Black Swan effectively utilises the convention of setting through the two locations that Nina is continuously shown at, the dance studio and her home. Setting includes location, influence on events/outcomes and the use of signals through costumes, props, sets, shots, etc.
Nina lives at home with her mother in a small apartment. The camerawork in this film is intentionally done to not give the audience a sense of space at the apartment. This makes the audience feel Nina's pressure through the setting as its tight and confined, making the audience uncomfortable and nervous for Nina. Nina's bedroom is girly and childish. It is full of stuffed animals and decorated in pink, girly colours. There is butterfly wallpaper that is draped in the background. The butterflies symbolize the metamorphosis Nina will have to undergo in order to become the Black Swan - the process of her coming out of her cocoon and breaking free from her mother’s control. There is also a music box with a twirling ballerina, which reinforces Nina's dream to become the 'perfect' ballerina. At one scene (at 1:11:13), it plays the song Dance of the Swans, which is from Swan Lake. This links to the show Nina is in which is Swan Lake. At the start of the film, Nina's bedroom seemed warm and innocent. Aronofsky changes the mood of the bedroom throughout the film, even though the same items remain in the bedroom. By the end of the film, her bedroom seems dark and scary. This follows with Nina's transition into becoming the black swan where she loses her innocence and purity and becomes dark and evil. In the scene (at 1:11:30) where Nina grabs all of her childish stuffed toys and throws them down the rubbish chute. By looking closer, the audience notices a toy fall out of Nina's arms and on to the floor as Nina stuffs them in the rubbish chute. This toy is a black swan, which again links back to Nina becoming the black swan. All the other toys end up in the rubbish chute except the black swan. This shows how she has lost her innocence that was represented by the pink and white stuffed toys and all she has now is the black swan, which is what she has become. Aronofsky continuously uses the symbol of the black swan and white swan throughout Nina's apartment - it is shown when Nina is having a bath and a white swan is shown behind her. A white swan is also shown when Nina is lying in bed and there is a white swan figurine next to her. These scenes occur towards the start of the film, representing her as the white swan that is innocent, virginal and pure.
Nina is predominately shown at the dance studio and the stage where she spends hours perfecting her moves. The dance studio is dark with shades of black, light and dark grey tones. This dark environment Nina is made to work in brings out the darkness in Nina which helps her to become the black swan. The concrete walls that are shown in the hallways feel unfriendly, gritty, cold and harsh. At the scene (at 7:53) where all the ballerinas are dancing, the shot makes the scene feel busy with the bars close together so all the ballerinas are close together which gives the audience a feeling of a lack of space. All of the ballerinas are wearing dark shades of clothing like black and greys while Nina is the only one wearing light pink. This shows the darkness surrounding Nina and how she becomes one of them later on in the film, much like the scene where Nina is on the subway and she's the only one in pink clothing. Aronofsky keeps juxtapositioning Nina's outfit at the start of the film to show how she stands out and she's innocent but by the end of the film, she blends in but then Aronofsky reverses it in the final dance scene where Nina is getting ready and she walks past the other ballerinas which are all wearing white tutus while Nina is wearing a black tutu, showing she has now become evil and dark after 'killing' Lily while all the others are now innocent. The fact she is dressed in black gives her character a reflection of being ‘bad’, either she’s done something bad or something bad will happen to her. The use of mirrors are constantly shown at the dance studio, showing the audience the madness and insanity Nina is experiencing. Aronofsky says "In the world of ballet, there are mirrors everywhere. Dancers are always looking at themselves. So, their relationship to their reflection is a huge part of who they are. In Black Swan, it takes on a whole other meaning. Visually, we are really pushing what it means to look in a mirror." This means that in Black Swan, Aronofsky uses mirrors to create a 'dance studio' setting, but he also uses it to show Nina's descent into madness and shows her evil twin in some scenes. The mirrors also show the pressure Nina puts on herself, as she is told to 'lose herself' for the role of the black swan. To 'lose yourself', you forget about your surroundings and perform. When Nina is aware of the mirrors, it shows her more innocent white swan coming out as she is struggling to lose herself in the role. When she looks in the mirror, it shows her insecurities of her appearance and her performances.
Black Swan effectively utilises the convention of visual elements in the scene (at 1:33:31) where Nina gets ready to perform the final dance. Visual elements involve the shot sizes, transitions, camera angles, camera movement, special effects and editing pace.
At the start of the scene at 1:33:31 we see Nina in the black swan costume walking downstairs past all the white swans, showing the contrast between the two and showing that Nina is going deeper into her role and losing her sense of reality. The white tutus represent innocence and purity, while Nina's is wearing a black tutu, representing evil and darkness and she is wearing harsh dark eye makeup. The way she triumphantly marches down the stairs shows she's in control but walking away from the innocence and purity that the other ballerinas have. The use of a handheld camera shot as she's walking down makes the audience feel uneasy and nervous and makes them feel like they're there in the moment. We are able to sense Nina's hesitation as she walks down the stairs, showing that she doesn't want to change out of her black swan costume because she has become the black swan, and she feels most comfortable in that. Aronofsky has used a behind shot of Nina, highlighting her back and how her bones are very visible, showing her bad health and how she is experiencing anorexia or bulimia. It also makes Nina look more fragile and more bird-like, like a swan. When Nina enters her dressing room, it goes into a wide shot, showing the smashed mirror and the blood outside the door and Nina's face isn't shocked, showing she was involved and her poor mental state. When Nina covers up the blood with a towel, it shows Nina covering up what happened, much like how Nina is covering up and avoiding the reality that she is mentally unstable. The shot then fades into Nina putting white makeup on her face, representing innocence and purity and she's trying to cover up the negativity inside of her - the black swan - that made her 'kill' Lily. When Lily knocks on the door, it shows Nina in a three piece shot, with black on each side of Nina's pale face which is in the centre. The harshness of the sudden white against the dark and because its eye-level, it shows the darkness of the black swan slowly consuming Nina and causes the audience to feel trapped . The concrete brick walls make the scene feel unfriendly, gritty, cold and harsh. When Nina realises she has stabbed herself, the wound starts pulsating which is representing the evil inside of her, living in her and slowly taking over her. Her skirt around the wound looks like bandages, showing her trying to hide the evil but by visibly showing it coming out of the skirt, it shows the evil can't be contained and its consuming Nina. It's almost as if the white swan tried to save Nina, but it was too late. Nina's black swan crown is continually shown when she's in her dressing room, showing to the audience that Nina is after success and wants to be perfect but the black colour in the crown shows the negative effects that come with reaching perfection and success in the role. Aronofsky uses close up shots of the characters face to clearly show the audience the emotion and pain that Nina is experiencing.
The next shot is the final dance and a variety of shots are used, such as a low angle wide shot of the ballerinas feet dancing to show the technical elements the ballerinas are made to learn and perfect, much like how Nina is made to become the black swan. The performance in the final dance shows all the others Swans circling her while she spins centre stage in the opposite direction. This makes the audience feel disorientated and claustrophobic as the shot is in the middle closely following Nina and it gives the feeling that there's no way out for her. A long shot is used which makes the audience realise the enormity of the stage, the audience and the performance and this vastness makes the audience feel tense and belittled because in contrast Nina and her wound are tiny and may go unnoticed. We then see Nina running up the stairs which represents her going up to heaven, foreshadowing her inevitable death. She looks in control and powerful as she ascends the stairs. The camera then does a wide shot on Nina's wound and shows the blood stain increasing, showing the severity of the situation increasing as well. The sun behind Nina makes her look angelic and then there is a close up of Nina's face, showing her emotions of strained, desperate and despaired and then the shot switches to Nina's mother then back to Nina, showing the emotion on their faces, allowing the audience to realise that they both knows what's going to happen and makes the scene much more dramatic. When Nina jumps, slow editing motion is used to make the audience realise the intensity and drama of the scene and to think about what's going to happen next. As Nina hits the mat, Thomas leans over to congratulate Nina and the camera goes into a high angle shot where Thomas is covering Nina's wound as the white swan ballerinas surround them. It looks as if he is protecting her at first, but the contrast between Nina's white swan costume and Thomas' black suit shows the darkness taking over Nina as if it's his fault that all of this happened. The light brightens as Nina slowly dies, the spotlights on the ceiling getting brighter showing the success of her performance before the lights fade away into a white screen, rolling into the credits. The change in pace shows Nina savoring the moment she's desired and literally died for and although it was sad and tragic that she died for it, having the close-up of her facial expression looking so content as she said her last words "I was perfect" makes the audience feel satisfied for her and as it goes to a point of view shot of the ceiling fading to white, it was aesthetically pleasing to see as it was calm and the audience knows that she's free from all the pain she's endured to reach perfection.
In the film Black Swan, the convention of character is used effectively. This includes the engagement/positioning of the audience, revelation, challenge and development, stereotypes and representations.
I chose to focus on the character of Nina Sayers, an obsessed, overly ambitious ballerina. She is a perfectionist and this is shown through her dancing where she always does the dances perfectly, but the audience can't feel the true emotion of the performance. Thomas tells her that "In four years, every time you dance, I see you obsess, getting each and every move perfectly right, but I never see you lose yourself." Nina is alienated by her coworkers and director Thomas, a demanding and merciless man. Thomas and the other dancers see Nina as a 'shy, frigid little girl'. Throughout the film, Nina keeps to herself and rarely socializes with any of the dancers. Thomas tells Nina that "If I was only casting the white swan, she'd be yours." telling the audience that Nina is perfect for the part of the white swan, but lacks the passion to be the seductive black swan. The pressure Nina gets from Thomas, her mother and Lily - as well as herself - drives her to insanity to become the black swan.
Nina is suffocated by her overbearing and manipulative mother, Erica, who controls Nina's life. A former ballerina, her mother was forced to give up ballet when she became pregnant with Nina. Her mother controls every aspect of her life and treats her like a child. She tucks Nina into bed every night and calls her "my sweet girl" and she tells her "everything will be better in the morning". This shows that Nina's mother kind, caring, yet controlling. On the other hand, she pushes Nina to fulfil the dreams she was never able to achieve. Because of this, Nina is obsessive with her dancing, wanting every move to be perfect. Erica becomes jealous and resentful of Nina's dancing success and this is shown when she makes a cake for Nina and Nina refuses to eat the cake, showing signs of bulimia or anorexia. The mother threatens to throw out the entire cake, making Nina feel guilty and forces her to eat some. She also tells Nina that she'll get the role as she's "been there long enough" showing that Nina will earn it through being committed to the company rather than performing well. This makes Nina insecure and pushes her to dance better and have a great career to show her mother that she's an amazing dancer, leading to her obsessive trait. Nina is shown to be incapable of caring for herself, even as an adult. This is shown when Erica cuts Nina's toenails for her, even though Nina is capable of doing it herself. This shows Nina's incompetence and her inability to care for herself, meaning she relies on her mother to care for her. Erica is also very overprotective and has kept Nina in a shell all of her life - making Nina fearful and apprehensive of the world around her. This anxiety is shown through the camera shots where Aronofsky uses a hand held camera, giving a shaky effect to the film making the audience feel as if someone is watching Nina making the audience feel uneasy and gives the feeling something bad is going to happen. This is her evil twin following her, her black swan. Aronofsky also uses mirrors to show Nina's crescendo into madness where Nina is alone in the studio and Nina looks at her multiplying mirror images of her and loses control. The mirrors are used in mostly every shot in the film, reflecting Nina's evil twin and how its following her through the shaky camera shots and the mirror reflections. The black swan evil twin slowly consumes Nina throughout the film till the point where she dies.
Nina's costume is used to show Nina's transition in to the black swan. At the start of the film, Nina is commonly seen in pink, white and light greys which symbolises her purity and innocence. This costume is shown when Nina is riding the subway and she is wearing a pale pink coat and white fluffy scarf while everyone around her is wearing dark greys and black, showing the darkness and intensity Nina experiences in the world of professional ballet as they all strive for perfection. In the scene, it also shows Nina looking at someone in the other area of the subway through the glass and its somebody who looks like Nina but they are wearing dark grey and black clothing. This foreshadows Nina's descent into madness for the role of the black swan. Lily, however, is always dressed in dark greys and black. This juxtapostions Nina and Lily and how Nina is the white swan and Lily is the black swan. Lily has a tattoo of black wings on her back, which is continuously shown through the film next to Nina, contrasting the two characters. The audience is able to tell when Nina starts to become the black swan when her clothes become darker; she starts to wear dark grey and black clothing until the black swan dance where she is wearing a full black costume, showing how the darkness has become Nina.
Nina’s passion for ballet goes beyond a natural desire for excellence. She is obsessed with reaching “perfection” as a dancer. For Nina, achieving perfection is something she believes is possible, telling Thomas, “I just want to be perfect.” However, perfection is unattainable. A dancer can become excellent, but not perfect because there is always room for improvement. She continuously says the word perfect throughout the film, showing the audience her obsession for perfection. At the end of the film, she says "I was perfect", showing she's finally reached her goal of perfection but it came at a price - her life. She is also very vain and this is shown when she continuously looks in the mirror throughout the film.
Nina is required to become the black swan and to do that, she must "lose herself" in the role. The film follows Nina's descent into becoming the black swan. Nina's actions show her change when she fights with her mother, she takes drugs at a club and becomes sexually active. Thomas employs a new dancer - Lily - who isn't skilled in the technical aspects of dancing but her personality makes her the perfect black swan. Thomas keeps telling Nina to be like Lily, causing Nina to become jealous and paranoid that Lily is trying to sabotage her and steal her role. Aronofsky uses the tattoo of black wings on Lily's back to contrast against Nina's innocence at the start of the film, to show the contrast of the two characters and the black swan and white swan. Nina also idolizes Beth, the previous white swan. Thomas says that "everything Beth does comes from within. From some dark impulse. I guess that's what makes her so thrilling to watch, so dangerous. Even perfect at times. But also so damn destructive." Nina's dark impulse is her evil twin, shown in mirrors and the shaky camera shots which leads her into becoming the black swan. Her evil twin isn't real, but a figment of Nina's imagination. She is afraid of her, but throughout the film she slowly transitions into her evil twin, the black swan. She turns crazy and the "shy, frigid little girl" is gone. The film is shown through Nina's point of view, showing the audience Nina's hallucinations through the use of special effects. A particular effective special effect was when Nina's eyes were red, like a swan, her toes were becoming stuck together like webbed feet of a swan and her skin had huge areas of goose bumps where feathers were growing from, which eventually turned her arms into black swan wings during her performance. Nina's craziness makes her hallucinate that she killed Lily by smashing her into a mirror, then stabbing her with a shard from the mirror. During this struggle scene between Nina and Lily, Lily changes into the black swan version of Nina, showing the audience Nina's evil twin. The white swan version of Nina takes over and stabs the evil twin, yelling "It's my turn!". The evil twin then changes back to Lily, leaving Nina thinking that she killed Lily. Nina emerges on the stage as the black swan and delivers a powerful performance. She realises after the performance that she stabbed herself when she sees Lily, and sees the wound in her dress. During her final performance of the white swan, the wound takes over her and she dies as the black swan and the pure, innocent white swan that Nina once was is now gone and the destructive, seducing and powerful black swan has now consumed Nina, taking over her and ultimately resulting in her death after a standing ovation from the audience. Her last words are "It was perfect", showing her dedication and devotion to her role and how it ultimately consumed her.
In the film The Piano, the convention of character is used effectively. This includes the engagement/positioning of the audience, revelation, challenge and development, stereotypes and representations.
I have chosen to focus on Ada as a character, because the complexity of her interests me such as how she is mute and no matter what, she refuses to give in and speak. She was forced into an arranged marriage, bargained her sexuality for her piano, and severely punished for expressing free will and desire. Throughout the film, Ada is shown as headstrong and determined woman who stands for what she believes in, even through all the terrible situations she experiences.
Ada is controlled all her life by her father. He makes her decisions for her regardless of how she feels, and this leads to the reason why Ada is mute. Ada feels trapped throughout the film and this feeling is shown to the audience at the beginning of the film (0:1:03) where Ada's point of view is shown with her hands in front of her face, representing what visually looks like she is looking out of a prison or a cage. This causes the audience to feel trapped, much like Ada feels. Later on, she says about her muteness that "My father says it is a dark talent, and the day I take it into my head to stop breathing will be my last." This is foreshadowing the later scene in the film where Ada attempts suicide, but realises that she doesn't want to believe what her father says, and she decides to live instead. Ada's petticoat under her dress is representing the cage that she is trapped in by society, where all the women were made to wear the Victorian style dresses in that era. The dress makes Ada feel trapped in her role as the ideal woman, mother and wife. The dress becomes a barrier to Ada where she chooses who's allowed to come in. In the film, it shows Ada also using the dress as protection for her daughter, Flora, as she keeps her warm under the dress. We see her break free of her expected role when she chooses to use the petticoat as a shelter rather than as a dress, demonstrating to the audience her practical nature and her desire not to succumb to the role being imposed on her. It shows Ada's refusal to be affectionate towards Alisdair, her husband. After that scene, Alisdair says to Ada "I clipped your wing....that's all", referring to Ada as a bird trapped in a 'cage' which is her skirt and the petticoat underneath it. Ada is like a bird in a cage as she is never free - she is never allowed to do what she wants, she's always controlled by the men in her life whether it be her father, Alisdair or Baines. The bird idea is shown later in the film where Ada and Baines are leaving and a shot is shown of a bird flying in the sky, representing Ada and her newfound freedom as Alisdair let her leave and she is with the man that she loves - she has the life that she's always wanted.
Ada is a strong willed woman, and this is shown when Alisdair is about to chop off Ada's finger and he yells to her "You make me angry, speak" but she still refuses to answer him even if it will save her life. She continues to be mute throughout the film, no matter what. When her finger is chopped off, she doesn't yell or scream in pain, she stays calm and composed, no matter how angry she is at Alisdair. Even her facial expressions remain neutral, even though the audience can see she is in pain through her actions. This is shown when Campion does a close up shot of Ada's hands holding together, showing her bleeding finger after it's been cut off and this shows the audience the pain that Ada is feeling through her actions. This scene truly shows the strength of Ada and how determined she is to not give in to men. The film addresses many gender roles and expectations during this time period. Women were expected to be submissive and agreeable, and to create a peaceful household for their husbands and children. In some ways, Ada's character was the perfect woman: beautiful, talented and silent. Her piano was her voice and her way of expression, and eventually men robbed her of that as well.
Ada makes her first real decision when they are leaving the west coast and travelling to Nelson. A close up shot is shown of the rope being thrown into the waka, foreshadowing that something is going to happen with the rope. Ada sees the rope being pulled down with the piano and decides to put her foot in the centre of the rope, causing herself to be dragged down underwater. She remains still underwater, waiting for her death. During this moment, she decides that she would be doing what her father said she'd do - take the dark talent (her muteness) to her head to stop breathing. She contemplates her life and realises that she has a good life ahead of her - she has a daughter and a loving partner. She fights her way to the surface and lives on. This scene shows Ada made her first major decision - if she should live or not. It's interesting how even though Ada had now reached the 'perfect' life with the 'love of her life' as they ride away into the sunset, yet Ada was still unhappy enough to attempt suicide. Campion could've been commenting on the role of women in todays society - while things have improved, we're still not where we'd like to be. In the film, Ada mostly wears her hair tied back and away from her face, showing she is uptight. She only begins to wear her hair loose when she has decided she loves Baines. This shows she is at ease and happy. It also makes her look more feminine and shows her settling into her version of the role of a wife. Ada lives on happily, where Baines has made her a metal finger which represents a wedding ring, demonstrating the affection Baines has for Ada. However, the light metal clanking sound remains an everlasting reminder of the past. The film ends with Ada living in Nelson with him, learning to speak again.
The Piano effectively utilises the convention of visual elements in the scene (at 1:47:58) where Ada, Flora and Baines are leaving the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand and travelling to Nelson. Visual elements involve the shot sizes, transitions, camera angles, camera movement, special effects and editing pace.
Shot sizes are used for many reasons when Ada and Baines set sail for Nelson (at 1:43:50). This scene starts with a close up shot on a Maori woman's face as she sings a waiata, then the camera gradually zooms out to show the men pushing the waka out to the sea. This scene appears calm to the viewers as Campion has used a soft sunset as the sky and the dark, grey tones seen in many scenes throughout the film has been continued in this scene but light greys have been used to make the scene look aesthetically pleasing to the audience rather than harsh and scary. When the woman is singing the waiata and the waka is being pushed out to sea, the camera movement of tracking is used, to make the movement of the waka out to the sea flow with the scene. The Maori woman is singing a melancholy waiata, showing that the characters are leaving their home and travelling to a new place. By using a tracking shot that zooms out, it shows the vastness of the world ahead of her and how they are heading into an unknown place. However, it isn't presented in a dramatic way as a result of the soft tones of the sunset in the sky. The sunset is emphasized when a close up shot is used with a tracking shot of the waves moving and the soft pink and cream is reflected in the water. In the wide shot of the waka moving along in the water, a bird is shown flying in the sky which symbolises freedom which links to Ada leaving Alisdair and being free from the abuse that came from Alisdair. She is starting a new life with the person she loves and she is able to make her own decisions now, not be controlled by society and her parents.
Close up shots are often used in the film as well, to create an effect for the audience and with a meaning. This is shown in the close up shot at 1:43:54 of the rope being thrown in to the waka, foreshadowing that there is more to come involving the rope which is Ada's attempted suicide. Another close up shot is used for foreshadowing when Ada is looking into the water as her piano is about to be thrown overboard (at 1:46:22) and she is thinking about her suicide and the camera shot moves to show the waka itself and it appears very cramped with the Maori people paddling, the large piano and the tightness of the space. This represents how Ada is feeling about this situation which is suffocated and uncomfortable. This comes from the feeling of being on the waka as well as her life where she is forced into everything because of her parents. She is made to travel to a foreign country and marry a man she doesn't love because of her parents. By using a close up shot of Ada's face, it helps the audience to see the characters face and read her emotions. This makes the scene more dramatic to the audience as you can sense the drama on Ada's face of the big decision she's about to make.
The film uses editing paces effectively, making the film feel more real. This is done through long and slow lingering paces causing the audience to think about the situation that's occurring. By creating long pauses between the characters conversation, it makes the scene more awkward but it makes it more real as it gives the characters time to think about what they're going to say - just like what happens in real life where conversation doesn't flow and we don't know how to respond in certain situations. It makes the film more authentic and the audience is brought into the world of the film. By making the film more genuine, it means people in the audience are able to relate to the film more and it intensifies the emotions of the viewer. The slow editing pace in the film feels unfamiliar to the audience as most films are fast paced and it makes the film seem uncomfortable, much like how Ada is feeling. She is placed in situations that she doesn't want to be in such as moving to a new country and marrying a stranger. The slow and awkward editing pace is shown in the scene where the piano is thrown into the water and as the rope follows it down, Ada chooses to put her foot in the rope and gets dragged down underwater. As she's sinking underwater, a slow editing pace is used, reflecting Ada's thoughts as she is sinking. I imagine Ada would be thinking about her life and if its worth living. By using a slow pace, it makes the scene more dramatic to the audience. When Ada decides she does want to live, the editing pace gets faster as she fights her way to the surface, increasing the intensity of the scene and reflecting how Ada is feeling - anxious, nervous and desperate to reach the surface. When Ada reaches the surface and the people help her up, the editing pace slows down to make the audience think about the situation and listen to what Ada is saying. Editing paces adds drama and makes the film seem more realistic.
Mise-en-scène is the arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French term that means “placing on stage.” The frame and camerawork are also considered part of the mise-en-scène of a movie. (http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/mise-en-scene.html) In the film, The Piano, the narrative feature of mise-en-scène is used effectively in the scene (at 1:32:09) where Alisdair cuts off Ada’s finger when he finds out she’s been seeing Baines. Through the use of costume, performance, lighting and setting, Campion creates a powerful scene.
The lighting used in this scene is dark shades of blue, grey, brown, and green. By using these tones, Campion has made the scene feel gloomy and dark. While in other parts of the film, the lighting is brighter and warmer, in this scene, Campion has chosen to use dreary and cold colours. The contrast between the warmer lighting and the cold lighting is shown in this scene (at 1:32:31) where Ada is reading her book peacefully and Alisdair barges in with an axe and axes her book. In the room, the lighting is light and warm and Campion has used white, brown and dark green tones which make the room look warm and inviting. The audience notices the major transition in the lighting when Ada is dragged out into the forest - the lighting becomes ominous and scarier, intensifying the mood of the scene. The dark colours symbolise the sorrow and gloom in the characters, the environment around them and the film itself. The dark colours also link to the darker themes that are in this film; domestic violence, gender roles, infidelity and women's rights. Flora is also in dark, gloomy shadows and Campion has chosen this lighting to show the emotion and pain Flora is experiencing for her mother at 1:33:46. The light highlights Flora's face, emphasizing to the audience the shock and horror Flora is feeling. This shows the loss of innocence that Flora is experiencing, being thrown into this horrible, scary moment. Because the audience can see Flora's teary eyes and her facial expression of fright and horror, this makes the audience sympathise with Flora more and helps the audience to see the true intensity of this scene.
Both Holly Hunter (Ada) and Anna Paquin (Flora) give phenomenal performances in this scene; in this entire film to be exact, gaining them an Oscar each. In this scene, Hunter shows an amazing range of emotions in the film, even though her character is mute. Hunter also shows the true character of Ada through her actions. This is shown through juxtaposition when Ada is reading her book peacefully then a second later, Alisdair barges in and axes her book. She is then dragged outside, while the audience can she that she is using all of her will to fight back and gain control. Her performance is amazing because even though Ada is terrified of Alisdair and his violent ways but she still refuses to give in. The desperation and terror shown on Ada's face shows the difference from when she was reading the book - peaceful, calm and content. This shows that Ada is strong and won't give up, as she attempts to fight back against Alisdair. This performance links back to the message in the film about women being controlled by men through Ada and how she refuses to be the ideal wife for Alisdair because she's a head-strong independent woman showing gender control. Paquin also delivers a mesmerising performance when (at 1:32:14) she is following Alisdair through the raining forest and through her expressions and performance, the audience is able to feel the terror that Flora is experiencing. When Flora watches on helplessly as Alisdair drags Ada outside, and the mud on Flora's outfit shows that Flora is losing her innocence and is being dragged into the world of adulthood. When Alisdair yells to Ada "Is it him you love?" and Ada refuses to answer, Flora yells "No! She says no!" (at 1:33:43) and the anger and dread shown on Flora's face heightens the scene and makes it more dramatic and real to the audience. The terror seen through Flora shows us how much Flora loves and cares for her mother and how horrible it is for Flora to witness her mother go through a violent, scary event. This scene is the first scene where true anger and shock is shown from Flora and her strong love for her mother. Flora also doesn't fit into society; she is loud and sassy as opposed to the expected child that would be quiet and shy. Flora reinforces the idea of gender roles and how the lead characters in this film are strong and independent and don't conform to society.
Campion uses setting effectively in The Piano, using the west coast of the South Island as the location for the film. The dark, cold, muddy environment of the west coast helps the audience to understand how Ada feels about moving - lonely and scared. The era the film is set in means that the characters have to endure dirty conditions and this is shown in the scene (at 1:33:05) where Flora has been running through the forest following Alisdair and it has been raining; her hair is messy and her clothes are covered in mud showing that she's losing the innocence that comes with being a child. The way the forest is set with the fallen trees and their branches sticking out with sharp edges makes the forest appear unwelcoming and scary. All of these combine to create a horrible place for the characters and the audience and it also creates a gloomy mood for the film. The combination of the repulsive setting with the mire, mud and the violence shown between Alisdair and Ada makes the audience feel disgusted and heightens the drama and intensity of the scene. The rain, which symbolises gloominess and sadness, tires the characters down and makes the scene feel cold and unwelcoming with the combination of the dark coloured lighting with the black, brown and blue tones. The forest shows the terror in the shot as the forest portrayed as a dark and mysterious place where bad things lurk. During the scene (at 1:34:38) where Ada's finger has been chopped off, the audience is able to see in the background the large broken branches which are strewn all over the forest floor, making the environment look menacing and threatening. This highlights how unsafe the environment is, yet young children - including Flora - are made to live and survive there. This scene links to the message of women being controlled by men through Ada and Alisdairs relationship. Ada is forced to marry Alisdair, a man she doesn't love, and this scene shows his mistreatment to Ada by chopping her finger off because she cheated on him, emphasizing how wrong it is to the audience through mise-en-scène and the setting.
Costume is used throughout the film in a symbolic way. This is
shown when Ada tells Flora to deliver the piano key to Baines (at 1:29:55) and
as she runs off, Flora is wearing a white fairy apron with angel wings, which
represents Flora’s innocence, youth and purity. Flora - up until now - has been presented in the film with neat, clean clothing and her hair in a tidy up-do. After the production, Flora is shown to be content with her fairy costume as she continues to wear it. She chooses to change her path when she is walking on the planks, and decides to deliver the piano key to Alisdair
instead, switching from the plank leading to Baines to the plank leading to Alasdair and she slightly falls off, showing that she's making a bad decision and there is worse to come. When Flora reaches Alisdair, her wings and apron are slightly
dirty. Once Flora arrives home after running through the dark, rainy forest, her white apron is muddy and dirty and her hair
is wet, tangled and messy. As the scene goes on, her costume gets significantly dirtier.
When Alisdair chops off Ada’s finger, Flora's mothers blood sprays on Flora’s
right cheek, her apron and the centre of the string holding Flora’s wings. This scene shows through Flora's white apron and wings that Flora is losing her innocence as her costume gets dirtier. When the blood sprays on Flora, it's viewed as Flora's ultimate loss of innocence and how she has been thrown into the world of adulthood. The use of the dirty, muddy, conditions makes the audience feel uncomfortable for Ada and Flora. This idea is linked to Ada, who uses Flora as her communication with other people through sign language. Because Ada heavily relies on Flora to speak her thoughts and is very dependant on her, when Ada is dragged into the violent scene, Flora is as well. Ada's costume is also used in a symbolic way, her dress being painful and uncomfortable and she is made to wear it because of the society she's in. The netting under the skirt is used as protection for Ada against Alistair and it shows her unwillingness to be affectionate and love him as the ideal wife would. It is used as a barrier when Alisdair grabs her and pulls her
as he's only able to grab her by her chest. It is also used as protection at the beginning of the film, where Flora is being sheltered underneath her skirt at the beach to protect her from the harsh conditions. Throughout the film, Ada's dress becomes a symbol of her and other women's pain and suffering.
