The conversation (1974)
The Conversations opening scene is a single sequence shot that revels in its ambiguity and the confusion it creates in its audience. Its deliberate lack of clear intention, both in what kind of shot it is as well as where its focus lies, draws in the audience's attention by inviting them to seek out the motivation of the shot. In this way the opening perfectly encapsulates the central themes of the film, building a sense of intrigue and confusion that director Francis Ford Coppola's thriller maintains throughout.
.png)
The key element of the success of the opening scene is its cinematography, a single three minute shot that subverts audience expectations multiple times throughout the scene. At the opening the cinematography appears to be a standard establishing shot, set at a zoomed out high angle over a town square
.png)
As the camera zooms in however and the characters come into focus, it becomes clear to the audience that the camera is in fact performing a tracking shot, following a mime as he annoys the populace around him.
.png)
Yet again this is misdirection, the camera's true intention of focus being Gene Hackman, with whom the camera follows for the remainder of the shot. The effect of these misdirections is audience engagement, encouraging them to question the cinematography's intentions and setting them up to start questioning the story as well. In a crime thriller, this is never a bad idea.
For the mies en scene, there isn't anything inherently unique about the setting, except the mime's actions being used directly to draw the eye of the audience. This was clearly so that the misdirect later on would be more powerful, as no one would be looking at the man in the gray coat, another specific choice of mise en scene to allow Hackman to blend into the crowd.
The Conversation's opening is a great example of the creativity that goes into filmmaking, with Coppola opening the movie, introducing the protagonist and cultivating a sense of intrigue, all within the films opening sequence.
The key element of the success of the opening scene is its cinematography, a single three minute shot that subverts audience expectations multiple times throughout the scene. At the opening the cinematography appears to be a standard establishing shot, set at a zoomed out high angle over a town square
Yet again this is misdirection, the camera's true intention of focus being Gene Hackman, with whom the camera follows for the remainder of the shot. The effect of these misdirections is audience engagement, encouraging them to question the cinematography's intentions and setting them up to start questioning the story as well. In a crime thriller, this is never a bad idea.For the mies en scene, there isn't anything inherently unique about the setting, except the mime's actions being used directly to draw the eye of the audience. This was clearly so that the misdirect later on would be more powerful, as no one would be looking at the man in the gray coat, another specific choice of mise en scene to allow Hackman to blend into the crowd.
The Conversation's opening is a great example of the creativity that goes into filmmaking, with Coppola opening the movie, introducing the protagonist and cultivating a sense of intrigue, all within the films opening sequence.
No comments:
Post a Comment