Jake Woods: Film Studies Essay

Enemy of the State

I will focus on micro elements of cinematography and Mise En Scene in the film Enemy of the State. The scene begins with an establishing shot of a
big office, a crane circles the building signifying importance, The audience recognise the building throughout the narrative and know important
matters are being discussed. A superimpose signifies where we are. The National Security Agency the matters discussed are top secret and important.
Cut to an office with a round table, an axis of action gives
the audience different views of the table they can view
every character talking, making them feel involved. It is
almost like they are sat at the table which is important as
the conversation taking place is of great importance the
audience are privileged. The director has done this so we
are aligned with the characters sat down, the audience feel
equal allowing them to listen to their views. An axis of
action signifies everyone on the table is equal; the man
stood up is not. The characters wear suits, which mean
this meeting is important. The director has done this as it
causes the audience to feel exclusive; they are getting
access to secret information. Close ups on the characters
signify surprised & intrigued reactions to what others say,
the audience discovers different personalities. A man
stands up, the camera tracks him. Signifying he is important compared to the others; the camera tracks him and what he says. Tracking reveals
pictures on the wall of the war. I believe this is polysemic it appears as if the man has been affected or involved with war,the speech is battle-like as
if war has begun. He stands confident and tall as if hes a leader. A low angle of the man signifies dominance and importance over the table; the
audience look up at him like the men on the
table, the audience feel they are on the same side.
The audience are aligned with the men at this
point, this encourages the audience to listen. A
pan reveals two men sitting. The pan conveys the
characters are joined and have the same goal, we
see them in one shot, joined which signifies they
are on the same team and equals. A cut to the
man stood up talking to the men as if theyre
school children signifies he is experienced,
implying he is dangerous they view the men
respecting this man, causing them to feel as if
this man has a renowned history. The scene ends
with the most important man stood up forcefully
closing the book on the table aggressively. The
audience feel scared as his aggressive tone is
prominent; the audience feel anxious to see what
this man is capable of. Closing the book signifies
he is tired and wants to put an end to the man
whos causing the disruption. The audience feel
intimidated; they are anticipating disruption
because of him slamming the book and talking
aggressively.
A cross cut to a road tracks a car. We follow them. A medium close up of a child sleeping peacefully in a makeshift bed is polysemic. The child could
signify peace and calmness as a child sleeps peacefully also signifying dramatic irony, the makeshift bed could be a hint to the audience of what is to
come; soon the family could have to be all sleeping in these beds, everything will be destroyed. A standard two shot isnt used as the director wanted
the two characters to appear separated to the audience, the audience know theyre disagreeing upon something. The director has done this deliberately
to emphasise arguing. This arguing is needed as it contrasts the scene in the house. Medium close ups are used inside the car, the audience see both
characters argue. This is important, it sets the mood; it is cheerful and consists of playful banter. The main character can be seen even if he is out of
focus as he is important; this is so the audience see his reaction to the other character in the car as they argue. This is important as the audience feels
involved.
A crosscut to an establishing shot of a dark environment with a house signifies the direction the narrative will take and injects mystery as it is hard to
see anything because of the lighting. The family have no idea what they are going home to. This causes the audience to sympathise with the family,
they are unaware of what is happening to their house, the audience are. The lighting darkens, the criminals are infiltrating the house. A crosscut to a
dog barking conveys people intruding. An extreme close up of the door knob being picked signifies danger because they are clearly breaking in. The
camera quickly cuts between the man and the dog, signifying how quickly the man was bitten as the audience is almost unaware of what happened.
This causes the audience to feel shock because of how quickly the action was. A cut to the car causes the non-diegetic soundtrack to calms down,
signifying the peacefulness. The diegetic sounds are calm, conveying peace and calmness to the audience they feel relaxed & comfortable as this is
extremely different to the previous scenes. This signifies the family are calm, because of the sounds. The camera effect changes to a high tech night
vision camera and sound effects. Signifying the technology. They know the men are lethal and powerful, they have access to powerful spy gear. Extreme
close ups of the men planting devices in the familys clothes allow the audience to see these men are keeping surveillance. This signifies the man is
important or has important information, the audience feel this man has no privacy. A long take inside the car contrasts the previous fast cuts to signify
calmness. The men wear black thick clothes signifying their purpose in the house which is to get in and out unseen. Tilts signify the men are rushing
and the audience feels they are there, quickly trying to get out as if the camera is rushing as it is canted, disorientating the audience. Elliptical editing
quickens the time the family get to the house; it increases tension, because of the quickness. The audience feel as though there is no time left creating
more impact as it happens so quickly the first view of the destruction of the house is shared between the audience characters. The audience feel
Medium long shot
Superimpose
Jake Woods: Film Studies Essay
sympathetic for the family and are extremely shocked by the surroundings. The director has done this to make the audience feel on edge as they are
rushing around as if theyre involved.
When the family enters, non-diegetic music suddenly changes from fast paced to sympathetic, the rushing ends and the family discover the mess. The
audience feel bad for the family the music changes its tone from being upbeat, to sad. This strengthens the impact of the destruction. A mid shot of
the family enter and a close up on the mothers face as she reacts to the mess her house is left. A close up on the father signifies his reaction and a cut
to a long shot of the house so the audience view the mess as the dog runs past, a tilt is on the camera. The audience feels they are viewing from a
camera that has been knocked over in the destruction. A close up on the planted camera allows the audience to view the familys under surveillance. A
cross cut to a long shot of the building so the damage of the house can be viewed by the audience, the home has been destroyed allowing us to see
more and feel sympathy for the characters. The director is suggesting this family clearly has been broken.
The camera cuts to a P.O.V shot from the main character. The audience feels like theyre in the environment which is destroyed, they are looking
through the eyes of the main character, this invokes emotion, mainly
sympathy, they feel like they are there. The director has done this to provoke
more emotion. Inside the wardrobe, a medium close up is used as we see a
camera being placed; it tilts downwards revealing the boots being chipped.
The audience know this man is being put under surveillance because of this
actions. This cause the audience the think of this man of being quite a high
target.
An establishing shot of a calm environment feels different to inside the
house, the house was very darkly lit and sinister compared to here. A two
shot on the main character and his friend observes them working together;
they are in the same predicament, the audience know which team the
characters are on, understanding narrative progression. A tilt whilst the
criminals walk towards the camera, almost intimidates us, their movements
are confident and strong. An extreme close up of the name Robert Dean
signifies importance as the director makes it vital we see his name by using this shot which implies the director is foreshadowing the character from a
previous or future scene because of the clear emphasis on it. An extreme close
up on both the watches (props) signifies how identical they are, the audience
know these men are professionals, they did such a good job at replicating the
item, they know the man with the watch wont tell the difference. An extreme
close up is used on the man to signify his concentration and it cuts to an
extreme close up of both phones so theyre similarity can be seen. The scene
cuts back to the calm scene at the boats and the music quietened from what it
previously was to connote that its now a more relaxed scene.

Extreme Close up
P.O.V shot