Project 6 - Mis-en-scene. Viewing.

The arrangement of objects in a frame affects the atmosphere and meaning of a shot.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Scene 1:

 SHOT 1: 'You weren't followed?'
The opening frame is of a dark door, which at the sound of a knock is opened.
It feels closed. Hidden. Secret.
This has been achieved through the face being contained between the dark doorframe. Low lighting. Also the coat stand in the background is almost insect-like, as though this place is a web. The meaning conveyed in the shot: This character is hidden away in a kind of den, or web.

SHOT 2: 'Trust no-one Jim'

The camera follows the characters across a cluttered study: books, papers, desks, lamps, chairs.  Low-lighting. Dark and dense. This place feels as though it is a hub of secret activity. slow music. Jim sits on a plastic chair. The meaning conveyed is that the main character has enticed Jim into his web.

SHOT 3: 'I understand you still have one identity running'

The camera close up on the main character. An uncluttered shot, though still dark. He is smoking which adds to the veil that is drawn over him.

The meaning in the shot is that he is giving Jim a mission. 

SHOT 4: 'I want you to go to Budapest'

Light, Open. Grand building with a river straight across the screen. This is a big contrast from the dark cluttered den of his study. While he talks about the mission, this open shot conveys the contrast of open-closed, public-private, secret-revealed.

SHOT 5: 'They're after my head, JimBoy'. 

The camera retreats backwards into a building 

that overlooks the river. Children are laughing and their youth is in direct contrast to the ancient pillars and the grand building on the other side of the river. Also, as the camera is retreating, a couple of planes shoot over head.

The meaning conveyed is the danger to innocent lives.

SHOT 6: people hurrying - left to right -  mostly alone. Cars cutting across the frame.

A general feeling of lack of safety. Fear. Achieved by colours - greys and browns. Regimented windows. Regular cars cutting people up. Man with a dog on a lead. 

 SHOT 7: 'I have had an offer of service'
The busy shot with people walking left to right cuts to a shot of a single man (Jim) walking right to left, alone. Again, the regimented windows. Also the large lettering along the wall suggests rules and strict government enforcement. Though the yellow wall is warmer than the grey. The mis en scene suggests that Jim is alone against a world of corruption.

SHOT 8: 'A Hungarian General has some information'
Jim walking right to left is intercut with the general walking left to right also alone. There is the sense that they are going towards each other in opposite directions. ie they are on different sides of the fence, but they are about to meet.


 SHOT 9: Revisit of Shot 2 - cluttered study.

SHOT 10: The two men come together in the same shot, with their backs to us and some distance apart. The streets are a complicated network and suggest that they will meet somewhere in the complex web.





SHOT 11: 'There's a rotten apple, Jim and we have to find it'
A shot of Jim coming out of the exit of the underground. From dark to light. Again he is the only one going out from the dark, all others are going into the dark. The suggestion is that he will bring the secrets to light.