Kami Export - CAPOTE MOVIE ANALYSIS

Cornell Notes Topic/ Objective: Name:
Analyze how elements of film convey

Class/Period:
meaning and evaluate their effectiveness
Date:
Essential Question:
How do the elements of film contribute to the meaning of "Capote"?
Questions: Notes:
Mise en scène: How does your

film or video use composition The film’s overall gloomy composition captures the grim change produced in the protagonist's
life as a result of his involvement in the Clutter murders (as intended by the director). The use
to capture or frame the of greyish tones all throughout, the dark backgrounds, and the uncomfortable angles that
director's message? unforgivingly focus on the several expressions of both Capote’s and his acquaintance’s faces
create a collage of the levels of emotional turmoil felt by almost everyone (but, above all, the
author and the murderers).
Camera angle: What is the
angle of the camera in relation
The camera angles vary throughout the film, but the eye-level angle is the most present. This is used to increase the
to its subject?
audience's involvement with the characters, as it creates a permanent focus on the emotions reflected on the subjects'
How does your film use camera
faces. A low camera angle is employed once the trial scene is shown, and the judge is shown above the criminals. This is
angle to construct meaning?
used to emphasize the superiority held by the judge over the lives of the murderers and could be interpreted as a subtle jab
to the death sentence if not some kind of self-awareness regarding the kind of power authority possesses over life.
Camera shot: Does the The camera occasionally moves in relation to its subject, but it is usually very still. This creates tension, which increases the audience’s anticipation
camera move or stay still in for some sort of unspoken event that is looming over the characters until it is less than a breath away; this would presumably be the day of Perry’s
relation to its subject? (and Dick’s) death.
Shot length: Shot length will

help determine the pace of
Shot length is rather short for the first few moments of the novel, then the movie transitions to
the film and the viewer’s
almost uncomfortably long scenes. At first, the director chooses to introduce Capote’s initial
engagement with the topic.
interest in the Clutter murders in rapid, short bits, capturing the audience’s attention as
How do the lengths of the
information is packed into digestible clips. However, as the plot becomes more about Capote’s
shots help construct the
relationship with Dick, and especially, Perry, the scenes become longer, silent, and emotionally
director’s presentation of
charged, portraying some unspoken connection between the author and the killers (once again,
the topic and how does
the case is more extreme for Perry).
shot length affect the
viewer?
Summary:
Cornell Notes Topic/ Objective: Name:
Class/Period:
Date:
Essential Question:
Questions: Notes:
Diegetic or non-diegetic sound:

The film uses diegetic and non-diegetic sound to capture the shift in tensions felt by the
How do both non-diegetic and
characters. Both Capote’s emotional shift as a result of the murders and his betrayal of Dick and
diegetic sounds help convey
Perry are captured by sound and the lack thereof. In the scenes where the author reads the book
the message of the film that
to an audience, there is a deafening silence in the background (diegetic). On the one hand, this is
you are analyzing?
used to place emphasis on the impactful, first-ever reading of his novel. On the other, it is a
representation of the shame felt by Capote as he reads a book he wrote based on the sufferings
of others. Similarly, melancholic music is present in the moments Capote is by himself, which
demonstrates his isolation from the rest of the world as he is lost in thoughts of the murders
and murderers, deaf to the sounds of an indifferent world, but perfectly capable of listening to
his opinions of Perry Smith, for instance.
Montage: How are all of the The shots and music are all put together to show contrast, largely within the relationship
shots and music put together? between Capote and the killers. The shots where Capote is talking to others about his book
usually have warm lighting and no background music, while those where Perry and Dick are
How does your film use included contain melancholic melodies and darker, bleaker lighting. These scenes are put
montage to construct together back-to-back and broken up, showing how both Capote and the killers
meaning? simultaneously face completely different realities, even if Capote’s success is largely a result
of their failure. In all, the film uses montage to depict how Capote used the criminals and
essentially abandoned them to their suffering
Summary:
The overall shooting composition of the film is, to put it simply, abrupt. The scenes are not so much fluid as they are cuts and time jumps between short events in Capote’s life. The director’s message, how
the author experiences a bleak change in his life because of what he chose to investigate, is evident in the mix of jump shot and montage styles used; they reflect the drastic changes in Capote’s way of thinking
as a result of his involvement with the murder case. Establishing shots are prominent all throughout, as they represent the shift in scenes and moods as the protagonist changes settings; this is a
representation of the emotional turmoil produced as the author is slowly absorbed by the Clutter murders and their killers. The ubiquitously present greyish tones, the dramatic low-angle lighting, and the eye-
level camera angles make the audience almost permanently stare at the characters’ faces and the doleful emotional states they, eventually, almost always embody. Extreme close-up shots take this further,
used in the moments depicting Perry witnessing the hanging of another death-row inmate, creating suspense and tension. In all, the movie’s composition captures the impact of its events just as Capote
intended for the rhetoric in his book.

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Cornell Notes Topic/ Objective: Name:

Analyze how elements of film convey

Mise en scène: How does your

relation to its subject? (and Dick’s) death.

Shot length: Shot length will

Diegetic or non-diegetic sound:

intended for the rhetoric in his book.

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