Caitlin Reilly

1:34:00-1:37:30Words: 1330

An Analysis to show how Cinematography, Mise-en-Scene and Sound are used inBlack Swan (2010), directed by Darren Arronofsky.

The sequence I am analysing is taken from the Academy Award winning motion picture Black Swan. The scene involves Nina, played by Natalie Portman, turning from the graceful, elegant and content White Swan into the dark, deceiving and seducing Black Swan.

This scene is one of the most crucial elements of the entire film, and it shows the structure of the narrative at its best.

From the beginning we have seen Nina, a tightly-wound, frightened perfectionist vs. Lily, played by Mila Kunis, the unrestrained, wild antagonist, in this scene we see the attributes of Lily swap with Nina as her dancing shows a sense of elegance and freedom, with no controlled movements, much like a swan.

We first start with a close up shot to help the audience absorb the emotion of Nina as she has recently ‘killed’ who she thought was Lily. We see her confused face as the music connotes her overwhelming tears by using woodwind, a clarinet to be specific, in the orchestra as non diegetic sound which creates an uncertain aura around Nina. However the change of music stays in sync with Nina as her emotions change from white swan to black swan, thus proved by the effective addition of red eyes which

shows added power in her performance.

We have an establishing shot of the stage as Nina as the black swan parades forward in her elaborate, seductive costume bringing constant eye contact with the camera, consequently breaking the fourth wall, this brings tension across to the audience which is then emphasised by using of what I would describe as the uneasy, heavy breathing of Natalie Portman to distinguish a very creepy and powerful effect conveyed by the Black Swan. The mise-en-scene on the stage also adds to the effect of uncertainty in a corrupt environment, the use of the monotone backdrop with the blue gates and crisp chandeliers is quite stunning in itself as it contains a lot of depth and certainly draws your eye to the centre of the stage.

Her movement across the stage is defined by the reflection on the stage floor, proudly made by the prominent stage lighting which creates the pleasant theatre edge experience for the audience, as if they were actually there.

Caitlin Reilly

After engaging eye contact with Nina through her ambiguous make up we feel a sensation of relief as her platonic movement comes to an interval as the eyes of the audience are drawn to her arms, flowing up and down with a neat consistency as if they were wings. To continue this illusion the infinite detail of wings fluttering has been added as a non diegetic sound effect.

Before Nina continues off of stage little feather dimples start to appear on her arms and back, thus starting the transformation of Nina physically turning into the Black Swan, with the help of makeup. The feather dimples are a subtle yet crucial effect added in by the FX team, they begin to reveal the true character within Nina. After She finishes dancing we see her taking in the performance and her movements of the neck are in the same style of what a swan would portray; again, much like other scenes her movement is embraced by the deep breathing of Natalie Portman, without which the eerie and edgy effect that is intended by Darren Arronofsky, would not have been accomplished. Subsequently Nina's passion for the Black Swan wouldn't have come across to the audience which would've left her emotionless and boring to watch.

The main aspect of the scene after her performance is that there is only one section of dialogue, where the other dancer congratulates Nina on her performance.

The camera follows Nina after her performance as a visual motif to draw the audience in to what is about to happen. As she is walking we see the feather dimples continue from her chest and shoulders to her arms in a close up shot, which begins a very arty sequence where the phenomenal special effects complete Nina's dream of perfection, by dancing the Black Swan by consequently becoming the Black Swan.

The prickling sound effect of the feather quills penetrating her skin sends a cold rush down the spine of the audience as the camera draws back

to her face we watch and take in the elegance and freedom of her body.

A master shot follows Nina as with every movement she makes she gradually changes into the black swan, developing feathers on her arms and chest, as seen in the picture. The precise detail of the special FX shows how much care the director put into perfecting this sequence, the curving of the individual feathers really added the extra idea of there being a mask over Nina.

The music following this dance, created by an Orchestra really reveals the beauty of this dance and makes it ever more so a thrill to watch. The added mise-en-scene and establishing shot of the audience and the orchestra in the theatre embellishes Nina’s achievement, and the lighting simply bounces off of the floor creating an enchanting tone

on the feathers.

The ambitious ending of the dance was achieved to a very high standard as the big ending of the orchestra brings you to the illustrated shadow of Nina’s alter ego the Black Swan. The composition of this shot symbolises perfection, by using two shadows I can tell that there are two key lights on her, and with the audience being barely visible the direction

Caitlin Reilly

of the eyes of the audience were intentionally meant to be on Nina. The unnoticeable switch between White Swan and Black Swan seeps through with resounding colours, with a quick costume change and different lighting. Nina has achieved her dream, and the shots express her emotion by including many close ups of her face to express the emotion and the medium shots showing her back to the camera as a silhouette justifies her emotions. This scene is extremely visually pleasing and it allows the audience to feel empathy towards Nina, however it is also a shock for the audience after what they had just experienced in the choreography.

After Nina takes in the emotions she needs to release them. As the camera follows her off stage we are reminded of how she had previously been naive about fighting to be the Black Swan, but now she embraces it by kissing Thomas Leroy, played by Vincent Cassel, as an accomplished Black Swan. This scene is embraced by Thomas being mid speech

which makes the scene equally unexpected for the audience. The camera angle emphasises Nina being above her emotions as it’s placed at a low angle. She then backs off, with the camera at a high angle and with string instruments in the music it reveals her innocence and vulnerability. Nina then goes to please the crowed again and we watch her leave to the stage with a long shot, the camera then cuts back to Thomas where we see his surprised face, which sums up the emotions of the audience, which additionally makes the directors intentions for

this scene clear.

The atmosphere of this sequence is incredibly beautiful and sublime, with some hidden darkness which lurks at the depths of the Black Swan. The mise en scene is incredibly important as the whole sequence is highly dependent on the lighting, costume and make up, which gracefully brings out the beauty of the Black Swan and Natalie Portman. The sound of this sequence brings emotion to the dancing and in some ways replaces dialogue, it is incredibly precise and the attention to detail is what makes it beautiful. The cinematography brings an angle of emotion to the sequence too, it shows us how we’re feeling and it makes us see more elements of scenes which we wouldn’t have seen had it been shot differently.