How does the use of cinematography and mise en scene create meaning?
Opening Sequence:
Cinematography:
- Zoom into an extreme close up of Ofelia’s eye- gate way to her soul/ her soul returning to the fantasy world/ in Ofelia’s imagination or memory? ‘princess’- connects the two together (sound and visuals)
- Tracking shots and pans- fluid, continuous, dynamic to reflect the fantasy dream-like state
- Lack of continuity- duality of Ofelia- goes from POV shot looking up at trees to a over the shoulder shot (multiple perspectives)- relates to first scene and last scene- her soul
- Follow’s the fairy’s point of view (over the shoulder) – the camera tracks with its movements
- Reverse shot- blood coming out her nose being reversed- being re-born as a princess
- Camera tilts up and burns of white lights- rebirth/ reincarnation
- Blue/grey tinted lighting- death- contrast ‘lies no pain’ – misery and grief
- Yellow- warmth of Spain- resetting the scene- later seen in fantasy scenes
- Low key lighting
Mise en scene:
- Image of church ruins- resembles labyrinth- spiral- influence of church during Spanish civil war- critique or damnation of the church- broken and destroyed (watch)
- Fairy/creature/Ofelia’s fairy tale books- fantasy- referencing fables
- Captain Vidal’s watch- reflects his psychology- broken man/obsessed with time of his death (We see his watch before we see his face on the screen)- theme of time – Ofelia running out of time. The clock is stopped- always in that position- Vidal is set in his way and is unmovable- not progressive
- Facist symbols- cars and uniform – link with broken and destroyed church
- Blue uniform- blue colour pallet- misery and death
- Skull- destruction of Spanish civil war
- Blue/ Yellow/ Red- colour pallet
- Blue- Fantasy world/ Yellow- Spain
Performance:
- Ofelia offers her left hand- political statement shows she’s against right wing politics like fascism
- Ofelia doesn’t speak until she sees the fairies- another report of her has been awakened
Pale Man Sequence :
Cinematography:
- Tracking shots- urgency as Ofelia runs down corridor- reverse tracking shots- establishes location- vast and daunting nature of the task
- POV shot inside the keyhole
- Low angle tracking shot- tracks along to pile of shoes
- POV shots- camera tracks to show Ofelia looking around her
- High key lighting/ high contrast- contrast to different worlds
- Reflection from the dagger- contrast Ofelia’s innocence
- Reflection from the hour glass- time running out
- Over the shoulder shot as Ofelia eats the grape- pale man behind out of focus in the background- dramatic irony
- Blue to orange lighting tint
- Close up of hour glass- builds tension
- High angle of Pale man to being shot from a low angle- power shifts
- Shot reverse shot between Ofelia and the pale man
Mise en scene:
- Pile of grey shoes- represents of all the innocent children that were killed at the hands of fascism- comment on the holocaust
- Red Fruit- pomegranate- fertility, maturity and fruitfulness. Red represents blood, danger and suffering- Adam and Eve- fruit
- Church gothic architecture/ aesthetic – fire- looks like a monster/ connotations to hell- connotations of Christianity and death- Catholic church poisoned by the fascist regime
- Paintings- pale man eating children and fairies- Saturn devouring his Son- Francisco Goya painting – evoke pure fairy tales- violent and true morals
- Pale man demonic and skeletal-like figure- represents starvation
- Banquet- Binary Opposition- starvation and famine of Spain/ greed and wealth of fascism – Captain Vidal having banquet in previous scene-
- Yellow and red colour pallet- warm colours/ fantasy
- Hour glass- theme of time
- Pale man’s eyes- stigmata- church guilty of blood shed and death – religious iconography
- Choses the left keyhole- against the right wing politics of fascism
- Church- juxtaposition of hell and heaven- bible being a fairy tale itself- draws parallels from the bible
- Ofelia’s escape to the blue/grey- same shot at start of scene- all happened in her head eventing was as it was before
Performance:
- Pale man- demonic and horror nature- shadow self of Vidal
- Pale man- static- links to Vidal’s broken watch- wants to be in control at the head of the table
- Pale man- stiff and slow- fascism is flawed and will ultimately fail
- Pale man is similar to faun- waiting for years- waiting for Ofelia- destiny- Faun is the pale man trying to test Ofelia
- Ofelia eating piece of fruit- rebelling- foreshadows end of film where her act of rebellion concludes she is the princess- similar to the rebels against Vidal
- Ofelia choses left key hole
- Creakiness of sound links to the visuals
- Pale man and Ofelia- binary oppositions
Emma Coe Film Studies 