http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XozQfSJKp0o
Sequence: 0:00 - 1:44
The next film i wanted to look into and Analyse was a film directed by Tom Ford in 2005 and is a drama genre based film and is about a male who has lost his boyfriend after finding out he died whilst visiting his family and now George who lost his boyfriend is alone and its about his life and the feelings he has after being alone, which include depression, suicidal thoughts etc and the film is a process of him not wanting to cope with the stress and upsetting pain he feels for his loved one and later has a turning point to stay a live which ironically leads him to death as a result of not taking his medication.
This film is very powerful and close to my heart and i feel extremely strong and close towards the character when i watch this film as you can see his pain and it makes your heart ache and it is so beautifully made and well directed as a film. One scene i wanted to focus on is the very first scene in the film, as it has strong connotations towards how the character George feels at the time and signifies the pain and how he feels with losing his partner.
The scene is the introductory credits with the opening scene of George is a dreamlike world, as if he is underwater and naked as well as showing him in a way which makes it look like he's drowning/sinking.
When we think of the word 'sink' we would refer it to something getting lower and lower. This idea that he's sinking is a metaphor for his emotions and life and also signifies his depression.
Let's look at the micro elements and apply them to this sequence and analyse this scene a little bit more.
Cinematography
The cinematography uses a lot of shots but does it in a way that you can't really see the full picture of him sinking. The shots mainly have parts or sides of his body sinking lower, so there is a range of different shots but is harder to tell with the way its edited as it looks quite blurry which creates enigma already to the audience, wondering 'what's going on?' 'who is this?' etc and these questions is what the film wants people to think, and these type of the films are the films you need to watch twice to notice things like this so it becomes more clear watching the second time round after knowing all about the narrative and the main character.
Mise en scene
The setting is underwater, and we'd assume it would be something like the ocean. The use the underwater is it creates this empty feel to George and this sense of isolation and depression as he's sinking. Him being naked is done to signify his vulnerability and is purity, sinking.
Colour
Colour is very important in this scene, when we think of blue we'd usually associate it with depression, cold or sad and this scene helps to emphasise the sad and emptiness by the use of the colour from the ocean as well as the actual setting on it being underwater. The colour has strong connotations towards George and his mood, and feelings by this sequence we can tell he's upset, alone, depressed, isolated, and afraid of trying to live on and find someone to get him through his tough time.
Because the colour blue is very dark it also represents and emphasises his depression and loneliness and isolation which makes the audience realise that this scene is about sad and upsetting emotions, as we usually relate blue to sadness and black to darkness and it seems that these two colours are mixed together in may senses.
Sound
The sound in this sequence is both a soundtrack and a sound effects which are used. The soundtrack feels like it has strong and saddened connotations to it, as its quite powerful in a upsetting but calming sense, as if George is at peace and ready to not be alive or around to deal with the pain he feels. The soundtrack adds a very majestic but sad feeling and atmosphere to the scene towards the audience and also the use of shots creates confusion and questioning of what is actually happening but slowly puzzling it together with the shots of George underwater and slowly sinking. All of these techniques, especially the soundtrack help to add to this sad atmosphere of isolation and depression.
The other sounds we hear are not only the sound from the water, which helps to add to the setting of being underwater, but the sound of heartbeats. This convey's his life and it beating slowly, which suggests time is moving slowly, and he is in agony and feels pain and as if he wants to just give up on life and die. The sound of his heartbeat is used throughout the film to emphasise him still being alive, with him ironically not wanting to be alive and later in the film multiple times wanting to commit suicide because of his life with the one he loves and the pain and agony in his heart he feels without his boyfriend.
Pacing
The pacing of this sequence is quite slow with each shot being about 4-5 seconds long. Based off this we can tell that the scene isn't suppose to be dramatic in a fast paced way, or action packed with a bunch of shots per second. The pacing is slow, and is done to add to the atmosphere and also make the person think, like the setting, who this is, why are they there, what's going on etc so people can try to unfold what is going on. But judging by the slow shots we and shot types it gives this dreamlike feeling of isolation and depression, by combining no one else in these shots besides George and the colour of the setting.
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