Discuss the ways in which the extract uses camera shots, editing, sound, mise-en-scene to construct the representation of relationships.

In this essay, I will be looking at how camera shots, editing, sound mise-en-scene is used to construct relationships. Through the use of these, the viewer has a bigger understanding to their relationship and throughout this essay I will be showing how it constructs the relationships.

Camera shots play a big part in the construction of relationship in the clip from Cutting It. We learn a lot about the relationship of the two characters in a very short clip. For example, when they are both in the taxi, a lot of the camera shots are close up which reveals a lot about the characters as they are making a lot of eye contact and a close to eachother, we can clearly see they are more than acquaintances and instantly see they are very fond of eachother due to their body language in the shot types which were used. In one of the camera shots, Gavin plays with his wedding ring whilst he is waiting for his new wife Allie to leave her doctors appointment. His facial expression is doubtful in this camera shot and it shows a lack of trust in the relationship between them. It also makes us question their past relationship and what would have happened before for them not to trust eachother. It also shows a sort of lack of commitment in their relationship as Gavin begins to doubt their marriage as his new wife Allie is at a very serious doctors appointment which looks like its following on from many other previous doctor appointments.

There hasn’t been a lot of editing used in this seen, but when Allie is sitting in the doctors room, the camera shot is at a birds eye view which foreshadows her death because when she gets hit by the vehicle and is laying on the floor, the camera shot is a bird eye view. When Allie is laying on the floor dying with Gavin besides her, the camera fades to black which is insinuating that Allie’s death is like Gavin’s world ending and almost as if he can’t see himself in the future, which represents their relationship as strong and as if they are soul mates.

Sound has been used to contrast the representation of relationships. For example, when Allie is sitting in the doctors room, non diegetic sound has been used not only for the viewers tension to build up from not knowing what’s going to happen but to show the lack of trust in Allie and Gavin’s relationship. Its also suggesting that the viewer knows as much as Allie’s own husband knows about her health which isn’t suggesting that they have a strong relationship if they can’t even trust eachother with how they will react knowing their health status. Sound also represents relationship in a strong bond way when Allie gets hit by the vehicle and Gavin sees her. When Gavin realises what has happened, the viewer only hears a loud heartbeat and then when he runs to see her the heartbeat stops and we hear the background noise (cars beeping). This suggests that the bond they have in their relationship is what seems unbreakable and invincible because Gavin can only see Allie when she gets hit and it almost sounds like his heart is at risk if Allie dies.

Mise-en-scene also represents relationships. When Allie and Gavin have their hands on eachother we can see their wedding rings, this shows that they must love and trust eachother to some extent if they have gotten married to eachother.