For my analysis, I chose the scene where Erik Killmonger has the herbs burned and then it cuts to Nakia, Shuri, Queen Mother and Everett go to M'Kabu to ask for help. This scene goes from minute 01:29:20- 01:31:49 of the film.
The scene I picked starts with Killmonger standing, watching the sacred herbs burn. I really like how the filmmakers used the lighting and the sound here to dramatize this moment of Killmonger being the new king, especially because the soundtrack and the fire gives the audience the sense that whatever is going to happen next is not good now that he is ruling.
The scene then cuts at 01:29:28 to him in the throne room, but the camera is upside down and there is a hip hop soundtrack playing in the background. The camera rotates to a normal eye-level shot from 01:29:28- 01:29:45. The upside down angle rotating to eye-level when Killmonger is walking into the throne room mixed with the hip hop soundtrack is a creative choice in showing how Wakanda has turned completely upside down in its leadership.
Then the scene continues at 01:29:50 until 01:31:20 with over the shoulder shots, cutting back and forth between people using the master shot/coverage editing style to show the conversation being had between the council.
Then the scene at 01:31:20 crosscuts to a completely different place, from the throne room to the icy regions leading to M'Kabu. The editing continues with an outside-in cut to show where they are and then show Nakia, Shuri, Queen Mother and Everett traveling. I like the choice that the filmmakers made of the costume in this part of the scene particulary because of the contrast it creates from the icy region where they are to the warm, inviting colors they are wearing, and it helps draw attention to them and their conversation.
Finally it ends on an establishing/long shot at eye-level of where the characters would be of the cave to enter the M'Kabu region. The color of this scene, with the contrast from the left to the right of the darkness to the light with the cave in the middle, as well as the lighting being sidelit adding to the shadow effect.
Hey hannah! I like that you included visuals in your post. When you mention Killomanger standing watching the sacred herbs burn I feel like you really captured the moment to describe where it transitions to him becoming king. To elaborate more I would add what type of soundtrack is used or what genre of music is involved in what you describe to create the overall effect. Personally I have not seen this movie ( i know shame shame ) and I don’t know what kind of music you are talking about that makes this film technique effective for the audience. You did mention in the next cut that there is hip hop music. Is it the same for both scenes? Or is the first scene just intense dramatic sounds? Overall I feel like you did a great job explaining the difference between scenery and how the shot coverage and color choice distinguishes the characters and what’s going on
ReplyDeleteHannah, I really liked your analysis, especially the part about how the upside down angle rotating to show that Wakanda has completely turned upside down in its leadership because I’ve never noticed the purpose behind that and as an avid fan of this film, it all makes sense. And now looking through your analysis, I wonder if the directors purposefully made M’Kabu icy to portray isolation and hostility since winter is sometimes associated with coldness, both in temperatures and figuratively. I think ou did a great job explaining everything.
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