BREAKING BAD ANALYSIS

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Introduction


We were instructed to analyse a scene from Breaking Bad. I focused on deconstructing the shots and finding meaning encoded within. I then wrote about the meaning created by camera, mise-en-scene, editing and sound.



Progressing emotions



Analysis

Practise essay

How does the Breaking Bad clip create meaning through the use of camera, mise-en-scene, editing and sound?

Throughout the clip the director uses camera, mise-en-scene, editing and sound to show how the teacher is undermined by Chad, the student. Towards the beginning of the clip, the power is held by Walter, the teacher. This is shown predominantly through camera angles. The teacher is mainly the focus of all the shots, or it shows him standing in front of a classroom of students. He is displayed with a slight low angle, which indicates he is more powerful. When the class is displayed there is a slight high angle which exaggerates his height over the sitting students and further indicates he holds the power over them. In contrast, Chad is at the back of the classroom and out of focus, making him appear as any other student. However, there is a power shift between the teacher and Chad when they have an encounter and Chad steals the classes attention. Originally it appears as if Walter is in control, as he is shown as from a slight low angle as he exerts his power and tells the student to move. Once again, camera angles are the main hint to this power shift. Once the boy drags his chair and produces a distracting sound, there are some close ups on the student that signify how he has stolen the attention, and therefore power, away from the teacher. He takes back some control by having the focus on him, and the camera follows his movement as a subtle hint to this slight change in power. However the use of sound also exaggerates this encounter. After the teacher resumes talking to the class and Chad drags his chair across the floor loudly, the class is interrupted once again. This diegetic sound represents a clear lack sign of disrespect, and the teacher is forced to concede and wait until the boy is sitting before he can resume. This loud sound makes the pause seem longer, and the long shot of Walter is obscured as Chad moves through the foreground, as if his darkness is encroaching on the teacher. The scene progressed, as the surrounding change to a car wash. Walter is seen working a second job as an employer at the car wash. This is a power shift for Walter, as the contrast is clear between holding the attention of a classroom and being told what to do by an employer. There is a slight high angle for an over the shoulder shot from behind the employer, making Walter seem less significant. This is made to be more humiliating for him when he is spotted by Chad. The power dynamic is made very clear from the low angles for both characters, however the angle signifies two very different things for each character. Walter is shown from a low angle to emphasise the size of the car next to him, and therefore he seems smaller and less significant. His plain clothing also contrasts the shiny red colour of the car, which is usually associated with wealth. Chad is shown from a low angle to show he now holds the power in the encounter. Overall the director shows the power shift predominantly through camera, but also includes significant meaning within mise-en-scene, editing and sound.

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