Film Viewing Practice Essay

The use of film elements enhances the overall impact of cinematic productions. The director's choices make a huge difference in the final outcome. The cinematography, editing, sound, and mise-en-scene technique was an effective way to share the themes. In this clip from Marvel's Agent Carter, the director uses these techniques in the best way, improving the effect of the movie. 

First, cinematographic choices improved the impact of the scene. In the first scene the editor captures the audience's attention with the use of close-up shots. Close-up shots allow subjects to display their emotions and connect with the audience. The director's choice to have extreme close-up shots of the picture frames of each other emphasize the emotional connection between them, and create suspense, intriguing the audience. The next notable choice the director made was the several establishing shots used throughout the scene. Images of New York City, the control room, the office, and the nighttime skyline convey the varying settings and acts as transition scenes between collections of two scenes. Dolly shots are used at varying points throughout the clip to demonstrate movement of characters. This technique is helpful when showing the layout of each setting.

The editor made thoughtful decisions that would ultimately emphasize the display of emotions. The first scene was an example of sharp cuts back and forth, emphasizing the suspenseful feeling. The two people create parallelism in the edits. Both are frantic and scared, with similar emotions in each shot. This scene can also be recognized as simultaneity because, as the voice call indicates, the scenes are happening at the same time. The scenes in the office portray an underlying tension between Agent Carter and the rest of her coworkers. Sharp cuts between shots are done to portray her disappointment in the prevalence of sexism at her workplace. In one of the last few scenes, Agent Carter is walking up to the building and two men walk out to see what she needs.  She starts to attack them because she needs to go inside. The man that stayed in the building sits, reclining on his chair and eating snacks, unaware of what's happening outside. This is an example of simultaneity. The two scenes end up connecting when she breaks open the glass. 

The sound made a huge impact in the final production of the film. The somber music in the first scene emphasized the emotional connection between the astronaut and the person in the control room. Communicating through a phone, the sound was seen as the only way the two were able to connect to each other. The film used post-synchronous dubbing to incorporate additional sounds. In the office, an alarm blares, signifying a call for a new mission. There is mysterious music playing, creating suspense in the audience's mind. When he hands the assignment to the men, there is a sustained chord of discomfort. This signifies Agent Carter's frustration in that she was overlooked for the mission yet again. In the brief moment where she shows vulnerability, she is looking at her picture frame. There is a sad song playing in the background, which enhances the solemn mood.  The music abruptly stops when her boss interrupts her thoughts. When the men walk off, their conversation becomes less audible, demonstrating their increasing distance from the scene, and their apparent distance from Agent Carter. When she picks up the phone after everyone had left, suspenseful music plays in the background, given that she is not allowed to take that responsibility. In the fight scene, there is a sharp contrast between inside the building and on the porch. There is screaming and loud sounds that correlate with the different violent actions. The man casually sits listening to carefree music. The click of her gun disrupts a period of suspenseful music and ends the clip. 

The final component of the clip is its use of the mise-en-scene. The costumes of each character signify the time period of the 1940s. Dressed in business clothes, the audience can assume that the office workers are in a professional field of work. The setting is most notably prevalent in the clip. Being that the clip begins the entire movie, the director had to make the setting clear to the viewers. They did that by showing the NYC skyline and office pan.  The lighting was mostly low-key lighting, with dark shadows on the faces of each character. The actress did a very good job in transitioning from emotions. In certain shots, she expresses solemn introspection, but in others she shows anger and frustration. She demonstrated the depth of the character through her individual acting. 

The choices the director makes throughout the film has a huge impact on the final outcome. The changes in cinematography, editing, sound and mise-en-scene change the dynamic of the movie and improve the impact the movie will make.