Essay Practice: Component II, Question II

The director of the extract was trying to convey the importance of staying calm and collected in a stressful situation. They make this clear by using camera movements, sound, mise en scene, and editing techniques to convey their meaning.

In the first scene, there is a zoom towards the woman’s face that sets the extract’s tone as suspenseful and anxious. The camera work sets this tone by keeping the rest of the shot’s throughout the extract a little close to the actor’s faces. Likewise, the hand held over-the-shoulder shot of the man and woman’s conversation parallels the emotions he feels. He is cornered and starts to panic; therefore, his surroundings during the shot are obscured by the back of the woman’s head. Moreover, the editing technique used to put the man and woman’s conversation together supports the director’s message as well. The shot-reverse shot of the conversation contrasts the man and woman, shedding light on how much he is struggling to control his frustration.

While the first scene lays the groundwork of tension for the extract, the second half makes meaning of it. Scene two is focused on driving home the importance of staying level headed under stress. The diegetic sound of the table being flipped over is proof of the consequences of almost losing one’s temper. The man’s composure is shown to be further testing by the shot-reverse shot when the actress smiles at him. This open display of her calm facade is in direct contrast to his growing frustration as she shows him what he knows he needs to be: clear headed. The fallout of him losing his temper is captured by a split screen between the cell and a tracking shot of the guards sent to calm him down. This agitation created by this technique drives home exactly how important it is to keep calm by highlighting the consequences of the man’s actions.

Throughout the extract, several techniques were also used intermittently. The purposeful lack of sound used after a flurry of noise puts the importance of keeping calm into perspective. For example, after the man flips the table, there is an ever so brief moment of silence that throws the loud clang into harsh relief. Furthermore, dark lighting is also used throughout the whole extract to represent building tensions. The most obvious use of light is right before the table is flipped. The man steps out from the shadows and is lit from above, right before he loses his thinly veiled control and the tension is released.

All of the shots that build tension are clearly emphasizing the importance of staying calm in extreme situations. The techniques of camera movements, sound, mise en scene, and editing used in the two scenes build on one another to portray this theme clearly.