just the extract explored, is certainly intended to be dark, and the opening scene clarifies this on several occasions. The most evident shot being when the title appears over Frank’s forlorn face. With the word ‘Sunshine’, having obvious connotations with being bright and cheerful, placed underneath his teary eyes. This establishes deliberate irony and was intentionally meant to provoke the audience to question if it is amusing or not. In order for it to be humorous, the whole opening scene has to be thought about outside of what is simply on screen. For example, we see an elderly man taking drugs in one shot, which is obviously a taboo subject. Through the cinematography, we do not see the character’s face until towards the end of the scene. His costume consists of an Hawaiian shirt, partnered with a leather waistcoat, no wedding ring, and a handy-bag full of drugs; causing the assumption that it is a relatively young male stereotypically up to no good. The camera then pans up, presenting us with a rebellious old man, resulting in an amusing shock. This confirms that the whole film has to be taken light-heartedly in order to enjoy it.

Sound: Donnie Darko (2001)

The scene starting at ‘October 2’ begins with the main character, Donnie, walking down the stairs with the narrative voice of Frank. I would consider Frank one of the most important sounds in the film, rather than the physical character. This is because it’s his voice that drives Donnie to do the things he does, and the things he does drives the film plot itself. It’s also quite an interesting use of sound, as sometimes it’s diegetic, but other times it’s internally diegetic. This causes the audience to question Frank’s existence, connecting their thoughts to those in the film, and therefore effectively involving them into the story.

Throughout the sequence where we are introduced to Frank, there is a constant eerie noise alongside his monotone voice. This is simply mood music, to depict how strange the situation is, used for us to feel uncomfortable and on edge. Franks voice has no definite emotion in it, as the tone and volume remain the same all the way through. I think this is also to do with how his existence is portrayed. His voice sounds ‘empty’, and therefore isn’t meant to be conveyed as entirely human.

The film then breaks this atmosphere, going completely silent other than the buzz of a static television. The fact that it’s the only thing happening, forces the audience to focus on it and to consider its purpose; which then leads us to the question of ‘why isn’t it working?’. We then know something has caused it to stop receiving signal, and we’re most likely going to find out why very soon. This method of sound proves that it can be just as effective to hardly have any, than to have a lot. As expected, the silence is broken by multiple diegetic loud noises of the house falling apart, instantly changing the atmosphere of the film. As the damage increases, the whole scene then becomes slow motion, including the sounds. Interestingly, the loudness slowly manipulates. The ceilings crumbling and the car alarms which were initially the main events, become background noise, and then Donnie’s sister’s panicked breathing moves into the foreground as we start to see things from her perspective. Obviously the breathing wouldn’t actually be louder than all the chaos, but in my opinion, this effect was used so that the audience could feel as though they were on a more personal level with the character.

After the event, there are a couple of scenes where Donnie wakes up on a golf course, and when he arrives home to see the damage done to his home. In the golf course scene, we see him having a conversation with two adult men. Both well spoken, and smartly dressed in comparison to Donnie (who is slurring his words from just having woken up, and is wearing pyjamas), giving us the assumption that they are well educated and upper-class. Whether intentional or not, this subtly adds to how different Donnie’s life is compared to theirs. There isn’t really any other sound in this scene, other than the presumably non-diegetic sound of birds, as I personally think it’s more dominant than it normally would be; and I believe it’s only included in the scene to establish that it’s morning time.

When he arrives to see the state of his house, we see Donnie walking towards it, with police sirens sounding, and the neighbourhood gathering all talking over one another. But rather than the suspected sad music playing in the background to convey how the damage made Donnie feel, it has somewhat relaxed music playing over the top, emphasising the surrealism of the scene, but also showing the audience that Donnie doesn’t see it as an ordinary mind would. Thus further confirming that the sound in this film encourages our ideas about the story and characters, more than the actual things they say.

Editing: Nowhere Boy (2009)

The opening scene is split into three main parts, with bridges in between; in which the main character, John, interacts with three different ranks of associates (Uncle and Aunt, school peers, and teacher/headmaster). The way these scenes are divided is important, as it allows the observer to understand that there is a clear, personal hierarchy of these associates, as John gets less respectful towards each as the sequence progresses. The scene changes with quick cuts, which in my opinion, was done for two reasons. One, so that the audience learns a lot about the main character within just a few minutes; and two, it conveys how chaotic John’s life is, as no single event lasts longer than a minute, before he’s doing something else. The sequence has a fast paced, feel good song throughout all the cuts, connecting it all together as one.

The first scene begins with a panoramic shot of a building, with who we assume is going to be the main character running up to it, then it cuts to the character running towards screen with the music getting louder. This effect makes the audience think that something big is going to happen as everything is building up, but instead the film then flashes forward to the present time, where the music suddenly stops, and John is getting told off for sleeping in.

After this, a busy montage of John’s day is played. It consists of continuity editing throughout. During conversations, the 180 degree rule is always applied, as with shot/reverse shot, and eyeline match. This keeps the action authentic and believable, engaging us with the story.

To end this scene, the film quickly cuts to John’s Uncle and Aunt, which I believe is to portray the difference between their lives. The sound also helps establish this, as it’s significantly mellower, with only minor diegetic sounds. These are classical music playing from a radio (emphasises the setting of the 50’s era), and the click of a cigarette lighter. His Aunt is also sitting down, reading a book, which is very still in comparison to the wobbly filming of the main character riding the roof of a bus in the scene prior to it.

Generally, I consider editing simply a way of keeping the audience’s attention; whether it’s done artistically or not. What I liked about these three scenes, was that there wasn’t particularly any inventive edits individually, but put all together, it made a very creative sequence, giving an awful lot of information at once without us even realising. Personally, I think this shows that the scenes completely over achieved the amount of content required, without it being overwhelming or boring, purely under the merit of the editing.