'Cutting it' Notes

'Cutting it' is a scene from a TV Drama which we have studied.

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Editing

 

The shots at the start are very quick in transitions with a sharp cut. As the scene progresses the shots get longer to fit in with the mood. When the female character is in the consultants it moves to fades, to fit in with the music. The sound and imagery need to be complimentary for the editing between shots to be effective.  

 

When she is in the consultants it is broken up with shots of him at the cafe waiting for her. The suspense is broken up into blocks and the fades between shots implies time passing. Instead of having all the action in one sequence the spreading of it is very effective to the audience.

 

We think the ring was re-coloured by computing software because realistically a ring isn't that shiny and we believe it to be made to stand out with a small change in lighting focus. The slow motion effect makes the character seem futile and helpless. It also drags out the action of the event and to make it dramatic, (possibly too dramatic).
  

 

Mise en Scene

 

Within the scene the location consists of a equal balance of exterior and interior shots. The consultants office and taxi cab would of been filmed in the studio building, whereas the exterior shots would of taken place outside,(cafe, road and hospital).

The scattered flower pots once the female character is hit increases the sense of tragedy. The idea of them scattered symbolises death and destruction. The floral dress she also wears compliments the flowers. The shot with the ring is very memorable because it was focused on and made very effective. During the scene the characters wedding run was shown during times of uncertainty and emphasises its importance to the characters and the storyline.
Lighting was behind them in the taxi to symbolise they are going away from the light, some bad might happen. The only artificial light is that in the consultants, its unnatural which makes the consultant different from the characters - not being natural and excludes him so he isn't as important.

Sound

Verbal - Dialogue
Verbal - Emotions and thoughts are portrayed through dialogue. It is mixed in with the background noise and tends to be the main source of direction in the scene.

Soundtrack - natural, pauses, silence
Natural - The natural noises in the scene where mostly traffic, passersby and the characters. The accident with the swerving car has a very distinct sound effect. When the male character runs across the road his heart beat is slow and causing us to focus on him. The heart beat emphasises the panic and shock he is suffering, hoping his wife is alive as he runs across the road. The music is synchronised with the heart beat when he's running, (moral dilemma).  

Music scene - themes, stings, bridges and motifs
Music Scene - The consultant scene starts the build up of sad music and tension. The slow beat makes it dramatic but also predictable.  The song playing is a hidden message to the audience "remember what you see", a sad tone then fades out.

Ambient sound - Background noise
Ambient - The dialogue is louder than the diegectic sound of traffic. This sets the scene.

Camera Angles

The two shot shows them together sharing happiness between themselves allowing us to focus on them. In the taxi the shots alternate to who is speaking, when you focus on him talking u can see her in the shot, but when she is speaking you can't see him in the shot. Its only her which could be seen with a selfless meaning.  

Ring is symbolic, by showing that their marriage is important to the relationship and storyline.
 
When she is crying their are mixed emotions. You can't tell whether she has been given good news or bad news. This is hard for the audience to tell so keeps them in suspense for longer until she says "guess what?"

POV - Point of view is given from both characters. This gives a connection between the audience to allow them to see the action in their eyes and feel empathy for them and wanting her to be alive. The only part which is hand held is the running sequence to emphasise the distress and worry.
The ariel shot of them lying down on the ground, distances them from us.