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Citizen Kane Cinema Scene Analysis

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Citizen Kane , a film directed by Orson Welles, showcases many fascinating elements of filmmaking. The way that Welles illustrates these elements of filmmaking is the reason that James Naramore describes Citizen Kane as a powerful work of art. The narrative structure of Citizen Kane is an examination into the life of Charles Foster Kane, from his ambiguous upbringing as a child to his renowned success as a newspaper tycoon throughout his entire adulthood. Welles’ narrative structure and use of specific techniques of sound and cinematography create significant meanings and effects throughout the film. Furthermore, Welles’ stresses the cinematographic technique of deep-focus photography and a variety of camera angles (i.e. wide-angle photography) …show more content…

This scene (a few scenes after the childhood scene) shows a mature and powerful Charles Kane taking over Mr. Carter’s office space as a new newspaper magnate. In this scene, we see the use of the low-angle shot by Welles. The meaning of the low-angle shot is to give importance to the character dominating the space. Welles uses the low-angle shot by shooting the scene from a low camera level that points upwards towards the important character from below; while giving importance to the main character in the scene. In this case, the low-angle shot is used to make Kane look more powerful over the stuttering Mr. Carter (an editor at the Inquirer); especially as he states that he will now live in Mr. Carter’s office and make the newspaper company work 24 hours a day. In addition, the low-angle shot shows that Kane is the more powerful character in the scene because he is the one that is not moving during the entire scene. On the other hand, Mr. Carter moves around from his desk to Kane to show that he has less power. The effect of the low-angle shot created by Welles is to increase the sense of Kane’s power and arrogance throughout the scene. This effect of the low-angle shot created by Welles sets the tone for the rest of the film by initiating Kane’s rise to prominence in the newspaper

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