Shawshank Redemption

–Rooftop scene

“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9uGLxRcLpw”

Mise en Scène• This is a French term in film that means, “placing on

stage.” It is the arrangement of everything that is seen on the stage/screen. The director is in charge of overseeing the mise en scène and making sure that all of the elements come together perfectly. These elements are things such as lighting, costume, performance, props and setting.

Costume• The costume should accurately reflect the

character’s personality so that audience can understand them better. This is shown in the rooftop scene, the prisoners have all the same dirty and faded clothing whereas the prison guards have clean and nice looking uniforms. Their costumes show that the prisoners are truly treated like the criminals they are and are thought of as scum to the prison guards. This is important to the narrative so that audiences realise it’s a big deal when Andy walks over to the prison guards in the middle of their conversation. Audiences will realise that the prisoners are not worthy of good clothing, so they are not worthy of interacting with the guards who have much nicer clothing.

Visual Elements• Visual elements are

everything the camera does and how that shows up on screen. Examples of visual elements are shot sizes, camera angles, transitions, camera movement and special effects. Visual elements show how the director has imagined what would happen, the visual elements are the directors tools to make their vision come to life.

Camera Angles• One of the camera angles in this scene was

the birds eye view of Captain Hadley holding Andy at the edge of the rooftop that they’re all working on. This angle showed the viewers the dangerous fall that Andy could’ve had as well as showing how safe Captain Hadley was in that situation. This is important to the narrative because it showed how poorly prisoners were treated in that time. It explained to the audience that Andy should not have stopped working and interrupted the guards’ conversation because he could have had serious consequences. A close up of Andy’s face showed that he wasn’t scared of the consequences which is important to the narrative so that viewers learn that he is a tough character.

Sound• Sound is very important to films because it engages viewers

and makes them pay attention to the narrative. What they hear helps them understand what is going on and how they should be feeling about the situation. Some of the categories of sound are; dialogue, music and sound effects.

Music• Music is an element of sound and it is used

to add emotion to the scene and bring viewers into that moment so they feel connected to the character. The music at the beginning of the scene when Andy and his friends are told they will be working on the roof is played by a type of violin. It’s quite playful and happy sounding. This is important to the narrative because it helps viewers understand that it’s a privilege to be working outdoors. Andy and his friends are happy that they get this opportunity to all work outside together and the happy music helps viewers understand that. The music at the end of the scene after Captain Hadley has agreed to buy them all beers is a slow violin. This helps the audience realise that it’s a rare moment in the prison, and they should all savour this happy memory.