Fight Club by David Fincher, 1999
This is the scene except it leaves out a few shots at the beginning
I liked this scene for a couple of reasons. The first thing that caught my eye was the pacing of it with a large amount of shots being shown in a reasonably short space of time. I also liked what was happening in the scene as we first are subtly introduced to the idea of bomb making but then get in to the central focus where Jack is basically being tortured by Tyler (himself)
I really like the way everything is put together in this scene although I did find it too be a little too quick for my liking as almost every shot lasts less than three seconds although, no doubt this was intentional by the director though.
Characters:
who?
There are the two main characters, the nameless main protagonist referred to as 'Jack' and Tyler Durdon. However these two both appear as different characters although they are both two different parts of one person with Tyler being conjured up as a sociopathic imaginary friend for Jack.
who's leaves, comes in etc.?
They are both in scene for duration
what do they want?
Tyler continues his running idea of giving up everything you have, starting again and if you want something, you have to got get it. He tries to pass these ideas on to Jack by forcing him to face the pain which in this case is his fear so he can move and find freedom.
Jack tries not to face this pain and attempts to go to his 'happy place' but he is halted by everything Tyler is saying to him.
any status changes?
Throughout the entirety of the seen Tyler is portrayed as the dominant one with him occupying the majority of the dialogue. However before they sit at the table Jack is higher and therefore more dominant than Tyler although he soon becomes the dominated one as he falls to his knees to be below Tyler.
costumes:
Jack wears his normal, everyday boring clothing which continues to show him as part of the blue collar society. Tyler on the other hand is more exuberant in his choice of clothing wearing a bold Hawaiian shirt. This sums up Tyler as his whole message is to contradict the norms in society which usually involves wearing these shirts in sunny places. The red on his shirt could be a symbol of danger which seems to follow Tyler around.
setting:
This scene is set in the kitchen of Tyler's run down mansion on the edge of the city. The whole place is very dark and dingy and obviously due to be knocked down at some stage. The house a complete world away from the seemingly perfect apartment that Jack used to live in. This furthers the idea of him and Tyler being completely worlds apart.
The time of day seems to be at night as there is no sunlight coming in from the outside.
In regards to the film this scene is towards the beginning/middle of the film. It is part of one huge flashback that takes place throughout the majority of the film.
Why here?
This place emphasises the differences between Tyler and Jack as earlier on in the film the director drew our attention to the fact that it was one of Jack's only aims to own the complete Ikea apartment. This house is about as far as you could get from that.
This house could also be a precursor for the rest of the story. Much like the house which seems to be due for a demolition there is a feeling of impending doom doom for the plot line and Jacks life as it is soon to come crashing down.
Mis-en-scene:
What informs story?
For the majority of this scene either of the two main characters remain as the focus point within the frame.
For the most part the focus remains on either of the two at any one time but during mid shots they are both the dominant objects in the room. The room where in this scene takes place is littered with hundreds of bottles and containers varying in size and shape. These appear to be what the soap, which is at the end of the table, is made up of although we do become a little suspicious at the vast array of chemicals he has laying around.
The boiling pot at the beginning and the fire beneath it act as a precursor to what is to come with the burning of Jack's hand.
The inclusion of the highlighted words emphasise their effect and make us visualise much more vividly.
The cut aways to the forest and cave help to add pace to the story. They also give a brief look in to Jack's mind and give us a hint of him sexual attraction towards Marla. Idea of the ice cave makes it seem that the thoughts within his head are very cold and he is a very emotionless person.
The scene and film also has somewhat of a green tint to it. This works with the idea Tyler has of the city being rotten and scummy as green is representative of this. It also portrays the idea of this world not being real
why this part of location?
The director chose this part of the scene because it is the only place where the soap could be created as it requires the gas hobs for creation.
Whats in focus?
The main focal points all the way through are the two main characters. The focus shifts during different shots as close ups alternate at some stages. During mid shots they are both roughly the same size in the frame and are equally as in focus whilst the background stays out of focus.
lighting?
The lighting in this scene is very low key. The cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth uses similar lighting to the directors previous movies Se7en and The Game. The use of Low Key lighting throughout the film and particularly in this film adds an almost unrealistic sense to it as lighting is very rarely like this in real life. It is also seems unrealistic as the scenes in the beginning with just Jack feature normal key lighting.
Camera Work:
The shots in this film are very fast and help to add to the fast pace of the film. This is done by short shots (alot are in and around 3 seconds long) and quick cuts between them. There are very little shots in this scene that show both of the characters together at once which hints in some way that they are the one entity. When they are on the screen at the same time they are generally separated by an object such as the table. This emphasises the divide in personality of these two.
The amount of shots in such a short space of time also makes this scene seem surreal and unrealistic.
There are 99 shots in this scene. I think this may have been a conscious choice by the director as it makes the scene incredibly fast.
A lot of the shots are close to mid shots of each character separately. At the beginning the shots of Jack see him higher up and more dominant but soon he ends up less dominant as he falls to the ground. When the two are shown together they are separated by the table emphasising the differences between the two of them.
The scene starts of with them pretty much in the same space in the frame but then the shots divide them showing a visual divide beginning to emerge.
The close ups of the hand, particularly from Jack's point of view make it feel very real and almost as if we are experiencing this.
The cuts to the woods and cave try to got to a happy place, but like Jack's hand they begin to burn and deteriorate.
Shot List:
1) Close up of cooker knob
2)close up of bottom of pan and flames
3)close up of top of pan
4)Close up of cooking fat
5)Close up of thermometer
6)Close up of fat being strained panning downwards
7)Mid-shot of Jack and Tyler both close in the centre of the screen. Camera Follows tyler as he walks.
8)Close up shot of fridge
9)Mid panning shot following Tyler
10)Close up of Jack
11)close up of Tyler
12)back to close up of Jack
13)Mid shot of tyler with his back to camera
14)back to close up of jack again
15)Mid pan shot of Tyler, camera is facing up at a slight angle
16)Mid shot of Jack, camera slightly tilted upwards
17)Mid shot of the pair, both on either side of screen.
18)Camera slowly pans downwards.
-could be establishing
19)Mid shot of Jack, camera facing upwards at him
20)Mid shot of Tyler, camera facing upwards
21)back to mid shot of jack
22)back to mid shot of Tyler
23)Shot of the two, Jack is the higher and dominant one in this shot. separated by table
24)Close up of Tyler's face as he kisses hand
25)Mid shot of Jack, he is taller than Tyler still
26)Close up of Tyler
27)quick mid shot of Jack
28)wide shot of them. Jack falls to below Tyler's level
29)Close up of burning hand
30)Mid shot of tyler sat at table
31)Mid shot of Jack knelt on table
32)Another close up of hand
33)Back to mid shot of Jack
34)Wide shot of forest
35)Back to mid shot of Tyler
36)Back to mid shot of Jack
37)Shot of Jack's legs under table knocking over tins
38)Wide shot of them at table
39)Mid shot of jack at table
40)P.O.V shot of hand
41)Mid shot of Tyler
42)Mid shot of jack at table
43)Another P.O.V shot of hand
44)Mid shot of Tyler
45)Back to mid shot of jack at table
46)Wide shot of forest
47)Shot of dictionary page
48)close up of leaf in forest
49)close up of another dictionary page
50)mid shot of jack
51) wide shot of table
52)mid shot of tyler
53)mid shot of jack
54)Pan shot of cave
55)Mid shot of Jack
56)Shot of Jack in cave, close up
57) close of of Marla
58)another mid shot of Tyler
59)back to the mid shot of Jack
60)back to mid shot of Tyler
61)back to the mid shot of Jack
62)Mid shot of Jack and Marla
-He is above her-dominant
63)Mid shot of jack
64) mid shot of Tyler
65)Mid shot of jack
66)mid shot of Tyler
67)Mid shot of jack
68) mid shot of them as tyler drags him along table
69)BAck to mid shot of Tyler
70)Back to mid shot of Jack
71)Back to mid shot of Tyler
72)Back to mid shot of Jack
73)Back to mid shot of Tyler
74)Back to mid shot of Jack
75)Back to mid shot of Tyler
76)Back to mid shot of Jack
77)Mid shot of tyler as he leans closer to the camera
-More dominance asserted
78)Mid shot of Jack, he cowers under Tyler
79)Close up of tyler
80)Mid shot of them on either side of table coming closer towards camera
81)mid shot of Jack
82)over the shoulder shot of Tyler
83)Close up of Jack
84)Close up of Tyler
85)Close up of Jack
86)Close up of Tyler
87)Close up of Jack
88)close up of Tyler as we see his scarred hand
89)Back to close up of Jack
90)Back to close up of Tyler
91)Back to close up of Jack, moves to close up of burn on hand
92)close up of Tyler as he steps backwards in an almost heroic shot
93)Close up of hand
94)Upwards shot of tyler pouring vinegar
95)close up of hand
96)Upwards shot of tyler pouring vinegar
97) shot looking down at Jack
-Almost in pity, making him seem insignificant
98)Mid shot of Tyler
99)Shot of Jack laying on ground.
sound:
At the beginning of the scene there is just the sound effects of the cooking soap. From then on the majority of sound comes from the ramblings of Tyler. This reminds me of the same thing he does in the institution scene in 12 monkeys.
His talking is interrupted at times by the pleads and yells coming from Jack as he struggles with the pain.
After the initial burn music begins to start. It begins with an almost horror film-like series of high pitched screech-like noises. These let us know something painful or bad is happening even with your eyes closed. It also emphasises the pain that he is feeling.
The music track then continues to become a quiet beat. this again is very repetitive and has a creepy feel to it. It accentuates what Jeffery is saying and makes it sound even creepier.
All the above is cut away at times to much more serene sounds when he goes to the cave and forest. In the forest we can here the soothing sounds of birds tweeting whilst in the cave there is a very soft peace of music playing. These sounds calm the scene down for all but a few seconds as we are thrust back in to the madness of whats happening.
