AS Film Studies Blog

The opening scene of Black Swan reveals the female protagonist's unusual behaviour through the use of a tracking shot, which metaphorically acts as if it is following her to see where she is going. The uneasy use of diegetic sound from the other theatrical performances reveals the surroundings of where the scene is set. Looking at iconography, the use of the strong costume choices again reflects the genre of the film and where the scene is taking place. The close up shot used creates an assumption of her character, being mischievous and dismissive. Her body language shown through the use of mid shots shows her psychotic nature and posture as she enters a new room. A high angle panning shot reveals the blood on the floor allowing the audience to question what is occurring. Another close up shot of her face reflects her panic and anguish she is feeling which is highlighted by her loss of control over herself. The tilt used shows her reaching to grab a blanket, showing she is literally covering up something showing she has something to hide.  Using a transition being a cross dissolve in the sequence acts as if the scene has changed, and time has been manipulated making it a montage. Watching her applying her make up in the mirror creates a sense of duality and in a way reflects her mental state. Looking at miss en scene the mirror becomes hugely symbolic as it could metaphorically sugguest she is 'reflecting' upon what has previously occurred. Another high angle shot is used, which allows her panic and distress to seep through her make up and take over her.

The sudden diegetic sound of the door knock again reflects her panic, the close up shot that backs this up shows her intense reaction and worry. The opening of the door then goes into a two shot, which is followed by an eye line match as the camera shots show her looking at her and then shying away to the floor. The close up shot of the protagonist shows her guilt coming through in what has occurred, and her overall body language and loss of speech shows her fear. The over the shoulder shot shows her dominance in the scene, showing her importance. A mid shot used captures her posture, being very tense and worried about what has happened. The high key lighting reveals the surroundings through the use of the panning shot of the floor, revealing the broken glass. The broken glass from the mirror is hugely meaningful, as it could metaphorically mirror how her life is broken. The diegetic sound of the theatrical music played then turns into diegetic which still mirrors the overall location. The non diegetic sound vastly builds up the atmosphere and begins to foreshadow further events to occur. It also shows her mental state being hugely unstable and uneasy. The building non diegetic music reflects her emotional turmoil and shows her questioning her own mental state through the use of a close up. The panning shot showing us the blanket highlights its future use in the scene. A high angle shot shows that all of the blood previously shown has mysteriously disappeared, possibly suggesting her imagination and again mental distress. The non diegetic sons becomes overpowering, mirroring her current mind set. The motif music that is  commonly used in other films mirrors the whole overall genre.
Her eyes looking down at her stomach shows the realisation in her face, which then reveals a bloody wound. A mid shot of her stomach shows her heavy breathing through the use of the wound, which is emphases her pain. This particular shot reveals the internal pain she is feeling has now become external, as it begins to seep out of her. When pulling the glass out the hyperbolic music shows that this is the climax of this particular scene. The extreme close up then used shows her actual pain and the tears that have been brought with it.

The scene then switches back to the mirror which again allows her to reflect on whats happened. Showing her pulling herself together reflects her strength and determination, showing her passion for dance. Music mirrors that she can go on and succeed. A straight cut into her dance piece is again backed up by a long shot which shows her surroundings being the stage. The non diegetic sound again switches to diegetic as we know it exists inside the scene.The dancers in the background are still shown, but the main focus is still on this main protagonist. A tracking shot captures the speed in which she is dancing and the fluidity of her dance sequence. A close up shot of the wound is then shown through a zoom out which shows it increasingly growing as the dance then comes to and end. A close up shot then reveals her pain she us feeling. An eye line match with her mother in the audience creates a connection between the two as she portrays her pain across to her .A high angle shot used shows her importance in this dance piece, showing she is the centre of attention. A point of view shot as she hits the sheet at the end of the dance shows that everything has been taken out of her and the dance has defeated her. The close up shot shows her passion and love for dance which overall reflects her determination. The use of dialogue also backs this up. The end of the scene features the stage lights which she is looking up at. This symbolically represents her ' looking into the light' again reflecting her overall defeat.