'Amelie' Analysis - Classwork

'Amelie' Analysis - Classwork

This clip is overall not very tense, as it is not categorised in this genre, therefore this analytical drawing shows an exaggerated tension scale compared to the others. In the top half of the page, I drew a graphic sound drawing including diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The main music in the introduction was French orchestral classical music in a minor key whilst the beginning credits rolled. This built pace as the French voiceover introduced the scene, both sounds being non-diegetic. Then there was the car that drove past the camera making diegetic engine sound. This was followed by the birth of the child, therefore the screaming of said child. Then the credits roll and the French voiceover stops. There is then a montage of scenes where ‘Amelie’ is playing with things. These provide quieter diegetic sounds. This is introduced by the clicking of a camera reel, followed by the falling dominoes and then the ringing of a glass being run around the top with fingers. Next there is a slurping noise from the straw in the bottom of the drink, followed by the squeaking of the child blowing through the leaf, afterwards the child blows a paper spiral and then finally the rolling of a coin on the table. Also underneath this montage, the music changes to more a more solemn mood and is only played on the piano, with chordal movements underneath a melody.

Under the sound graph, I drew a tension line with key scenes added in and the specific colouring of the screen at that moment. There was a long while of equilibrium at the beginning with the opening credits but as the car drove through the shot the tension built. At this point also the colouring was very orange, giving the feel of the past. Then as the man was rubbing out the name of his friend the tension grew even more as the audience are given ambiguous scenes. This colouring was more yellow, so had a deeper saturation to the shot. Then as the voiceover continued there was a slight increase in tension with the sperm and egg story. As the clip almost reached its peak of tension with a time lapse in stop-frame-animation of the woman through her pregnancy the tension increased. The peak of tension was when the chid was born and after this there was a dramatic fall in tension and another moment of equilibrium as the credits continued and there was a montage of the child doing all sorts of childhood things. The saturation for this montage was also enhanced with yellow and orange undertones.