The Lighthouse

The opening scene creates a sense of mystery as to where is this movie gonna lead into. It’s a modern a black and white movie and a 4:3 ratio screen which is a bold move for a film director. This is portrayed through the use of mise-en-scène, editing, cinematography, and sound. Mise-en-scène is shown by costuming as it shows two sailor men heading on shore to the lighthouse. One is an older man with a smoke pipe and a full beard and the other one has a thick mustache and sideburns. Cinematography is shown through long shots, medium shot, over-the-shoulder shot, and a low angle shot. The long shots show the two sailors sitting very stiff like and very close to one another looking off into the ocean which creates a sense of mystery as to what they are looking at or the relation the duo have. It also happens once again with the sailor men walking towards the lighthouse without ever acknowledging one another and a flock of birds overheads them. The medium shots showed the pair together with non emotive faces and the way the shot is set up makes it look like they’re staring right at you. The over-the-shoulder shot shows the pair staring off at the lighthouse that beams upon as they start to arrive on shore which makes it seem like the lighthouse is staring them down. The low angle shot was used to show the duo walking on steep steps which creates the feel of the setting which is an island. The blocking between the two sailor men is a sense of mystery because there is no dialogue in the opening scene only the sound of the harsh waves, the terrifying loud blow horn, and the flock of birds as if foreseeing an event. The editing is interesting as the scene opens up with a foggy, unclear grey screen and gradually turns into a a view of the ocean then cuts to waves crashing. The editing has cuts every now and then to pick up the pace and establish no blocking between any characters.