The Godfather Mise-en-scene
There are many techniques used for the film the Godfather 1972, and to relate the techniques for the Mise en Scene is that for the starting of the film, there is a man speaking kind of like the narrator, and how it introduces the man speaking is in a low key lighting method. By using the low key lighting it kind of gives the viewers a tense style environment and atmosphere as well as it being mysterious and giving that thriller feeling.
The light is shown on that one persons face in the intro of the film, which makes everything else around him dull, pitched black which therefore shows that what this person is, or what he is saying is important to start the plot of the film.
The main character , and the main head of the family is called ‘ Don Corleone ‘ , and the way the opening of the Godfather opens is showing the person with the light shining on is talking to Don Corleone as the camera zooms out. With the company of an office environment It shows when the camera is zoomed out , and with the lighting skills and how the environment is shown and how Don Corleone is presented in that shot , gives more of an understanding to the viewers that he is the main character of the Godfather.
Also there is a light coming from the window like lines of sunlight coming through the blinds shining to Don Corleone’s head from the behind, and shows the character reaching to the window to see who is outside, giving the viewers that he is someone special.
Another relation in the Godfather film that is mise en scene is the ending shots. Throughout the film a character called Michael Carleone is introduced which is Don’s Carleones son , and the ending scene starts with more concentrated shots focused on Michael , and also a character called Kay however Michael is more focused.
The ending, is set as a medium shot, showing both characters Michael and kay , more concentrated for Michael , and also within the medium shot it shows three more characters surrounding Michael making the focus go to him , making the viewers attention onto him showing his importance to the scene. The lighting used in the ending is similar or the same way they have used the low lighting in the introduction start to the film , meaning the light is coming through the window blinds mainly and the rest of the light is focused onto the characters or the one.
So with the Mise en Scene, the lighting takes a huge part for the Godfather, because most of the scenes the lighting is focused on the characters rather than the surroundings which shows importance of the characters to the viewers. Also the camera shots and angles give you an experience like you are witnessing the crimes etc in that film for yourself, as if you are secretly there behind a character’s shoulder like shown on the pictures above. The way the characters have been presented, easily give the viewers who are the main boss, the main head, the main character.