Penny Horsnell

How does the director use Mise En Scene and Sound to establish meaning and provoke the audience’s response in the Party Scene from the Dark Knight?

Mise En Scene is a French expression of theatre production which means ‘Visual Theme’. Mise En Scene means ‘everything in the scene’ such as props, costume, makeup, NVC (Non Verbal Communication), lighting and performance. The director uses these items to help provoke the audience’s emotion in the film and to make the audience believe in the reaility of the film world. An example of this is in the film The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy is walking down the yellow brick road, she comes across the Scarecrow talking, and from her Non Verbal Communication Performance you can tell she is very shocked and surprised that the Scarecrow is able to talk, reflecting the response of the audience. This response is not entirely shocking to the audience however because the director has already shown the audience the world of Oz where anything can and does happen, hence the audience believe in this talking scarecrow.

Sound is key to any film; it provokes emotion, sets the scene and establishes the mood as the sound may highlight a key aspect or emotion of the film. There are two types of sound, Diegetic sound which is sound within a film that should be naturally there, such as dialogue and Non Diegetic sound is which is sound added in post-production such as a voiceover. An example of this is a sound motif which is non-diegetic sound; we associate this kind of music with a character such as Indiana Jones. Whenever he does something heroic the same theme music is played, this is to show whatever task and tribulation Indiana has faced, he has overcame it.

At the start of the scene The Joker makes his entrance by breaking into the party, a dramatic non diegetic sound track is played to show he is the central antagonist; it has a very accentuated, low, repetitive baseline which indicates danger and builds tension in the audience’s mind as they don’t know what to expect from this antagonist, this is reflected by his actions earlier in the film such as the ‘pencil trick’ and his general air of anarchy. As soon as he steps into the party the non diegetic sound halts to illustrate the fact that for this scene he is going to be the centre of attention. The Joker’s intimidating presence is also indicated by the fact that everyone goes silent in the room, again representing his significant position as antagonist for this film.

The location of a scene is important as it creates connotations in the audience’s mind which they will expect to be fulfilled; this scene is set in Bruce Wayne’s flat, a wealthy high rise business building with bright high key lighting reflecting the wealth of its owner. It has many signifiers of wealth including tables with intricate flower arrangements on, small delicate canapés to eat, expensive alcohol such as champagne and everyone who has been invited to the party is dressed smartly, this is obviously the correct sort of location and iconography for an upmarket soiree and the joker’s presence in his garish costume makes the distinction

Penny Horsnell

that much more clear, he does not belong here. The high key lighting also picks out the Joker’s distinctive makeup and instantly makes him more threatening as the central villain of the film. The Joker has painted his face white, his eyes are black, and he has extended his red lips to emphasise his false smile. His hair is greasy and the ends are tinted green, and his suit is purple. The Makeup is used to frighten the guests in the first instance but also to hide his true identity. The Joker also has ‘henchmen’ who are with him, they are also dressed differently; they have masks or tights on their head with painted faces like clowns. This shows immediately they are part of his men because they are dressed in similar costumes to the main villain. When in the same frame as the Joker they are situated however at the back of the frame to show the distinct hierarchy which exists between them and the Joker, this shows they aren’t as important as the Joker, they are there if he needs reinforcement and also to intimidate the party-goers.

The Joker’s Performance is Key in this film as his makeup and costume are abnormal to the conventions of society so he needs a performance to match this, he has a very distinctive high pitched voice and laugh, and he uses strange mouth expressions which stresses his problem with his mouth. He chomps his mouth and sticks his tongue out a lot which makes him very intimidating and also places him at odds with normality. We see this in action when he threatens one of the party-goers. Harvey Dent’s girlfriend walks into the room and the Joker says ‘Hello Beautiful’ whilst tucking his hair around his ears, illustrating a perverse reverse of normal conventions of beauty Ambient sound is played at the same time as this menacing come-on and the pitch gets louder and faster as the joker begins to talks about his dad to the girl, the pitch of the soundtrack gets higher the more the Joker talks about his dad and the music reflects the past pain that the joker felt with his dad’s refusal to accept him for what he was. This action is coupled with a long take of the scene where the camera revolves 360 degree around the girl which symbolises not only the Joker’s fragile emotion but also Nolan’s decision not to cut away from the circling scene only heightens the danger that the audience feels for the girl. We already know that the Joker is capable of many heinous activities and the deliberate choice not to cut here only makes the scene that much more intimate and frightening for the watching audience. As the Joker explains to Harvey Dent’s girlfriend about his scars the intensity is raised further when he takes a blade to his mouth which again shocks the audience and proves that the Joker really is sick and has a deranged mind, again we feel that he is going to damage the girl’s mouth as well. As the Joker moves the blade around to the girls face getting closer and closer to the edges of her mouth, her body language indicates she is getting increasingly very distressed and scared, she doesn’t want to Joker to cut her and her frantic squirming stresses this, she is trying to struggle to get her face out of the way and her eyes are either looking down or they are closed as she doesn’t want to see the Joker’s scars.

It is at this moment of peril that Nolan decides to start using a few cross cuts from the party to Bruce Wayne in the building preparing to get ready to confront with the Joker, this builds suspense because we know that any damsel in distress needs a hero to rescue her. You can

Penny Horsnell

tell from these crosscuts that Bruce Wayne is very determined to cause the Joker some harm. The look of determination is etched on his face and as he enters a secret room to change into his Batman persons we are witness to him hitting one of the Joker’s henchmen with considerable force indicating the strength of his desire to bring the Joker to justice

When Batman enters the room to face the Joker in combat the Joker conforms to his position of being the villain of the film. He uses his ‘henchmen’ to help fight his battle giving him the numerical edge in the fight, though as expected Batman easily sees these henchmen off conforming to the conventions of a hero in an action film. In a nod to an old James Bond film the Joker has extra blades in his shoes as weapons indicating his nature to think ahead and to also try and damage as much as possible the hero in front of him. The use of blades also highlights his villain nature in the film because Batman has to fight fair to maintain the audiences expectation of him being a hero.

At the end of the scene The Joker has Harvey Dent’s girlfriend in his arms, he shoots the gun at the window so it smashes and the Batman says ‘Let her go’ The Joker then replies ‘ Poor choice of words’ and he lets her go which will send her crashing down to the floor to die. This despicable act of cowardice maintains the win at all costs mentality of the Joker who only wants to see Batman suffer. Acting according to tradition Batman flies after her and saves her life, though at the expense of trying to capture The Joker himself

In conclusion the director uses this scene to illustrate the difference between Batman and the Joker. The Joker will fight dirty and do anything in his powers to see Batman suffer and Batman’s response in saving the girl at the expense of capturing the villain marks him as the hero of the film. We also gain an insight in this scene to the suffering that the Joker felt when he was younger and this facet of his behaviour is shown with the long panning shot that Nolan uses to highlight how deranged this character actually is thus preparing the audience for further dispacable acts later in the film.

1587 words

Penny Horsnell

By Ruairi Pammen

How does the director use Mise En Scene and sound to establish meaning and provoke the audience’s response in The Comedian’s death sequence of Watchmen?

Mise en Scene is a French phrase meaning ‘placed in the scene’; the director uses it to guide and manipulate audience response. In film studies the term explains all the elements that make up a scene; for example the setting, lighting, costume and behaviour of the actors on-screen presence, characterizing and guiding the response required by the audience. A good example of a film where Mise En Scene is incorporated well is ‘The Place Beyond The Pines’, the colour, use of props and make up are used by the director to represent Ryan Gosling’s rather dark fierce persona, this is achieved by the use of low key lighting making the atmosphere of the film sinister, the character’s make up giving him a scarred face and the tattooed body achieves a thuggish look, depicting the stuntman as a dangerous man who is fearless.

If sound is used effectively by the director it can incite emotion, establish a scene, set the mood and can distinguish key moments in a film by highlighting them through techniques such as a ‘sound sting’. Sound derives in two formats; diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic is the most common form of sound, consisting of any sound that exists in the reality of the film world, speech, or for example the traffic noise at the beginning of Taxi Driver. Non- diegetic sound is any sound which is added in post-production to enhance the viewer’s experience, this could include voiceovers and soundtracks. The voiceover at the start of The Lord of the Rings trilogy is an excellent example of such a device, which Peter Jackson uses to provide exposition to Middle Earth.

The sequence arises with The Comedian inhaling smoke from a cigar. The cigar represents an important piece of iconography because it is a subtle metaphor for his life; the cigar is almost completely burnt out echoing how the comedian’s life is also soon coming to expiration. The costume he wears is an informal dressing gown attire conveying he’s in a safe place, the television is on and he is lounging on a cushioned sofa, all adding to the illusion he’s in a comfortable environment in which he can be totally relaxed. Tranquillity of the scene is further established through his non-verbal communication, such as the Comedian leisurely flicking through the channels, finding one he is content with and melting back into the cushions further cementing the perception of satisfaction.

The low key lighting highlights the shadows, impairs the audience’s vision possibly because the comedian’s character doesn’t want anyone to see him because he’s ashamed of who he has become. Furthermore the darkly cold, clinical apartment perfectly emulates the comedian’s bipolar personality and the darkness of his soul. The lighting coincides with his current psychological state of mind and the fact there is very little naturalistic/artificial light delicately signifies his mood to the audience, in this case the Comedian is depressed. In the wider context of the whole movie and looking back in hindsight, the viewer understands the complexity of what the character is feeling, especially with the atrocities he commits whilst in Vietnam.

When the antagonist enters the apartment, the director makes him act as though he is the dominant force and completely in-control of the situation. By making Adrian Veidt’s movements slow, controlled and concise; stalking his prey like a tiger gradually and at the vital moment pouncing ferociously the intruder is made to be an imposing and unstoppable force. Also the perception of power is portrayed to the audience by the choice of attire (the slick black

Penny Horsnell

jumpsuit) paints the picture in the audiences mind of dangerous connotations such as assassins, hit men, with the black being symbolic of death. Moreover, there is a wide angle shot of the antagonist picking up and launching the Comedian across from one end of the apartment to the other, which is impossible to conjure up that amount of strength in reality, but the audience is willing to suspend their disbelief because the film is both an action film and based on a graphic novel therefore leading to suspension of disbelief. After this the Comedian starts to get more desperate, he picks up the meat clever prop and throws it in the hope he can stop the advances of the dangerous villain. However the attacker effortlessly catches the clever, conveying his immense precision and skill to the viewers.

The contrapuntal sound of the music ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole playing in the background helps highlight the violence, because it contrasts so boldly to the action on-screen, with the light-hearted melody being offensively disjointed to the bloody violence. This is similar to that of A Clockwork Orange when the droogs attack one of their victims whilst ‘Singing In the Rain’ and like in that film the use of music here adds a disturbing connotation to a previously perfectly innocent song. In hindsight the life The Comedian lead had a lasting impact on the reality of the Watchmen world, makes him an ‘Unforgettable’ character and the music plays upon this fact.

The ‘Watchmen’ film derives from the popular comic book franchise; this is clearly evident in the execution of the fight sequence. For example, the pleonastic sound produced from the punches is comic bookesque, by making the noises vastly exaggerated it gives the impression to the viewing audience that these men are incredibly strong. Furthermore the composition of the set allows for the quick free-flowing action to prevail and by having plenty of destructible materials placed within the reach of both protagonist and antagonist, it adds excitement to hear the smashing of glass and the thump as a punch pulverises through dry wall.

When the Comedian exclaims ‘it was only a matter of time’ this portrays that the Comedian was expecting these events to transpire and that this unsympathetic fate was all part of his disconsolate destiny. In addition his drawn facial expression during the close up of his face shows a sad realisation that this could be his final moments alive. The camera then cuts to a close up of the antagonist adjusting his black leather gloves, suggesting to the viewers this assailant isn’t any felon, but a professional contracted hit man, in-fact the costume worn by the villain is very similar to the all-black attire of Agent 47 in the popular franchise ‘Hitman’.

When the comedian says ‘it’s a joke, it’s all a joke’ this piece of dialogue is an extended metaphor for his alter ego and a deep, darkly sadistic, ironic joke about his whole life. He goes onto say faintly ’…Mother forgive me’ the director included this to show an additional vulnerable dimension to his character, that only by staring death directly in the eye would extract the sadness and futility of his life. By showing this vulnerability it allows the audience to understand that he was secretly a fragile, sentimental person and that the Comedian was in-fact hiding behind the tears of a clown. The Comedian wears a mask when he goes out crime fighting, on the surface the perception would be that he is using the mask to hide his identity, however I believe the director uses the mask to signify The Comedian doesn’t want anyone to see the anguish engraved all over his face and the mask successfully hides his emotions.

As the scene finishes, the director focuses on the image of a smiley badge, where the smiley face badge was shown previously at the beginning of the sequence pinned on the left side of the

Penny Horsnell

Comedian’s dressing gown (directly in-front of his heart) as the scene proceeds to come to a dramatic conclusion, the relevance of this is clear, there is a close up of the metal badge prop vibrating against the concrete street, directly next to where the comedian lays, as the momentum of the badge slows down it starts to weep blood and resemble the sound of a pulsating heart, the pulsations gradually weakening until the beating sound stops and obviously The Comedian dies

In conclusion, director Zack Snyder succeeds in creating a sequence that combines the sadness hidden by The Comedian, with the expectations of a comic book audience to be entertained by fight sequences. As the heart beat fades at the end of the sequence we are left in no doubt that the rest of the film will be fully versed in meeting the high expectations of the fans that enjoyed the comic book series the film is based on.

Penny Horsnell

How does the director use mise-en-scene and sound to establish meaning and provoke an audience response in the scene

when Dorothy arrives in Oz, In The Wizard of Oz (1939?)

Mise en scène is a term used in French theatre meaning ‘everything in the scene’. These elements include setting, location, costume and makeup, props/iconography, NVC (non verbal communication) performance, colour, set design/décor and lighting. Mise en scène is key in helping the audience determine the genre and mood of the film. An example of effective mise en scène is in the film Bruce Almighty. After Bruce gets hit by a lorry, Bruce’s surroundings turn to white, he is wearing white clothes and the added visual cue of a smoke effect helps the audience understand that he is in fact in heaven.

Sound is also a key element within a film. Sound is split into two distinct elements, diegetic sounds, which the characters in the film can naturally hear (for example in the form of dialogue) and non-diegetic sound (usually in the form of a soundtrack or other sounds which the characters in the film can’t hear) these are added in post production of a film to manipulate the audience’s feelings towards a particular set scene or character’s motivation. An example of an effective non-diegetic sound in a film can be illustrated with the soundtrack of Titanic. Whenever something romantic or sad happens between the characters of Jack and Rose, James Cameron uses James Horner’s theme tune to highlight certain aspects of their doomed relationship, the audience can now see how strong the love is between Jack and Rose for example.

The intention of the opening of the scene I am going to examine is to show the intensity of the tornado that sweeps Dorothy off to Oz and the confusion that this results in. The scene also marks the separation of the relatively depressed black and white opening to the film with the bright vibrancy of the Oz colour scenes. As the scene opens we witness various objects and people being caught up in the tornado, such as chickens and an old woman on her chair knitting. Non-diegetic incidental music (which we associate later with the witch) is then heard when we see the evil ‘Miss Gulch’ transform into the wicked witch. Dorothy’s house is then turning and being thrown around inside of the tornado faster and faster indicating to the audience the danger that our protagonist is in. Accompanying this frantic movement is loud, fast paced incidental music as Dorothy’s bed is spinning around her room with her screaming. The window and the curtains swinging and the dust going all around the room adds to the terrifying effect, making it more believable to the viewers that she is stuck in the middle of the tornado. As we see Dorothy’s house falling the music increases in volume, adding tension for the audience to what the outcome will be.

The following scene is in complete contrast to the chaos of the preceding scene as we see Dorothy sitting on her bed, still and quiet. After the frenzy of the tornado her nvc shows signs of relief that everything is now calm, indicating to the audience that the storm is now over. No soundtrack accompanies her as she walks out of the room, again contrasting to the previous scene where the diegetic sounds of the tornado were loud and obtrusive. This gives the audience time to reflect on what has just happened to Dorothy and how we now

Penny Horsnell

realise that she is safe. The scene is still in dull and boring colours reflecting the situation at the time the film was brought out. In the USA they were going through an economic depression. As soon as Dorothy opens up the door and looks outside however this suddenly changes, a quiet sound motif is first heard which the audience would recognise from earlier in the film, an instrumental version of ‘Over the rainbow’. We as an audience can see that Dorothy isn’t in Kansas anymore by the fact that everything is now in vibrant colour with high key lighting suggesting that this new world is possibly magical, much like the settings in fairytales like Alice In Wonderland. The switch from dull black and white to full technicolour is magical to the audience. The colour transition acts as a cue for the audience to realise that the more magical elements of the film will now occur, the dramatic switch also suggests that anything can happen in the film because it is still relatively rare in cinema for the director to swap the stock of the film in such a radical manner.

Dorothy’s non verbal communication of joy, a lit up smile, adds to the audience’s amazement to where she now is. The director reflects this key moment in the film with an extremely long take which pans around Oz in a slow and deliberate manner indicating to the audience that they must also ‘take in’ this new and exciting setting for the film. The décor is bright and in complete contrast to the beginning of the film. The shot is accompanied by a sound score, foreshadowing some of the songs which will later be shown in the film, along with a glimpse of the yellow brick road, a hint to the path Dorothy must follow. Other diegetic sounds which are included are ambient sounds of birds tweeting which was never heard when Dorothy was in Kansas. At the end of this elongated pan in the background we see Dorothy’s house which stands out because of its dull grey colour, a reminder where this stranger to Oz has come from. Dorothy then says one of the most famous pieces of dialogue in the film to illustrate how many of the audience would also be feeling when they witness this scene “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore… we must be over the rainbow!” Many people, even today’s audiences are familiar with the line after many repeats of the film and this diegetic dialogue finally makes the audience realise that they have entered the vital setting for the rest of the film.

A long shot is then used of Dorothy as a giant bubble is approaching from the distance along with an increasing level of fantasy type incidental music. The bubble then fades away revealing a woman in a large dress and a magical wand. The new character we can see is wearing a crown so as an audience we automatically think of her as someone with power. There is a two shot of Dorothy and the character speaking. In this shot we can see the contrast between the two characters; Dorothy is a young girl, uncertain of the witch in front of her who seems to be wise and powerful, especially through the firmness of her voice and certainity of her actions. Dorothy is wearing a blue dress, below the knees. She is holding a basket, has pig tails and has a pet dog. She is the average young female protagonist seen in films and looks innocent because of her costume. This affects the audience’s feelings towards Dorothy through the rest of the film as because she is only a young girl we fear for her more. Whereas the new character we have now come across is wearing a large sparkly dress, she is holding a wand and has a crown similar to Giselle in Disney’s Enchanted. This presentation of a witch subverts the audience’s expectations at the time when the film was first released when it is revealed that she is in fact a witch, and her name is Glinda. Whilst Dorothy expresses her thoughts on how “Witches are old and ugly” Pleonastic sounds of laughter which is high pitched is heard, suggesting the laughter could be coming from

Penny Horsnell

someone small or child-like. During this conversation, we see a shot of legs coming out from under Dorothy’s house. This is all that remains of the ‘Wicked witch of the east’. The shoes being worn by her are red and glittery. As the film is in colour with high key lighting, the choice of shoe colour stands out. The connotations of the colour red often symbolise blood and death, after the witch has been killed this is a suitable colour to be used. However later in the film the shoes provide hope for Dorothy in getting home so the colour red is the opposite of what it is usually symbolising, the fact that they glitter a deep red glow also indicates the warmth of a fire and all that Dorothy misses from Kansas i.e. the love of her family.

At the end of the clip, we see the munchkins coming out of various parts of the scenery. The costumes which they are all wearing camouflages them from Dorothy. The munchkin’s appearance also differ to the usual type of people Dorothy would have come across in Kansas, or what the audience would see in their daily lives. They are small, wear vibrant makeup and have very bright costumes. When they begin to sing and applaud Dorothy for the killing of the witch we are alerted to the fact that Oz is no ordinary world and the munchkins serve as an introduction to the fact that anything can happen in this new world, this would include the flying monkeys later in the film.

In conclusion the director uses mise-en-scene and sound in the scene to create a contrast between Kansas and the world of Oz. Kansas is a dull world representative of the American Depression at the time of filming and was filmed in black and white. Oz is a fantasy world of the imagination and is shown in high key lighting and colour. The people that Dorothy meets in this opening sequence to Oz represent the different fairytale nature of Oz, a land where anything can happen. We witness a good witch who is not old and full of warts and we also meet and listen to the singing of the munchkins who again represent that anything can happen in Oz. We are also reminded of the vulnerability of our female protagonist who is presented with a youthful dress, a basket (shades of Red Riding Hood) and a young dog as a companion and we are also spellbound by the sheer vibrancy of the set design and high key lighting indicating that the director wants the audience to feel like they want to know what happens next.

(1606 words)

Penny Horsnell

How does Stanley Kubrick use mise-en-scene and sound to establish meaning and provoke the audiences response in HAL 9000’s deactivation scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey?

In the study of film mise-en-scene is the art of composing a scene through usage of props, location and actors. Mise-en-scene not only covers these basic additions to a scene, but also more subtle and subliminal means of story telling like colour and body language to convey an intended emotion to the audience. The term Mise-en-scene literally means “placed in the scene”; anything that can be seen by the audience. For example in the opening scene of The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola 1972) we see a furnished room, there are several henchmen in the room, all wearing black suits and Don Vito, head of the Sicilian crime family, is in a tuxedo with a rose on the lapel; a scruffy looking man is across from him begging for help. The use of set and costume as well as how many henchmen Don Vito has shown how rich and powerful the Don is compared to those who wish for his help.

There are two type of sound in film, Diegetic and Non-Diegetic. Diegetic sound is used to add the needed sense of realism to a movie with diegetic sound being sound that the characters in the scene can hear, such as the wind, sounds that should be there or dialogue, for example the sound of a gunshot in Skyfall (Sam Mendes 2012) whilst travelling on the top of a train alerts the audience to the danger that Bond is in. Non-Diegetic sound is sound added in post-production like a soundtrack or effect (like a sound sting,) for example Harrison Ford’s Voiceover in Blade Runner (Ridley Scott 1982) establishes the future Los Angeles to the audience.

In 2001 a group of astronauts journey through the solar system to Jupiter aboard Discovery One. The ship is largely piloted and controlled by a computer A.I. called HAL 9000. After discovering faults in the ship the crew decide to deactivate HAL. HAL then attempts to eliminate the crew, however Dave Bowman the protagonist, survives and in this scene deactivates HAL. During this scene, and the whole movie, Kubrick only uses diegetic sound for the most part. One of the most impressive uses of sound is the deliberate lack of it, to emphasize the soundless environment of space, and the characters isolation. This is very clear during this scene.

As Dave slowly unlocks the hatch to HAL’s mainframe all the audience can hear is Dave’s breathing through his space suit – probably the first use of such an effect in a major feature film. This sound has become an iconic trope, especially in science fiction. As a modern viewer I can relate this to future films, from Darth Vader’s breathing in Star Wars episodes IV-VI (George Lucas 1975-1983) to the mastery of the effect for Sandra Bullock’s character, Dr. Ryan Stone in Gravity (Alfonso Curan 2013). The diegetic sound creates an eerie atmosphere with an unrelenting sense of despair, creating tension to match Dave’s slow and determined movements. There is also a continuous hiss throughout the scene of air escaping which adds another layer of tension in the scene and is slightly disturbing in that we feel the claustrophobia and isolation in the scene. The camera is a low angle shot underneath Dave looming up at him to show he is now dominant over HAL and has the power in this scene.

At the time of release this was the first film to effectively show the realism of space and Kubrick goes through great efforts to create this realism, both through the lack of sound and by using wires to suspend actor Keir Dullea (Dave) to create the effect of zero-gravity, he also continuously switches shot and uses slow pans to disorientate the audience; we never know which way is up for example. In terms of Mise-en-scene the door that Dave unlocks to reach HAL is huge and thick, almost like a safe, so we get the sense that what’s behind the door is important. As this is happening we hear HAL

Penny Horsnell

say “I can see you’re upset about this, I honestly think you ought to sit down, take a stress pill and think this over” which creates something the movie largely lacks; comedy. HAL is essentially saying ‘take a chill pill’ a common term used in the 60’s and follows a massive understatement (“I can see you’re really upset about this”) providing the audience with the first moment that HAL could have some kind of humanity as he tries to emulate humor, but with the serious edge based on HAL’s deep voice.

Throughout this segment of the film, almost the entirety of the set design for the ship is white, which stereotypically connotes purity and perfection, but also, in the context of this film, the clinical nature of technology, however at this point the audience is suspicious of this perfection and as Dave enters HAL’s mainframe we see the true color at the heart of the ship which is bathed in red light. Red is the color of HAL’s camera ‘eye’ which is used extensively throughout this segment of the movie. Red, of course, is also traditionally associated with evil and the Devil.

HAL’s mainframe is a huge red room with many white lights. The room is a perfect rectangle, and every light is the same shape, lined up neatly in rows. The room shows how everything HAL represents is logical and organized. One thing that Kubrick wanted to show in this scene is how the evil within HAL was built upon the sins of humans (as he is a computer AI) and questions whether an AI can have morality. These white boxes show that everything that HAL is made up of was intended to be pure and wonderful, but the sum of his parts made him evil. Kubrick likens this to Evil within humanity. The room is also quite thin, to create an uncomfortable claustrophobic effect.

There is then a wide shot of Dave as he flies through the room to help the audience get a sense of his movements in the space. The second shot is of HAL; a black rectangle with a red circle within it, and a small Laser-like red dot within that. The black of the box shows how HAL is no more than a machine, cold and unthinking whereas the red circle is like an eye, with the laser dot as a pupil, always watching the crew, precise and intelligent. The trope of eyes are now commonly used to represent a constant, omniscient evil, for example the Eye of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson 2001-2003), and Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events (Brad Silberling 2004) and HAL is an excellent early example of this. Throughout the scene the eye is deliberately still and unmoving, which Kubrick uses to imply a lack of emotion in the character, and even as HAL ‘dies’ at the end of the scene, the eye remains the same. In this shot of HAL we see the reflection of Dave flying through the mainframe, foreshadowing his actions, this is a common effect used in horror movies as we see the victim and the murderer in the same shot, through a reflection such as Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock 1958).

In this scene HAL is constantly talking, whereas Dave has very little dialogue. This shows that HAL can experience a form of desperation and self-preservation, but if that is true emotion or just logical thinking is left to the audience to decide. It also shows a role reversal of the characters previously in the movie; Dave has become cold and calculating and HAL the fragile creature. Kubrick excels in showing this change and effectively expresses about his thoughts on AI morality. HAL seems to be showing pain and emotion through his dialogue “I’m afraid Dave” “I can feel it, I can feel it” as he is being deactivated, and the repetition shows a convincing replication of human pain, it really is very difficult to decide whether HAL is really ‘dying’ and for a few minutes we take pity on him. However he may just be manipulating Dave like he has been for the rest of the movie.

Penny Horsnell

Dave uses a small screwdriver to unscrew white memory nodes from the control panel, the screw driver is almost like a knife and he is stabbing HAL over and over again. The nodes slowly ejecting can be likened to a countdown to the end of HAL’s life with every node another part of his life being killed off, with a few nodes not being unscrewed as the crew explains that HAL runs the entire ship, so some memory banks must be preserved. In the wider spectrum of the movie and the sequel 2010: The Year We Made Contact (Peter Hyams 1984) the fact that HAL isn’t completely deactivated teases his return and the ever presence of evil in the universe. This is also reminiscent of the horror genre; the monster always comes back.

As well as HAL’s performance in this scene, Dave’s performance is crucial. Prior to this scene HAL has recently killed another astronaut, as Dave walks through the ship he is followed by a handheld camera, which is different to the fluid movement of the camera in the rest of the film. The camera movement shows Dave’s anger and aggression after seeing his crew mates die, also the red color of his spacesuit show this anger. We have no soundtrack throughout this scene (as a modern viewer the film gives us no indication of how we should be feeling), but we can still empathize for Dave and feel his anger throughout the scene making his actions more meaningful and potent.

We then get to the pinnacle of this scene, in fact the pinnacle of the third act of 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL begins to recite what appears to be a test pitch to the builders of the Discovery One. He states his ‘Date of Birth’ and his creator, the earliest ‘memory’ that it has. The audience connects with HAL in this moment, he acts like an innocent new born babe, and shows how, whether he could have emotion, or morality, he does have some sense of death, and reflection on his existence. HAL tells Dave that he learned a song, and Dave requests to hear it. HAL begins to sing. Actually sing. This is the only part of the movie that HAL’s voice changes pitch to sing “Daisy Bell”. Daisy Bell is a song about love, and how love is more important than riches; the singer confesses that he won’t be able to afford a big wedding but will love the recipient like no other. Not a song you’d expect a robot to sing, the choice of song perfectly adds to the questioning of HAL’s emotion and the change in pitch surprises the audience and as he finishes the song HAL’s overall pitch gets lower and lower, creating a melancholic and depressing feel. We really do feel that HAL is dying.

And then…….silence, all we hear is Dave’s breath - the sound of life after ‘death’ (in the loosest usage of the word). There are a few moments of this, to let the audience ponder HAL’s existence, and think about how humanity attaches emotion to technology.

In conclusion, the intent of the scene is to merely show a computer being shut down, but we get so much more; an envision into AI morality, a questioning of the unintentional evil that humanity creates, and of sadness in death, even when the concept of death is questionable, and for the time a breathtaking leap of special effects. And all of this is done through a mostly static scene, with no non-diegetic sound, just a monotone voice talking, and a human being breathing.

Penny Horsnell

How does the director use cinematography to establish the meaning and provoke the audience’s response in the opening scene extended cut from Casino Royale?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNvzNWuzI9Y

Cinematography is vital to any film because a movie is made up of many different shots that are used together to convey emotions and underlying, almost unconscious, feelings to the audience; for example a high angle shot can be used by the director to look down on a character, this suggesting a sense of vulnerability. In the film Wolf of Wall Street a low angle shot is used to show the audience that the main character Jordan Belfort has dominance and control over all of the other characters in the office scene.

The opening of Casino Royale opens with a surprise, the first scene is in black and white and is an establishing shot of an office building, the lighting is low key which gives the audience the sense of suspicion and intrigue because a James Bond film usually opens with a high octane action sequence, not a flashback of a building. A caption tells us the scene is set in Prague; a city famous for its associations with film noir, crime stories and black and white movies and the next shot is a tilted low angle shot looking up at the protagonist with the building in the background, a close up of the character’s face is used to show his blank expression so the audience do not know what to expect from this character as of yet we know nothing about him. He appears to be a businessman and also in a position of power as he is framed in a low angle shot looking up at him – suggesting dominance - The director continues to use a tilted low angle, mid close up shot of the character in the lift going up the building with the character staring at the numbers in the lift, a point of view shot is used here as it switches between shots which builds tension in the scene and suggests that this unnamed man is in a hurry to get to where he is going, the repeated use of a tilt and the now anxious look on the character’s face could mean that he is not to be trusted, a tilt suggesting that something is wrong, especially one that is used often. A Wide shot of the character walking through the sparse office building is used to show the eeriness of the building and how vulnerable and alone the character is, he is walking quite fast and a slow zoom is used to give the impression to the audience that the character is being followed or paranoid that he thinks this is the case, this tells the audience that again he could be doing something wrong or against the law; a key feature of this kind of spy genre that the James Bond franchise is famous for.

The next shot is low angled and of an office room door opening, the character entering with a mid-speed pan used to follow the character to his desk, where he turns on a desk light showing he is not comfortable in the dark. The way this is filmed makes the audience feel as though they are already in the room before the character (we see the character from a position of being inside the room, faraway from the character himself, we’re in a position of observation rather than empathy with the character assessing what he is doing and why) this links to the next part of the scene because It feels as though we are spying on the character and we are unwanted there. The lighting is low key and the setting is sparse, the only source of light in this scene is the prop desk light that gives comfort to the character. This is followed by a close-up of the character’s face and non-verbal communication is used to show that he feels as though someone else is there or he is being watched, a quick Shot reverse shot is used of an open door signifying someone has entered and this is reflected in the reverse shot when we see the characters’ face in close up. This close up reveals the panic of the character and the non- verbal communication is one of being scared, the character spins as the first

Penny Horsnell

dialogue in the clip is used spoken by Bond as he is revealed to being behind him in the dark, a Mid-shot of Bond sitting down is used it is slightly low angled showing he is now exhibits high authority and importance to the scene. Bonds’ face is the only part of him in the light, this shows that the reason he is there is shrouded in mystery, being a spy thriller the audience would expect to have many enigmas in the film and this is only the first of many more to come. Two wide shots are then used once the first character has sat down facing Bond, the choice of these wide shot shows the uncomfortable distance between the two characters, we get the impression that they’re not friends, also the fact that they are shown both at the same eye level and both sitting down with relaxed body language, the audience can also assume that they are both dominant characters and neither one wants to show they are threatened by the other. This balance is then broken when we see a close up of a gun in the drawer when the first protagonist opens it, this suggesting threat and danger and also tells the audience that their suspicions with regards to the tilted angle are correct, he is the villain, this also explains why he is so calm that Bond has intruded his office as the gun is his security blanket, he feels confident that he can overcome James Bond.

After some brief dialogue a flashback to a cricket game is used to show how Bond dealt with his last enemy who transpires to be an agent of the villain. An Establishing shot of a cricket field with caption fades in to show where the action is set only this time naturalistic lighting is used because the action takes place on a bright summer’s day. A Crane shot is used to show the cricket pitch, how many people are at the game and in particular how small they look; the director could have used this technique to give the effect of a predator looking down on its prey ready to showcase Bond’s anticipation in capturing the enemy spy. A Wide shot is used to show the rowdy crowd catching the ball followed by a long shot of a cricket player all in white overalls catching and throwing the ball back. A close-up of one of the characters in the crowd, a man with a patterned shirt and trousers with curly hair quickly follows this. This gives a sense of realisation to the audience that he is the bad guy and he has found out he is being watched because of the rapid cuts between him and the watching Bond. A Tracking shot used to follow the character up and through the cricket club building where we see he is now being followed by Bond, the tension is built with the soundtrack and the non- verbal communication shows he’s in a rushed panic, as the scene continues the more dishevelled the character becomes showing his panic after realisation of who is following him.

An Over shoulder shot of Bond behind him contrasts to this anxiety, as you would expect Bond is completely calm and shows he has control of the situation. A tracking shot carries on but suddenly is replaced with a hand held camera; this gives the audience a sense of chaos and shows how frantically desperate the character is, it is important to note that the ensuing fight scene is also shot with the immediacy of a handheld camera, the frantic movements and closeness of the camera being able to convey the fight in the correct manner. When the fighting starts the emphasis switches from long shots to close ups to suggest the urgency of the fight, an Aerial shot is used when Bond is pushed through the toilet stalls, this helps show the power of the hero in the scene and makes it very obvious to the audience he is the alpha male out of the two characters, the setting of the toilet is dirty and harsh it looks grimy and I think the director has done this to enhance the violence in the scene and give a sense of bathos to the scene.

A whip pan is used as the two characters hit the floor, this is used to make the viewers feel like they are falling with them, helping them to be connected to the scene; making the tension rise even

Penny Horsnell

more. Rapid editing is also used to make the build-up more intense as the two characters get back up and smash into a wall.

We’re then back with the two main characters in the scene, a mid-shot of the opposing character with a gun pointed at Bond combined with a fast mid shot of Bond sitting in his chair is used to show how Bond still keeps calm and looks to have control of the situation. We then reverse shot back to the villain but this time more in a close up than before emphasizing the confidence on the character’s face because he has the security of his gun in the forefront of the cut. As the character reveals his weapon and pulls the trigger realising there are no bullets in his gun the non-verbal communication used shows the sheer anxiety and worry poured over his face telling the audience that Bond is the one in charge and has had control throughout the whole clip. A close up of Bond smiling cheekily is used as he holds up the gun’s bullets before dialogue “I know where you keep your gun” this tells us he is clever and that this was all pre planned. Another close-up of the characters face is used as the non-verbal communication changes back to being uncomfortable.

Another cut transition is used taking the audience back to the fighting scene in the bathroom; it starts with a low angle shot of Bond standing holding the other man around the throat dragging him towards the sink and pushing his head under the water while the tap is still running before smashing his head on the mirror in front of him, this shot is used to show his authority and dominance over the other character and the pure anger he has for him. Rapid editing is used as the character tries to fight back for his life, an over the shoulder shot is used to look up at Bonds non-verbal communication as he is holding the character under the water, this telling the audience he has no emotional attachment to the other character. As the character dies a close up of his hand is used to show him letting go and losing all life left, then the camera follows the character as he falls onto the floor lifelessly showing the audience Bond is a killer. A close up of his face is used; this shot is very dramatic and emphasizes the animalistic characteristics of Bonds nature, his facial expression is still focused, showing he does not feel any remorse for what he has just done.

The final cut back to the office is a cut reveals that both characters have the same facial expressions as before, calm collected and in control. This is broken with a mid-shot of Bond when he pulls out a guns and shoots the character, it is a very dramatic shot and a close up of his face finishes the scene as he puts his gun back in his pocket suggesting that the point of the scene was to emphasise how Bond started being the spy he became, through being tough and being one step ahead of other people who got in his way.

Penny Horsnell

How does the director use sound and cinematography to establish meaning and provoke response by the audience in the film Maleficent’s christening scene?

Sound is used within a film so the director can guide how an audience should feel at certain points within the movie, or to create tension and suspense to shock the audience. For example in The Woman In Black, when Arthur Phillips, portrayed by Daniel Radcliff, enters the house and is exploring in the kitchen it is silent until a musical sting is created by a sudden gush of murky water out of the sink-this shocks the audience because the loud musical sting made the audience jump and they did not expect it, this surprise is a common feature of horror movies.

Cinematography is used by a director to help guide audience response and how they should view a film, for example cinematography can be used to display isolation and loneliness- this is generally done with an aerial shot: in the opening scene of Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire, an aerial shot shows Harry sitting alone in a playground with no one around him- the director has used this to show the audience Harry being alone; having no friends or family with him there in the scene or metaphorically in life generally, the audience has been given an insight into the character Harry Potter’s life, emotions and feelings. This can also be achieved through the use of a close up of a character’s face so the audience can get a clear picture of the character’s emotions at any given point within a film.

The opening of the Maleficent christening scene is accompanied by triumphant music commonly used in conventional fairy tales as a cue for a ‘happy ever after’ ending, this is no surprise because the non diegetic soundtrack is heralding a christening; an event associated with happiness and glee, I would also say that in a way the director is also playing on conventions of a fairy tale which is quickly changed later on in the scene with the arrival of Maleficent. This could be because a modern audience would prefer to see something new and different to what they have already seen in the animated version of the movie to hold their interests (a technique that in genre theory Steve Neale calls repetition and difference,) this is demonstrated in the conclusion of the film when it is revealed who represents the ‘one true kiss’ who awakens Aurora from her sleep, the audience being surprised to see that it is not Prince Charming. A voice over is also used in this opening segment of my chosen scene to state to the audience the kingdom’s love for Princess Aurora and because of this affection how all the people in the kingdom are attending the princesses’ christening, this voiceover acts as a form of exposition to the audience, giving them the information that the christening is important.

When the fairies who are accompanied by bright and happy colours of blue, green and red cast their gifts on the baby Aurora the audience is given the first view of Aurora in the scene from a high angle shot, indeed it is important to note that a high angle shot is continuously used whenever the baby is shown throughout the christening when an adult character looks at her, the high angle shot presenting Aurora as a vulnerable baby, which is how every other character constantly views her. Even when Aurora sneezes the camera choice shows her as defenceless as she is unable to fight off even a trickle of fairy dust without it affecting her in some way, this has an impact on the audience of making Maleficent’s threat, when it comes, that much more real and dangerous because it acts as a juxtaposition to this cinematography choice of vulnerability.

When Maleficent enters the soundtrack is cut out at exactly the same time as her dramatic entrance suggesting her power and dominance, to illustrate this a close up shows two candles being blown

Penny Horsnell

out, with the loss of light the audience is being told that hope and goodness are leaving the room. Also when Maleficent enters the audience are just shown her shadow in the form of two horns and they only hear the pleonastic sound of Maleficent’s staff-the source of Maleficent’s power, it is at this point that the audience are aware of how important she is as a character, she ‘turns off’ the soundtrack and the clacking sound of her staff works in the same way as Darth Vader’s breathing does in Star Wars; an indicator of her evil nature, this is reinforced because the audience is fully aware of who the shadow belongs to and what is to come from its use because for many of the audience they have already seen the original Disney classic, this technique is called prior knowledge and is used by directors, especially in franchise films, because one small aspect of a character (in this case the horns) reminds you of everything the character stands for; evil and cruelty.

A dolly follows Maleficent down the hall and although Maleficent is still hidden by crowds of people we know that this is a main character because of the length of time that the camera is held on the dolly; this prevalence and the way that Maleficent motivates the edit and the camera signifies her importance in terms of the film, a feeling made very clear when the first thing she does is to straight away knock away the fairies, with an added musical sting, into a nearby chest. This gives the audience the feeling that all light is gone and all hope is lost for the future of Princess Aurora.

A switch to a wide shot instructs the audience to focus on Maleficent in this grand entrance. Dressed head to toe in black, which is contrapuntal to the more natural brown costume (indicating the earth and nature) worn by Maleficent at the beginning of the film, metaphorically states that all nature and kindness have been taken away from her. This is reflected in her tone of voice and the way she speaks, dialogue being used by Maleficent in a very sarcastic manner as if she is mocking and mimicking the people around her-laughing at their lack of power against her. Maleficent’s voice is also loud and clear, oozing confidence as she is well aware that she is now in control and has the power and authority to take the most precious thing that the king has, Maleficent’s dialogue is spoken at a slow pace, indicating that she is calm and feeling that she can’t be stopped because the revenge she is owed seems ‘right’ for her mind-set; for example when Maleficent says: “well, well, what a glittering assemblage king Stefan…royalty, nobility, the gentry…”-the slow deliberate delivery of these lines goes some way to demonstrate her power, the use of this line also acts as a homage to the original film with this line used in the christening scene from the 1950’s Disney cartoon’s Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent’s evil and imposing persona is reinforced with the addition of a raven on her shoulder -a connotation of death, which may remind some of the audience to the ravens used in another Disney franchise film Pirates Of The Caribbean And The Dead Man’s chest’s where in the opening scene set within some gallows dozens of raven peck to death prisoners left out to be killed.

Maleficent’s evil power is also shown through a worried reaction shot of the king’s face in an over the shoulder close –up on his face, the act of looking concerned acts as a juxtaposition to the hard nature and cruel smile of Maleficent, it is at this point that the audience realises how powerful she truly is because if a king is acting in a worried manner then she must be someone who is going to cause severe problems to the kingdom. It is at this point that the soundtrack begins to slowly rise again telling the audience that Maleficent is about to cast her famous and well-known spell, this is accompanied with a close-up of the iconic spinning wheel and a musical sting also emphasises the importance of the spinning wheel, as the trigger for the arrival of the endless sleep which will occur later on in the film. A low angle shot provides the audience of a view of Maleficent casting the spell by those characters around her- who are shown to be weak and powerless-this only heightens

Penny Horsnell

Maleficent’s power and authority, which can also be seen when Maleficent talks because everyone is silent in the same way as when the king gives his speech at the start of the scene.

When Maleficent casts the spell her dialogue is her main source of power-it is how she casts her spell- and she casts it in a very loud and clear manner, full of ammunition, as if she were shooting the king with every word that leaves her mouth. This is because she is full of bitter anger due to her desire for revenge for what has happened to her in the past. The green fire that accompanies Maleficent’s spell has connotations of envy for how the king’s life turned out because of what he did to her. This could be read as a metaphor for rape and what the character of Maleficent is feeling is portraying how a rape victim is left feeling, Angelina herself saying that the scene in which her wings are stolen is very much a scene which lays bare the trauma of a rape victim.

In conclusion, cinematography and sound has been used by the director in Maleficent’s christening scene to show the power of all the characters and how it switches and is drained from all characters and absorbed by Maleficent. For example the king starts the scene in a wide shot sitting on a throne amongst his riches, wealth and people that adore and abide by him-which can be interpreted as foreshadowing everything he is about to lose when Maleficent enters and takes it away. This is a loss of respect and power-which is also shown later on in the scene when a close-up of the king’s worried defeated face quickly changes to a view of four of his soldiers who are presented as having the realisation that their king’s authority is gone. He is helpless because his possessions that give him power and effectively make him a king are being taken from him, just like when the king took Maleficent’s most important possessions; her wings. Similarly later on in the scene when the king is shown to be begging for forgiveness-this is not what a king usually does, but he has no choice because the power now rests in Maleficent’s hands, a power she doesn’t want to give up.

By Olivia Bartlett