The term 'thought track' was introduced in today's session and it refers to the type of voice over. In films we've previously looked at, Goodfellas (1990), Election (1999) etc, the use of voice over has always been spoken in the past tense. The voice over in Hannah and Her Sisters however is spoken in the present tense and, as the name term suggests, refers to a voice over that's representative of a characters current thoughts.
Although the house looks like a location, seemingly due to its incredible dressing, when you realise that its almost entirely lit from above its apparent that it must be just a very convincing set. If it was a location that the way in which the sequence is shot could be simply explained i.e. there was limited space therefore Allen made use of well considered tripod shots and hand held footage. The fact that it was likely to be a set however, one must consider more thoroughly the reasoning behind the style of cinematography. The main reason for the simple-but-effective shooting is to better convey the hustle and bustle of the party and to make the audience feel like one of the party guests. By using a prime lens to maximize the depth of field, the camera can flow through the bust house without the need to cut in order to follow the action.
Characterisation: The thought track that solidifies Cain's character. His narration, through dialogue and demeanor, are a big indication of the kind of person this man is. Interestingly, despite falling for his wife's sister, as he so plainly states, the audience are inclined to side with, like and even sympathise him. This is all a result of clever characterisation. Most plainly, being the narrator of a story gives you authority, as a result the audience have no reason to doubt that whats being said is untrue. This is important as its through his explanation of his current situation that Cain's character is grounded. The way in which he delivers his lines suggests a degree of lightheartedness, the comment he makes about not wanting to swoon as he's a financial adviser comes off as somewhat of a joke. Not that Allen wants the audience to think Cain's character particularly funny, rather that his character is the joke. To further this idea, listening to the rest of his speech during the voice over evokes the same feeling. His line, "I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her and look after her. Stop it, she's your wife's sister." Firstly the list of things he wants to do isn't in any way sleazy, quite the opposite, so in that sense he comes of as a genuine person. The juxtaposition of then finding out she's his wife's sister should shatter these prior feelings. The way in which he delivers the line however, along side the sharp contrast to the sentence before, results in something comical, furthering the audiences emotional connection with him.
In terms of cinematography and editing, the use of one long shot, following Hershey's character around the crowded room suggests voyeurism. Allen however makes a point to have her look directly into camera before any movement begins, the result of this is to let the audience know she's being watched, preventing the shot from coming off as in any way perverted. The only cut away from this long take is to highlight a kind of flash back that directly relates to the voice over. When Cain mentions the fact he nearly swooned as she walked past him in the doorway, we cut to a static shot of her passing him in the door way. A way in which this simple shot further conveys character is through the smile that the two exchange as she passes, this informs the audience that his so-called love for her could be something quite natural. What I mean by this is that its clear the two of them already have a relationship of some description by the way they interact, using the exact same shot but having Cain ignore her presence would suggest something completely different.
The way in which the characters of the sisters are formed is mainly through their shared dialogue. Often in the opening sequence all three of them are in the same shot at the same time all talking at the same time, this suggests the closeness each of the sisters shares with their fellow sister. Not only this but it also suggests how involved they all are in each others lives, causing potentially major problems for our protagonist. Secondly, whats actually said between the sisters reveals a lot to the audience. Its done in such a way that it seems natural, when ever its just two of the sisters talking (not Lee) to each other it tends to be something personal i.e. a drug habit or Lee's "depressive" husband. Rather than feeling like the dialogue is trying its hardest to get as much background information across as possible, it feels like family gossip and therefore its totally believable that certain things are being discussed.
Pace/Music: The music is clever in this sequence as it remains the same level through out, starting as the opening credits roll and only stopping at the cue of a bell when all the family/guests sit down to eat. The music is a fast paced piano solo that's cleverly included in the sequence by way of using three seperate cut away's to the parents playing and singing along (further characterisation). The result enables the music to be used and accepted by the audience throughout the sequence as it shifts from non diejetic to dietetic sound. The music greatly effects the pace of the opening, because the piano music is never lowered in volume its as if the characters are trying to compete with and speak at the same speed as the piano is being played. This relentlessness carries the sequence and prevents any moment from feeling labored upon. In any modern Hollywood production, fast editing is used to quicken the pace. In contrast, due to the music, fast dialogue and the movement of both the camera and the subjects within it, the long takes do nothing to slow the pace.
Although the house looks like a location, seemingly due to its incredible dressing, when you realise that its almost entirely lit from above its apparent that it must be just a very convincing set. If it was a location that the way in which the sequence is shot could be simply explained i.e. there was limited space therefore Allen made use of well considered tripod shots and hand held footage. The fact that it was likely to be a set however, one must consider more thoroughly the reasoning behind the style of cinematography. The main reason for the simple-but-effective shooting is to better convey the hustle and bustle of the party and to make the audience feel like one of the party guests. By using a prime lens to maximize the depth of field, the camera can flow through the bust house without the need to cut in order to follow the action.
Characterisation: The thought track that solidifies Cain's character. His narration, through dialogue and demeanor, are a big indication of the kind of person this man is. Interestingly, despite falling for his wife's sister, as he so plainly states, the audience are inclined to side with, like and even sympathise him. This is all a result of clever characterisation. Most plainly, being the narrator of a story gives you authority, as a result the audience have no reason to doubt that whats being said is untrue. This is important as its through his explanation of his current situation that Cain's character is grounded. The way in which he delivers his lines suggests a degree of lightheartedness, the comment he makes about not wanting to swoon as he's a financial adviser comes off as somewhat of a joke. Not that Allen wants the audience to think Cain's character particularly funny, rather that his character is the joke. To further this idea, listening to the rest of his speech during the voice over evokes the same feeling. His line, "I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her and look after her. Stop it, she's your wife's sister." Firstly the list of things he wants to do isn't in any way sleazy, quite the opposite, so in that sense he comes of as a genuine person. The juxtaposition of then finding out she's his wife's sister should shatter these prior feelings. The way in which he delivers the line however, along side the sharp contrast to the sentence before, results in something comical, furthering the audiences emotional connection with him.
In terms of cinematography and editing, the use of one long shot, following Hershey's character around the crowded room suggests voyeurism. Allen however makes a point to have her look directly into camera before any movement begins, the result of this is to let the audience know she's being watched, preventing the shot from coming off as in any way perverted. The only cut away from this long take is to highlight a kind of flash back that directly relates to the voice over. When Cain mentions the fact he nearly swooned as she walked past him in the doorway, we cut to a static shot of her passing him in the door way. A way in which this simple shot further conveys character is through the smile that the two exchange as she passes, this informs the audience that his so-called love for her could be something quite natural. What I mean by this is that its clear the two of them already have a relationship of some description by the way they interact, using the exact same shot but having Cain ignore her presence would suggest something completely different.
The way in which the characters of the sisters are formed is mainly through their shared dialogue. Often in the opening sequence all three of them are in the same shot at the same time all talking at the same time, this suggests the closeness each of the sisters shares with their fellow sister. Not only this but it also suggests how involved they all are in each others lives, causing potentially major problems for our protagonist. Secondly, whats actually said between the sisters reveals a lot to the audience. Its done in such a way that it seems natural, when ever its just two of the sisters talking (not Lee) to each other it tends to be something personal i.e. a drug habit or Lee's "depressive" husband. Rather than feeling like the dialogue is trying its hardest to get as much background information across as possible, it feels like family gossip and therefore its totally believable that certain things are being discussed.
Pace/Music: The music is clever in this sequence as it remains the same level through out, starting as the opening credits roll and only stopping at the cue of a bell when all the family/guests sit down to eat. The music is a fast paced piano solo that's cleverly included in the sequence by way of using three seperate cut away's to the parents playing and singing along (further characterisation). The result enables the music to be used and accepted by the audience throughout the sequence as it shifts from non diejetic to dietetic sound. The music greatly effects the pace of the opening, because the piano music is never lowered in volume its as if the characters are trying to compete with and speak at the same speed as the piano is being played. This relentlessness carries the sequence and prevents any moment from feeling labored upon. In any modern Hollywood production, fast editing is used to quicken the pace. In contrast, due to the music, fast dialogue and the movement of both the camera and the subjects within it, the long takes do nothing to slow the pace.
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