In this scene of Gone Girl Margo (Nicks sister) asks Nick 'What is up?' When we initially see her ask him this the frame is a long two person shot. The two characters are positioned according to symmetry down the centre third of the frame. However, asymmetry is used within the miss en scene to show the left hand side of the frame as jumbled and unorganised and the right hand side as neat and orderly. This could be a representation of Nicks out look on life or current situation as being confused and having no order in his life. Where as, on the right hand side of the frame (the direction Mrago is looking) the miss en scene is tidy showing she has no worries or troubles. As the scene progresses the camera slowly zooms in on the two characters having their discussion as Margo continues to ask Nick what is wrong. This can show that she is slowly becoming closer to Nicks true feelings and personality and that the audience are being trusted enough to be in on their private conversation.The closer she gets to getting him to talk, the closer we get to the actors.
In this scene the audience witnesses the first meet of Nick and Amy. The two person mid shot immediately portrays the fact the characters have never met before. Again the use of the symmetry within the frame and the characters being in the centre third facing each other can suggests that at this moment in time they have made no judgement on each other and can also portray to the audience that they should be considered as equal. This could link to the ongoing theme throughout the film of a police investigation. At this moment in time the shot (with a different miss en scene) could be perceived as an interrogation between two people. The fact the symmetry is used could represent that when the police look back on this moment at the end of the film whilst investigating the events, that they are currently both equal to each other. This suggesting to the audience that they are now open to make their own decisions on the character as no one wants to persuade their opinions. However, when Nick asks Amy 'so who are you?' the camera angle switches to show a long shot in which Amy is in the foreground and is blocking Nick from the audiences view. This can portray to the audience that she is blocking Nick from the true her and as she walks away she is broadening the distance between them almost as if she is distancing Nick from her true self. This is then contrasted when Amy asks Nick the same question. The shot type has now switched from a mid shot to a two person head and shoulder shot. This is confusing as the previous shot suggests that we are being hidden from the truth however this change in shot types suggests they are getting closer. This could suggest to the audience that he is winning her over in the way of romance and that he is falling for her deceit. This is continues when She asks him 'and you, who are you?' and the camera shot changes from a close up to an over the shoulder shot from nicks perspective through the use of a track. This visually brings the two characters closer together within the frame. This helps to signify the beginning of the relationship.
In this scene the intentional lack of camera movement is important. Amy has returned from 'capture' and this shot is dramatic. The use of having many detectives stood facing her with deep focus on them whilst she is out of focus is important. The audience at this point know she has spun many lies and this could almost be a symbolism of all those lies. The fact she is out of focus can suggest that the audience see the fake her and her real personality isn't clear. However, this shot is almost an over the shoulder shot but inst close enough to be so. The camera then cuts to show a high angled long shot from the detectives point of view. Considering they are interviewing her and getting dramatic information of what she allegedly went through, you would expect the camera to zoom in on Amy becoming closer to her as she opens up. However, the camera is position as far away in the room as possible and is a static shot. The camera then cuts again to be closer to Amy but uses Asymmetry to put her on one side of the frame along with the nurse looking after her but the interrogators on the other. This shows the clear distinction between her and them and uses binary opposition to display them as being against each other. The overall use of purely static shots in this scene represents how she isnt opening up or telling the truth. The camera is almost represented as how the audience feels towards her: cautious and staying at a safe distance away from her without getting closer.
How can this help me:
analaysing these film clips shows me that framing and camera movements are essential when portraying a character. The slightest camer achange can change the way an audience pereieves a character. Also, camera movements are typically zooms when you become closer to a chracter or learn soething more about them and this is a convention of films in general. The distance from the camera and the onbjects within it is often significant in portraying how much you can trust whatever the frame is showing.
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