Media Editing 750 words

 

Inception :

You can clearly see the different character types and their personalities from the costumes that they are wearing. The first person to speak in the scene appears to be the main character - Cobb. The handheld camera pan up as he gets up from his chair clearly communicates to the audience that he is important to the plot. The diegetic sound of the book hitting the table as Cobb throws it down draws the audiences attention to the action - this is also an action code, this could be to communicate how knowledgeable he is. It can also show how what he is going to talk about he has researched. This may connote that he has a job that involves some sort of researching like a scientist. His costume further reinforces his intelligence and knowledge as he is in a suit however he is not wearing a blazer and his top buttons of his shirt are undone this may symbolise how he has been working tirelessly and continuously on what he is going to say. It could show the audience that he is stressed out and has spent a long time researching which would be the preferred reading however it his casual approach to the smart clothes that he is wearing could also show how relaxed he is and how confident he is in his plan which would be the oppositional reading. 

The next person to speak is Arthur. He is sat down and you can see that he was deeply listening to Cobb by his facial expression and how he was writing in his prop notebook. You can clearly see the power dynamic between the two as Cobb is stood up whilst Arthur is sat down. This can convey many things such as Cobb is more important to the plot, Cobb is more intelligent than Arthur or Cobb is more confident in the plan. His costume being very smart contrasts Cobb and Eames who is sat next to him. This may show how eager he is to be involved in the plan or may show how he does not trust in the plan as much as the rest of them do. This is further reinforced by him writing in his notebook as it shows he is actively making notes on the plan trying to understand it fully. It cuts in between Cobb and the research that he has collected in a scrap book from various news articles. This once again connotes how much the group is invested into the plan and making sure that is goes right. The cuts to and from the research back to Cobb referencing the articles fills the audience in on the knowledge about Fischer and his father but also where they got it from. This makes the audience feel as though they are a part of the team as they get to read the news along with them. The use of props though out the scene helps the scene feel more real and immerse the audience into their world and their plan. Eames then has an idea which he voices to the group and Cobb tells him that he is wrong and fixes the idea. This clearly shows that he is the least intelligent out of the three. 

Eames then builds on the idea and Cobb agrees with him showing the dynamic of the group and how they all rely on each other which foreshadows how the group all have to rely on each other when going through with the plan. Yusuf and Ariadne are looking at the building models, them looking and pointing paired with their more relaxed costumes suggests that they are new to the group and are still learning. This is further reinforced by the fact that they are not sat with the other three men. The three men who are sat together may been seen as the heroes and the protagonists whereas the two others may be seen as the helpers or donors. This also reinforces stereotypes that decisions are made by white men as the three white men are the ones planning and coming up with ideas whilst the woman and man of colour are not sat with them and are learning the plan. The clear cuts between the scenes of them in the office planning and them in the city planning and testing things out help make the plan clear and structured for the audience. 

The setting of the city also conveys how fast moving the plot is  similar to how quickly a city moves. The camera movement and the pace of the editing slows down as they talk about how long they would be stuck in each level. This shows the serious shift in tone in the scene. The non diegetic sound of the music building as they continue shows how they all become more optimistic about the plan and how close they are to going through with the plan. The classical music that is both diegetic and non diegetic contrasts the fast paced scene and slows it down once again so that we focus on the music just like the team will have to do during the kick, once again putting the audience in the pov of the team. The scene cuts to Fischer coming out of the plane in his suit. His costume implies that he is wealthy and the setting with his private jet in the background whilst he gets into his chauffeured car further connotes his wealth and forces the audience to be overwhelmed by it. It may connote Fischer's power as well and shows why he needs so many people to enter his mind. There is not much to learn from his brief appearance in this scene which gives the audience the same knowledge that the team has. The high key lighting in this scene shows how the team has thoroughly researched him and knows everything about him but not what is in his mind. This is why there is low key lighting in the office where they are planning showing the lack of knowledge of his mind.