“One Hour Photo” - Ghislaine

What sort of person is the main character?

In these first few shots of the main character he is portrayed as a gentle, seemingly confused man but he is also perceived as a convict.

How do you feel about the main character and why?

At first I feel a slight bit of sympathy for him because he seems disturbed and saddened by the events that are happening to him.

Why have the opening credits been created in this way?

The opening credits have been set like this to emotionally capture the audience and to create a sense of compassion for the man. Also the technique used hints towards a roll of film.

The setting – what sort of atmosphere does this build and how have camerawork, mise en scene, editing and sound helped to create this?

The overall setting of the first scenes creates an unstable, lonely yet professional environment. The camera work used contains a variety of shots but the main one used is close ups, as well as this the main angle used in the shots is a high angle. Mise en scene also help to create this atmosphere as the clothes the main character wears are dull and suggests a lost, lonely man. The location that he is in is plain white and there is only a table and chairs within the room (an interrogation room) this gives a professional feeling to the first scene. The sound used for these first shots is quiet and peaceful, this helps to create the sense of a lonely man.

How do sound, mise en scene, camerawork and editing create the effect of the flashback?

The sound used in the flashback completely contradicts the sound used for the reality of the main character in the interrogation room. This is because the sound that is used for the flashback is quite happy and suggests that the man is reminiscing about good past times. The use of mise en scene also helps to suggest it’s a happy flashback as everything is brightly coloured this also contradicts to the costumes and setting of the police station.

How do aspects of mise en scene and sound work to communicate very different atmospheres between the two places (the police interview room and the family celebration in the garden)?

The mise en scene shows a very professional, plain place with no real feeling and seems to be quite unfriendly. This is because there aren’t any bright exciting colours, the walls and floors are white and all there is in the room is a table and two chairs. The sound here is also plain and quiet reinforcing the unfriendly aspect of the whole place. However, the flashback of the family party has a happy and friendly feel to it because there are bright, vibrant colours everywhere with bright balloons. The sound for the party also has a happy feel to it which gives a friendly feel to the whole flashback.