• The camera went towards the suited man at the beginning of the scene, in contrast, when the other man walked on set the camera did not follow him or move. This shuts him out and could show how un-valued he is by the suited man/society. This contrasts to the suited man who seems important, at the beginning he did not react to the overhead speaker as if he didn’t have to and the camera went towards him.
• The suited man’s appearance greatly contrasts with the other man, he wears a suit and has well-kept hair whereas the other person appears to be wearing what looks like jail clothing with messy facial hair which could show his mental instability. Another thing that could show his mental instability is the sound effect that play after he is asked “Why is that?” during the interrogation about the turtle.
• Because of the industrial set design (mise en scene) and the unclear (almost dark) lighting (cinematography) along with the costume design of the suit, we get the impression that he is a serious character who is precise and un-forgiving. His furniture, such as the chairs, do not look comfortable only practical which could speak for his personality, he doesn’t care for style or comfort he just wants to get his job done,only cares about practicalities and isn’t an emotional person.
• During the first shot, the camera might be following and zooming in on the suited man but the audience can see the other person slowly coming, this might suggest that he is going to act out and/or that the suited man doesn’t have complete control over him.
• During the interrogation, the camera kept going back and forth between the two men. This, along with the interrupted speech, built tension.
• The lighting is quite dark and not clear (low key lighting). This could be partly because one of the men lit a cigarette but it also could be because above the characters there was a fan instead of a light. This could represent that they aren’t good people because they are in the shade and/or to hint that this isn’t a normal interrogation scene and that something will go wrong. As well as this, towards the end of the scene the camera angle changes so we can see both of them at a side angle and the room. We see a rectangular and long window on the wall physically above them. This may suggest that they aren’t innocent people as they are physically below the natural light. It also adds a cell feel to the set.
• When the audience see’s them both towards the end with the sideways camera angle (long shot), we see the non-suited man lean forward in his seat but do not see him do anything that would suggest what happens next, the gunshot. (However the change in camera angle from switching back and forth to seeing both of them could have suggested a soon end to the tension). The tension was building throughout the scene and the gunshot was the climax, it was what the audience was waiting for. To add, the editing was fast which made you feel anxious to find out what had happened and what is still currently happening.
• The world might be futuristic because of the last few seconds where we can see a view of the city in an extra long shot (but this is probably the start of the next scene).  However, the equipment that was being used would suggest otherwise.
• The film is probably an action film due to the building up on tension, use of guns and characters who are against one another over series topics to do with killing  and mental instability.

(Note: I have never watched Blade Runner other than this scene)

The Shape of Water is a film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is set in 1962 Baltimore during the cold war. Elisa, a mute women, works as a cleaner in a scientific laboratory with her friend Zelda.  One day, Elisa discovers an amphibian man, the labs secret. Along with her friends she must try and save the amphibian man from Strickland who plans to kill him.

The Shape of Water has similarities to many other films such as “Creature From the Black Lagoon” and “Splash”. As well as this, the dance scene is taken from a film called “The Gay Divorcee”.

There is not one specific genre that describes the film, but both romance and horror could be used along with fantasy.

Set Design 

Elisa’s apartment appears run down with water with a colour scheme to match. They also painted a famous wave painting on to her wall then messed it up so that it doesn’t look like the painting but still gave the room an ocean feel.

Giles’s (Elisa’s neighbour) apartment is full of earthy colours, it’s more homey and welcoming. This reflects his personality.

The Shape of Water Dance Scene 

The dance scene is an escapist sequence between Elisa and the amphibian man. The mute heroin finds her voice for the first and only time during the film, it’s a way of showing that the amphibian man “gives her” a voice. This is because Elisa is in a minority group and treated unfairly (something explored throughout the film), but the amphibian man made her feel understood. Elisa had also compared herself to him and explained how similar they were previously in the film as neither of them speak.

The entire film was initially supposed to be filmed in black and white. This is the only scene to have been shot in black white. It’s nice as a viewer to see the film how it was initially intended to look.  Black and White may have been chosen for this scene to show how simple their love for one another is, there’s no complications, they just make each other happy.

This scene is a common rom-com scene. Often in rom-com’s there is at least one moment where a character breaks into dance, whether it be choreographed or not. It’s also common in musicals and sometimes in heist movies.

This scene was directly taken from another film called “The Gay Divorcee”.