Jake Woods: Film Studies Essay

Enemy of the State

I will focus on micro elements of cinematography and Mise En Scene in the film ‘ Enemy of the State’. The scene begins with an establishing shot of a big office, a crane circles the building signifying importance, The

audience recognise the building throughout the narrative and know important matters are being discussed. A superimpose signifies where we are. The

National Security Agency the matters discussed are top secret and important. Cut

to an office with a round table, an axis of action gives the audience different views of

the table they can view every character talking, making them feel involved. It is

almost like they are sat at the table which is important as the conversation taking

place is of great importance the audience are privileged. The director has done this so we are aligned with the characters sat down, the audience feel equal allowing

them to listen to their views. An axis of action signifies everyone on the table is equal; the man stood up is not. The characters wear suits, which mean this meeting is important. The director has done this as it causes the audience to feel exclusive; they are getting access to secret information. Close ups on the characters signify surprised & intrigued reactions to

what others say, the audience discovers different personalities. A man stands up, the camera tracks

him. Signifying he is important compared to the others; the camera

tracks him and what he says. Tracking reveals pictures on the wall

of the war. I believe this is polysemic it appears as if the man has been affected or involved with war,the speech is battle-like as if

war has begun. He stands confident and tall as if he’s a leader. A low

angle of the man signifies dominance and importance over the table; the audience look up at him

like the men on the table, the audience feel they are on the same side. The audience are aligned with the men at this point, this encourages the audience to listen. A pan reveals two men sitting. The pan conveys the characters are joined and have the same goal, we see them in one shot, joined which signifies they are on the same team and equals. A cut to the man stood up talking to the men as if they’re school children signifies he is experienced, implying he is dangerous they view the men respecting this man, causing them to feel as if this man has a renowned history. The scene ends with the most important man stood up forcefully closing the

book on the table aggressively. The audience feel scared as his aggressive tone is prominent; the audience feel anxious to see what this man is capable of. Closing the book signifies he is tired and wants to put an end to the man who’s causing the disruption. The audience feel intimidated; they are anticipating disruption because of

him slamming the book and talking aggressively.

A cross cut to a road tracks a car. We follow them. A medium close up of a child sleeping peacefully in a makeshift bed is polysemic. The child could signify peace and calmness as a child sleeps peacefully also

signifying dramatic irony, the makeshift bed could be a hint to the audience of what is to come; soon the family could have to be all sleeping in these beds, everything will be destroyed. A standard two shot isn’t used as the

director wanted the two characters to appear separated to the audience, the audience know they’re disagreeing upon something. The director has done this deliberately to emphasise arguing. This arguing is

needed as it contrasts the scene in the house. Medium close ups are used inside the car, the audience see both characters argue. This is important, it sets the mood; it is cheerful and consists of playful banter. The main

character can be seen even if he is out of focus as he is important; this is so the audience see his reaction to the other character in the car as they argue. This is important as the audience feels involved.

A crosscut to an establishing shot of a dark environment with a house signifies the direction the narrative will take and injects mystery as it is hard to see anything because of the lighting. The family have no idea what

they are going home to. This causes the audience to sympathise with the family, they are unaware of what is

Medium long shot

Superimpose

Jake Woods: Film Studies Essay

happening to their house, the audience are. The lighting darkens, the criminals are infiltrating the house. A crosscut to a dog barking conveys people intruding. An extreme close up of the door knob being picked

signifies danger because they are clearly breaking in. The camera quickly cuts between the man and the dog, signifying how quickly the man was bitten as the audience is almost unaware of what happened. This causes the audience to feel shock because of how quickly the action was. A cut to the car causes the non-diegetic

soundtrack to calms down, signifying the peacefulness. The diegetic sounds are calm, conveying peace and calmness to the audience they feel relaxed & comfortable as this is extremely different to the previous scenes. This signifies the family are calm, because of the sounds. The camera effect changes to a high tech night vision

camera and sound effects. Signifying the technology. They know the men are lethal and powerful, they have access to powerful spy gear. Extreme close ups of the men planting devices in the family’s clothes allow the

audience to see these men are keeping surveillance. This signifies the man is important or has important information, the audience feel this man has no privacy. A long take inside the car contrasts the previous fast

cuts to signify calmness. The men wear black thick clothes signifying their purpose in the house which is to get in and out unseen. Tilts signify the men are rushing and the audience feels they are there, quickly trying to get out as if the camera is rushing as it is canted, disorientating the audience. Elliptical editing quickens the time the family get to the house; it increases tension, because of the quickness. The audience feel as though there

is no time left creating more impact as it happens so quickly the first view of the destruction of the house is shared between the audience characters. The audience feel sympathetic for the family and are extremely

shocked by the surroundings. The director has done this to make the audience feel on edge as they are rushing around as if they’re involved.

When the family enters, non-diegetic music suddenly changes from fast paced to sympathetic, the rushing ends and the family discover the mess. The audience feel bad for the family the music changes its tone from being

upbeat, to sad. This strengthens the impact of the destruction. A mid shot of the family enter and a close up on the mothers face as she reacts to the mess her house is left. A close up on the father signifies his reaction and a cut to a long shot of the house so the audience view the mess as the dog runs past, a tilt is on the camera. The audience feels they are viewing from a camera that has been knocked over in the destruction. A close up

on the planted camera allows the audience to view the family’s under surveillance. A cross cut to a long shot of the building so the damage of the house can be viewed by the audience, the home has been destroyed

allowing us to see more and feel sympathy for the characters. The director is suggesting this family clearly has been broken.

The camera cuts to a P.O.V shot from the main character. The audience feels like they’re in the environment which is destroyed, they are looking through the eyes of

the main character, this invokes emotion, mainly sympathy, they feel like they are there. The director has done this to provoke more emotion. Inside the wardrobe,

a medium close up is used as we see a camera being placed; it tilts downwards revealing the boots being

chipped. The audience know this man is being put under surveillance because of this actions. This cause the audience the think of this man of being quite a high

target.

An establishing shot of a calm environment feels different to inside the house, the house was very darkly

lit and sinister compared to here. A two shot on the main character and his friend observes them working together; they are in the same predicament, the audience know which team the characters are on,

understanding narrative progression. A tilt whilst the criminals walk towards the camera, almost intimidates us, their movements are confident and strong. An extreme close up of the name ‘Robert Dean’ signifies importance as the director makes it vital we see his name by using this shot which implies the director is foreshadowing the character from a previous or future scene because of the clear emphasis on

it. An extreme close up on both the watches (props) signifies how identical they are, the audience know these men are professionals, they did such a good job at replicating the item, they know the man

with the watch won’t tell the difference. An extreme close up is used on the man to signify his concentration and it cuts to an extreme close up of both phones so they’re similarity can be seen. The scene cuts back to the calm scene at the boats and the music quietened from what it previously was to

connote that it’s now a more relaxed scene.

Extreme Close up

P.O.V shot