Explain how two Micro-Elements of film construct meaning and provoke response in a film extract from 'The Watchmen' *Words: 1699.*
This essay will be analysing how elements of 'mise-en-scene' and 'editing' create meaning to the audience in a particular scene/Film extract.
The scene in question is the opening scene from 'The Watchmen' and takes place from 02:30 to 04:42 in the film.
The setting in which the scene takes place is a large penthouse apartment high up in the city, notably the height conveys that the apartment is detached from the normality of the city, leaving the audience aware of the isolation of the location, while the fact it is a ‘penthouse’ conveys a sense of luxury, allowing the audience to connote that the character in the scene holds significant wealth. The apartment is exceptionally dark, to the point that almost everything appears either blue or grey, with the only sources of light are a small television set and the street lighting from the city which can be seen through the glass windows, the lighting created is incredibly soft and almost unnoticeable. The lack of warm lighting and colours (there is just blue and grey used in the majority of the scene) in comparison to a typical superhero movie invokes a sombre, serious atmosphere, connoting that there something extremely negative expected in the scene.
The audience can read this by the darkness and sheer emptiness of the location not usually associated with pleasant scenes. The apartment is large and only contains a minimal amount of furniture, the furniture contains glass elements which is a known method of making a location appear more spacious so coupled with the small amount of furniture it gives the apartment an empty feel, signifying to the audience that the occupant is quite isolated, which is important for helping to invoke a feeling of helplessness during the attack that takes place during the scene.
At 03:00 the door to the apartment is kicked in revealing an intruder whose identity is unknown at this stage. The sequence was shown in slow motion, with visible splinters from the impact on the door. The fact that splinters from the door are visible demonstrates the force the intruder was using, making the audience aware this intruder is capable of extreme violence, invoking tension in the audience at the prospect of upcoming events. The camera work slow motion is used to enhance the mise-en-scene, enhancing the feeling of danger in the audience compared to showing the break in at regular speed. This also demonstrates the sheer speed the incident is occurring at, almost as if it would be too quick to fully comprehend in real time, invoking fear in the audience. The combination of this and the focus on the force the attacker was using means that the audience is able to connote that this is no mere petty criminal but a much more dangerous individual. This inference by the audience makes them aware that this is a very significant conflict and creates a feeling of dread and/or tension among the audience.
At 03:05 the intruder is shown, he is wearing all black clothing with only the lower half of his face exposed. The colour black emphasises that the intruder is menacing is significant in creating a sense of dread in the audience. The costume is best described as a way to keep anonymity for the wearer. There is no lighting on the exposed part of the face so to the audience there is no way of discerning his identity. The combination of full black clothing and lack of lighting used by the director is very effective at creating a feeling of mystery for the audience. By going to lengths to disguise the intruder from the audience means that the viewer can connote that this persons identity is important, which adds a large degree of suspense/tension for the audience.
At 03:07 the occupant of the apartment, named 'The Comedian' is seen facing towards the intruder, notably there is a bizarre look of calm on his face, this calm look allows the audience to denote that The Comedian knows the identity of the intruder, and holds significance in the film. The Comedian looks almost unmoved despite the incident taking place. The suggestion from this is that The Comedian was expecting this to happen, for the audience this creates a climactic feeling, connoting that the incident had been in the making for a while and despite not knowing the reasoning behind the attack, it creates an adrenaline-like feeling for the audience.
From 03:31 to 04:10 The Comedian and the intruder engage in a physical exchange, throughout this sequence a variety of different editing methods are used. On several occasions overlapping editing is used via slow motion to make the film sequence have a longer duration than the real time incident, and there is no cut of the shot used to maintain continuity. But in other segments of the sequence there are rhythmic considerations in which there are a lot of fast cuts, synonymous with typical action edits, where the sequence is cut to different angles and perspectives with rapid frequency. The use of both these types of edits in the same sequence is typical of Zack Snyder's work and this juxtaposition conveys a sense that the action is happening at a rapid pace to the audience which is important to invoke a feeling of excitement.
The use of props is very significant in presenting meaning to the audience during this scene. The earliest example is at 03:12 when the camera zooms in on a silenced firearm on top of a Hustler magazine in slow motion. The slow motion is used to give the audience more time to observe the objects which is important in order for the viewers to infer elements of the film. The props themselves raise questions, The presence of an adult magazine suggests to the audience that the Comedian isn't simply an innocent old man being attacked, but perhaps he isn't "a good guy", this view is only solidified by the firearm on top of it. The fact The Comedian has a pistol, already equipped with a silencer, at an arms length away conveys to the audience that he is also a dangerous man capable of violence. To the audience this may cause confusion as it very untypical of superhero action films to have scenes in which two seemingly "bad guys" are actually seen in violent conflict against each other, but this inference is done in order to provoke more excitement for the audience.
The most significant prop however, is a small button on the comedians robe of a yellow smiley face, ironic considering the tone of the scene, this demonstration of irony almost satirises the scene/violence, invoking excitement in the audience in the abnormality of a prop like this being used in a violent scene. This prop is important in creating meaning in several ways. The first occasion it attracts focus is at 04:47 when The Comedian is bleeding and a drop of blood falls onto the button. In this sequence the camera, in slow motion, tracks the drop of blood running on the button in a single shot for several seconds. This sequence stands out for two key reasons; Firstly, the button is the only example of bright colour during the entire scene and this juxtaposition between the button and the rest of the scene means that the audience can connote that this button has significant importance to the film, the effect of this is to create a cryptic feeling which Zack Snyder did brilliantly in doing so. The other standout element of this is that it was the first time in a while during the scene in which overlapping editing was used. This is yet another juxtaposition that further solidifies the possibility this was done to bring the button to attention so the audience would be conveyed a cryptic, mysterious feeling.
The last part of the scene occurs between 05:04 and 05:19. This sequence shows The Comedian being thrown out of the window to his death. For the full 15 seconds it uses slow motion/overlapping editing and is done with a single shot, this is the longest duration of this type of editing in the entire scene by a significant margin. What the audience can connote from this is that this sequence signifies the end of the fight/scene and the probability of The Comedians death. During this the camera shows the comedian falling to the ground but before impact can be seen, the yellow button that was attached to his robe is seen also falling and in fact blocks the camera's view of impact, replacing it with the blood stained button. This conveys several things to the audience, the sight of The Comedians button is a definite symbol representing the Comedians death, without the camera needing to show it. The audience also has further evidence for their previous connotation that this button holds some degree of importance and solidifies the inference of mystery created in this scene.
This essay has focused on how both ‘Editing’ and ‘Mise-en-Scene’ are used to create meaning and provoke reactions from the audience. During this opening scene in the watchmen, Zack Snyder’s methods not only set up the rest of the film, but set it apart from the synonymous superhero genre. The Juxtaposition between 'The Watchmen' and the typical superhero films is demonstrated in this scene through the lack of significant colour and the irony of The Comedians button. The use of the button during such a disturbing scene creates a sick irony, almost satirising the violence of superhero films, setting itself apart in the genre, mocking the idea of violence behind a mask is justified. The audience uses this to modify their expectations of the film. The undertones of violence and death, coupled with said juxtaposition between the micro-elements helps to present characteristics of horror, which in turn emphasise the unique alignment of The Watchmen in the superhero genre.
This scene has shown the extent to which these micro-elements can be used, from the use of a yellow button to the rhythmic considerations of editing, ‘The Watchmen’ has used ‘Mise-en-Scene’ and ‘Editing’ to successfully effect the audience and create meaning demonstrating just how effective the use of micro-elements are on audience impressions in any scene.
