Essay Example on The first five minutes uses many close ups

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Close up The first five minutes uses many close ups We see a variety of depth in these closeups They help you focus in on the characters as they are being introduced and set for the storyline 2 Establishing shot I felt as if the establishing shot was when the camera finally panned out and showed the office of Don It helps the viewer understand his power and rank by showing a man begging for his help and his employees waiting on his instruction Yet in all of this intense darkness the Godfather is extremely calm in with his cat settled in the shadows of his office 3 Extreme close up Within the first few seconds of the film we see an extreme close up of the undertaker's face when he is enlisting the assistance of the Godfather As a first time viewer of the movie apart from a few scenes I felt this threw you right into the intensity You could see it in his facial features and it sets the course for the entire film 4 Low key lighting The majority of the first five minutes uses this technique 



There is little fill light and very deep shadows This draws attention into Don and the undertaker s faces while removing distraction by darkening out the background The shadows and darkness adds to the ominous tone being set for the film 5 Medium close up The camera starts extremely close to the Undertaker and then gradually moves out As it moves out we get a medium close up This allows the viewer to start getting a glimpse of the space they are in to add to the mood tone and setting of the scene 6 Fade in The screen opens with the Undertaker talking yet no imagine on the screen The blackness then gradually gets a little lighter never getting completely illuminated Opening with no image forces you to really listen to the lines and keys you into the words for the scene 7 Point of view shot We get a glimpse of Don s point of view when we are looking at the Undertaker over the shoulder of Don when he is telling the story of his girl s beating This allows the viewer to better understand Don and his position in the mafia community and family 8 Zoom lens The scene opens with an extreme close up and gradually zooms out to a wider angle view of the Undertaker Starting close has the viewer listen to the words and view the intensity of the character s expressions while zooming out slowly allows them to gradually get an understanding of the space and setting 9 Side lighting 



The Undertaker's face is illuminated from the side in most of the scene This adds to the shadows and the lack of fill light which reiterates the struggle between good and bad 10 Top lighting Don Corleone is light from above throughout the scene This really emphasizes his facial features especially the famous underbite We get to see the Godfather clearly without distraction from the backdrop with this type of lighting 11 High angle frame When the camera zooms out and we see the undertaker from the view of the Godfather the camera is at a high angle This reiterates the fact that the Godfather is in a position of power in the story 12 Mise en scene the setting in the first five minutes appears very simple not much is within it However it is very complex The different types of lighting and angles draw attention to the characters battle between the moral and immoral The lack of color involved also foreshadows the darkness within the film The cut to the mise en scene with the other men in view and the Godfather centered at his desk adds to his superiority and powerfulness 13 External diegetic sound In the scene we can hear the Godfather speaking yet we don't see him right away We know the undertaker is hearing and conversing with a character within the scene yet we haven't been exposed to him physically during the first frames 



As the camera zooms out we see the character the voice is associated with within his place of power This makes you analyze is words very carefully and understand his position in life better 14 Shot For the first two to three minutes we see the same shot of a man just zooming out at a steady rate The focus on this man begging for help from the Godfather only further suggests the power of this character 15 Cut In the opening few minutes the focus is on the undertaker Then the film cuts to the Godfather and the viewer shifts focus to him Then it cuts to show the entire room where the Godfather is in the center and superior to the three men inside of it The cuts emphasize who and what needs to be focused on to establish the power rankings and characters within the scene and film


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