Notes
Camerawork -Close-up on Rami Malek on the subway. Eye line match reveals he is looking back at some businessmen who are talking about him. -Tracking shots as he walks the city and through crowds -Another tracking shot as he walks quickly down a sidewalk as he eats. -There is kind of a fairly short establishing shot when Rami Malek walks into the office, because it reveals the setting and characters without really cutting. -Use of two shots and mid-shots when the characters are talking- they are shown from the waste up. -Elliot and his therapist are framed away from each other on opposite sides of the frame, representing the distance between them. Sound -There is a direct address through voice over/narration. -This narration is also non-diegetic sound -Rami Malek is treating the audience more like his therapist than his actual therapist, revealing personal thoughts he wouldn’t even say to her. -sound bridge- loud and echoey “Elliot” snaps him out of his thoughts. -background theme is slow and methodical, representing his state of mind. -Incidental music in the nightclub. -Loud ambient noise to show his frustration when he starts talking about why he hates society Mise-en-scene -It is grey and rainy outside. -color design- bleak and desaturated, full of grey. -The office is grey, boring, and cold with symmetrical cubicles, possibly representing the monotony of his life and hatred of his job. -Angela is dressed in warmer colors and a little, perhaps representing his affection for her. -Gideon makes him take off his jacket, removing any sense of individual expression he has, as he is now wearing a plain grey button shirt just like everybody else. -Krista is shown wearing an “I Voted” sticker, meaning she is an active participant in the society that Elliot hates so much. Editing -There is a non-continuity system of editing. -For example, it cuts to him watching Angela in a nightclub in the unspecified past. (cut away- adds context that he probably has feelings for her, as he looks at her with a longing gaze) Based on their earlier conversation about him not being able to make it, this probably means he showed up to hang out with her, but bailed out of fear. -Shots of him scrolling through his psychologist’s social media immediately cut back to him deep in thought, showing that’s what he was thinking about. -Cut-away used to provide context to what he is talking about when he describes why he is so disappointed in society. -After his rant it cuts to a close up of Rami Malek where he is deep in thought, revealing everything he said was just in his head. Write-Up Camerawork This video opens with a close-up shot of Elliot’s face while he’s on the subway, which then transitions to an eye line match that shows him looking back at some businessmen who are staring at and whispering about him, possibly because they know he hacks and ruins people like them. Next, a tracking shot follows Elliot as he walks down the street dodging crowds, which then cuts to him walking through his workplace’s doors. This transitions into somewhat of an establishing shot as he walks through the office, as it reveals the environment and characters without really cutting. After this he is called to his boss Gideon’s office, as an over-the-shoulder shot from Elliot’s perspective reveals Angela and Gideon. During Elliot’s meeting with them, and the subsequent shot of Angela and him talking about why he didn’t show up last night, a mix of mid-level two/three shots are used that depict the characters from the waste up. This mimics the eyelines of someone who’d be standing right where the camera is, and also allows the audience to feel like they’re watching the conversation, while also keeping the camera at an objective angle. After this a tracking shot once again follows Elliot, this time as he walks hastily down the sidewalk while eating, presumably on the way to his therapy appointment. This then cuts to Elliot and his therapist Krista, who are mostly positioned on opposite sides of the frame, possibly representing their distance as Elliot is not comfortable actually confiding in her. Sound The most relevant and noticeable element of sound in this clip is the use of narration/voice over as a mode of direct address to the audience through Elliot. This is an example of non-diegetic sound. Incidentally, Elliot appears to treat the audience more like his therapist than he does his actual therapist. Also, the background theme/score associated with his character is quiet and methodical, but swells at moments where he is frustrated or angry, for example when he starts talking about why he is so disappointed in society. In that regard, the music throughout this clip is representative of Elliot’s state of mind. Other use of sound includes the presence of incidental music, in the form of the music playing in the nightclub cut-away. This music is warm and inviting which contradicts with the music associated with Elliot, which might be why he shied away from that social event. Also, a sound bridge is used once in this clip, when Krista says “Elliot” in a loud and echoey way that snaps him out of his deep thought, and connects the scene in his mind with the one in reality. Mise-en-Scene The aesthetic of this entire clip, and presumably of this entire show, is very grey and depressing. The color design is bleak and desaturated, which may reflect Elliot’s pessimistic view of the world. This is further reflected in the set design, as the office he works at is cold and grey, and made up of boringly symmetrical cubicles. This may have been done in an attempt to amplify Elliot’s feelings of unhappiness and monotony regarding his job. Also, this tone/aesthetic is reflected in the costumes of the characters too. For example, Gideon makes Elliot abide by the company dress code and take off his jacket to reveal his plain grey dress shirt. This strips Elliot of the little individual outward expression he had, as he now looks just like everyone else in the office. Interestingly though, Angela is dressed in warmer colors than most of the other characters, possibly reflecting Elliot’s affection towards her. Furthermore, later on in the scene Elliot’s therapist Krista is shown wearing an “I voted” sticker. This small costume choice is significant because in Elliot’s monologue about why he’s disappointed in society, he says that the people voted for this sedated lifestyle, and the camera immediately cuts to a close-up of Krista’s sticker. This shows that from Elliot’s point of view, Krista is a willing participant in the society he despises. Editing Throughout this clip, a non-continuity system of editing is employed to distort the audience’s perception of imagination and reality, and cut-aways are used as well to provide context to the viewer. For example, in the middle of Elliot and Angela’s conversation on why Elliot didn’t show up the night prior, the scene cuts to reveal Elliot did actually show up, but decided to bail, as the camera shows him gazing longingly at Angela. Later in the clip, a series of short takes are used to show Elliot’s perspective while he was looking through Krista’s social media, and the camera then immediately cuts back to him deep in thought, implying that’s what he was thinking about. Also, the aforementioned non-continuity system keeps the viewer guessing on if what they’re seeing is reality or imagined. For example, when Elliot is giving his monologue it cuts back to reality, revealing that what the viewer just witnessed was merely his internal thoughts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
April 2021
Categories |