How does the use of editing and cinematography create sadness in Charlie's mental breakdown sequence in The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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The sequence opens as Sam and Patrick are leaving the main character, Charlie, as they move away to college. The performance of both actors, Emma Watson and Logan Lerman, paired with their body language and facial expressions show their obvious sadness about this situation. The camera is hand held and so shakes slightly, telling me Charlie feels unstable about his friends moving away. Along with this, the non-digetic music playing along with the scene is slow and uses string instruments, music that typically accompanies sad, depressing scenes.

A convention used in drama films is present in this part of the sequence. This genre focuses on its narrative and what the plot is about, normally following the life of an individual and their struggles. The narrative of a drama film is about real life situations, therefore, the characters and their surroundings must seem "normal." This convention is used in the sense that Charlie has to deal with the emotions he feels as his friend’s leave, something many people experience, making the film more relatable, encouraging more people to watch it.

A straight cut then leads us onto a mid-shot of Sam sitting down in the car. The camera shake is less noticeable, suggesting that she is saddened by this situation but not to the same degree that Charlie is. The more apparent camera shake reappears when a straight cut takes us to a close up of Charlie, standing in the drive way. Again, this reinforces the idea that he is distraught at the events and is becoming more unstable as he realises he is about to lose his friends.

To illustrate further how heartbroken and bewildered Charlie feels, a flashback shows a scene that was played earlier in the film. In the shot, Charlie and Sam are kissing and as he pulls away, he looks dazed. The straight cut to an over the shoulder shot reveals Sam's response, showing me she is concerned for Charlie and that she knows he is extremely uncomfortable but doesn't understand why. The low-key lighting darkens the location behind Charlie, representing his dark past which is revealed later in the film. Charlie hasn't yet told Sam about his past, hence the reason why the environment behind her was brighter.

Another straight cut is used to bring the film back to the present day where the final goodbyes are said. An extreme long shot allows us to see the car drive off, leaving behind a heavyhearted Charlie. A straight cut reveals another flashback, except this is a scene we have never seen before. An extreme close up of a hand rubs up against someone’s body, the camera tilting up slowly to reveal the hand belongs to Charlie's aunt. Another straight cut takes us back to Charlie in the present day, looking discontent. It is quite a long take with no dialogue to highlight the expression on Charlie's face. I feel this was included in the film to show how Charlie is slowly coming to terms with what his aunt done.

An extreme long shot shows a long road, Charlie coming into shot on the horizon. At this point, he seems small and isolated as he walks alone. The quick transition from present day to Charlie's younger years is shown by using a straight cut. The line "It'll be our little secret, okay?" and the shot of a younger Charlie, nodding to confirm whatever they were discussing is kept confidential. This reveals that their secret is the reason why he is suffering in the present day. Many snappy straight cuts then separate the past from the present, making the sequence seem choppy, showing how unorganised and messed up Charlie feels in his own head. Additionally, a split screen is used to show Charlie in multiple positions walking up the road. The two Charlie’s that walk behind the main one at the front may represent how his dark past is coming back to haunt him and it is always a burden, following him around.

When Charlie enters his house, there is a long shot using a canted angle, showing how distraught and mad Charlie is becoming. With the diegetic sound of the door closing, a straight cut leads to a flash back of Charlie's aunt dying in the car crash. The colour of the truck speeding towards the car is red, a colour that has connotations of blood, death and danger. The high key lighting caused by the bright headlights of the truck can represent "going towards the light" a saying which is associated with death, in this case, the passing of Charlie’s aunt. This gruesome, sad scene is then followed by multiple, short, shots of family photos in Charlie's house, separated by straight cuts. This is a juxtaposition of the previous scene, the first shot showing death is then contrasted by showing the happy childhood memories.

Another straight cut goes back to the canted angle shot where Charlie proceeds to bash his head against the door. The childhood photos return, this time, shown in an extreme close up. I feel this is done to show how Charlie, as he grew, lost his innocence as the next shot is another flashback to when the police came and told Charlie’s family his aunt had died. The sad non-diegetic music continues, making the sequence more emotional. Above all the noise, we start to hear Charlie chant, “It’s all my fault”, referring to the death of his aunt. This makes me feel sad because his aunt acted like the victim and made him feel guilty, even though he had done nothing wrong.

A straight cut then shows a long hallway. This shot uses low key lighting as the start of the hallway is lit dimly and the end is in complete darkness. Two jump cuts are then used to speed up how fast Charlie walks down the hallway. I feel this was an important sequence to include because it may represent Charlie looking back on the dark times in his life, the jump cuts showing how fast he is spiralling down into depression. A straight cut then shows a long shot of Charlie with his back to the camera, sitting at his desk. Again there is low key lighting, representing the dark thoughts he is reliving through a series of flashbacks.

A particular flashback stands out amongst the rest. Charlie relives a fight from earlier on in the film. When Charlie is about to punch the other character, there is a close up of his face and the whole shot is out of focus. This shows his aggressive outburst was a blur and that he didn’t realise what he was doing at the time because he was blinded by his anger. Yet, before he is about to swing, a straight cut flashes an image of his Aunts face for a split second, zooming in dramatically. Another straight cut then takes us back to the fight scene, the other character involved recoiling from the punch. The importance of this is to show how Charlie is beginning to realise the vile things his aunt done to him as a child. This is again a convention of a drama film as it is dealing with a real life situation. The main character was sexually abused as a child, something no one should ever go through yet unfortunately it happens each and every day. The journey that also led him to this climax is also a convention of this genre of film as Charlie’s character developed and went through a series of high and low moments until he reached this pinnacle moment.

                                       

The flashbacks and flashes forwards to the present day increase in number but the length of the shots decrease. The reason behind this is to show how conflicted Charlie is feeling. He is starting get his head around the fact that his aunt abused him but he is finding it difficult to come to terms with it. Next, a slow zoom into an extreme close up of the back of Charlie’s head is shown. It makes me feel like I am trying to put myself into Charlie’s body to try and empathise with him and understand how he is feeling in this situation. This creates sadness as I am not able to imagine how tough it must be for Charlie to realise what he had been through.

Towards the end of the scene, straight cuts are used to show several shots of Charlie’s house. The rooms are empty and therefore show how Charlie is feeling isolated and alone. This makes me feel sad for Charlie as no one is there for him in his time of need. This feeling of loneliness is reinforced as Charlie wanders into his kitchen, remembering (through the use of flashbacks) what he saw as a child, his aunt in a distressed state with self-harm scars on her wrist. A straight cut leads us back to Charlie, standing in his kitchen, the camera panning from left to right and tilting down slowly to reveal a knife on a chopping board beside Charlie. For me, this sequence is extremely upsetting as it ends on a slight cliff hanger, leaving me wonder whether or not Charlie went through with self-harming as a way of releasing his bottled up anger.

The Shining analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9rdOAD8Vn8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNaddvSPWj0

The scene opens with a mid-shot of Jack being dragged across the floor as the camera tracks from right to left. A straight cut is used to then show a long shot of Wendy dragging Jack whilst the camera tracks forwards. The mise-en-scene of the knives on the wall and the sign showing the chef’s office allowed me to infer that she was taking Jack to the pantry as it was shown previously in the film and as it was locked so it ensures Jack won’t escape. This made me feel more confident that both Wendy and Danny would be safer. The knives on the wall could be used as weapons and therefore is a convention of a typical horror movie.
A straight cut shows Wendy at a low angle, showing that although she was the victim, she is now dominant over Jack and she is in control of the situation. However, another straight cut reveals a close up of her face. The performance of Shelly Duvall and the fact a close up is used shows the panic as she is unable to open the door. The short takes show her panic and an eye line match is used to show that she is glancing at Jack, making sure he doesn’t become conscious. Another close up of the door’s bolt and Wendy unlocking the door makes me feel more at ease as now I feel more certain that she will be able to keep herself safe with Jack locked away.
Once Jack is safely inside the pantry, my suspicions are confirmed as Wendy grabs the knife as a means of protection. A low angle of Jack is then used, allowing him to loom over the camera and show his dominance and that he is becoming more mentally unstable. The introduction of the high pitched non-diegetic music creates suspense and tension as it builds up, whilst Jack tries to emotionally blackmail his wife. This film is classed as a psychological horror as the horrors are supposedly inside Jack’s head and it is visible in this scene as his personality alters drastically. This can show that Jack is losing his true identity and in place he is becoming slowly psychotic. The loss of identity is also another convention of horror films.
Jack then reveals how he has stopped the radio and snow cat from working, putting Wendy in a vulnerable position. She is isolated, stuck in a hotel in the middle of nowhere with no escape with a person who is going to potentially kill herself and her son. Jack’s performance and how he altered his identities made me feel weary of Wendy’s and Danny’s survival, making me fear for their lives.

At the beginning of the scene, an extreme long shot of the hotel establishes their location. It is at the point within the film where the family is confined the hotel and its grounds due to the extreme weather conditions. The mise-en-scene of the snow covering the location reminds the audience of their predicament which is that Jack is slowly going insane and his wife is trying her hardest to protect herself and her son. The extreme long shot shows the hotel as being tiny compared to its surroundings, introducing the first convention which is typical of the horror genera, isolation. Another convention also present at this time is fog which can conceal things and make the location seem eerie.
A straight cut leads us to the next shot, a mid-shot of jack wearing a red coat which has connotation of blood and death. The mise-en-scene of his clothing may foreshadow events such as him spilling the blood of someone else or even him dying later on in the film. Jack lies in the pantry as the camera zooms out slowly. As more of the scene is revealed, we get to see more bags and boxes that contain the colour red, again linking with the connotations of that colour.
A knocking sound is then heard and we know it is diegetic as Jack reacts to the sound, opening his eyes and sitting up to respond to the noise. We then discover the person is Grady and as he announces he is there, I noticed his voice is an echo. Echoes can be considered as a convention to the horror genera as echoes are often heard in huge, empty places. For an echo to be heard in the hotel it suggests it is empty, bringing back the feeling of isolation.
As the camera begins to pan left slightly, green tins start to come into the shot. There is a theory surrounding the film which suggests ‘The Shining’ is based on the killings of the Native Americans as the Americans took over the land. The common colours often worn by Jack and Danny are red, white and blue, the colours of the American flag and there is context at the start of the film when the family are told the hotel is built on an Indian burial point. The introduction of the green tins to the predominant colours (red, white and blue) has connotations of sickness and by using those in the mise-en-scene in this particular shot it can portray the message that the death of the Native Americans was a disgusting act. Once Jack stands, the camera tracks from right to left, following his movements to the door and it also reveals an abundance of green coloured objects, reinforcing the idea of the sickness rooted deep within the American history.
A straight cut to a mid-shot of Jack shows him side on as he slouches over the door. As he straightens out his body, the camera pans from right to left, revealing a stack of tins with an image of a person wearing an Indian headdress. Above those tins are more green tins, reinforcing the previous point of the film representing the sick killing of the Native Americans.

Cold mountain - Group analysis

At the beginning of the sequence, there is an establishing shot with the camera tracking from left to right. It is an extreme long shot of a man trekking through the snow to show the mise-en-scene, the vastness of the landscape compared to the small, seemingly insignificant man. The music is non-diegetic and is peaceful, implying that the surroundings have not been disturbed and it allows us to rule out this film being a thriller or horror as this is not a convention of those genres.

There is then a straight cut to a long shot, focusing on the male character. The camera zooms towards the man, highlighting that he is an important character within this part of the film. Additionally to this, the camera also pans upwards, revealing the distant mountains that represent the distance between the character and his girlfriend. The character sits down, changing the levels and showing he is weak, tired and inferior.

Another straight cut to a mid shot shows both the man’s expression and clothing. His expression is sad and tired, adding to the mise-en-scene along with his black clothes, linking to the idea that he is impure and depressed.

Parallel editing occurs, taking us from the man in the snow to a woman at home. The camera zooms in on the woman’s face very slowly as though I am trying to get into her thoughts and see how she feels. However, this may also show time passing as she is distant from her lover. The use of low-key lighting is a huge contrast to the high-key lighting previously used when we were focusing on the man in the snow. The difference in lighting coupled with the narration of the letter suggests the female has lost hope and is feeling negative compared to the male who is physically looking up and has a positive outlook.

The mise-en-scene of this shot depicts several candles, foreshadowing a glimmer of hope for the relationship as candles can provide comfort and warmth in dark times. Also, the staining on her hands makes me feel that her dark feelings are permanent just like ink, something that cannot be easily washed away. The camera proceeds to stay static as we watch the tear roll down her face emphasising her sadness.

The next shot uses a straight cut to a close up of a fire which instantly represents both passion and danger, leading me to feel that the male is determined to get to his girlfriend, no matter what the consequences are. The camera then tilts upwards whilst panning from right to left to reveal a man at the fire. Another straight cut to an over the shoulder shot allows us to see another man walk into the shot, this shows that he is not alone on his journey.

The low-key lighting used within this scene shows that the men are concealing themselves and that they don’t want to be found, suggesting they are wanted fugitives. The next shot uses a low angle to show the men lying down which suggests that other, superior people are hunting them and they are trying to stay low as they have a target on their back. Another straight cut leads us to witnessing a man sitting up coughing. The camera pans to the  human meat which shows how the males are living barbarically and are doing everything possible to survive, even when it is ethically wrong.

An eye line shot is then shown of a man peering up over a log with the diegetic sound of a horse. This shows us something has captured his attention and he remains in the low-key lighting, concealing himself. This makes me feel he is suspicious of the other men who have showed up and foreshadows arguments and fights at a later time.

The diegetic sound of the violin playing is introduced to ease the situation before it gets out of hand, showing us the men need to be calmed down before they do something reckless. This again reinforces the idea that there is tension between the characters and foreshadows fights. The straight cuts, matching on action, shows the conflict between the men who are singing and trying to keep the peace and the blond male who sits alone. The low key lighting surrounding the lone man suggests he is someone to be watched and has an evil character which could bring trouble.

The eye line match following the man who stands up gives me the impression that the characters are wary of each other and there is a lack of trust. The next mid shot of the characters uses a soft focus to highlight that the man standing up is the most important in this situation and is about to take control of the situation. This is then followed by a close up of the side of his face which shows his worried emotions and this gives me the idea that he is aware of something which the others are not.

Parallel editing is again used in this scene, showing the actions of the men gathered around the fire as well as the young man hiding behind the log. This emphasises the distance between these characters and that along the way, they have lost a connection and have parted, losing trust.

Further on in the scene, the blond man stands as the camera pans up to follow him. As he is standing higher than all of the others, it implies he is more superior and powerful. We then witness the scene from the point of view of the hiding man. We get to see and hear everything he witnesses at a safe distance which shows he is still worried about being in that situation.