Introduction
Watching a movie, most people usually pay attention to the plot, main characters, and the problems that are discussed there. This is the personal view of people who used to see finished results, a film that is shown on the screen. Still, there are great many of people who see the film industry from inside and their screening of the film is absolutely different. Knowing the peculiarities of films creation, people pay attention to camera movement, angles, height, sound, light, and other specific points that are significant in understanding of the very plot of the film.
Background Information on the Film Citizen Kane
The film that is going to be analyzed is the Citizen Kane directed by Orson Welles in 1941 (Citizen Kane). The shot that is going to be analyzed is rather dynamic and the roles of camera movement and angle, sound and light are significant in understanding the situation and its correct evaluation. Analyzing the film Citizen Kane in this paper, the main purpose is to show how mise-en-scènes, camera movement and stop, framing and composition, light and shadow, and sound influence our impression from the film and how knowing all these aspects the personal opinion on the movie changes.
Mise-en-scène and Frame Composition of the Beginning of the Shot
Watching the short from the very beginning, the main thing a person may notice is the contrast between the viewer and the singer on the stage. The contrast is seen through the mise-en-scènes, when the viewer is shown on the foreground, while the singer on the scene is on the background. This effect is seen even when these two characters are shot separately. Such position may be explained by pointing to the fact that the viewer, the person who is always on the foreground, is influential and significant person in the movie who has some power. The singer on the scene may be the person who either depends on him or just is on the lower positions. Thus, even from the first sight the social positions of people may be concluded without understanding till the end of the whole plot. Moreover, there are situations when both the man and the women on the stage are at one frame. In fact, the same tendency is seen, the camera frame is placed in such a way that the frame is concentrated on the woman on the stage who is seen through the shoulder of the man. Still, the impression is that the man is the main, he is on the foreground, even though he is seen from the back.
Dissolving views are the first effects the person sees. Different opinions may be presented according to the nature of the effect and its significance. Still, the dissolving views of the man in the auditorium and the actor on the stage show the close connection of these characters in the film. The frames at the very beginning are changing. There is a rapid shot change at the very beginning of the episode. This shot change gives the viewer an opportunity to get a general idea of what situation is and where it takes place as almost all characters and overviews of the scene are seen. The other strong and powerful episode is when the pictures of newspapers, scenes from the play and the light bulb dissolved in each other. The music added to the effect of importance and magnificence of the situation.
Camera’s Movement
The camera’s movement is also significant especially in the situation when Mr. and Mrs. Kane are in the palace. Mrs. Kane tries to collect the pieces of the puzzle and Mr. Kane enters the room and walks in the direction of her. The camera moves with Mr. Kane’s walk. The camera stops when the man reaches Mrs. Kane. Then the camera is stable and the movement of the man is not supported with the camera movement and he appears on the background. Still, in most cases the camera stands still and the dynamics is achieved by means of light and sound.
When the Camera Stops Moving, What Does the Framing and Composition Look Like?
Light is important in the shot under discussion as in the scene when Mr. and Mrs. Kane are talking in the room, and Mrs. Kane is sitting on the floor, the approaching of Mr. Kane to her is seen not through the camera movement but by means of shadow. The shadow of his figure is reflected on the body of Susan. Moreover, at the very beginning of the shot, at the scene in the theater, the light is used to shape the important parts of the frame and to hide the unnecessary ones by means of the shade. The sound is also important. The frames, where the dissolving of the views is seen, are supported with the powerful music that puts the emphasis on the episode. Moreover, the sound is important in the scene in the palace, the impression of a dream is created.
The angle of the camera is crucial in some situations; it may either mark out the facts or subject that may crucially change the viewers’ opinion on the problem. Taking the scene of the conversation of Mr. and Mrs. Kane in the room, she is sitting on the floor and he is walking to and fro. The camera is placed to create an oblique angle: the events are seen from the characters’ points of view, either from above or from below. The first minutes of the shot also show the significant camera angle, when a camera is placed is such a position, that the audience sees the events on the scene as if from auditorium, high and on the long distance, the realistic effect is created.
Conclusion
In conclusion it should be noted that the plot may be understood not only through characters, their behavior and communication, but also through the effects that are crated by means of a camera and other techniques. Watching the situation through different angles, the viewer may create his own impression of the situation and the relations between people. Moreover, the camera movement and the mise-en-scènes may tell a lot about the characters and their social place in the film. Even without knowing the director’s methods, people are influenced by these effects. The foreground and background is significant in understanding of the focus of the frame. The sound and light helps to find the most important parts in the situation and understand its significance. The angle hints on the relations of people if the dialogue is shot and on the crucial things that must be taken into account.
Works Cited
Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles. RKO Radio Pictures, 1941. Web.