Monday, November 26, 2018

Q2 Week 3 Essay on Marvel's clip


The clip from Agent Carter expresses a multitude of both media editing techniques as well as camera angling styles; which include camera shots, angles, movement and composition, editing, sound, and mise-en-scène.

A key component to the viewed portion of the agent carter clip is the use of camera features in the filming of the scenes.  The way the camera is angled and shot in the clips we see has an especially large impact upon the way the viewer sees agent Carter.  By the camera always giving a full angle view and shot of the headquarters where Carter works at, the camera shows clearly how Carter is very much alone being the only woman present and being tucked away in a corner.  The camera angle and shots also manifest their importance in the scenes where agent cater is fighting through only showing her from behind or with very close range and narrow perspectives.  The movement of the camera is also an important part to the way Carter and her surroundings are portrayed through the way the camera follows here as a focus throughout all the scenes to show Carter as the key character the viewer should be focused on.  The camera composition seen in this clip further adds to the clips overall effect through placing the people and physical objects such as when Carter is walking by the car in a very equal fashion to show and bring balance to every scene shown in the clip.  A part where the camera composition is somewhat uneven is when carter’s hand with the gun is shown pointed at the last bad guy’s head due to how much of her hand and gun the viewer sees, and yet so little of the villain’s head. 

The clip from Carter’s TV show also features several examples of editing techniques.  A jump cut is featured between the scenes where Carter goes from hanging up the phone to walking towards the building where the villains are at.  A cross cut is featured when carter and the last villain both have guns and are searching for each other as the image rapidly switches between the two individuals.  A shot/counter shot reaction can also be seen In this clip from Carter’s TV show through the relation between the phone and alarm, her attention every time the alarm goes off, and her boss’s actions towards his men and her when the call comes in. 

Sound effects are also a very key part to the way this video clip is assembled and tied together as well.  A use of diegetic sound in the clip is well seen when Carter can be heard shuffling through papers and moving her desk drawers as information is asked of her.  A crescendo from the clip is very well shown from the change from carter answering the phone to when she is walking to confront the villains.  A diminuendo can be seen in the clip when carter beats the two villains and the music does down as it is just her and the other villain with the gun left.  A sforzando is shown in Carter’s clip when she makes contact with the face of the two villains using her large suitcase.

A final key component to the Carter clip is Mise-En-Scene.  The setting of the large bustling room with continuous activity and the shuffling of papers in the beginning of the clip creates a setting of focused and active people in a very fast paced business.  As the clip progresses, the setting changes to an outside group of men in a building that Carter confronts at night where it is very dark, and as a result the setting becomes ominous and low key.  The only type of lighting shown throughout the entire clip is low key lighting through the dark room, office, street at night, and buildings shown near the end of the clip.  All of the costumes are 1940’s vintage in very dark colors with no bright or outstanding styles that differentiate much between the characters shown.  The clip form Agent Carter mostly features deep space scenes showing in great detail what is behind and, on each character, and individual shown.  In the clip shown, there are several examples of blocking; especially during the confrontations between Carter and her boss at the office.  Furthermore, special effects are used in the opening scene of Captain America crashing the enormous plane into the frozen arctic as he is still talking with Carter. 

Through these several key elements of camera shots, angles, movement and composition, as well as editing, sound, and mise-en-scène, the Agent Carter video clip does a very thorough job of expressing and developing all of these elements. 

 

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