Component 2a: Essay (Cinematography)

Plan

Pan’s Labyrinth: Fig tree sequence (Cinematography)

Intro: The directors of both Pan’s Labyrinth and Wild Tales employ aspects of cinematography to convey meaning throughout their films to have a wide range of effects on the audience.

Fig tree sequence:

When following the horses and Ofelia, the camera pans from right to left indicating that they are venturing on a journey with much more gentle and slower arc movements with Ofelia as if she is lost in a fantasy world as it gives a floaty and dreamy effect compared to the harsh and quick movement of the horses with a warm and bright colour palette that suggests the effects of the Captain have disappeared for the time being as they are in the forest which is the rebels’ territory. The use of long lenses when looking at the soldiers places the audience on the side of the rebels as we can see the action from their perspective

Shots are closer into Ofelia as she is exploring on her own. As Ofelia arrives at the tree, a wide shot moves into a close-up shot, arcing around her to reveal the tree, tilting up to show the large size of the tree in order to show how small Ofelia is in comparison which also shows its significance. The camera then dolly’s back and tilts up to show her enter the tree that uses the frame within a frame technique which focuses the audiences attention on her movements down into the tunnel, then panning to the left to show a close-up of the dress waving in the wind, suggesting its going to fall off, creating fear and dread at what could happen if her dress is ruined due to it being a gift from her mother and something she must wear to impress the cold hearted Captain. The camera is always positioned at Ofelia’s height throughout this sequence in order to show that she is the main point of focus for the audience to see the story progress. The colour palette is till warm as she is surrounded by elements of the fantasy world but is now slightly darker because she is underground but she is also aware of both the dangers she will face in the tree and what she might expect when she returns to the mill and the fear of the Captains reaction to her dirty state forces the fantasy world and the Captain’s world to collide.

The Captain steps down from his horse to search for any objects that might indicate signs of rebel activity, shown through a medium shot that focuses on his commanding body language which transitions to a close-up shot so that we see just the Captain and his reaction to his discovery before a medium shot shows the reaction of the soldiers around him awaiting their orders. Following this, the camera then arcs around him so we are left to focus on what he is thinking and feeling as he comes to the conclusion that they are being watched by the rebels from a distance. Another use of a long lens shot once again gives the impression that the audience are watching the Captain from the rebels perspective as he taunts them before returning back to the mill, indicated by the camera movement panning from right to left as the soldiers exit the frame that contrasts the movement from previous when they were headed out on their journey.

Despite this, the movement in the next scene appears to differentiate from this pattern as Ofelia moves from left to right and then from right to left whilst still searching for the object of her desires that sent her on this journey. It presents the fact that the environment that she is presently located within is disorientating and unsettling for her as she attempts to move through the tree. Finally, when Ofelia completes her task and emerges from the tree the setting is dark and there has been a complete transformation in colour palette from the warm and bright setting as she headed out on her journey to the fantastical warm colours inside the tree that was tainted by the captains world and the effect he has on Ofelia until it reaches almost complete darkness as she is now in deep trouble, foreshadowing what the effects of her adventure might have on her due to the captains influence.

Wedding sequence:

Steadicam is used throughout these shots and pushes in as the song increases in tempo to focus on the bride and groom, centrally framed and emerging from behind a curtain before arcing around them greeting their parents and in-laws to give the impression that the person watching the film is a spectator as the shots are very intimate with a sense of family unity followed by a series of handheld close-up shots focusing on the interactions between the partners and their in-laws making it more personal and meaningful. The steadicam arcs around the couple from a low angle to give the impression that the camera is dancing along with them in a crowred area. Tracking shots match the pace of the dancing whilst the movement matches the energy of the music to give the scene a lively appearance.

A change in location is accompanied by a change to warm yellow lighting, suggesting happiness. The camera pulls back from a shot of an energetic sousaphone, directing focus on the instrument and therefore a focus on the joy of the party as everyone immediately becomes engrossed in the music.

After the party, there is less dramatic movement shown by less frquent, slower and more stable shots. the camera pans to the left to centrally frame the bride, isolating her in the fram with a shallow depth of field to focus on her reaction as she begins to suspect her husband might be cheating on her. The zoom draws attention to the woman sitting down in the centre of the frame but not clearly as the bride is unaware that she existed until now using a POV shot, followed by a reaction shot of the brides face to show the importance of the revelation to the development of the story and that her attenton is fully focused on the mystery woman. The camera tracks the bride as she crosses the room to the mirror, sandwiching the woman in the centre of her focus. the mirror shot foreshadows her apparent dual nature later on and a wrack focus from the brides phone the the womans phone implies that the bride has uncovered her husbands dirty secret

the camera arcs around them as they dance to present the ffect that the audience is a guest that dances with them but cuts to different arcing shots, making it disorientating as the bride is puuting her husband under pressure so that he might reveal the truth.The focus is entirely on the couple as a shallow depth of field makes the background barely visible so that the audience can focus on what they are saying. A series of close-up shots between the newlyweds as they dance whilst the bride questions him changes to a wide shot when he confirms her suspicions and the camera stops dancing immediately when the couple stop dancing, becoming less smooth and more jarring to represent the brides shock and confused state of mind.

The lighting is darker on the bride when she doesnt know the truth but becomes lighter when its been revealed to her as she walks through the corridor, tracked by low angle shots from both in front and behind her to show she feels surrounded and overwhelmed with a declining sense of reality.

A BEV shot of the bride looking over the edge of the roof suggests she feels nauseated and is about to jump. The lighting in the background of the shots appears romantic, foreshadowing the romantic interaction between the bride and the chef and a romantic shot subverts the expectations of the audience as the seductive intention of the bride contrasts her despair. The long lenses with a wide aperture makes the scene seem more dreamy and the scene is shot on a spherical lens rather than an anamorphic lens and extended to widescreen which makes it appear more realistic.

A reaction shot of shock from both the chef and Ariel as Romina lets out a violent outburst directed at her husband that neither were expecting. The 180 degree rule is broken during the confrontation to present the idea that the shoe is now on the other foot. The camerawork alternates to handheld as she feels free as she’s released her anger that she had stored inside her, indicating a change in attitude towards her chaotic relationship.

Context: The viewer gets the impression that Argentine society is dangerous and violent, with a repulsive setting and nature. The film appears to show a corrupt society with a dissatisfied people. Corruption in Argentina remains a serious problem suffering from widespread corruption in the public and private sector. However, it has improved since the films release in 2015, moving from the 107th least corrupt country out of 175 to the 85th.

Conclusion:

Essay

The directors of both Pan’s Labyrinth and Wild Tales employ aspects of cinematography to convey meaning throughout their films and have a wide range of effects on the audience.

The basis of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth revolves around the civil war in Spain. An election in 1936 brought to power a leftist Popular Front government where Fascist and extreme-right forces responded with an army mutiny and coup attempt that turned into a civil war. The film is set in 1944 after the fascist victory as the remaining rebels are routed out and killed.

Ofelia goes out on an adventure, searching for her first task located inside a mysterious tree. At the same time, Captain Vidal also rides out with his men to search for the last remaining Republican survivors. At the start of the sequence, there are two different journeys occurring simultaneously with one following the soldiers as they ride out and the other following Ofelia search for her first task. The camera pans from right to left for both of these scenes, indicating to the audience that they are venturing out on a journey. When focusing on Ofelia however, the camera uses much more gentle and slower arc movements compared to the harsh, quick movement of the charging horses that suggests to the audience that she is lost in the elements of the fantasy world as it has a floaty and dreamy effect compared to the soldiers. Also, there is a warm and bright colour palette when following Ofelia, suggesting that the influence of the Captain has disappeared at this point in time due to a lack of his dark blue colour palette typically associated with his world as they are both in the forest setting which is the rebels’ territory.

Once Ofelia arrives at the tree, a wide shot focusing on her movements moves into a close-up shot, arcing around to reveal a large tree that has captured her gaze, tilting up to show the large size of the tree in comparison to her, showing its significance to the audience and allows them to sympathise with her as it presents her task as being on a scale that is extremely difficult. The camera then dolly’s back and tilts up to show her enter the tree, utilising the frame within a frame technique which focuses the audiences attention on her movements down into the tunnel before slowly panning to the left to show a close-up of her dress which she has taken off to prevent it from getting dirty, waving in the wind to suggest that it is inevitable going to fall off, creating a sense of fear and dread for Ofelia as it was a gift from her mother and something she must wear in order to impress the cold hearted Captain who has already been displeased with her, so should it be ruined, the audience fears what the consequences might be for Ofelia. Inside the dark and damp tunnels, the camera is always positioned at Ofelia’s height to indicate to the audience that she is the main focus point for the story’s progression. The colour palette remains warm due to the fact that she is still surrounded by elements of the fantasy world but has now transgressed to become slightly darker as she is now underground but also because the tree is a mysterious and unknown place for her, lacking any knowledge as to the dangers she might face inside it and what the reactions of her mother and the captain might be when she returns to the mill, fearing their reaction to her dirty state and the consequences it will bring. Furthermore, it shows a collision between the Captain’s world and the fantasy world which further adds to the influence that he has over her.

Returning the focus to the Captain, he and his soldiers are shown to have reacher their destination as they look for the rebels, causing the Captain to step down from his horse to search for for any objects that might indicate signs of any rebel activity in the area. A medium shot focuses on his commanding body language, transitioning to a close-up shot in order to fully focus on his actions and dialogue as he is superior to his soldiers. The camera then proceeds to arc around him, leaving the audience to focus on what he is thinking and feeling as he realises they are being watched by the rebels from a distance. The use of a long lens shot when looking at the Capatin has the effect of appearing to focus on him from a distance, placing the audience on the side of the rebels and viewing the action from their perspective as the Captain taunts them to come out and fight rather than hide in the trees. This effort however comes to nothing and they saddle up and return to the mill, indicated by a pan from right to left that contrasts the left to tight movement that originally showed them heading out on their journey, just like the movement of turning over a page in a book.

Despite this, when in the next scene we return to Ofelia, searching further through the depths of the tree to look for any sign of her task, the camera movement appears to differentiate from this typical pattern of moving from right to left to indicate she is returning home and elects to combine a movement from left to right and then right to left. This contrasting movement presents the fact that the environment that she is presently located within is disorientating for her and therefore unsettling for the audience who are made to feel lost with her as she clambers through the winding tree.

Finally, after killing the giant toad and retrieving the key, Ofelia emerges from the tree whereas instead of being triumphant, her situation has become distressing, indicated by a complete transformation in colour palette, switching from a warm and bright setting as she headed out on her journey that became slightly tainted by the dark and grim colours associated with the Captain’s world and his influence until finally, almost complete darkness is reached as she appears dishevelled by the ordeal and becomes increasingly aware of the trouble she has caused, transferring her from being a little girl on an adventure to fearing the serious consequences og her actions at the hands of the Captain.

Another Global film that appropriately uses cinematography to convey meaning is the portmanteau film Wild Tales, with six different stories, all connected by themes of violence and revenge, directed by Damián Szifron.

At the start of the wedding sequence, Szifron uses steadicam throughout the opening shots that depict guests reacting to a series of pictures being projected as a slideshow, combining this with the use of a series of handheld close-up shots in order to focus on the interactions between the couple and their in-laws which has the effect of making the performance appear more personal and meaningful to the audience. The couple is also centrally framed as they emerge from behind a curtain to focus the audiences attention on them as they greet family members, giving the impression that the person watching the film is a spectator of the wedding as the shots are made to feel very intimate with a sense of family and unity. This is further insinuated by the low angle shot of the camera arcing around arcing around the couple that gives the impression that the camera is dancing along with them as one of the guests at the wedding, matching the pace of the lively and upbeat movement and the high energy of the music to give the scene a lively appearance and show the audience that this is a jubilant occasion where everyone is unified in having a tremendous time. The emergence from behind a curtain could suggest to the audience that what they are watching is a facade however, and the affectionate attitude of the couple is a performance, foreshadowing the later events in the sequence.

As the action changes location, the joyous dancing still remains but is accompanied by a change to a warm, yellow colour palette that suggests to the audience that this is a happy time for the couple and the guests. The camera moves quickly, pulling back from a close-up shot of an energetic sousaphone, directing focus on the instrument and therefore a clear focus on the joy surrounding the room at the party as everyone dances to the music, immediately becoming engrossed.

However, as the dancing suddenly stops and there is a change in setting to guests eating and the couple moving from one table to the next to take a photo with their families, there are less dramatic movements, shown through the use of less frequent, slower and more stable shots that focus on the dialogue of the characters rather than the chaos of the party. The bride is engaged in conversation with two relatives that query who all the vast amount of people attending their wedding are and their connection to the couple. Romina proceeds to point out several groups of tables somewhere in the distance occupied by friends of clubs that they attend before spotting the table where her husbands coworkers are seated and Ariel is talking teasingly to a woman that Romina doesn’t recognise. The camera pans to the left, centrally framing the bride in the shot and therefore isolating her in the frame with a shallow depth of field utilised in order for the audience to focus on the brides reaction as she begins to suspect her husband might be cheating on her with this mystery woman. The camera zooms in on the woman sitting at the table to draw attention to her, centrally framed although not clearly due to the brides lack of awareness that this woman existed up until this point in time which puts the audience at the brides perspective, further shown by the use of a POV shot in order to make the following reaction shot of her seem more personal and makes the audience increasingly empathetic towards her character. It also shows how the revelation is significant to the development of the story and that Romina is entirely focused on the mystery woman seen before her. As the bride crosses the room to the mirror located by her table, the camera tracks the brides movement, sandwiching the woman in the centre of focus as she looks in to the mirror with her reflection staring back at her. The mirror shot both has the effect of clearly demonstrating the reaction of both characters as Romina calls an unknown number belonging to the woman in order to find out who she might be and appears to be foreshadowing her apparent dual nature as the sequence progresses after learning that her husband has in fact cheated on her. The use of a wrack focus to differentiate between the reaction of the brides phone as she dials the number and the woman picks up her phone implies to the audience that the bride has uncovered her husbands dirt secret as the truth is slowly becoming clearer for her.

Romina, now clearly in distress after learning about this apparent secret, is joined in shot by her husband as they begin to slowly dance, arcing around them to once again give the effect that the audience is a guest dancing alongside them but instead elects to cut to a variety of different arcing shots that make the scene disorientating for the audience as the bride is putting her husband under a lot of pressure as she begins to question him so that he might reveal the truth to her. At this pint, the focus is entirely on the couple, with a shallow depth of field making the background barely visible so that the audience focus completely on the dialogue as it will distinguish a turning point in the sequence for all the characters. These effects are combined with a series of close-up shots between the newlyweds as they dance, continually alternating between the two partners until Ariel finally confirms her suspicions at which point it cuts to a wide shot which stops the camera from giving the effect that its dancing with them as they are no longer dancing as the bride begins to break away from Ariel and becomes far less smooth and increasingly jarring, representing the current state of mind of Romina as she reals back in shock and confusion from her husband due to his unfaithful actions.

After storming out of the hall, there is a change in colour palette as the lighting becomes lighter when the truth has been revealed to her as she stumbles through the cramped corridor, unlike the darker setting she was previously in when only her suspicions were aroused. When stumbling through this corridor, the bride is tracked by low angle shots of her from both in front and behind, signifying to the audience that she feels overwhelmed and claustrophobic with a declining sense of reality after learning the truth as it gives the appearance that the corridor is even smaller than it actually is.

A BEV shot of the bride leaning over the edge of the unnerving effect of making the audience get the impression that she is about to jump due to the recent devastating events. The lighting in the background of the following shots showing the conversation between Romina and a kindly chef comforting her appears romantic, foreshadowing the romantic interaction between the bride and the chef later on, subverting the expectations of the audience is this is uncharacteristic of Romina and suggest to the audience that she is in a vulnerable place at the moment as the seductive intention of the bride contrasts the despair that is feeling as a result of the fear that her guests might negatively look down at her for being cheated on with a guest at her wedding. There is also a prevalent use of long lenses combined with a wide aperture that contribute to the effect of the setting appearing dreamy, linking to her current vulnerable state and is shot on a spherical lens rather than an anamorphic lens and extended to widescreen, allowing the current events to appear more realistic and therefore heightening the suspense and emotions felt by the audience as she begins to kiss him and lets out an enraged rant about what she intends to do in order to attain revenge for Ariel’s deceitful acts. Reaction shots of shock from both the chef and Ariel during this violent outburst from Romina highlight the fact that this is an unforeseen change in attitude from Romina, causing Ariel to vomit because of it. To present the idea that the shoe is now on the other foot, with Ariel and Romina now reversing roles due to her taking control, eventually causing him to breakdown just like she did previously, the 180 degree rule is broken during the heated confrontation between the couple as she is now in a stronger and commanding position over him.

Both Szifron and del Toro use aspects of cinematography to convey meaning throughout their films so that they have a wide range of effects on the audience. Del Toro utilises it to contrast the different conflicting worlds in Pan’s Labyrinth, from the perspective of the fantastical and adventurous Ofelia to the cold and calculated manner of the Captain. Szifron on the other hand t allows the audience to empathise with characters such as Romina through his clever use of different techniques that appropriately convey the attitudes and feeling of the characters on screen.

Essay re-draft

The directors of both Pan’s Labyrinth and Wild Tales employ aspects of cinematography to convey meaning throughout their films in order to have a wide range of effects on the audience.

The basis of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth revolves around the civil war in Spain. An election in 1936 brought to power a leftist Popular Front government, that was followed by Fascist and extreme-right forces response, causing an army mutiny and coup attempt that turned into a civil war. The film is set in 1944 after the fascist victory as the remaining rebels are routed out and killed.

Ofelia heads out on an adventure, searching for her first task located inside a mysterious tree as she follows instructions from a magical book. At the same time, Captain Vidal rides out with his men to search for the last remaining Republican survivors located in a forest near the mill they reside in. At the start of the sequence, there are two different journeys occurring simultaneously, one following the soldiers as they ride out and the other following Ofelia locate her first task. The camera pans from right to left for both of these scenes, indicating to the audience that they are venturing out on a journey, however; When focusing on Ofelia, the camera uses much more gentle and slower arc movements compared to the harsh, quick movements of the charging horses, suggesting to the audience that she is lost in the elements of the fantasy world as it has a floaty and dreamy effect compared to the violent world of the soldiers. Also, there is a warm and bright colour palette when following Ofelia, suggesting that the influence of the Captain has disappeared at this point due to a lack of the dark blue colour palette typically associated with his world as they are both in the forest setting which is the rebels’ territory.

Once Ofelia arrives at the tree, a wide shot focusing on her movements moves into a close-up shot, arcing around her to reveal a large tree that has captured her gaze, tilting up to show the large size of the tree in comparison to Ofelia, presenting the significance of it to the audience and allows them to sympathise with her as it implies that her task will be extremely difficult. The camera then dollies back and tilts up to show her enter the tree, utilising the frame within a frame technique, focusing the audiences attention on her movements down into the tunnel before slowly panning to the left to show a close-up of her dress which she has taken off to prevent it from getting dirty, waving in the wind to suggest that it is inevitably going to fall off, creating a sense of fear and dread for Ofelia as it was a gift from her mother and something she must wear so that she might impress the cold-hearted Captain, already displeased with her, so should it be ruined, the audience fears what the consequences might be for Ofelia. Inside the dark and damp tunnels, the camera is always positioned at Ofelia’s height to indicate to the audience that she is the main focal point for the story’s progression. The colour palette remains warm since she is still surrounded by elements of the fantasy world but has now transgressed to become slightly darker as she is underground and the tree is a mysterious place, lacking any knowledge as to the dangers she might face inside it and what the reactions of her mother and the Captain might be when she returns to the mill, fearing their reaction to her dirty state and the consequences it will bring. Furthermore, it shows a collision between the Captain’s world and the fantasy world which further adds to the influence that he has over her.

Returning the focus to the Captain, his soldiers are shown to have reached their destination as they look for the rebels, leading them through the forest, causing the Captain to step down from his horse to search for any objects that might indicate signs of any rebel activity in the area. A medium shot focuses on his commanding body language, transitioning to a close-up shot to fully focus on his actions and dialogue as he is superior to his soldiers. The camera then proceeds to arc around him, leaving the audience to focus on what he is thinking and feeling as he realises they are being watched by the rebels from a distance. The use of a long lens shot when looking at the Captain has the effect of appearing to focus on him from a distance, placing the audience on the side of the rebels, viewing the action from their perspective as the Captain taunts them to come out and fight him rather than hide in the trees. This effort, however, comes to nothing and they saddle up and return to the mill, indicated by a pan from right to left that contrasts the left to right movement that originally showed them heading out on their journey, just like the movement of turning over a page in a book.

Despite this, when in the next scene we return to Ofelia, she is searching through the depths of the tree to look for any sign of her task, with the camera movement appearing to differentiate from this typical pattern of moving from right to left, electing instead to combine a movement from left to right and then right to left. This contrasting movement presents the fact that the environment that she is presently located within is disorientating for her and therefore unsettling for the audience who are made to feel lost with her as she clambers through the dark and winding tree.

Finally, after killing the giant toad and retrieving the key, Ofelia emerges from the tree, feeling distressed rather than accomplished, indicated by a complete transformation in colour palette, switching from a warm and bright setting as she headed out on her journey that became slightly tainted by the dark and grim colours associated with the Captain’s world and his influence until finally, almost complete darkness after appearing from the depths of the tree, dishevelled by the ordeal and increasingly aware of the trouble she has caused, transferring her from being a little girl on an adventure to fearing the serious consequences of her actions at the hands of the Captain.

Another Global film that appropriately uses cinematography to convey meaning is the portmanteau film Wild Tales, with six different stories, all connected by themes of violence and revenge, directed by Damián Szifron.

At the start of the wedding sequence, Szifron uses Steadicam throughout the opening shots that depict guests reacting to a series of pictures being projected as a slideshow, combining this with the use of a series of handheld close-up shots to focus on the interactions between the couple and their in-laws which has the effect of making the performance appear more personal and meaningful to the audience. The couple is also centrally framed as they emerge from behind a curtain to focus the audience’s attention on them as they greet family members, giving the impression that the person watching the film is a spectator of the wedding as the shots are made to feel very intimate with a sense of family and unity. This is further insinuated by the low angle shot of the camera arcing around the couple that gives the impression that the camera is dancing along with them as one of the guests at the wedding, matching the pace of the lively and upbeat movement and the high energy of the music to give the scene a lively appearance and show the audience that this is a jubilant occasion where everyone is unified in having a tremendous time. On the other hand, the emergence of the couple from behind a curtain could suggest to the audience that what they are watching is a façade and the affectionate attitude of the couple is a performance, foreshadowing the later events in the sequence.

As the action changes location, the joyous dancing remains but is accompanied by a change to a warm, yellow colour palette that suggests to the audience that this is a happy time for the couple and the guests. The camera moves quickly, pulling back from a close-up shot of an energetic sousaphone, directing focus on the instrument and therefore a clear focus on the joy surrounding the room at the party as everyone dances to the music, immediately becoming engrossed.

However, as the dancing suddenly stops and there is a change in setting to guests eating and the couple moving from one table to the next to take a photo with their families, there are less dramatic movements, shown through the use of less frequent, slower and more stable shots that focus on the dialogue of the characters rather than the chaos of the party. The bride is engaged in conversation with two relatives that query who all the vast amount of people attending their wedding are and their connection to the couple. Romina proceeds to point out several groups of tables somewhere in the distance occupied by friends of clubs that they attend before spotting the table where her husband’s coworkers are seated and Ariel is talking teasingly to a woman that Romina doesn’t recognise. The camera pans to the left, centrally framing the bride in the shot and therefore isolating her in the frame with a shallow depth of field utilised so that the audience focus on the bride’s reaction as she begins to suspect her husband might be cheating on her with this mystery woman. The camera zooms in on the woman sitting at the table to draw attention to her, centrally framed although not clearly due to the brides lack of awareness that this woman existed up until this point in time which puts the audience at the bride’s perspective, further shown by the use of a POV shot to make the following reaction shot of her seem more personal and makes the audience increasingly empathetic towards her character. It also shows how the revelation is significant to the development of the story and that Romina is entirely focused on the mystery woman seen before her. As the bride crosses the room to the mirror located by her table, the camera tracks the bride’s movement, sandwiching the woman in the centre of focus as she looks into the mirror with her reflection staring back at her. The mirror shot both have the effect of clearly demonstrating the reaction of both characters as Romina calls an unknown number belonging to the woman to find out who she might be and appears to be foreshadowing her apparent dual nature as the sequence progresses after learning that her husband has cheated on her. The use of a wrack focus to differentiate between the reaction of the bride’s phone as she dials the number and the woman picks up her phone implies to the audience that the bride has uncovered her husband’s dirty secret as the truth is slowly becoming clearer for her.

Romina, now clearly in distress after learning about this apparent secret, is joined in shot by her husband as they begin to slowly dance, arcing around them to once again give the effect that the audience is a guest dancing alongside them but instead elects to cut to a variety of different arcing shots that make the scene disorientating for the audience as the bride is putting her husband under a lot of pressure as she begins to question him so that he might reveal the truth to her. At this pint, the focus is entirely on the couple, with a shallow depth of field making the background barely visible so that the audience focus completely on the dialogue as it will distinguish a turning point in the sequence for all the characters. These effects are combined with a series of close-up shots between the newlyweds as they dance, continually alternating between the two partners until Ariel finally confirms her suspicions at which point it cuts to a wide shot which stops the camera from giving the effect that it’s dancing with them as they are no longer dancing as the bride begins to break away from Ariel and becomes far less smooth and increasingly jarring, representing the current state of mind of Romina as she reels back in shock and confusion from her husband due to his unfaithful actions.

After storming out of the hall, there is a change in the colour palette as the lighting becomes lighter when the truth has been revealed to her as she stumbles through the cramped corridor, unlike the darker setting she was previously in when only her suspicions were aroused. When stumbling through this corridor, the bride is tracked by low angle shots of her from both in front and behind, signifying to the audience that she feels overwhelmed and claustrophobic with a declining sense of reality after learning the truth as it gives the appearance that the corridor is even smaller than it is in reality.

A BEV shot of the bride leaning over the edge of the unnerving effect of making the audience get the impression that she is about to jump due to the recent devastating events. The lighting in the background of the following shots showing the conversation between Romina and a kindly chef comforting her appears romantic, foreshadowing the romantic interaction between the bride and the chef, subverting the expectations of the audience is this is uncharacteristic of Romina and suggest to the audience that she is in a vulnerable place at the moment as the seductive intention of the bride contrasts the despair that is feeling as a result of the fear that her guests might negatively look down at her for being cheated on with a guest at her wedding. There is also a prevalent use of long lenses combined with a wide aperture that contribute to the effect of the setting appearing dreamy, linking to her current vulnerable state and is shot on a spherical lens rather than an anamorphic lens and extended to widescreen, allowing the current events to appear more realistic and therefore heightening the suspense and emotions felt by the audience as she begins to kiss him and lets out an enraged rant about what she intends to do to attain revenge for Ariel’s deceitful acts. Reaction shots of shock from both the chef and Ariel during this violent outburst from Romina highlight the fact that this is an unforeseen change in attitude from Romina, causing Ariel to vomit because of it. To present the idea that the shoe is now on the other foot, with Ariel and Romina now reversing roles due to her taking control, eventually causing him to breakdown just like she did previously, the 180-degree rule is broken during the heated confrontation between the couple as she is now in a stronger and commanding position over him.

Both Szifron and del Toro use aspects of cinematography to convey meaning throughout their films so that they have a wide range of effects on the audience. Del Toro utilises it to contrast the different conflicting worlds in Pan’s Labyrinth, from the perspective of the fantastical and adventurous Ofelia to the cold and calculated manner of the Captain. Szifron on the other hand t allows the audience to empathise with characters such as Romina through his clever use of different techniques that appropriately convey the attitudes and feeling of the characters on screen.