In this medium shot the audience can see Walter and Phyllis in a grocery store. Both are looking at some food which is perfectly placed on the shelf while they are talking about how to kill Plyllis's husband. I believe that this a nice juxtaposition because all all of the food is perfectly stacked representing order however Walter and Phyllis are talking about murder, which obviously is orderly at all. Adding these perfectly stacked food items adds some sort of looming feeling to the scene. This feeling might be the magnitude of what Walter and Phyllis are trying to do. I believe that the shot would be very different without it. This technique of adding items to the shot, called mise-en scene, is used in other shots in addition to this one.
I really liked how you wrote about the juxtaposition of the orderly grocery items and the crazy plan. The aisle they are in is even more innocent because it is the baby aisle. Is their relationship kind of like marriage? (till death do us part).
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting thing is how Neff's hat creates a perfect shadow covering his eyes. Murder is a shady business ya know..?
Michael: any thoughts on the "Baby Food" sign in the background? It's also interesting that the grocery store is such a domestic setting, and these characters are plotting a domestic murder, in a sense. Try developing your ideas more thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteAlso, make sure you proofread your post -- there was at least one spelling error.
I agree with you completely about the contradiction of the setting and the conversation for two reasons. The first is what you stated about order vs chaos. The second is that the grocery store is such a normal, docile, and average place and the comparison between that and murder is so stark that it provides a very intriguing scene. What are your opinions on that as another topic to talk about?
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