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post 34- Micro elements of film form- the goldrush

Scene 1: the shotgun scene
The opening scene of the Goldrush sees Charlie Chaplin trekking through the snow and coming across a house in the middle of nowhere. here is where he meets the two other characters; the other gold hunter and the man that lived in the house that they found. as the man doesn't know why the other charactors are in his house he pulls out a shotgun and points it at Chaplin in a funny way.


Mise en scene:
Costume and makeup: the costume of all three characters stays the same throughout this scene. Chaplin wearing his iconic suit unprepared for the weather, the other two wearing large fur coats and hats to keep warm. This makes Chaplin's character (the lone prospector) seem a lot smaller than The makeup in this scene is minimal as it is hardly needed as the black and white picture makes it hard to notice any makeup anyway. the only makeup used is the makeup around Chaplin's eyes to make him stand out in the film.
Props: the props in this scene are minimal the main one being the gun and the piece of chicken that Chaplin steals. The setting is the only other props that are used, the table, chairs, beds and the stove as well as the candle on the table. Though these props actually add to the scene as when the gun is being pointed at Chaplin he uses the objects in the room to try and get out the line of fire.
location: the scene is set in one location only, the cabin which is seen being in a snowy blizzard. it was only in the one location as the blizzard prevented them from leaving and was the reason they were there already.
lighting: the lighting in this scene is just front on light that is used so that you can see what is happening on what would've been a film reel. This scene is quite dark compared to others which could be associated with the dark comedy in this scene with the gun. The lighting is also seen coming from the windows and is very light in that area comparing to the corner of the room where there is no windows or source of light.
Camera angles: the camera angles in this scene are quite simple, the main one being front on from inside of the cabin. though that isn't the only one, there are some closer shots that focus on the characters. there is also a shot of the men stumbling into the cabin after being in the storm. This camera is from outside facing the side door of the cabin.
Diegetic and non diegetic sound: this is one of the first films made therefore has no sound as the technology wasn't around to make films with sound and dialogue. therefore the actors would've used body language to show what they are saying. Also there would've been a live orchestra in the theatre making music that would fit the film and help the audience understand what's happening without dialogue.
Editing: as the film is made from a film reel, the editing of these films would've been hard to do as the technology wasn't up to par with recent films. Therefore, the editing in this scene is minimal, the only real editing being the cutting from one shot to another.


scene 2: Charlie Chaplin turns into a chicken
mise en scene:
Costume and makeup: throughout the whole film the costume for Chaplin character, the lone prospector, stays the same. He wears the iconic suit with a shawl over his shoulders. though in this scene chicken costume is worn as part of a joke in the film. The costume is quite large and spectacular and hardly fits in the room. The costume for the other character in this scene is just a black top and trousers different to the large fur coat he wore before. the makeup in this scene is also minimal as the only real makeup worn here is the black eye makeup that Charlie Chaplin always wore in his films.
props: the props used in this scene are also minimal as the only real props used are the gun that Chaplin rests against the table when he first comes into the cabin. Also the knife he grabs and hides under a blanket on one of the beds after the other character telling him that he just imagined him as a chicken. as well as this the stove is used in this scene of a way of distracting Chaplin while the other character imagines him as a chicken again. lastly the other character in this scene uses an axe to chase Chaplin when he leaves the house to get away from him.
Lighting: the lighting in this scene is basically the same as the lighting in the shotgun scene as its based in the same place with the same camera angles.
camera angles: the camera angles in this scene are also similar to those in the shotgun scene as it is set in the same place. though another camera angle used is to show the other character chasing Chaplin around the cabin. there is also close up shots of the other characters face to show that he is looking at Chaplin as if he'd want to eat him.
Diegetic and non diegetic sound: this is one of the first films made therefore has no sound as the technology wasn't around to make films with sound and dialogue. therefore the actors would've used body language to show what they are saying. Also there would've been a live orchestra in the theatre making music that would fit the film and help the audience understand what's happening without dialogue.
Editing: the main part of editing in this scene is when Chaplin transitions into wearing the chicken suit. the shot of Chaplin wandering around the cabin fades into him wearing the chicken suit quite quickly. As well as this, there is also normal cuts from different camera angles and such.


scene 3: cabin balancing
Mise en scene:
costume and makeup: the costume of all characters stays the same throughout this scene. Chaplin wearing his iconic suit unprepared for the weather, the other wearing a black shirt and trousers. This makes Chaplin's character (the lone prospector) seem a lot smaller than the others. The makeup in this scene is minimal as it is hardly needed as the black and white picture makes it hard to notice any makeup anyway. the only makeup used is the makeup around Chaplin's eyes to make him stand out in the film.
props: the props used in this scene are very minimal as the main part of this scene is the slapstick humour. the only real props that are used are the table. stool and icicles that Chaplin gets from the top of the cabin.
Lighting: the lighting in this scene is basically the same as the lighting in the shotgun scene as its based in the same place.
Camera angles: this scene uses some different camera angles to show that the cabin is on the side of a cliff and tilting on the edge of it nearly falling off. Because the cabin was on the side of the cliff, it was tilting which was shown by using a tilted camera angle. the actual cabin wasn't necessarily tilted the actors just used their skills to convey that they are on a Cliffside.
diegetic and non diegetic sound: this is one of the first films made therefore has no sound as the technology wasn't around to make films with sound and dialogue. therefore the actors would've used body language to show what they are saying. Also there would've been a live orchestra in the theatre making music that would fit the film and help the audience understand what's happening without dialogue.
editing: the editing in this scene was very good for its time it uses the different camera angles and cuts to them at different points conveying the fact that the cabin was tilting on the Cliffside. It really does look the way that we would expect.





















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