180 Degrees Rule and Shot Reverse Shot

The Godfather does not choose to break the 180 degree rule at any point,
presenting events in an easily understandable way for the viewer, so as not to
distract or detract away from the plot-heavy dialogue of each scene. This differs
to Kubricks The Shining in which the rule is deliberately broken, the camera
shifting to the other side of the action line, meaning that the two characters
engaged in conversation swap sides of the screen with each other, creating a
disorientating feeling by forcing the audience to figure out the geography of the
scene in their heads.

(The 180 Degree rule being deliberately broken by Kubrick)

As The Godfather is heavily dialogue driven, there are many scenes in which
pivotal conversations are held between two or more people. One example of this
is the opening scene, where the shot-reverse-shot, adhering to the 180 degree
rule is used. Shown below, the Godfather stays on the left of frame, while the
man he talks to stays on the right. This means the audience doesnt have to stop
and think to figure out their positioning in relation to each other, very effectively
allowing us to become absorbed into the conversation and into the world of the
film without distractions. Because it is so effective, it is used repeatedly and
constantly throughout the film.

(Shot reverse show being used in the opening dialogue scene)

Many early films adhered to the 180 rule simply because directors shot films like
they were shooting a stage play, from a seated audiences perspective, not
thinking to move the camera to the other side of the action. However an early
example of the rule being deliberately used to achieve an effect can be found in
The Birth Of A Nation by D.W. Griffith. It features chase sequences, positioning
the audience on one side of the action line, so that two characters are
understood to be running in the same or the opposite direction, when they are
moving in the same or opposite direction from one side of the screen to the
other. When one character is seen running from left to right of shot, and another
from right to left, the audience anticipates and understands that they are about
to run into each other, and is not disorientated when this happens.

L cuts
During dialogue scenes, every effort is made to
focus primarily on the characters changing
emotions throughout. The L cut is used with the
shot-reverse-shot, allowing cut-aways and close
ups to be seen, while the audio of a single shot
continues. It is also useful for making smoother
transitions between shot-reverse-shots, by
allowing the video and audio to cut to that of the
next shot independently of each other. The L cut
was first used by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane, allowing greater freedom of
storytelling, as he wasnt forced to stay on the visuals of a single shot when the
plot-vital audio was still continuing.

Genre
The genre is very quickly established as crime in the opening scene, with a dimly
lit, secretive dialogue scene. The audience can tell it will be suspenseful from the
opening shot, sustained for almost 3 minutes. Initially focusing on a pleading
man, obviously not in a position of power, the shot very slowly, menacingly,
zooms out to eventually reveal the mysterious silhouetted form of the man he is
talking to, who clearly to the audience possesses a lot of power. Even though
nothing does, the audience cant shake the feeling that something terribly is
going to happen throughout this opening shot, foreshadowing many similar
scenes later on in the movie that dont end as calmly as this one.

(The difference in framing between the beginning and end of the opening shot)

The mise en scne and set up of the scene denotes the crime genre to the
audience very effectively. The moody lighting, combined with hushed voices,
brooding slow camera movements and costumes worn by the characters give a
clear indication of the tone and gritty nature of the film to come.

Perspectives
The Godfather is the story of Michaels rise to power and development, placing
him as the protagonist of the film.
For the majority of the film we as an audience act as an outside observer,
removed from the action, as though looking in on their world, being let into
Michaels mind only for specific purposes during important scenes.
One example of our entering his head to see events from his perspective is when
he assassinates two men in a restaurant. In the build-up, nothing can be heard
but the relentlessly load, grating sound of a train passing by. This audio is
diegetic but represents Michaels difficulty to think straight, as it overwhelms his
and the audiences senses, having the effect of making the audience feel
stressed and confused, allowing us empathise with him, feeling what he feels.

When Michael steps back into the main restaurant area, we know that the story
is still being told from his perspective because we see a close up of his face, his
eyes as he thinks, and a wide shot of the restaurant from his POV while he
pauses to gear himself up.

As we remain in his head, with his senses heightened by stress, small sounds can
be heard crystal clear against the silence. For a moment it is unclear what will
happen, but behind Michaels calm expression we know the torment as the
horrible sound returns, we know that adrenaline is pumping through him as he
tries to decide, preventing him from thinking. Knowing the immense anxiety and
emotional confliction he is feeling allows us to continue sympathising with him
despite the terrible things he does. At the conclusion of this scene, after he has
killed the men, we return to observing the story from outside his mind, as he
dramatically walks out into the night, leaving the camera and audience behind
shutting us back out again when he closes the restaurant door.
Telling the story from a more neutral perspective for the majority of the film
differentiates from the norm of mainstream cinema. Most films, such as Back to
the Future and The Goblet of Fire, are told from a single characters perspective
throughout (Marty McFly and Harry Potter, respectively). Other slightly unusual
films, such as 500 Days Of Summer switch between multiple different
perspectives of a single, allowing us to see single scenes in different ways and
understand their mind set in great detail, telling the story entirely with how they
perceived events.

(Harry Potter and

Marty McFly, they
are the central

characters whos perspectives their respective film series are told exclusively from)

(500 Days of Summer displays two vastly different perspectives of a single character
side by side to juxtapose them)