Film Tracking

Micro Essay

How does cinematography, mis-en-scene and sound construct meaning and provoke a response in a sequence from The Boy In Striped Pyjamas (Mark Herman 2008)

 

The sequence I will be analysing is from the film The Boy In The Stripe Pyjamas, the sequence relies heavily on mis-en-scene and sound to create a sense of realism through which it involves the audience; the use of cinematography also makes you feel involved which in turn creates enigmas.

 

My sequence opens with a young boy exploring through the woods, he is wearing a brown toned jumper, which harmonises with the surroundings; this immediately suggests the character has a stable and tranquil lifestyle.  We see him looking up at the sun, it appears he is following it, in my opinion this reminds me of the three wise men following the Holy Star; this gives a suggestion of a religious aspect in which the audience is able to understand later on in the film. The fact he is following it also represents how he has faith and trust in where it may lead.

 

The non-diegetic sound has a fairy tale aspect with the soothing, soft piano synchronizing with the innocence of the child; this purity is reinforced by the white shirt he is wearing. However because the shirt is placed underneath the warm brown it suggests naivety in his beliefs because it shows how his purity is being over shadowed. The soft chiming sound and the feminine choir give reference to a church atmosphere; I feel this makes the spectator believe the environment is safe because everyone knows a church is worshipped and respected. The music also adds a sense of mystery to the audience because it is difficult to predict what will happen next, as the pace of it is continuous; the audience feels no struggle or tension.

 

The movement of the camera makes the audience feel as if they are skipping behind him, this makes the audience feel more involved; like they are there. I feel this helps you to understand the atmosphere and the exploration of the young boy. As he uses a stick as a sword it is presented in a meaningless way, actions there, just to show he is a child and having fun; the dialogue “Die, die” is also spoken in a meaningless way. However I feel gives the audience a foreshadowing of future violence to come, even though it is hidden in the innocence; this effect of juxtaposition creates a sense of conflict and contrast two themes of the film; innocence and war.

 

The contrast between the uses of natural bridges has significance to the underlying characters and their traits; the log bridge closer to the boy’s home represents a stable and a strong aspect when in a team – as there are two logs; when comparing this to the independently standing stone in which a strong, individual is presented.

 

The close up of the characters face shows a moment of shock, this gives the audience an enigma to discover what he is seeing; I feel the way in which he stops running and doesn’t take his eyes off of it suggests a sense of fear and the slight movement of the lips reinforces the shock and nerves; although the music does not present how it is something to fear as the tone continues with the mellow piano sound. Then the first glimpse of the subject is shown; as the audience we see it from the characters point of view, making you more involved and giving the feeling of curiosity.

 

The continuous use of point of view reinforces the fact it is a child looking at it, in my opinion I feel it presents the unworldliness of the character and how he is unsure of his discovery.

In this shot we also get a sighting of another child, the camouflage effect of his clothes to the surroundings show how he is of no importance, and hidden from society; this relates to the narrative because people want to remove Jews from the world.

As we see Bruno approach the young boy the fact he is standing represents how he is more powerful and superior than him; even though they are both children we are able to understand the authority in society.

 

We then see the two young boys begin to have a conversation; this shot relies heavily on juxtaposition between the two opposing settings to create contrast. The fact Shmuel is behind a fence shows how he is seen as animal and not a human; I feel this dehumanizes him as he is restricted and unable to make his own decisions. This setting hugely contrasts with the scenery behind Bruno which contains pretty flowers; these settings help the audience to understand the difference between the two lives of the young individuals.

 

The barbwire contains sharp, vivid edges which give a sense of destruction and violence; it can also be seen to represent an important theme – boundaries, in which can be literal or figurative.

The colour grey of Shmuel’s surrounding, clothing and his overall impression connotes loneliness and depression; this gives the effect of empathy from the audience because the dullness of the colour makes your body feel physically drained, tedious and dreary. It also separates him from civilization and reinforces the sense of a depressed state of mind; it is also associated with man-made materials such as concrete, this is reinforced with the objects in the background.  This juxtaposes with the opposing natural surroundings in which conflict is created; this emphasises the difference between characters and lives.

 

The slight pan reveals several people in whom they are all dressed the same, with the same short, shaved hairstyle; this removes their identity which again dehumanizes them, as they are unable to express their inner self. I feel they are presented more as clones or robots forced to do the unwanted work; I feel this expresses to the audience a sense of empathy because they are unable to make their own decisions; which in turn shows how they are treated less than humans should be and more like animals. Nevertheless it presents them to be skilful because they are constructing a new hut; this shows the audience that the people are smart, dexterous and just like them.

 

The fact the camera never crosses over the fence represents that the audience is like Bruno, and how the people on the inside are too worthless to socialize/ connect with; I feel this has a demanding power over the audience because they are unable to make the decision; in my opinion I feel throughout the sequence I was looking down at Shmuel making him undignified, weak and vulnerable. This also connects us to how Shmuel is feeling because we are imprisoned in the surroundings. I feel Bruno is also confined because he has not chosen to be where he is; therefore the characters involved in this sequence are all suffering.

 

The comparisons of the physical aspects of the two boys shows Shmuel to be very thin reinforcing his weakness, the fact the clothes he is wearing are too big for him symbolises how the camp is overshadowing and defeating him.

 

The question Bruno brings forward “How old are you?” forms a connection between the characters, it also makes the audience realise they’re exactly the same, but the situation they are in makes them seem so different.

 

The purity of the young characters are strongly explored when Bruno interprets Shmuel’s number he is wearing as part of a game; this presents how neither boy understands what the number really means which has the effect of empathy on the audience as I felt no one should be exploited to a situation like this.

 

The use of a whistle makes Shmuel jump up, this is the first time we see him move and so indicates to the audience the importance of this sound; I felt it reminded me of when a farmer blows the whistle for his dog to come back, which yet again makes the Jews appear as animals. As Bruno looks on to his new friend struggling with a large wheel barrow, slower paced music is begins to play, I feel this rhythm represents Bruno’s feelings and makes him realise how different the world is because it juxtaposes with the first shots when Bruno was skipping with enthusiasm.

 

Overall I feel the micro features combine together to create feelings and enigmas for the audience; the sound creates a sense of realism but also symbolises important meanings such as the whistle blowing to suggest the sense of control.

The tone of colours are used to activate the audiences feelings and the curiosity they may have, and also presents the well-being of the character, such as the grey, dullness of Shmuel to represent his weakness and vulnerability. And the use of mis-en-scene is to subconsciously foreshadow future events and actions which may alter the narrative and the enigma of the audience. I feel the use of micro features throughout the sequence are used in a successful way to intrigue me into the film and discovering what will happen next; I find it interesting how the dialogue of Bruno “Die, die” relates to the ending of the film as he and Shmuel are both killed along with others in the gas chamber. I feel the two words present the two characters which again show how the use of micro features sends out hints for future situations and outcomes.