On this post I am going to analyse the Mise-En-Scene of the opening to Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Camera Angle and Movement
The film first start off with a High Angle Shot. This shot shows the vulnerability of The Bride and how weak she is.
The film then cuts to a Tracking Shot of a Man (who turns out to be Bill) walking to her. This shot shows mystery to the audience and also raises questions such as; What does Bill look like?.
The film cuts again to another High Angle Shot of The Bride and Bill walks to her with a handkerchief with his name on it trying to wipe off the blood on the face of The Bride. This shot again shows the vulnerability of The Bride and the higher power/status of Bill only wiping her face but not helping her in any other way whatsoever. This shot also shows how Quentin Tarentino is increasing the suspense because it's taking so long to change camera angles.
Using the High Angle shot one more time Tarantino shows The Bride weak and vulnerable and using the element of surprise Bill shoots The Bride in the head.
Lighting
The opening scene doesn't use a variety of lighting. It mostly uses ambient/natural lighting which is very hard to tell because the opening scene was filmed in Black and White so it would be very hard whether it was the reflection of the sun or if it was just lights from a light bulb. But the lighting shows just how vulnerable she is. With the blood stains on her face, on the wooden floor and the blood on Bill's Handkerchief.
Sound
Also the film doesn't use a variety of sound. It mainly uses Diagetic sounds with The Bride breathing and Bill talking but it also uses non-diagetic sounds one example would be the sound Bill's shoes as he is walking up to The Bride.
Characteristics
The scene also shows some Characteristics which would help the audiences identify that this is a Thriller film. Some of these Characteristics include:
- Innocent Victims
- Characters with Dark Pasts
- Twisted Relationships (between Bill and The Bride)
Well done for putting together an analysis of aspects of mise-en-scene. You need a lot of practice with interpreting the purpose of aspects of mise-en-scene. Note that the lighting is non ambient, black and white films that are thrillers tend to use non ambient lighting in order to create suspense, intensify the sense of nightmare and also for visual pleasure. I'd suggest you watch the clip again and add another post about the lighting. If you integrate screen shots with your analysis this will illustrate your points.
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