Agent Carter Film Elements Analysis

Essay 

The scene we used for the film elements analysis, was the opening scene from the 1st episode of  Agent Carter. In this 5 minute scene we could found many film elements such as: camera shots, editing, sound and Mise-en-scene, that contributed to the flowing of the story as a whole.  

Starting of Camera Angles, we can appreciate a Head On Shot on the very first scene were Steve is landing the plane on ice, were it shows the camera positioned in a low angle while the plane goes directly to the camera and then cuts to the next shot this gives the audience a more realistic look. We can also find many close ups, one of them would be when Steve Knows he’s about to die and he looks Peggie’s picture, this close ups let’s the audience have a better look of the picture and the meaning of it. Another interesting camera shot that I found was some time of deep focus or “depth of field”, where we can see the guy sitting in his chair listening to music while there’s a fight right behind him; this shows the audience how nonchalant this character is, and this is Peggie's first fight scene so it provides a balance between action and tranquility. We can also find a lot of tracking shots with the boss, reflecting some type of “leadership” and “power” over Peggie, especially with some high and low shots to reflect a difference between the superior and inferior. 

Secondly, another film element that contributes to this whole scene are the editing techniques. One major editing technique in this scene was the flashback of a huge tragedy for Peggie, which gives the audience a background of her life and why does she act this way. At the end of the flashback, there's a fade to black transition that reflects the passing of time, including the next establishing shot with the text “One year later”, were the director really wants to emphasize the passing of time. Another noticeable editing technique that they used, was reflected when Steve was landing the plane, they made the video shake so the viewer could understand that the plane was falling apart and there was going to be an accident. 

Another major film element that contributes to the story is the sound. In this scene we can observe many different use of it. For example, at the beginning we can hear a sad, tragic music that sets up a sad, tragic mood. On Steve’s scene, we could hear a lot of machine noises that showed how the plane was falling apart, along with the emotion that the editors gave us when they decided to cut Steve's call with Peggie abruptly to represent Steve’s “death”. Another interesting sound effect found was the alarm of the office, serving as a non diagetic sound. And overall, we can find diagetic sounds like the dialog, the phone calls, etc.

Finally, the major film element that contributes to the scene would be Mise-en-scene. The office location and appearance, the costume of the characters, and the lighting, are elements that contribute to the setting of the story. It gives the audience the idea of the era that they are in. Contributing to the story in a huge visual level. 

In conclusion, every detail of every scene contributes to the flowing and continuity of the story. Film elements are a big part of the story and without them the film wouldn't, make sense.