Trapped In The Frame

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Film 1001-01/02 Film Criticism Mrs. Ingrid Hutchison Trapped In The Frame: Connecting Technique with Meaning By Bryce Weingust To be trapped is to be confined, caught, cornered, ensnared, or stuck. In film, it is not always necessary to express the feeling of “trapped” so boldly, but to hint to the feeling by using professionally proven filming techniques. In the Joel and Ethan Coen brothers’ 1996 film, “Fargo”, the Coen Brothers portray Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) as trapped character by expressing this theme, trait, or burden with effective filming techniques such as mis-en-scene, photography, and strategic movements with the camera. In most films, viewers notice specific character traits based on the dialogue, audio, and most of all- what is captured on the camera within the film. In some films, viewers can turn the audio completely off and still have an idea of who the characters are and what traits they possess because the filming techniques were done properly and effectively. Viewers are able to acknowledge these traits or “vibes” from the way the camera is placed and what has been placed within the frames of the film. In the Coen Brothers’ film, “Fargo”, the first technique used to express Jerry Lundegaard as a trapped or powerless character is the photography aspect of the film. In one of the opening scenes of “Fargo”, there is a medium shot of Jerry Lundegaard apprehensively entering a bar full of people. The viewers’ first sighting of Jerry Lundegaard is in a bar surrounded by people. When the viewers see Jerry surrounded by people they subliminally assume that Jerry is a trapped, cornered, or a tangled character. The frame is quickly followed by a close up shot of Jerry’s nervous face. Seeing a close up shot of the protagonist’s (Jerry Lundegaard) nervousness or fear during the introduction of the character is an effective way to
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