Sound

The opening scene of Jaws begins with a group of teenagers sitting around a campfire. For now, only diegetic sounds are heard, for example: talking, guitar playing and laughing. Two teenagers begin to isolate themselves  therefore the diegetic sounds coming from the group begin to die down and the only thing you can hear is the girl and the boy talking. The young girl then begins to go in the water. The camera is then put at an angle which imitates the shark's point of view. Low, non-diegetic string music  begins to play in a crescendo which suggests something is about to happen. The shark then manages to attack the girl and high pitched strings are playing in a sforzando way which symbolises her fear and the sound of the water splashing. The diegetic sounds are her screams and the water. When she dies and her head goes underwater, the music comes to an abrupt stop which represents the end of her life.

 



In the Godfather, a majority of the sound is diegetic. A diegetic crescendo sound of a train plays which builds up and gets louder. The train abruptly stops as soon as he shoots the other man.

Diegetic: sounds that are within the scene. (e.g. talking)
Non-diegetic: music that is added afterwards in post production.
Crescendo: the build up of sound and music.
Diminuendo: gradual ''die away'' of music.
Sforzando: sudden sharp sound.
Diegisis: the context it is in.

Main edits

The most popular types of edits are:
- Cut
- Dissolve. This symbolises time passing.
- Fades to black or white.
- Jump cut. This edit jumps to a closer shot of an object or person.
- Graphic match - the image of one object that fades or dissolves into another cut that is similar to it.

The shower scene in Psycho (directed by Alfred Hitchcock) uses many edits. For example:

During the murder, the edits are frequent and cut between the murderer and the victim. This builds up the tension. As well as this, the directors were not allowed to show any nudity and they were not allowed to show the knife stabbing her as it was not real.

After the murder, the camera slowly pans from her body to the shower drain. The slowness of the panning symbolises how her life is slowly coming to an end. The scene then cuts to Marion Crane's eye using a graphic match.

Then the camera pans from her eye to the packet of money she stole on her bedside table which implies that although she contemplated to return it, it was too late as she was already dead.

Basic Camera Shots

Extreme close-up

 

Close up

 

Medium close-up

 

Mid-shot

Mid-long shot

 

Long shot

 

 

Extreme long shot

Over-the-shoulder shot

 

Mise-en-scene: Opening scene of Jaws

1. It begins with the sharks p.o.v as it swims.
2. We hear non-diegetic, low stringed music - associated with the shark.
3. Camera tracks past kids around campfire.

4. Fire is a source of light.
5. Girl and boy on the edge of the group - they are outsiders.
6. The medium close up of the girl shows the wooden fences behind her. This is significant because the fences are like bars, which symbolises that she is trapped.
7. High angled shot of the beach implies that the people below are vulnerable and weak.
8. The girl and boy run far from the fire, people and noise and into the darkness.
9. When they run, there are more bar like fences, which symbolises that they are both trapped.

10. Music begins to fade away and you can only hear their voices, as well as the sea. They are putting themselves in isolation.
11. For now, the tone of the scene is calm: moonlight is reflecting on the sea.
12. Sunset symbolises that the day is ending and so is her life.
13. Cut from a long shot to a short shot of the girl, which brings the audience closer to her perspective.
14. Long shot of the girl swimming under the water, which puts the audience in the shark's point of view.

15. Music begins to play which suggests that something is about to happen.
16. The music is non-diegetic yet her screaming and the sea is.
17. Music abruptly stops when she dies.