The dominant for this scene is Andy Kaufman's (Jim Carrey) face, as he is the only thing within the frame that isn't red--the blue of his creates contrast--and his face is in the spotlight, setting him up immediately. The lighting is relatively high key; Kaufman and the stage curtains are illuminated by stage lights both on the floor and the ceiling so that there is almost no trace of shadow. The scene is in wide shot at lower to eye level with Kaufman; we are looking straight on at him. But he isn't positioned at the center of the frame like we'd expect of a typical entertainer. Kaufman is positioned slightly to the left and up against the curtains as though there was some sort of space or gap between him and the audience. The real Andy Kaufman wasn't the typical comedian. He liked to play games with his audience and his relationship with them as an entertainer could be described as uneasy at best. This first scene of the movie is set up this way to direct our focus to character of Kaufman as he stands upon the stage (it's not like there's anything else for us to focus on. But at the same time there is this sense of discomfort as Kaufman, with all the open space on stage, occupies as small of a space as possible. The spotlight is on him but it almost looks like he's shying away from it by not standing at the center.
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