The Illusionist (2006)

The Illusionist (2006) - First 5 Mins

Camera Work

The first shot used is a high angled, long shot – this is a point of view shot of the audience watching him, showing how small he is in comparison to his large audience. The following shot is an eye-level, (side-on) long shot this shows the character ‘Eisenheim’, the setting – on a stage with a wealthy audience watching (you can tell this as they are all dressed smartly in suits and dresses) and you can see how he’s positioned in the frame (sat on the stage). A dolly is then used for the next shot so that the camera can pan around the characters face, here a close up is used so that the audience can see the concentration on ‘Eisenheim’s’ face as he is performing his act. A crane shot is then used to go from the front to the back of the theatre so that the viewer can see the audience’s reaction and also to fully establish the setting. The camera then cuts to show the security that has been put in place at the back of the theatre (using a medium long shot so that the audience can fully see the uniform and straight away work out that they are police officers) showing that this is a high end event to which important people attend (otherwise there would be no need for all the security). The camera then pans left through the crowd and pauses upon one member, creating an enigma code as the audience then wants to know want importance he has in this scene. Next cutting to another high angled shot but this time is an extreme long shot showing how insignificant he is compared to the high class audience, it also shows how the crowd are becoming more curious as to what he is going to do. By using a crane the camera comes back down to eye-level to a medium shot, so the audience can see both the character ‘Eisenheim’ and the spirit appearing. The camera then does a medium shot of the woman in the audience so you can see both her reaction and the people around her at the same time. Shot-reverse-shot close ups are used between the characters ‘Eisenheim’ and ‘Chief Inspector Unl’ to show the expression on their faces and how the react to each other – establishing the relationship between them for the audience. A two shot is then used between the two – with the ‘Chief’ standing up and ‘Eisenheim’ sitting down, it shows how the ‘Chief’ is more important and dominant over ‘Eisenheim’. The camera pans right at a medium long shot across the audience so you can see a lot of the audience’s reaction at the same time, it is also the point of view of ‘Eisenheim’ so by seeing what the character sees you know how the character feels and it helps to make the scene seem more realistic. Bird’s eye shots are used so that the viewer can see how the crowd is reacting (by attacking the police). A point of view shot is used for the ‘Chief’ to show the audience his surroundings and how grand they are, as he is looking up at his surroundings it shows how he is over whelmed by what he is seeing and that the person he is off to see him is more important than him. Low angled, medium close ups are still used of the chief as he has just taken down ‘Eisenheim’ so he feels very powerful at the moment.

Sound

The music in this film is all orchestral, this is as the film is set in the 1900s. The music played during the opening credits in mysterious and magical (created by the violins) this gives the audience a sense of what the film is about, as it is about an illusionist named ‘Eisenheim’. Near the end of the opening credits the music becomes faster – increasing the audience anticipation and building suspense, after the increase of speed the music stops all of a sudden, the screen goes black and the first shot is shown. The sudden stop in music creates a bigger contrast between the music played in the credits and the silence in the theatre. The diegetic sounds increase during the scene – starting with the sound of the fire blowing in the wind (which becomes louder when it is in shot), then when the camera has a close up of the character ‘Eisenheim’ you can hearing him breathing heavily showing how hard he is concentrating on his act, rustling is then heard in the background enhancing how silent the character is.  The audience then makes noise by whispering, moving about (creaking of chairs creating an eerie atmosphere). Then the non-diegetic comes in, this consists of short notes being played on a xylophone creating an uneasy and mysterious atmosphere for the viewer whilst the spirit is forming. A lady then gasps, and because the sound so far has been quiet this loud gasp shocks the audience. Then more people start to talk, building the texture up more and more, by using all these diegetic sounds it makes the film seem more realistic. As the police start to get involved the non-diegetic sounds (orchestral music) becomes louder and faster which helps to build up the tension. As the ‘Chief’ beginning to talk the music becomes more powerful, showing that he is a powerful figure. When the camera cuts to outside the theatre is it quiet, contrasting with the noise on the inside. The crowd becomes louder, then when it cuts to the ‘Chief’ walking down the corridor to see the Prince the diegetic music cuts out, contrasting to the previous scene. The music played in this scene seems powerful and evil, this depicts the nature of this character, also the creaking of the floorboards as he walks creates an uneasy atmosphere. As the ‘Chief’ enters the office all non-diegetic sounds stop, to make the scene seem more realistic.

Editing

The first scene fades in making it seems mysterious and magical. The cuts at the being are slow, as there is no action going on so no need to build up tension for the viewer. As the spirit appears and everyone begins to react, the cuts become faster to show how angry and mad the audience is, also to increase the action and tension. In the next scene the cuts are slower as the ‘Chief’ is just walking towards the office so the atmosphere is a lot calmer than the previous scene.

Mise-En-Scene

During the opening credits moving images are put behind the writing to give the viewer hints on what the film is going to be about, for example a butterfly, a castle, a clip of people on a busy street – from this you can tell that that film is set in the 1900s as they are smartly dressed and wearing elegant hats. A shot of the theatre is also shown, hinting at the setting of the film. We also see horse and cart which was around in Vienna (setting of the film) during the 1900s. The character ‘Eisenheim’ isn't dressed smartly in a suit, unlike his audience showing that he is probably middle-class and the audience is more upper-class. The characters shown standing at the back are dressed smartly with hard hats on, connoting that they are policemen/guards.

The film uses only natural lighting to make the film seem more realistic as this is a period film. All characters seen wear light, natural make-up this makes them more appealing to the eye. The film is set in the 1900s in Vienna, Italy you can tell this from the clothing and the transport used (as spoken about previous).