One scene in the movie Beowulf that needs work is the death sequence for Grendel. The lighting is low key and comes from the water in the cave that the scene is set in; also, Grendel's mother appears to glow in the dark which leads to a confused lighting from both above and below with muddles the contrast and makes the scene feel fake. Camera proxemics are personal with the scene being shot from above and Grendel, who is lying on the floor of the cave, stares almost directly into the camera as he dies. This makes the viewer feel a connection with him when he is supposed to be the monster and until that point has been portrayed as such. The character proxemics are intimate, with Grendel's mother stroking his head as he dies. However, the director decides to keep her mostly out of the frame which ruins any feeling of intimacy that exists between the two characters. The dominant is Grendel, since he takes up most of the space in the shot and is placed in the center of the frame, but he also blends in with the background and the only contrasting element are the seconds of Grendel's mother's glowing hand and her face in the reflection of the water. The form is open, suggesting that there is much out of frame which we cannot see. However, in a scene that is supposed to reveal more to the viewer about the antagonists and their motivations this seems to suggest that we will never see the whole picture. Finally, because of certain mistakes like the water not glowing anywhere except to help contrast Grendel from the floor of the cave, the CGI feels fake and sloppy to the viewer and betrays any suspension of disbelief s/he might have had.
Joshua, you must put your last name in the title of the blog: Isaacson: Beowulf Self Analysis. Also, you need to put your first and last name in the label, so Brian can track you. You make some interesting comments about lighting. Good discussion of mise en scene in the target death scene.
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