Film shot-by-shot analysis and interpretation

Kai Ming Jason Yuen

Florentia Dalla

Comm 100B

Section: Wednesday 11 a.m.

3/4/2014

Film shot-by-shot analysis and interpretation

The first element of the mise-en-scene, the setting, in the shot is the Paris section within Beijing’s World Park. The opening frames of the shot feature the Arc de Triomphe in the background. Tao and Taisheng have their conversation in one of the Paris-themed walkway in the theme park, where Tao was walking towards at the beginning of the shot. It is nighttime, but the Arc de Triomphe and the walkway are well lit. There is also a store in the walkway, where people could have videos taken of them riding a magic carpet. The second element of the mise-en-scene is costume and makeup. In the shot, Tao is wearing casual clothes, while Taisheng is wearing his security guard uniform. Of note is the similarity in color between Taisheng’s uniform and the jacket worn by Tao. The other people who appear in the shot are wearing casual clothes, as they are presumably theme park visitors. The operator of the blue screen camera in the store is wearing her park uniform. The third element of the mise-en-scene is lighting, and in the shot, only the light from the walkway serves as the lighting. When Tao is walking from the garden to the walkway, there is minimal lighting given that it is nighttime. The fourth element of the mise-en-scene is the movement and staging of the characters. Tao moves towards the camera and the walkway in the opening frames of the shot. Taisheng enters the framing at 27:23 from the left. Tao moves away from the camera and along the walkway at 27:34, stops and turns at 27:41 to the left towards Taisheng, and walks back to Taisheng just as Taisheng moves towards her. Taisheng moves to the right at 28:37 towards the video store. Goes back to the left to grab Tao by the arm at 28:44. The couple moves to the video store together, and have their magic carpet ride.

These elements of the mise-en-scene suggest the alienation between Tao and Taisheng, given that Taisheng had just made an attempt at sex in a previous scene. The two characters do not share the same goals. But they continue to be in a relationship with each other, despite this knowledge. The choice of the setting, an artificial Paris, is fitting as a tool for characterization, as it implies that Tao and Taisheng’s relationship is not real and just for show. Paris is known to be a city of romance, and the romance between the two characters is just as artificial as the setting. The costumes of the characters also reflect their difference in what they want. Taisheng’s uniform suggests his focus on his career—after all, he had previously mentioned that he wanted to be somebody in the world. Tao wears a jacket of similar color to Taisheng as she does have feelings for him. However, underneath the jacket is a brightly colored pink shirt, which suggests that she wants something else for herself. The lighting further serves as a contrast between Tao and Taisheng, especially in the frames from 27:26-36 and 27:51-28:36. In these frames, Taisheng is in the part of the frame where the dark garden can be seen in the background, and he is less illuminated than Tao. Finally, the movement in the shot demonstrates the decision of both characters to continue their relationship despite their recognition that their desires are not parallel to each other and keep up the charade.

Almost the entirety of the shot utilizes a medium shot distance at eye level. The only exception would be the use of a long shot distance at the beginning of the shot, as the entire body of Tao is seen. The framing of the characters vary throughout the shot. At the beginning of the shot, only Tao is framed as she walks towards the camera and walkway. When Taisheng enters at 27:23 from the left, he becomes part of the framing in the left, while Tao’s movement to the right places her to the far right of the frame at 27:28. At 27:36 Taisheng disappears from the framing completely, with the framing focusing on Tao at the right. When Tao moves back towards Taisheng at 27:41, the framing includes Taisheng again, but this time Tao is at the center of the framing and Taisheng remaining at the left. During these frames where the two talk, two male theme park visitors are traversing the walkway into the horizon, at the right of Tao and the framing. Taisheng is then framed to the right at 28:44, when he returns to grab Tao by the arm. At 28:53 the two characters are now framed at the center, with the camera operator at the right. This continues as they ride the magic carpet. The shot concludes with the framing focused solely on the TV screen at the right side of the frame and some balloons at the left.

The composition created through the use of framing and camera position is meant to visually represent the dramatic tension in the shot. The dramatic tension concerns Tao’s decision of whether to leave Taisheng or stay with him in the relationship. The framing of Tao at the center at 27:50, with Taisheng at the left and the two males walking towards the horizon on the right is the climax of this dramatic tension, as Tao could choose Taisheng, or choose the walkway and leaving him. Of note are the two male and female figures sitting on the benches of different distances from the background in these frames as well. It suggests the schism between Tao and Taisheng as well. When Taisheng moves to the right and the framing shifts towards the couple, the decision of Tao to remain in the relationship is emphasized, resolving the dramatic tension.

The depth of field for most of the shot is a deep focus, as objects remain sharp and detailed both in the foreground and background. The exception to this would be the use of shallow focus at 29:14, as the focal plane is on Tao and Taisheng, evident with the blurring of the couple that passes by to look at Tao and Taisheng as the ride the magic carpet. Rack focusing was then used as the camera pans to the TV screen, with the focal plane shifting to the foreground and Tao, Taisheng and the camera operator become unclear.

Since there is only one shot involved, the duration of the second shot in the sequence and scene is 150 seconds, from 27:15 to 29:45. The length of this shot is relatively long. The pacing has both discourse time and story of diegetic time being parallel to each other, which means that the shot is occurring in real time. There were no changes of pacing within the shot.

The dominant camera movement in the shot is panning. The camera pans to the right at 27:25, with a very slight zoom in. The camera pans to the right to follow Tao beginning at 27:34 and stops at 27:37. There is a slight pan to the left at 27:45-46. The camera pans to the right again at 28:46-53 and slightly again at 28:55-29:08. The final slow pan to the right occurs at 29:15-29:36, with the last frames focused on the TV.

All of the sounds in the shot are diegetic and there are no narrations or music to accompany the shot. The diegetic sounds include all the dialogue as well as ambient sounds part of the setting. Most of the sounds are onscreen: the dialogue between Tao and Taisheng, the jingling of the bells in Tao’s jacket, the footsteps of the people walking in the Parisian walkway. There is also a continued presence of the sound of the wind in the background. The last frames of the shot features music, but it is from the TV screen depicting the video being made of them riding a magic carpet in the replica Eiffel Tower of the Beijing World Park. There are some off-screen sounds. The most prominent at the beginning of the shot are the sounds of fireworks in the distance, which is partly a j-cut sound as it establishes the continuity from the previous shot which features fireworks in the night sky above the Beijing World Park and the title “Paris in Beijing Suburb.” The off-screen firework sounds stop at around 28:15. After this, the fireworks sound is replaced by sounds of people talking, presumably park visitors going home. Another early prominent off-screen sound comes from the speakers announcing that the theme park is closing soon. When Tao disappears from the framing at 27:35, him calling out to Tao becomes an off-screen sound. At 28:39, Taisheng calling out to Tao to join him in the magic carpet video is again an off-screen sound, as he has disappeared from the frame. The camera operator at the video store’s voice starts as an off-screen sound at 28:51. Her voice remains as an off-screen sound at 29:28, when the camera focuses on the TV screen. The sound perspective highlights the dialogue and the ambient sound of the wind for most of the shot, with the exception of the last frames focusing on the TV screen where the music accompanying Tao and Taisheng’s video takes primacy.

Since there is only a single shot, there are no transitions within this shot. The transition from the previous scene is a j-cut, with the sound of fireworks establishing continuity. The transition to the scene after the shot is a simply cut, with no dissolve or iris-in and iris-out to facilitate the transition.

The choice of the director in the visuals of the shot is meant to emphasize both narrative and characterization. As discussed earlier, the mise-en-scene establishes characterization through highlighting the difference between Tao and Taisheng. The framing of the scene, which barely places the two characters close to each other in the frames, highlight their alienation to each other. The concluding frames focusing on the TV presents the artificiality of their relationship, along with the mise-en-scene choice of setting the shot in the replica Paris within Beijing World Park. The dramatic tension in the narrative is established through the framing and the mise-en-scene as well, highlighting the choice that must be made by Tao to either leave or stay with Taisheng.

The choices in terms of sound in the shot are meant to establish the atmosphere of the shot. The couple is estranged with each other, hence the primacy of the ambient sound of wind. This creates an atmosphere of loneliness. The repeated off-screen dialogue of Taisheng further highlights this estrangement, as Taisheng does not appear to be part of Tao’s reality. The primacy of the music in the video at the end of the shot emphasizes the artificiality of their continued relationship.

The choice made by the director in terms of pacing is meant to give the shot a strong sense of realism. The parallel between the discourse and diegetic times establish this, and the generally slow pace of the entire scene is indicative of the slow pace of the lives of the characters throughout the film.