ENGLISH

Scene Analysis 4

As the scene begins, Benjamin is in the car driving down the block. The sound of the car engine rumbling can be heard, which gives the audience the perspective that the car in motion. This first shot, Benjamin can be seen driving and looking out as he cruises down the block. The director uses a close-upshot which reveals the character and brings him to view for the audience to see. This kind of shot works towards defining a character as well as intensifying a particular situation (Chang, Wooksang 24). Additionally, the sound of the rain falling can also be heard. When he pulls over so that Mrs. Robinson can come in, the sound of the engine stops. The essence of this is to bring in realism since it depicts to the audience that the car has stopped. When she opens the door, the sound of the rain falling also increases which also brings in an aspect of realism. Realism is an aspect which comes out clearly in the film due to the aspect of shot clarity and the conversation between Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson.

A tracking shot is used to follow Mrs. Robinson as she is running to get into the car. This helps the audience to put focus on the subject whom the director intends to reveal to them. A sense of suspense is established in this tracking shot since the audience cannot see the face of the subject that is running towards the car as her facial identity is only revealed when she enters. The tracking shot is also used when Benjamin is running towards Elaine’s house. Here, the shot brings in a dramatic effect as the audience is kept in suspense speculating of what will come next. The editor then and brings in a high angle shot that reveals Benjamin coming in and running up the flight of stairs. Essentially, this brings in continuity which is an essential aspect of cinematography.

In the car scene, as the two characters are arguing, medium close up shots are used which help establish the mood as well as their emotions in regard to what they are talking about. The scenes are used to reveal what each character is saying, then the editor edits them and interchanges them between the two characters for the purpose of revealing the conversation to the audience so that they can follow. Specifically, the shot works towards revealing the emotions of Mrs. Robinson who seems to be angry at Benjamin. As she enters the car, she asks Benjamin to drive down the block, with sternness in her voice. After he hesitates, she raises her voice in a bid to make Benjamin realize that she is serious.

The lighting in the first shot where Benjamin is driving down the block is dimly lit. This is key to creating a realistic setting which is characterized by rainy weather. The fact that it’s raining depicts that there is no sun and thus the essence of the dimly lit car scene. When Benjamin enters Elaine’s house, the lighting changes. This is because the house has artificial lighting in the form of electricity which brings in another effect as well as the aspect of realism.

The director also uses various unique shots to tell the story and bring a particular perspective to the audience. For instance, as Benjamin tries to explain to Elaine regarding the older woman, we see the camera angle focused on Elaine as Mrs. Robinson appears in the background of the same shot. The audience can now see that the woman who is being referred to is Mrs. Robinson. Even though the point of focus is Elaine, Mrs. Robinson appears in the same shot although she is out of focus. The essence of this kind of shot is telling the story without necessarily using words. Mrs. Robinson is then brought into focus as Elaine turns to see her.

After Elaine realizes that Mrs. Robinson is the woman that Benjamin is talking about, her character immediately changes. Her facial expression also changes as she becomes infuriated. This change in character in the part of the actor portrays a plot twist which establishes that there must be some sort of relation between Elaine and Mrs. Robinson. Elaine’s disgust is written all over her face asher tone of voice changes dramatically where she orders Benjamin to leave and throws him out of the room. In the final shot, Mrs. Robinson is the point of focus as she bids Benjamin goodbye. Here, the camera pulls out from her to reveal a frustrated Benjamin as he turns to leave. The essence of this shot and camera angle is to create a dramatic effect of the events that have just unfolded.

In conclusion, the cinematography achieved by the director is exceptional as he combines the various elements of style infilm to create a realistic scene. The camera angles and shots, lighting, sound, and editing have all been masterfully combined to create a wonderful sequel of events that are narratory in nature and self-explanatory to the audience. Any student of film, as well as the general audience, can enjoy the sequel from this particular scene.

Works Cited

Chang, Wooksang. "Virtual Reality Filmmaking Methodology (Animation Producing)." TECHART: Journal of Arts and Imaging Science 3.3 (2016): 23-26.