Boardwalk Empire: Building a character in just six planes is this: That which we call visual narrative cinema builds all his speech through a simple fact such as story telling. Storytelling
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And almost always, the vehicle chosen, the principal-to send us these stories are the characters.
The importance of character in the narrative is unquestionable.
From my point of view, from all creative disciplines, the world of comics is the one that revolves around the figure of a character (hence its construction is of vital importance) but the film-much more versatile, much more dispersed, do not walk behind, almost at the level of the novel.
So if we want to make credible a story, if we want the viewer to enter into it, if we want-or need-a common thread that binds all these detailed junction and parts of the movie drinks, / the characters are presented as essential in this task.
And with them the characters, of course, that represent them.
Building a good character is both challenging and enjoyable. And the elements we have at our disposal to do this are many and varied.
The fascination that the viewer can find for a character is as diverse as cinema itself, but certain features, which are not flat, which evolve as the story unfolds, with contradictions and sharp-help.
The dialogues will serve, but sometimes a glance, a gesture, an expression can give us the extent and depth of a particular character.
Something that happens in this scene of only six planes, where in a master build the complex, fascinating and disturbing personality of a character like Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, played impeccably by Steve Buscemi
.
The scene is part of the HBO television "
Boardwalk Empire," which has now completed its first season, and about the life in Atlantic City at the time of Prohibition, also known because the first episode was filmed by Martin Scorsese
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do not include the scene on video, but we will dissect more images to get a better idea of \u200b\u200bhow passes.
This period coincides with the fair end of the third episode of the first season (49:30 minutes) and how to tell is divided into six levels:
MAP 1:
We see a slight angle shot the scene where they will develop the scene: the luxurious lobby of a hotel.
We will not insist, but as always at the forefront of a sequence serves to place the viewer in the physical space where it is to develop the story.
The plane continues when we see that the hotel doorman opens the door to a character, our character, who goes inside. We appreciate that is outside raining hard.
The character-still too remote to be recognized, this luxurious lobby crosses through the center, sober but confident.
contrapicado The use of light in the angle has two reasons: firstly, it gives us a certain majesty to the scene and the character, but to understand what the second reason for its use, we still have to wait a bit.
This is a tracking shot the protagonist, from his back, which also is informative, it indicates that is directed toward the elevator.
We still see his face (two levels without knowing it gives a certain air of mystery to the character) but we move with it. Somehow we're not sure who he is but to be drawn into it, we do not know what his face but we pursue it, without reaching ever.
three is very curious, since the latter refers to through rapid and almost invisible cast.
Actually this follows the first plane, and will be finally gives us a clear reference to the character in question: Nucky Thompson.
This recognition of the character is going to last long, because as you go is introduced into the shadows (the elevator) and lose visibility of your face.
are telling us something here about the nuances, folds and ambiguous character's personality: sober, introspective, contradictory and quite elusive.
In this last moment of this third plane, and just before linking with the room, his face in shadow of Nucky occupies almost the whole screen (it is inside the elevator and cap stage), precisely to give way to next shot we see his face is turned toward the hall.
level is key to the scene, which more and more curious and will give us the same. Connected
backplane perfectly see-now well-defined self-Nucky Thompson's face, which rotates outside the elevator.
His expression to what many see mixture almost imperceptible feelings: sadness, surprise, disappointment, depression, boredom or pain.
His eyes look down and further corroborate the above.
At this level we can complete the puzzle, understand what they have told us so far, see what Nucky sees Nucky feel what you feel, and he understood, at least in part, the complexity of his thought.
And in turn helps us to understand the use of contrapicado in the foreground.
What Nucky see are the footprints of their shoes wet and muddy water in the luxurious, clean and spotless hotel lobby that welcomes it.
Nucky sees everything he has left behind .
obvious but is a perfect metaphor for everything that had to do to get where it is today, of all the sordid and dirty you had to do to be where it is. That
not happy or proud, but conscious.
know that you know, and you do not like. And
seen in the distance, from a physical and emotional distance, which makes also understand that already gone way back, and he will do nothing to erase those tracks, clean up the sordid, to repent.
So on that level, we see how the goalkeeper occupies the entire screen to close the elevator (to close with the past, not to see in order to clean it).
plane 5 and the same frame that 4, we see how the elevator finishes closing the elevator, locking an impassive Nucky keeps looking at his past, undaunted, with all the kinks so we can add to that term loaded with anything but pride.
And the lift is closed.
And the past is erased.
And the episode ends.
And so, with a trivial action principle we have built a complex character, sad, elusive, given contradictory and fascinating.
Much remains for us to know about it, let us continue to count.
PD
Besides the main characters, the world of the narrative is full of luxury side often bring more interest than the protagonists themselves.
I do not know if we could keep this in Boardwalk Empire, since its hero is undoubtedly a major role, but it is supported by some characters, too, perfectly constructed and designed to bring a lot of history to life.
Among my favorites, that cop is unhealthy Nelson Van Alden (is supposed to be good?) And a character full of mystery, past and unknowns as Richard Harrow.
not count more ...
