The shot opens with a wide shot of a mans face against a blank background so that the audience focus on him so the audience knows that he is the protagonist and that we are following his thoughts and feelings. The black colour code is used to establish a somber tones; black represents a morning period which could act as a narrative cue to death. This idea is enforced by the symbolism of ‘drowning sorrows’ with the top of a Jack Daniels bottle being seen in the frame. The song that accompanies the piece is a mainstream song by Coldplay which will make people watch the film. Due to the fact the song itself is known as a emotional song which acts as a hint towards the narrative while also helping with the audiences empathy towards the piece.
Empathy is also helped by the fact the protagonist is unnamed and is wearing a suit jacket and jeans, this means that he is an ‘everyman’ so that this protagonist can appeal to as many people as possible. The fact that this character is unshaven with a vagabond style hairstyle shows an unkept appearance which hints towards the protagonists depression. Next, we see the protagonist looking up which could represent him trying to process information but also sets motion of the film going. There is a recurring metaphor of a clenched fist, at first it gives an impression of anger or cowardice, however, when looking closer the clenched fist also resembles a heart which links towards the narrative and genre of the piece. His hand in his own hand shows him supporting himself which also represents his need for affection and comfort. The next shot we see is a pan of him which reinforces himself as the protagonist. The off center close up we see shows that he is not himself because he is not in the center.
We next him gaze off camera as the audience gaze at him, this makes it feel like the audience is getting an insight into his life which will help with their emotional connection to the piece. Him seeking comfort is further enforced by the shot where we see our protagonist rocking. The rocking motion shows a sign of distress or as him resulting to childhood from the pain caused which makes him seek comfort which isn’t there. This could also be a signifier to the narrative resembling the loss of an important figure to him. In the next shot we see him raise his clench fist covering his mouth for, what appears, to stop himself from crying. However, with this now being in the center of the camera, this could represent that he cannot seek comfort from words and is uncomfortable with who he is now. The circular narrative of the piece shows his constant emotions and daily routine. At first glance we first think that our character is crying which is not a stereotypical male character which enforces the art film style of the piece being not stereotypical. However, this is broken by how the character does not actually cry and the combination of the clenched fist, enforcing the male persona stereotype of replacing emotion with aggression. The hand in the center of the frame enforces the importance of the fist. The city setting is a common convention of art house films, this also enforces the everyman persona which helps with the audiences empathy. The long shot of him makes the character look dwarfed by the the city surroundings showing how him emotion and problems feel larger than him. In this establishing shot of the environment he’s in we see that he is alone which symbolizes his isolation.
The long fades could be used to show how his days are fading into one, like he is in a ‘slump.’ However, due to the length of the fade it could be a symbolization of how his life is dragging on or that his life is going downhill. There is repeated blur camera shots which is a perfect representation of his life now being a blur. We see that his movements seem to be at a slow pace which symbolizes his how he feels about his life, however, slow movements is also a common symptom in people with depression which shows to the audience his state of mind without using any dialogue. We see our protagonist reduce his blinking, blinking is usually a way to register emotion, therefor the fact he doesn’t blink makes him act like he is in a zombie like state. The shot of him putting his cup back in his coaster perfectly resembles him trying to fit his life back together again like how he is fitting the cup back into the coaster. The city setting is further established by the use of diagetic sound such as police sirens, this helps with creating the setting in which the film is set. The more believable the setting the easier it is to create a cathartic experience for the audience. However, this siren could also at as a signifier for his distress that we see in the piece.
In the next frame we see light shining onto him, with him then turning away from it. With light connoting to hope and positivity, this could be him turning away from hope and positivity because he believes they do not exist anymore. In the next shot we see the camera mimicking the character by how the camera is moving in a walking motion. This mirror of the characters movement makes the audience feel closer to the protagonist because they feel like they are there also, helping with the audiences empathy towards the character. It appears that the direction in which the character is walking is downhill, this could be a metaphor of his life going downhill. The repeated close up of his face enforces him as the protagonist but also helps with the audiences empathy towards the character because it makes the film seem more personal because we can see him expression and emotion on his face.
We next see a mid shot of the protagonist driving a car. This car acts as transition in the film so that the audience is clear that he is going from one phase of his life to another. This is followed by another establishing shot, this time being a our protagonist walking in a deserted environment, resembling his isolation. This isolation is further enforced by how our character is in the wilderness in a suit; this makes him stand out as being psycially odd enforcing how he feels like he doesn’t feel like he fits in or belongs anywhere. The yellow lines we see on the road seem to act as a pathway to him, this shows subtle intertextuality, a common convention of art films, with the wizard of oz. Dorothy finds where she belongs by following a yellow road, our character seems to be hoping he will find where he belongs while following this road. The mid shot we see of the man looking towards mountains seems to represent his emotional journey of ups and downs but how he has a long way to go still.
According to gaze, audiences see a characters emotion in there eyes. Due to the fact that our protagonist has sunglasses to cover his represents him emotion becoming insular because he does not want people to see him emotion. However, with the next shot being him removing his sunglasses shows that he needs to face his problems. In our next establishing shot we see an environment with cut grass, trees, sunlight and gazebos, which is a complete juxtaposition towards the last shot we saw, which could be representing his life. This environment he is in seems to resemble a wedding environment, with the fact that he is alone signifies towards an idea that he has lost his wife/husband or fiancé, both being people who he would share this environment with. This environment is suddenly changed to a graveyard by the sunlight fading, this enforces the idea that he has lost a loved one which would be something many audiences would empathise with. The fact that the gravestone used is covered in moss so we cannot see any personal information shows that could be anyone which is really important for the emotional significance of the film, the audience could see this person as someone they know personally. The piece is also made more emotionally by the fact that who he has lost is not clear, we know that it is a loved one, but because the sexually orientation of the protagonist is unclear means that anyone can feel empathy towards this piece. With the next shot being blurry and the man walking into focus could show how the man is seeing clearer now.
The following shot is made up by the majority of the frame being water. The water could represent love as water is vital for life but also dangerous which is what love is like also. We build up to the crescendo by a close up of the fist opening revealing a wedding ring, this makes it clear to the audience that it is a partner he has lost. The wedding ring could be a metaphour for his pain because him opening his fist could be him opening up his heart revealing his pain to the audience making the piece seem personal and effective for empathy. The fact that he kisses the ring reminds the audience that he has lost them through death rather than a break up. The crescendo of him throwing the ring symbolizes him releasing his pain. The film then ends with the film title “Goodbye” in handwritten script which makes the piece seem more personal. The film title at the end is unconventional however it shows that the crescendo is his way of saying “Goodbye” to the loved one.
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