Enter the Void Deconstruction - Scene 1 - Opening Scene

Part 1 - Opening conversation

The two characters, Oscar and and Linda have a conversation about Tokyo and one of Oscar's friends, Alex. In this part of the scene, a close up shot is used to show what Oscar describes as the 'Tibetan Bible', and it is all about what happens to you after you die. This sets a theme for the rest of the film because we see it from Oscar's perspective, however, at this point we only see Linda through a continuous medium shot. The editing used during this conversation uses point of view shots and visual effects to create the appearance of Oscar blinking, which is a good concept and we could perhaps use this idea in parts of our trailer, such as when the protagonist is running their hands over the book. There is only diegetic sound in this part of the scene, and the dialogue 'he's not your friend' from Linda could be seen as a warning or hint about the rest of the film. In the background you can also hear the sounds of the city, such as laughing, music and chatting from nearby clubs. The mise en scene is constructed to make the apartment seem very cluttered and disorderly, perhaps an indication to Oscar's state of mind and his situation in life. The overall colour of the apartment is also the same, it is dark yellow in colour with bad lighting, and Linda, Oscar's sister blends into the walls. This use of colour suggests that Oscar is happy and feels secure in his apartment and with his sister for company.

Part 2 - 'Enter the Void' Sign
When Oscar is alone in the apartment the whole scene changes, through a series of cutaways we sense Oscar's change in mind as he starts to inhale a drug. Visual effects have been used in conjunction with the cutaways to create the effect that he has his eyes shut for a few seconds at various points. An extreme close up is used to show Oscar lighting the end of the drug, however, the focus switches between this and the 'Enter the void' sign across from his apartment. This sign becomes the dominant part of this section because of its bright lights juxtaposed with Oscar's very dark apartment. The colours of the sign reveal a lot about the building it has been placed on, the white letters with a yellow border (they are lit up) reveal the building contains a happy and exciting atmosphere, while presenting a blank slate for anyone who enters. The diegetic sound in this part of the scene gives us an indication of how close the club is to Oscar's apartment, again the sounds of laughing and music can be heard, as well as the lighter Oscar is using. The absence of non diegetic sound makes Oscar seem very isolated and causes the viewer to focus on and analyse his actions.

Part 3 - Out of body experience
After Oscar has inhaled the drug, the effects start to take their toll on him and he has an out of body experience. This is noticeable because the camera shots use change, up until now we have seen from his perspective, however now an aerial shot is used as the camera tilts up to above him laying on the bed. The shots are joined by jump cuts to his hallucinations, and once they focus on him again the camera twists continuously suggesting how Oscar feels and cannot focus on anything while under the influence of the drug. In contrast to the rest of the scene, no diegetic sound can be heard through this experience of Oscar's, instead an almost wind like sound can be heard, perhaps symbolizing how time is flying by without him being fully aware. The room fills with a green tint, this indicates the imbalance in Oscar during his 'high' and also signifies how he has taken a drug - which are generally connected to the colour green.

Part 4 - Hallucinations
The hallucinations part of the scene doesn't really use a particular camera shot, it is just a continuous full shot. Visual effects play a major part here, as we see a series of star/snow flake like patterns on the ceiling of Oscar's apartment, however after a while the ceiling seems to disappear and only the patterns are visible. This should be of particular interest to us for the green screen section we wish to incorporate into our trailer, and could be used as inspiration as to what our character with a mental illness sees. In this part of the scene, there is a very faint ambiance of diegetic sound from the club, so laughter and music can be heard, however the non diegetic sound from the out of body experience can still be heard - indicating a sound bridge, so we know where Oscar is even though the ceiling can no longer be seen. This eerie sound is accompanied by a series of colours used in the patterns, ranging from red, gold, pink and blue. Instead of focusing on the individual connotations of these colours, it should be viewed as a mixture of emotions that Oscar is feeling, it shows he cannot pinpoint one emotion and the drug is effecting his mind and current mental state. An important factor to remember when filming our trailer.