How does Welles create an air of mystery in the opening to Citizen Kane?

How does Welles create an air of mystery in the opening to Citizen Kane? 

Welles uses a lot of metal fencing in the opening scene. This adds a sense of mystery to the building. The ‘No Trespassing’ sign clearly shows that the house is very secure and visitors aren’t wanted. This would make the audience question what is in the house and why the owners don’t want anyone entering the house. Match fades were used three times on the fences to emphasize the importance of the fences. It also shows how important the house is and gives a sense of imprisonment inside the fences.

There is a good use of non-diegetic music in the opening of Citizen Kane. It is very dramatic and adds a sense of danger to the opening. Without the music the opening would be very bland and a lot of the drama would be lost. It also adds a sense of excitement to the scene, the music grabs the viewer’s attention and without the music the scene wouldn’t be as gripping. The music is also very prominent and is one of the main focuses from the scene.     

In the scene, the weather is very foggy and rather misty. This gives a sense of drama to the scene and gives the viewer the idea that something is going to happen. It also rather creepy. Citizen Kane is a thriller so the creepiness element is very important and the fog and mist in the opening gives the viewer a good idea of what the film is going to be like. The weather is very stereotypical of thriller films. The mistiness and fogginess adds an air of mystery as it suggests the fog is shrouding something.

 There is an extreme close up on the man’s mouth which adds an air of mystery. It doesn’t show who the man is and just focuses on his mouth. He says, “Rosebud” and then the emphasis changes to something else. Throughout the whole scene it is never shown who the man is so it grips the viewer’s attention and makes the audience want to watch on and find out who the mysterious man is. The word “Rosebud” also adds mystery. It appears to be quite a random word to use and it isn’t explained at all in the opening of the film.

In the opening there is a lot of emphasis on a snow globe. There is an extreme close up of the inside of the snow globe which is then zoomed out to reveal that it is a snow globe. The importance of the snow globe isn’t revealed in the opening so it is a very mysterious object that the viewer would expect to be explained in the film. When the snow globe is dropped it smashes. This could be a use of foreshadowing and could symbolize something that happens later on in the film. There is also an unexplained link between the snow globe and the word “Rosebud”. That link also adds mystery.

Throughout the opening of Citizen Kane, there is a light on in the top right hand corner of the shot. It is very mysterious as the viewer does not know where the light is coming from. Eventually, the shot gets closer to the light and it is revealed that the light is coming from a window in the house. This now adds a different air of mystery and the viewer wonders what is in the room. When the light is turned out the music stops very dramatically. This shows that something very important happened inside the room that involved the light being turned off.

When the snow globe is dropped and the man holding it appears to be dead, a nurse arrives on the scene very quickly. This is mysterious as the viewer does not know why the man has a nurse and why she is needed. It is also rather mysterious as to how she arrived so quickly without much of a warning. Also, when she finds the man dead she wraps him up very quickly as though she is expecting the death of the man and she is prepared for it. She doesn’t appear to have a solemn expression on her face and it makes it look like a rather unimportant death as no-one else appears to be made aware of his death.

There appears to only be two people in the house, the man and the nurse. This is rather mysterious as you would expect a house of that size to have more than two people living in it. It also suggests that the man, who appears to be the owner of the house, is very wealthy and can easily afford to live in such a big house. This makes you wonder how he has so much money, why he lives in such a large house with just a nurse and does he have any family. I think that the house is very important to the opening for those reasons and the mystery it creates.

Citizen Kane Opening Notes

How does Welles create an air of mystery in the opening to Citizen Kane?

 

Dramatic music, metal fences/cages, No Trespassing sign- sense of entrapment, foggy/misty, the shots fade between each other, extreme close up on man’s mouth, doesn’t show who he is.

Who is the man that dies?

Why does he say ‘rosebud’? What is ‘rosebud’?

Why does he have a nurse?

Why is the house so secure?

What is wrong with the man?

Why does the light suddenly turn off?

Who turns the light off?

What does the snow globe symbolise?

Why is nobody else in the house?

 

Mise-en-scene

Sound

Diegetic- Snow globe smashing on the ground.

Non-diegetic- Very dramatic, powerful music.

Set and Props 

The large house and the fences are very intimidating and adds a sense of mystery and danger to the house.

The snow globe plays an important role in the opening. It adds to the mystery and it anchors the story together.

Cinematography

Shot type- The camera tilts up the fence.

Shot composition- The light in the top corner is always in the shot, this add importance to the light and adds mystery to it.

Lighting- The lighting is quite dark. The light rises from the window which dramatizes the scene.

Thriller Movie Poster

Thriller Poster Examples

Composition, Framing and Shot Types notes

Composition, Framing and Shot Types

Composition and Framing

Composition – Where objects are placed.

Rule of Thirds – Where lines cross, points of interest occur.

The Golden Mean – Point of interest occur along diagonal line.

Framing – What you choose to include in the shot and what you leave out. What you leave out can be important. A thriller shot might exclude objects to create tension.

Shot Types

Extreme Longshot(ELS) – Subject isn’t clearly visible. Shows subjects surroundings. Establishing shot- where action is taking place.

Longshot – Subject takes up almost all of the frame. Shows character in environment.

Midshot – Some part of the subject is shown in more detail. Like seeing a person in the flesh.

Medium Close Up (MCU) – Halfway between a midshot and a close up. Shows face clearly.

Close Up (CU) – Certain features or part of the subject takes up most of the frame. Useful for showing detail. Emphasizes their emotional state.

Extreme Close Up (ECU) – Shows extreme detail. Need a specific reason to get this close. Important object in detail.

Cut Away (CA) – Usually of something other than the current action. Used as a buffer between shots.

Two Shot – Good for establishing relationships between subjects. Could involve movement or action. Equal prominence in frame.

Over the Shoulder Shot – The shot is framed from behind a person who is looking at the subject. Helps to establish position of each person.

Noddy Shot – Common in interviews. Shows person listening and reacting to the subject.

Point of View – Shows object from someone’s perspective.

Genre notes

Genre

Major Genre – Dominant, important category.

Subgenre – Minor category or subdivision

Hybrid Genre – Combination of major genres

We identify genre by looking at:

·         Generic codes and conventions – signifiers that have been established through time.

·         Signifiers – Physical aspects that we see or hear in a film.

·         Mise-en-scene – what we see in the frame of the film.

Examples

Horror – Human Centipede

Thriller – Shutter Island

Action – Bourne Identity

Comedy – Superbad

Western – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Romance – Dear John

Sci-fi – Star Trek

Period – The King’s Speech

Noir – Night of the Hunter

Silent – The Artist

Musical – Sweeney Todd

Sitcom – The Inbetweener’s Movie

Documentary – March of the Penguins

Romcom – Love Actually

Comic book – Ironman

Christmas – Elf

Biography – The Death of the Sugarman

War – Black Hawk Down

Animated – Up

Adventure – Raiders of the Lost Ark

Fantasy – The Neverending Story

Gangster – American Gangster

Detective – Sherlock Holmes

Mockumentary – Football Factory

Genre – Western

See: Cowboys, horses, guns, cans of beans

Hear: Bullet ricochets, clicking of spurs, smashing bottles, horses trotting

Characters: Cowboys, native Americans, sheriff, deputy

Storyline: ‘This town ain’t big enough for the two of us’

Morals: Kill people, revenge, good vs evil

Examples: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, 3:10 to Yuma

Genre – Gangster

See: Italians, black cars, suits, hats, violin cases, police, cigars, slicked back hair

Hear: Italians, screeching tyres, police sirens

Characters: Head gangster, henchman, policemen, Italians

Storyline: Gang member wants to leave, money owed, police trouble, revenge, Italians

Morals: Gangs mess people up, Italians are involved with the Mafia.

Examples: Scarface, The Godfather, American Gangster

Mise-en-scene and Camera Movement notes

Mise-en-scene and Camera Movement

Mise-en-scene

      Diegetic sound

      Props/costumes

      Non-diegetic sound
     Cinematography

     Editing

Diegesis – the world of the film

Features of Mise-en-scene

Costume/props – What characters are wearing and what objects they use.

Editing – The use of software to manipulate the original film.

Cinematography – How the shot is laid out – positioning, lighting

Diegetic  sound – In context with film, actors/characters can hear.

Non-diegetic sound – Not in context, sound track

Camera Movement

Low Angle Shot – Taken below the subject

High Angle Shot – Shot is taken from above the subject, looking down at it. Gives a sense of helplessness and inferiority.

Pan – The camera moves from right-to-left (or L-to-R)

Tracking Shot – Camera moves on a dolly to follow subject.

Tilt – Camera pans vertically. Gives a sense of size and height.

Canted/Dutch Angle Shot – Camera position is not straight towards the subject.

Zoom In/Out – Camera focuses zooming in or out on a key detail.

Steadicam/Handheld – The camera moves around with the action. Gives a sense of realism.

Crane Shot – Camera takes a high angle shot looking down on the subject.

Aerial Shot – Camera is positioned in a plane or helicopter to get an ELS high angled shot.

Terminator Analysis

When Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character enters the bar, there is a cage blocking his path. James Cameron would have put this in to give a sense of imprisonment. Sarah appears to be trapped in the club and the cage shows that and emphasises her imprisonment.

As the Terminator is walking through the club, the people dancing are wearing contrasting colours. For example, there are people wearing red tops and orange trousers. This adds a sense of warning and adds more tension. It shows that the club is dangerous and something bad will happen soon. 

Notes on Editing

                                         Editing

What is Editing?

Putting clips in order so they make sense.

Transitions

These are the way two shots are joined together. Straight cut is the most common type of transition. Keep continuity.

Dissolve

A gradual transition from one shot to another. Can show a move from one location to another.

Fade to Black/White

One shot fades in or out to or from black or white. Can create a sense of time passing or flashbacks.

Cross-Cutting

Action cuts between two sequences to create links, parallels or contrasts between two storylines. Creates tension.

Analysing Editing – Coldplay-Clocks

When does the shot change?

The shot changes when there is a break in the song or the shot is changing to emphasis to a different member of the band. When the song speeds up the shots change more frequently and at a much quicker pace. This shows that the chorus is more important and the song is at a quicker pace during the chorus when compared to the verses.

What is the effect of the editing?

The editing changes the emphasis from one band member to another. It also shows the change of pace in a song. For example, it speeds up during the chorus.

How fast/slow is the editing?

The pace of the editing is quite slow during the verses but is at a quicker pace during the chorus. The slow pace at the beginning of the song and the gradual incline of pace builds momentum during the song.

Good Day!