SCENES ANALYSIS

In this film, there are some scenes that are perfect examples of how to shoot a
scene and immerse the spectator in said film. Here, we have considered three
scenes as suitable examples:
First of all, we are going to analyze the scene in which Solomon is hanged on a tree
by the neck, only standing on his toes.

This scene lasts about a minute and a half, there is no music, we can only hear
Salomon dying trying to stay alive.

The camera features several shots of

the protagonist, we can see only his
face in the foreground, we can see
signs of fear and anguish.

This other shot in which secondary protagonists

come out trying to be oblivious to the problem,
these distant shots showing slaves trying not to get
involved give drama and tension to the scene.

Regarding light, there is a big change, this is because when they try to hang
Salomon it is daytime and when they save him it is night, so the second sequence
has darker tones than the first.

In most of the shots, Solomon appears far from the camera, thus looking smaller,
perhaps showing in that way the character's weakness in that situation.
In the second scene Patsey is sexually harassed by Epps, her owner. This scene
takes place at midnight and Epps abuses Patsey outside in the garden.

The scene is completely silent, since it is late at night, but we can hear the struggles,
moans and heavy breathing of both. At some moment, he also slaps her, which is
also a loud sound.

In the first sequence we

can see a close shot of
Epps and Patsey standing
together in front of each
other.

Later, when he
starts abusing
her, they appear
lying down, Epps
on top of Patsey.

Finally, in the last sequence of the scene, Epps leaves the scene and we can see
Patsey lying from further away, staying in that position until the next scene appears.

Regarding the light of the scene, it is completely dark and we can barely see their
faces, the only source of light seems to be the moonlight, which weakly illuminates
them straight from above.
The last scene we are going to discuss is
the one in which the group of slaves are
playing music required by their owner while
they are dancing.
Through the mise en scene, we can see
how, even in a more pleasant situation (all
the slaves and owners dancing) as it was in
that case, there is a distinction between the
characters with different roles. The slaves
are in the background all grouped together
in a slightly shy way. All this can lead to the
feeling of discrimination to this social class
in front of the audience.

At the end of the scene the owner’s wife

hurts Patsey in the face.
As in the previous scene, the difference
between the social class of each
character is marked. However, in this
case, both are on the same shot, only
one on one side and the other on the
other.

In both scenes, the clothing is the same, as the slaves wear a long white tunic that
contrasts sharply with their skin tone. Nevertheless, despite not being in a work
environment, we can see the dirt or wear of the clothes; although, Patsey looks
different, such as if she was better cared for. It should also be noted that obviously
the owner's wife's clothing is totally different, as she dresses according to the time
with a higher quality dress and a more elaborate hairstyle.

SETTING IN THE SCENE

As mentioned above and as in other scenes, there is a clear contrast between the
clothing and the skin of the slaves, while in the owners their clothes stand out for
their color and not so much the person since their tone is not so contrasted. . The
light comes from the top but it does not do it intensely, but rather it is a clear light that
in the first scene falls on the center of the group of slaves. On the other hand, in the
second one, it falls more directly on Patsey to give it importance at that moment to
his character.
Regarding the depth of the scenes, we can say that it is not given great importance,
since there is not much since the stage is a closed room of a small size.
In addition, as there are two types of scenes with a different context, in the first the
distance from the camera is further and from one corner to be able to capture the
whole group, while in the second it is closer to the main characters of said scene.
In this case, the camera is from one side showing the profile of the two people: the
owner's wife is more in the foreground and Patsey in the second but one at the same
height as the other.

CASTING AND ACTING

The main roles here are played by Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
The first one, Michael, who in the film is Edwin Epps, is able to show us the cruelty
that slaves used to suffer. Maybe, the audience is able to catch this behaviour better
because they relate Michael with an aggressive character because of previous films,
like 300 in which he is also the protagonist. On the other hand, Chiwetel, shows us
the cruel side that black people used to suffer. Maybe, he is so involved in it because
of some life experiences. His parents were born in Nigeria, and although he was
born in London, he had it in mind. Another important aspect is that he appeared in a
film called Amistad that is about slavery too.
The acting style leaves the spectator time to assimilate the information and to make
them able to follow the plot of the film.

MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS

While reviewing the film “12 Years A Slave” I found out that the movie scored was
done on notes to make you cry as you felt like you were Solomon in the movie. The
music in the movie was focused on the movements of Solomon as he went along
with his journey as a slave and back to a freeman. The music had a short range of
old slave songs and a few songs that were in the movie to really provoke the slaves,
one of which was called “Run Nigger Run”. The slaves were told to sing and clap as
the song was sung by the slave enforcers, even though the slaves didn’t want to sing
or clap , I got a sense that they were using the negativity to push them harder as
they worked.
The sounds of the film are made up of high intense sounds that make you feel as if
you are in the 19th century and that you can feel the outdoors, working hard, feeling
the hot sun rays coming down on your body as they work in the heat.
The dialogue in the movie is from a different time, a time when they tried to express
how they really felt. The clip below shows the dialogue between a woman and
Solomon as they discuss what had happened to her children and why she is crying
and weeping. The feelings behind the scene are not so overwhelming like the music
and sounds from other scenes. I think that scene is a very strong one and reminds
us that they are still human in the movie, and that they are doing what they have to in
order to survive.
https://youtu.be/utBKmU1TJIg
Carlos Jurado
Miriam del Moral
Ismael Moruno
Conchi Lisedas