Case Study: Citizen Kane

Case Study: Citizen Kane

Part 1 - 

The film Citizen Kane released in 1941 is an American drama film which was directed and produced by Orson Welles. It is considered one of the best films of all times because of the experimentation with film and editing throughout. Many new concepts were used throughout.

When a reporter is assigned to decipher newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane's (Orson Welles) dying words, his investigation gradually reveals the fascinating portrait of a complex man who rose from obscurity to staggering heights. Though Kane's friend and colleague Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), and his mistress, Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore), shed fragments of light on Kane's life, the reporter fears he may never penetrate the mystery of the elusive man's final word, "Rosebud." 

Source - https://www.google.com/search?ei=yVhUXPysG4rawQLH7Ks4&q=citizen+kane+synopsisshort&oq=citizen+kane+synopsisshort&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i8i13i30.130.724..1260...0.0..0.77.351.5......0....1..gws-wiz.......35i304i39j0i13j0i22i30.QWD8I0qjpCk

Start - 
Charles Foster Kane a dies at the beginning and his last word is 'rosebud' whilst looking at a snowglobe which reminds him of his childhood. We then go to a flashback of his childhood when he was his happiest and playing in the snow with his sledge (which is called rosebud). 
Reporters then try and discover why rosebud was his last word and the plot goes from there with flashbacks on moments in his life as well as the relationship between Suzanne and how he made her a celebrity but she was more miserable and isolated. 

End - 
They set fire to all of his belongings including the sledge which is called Rosebud. Although only the viewer sees the name on the sledge not anyone in the scene. 



Part 2 - 

Cinematography-
The film was shot by cinematographer Gregg Toland and used lots of deep focus throughout meaning everything is in focus. This is something in film that hadn't been done much before.


mise-en-scene 

Lighting - 
Lighting is a huge part of the film and is something they played around with to get the best results. This scene had four windows which light beams in from causing the reporters to just be silhouettes so we don't know what any of them look like. However, Kane is the only person we can see meaning we put all of the focus on him like the reporters in the scene are doing. He is the most important person and this is shown throughout with him being in focus or the foreground of the scene.

Costume - 
Something which is noticed throughout the film is how Kane had the letter K on all of his clothes and it gets lower and smaller throughout the film as he looses more power and will to live. When he is the most important person the k is at the top of his suit and is clean and polished, perfectly incorporated into him.

However, at the end of the film this has completely changed. He has aged and fallen as the K is now small and hanging out of his suit carelessly. it is also now looking unloved and rusting.

They use costume to connote how the person is feeling and their status too.

Set design - 
Many of the sets in the film are specially made so they can create illusions. Some of the sets within the film are specially made so they can be pulled apart as the cameras get closer allowing them to go through and continue the scenes for longer.
For example, At the beginning when we meet Suzanne Alexander Kane we are introduced to her place by a sign. The camera zooms in and seems to go straight through it. However, if you look closer you can see a line in the middle where the sign splits apart although we do not see that. 

beginning of shot

mid way through shot

windows look a normal size

walks up to them to see they are large scale

special effects (transitions, compositing, animation) - 
Throughout the film there are many optical illusions created by paintings and the optical printer was used for about 50 percent of the film. It means you can combine the paintings and film together.


For example, the scene below was created by optical printing. Only the stage in the middle is real and all of the audience and theatre is a painting.


https://fxmakingof.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/special-effects-in-citizen-kane/