Task 2

MICRO ELEMENTS OF FILM IN 'THE GOLD RUSH' 1925. 

Take 3 scenes from 'The Gold Rush' (1925) and analyse the micro elements of film form, identifying how these elements construct meaning. 

SCENE ONE (4:05/4:28) 

MISE EN SCENE 

COSTUME/MAKEUP 

CHALIE'S COSTUME WAS QUITE PLAIN AND BASIC AS IT DID NOT INVOLVE ANY THEATRICAL EFFECTS IN ORDER TO CREATE THE OUTFIT FOR THE CHARACTER. THIS COULD REPRESENT CHARLIES CHARACTER AS HE IS SIMPLISTIC AND PLAIN.  

PROPS 

THE PROPS USED IN THIS SCENE INCLUDE A SACK, A BEAR, A BOWLER HAT AND A WALKING CANE. THE SACK INDICATES THAT THE CHARACTER IS TRAVELLING AND IMPLIES THAT HE IS SIMPLISTIC AND PLAIN. THE BEAR INTRODUCES AN ELEMENT OF TENSION INTO THE SCENE AS IT SHOWS THE CHARACTER FLEEING FROM THE ANIMAL. ALSO, THE CANE AND THE BOWLER HAT IN COMPARISON TO HOW HE INTERACTS WITH THEM IMPLIES THAT HE IS OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE – THIS INCREASES THE ALREADY PRESENT ELEMENT OF FEAR/TENSION THAT IS IN THE SCENE.

  

LOCATION 

THE LOCATION OF THE SCENE IS IN A SNOWY ENVIRONMENT AS THE MOUNTAIN THAT THE MAIN CHARACTER IS TRAVELLING ALONG IS COVERED IN SNOW. COMPARING THE ENVIRONMENT WITH THE OUTFIT OF THE CHARACTER, IT CAN BE INFERRED THAT THE CHARACTER IS NOT IN HIS NATURAL ENVIROMENT – AS WELL AS THE FIGURE EXPRESSION AND MOVEMENT AS THE MANNERISMS OF THE CHARACTER ARE STEREOTYPICALLY UPPERCLASS WHICH SUPPORTS THE PREVIOUS STATEMENT.  

SCENE TWO (32:09/33:10) 

MISE EN SCENE 

COSTUME/MAKEUP 

THE COSTUMES IN THIS SCENE ARE RELEVANT TO THE SETTING ENVIRONMENT OF THE SCENE. THIS IS BECAUSE THE CHARACTERS ARE AT A PARTY TYPE EVENT AND THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE SCENE IS SEEN TO BE WEARING AN APPROPRIATE BALL GOWN. AS WELL AS THIS, THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS ARE ALSO DRESSED APPROPRIATELY AS THEY FURTHER DEPICT THE NATURE OF THE SCENE – BASED ON THEIR OUTFITS AND COSTUMES.  

PROPS 

THE PROPS USED IN THIS SCENE INCLUDE A PHOTOGRAPH WHICH IMPLIES THAT THE GIRL FEATURED IN THE PICTURE IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF THE SCENE. NO OTHER PROPS ARE USED THAT SIGNIFY MEANING AND CONTEXTUAL DETAILS OF THE SCENE. HOWEVER, TABLES ARE USED BY SECONDARY CHARACTERS AS A METHOD OF INFERING THEIR SOCIAL CLASS THROUGH THEIR EXPRESSIVE BODY LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT THE SCENE. DESPITE THIS, THE ACTORS WERE REQUIRED TO 'OVERRACT' THEIR ROLES DURING THE PRODUCTION AS THEY COULD NOT USE VOCAL EXPRESSIONS.  

LOCATION 

THE LOCATION OF THE SCENE WAS VERY RELEVENT TO THE CONEXT OF THE FILM. THIS IS BECAUSE THE ATMOSPHERE CREATED BY THE SECONDARY ACTORS COMBINED WITH THE CONTEXTUAL DETAILS AND THE RELEVANT BACKGROUND/SETTING CREATED AN OVERALL STORYLINE AND PLOT TO THE AUDIENCE. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SETTING AND OTHER SIMILAR FACTORS IS VERY IMPORTANT AS THE ACTORS CANNOT USE SPEECH TO PORTRAY A STORY AND ARE FORCED TO USE OTHER MEANS (E.G. ENHANCING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS/BODY LANGUAGE AND USING A DETAILED/ACCURATE SETTING OR BACKDROP.)

SCENE THREE (1:20:00/1:21:00) 

MISE EN SCENE 

COSTUME/MAKEUP 

THE COSTUME USED IN THIS SCENE IS AN UPPER CLASS MALE. THIS IS USED TO REPRESENT THE EXTREME CONTRAST BETWEEN THE SOCIAL CLASSES AS THE CHARACTER IS ASSUMED TO BE OUT OF THE STEREOTYPICAL COMFORT ZONE. THE USE OF THIS IS THAT THE AUDIENCE KNOWS THE CHARACTER IS NOT MEANT TO BE IN THE ENVIRONMENT DUE TO THE SOCIAL CLASS STRUCTURE – THIS ELEMENT OF THE SCENE ADDS A SENSE OF TENSION TO THE ATMOSPHERE AND COERSES THE VIEWER TO CONTINUE WATCHING TO DISCOVER THE END RESULT OF THE FILM.  

PROPS 

THE PROPS THAT ARE USED IN THE SCENE INCLUDE A LAMP, A SET OF TABLES AND A SHOE. THE LAMP IS USED TO INDICATR TO THE AUDIENCE THAT THE HOUSE HAD BEEN MOVED TO PROVOKE AN ELEMENT OF DISTRESS TO THE INHABITANTS. THE SET OF TABLES IS ALSO USED IN ORDER TO ILLUSTRATE THE POWER AND FORCE THAT WAS USED TO DISTURB THE SETTING. FOR EXAMPLE, THE DISTURBANCE WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO DISRUPT THE ENVIRONMENT BUT NOT THE OCCUPANTS. AS WELL AS THIS, THE SHOE IS ALSO USED TO FURTHER INDICATE THAT THE SETTING HAD BEEN DISRUPTED BY AN UNKNOWN FORCE. THE INFLUENCE OF THE PROPS IS THAT THEY ADD A MINOR ELEMENT OF TENSION INTO THE SCENE  

LOCATION 

THE LOCATION OF THIS SCENE IS NOT SPECIFIED AS THE MAJORITY OF THE SCENE IS INSIDE THE HOUSE THAT IS ON THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF SIDE. HOWEVER, IT CAN BE SAID THAT THE CLIFF CREATES AN ELEMENT OF TENSION AND 'KEEPS THE AUDIENCE TO THE EDGE OF THEIR SEAT.' ALSO,THE HOUSE INTERIOR IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE CHARACTER THAT IS INTRODUCED LATER ON AFTER THE SCENE IS CONCLUDED. 

SCENE ONE/TWO/THREE 

CAMERA ANGLE AND MOVEMENT 

THE RANGE OF CAMERA ANGLES USED ARE MINIMAL. THIS IS A RESULT OF THE DIRECTORS AND THE ACTORS BEING INEXPERIENCED IN THE FIELD OF CINEMATOGRAPHY ALONGSIDE THE FACT THAT TECHNOLOGY USED IN FILMING WAS STILL BEING DEVELOPED AND NOT MANY PEOPLE KNEW HOW TO USE CAMERAS OR THE CORRECT FILMING TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER TO CREATE A FILM OR SIMILAR PRODUCTION.  

SOUND 

THERE WAS NO SOUND DURING THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM. THIS IS A RESULT OF THE TECHNOLOGY BEING BASIC AT THE TIME AND ANY SOUND WAS NON-DIAGETIC AS THE SOUND THAT WAS USED DURING THE FILM WAS USUALLY PLAYED BY AN ORCHESTRA IN THE THEATRE – THIS IS HOW CINEMAS ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS 'MOVIE THEATRES.' HOWEVER, ONLY THE OTHER ACTORS WILL BE ABLE TO HEAR THE SPEECH AS THE FILM WAS SILENT.  

EDITING 

THERE IS MINIMAL EDITING DONE DURING THE PRODUCTION OF THE FILM. THE ONLY FORM OF EDITING IS WHEN THE SPEECH BOARDS ARE INSERTED SO THE AUDIENCE CAN FOLLOW THE PROGRESSION OF THE FILM. NO OTHER EDITING WAS NEEDED AS THE PRODUCTION WAS FILMED MOSTLY IN ONE TAKE. THE SCENES WERE COLABORATED TOGETHER AUTOMATICALLY AS THE CAMERA WAS PAUSED, THEN IT WAS ANGLED DIFFERENTLY IN ORDER TO CREATE NEW ANGLES IN THE FILM WITHOUT HAVING TO EDIT THE SCENES TOGETHER AFTERWARDS.   

LIGHTING 

THE LIGHTING OF THE SCENE IS BASIC AND MOSTLY FROM ABOVE AS THE TECHNOLOGY WAS SIMPLISTIC WHEN THE FILM WAS BEING PRODUCED. THIS GREATLY IMPACTS THE QUALITY OF THE FILM DURING FILMING. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE LACK OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT, THIS WAS NOT A FAULT OF THE PRODUCTION TEAM.