Analysis of the film Black SwanBlack Swan is a 2010 artistic psychological thriller film directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Natalia Portman and Mila Kunis. This story in this film is told from the point of view of Nina, a young ballerina who is very committed and determined to succeed in the world of dance. However, when she was given the role of the Swan Queen in the ballet company's new production, the pressure and competition she faced as well as her exploration of her darker side ultimately led her to losing grip on reality and sinking into madness. This article will analyze the use of scenes, sound, cinematography and editing in Black Swan. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay The opening scene of the film begins with the Swan Lake soundtrack playing as background music and black feathers appearing in the background. 'screen. Then, the sound effect of blowing wind and echoing laughter appear as the title of the film manifests on the screen. The same Tchaikovsky soundtrack plays throughout the film, but the sound effects that gave the classical music an eerie twist have already given a mood of suspense and eeriness to the film. The first shot we see is a long shot of the protagonist Nina, who is wearing a pure white ballet dress. The audience cannot yet see her face since her back is turned to the camera, but she is highlighted by a side spotlight that illuminates one side of her silhouette. The whole setting has a smoky quality, and the single light source protruding from the otherwise jet-black space creates a very dramatic effect, suggesting that this is a dream or fantasy. Then the camera closes in for a medium close-up of her dancing feet. This technique is also repeated several times in the film to draw us into Nina's personal space, because as a dancer, her feet are a very intimate and important part of her. Most shots, except for close-ups of his feet, are at eye level; the camera is likely hand-held throughout this scene (as well as all other dance scenes involving Nina) as it surrounds her and follows her movements as if she were dancing with her, allowing the audience to feel the the exhilaration she feels while dancing. Around 2:28, she descends to the ground and the audience sees her face for the first time while the backlight creates strong shadows on her face. Then, from the shadows behind her emerges a faceless predatory figure that begins to follow her and make threatening movements. With a sudden special effect, the faceless figure finally took the form of a monster that grabs Nina and manipulates her movements. As she struggles to escape, she dances towards the light sources moving away from the camera as the scene gradually fades to black, consuming the white swan. This opening scene is very significant because it establishes the black versus white symbolism that is used repeatedly in this film, and it also foreshadows how the film's storyline will develop. The fact that Nina is dressed in white and looks fragile symbolizes her innocence and emotional vulnerability. Nina is also completely surrounded by darkness in addition to this single source of light, implying that there is danger, fear, and impurity lurking in her life, waiting to finally swallow her up. The appearance of the monster could symbolize the frightening turn her life is about to take, one that leaves her helpless and destroys her. The theme of light and dark colors is explored through the juxtaposition ofNina and Lily. As we can see through the moments when Nina's face suddenly appears on Lily's body, Lily is meant to represent the "shadow self", or Nina's dark alter ego. Generally, a white, gray, or pastel suit means a character is virtuous, while black, red, or dark shades mean a character is evil or calculating. Lily, whom Nina perceives as a rival, always wears black. While Nina wears minimal makeup when not on stage and dresses in light colors, not only are Lily's clothes black, but her makeup, hair, and skin are all darker than Nina's. This representation shows that Lily is a more mature, independent and sensual character than Nina. However, during Nina's transition, we can see that her choice of clothing more closely resembles what Lily wears. Colors are also used to depict Nina's transition and progression as a character. At first, when Nina just woke up, she was wearing a pale pink nightgown, while everything, including her sheets, the grapefruit she ate for breakfast, the furniture, and the naturalistic light coming from the window , has a powdery pink hue. Later, Nina also appears on the train wearing light gray sweatpants and a fluffy pale pink coat, while everyone else on the train and on the street is dressed in black. Then, as she slowly transitions, Nina goes from white at the beginning of the film to dark red lipstick, and gradually she begins to wear more gray, then dark gray, until she plays ultimately the role of the black swan. dressed all in black. This gradual change in colors on Nina's costume and makeup represents her change in personality, as she goes from a pure, sweet girl to a paranoid, crazy, forward-thinking, independent black swan. Although both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are present in In This Film, internal diegetic sounds are more important in shaping the main character. Internal diegetic sounds were used during the club scene around 52:10; the dance music seems muffled and all the voices seem distant to show the audience how drugs and alcohol influence Nina. Later, when Nina thought she was bringing Lily home, their dialogues are also internal sounds that only Nina can hear. The same internal diegetic noises become more frequent as Nina's mental state deteriorates. Around 1:07:07, when she saw the pictures on her mother's wall, the loud whispers that seem to be coming from the pictures are actually in her mind. Then, at the film's climax around 1:16:35, when Nina transforms into a black swan, the continuous sound effect of wings flapping, feathers rustling, and wind is only heard by Nina when the feathers and the imaginary black wings grow. outside of his body. This is a bass-heavy, almost ambient sound effect that isn't very distinct at first, but if viewers watch it with headphones or in a very quiet space, this sound would give them chills in the back. The internal diegetic sounds provide insight into Nina's disturbed mind so that the audience can experience her emotions of extreme paranoia, fear, and elation from her perspective. The film's setting is carefully constructed to represent Nina's life and personality. As we can see in the first establishing shot of Nina's room around 2:11 p.m., her room looks like the kind of room a ten-year-old girl would have, with pink floral wallpaper and sheets, dolls , stuffed animals, lace lampshades, and cream-colored furniture. In this scenespecific, she is also treated like a little girl by her mother, who asks her to brush her hair, tuck her in, and play her a soothing lullaby. This setting therefore represents Nina's innocence and the fact that the mature woman within her is repressed and constrained by external forces. Another notable element is the use of mirrors in many of the film's settings. There are large mirrors in Nina's apartment that she uses daily, mirrors in dressing rooms and dressing rooms in the theater, mirrors in rehearsal rooms, and mirrors on the train. In most of the mirror scenes, we can see Nina's figures reflected by the mirrors so that the audience can have the illusion of seeing many of her faces; in a scene where Nina is doing her fitting, one of her mirror images even gains independence and begins to act without her. We can therefore deduce that the mirrors represent Nina's duality and her split personality, and how her two opposing sides are now fighting each other. The mirrors also emphasize Nina's unreasonable obsession with looking and acting perfect. The editing style of this film is very conventional for the thriller/horror film genre. The pace of this film tends to pick up as the scene intensifies and the suspense builds, which is achieved by rapid edits from one shot to the next. For example, when Lily is first seen as a character, the camera first follows her off the train with a quick pan, then the scene quickly cuts to the back of Nina's head, then a cut to the 'front of his head, then again. a jump cut to another shot of the back of his head. Not only does this show Nina rushing to get to the studio and implying that Lily is an important character, but it also creates the tense feeling that a pivotal event is about to happen, namely the locker room scene when Lily suddenly appears. Additionally, this technique is also used during Nina's sexual fantasy scene with Lily. The scene quickly cuts from Nina's face to Lily's face, then to their hands touching, then finally builds to a mini climax of a POV shot from Nina's point of view where she is being choked by her evil double. It can be inferred that when editing happens faster and the duration of each shot becomes shorter, an important event will occur. Some unusual shots and framing techniques are used in this film. Around 9:03, Nina was framed separately by placing the wall behind her, preventing her from being in the same frame as the other dancers; with the sudden silence in the background and Nina practicing the ballet hand gestures alone, this framing shows that she is isolated and lost in her own world. There are also many close-ups of the face and body parts like hands and feet. Nina's face is often shown large in order to emphasize her emotions. For example, when she made a mistake while dancing the white swan on stage, her extremely terrified expression as she was lifted into the air is shown in close-up. At 1:43 p.m., while she was dancing in her room, her feet are filmed in close-up and edited in slow motion to emphasize the strength and delicacy of each turn. There is also an element of shock to this scene since right after slow motion she almost twists her ankle as the whole scene speeds up again. Also, the camera usually follows Nina or shows her point of view, but there are different shots. . For example, around 1:13:10, when Nina is lifted into the air by her partner, her body and facial expressions are captured in the same place in the frame while her surroundings are blurred with the.-1117943969/