Cinematographic Effects: The Rise and Fall of Charles Foster Kane

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Cinematographic Effects: The Rise and Fall of Charles Foster Kane
The movie, “The Rise and Fall of Charles Foster Kane” produced by Orson Welles, who was also the director and a star of the film, has been dubbed a classic narrative. The story is about an acute rise and a sudden fall of a tragic hero, Kane. After its release, the movie earned several accolades for its technological advancements. The story has a classic interpretation of the American dream through its emphasis on the “gratuitous success” that comes with power (Mulvey 7). In the story, there is a powerful use of cinematographic effects that have stood the test of time.
The cinematography, editing, acting, and narrative in the film has been praised by critics. The use of deep focus technique is considered as the most important cinematographic contribution the film made. In movie production, deep focus is taken to mean having every element of the frame in focus at the same time including the background (Mulvey 48). Therefore, the focus is not only on the people and things in the foreground. To employ the technique, the cinematographer must combine composition, lighting, and use a certain type of camera lens to bring out the desired effect. Using deep focus, it was possible to show overlapping actions in the movie. Deep focus was used where Kane was isolated and where he lost control to give viewers a clear view of space he has no power over and those that he commands. An example of where deep focus is used is in the scene where a young Kane is hurling snowballs at a sign because his childhood was ripped away from him.
The other technique that is used in the movie was called “wipe”. The technique was used to wipe one image from the screen to be replaced by another. Welles chose “Mercury Theatre Cast” which was vital to the success of the techniques that were used. The movie used innovative methods of shadow and lighting. One of the special effects was employing dark and moody atmosphere to depict mysterious or violent events that were taking place. In each scene, lights are manipulated to communicate a special message about the scene (Mulvey 60). An example is a dark newsroom, where small windows are the only sources of light and the reporters are indistinguishable, their faces hidden in the shadows. The light is used here to hide identities so that the viewers can pay attention to Kane, the protagonist of the scene. The movie used “clever optical painting” to multiply the crowds seen in political rallies. The movie also used models and “combined live action” to give a false impression of the size of the opera house; enlarging it. Make up effects were also used especially on Welles, Kane, to make him look younger or older than his actual age as was needed.
Another method prominently used in the movie was “low-angle&...