In this scene of 'American Beauty' we witness a family domestic between the two parents and daughter Jane, the camera begins at a set back position leaning towards a medium long shot as we observe the family dispute at its early stage, the cameras motion tracks towards the table at a severely slow pace retaining a constant symmetrical postion on the room which helps to emphasise the perfect and superficialness of the families relationship between one another. We then cut to a series of shot reverse shots between each of the family members, naturally the framing of the two conversing characters is noticed as they are placed at opposing sides of the frame, Carolyn to the left and Lester to the right with Jane situated in the centre of the shot, between the back and forth dialogue of the two parents Janes shot is carefully interjected to display her emotion of loathing towards the family. At the centre point of this scene the camera cuts back the medium long shot that frames the whole table where by Lester stands up to pick up the asparagus he has been asking for since the beginning of the meal, however the camera is noticeably closer in to the room a salute to the tension that has been rising throughout, we then cut to a another conversation reverse before another cut back to the medium shot of the scene though this time the reasoning is due to Lester's outburst of anger as he smashes a plate against the wall. The last shot of the scene is again the wide angle shot of the room detaching us a the audience from the families quarrels becoming more of a spectator.
In terms of lighting the room is relatively dim towards the back which helps to emphasise the well lit table in the centre which is flooded with a soft pale glow of diffused light that feels artificial even for a house hold lamp, which urges me to believe that its use is more symbolic in terms of the theming of the film also though their are candles on the table they don't give off the light that is apparent in front of the characters. The falseness of this lighting cast from the candles aids the development of the mother as she lives a superficial life with a relationship to coverup her unhappiness, the candles are on show rather than for practicality. Aside from this centre lighting, which is cast from high above the room most likely from a overhead lighting rail, the three characters are brought forward with key lights which are directed in a way that covers the whole character in light, possibly light from both sides are the shadows seem to be minimal apart from shirt creases etc. The direct light cast on Carolyn is evidently lit from her front as a shadow is seems behind her though the light is extremely soft therefore reducing its visibility significantly.
Lighting Change
As the cheerleaders dances progresses a tracking movement is used as we move towards Lester, his eyes fixated on the lead cheerleader, initially the group on the court are fully lit with the house lights of the gymnasium however after we return from the tracking shot towards Lester the lighting on the cheer group is dimmed and a spot light is cast above the lead cheerleader highlighting her as she returns the suggestive stare at Lester. A CU shot of Lester is then used allowing the audience to understand his intense attraction towards the girl, at this point a drawn out tone of music is utilised and as we return to the cheerleader group the girl is seen dancing alone on a vacant gym floor still lit with the spotlight, subsequently the lighting on Lester has also been changed as he now sits alone on the many benches in an extreme wide shot, singled out from the crowd, this sequence is instantly recognisable as a fantasy scene which is cued by the lighting change on the girl. The result of this lighting change is a sudden heightening of a characters mood, often in 'American Beauty' the theme is of lust and intimacy is conveyed through this lighting and colour, the use of lighting change on Lester suggets his empty life and emotional poverty as we see him sat alone though in reality he is sat amongst many other people this is part of Mendes's on going use of motifs throughout the film.
POV
We see through Lester's point of view in this scene as he closely watches the girl dancing in slow motion after the lighting change, intimate shots of the girls body are cut against a tracking shot or CU of Lester's face the cutting between these shots quickly establish that we are looking through the eyes of Lester. Certain shots are repeated to stress his lust for the girl and also a breaking up of the fantasy that he is being thrown back into the reality he has briefly escaped.
In this shot Lester is leant against the door frame, the majority of his front is silhouetted as he is lit from behind the door with a small light casting a highlight on his shoulder clearly indicating that it is Lester. For our film I would very much like to replicate this use of light in particular our interrogation scene, either lighting the character from the back or from the side so that their face is subdued with darkness and only are they visible when they lean into the light. I feel that this use of ligt would complement our films theme of lies and deception. This featuring of hiding within shadows in the scene would work for both character Brad (the accused) and the detective (the actual killer) as the truth to who made the killing is only later revealed thus again I feel that until then both characters can be partially hidden and only highlighted with light.
The use of red in 'American Beauty' meanders through the entirety of the film, this shot we see a red light in the corner of the frame which casts a red glow along the right arm of Lester, also the bright red sports car is parked in full view lit at its front end to introduce it from the background, its presence in the frame is much like the light at the dinner table, as it seems fasle and unnatural for it to appear like that. The red in this scene ultimately foreshadows the death of Lester later on, however also the neighbours intimate escape of desire towards Lester resulting in a brief awkward kiss.
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