How is the representation of age, family and relationships shown through the use of camera, mise en scene, editing and sound in this clip from Blackpool?
Throughout the opening of the piece I identified a number of techniques which the director used to portray the use of representation of age, family and relationships. I focused on the mise en scene, camera, editing and sound of the film. This essay will go on to examine these in more detail.
At the beginning of the film we see a crane shot of a man and a woman sitting on a sofa. This rising shot introduces the characters to the audience. The shots between the husband and wife include long shots and wide shots. The relationship between these two characters is shown through the colour of their costume as they are both wearing bright pink coloured clothing. This suggests they are old fashioned and not very modern. The fact they are both wearing pink connotes that they are colour co ordinated. These characters are dressed younger than their age.
The scenery of the living room is very symmetrical. For example, the fruit bowl infront of them on the table and the stack of wine bottles behind them on the shelves. This symmetry shows that they are very orderly and precise with their positioning of things. Everything in the living is white and gold, this suggests that the couple are rich and opulent. Their house is very smart, clean and tidy, this also implies that they are very wealthy and take good care in the appearance of their house. It communicates they are upper class and are quite fancy.
Another two characters appear in the house, the daughter and her boyfriend. They are wearing more modern clothing. The way they are dressed makes the two characters look older than they are. For example, the daughter is wearing a cream coloured suit, this makes her look very classy and sophisticated. However, the boyfriend is dressed in jeans. This demonstrates that he is not trying to impress his girlfriends parents in any way. He looks more relaxed in what he is wearing. The boyfriend dresses younger to make him and his girlfriend look like a couple as he looks a lot older than her. They are both wearing dull and ordinary colours in contrast with the parents. It is almost as if the parents and the younger couple have switched roles.
When the daughter introduces her boyfriend to her parents, the noise of a bell is suddenly heard. This is to fill in the awkwardness. It also shows how unstable the situation is. When the father sees his daughters boyfriend, the audience can hear his reaction inside. You hear his anger building up as he realises the age difference between them.
The scene then changes to the four of them sitting around a table, they are directly opposite eachother. The parents go on to questionning the boyfriend. The father talks the loudest and his voice is very firm and blunt. This shows that he has authority and power over the conversation. He speaks his kind and tries to make the boyfriend feel awkward. On the other hand, the mother has a much more calmer voice and she is more laid back. They seem very protective over her and worried about her choices for a boyfriend. The colour of the room is very bright as the sun beams through the windows that they are in. This is contrasted with the atmosphere in the room. There are a number of close ups of each character during this conversation. They show the characters identity.
The mother and father are not always close compared to the daughter and her boyfriend. The boyfriend sits with his arm around her, this shows they are connected with eachother. They seem the more romantic couple out of the two. The boyfriend is very relaxed as he sits back with his legs crossed.The daughter is very defensive over her boyfriend as she always answers her father back first before he can answer the question. This shows she has strong feelings for him. However, when the boyfriend does answer he comes across as cocky and sarcastic. He seems full of himself and answers in a jokey like way. The way he responds shows that he is immature for his age and he is acting younger than he is.
The daughter is the one who decides it is time for the couple to leave. She chooses to leave before things get out of hand. As everyone stands up, the audience can see that the boyfriend reaches out to shake the fathers hand. However, the father ignores this hand gesture and puts his hands in his pocket. This non verbal language suggests the father is stubborn and rude as the boyfriend is trying to be polite and respectful.
The scene then changes to the parents bedroom which is highly decorated. This is a contradiction with what they were wearing. In the bedroom the mother defends her daughter, this suggests she just wants her daughter to be happy and wants what is right for her. The father does not contradict his wife in the scene, this implies in relationships women normally get the last say in things. As he gets into bed he makes loud huffing noises. This communicates that he is tired and of a middle age. Movements between sheets is the final diegetic sound that is heard. This shows a close relationship between two people as they are getting close to one another. It also shows the relationship between the husband and the bed as he is getting comfortable to sleep.
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