Creating the Outsider Audience in Film - Essay Example

Creating the Outsider Audience in Film Introduction The specific films, there are different concepts and theories that can be applied. When looking at The Naked City, there are different connotations that are used to create a specific level of communication from the film and to the audience. The mise en scene, cinematography, editing, sound and narrative structure all work to create a specific message and atmosphere to the film. When analyzing the first scene, it can be seen that this is created to bring the reader into a different understanding over the film and the themes that apply to this. The story is based on a murder that occurs in New York City as well as the different complications that arise as the detectives try to capture the murderer. However, the way in which this is captured presents a deeper meaning to the culture of New York and the violence that is coming over the city. Most specifically, each of the elements of the film work together to create a feeling that the audience is on the outside of the film and looking into what occurs, instead of belonging to the main story and what is occurring. Mise en Scene The opening scene shows a wide angle of New York City with the water surrounding the city. The wide angle continues by moving slightly from side to side and by changing the focus to go into the city with the angle. The angle then changes from over the city to centering on a sky scraper in the middle of the city with the surrounding buildings framing this building. The lens continues to move back and forth and focuses on several of the buildings. The next cut moves into the city with a focus on one street and several buildings. The wide angle is still used while focusing on the city and the different buildings on the one street. The scene is highlighted by the narrator as he states that the buildings are in the “naked city,” which begins to tell the story of the murder and the detectives trying to solve the specific problem. The scene then changes into showing the buildings at night time, specifically which follows the narration. The angle that is on the camera remains at a wide lens. The next set of scenes begins to move into parts of the city as it is at night. The narrator points out the flag which is outside one building, then moves into an empty theater with a closed down stage. The lighting centers on the middle of the theater, which has no setting and no actors on it. The next cut goes to a set of sewing machines in an empty factory, while still keeping the wide lens. This is followed by a close up of a ship with the bottom angle on the rope. The next cut goes into a man sleeping in a bed in a small apartment. Each of these scenes is used to create a sense of intrigue with the audience and to show the first set of mysterious events. It also shows characteristics of belonging while not being present and looking from the outside (Jameson, 65). Since there is not an awareness of what is being played out in the film, the audience is able to draw into the sense of mystery and is able to see the set of New York as one that contains a specific story that they haven’t heard about yet. Cinematography The lighting that is used is combined to create the same sense of mystery for the audience. The beginning scenes have a balance of light and dark in each cut while showing the wide angle of New York City. This moves to a darker set of lighting with the film when showing the wide lens, which is specific to the narrative talking about the morning and how it has affected the city. The cut then moves to still images that the camera lens zooms into. Each of these has lighting at the top or center of the camera. For instance, the stage has lighting in the center to highlight what the narrator is saying while the rest of the stage is shown as shading. The next cut with the boat shows the lighting at the top of the boat while the other aspects are also shaded. Each of these is used to show a judgment of New York City from the outside, such as what one would notice when first coming into the city. The shaded parts are highlighted as the main part of each frame as they are a darkened area of the film. The lighter areas are always seen as distance, such as the stage and the boat. This highlights the idea of one being on the outside while they are present for the set up of the murder mystery (Jameson, 65). Editing and Sound The editing and sound is the next component of this film to build on the mystery from the beginning. The editing and cuts are done specifically to follow the narrator. The beginning sound has an orchestral background to highlight what is going on in the film. This is followed by the orchestra moving into silence and the narrator introducing the story. The only sound that is heard through the rest of the clips is the narration. The editing that follows this also follows the narration and focuses on the story line to draw the attention of the audience. By combining the narration with the visualization, there is a sense of understanding of the culture of New York City as well as the main story that is about to take place. Narrative Structure The narrative structure is one that is based on a third person perspective. The introduction of the narrator is one that follows the pictures that are being shown in the cinema and which are used to draw a sense of mystery. The narration begins by an introduction of the name of the character as well as a short description of what has happened in New York City, without introducing the murder. The narrator then describes himself as one who is looking in at the murder from the outside. The narration continues by defining a set of metaphors that describe the time of night of the murder and to build a sense of mystery from what has occurred. After this set of clips, the narration changes into a set of dialogues to help build on the murder. However, this beginning provides a different insight into what is occurring and makes the individual believe that they are also looking in at the events that are about to happen. The beginning narration that is used is essential to the movie because it creates a sense of otherness for those watching the movie. Since it is only in the introduction and because the narrator introduces himself as someone just observing events, the audience is able to take the same concept and apply it to their observations in the movie. More importantly, the New York City that is seen from the plane and the different pictures that combine with the narrative make one feel like they are seeing New York City for the first time and that they don’t belong in the story or in the film. The sense of otherness that is created creates cognitive aesthetics, in which the narrative and the cinematography combine to make the audience feel like they are on the outside (Aijaz, 3). For the murder mystery to occur the audience can be drawn in easily by this feeling of belonging on the outside and trying to solve what has occurred without knowing exactly what has occurred. Works Cited Ahmad, Aijaz. “Jameson’s Rhetoric of Otherness and the National Allegory in Theory: Classes Nations Literatures London.” Verso (17), 1994 Dassin, Jules (dir). The Naked City. Hellinger Productions: New York City, 1948. Jameson, Fredric. ‘Third-World Literature in the Era of Multinational Capitalism’, Social Text (15), 1986. Read More