‘Cutting it’ analysis
- 1. ‘Cutting It’ Analysis<br />This clip is about a woman who may or may not be terminally ill and she goes with her husband to her consultants’ office. On the way out of the office she seems to be in high spirits but then suddenly gets hit by a car and dies. <br />The camerawork in this clip helps to add to the story being told. For example, the first shot is an establishing shot of the two characters travelling in a taxi. The urban traffic is clearly visible through the back windscreen of the taxi and this suggests that they are in a city location.<br />The dialogue and the lack of an obvious establishing shot create a sense of mystery because it indicates that the viewer is watching the middle of a story; probably it’s climax, but they don’t know how or when the characters got to this point.<br />The framing in the taxi is a mid-shot two-shot, with the woman leaning on the man’s shoulder which highlights their close and loving relationship. This is reinforced when the man takes her hand and kisses it twice. This immediately establishes their relationship as more romantic or sexual, rather than just friendly.<br />The characters are framed against the cab’s windscreen and they are both gazing out in the distance, rather than at each other, which may suggest some emotional distance between them. <br />The several medium close-up shots emphasize the seriousness of the conversation the characters are having.<br />The insert cutaway mid-close up of the woman’s hands clasped and then caressing the male’s hand suggests the woman has forgiven the man. Also, this shot draws attention to the wedding ring on the woman’s hand and informs the reader that she’s now married.<br />The conversation cuts between motivated close-ups when the woman tries to discuss future plans but the man resists. The mysterious tone then continues when he asks where they are going but she doesn’t answer; she just continues gazing out of the window.<br />There is a wide shot of a street scene where an ambulance crosses from left to right which could foreshadow a negative event later on. This shot also informs the reader that they are at a hospital. There is also still a sense of mystery because the viewer does not know why they are at the hospital, much like the male lead.<br />There are also big close-ups and two-shots which emphasizes the seriousness of the visit but doesn’t tell the audience exactly why the visit is important.<br />The shallow focus bustle of traffic in the background contrasts with the two-shots to underline the tension about the woman’s future.<br />The woman then kisses the man and there is a cut on action to a wider shot as she leaves, crossing the road towards the hospital. The camera then cuts to a serious close-up of the man, which reveals his anxiety.<br />The next scene cuts rapidly between inside and outside to indicate parallel action and to highlight the contrasts between how the characters are handling the situation; the man unaware of the news and the woman reacting to the news.<br />The interior location of the consultants’ office is shot from a high angle. This crane shot with overhead lighting against a darker background emphasizes the separation of the patient and doctor across the desk. Also, this high angle suggests a religious theme. The fact that we are looking down on the conversation could represent God looking down at the woman.<br />Then, then it cuts to an establishing wide-shot of the man waiting outside the café and then it cuts to the extreme close-up of his hand playing with his wedding ring. There is then a medium close-up as the man looks down at his ring. These shots reinforce the characters’ love for each other and they also reveal the contrasts between the joyful event of their marriage and the serious implications of her diagnosis.<br />Then there is a cut back to the interior scene with an over-the-shoulder close-up shot of a hand closing a folder (marked confidential). The camera then tilts upwards to include a mid-shot of the woman opposite; half smiling. This increases the tension because the viewer doesn’t know if she has received good or bad news. The contrasts are then reinforced when there is a cut back to the close-up of the man smiling at his ring. <br />Then there is a slow pan round from behind the doctor’s back into a close-up of the woman’s tearful smile which reinforces the sense of mystery because the viewer doesn’t know if she has been cured or not.<br />There is then a mid-shot of the man stirring his coffee and then a point of view shot where the man is looking at the road and hospital as he sees the woman emerge from the gate.<br />There is then a series of rapid motivated cuts. They cut from when the man rises, watching her and then back to her from the mans’ point of view shot. This is in a panning medium long shot, which shows the woman composing herself. This makes the audience wonder why she feels the need to compose herself.<br />She then pauses in a medium shot to call ‘Guess what’ which makes the audience want to guess her news too. Then there is a mid-shot of the mans’ reaction and then the camera cuts back to the woman as she steps into the road, instantly obscured by a passing bus.<br />Then the camera cuts back to the man’s mid-shot, tilting upwards as he rises from his seat, with a jump cut to his stunned face.<br />There is then a slow motion point of view shot of another passing bus and then it’s cut back to the man’s face to see his reaction. Then there is another point of view shot from the male character looking at the opposite pavement where the woman lies spread-eagled.<br />A split second close-up then jump cuts to a slow motion, long shot as the man leaps up and runs to her, ignoring the traffic.<br />The mid-shot from behind the man cuts immediately to a hand-held point of view shot, which emphasizes the man’s panic as he runs towards her.<br />There is then an approach shot from a long angle (from the woman’s point of view) as the man leans down over her and then there is a zoom into her face from the man’s point of view. This emphasizes the devastation the man is feeling about the woman dying.<br />There is then a cut to the previous long angle close-up of the man’s agonized face and then a slow zoom from a higher angle shot of him embracing her. The religious theme is then reintroduced because it’s almost like God is now looking at the woman because she’s dying.<br />Lastly, there is a high-angle crane shot of the couple prone, framed diagonally across the screen surrounded by flowers, before fading to black to indicate closure of the sequence – and closure of the woman’s life.<br />Editing also plays a big role in adding to the story of ‘Cutting It’.<br />The pace of the editing carries throughout the sequence. There are slow opening shots, to establish the loving caring relationship between the characters and they speed up through shot-reverse-shot as they discuss the past. This is used to emphasize their mutual forgiveness.<br />The viewer is positioned as an impartial observer, with slightly more attention given to the woman gazing outside the frame. This suggests that at this point she is in control of the relationship and the key to the narrative enigma.<br />As the cab draws up to the hospital, the viewer is positioned outside the action. With the conversation of the pavement, the edits are more frequent, again with a slight emphasis on the woman’s face as she insists on attending her appointment alone. This suggests that she is actually the more powerful figure in this relationship; at least at this point.<br />The style and pace of the editing becomes more urgent and emotive and the sequence continues. From the apparent ‘real time’ of the taxi conversation, the parallel editing compresses the time-scale, highlighted by the extra diegetic music track; with the contrast of the indoor/outdoor, dark/daylight lighting this heightens dramatic tension as the viewer awaits the results of the mysterious consultation.<br />Rapid crosscutting of the final sequence further builds up emotional impact. Brief slow motion shots, used twice to extend tension and vary pace, as the man witnesses the accident, and as he runs across the road, again. Prolonging the suspense shattered by sudden return to real time with the passing traffic and the hand held point of view shot.<br />Careful graphic matching of high and low angled point of view shots position the viewer at the center of the drama so they feel a part of the story. The woman prompts the final dialogue and seems, even now to be in control, while he falls to pieces over her corpse in the final aerial shot.<br />Sound in this clip is very important because it adds to the tension of the situation and helps portray the story being told.<br />The naturalistic soundscape creates a sense of realism during the first part of the sequence, with the diegetic engine noise of the cab and the heightened street noise outside the hospital.<br />No extra diegetic music is heard, to make the viewer focus on the dialogue, which reveals the couple’s relationship.<br />As the woman enters the hospital, there is a change in tone, which is created by low strains of synthesized music. Rhythmic percussion with lush echo and child-like female voices singing follows this. This emphasizes the feminine emotion and places the viewer on the side of the female character.<br />The music becomes more electronic as it fades and is then replaced by amplifiedstreet noises leading up to the crash, signalled by a single brief sound-effect of squealing brakes. This is then followed by the reverberating sound of shattering glass – emphasizes how the lives of the characters are being shattered.<br />Sound effects synchronized with close-ups of the man’s face are a bridge to distract the viewers from the implausible fact that the bus, which caused the accident has already disappeared.<br />After the accident, soundscape becomes symbolic of the man’s reaction: echoing ambient silence, muffled heartbeat covering his point of view shot across the road.<br />The sound of the blaring horn synchronized with the cut from the point of view shot to the running shot brings back the ‘real world’. This symbolizes the man’s stunned shock and horrified return to reality.<br />The last few words are accompanied by diegetic sound only, but there is also a mournful instrumental score (which is introduced in closing moments, with a single piano as we fade to black.)<br />Mise-en-scene also adds to the story being told. The taxi suggests both affluence of characters (they can afford it_ and a sense of purpose. The woman pays the driver, which reinforces the fact that she is in control of the situation.<br />The traffic being shown through the taxi window indicates an urban location and the accents indicate that the location could be somewhere northern.<br />The couple is well groomed and stylishly dressed which is an indication of status and class. It indicates that the couple is probably middle class.<br />The man’s smart suit and the woman’s make up, hair and coat suggest that they are professionals and have been to a function – probably their wedding.<br />The repeated focus on the gold wedding rings indicates recent marriage and commitment to each other.<br />The hospital signalled by flower stalls outside and institutional architecture suggests a northern location. The warm golden lighting for two shot close ups contrast with the shadow and pastel tones of the cab which portrays the contrasts of reality and desires.<br />The consulting room is lit from above and surrounded in darkness to emphasise it as a place of drama and tension. The size of the room and medical paraphernalia on the desk suggests a private consultation on a serious health issue. The closing green folder on the desk suggets either a final diagnosis of an all-clear which confuses the viewer and keeps them interested.<br />The contrast between dramatic lighting of the consulting room and the airy brightness of the outdoor café highlight the balance between fear and hope.<br />The scattering flowers around the woman’s body reinforce the pathos of the closing shot.<br />