Audio / Moving Image (last assessment 2023) GapFill

The Shape of Water © Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2017

Fill in the missing words below to complete the analysis of mise en scène in The Shape of Water (2017):

It is incredible how much information you can gather about a film’s story just by looking at a single shot. Since this is   a wide-anglea medium longa longa crane shot, there is more scope to pack information into the image than what a close-up would allow.

The two characters in the forefront of the frame can be seen with complete clarity and texture, unlike the far corners of the room, which are slightly out of  depthpacefocuslight. As is the case with most film shots, the main action of the scene is positioned in the central third of the frame – this framing device is visually pleasing across media products and is widely known as the  law of threerule of thirdsthree-part tricktriple rule. The use of this device tells us that the relationship between these two characters is central to the story. The director has avoided using  an overhead shota Dutch anglea low anglea frontal angle as this would make the shot look two-dimensional. By placing the camera at a slight angle, this also creates a sense of unbalance, making for asymmetrical  productionpacecompositiondirection.

We can tell by the  comparisondifferenceslackjuxtaposition of hair, costume and make-up that the woman is fairly modest and not particularly wealthy. Her turquoise dress suggests she might be a cleaner or a nurse. The make-up and the lack of clothes of her partner suggest that he is a mysterious amphibian creature. We learn about his situation through the use of  propscostumespecial effectsmake-up – most significantly the metal shackles round his neck, which suggest he is a prisoner. This also informs what we know about the  storysettingcharactersstage. We are clearly in some form of lab or facility where this kind of creature could be held prisoner. We can also tell a lot about the relationship between these characters through  musicgesturefigure expressioncasting – they gaze longingly into each other’s eyes, with open mouths, suggesting there is a romantic attachment between them. This is further emphasised by the tender body language of both characters. In terms of lighting, an attempt has been made to create a gloomy, somewhat menacing world. This has been achieved through  desaturationfilteringshadingsaturation of the image – this mutes the colours and makes everything seem less vibrant. The shot also appears to utilise  functional lightingside lightinglow-key lightingsilhouette as there is stark contrast between the dark areas of the frame and some of the lighter areas.