How does mise-en-scene and cinematography construct meaning

The sequence that I am studying follows the daily tasks of Henry under the influence of drugs and paranoia. Throughout the scene, Martin Scorsese (Director) uses effective cinematography to portray the time period in which the events happen; from about 06:55am until about 22:00pm in a matter of minutes. Due to this, there are many close-ups with short durations to give a rushed/chaotic impression so that the audience has much to intake before moving on.

This is also reinforced by the mise-en-scene which is jam packed full of eye-candy so that the audience can still follow the story outline, regardless of the confusion.The opening shot is a close-up on Henry snorting a line of cocaine next to the barrel of a revolver. The two props chosen here represent the theme for the chosen sequence, Henry's lifestyle. The fact that he is snorting cocaine so early in the morning could also metaphorically be showing the audience that he is not under full control of his actions, possibly needing some extra help to get him through the day ahead of him. The once snorted, the camera follows his hand as he takes the revolver from the table and places it in a brown paper bag containing other assorted pistols.

The mise-en-scene here (combining the cocaine with the guns), helps to create a link with Henry's audience iconography to the gangster image.The shot then changes and the camera pans Henry as he walks from the house to his car. At this point Henry looks fresh and relatively smart in appearance as he opens the trunk of his car and puts the bag into it. The close-up that follows is of Henry looking up to the sky and then his POV of the helicopter emerging from the trees as the next shot. This is the first sense of threat that the audience is given and is portrayed by Henry's following body language and quick use of camerawork.

The camera shot hastily pans back in time to catch Henry slam the trunk closed, then zooms in as he opens the drivers door and throws his shoulder bag in before entering. This rhythmic montage effect shows that he is in a hurry.The following shots are of Henry driving whilst reflecting that he is going to be "busy all day" through narration. His behaviour becomes slightly agitated as he aversively glimpses at the helicopter during sweaty close-ups of how he is feeling at the time. The music becomes louder as the camera zooms in/out on the helicopter to create audience empathy for Henry and his high anxiety.Upon the arrival at Jimmy's, Henry is framed in the front doorway from an over-the-shoulder-2-shot greeted by Jimmy in a dressing gown.

Firstly, this reminds the audience that it is still quite early in the morning and places contrast between Jimmy's hassle-free state and Henry being rushed off his feet. Secondly it shows how brief the encounter is. A close-up of Jimmy failing to match the guns with his silencers is shown followed by Jimmy closing the door in his face and telling him to "quit with the drugs". Straight away, Henry faces a drawback in his busy routine and hits the road.Henry resumes driving from a close-up and a light up of a cigarette, whilst the narration reflects to the audience what Henry is thinking. As this catches the audiences attention, several shots of Henry searching the sky for the helicopter is shown which reminds the audience of his paranoia.

At this point Henry nearly crashes into the car in front by not paying attention to the road. POV shots of the drivers seat position the audience in the car and feel Henrys emotions through short, sharp close-ups of him panicking.To our relief, Henry is given a brief break from his routine when he reaches the hospital to pick up his brother. This is the first link that splits the gang lifestyle from his quality family time. The camera is panned out in a single shot of Henry's motion and is edited by a series of quick shots.

The fact that the doctor helps him by giving him valium adds a slight sense of security on the audiences behalf.However, on his journey home, the helicopter re-appears along with his paranoia ad in enhanced by more POV shots. Zooming in on the helicopter seems to construct he relationship between Henry's activities and the law. The audience is involved as if they are in the car being watched by a grater presence in the sky.The narration in the next scene is looking back, but when things are rushed he still sounds rushed as he lists his cooking instructions.

The camera moves around the room to display the activity that is happening in the kitchen and create a demanding environment. Henry is filmed mid-shot wearing a vest and an apron to show that he is getting his hands dirty even within his family routine.The helicopter reappears as soon as he is back in the car and his paranoia sends him to put the guns in his wife's, mother's trash. Clear skies are shown in the next shot followed by the lyrics "everything's going to be alright" to indicate that the helicopter is gone. This defines the action as well as guidance for the audience.

Henry slams the payphone down and tells his wife "he thinks I'm paranoid". The camera quickly pivots from a mid-shot of Henry to his wife as if to ask her point of view. This shot is ironically humorous to the audience as she is seen looking paranoid herself, biting her nails with her sunglasses on. They both enter a shopping mall and the cameras next shot shows them 2 hours later as they leave.A shot is given to indicate that Henry picks up he guns again and is then seen entering a hotel.Inside the camera zooms out from a suitcase full of cocaine into a mid-shot of Henry.

The narration reminds us of his remaining tasks as the phone rings. The first call is from Sandy indicating Henry to hurry up. Upon ending the conversation bluntly, he then dials home himself. This effect brings the audiences attention from the drugs back into Henry's family affairs and contrasts with his previously received call.The conversation is shown from close-ups of Louis and Henry to show the contrast in emotion.

Henry appears extremely tense due to his frustrated body language while Louis appears quite relaxed. The freeze-frame close-up of the plane tickets shows the importance of them.Extreme zoom is used when Henry sniffs a line for the third time. The audience is taken to a drugged up level as we see Henry from a big close up and gather detail from how he is feeling, dilated pupils and flared nostrils. Henry leaves with a laugh as he has nearly completed his day.

The camera zooms out from Henry's finished product, his family meal. By doing this it allows us to appreciate his hard work, especially when emphasized by his exhausted body language (head in hands). Now the audience experiences a feeling of relief as a load has been taken off their minds, the meal was a success. This simplistic meal shot shows the emphasis of the family coming together.When Henry goes for his after meal smoke he is approached by Louis who wants to get her "lucky" hat from home.

Henry is viewed from an O/S 2-s to highlight his expression towards the question, which is disbelief. The heavy eye shadow used in this shot reminds viewers of how tired Henry now is. They both enter the car and as they pull out of the driveway, BANG! COPS! The next thing we see is a police officer aiming a gun at Henry from a low-angle 2-shot which portrays the hierarchy of the two.A handheld camera effect is used in the next shot as Henrys wife attempts to dispose of the drugs.

This way the audience gets to see her unexpected reaction to the police as well as her on the spot thinking.The aftermath focuses on Henry in a world by his own. The drug/cooking equipment that Henry used to mix his drugs is brought in which shows once more his two contrasting lifestyles, the family man and the gangster.Overall, I think that this scene is extremely well done. Throughout there are many cinematography effects used to create he frantic emotion and narrative of the piece.

Most shots are all in one camera movement to concise the timescale and allow the audience to follow the motion.