Media Language GapFill

Below is a summary of an extract from 'The City of Magpies' (09:31 to 13:30)

The scene begins with a  panningzoomtrackingstatic shot where the camera moves down and across onto a surfaced submarine against the backdrop of a gloomy ocean and a mountain gleaming with a beacon of light. Immediately following, we cut to  a climbinga trackinga spinninga panning shot of a Magesterium officer walking purposefully through the cramped and dark quarters of the submarine, carrying a document of some sort.

After the officer salutes, there is a hard cut to a close-up of the contents – photos of the 'window' to another world – as  non-diegeticexpositorynarratedemotional dialogue is heard from an as yet unseen character. Underscoring this scene is   diegeticelectronicfoleynon-diegetic sound in the form of ominous drones, adding to the tense and villainous feeling. Cardinal Sturrock and all of the other high-ranking members of the Holy Church are all lit using   medium-keyhigh-keylow-keyneon lighting, illuminating only a small part of their faces to create a dramatic contrast and to further the sinister tone. At 10:21, we cut to   a long shota wide shota mid shota POV shot of the Cardinal from behind, where Father Hugh MacPhail and the other two members are standing up and together – an indication that the power dynamic in the argument is beginning to turn. The  aestheticcolour palettecolour designdesign of the scene is dominated by black, brown and grey, which is starkly broken up by the shiny golds and silver of the religious jewellery. Marisa Coulter is shown to be in a position of power over the Cardinal by being shot from  an acutean obtusea lowa high angle, and being higher up in the  frameoutlinesquarelayout. In the final shot, where Coulter pledges loyalty by symbolically kissing the Cardinal's ring, the camera switches  framefocusattentionlens onto MacPhail to emphasise the distrust and division between characters.