Memoirs of a Geisha is a film directed by Golden Globe nominee, and Emmy winner, Rob Marshall. The main genre of the film is Historical, but also has the sub-genres of drama and bibliographical film. The use of cinematography,
mise-en-scene,
sound and editing have been greatly utilised to enhance the audience’s interest in the scene, as week as building upon ideas that the film is portraying.
The cinematography enables the audience
The director has chosen to use lighting and sound throughout the selected scene from Memoirs of a Geisha, to set and enhance the mood of the scene as well as to draw the audience’s attention to particular things. Lighting has been throughout the entire scene to keep the calm and elegant mood. Majority of the lighting that has been used is low lit, which as stated before enhances the selected mood. Also as the film is historical, and in the time it was set, bright, fluorescent lights were not used, the lighting which has been used is made to look natural. This includes when a spotlight is being used to draw the audiences attention to the character speaking. An example of this is at 00:22. In this shot the light from the window is being used to draw attention, whilst continuing with the natural lighting. The uses of lighting to draw the attention and maintain a mood is shown at 03:52 where there is lighting on the lips of Sayuri, which contrasts to the low lit background. Having the lighting set on her lips as she is painting them shows the elegance being portrayed. Along with the lighting Marshall has chosen to use, he has used camera angles and shots to work side by side with the lighting, this he has done to a hight standard. He has used mostly close up shots, an example of this is when she is tying her obi. The camera is drawn close to her hands to show the beauty and elegance of what she is doing. Close up shots have been used numerous times throughout the scene, but also long shots. The long shot have mostly been used when Sayuri is training. This shows how, at the beginning of the scene, she is not very good and shows the reaction of her body when she does not do something right, but by the end of the film it is showing the progress that she has made. The camera angles have also been used to show a meaning, and portray a message of the scene. This can be seen at 07:37, when Sayuri is about to do her first performance. She is all dressed up and looking at herself in the mirror, at this pout the camera is facing up towards her, a low angle shot. This shows that “[she] is not a servant girl anymore” (00:05), and has grown to be a better person. Not only has Marshall used lighting and camera shots well, but also the use of sound. Throughout the scene the director has opted to use calming, traditional music, which also follows the historical genre, and also helps keep the mood calm and elegant. Although the type of music does not change, the volume and tempo change when the shot is of Sayuri in her training. Marshall has used both lighting, camera angle and sound in this film to effectively set moods, and draw attention.
Rob Marshal has also used miss-en-scene to a high standard, through the way he has superbly chosen what costume are worn, and where and what is being shown in the scene. The costume which have been used throughout the scene is predominately traditional, older Japanese clothing, like Kimonos. The use of the traditional clothing helps reenforce the historical genre, also helps the image and idea of elegance. Marshal, quite smartly, has chosen to have close ups of the material, to show the authenticity of it. Although the traditional clothing is the most common, when Sayuri is at her first job, the men there are wearing more westernised clothing, like suits and bow ties. Marshal has done this to show the audience that these men are rich, superior, and travel. Like the costumes the scene is set in a traditional Japanese house, and town. The house once again shows the elegance of the film, the walls are made of paper with detailed patterns printed on them. The parts of the scene which are set in the house are calm and peaceful, the way Geisha must act. This is contrasting to the outside, in main town where the tempo quickens and there is a lot more happening in the scene. But everything in the film supports the genre of it being historical, examples of this are the paper lanterns, and the hand painted crookery, and the bamboo structured buildings. The director has chosen some very wise things to include in this scene, which support the genre of the film, and draw the attention of the audience to certain details which enhance the story.
Rob Marshall is an award winning director, which becomes evident when you watch his historical, bibliographical, and drama packed film, Memoirs of a Geisha. He has used many elements to create this acknowledgment in the audience, which include cinematography, miss-en-scene, sound and editing. All of which enhance his film.
