Analysis of a Scene: Where is My Mind, Fight Club


This scene, at the finale of Fight Club begins with a medium shot of a couple talking.  The shot is framed by a camera set up from waist height and does well to abide by the rule of thirds (Tyler is standing, in line, with the first vertical third facing Marla).  And the second shot in the sequence follows the eyeline principle as the cinematographer chose to cut to a close up of Tyler from the other side of the 180 circle. (We are looking at Tyler from Marla’s perspective) which is an example of point of view editing.  Then, the following two shots alternate between Tyler and Marla’s perspectives as the actors continue their conversation. There is subtle blueish fill and backlighting behind the actors as the cinematographer is trying to convey a melancholy, dark and surrealist image of an abandoned room/office building and emphasize the discombobulated moment.  
Then, the following shot/editing decision is synchronized with a non-diegetic song (faded in abruptly) as the camera’s setup changes to an establishing shot of the abandoned room with the two actors symmetrically placed in the center of the frame.  This choice (still abiding by the 180 degree rule) allows the viewer to see what the actors’ see outside of the window (further implementing point of view editing). Then, with the buildings outside of the actors’ window exploding and collapsing, the shot relies on mise-en-scene and movement within the frame to carry the narrative of the scene.  There is a cut to a close-up of the actors’ hands clasping, with a quick eyeline match exchange to punctuate the moment. The sequence closes with a final establishing shot.

This scene, simple as it may seem, does well to demonstrate fundamentals in filmmaking/editing decisions and emphasizes the resolution of the movie.      

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog 4

Did you know that, in the Star Wars movies, Chewbacca’s fur was made with a combination of human hair and yak fur?  You can discover that fact and plenty more about film makeup and prosthetics at the Museum of the Moving Image! The tour that I was on covered topics pertaining to the history of the moving image ranging from makeup, cameras, screenwriting, interactive gaming, photography and portraits, audio recording and even a specific interactive opportunity to create our own film flipbook.  However, one of the most fascinating exhibits involved costumes and makeup artifacts from Hollywood films. In addition to Chewbacca’s iconic fur suit, the fat suit from Mrs. Doubtfire and the entire collection of costumes from the Oscar winning movie Chicago are part of an ongoing display.  Perhaps one of the more enlightening aspects of this exhibit was the reveal of the fact that the costumes, while they might appear one way, are designed with hidden features and unique fabr...
Read more

Audio Transcription

ZOOM0002.WAV  D:  So a few years ago[02:44:28.05], I went to this summer camp where we experimented making movies, it was more of a beginners' thing[02:44:34.16].  So, this took place at some college, can't remember where it was.  So, we grouped up in, we were in groups of four and there were about three groups and we just went..  we did the filmmaking experience from the beginning so we wrote the script, then we filmed it then we edited it afterwards.[02:44:55.16]  and then we all shared what we did with the rest of us.  So the movie that we did, it was, I was the main star and it was about me standing up to a group of bullies.  [02:45:16.02]  I know, ... So I wouldn't say that this experience, uhh, I wouldn't say this shaped my worldview from that point, but it gave me an appreciation for the work that goes into making certain media.  [02:45:38.15]  I kinda developed an interest in filmmaking.  I knew I definitely did not wan...
Read more