Cinematic Analysis of Portrait of a Lady on Fire: Midpoint Scene

[00:00:00]Hi, I'm Michael, this is Lessons from the Screenplay.

[00:00:05](intense music playing) The midpoint of Portrait of a Lady on Fire contains some absolutely brilliant filmmaking and I've become obsessed with it.

[00:00:19]It's a deceptively simple scene about the evolving power dynamic and a burgeoning romance.

[00:00:24]It has 10 lines of dialogue, nine cuts, four shots, two camera moves, no music and a conventional structure but every one of these seemingly basic elements dramatically enhances the narrative and themes.

[00:00:38]Each character is carefully placed within each frame to bring attention to the theme of observer and observed.

[00:00:44]While the camera moves as if pulled by the gravity of the shifting power dynamics and the pacing of the scene dictated by the editing, blocking and performances amplifies the emotions of each beat.

[00:00:57]Admittedly, none of these things are particularly related to screenwriting and thus not what we would normally explore on this channel but the filmmaking in this scene is so great that I want to make an exception this one time.

[00:01:11]Or at least that's how the video was going to start.

[00:01:14]As I was finishing up my first draft of the video I made one final attempt to find the screenplay for Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

[00:01:21]And as luck would have it, I happened to find a group of amazing people on tumblr who had painstakingly translated the screenplay to English.

[00:01:29]Shout out to Anna, Aimee, Graywing, Vittoria and Dina.

[00:01:33]Their links are in the description below along with the link to their translation of the screenplay.

[00:01:38]As I read the script, I was pleasantly surprised to find that every filmmaking technique I wanted to talk about, performance, blocking, editing, sound, camera framing was written into the screenplay.

[00:01:50]This reveals the impressive foresight of writer/director Céline Sciamma and confirms she was considering all of these techniques, even during the writing process.

[00:01:59]So today I want to do an in-depth breakdown of how Sciamma definitely uses every cinematic tool from the writing to the camera, to the pacing, to capture and convey the emotion in this expertly crafted scene.

[00:02:12]One of many in Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

[00:02:19]In order to understand how the cinematic tools used in this scene enhance the story, we first need to know what the story is.

[00:02:26]Let's start with the context of the scene.

[00:02:29]As I mentioned, this scene comes halfway through the movie and it features the two central characters.

[00:02:35]Marianne has been commissioned to paint Heloise's portrait which will be used to secure a marriage for Heloise that will take her away from France.

[00:02:43]But Heloise does not wish to be married off and has been less than cooperative when it comes to posing for the portrait, forcing Marianne to attempt painting Heloise in secret.

[00:02:53]By this point in the story, however, a tentative friendship, and perhaps something even more, is forming between Marianne and Heloise.

[00:03:01]So now that we have that context, let's take a look at the script and break down the beats of the scenes.

[00:03:06]There's the setup, Marianne- and I know my French is bad. I'm sorry.

[00:03:10]Marianne is struggling to paint Heloise.

[00:03:13]"I can't make you smile.

[00:03:14]I feel that I manage it but it's like it disappears".

[00:03:17]Then comes the inciting incident of the scene as Marianne teases Heloise and hurts her feelings.

[00:03:23]Heloise says, "Anger always wins in the end".

[00:03:25]Marianne, "With you for sure".

[00:03:27]Marianne then goes on to smugly demonstrate how well she's come to know Heloise while painting her.

[00:03:33]Heloise tries to say that she hasn't hurt her but Marianne points out, "when you're emotional, you do this with your hand."

[00:03:39]Marianne does this two more times.

[00:03:40]"When you're embarrassed you do this.

[00:03:42]When you're annoyed, you do this." Rule of threes.

[00:03:45]Then Marianne reveals her belief that in this situation she has more power as the observer, as she says, "Forgive me. I would hate to be in your place".

[00:03:55]But then at the scene's midpoint, Heloise contests this idea saying, "We're in the same place.

[00:04:02]Exactly the same place".

[00:04:04]Heloise calls over Marianne so she can see things from her perspective and points out, "If you look at me, who am I looking at?".

[00:04:11]Heloise then proceeds to use the rhythm of Marianne's own words as a refrain, pointing out that she is just as much an observer and thus has just as much power.

[00:04:20]"When you don't know what to say, you do this."

[00:04:22]"When you're afraid, you do this."

[00:04:24]"When you're upset, you do this."

[00:04:26]In doing so Heloise breaks down Marianne's defenses and creates the crisis of the scene.

[00:04:31]"Her turmoil does expose renders, Marianne silent."

[00:04:35]This leads to the climax, where Marianne must decide how she's going to react to this confrontation.

[00:04:41]"The distance between them seems to shrink even while they remain still."

[00:04:45]This leads to the resolution as Marianne retreats from Heloise who has gained equal footing in the relationship and leveled the playing field.

[00:04:53]So now that we understand the story that's being told let's look at the cinematic techniques that bring the story to life.

[00:04:59]Beginning with the camera.

[00:05:02]Portrait of a Lady on Fire explores the idea of looking, both on a meta-level- Céline Sciamma has described it as a manifesto on the female gaze-as well as on a textual level.

[00:05:14]Sciamma says of the confrontation, "It's an absolutely pivotal scene.

[00:05:18]It's the scene which marks the shot/reverse shot dynamic of the film.

[00:05:22]What's the power of the person who's watching?

[00:05:24]who is watching whom?".

[00:05:26]In this scene, the power is held by the observer.

[00:05:30]Throughout Marianne and Heloise's relationship up to this point, this has been Marianne, simply because she is the painter and Heloise is the subject.

[00:05:39]So how does the camera portray this dynamic?

[00:05:42]In this scene, as in previous scenes of painting, cinematographer Claire Mathon frames Marianne, the observer in a medium closeup.

[00:05:50]She's slightly shielded by the easel and canvas and the physical position of the camera is relatively close to her making us feel like we are with her.

[00:05:59]Heloise, the observed, is framed in a medium shot with the camera further away so that we are essentially seeing her from Marianne's point of view.

[00:06:08]Unlike Marianne, there's no object shielding Heloise.

[00:06:11]She is completely exposed to the camera's gaze.

[00:06:15]So with this visual relationship established how does the camera help convey the shifting of power within the scene?

[00:06:22]At the midpoint, Heloise calls over Marianne in order to show her how things look from her perspective.

[00:06:28]So Marianne steps into Heloise's frame.

[00:06:31]Then as Heloise dismisses Marianne's false perception of their dynamic, the camera pushes in.

[00:06:38]As Heloise claims power, she grows larger in the frame and as she demonstrates why they are in the same place, we see them framed as equals.

[00:06:47]One of the people who helped with the translation of the screenplay, Graywing, who also did a breakdown of the scene which I'll link to in the description, describes this moment beautifully.

[00:06:56]"It's so seemingly simple but the enormity of the revelation of realizing her state of exposure this entire time and the tension in which lurks a different revelation, one of attraction, forces Marianne to flee the frame."

[00:07:10]As Marianne exits the frame, the camera pushes in even further until Heloise is framed exactly as Marianne was at the start of the scene.

[00:07:19]And in the final shot we see Marianne, who is framed even wider than Heloise was at the start of the scene.

[00:07:25]This visual reversal is spelled out clearly in the screenplay.

[00:07:29]"For the first time, we see things from Heloise's point of view and the shift is a revelation.

[00:07:35]It is she who was watching.

[00:07:37]And from here, Marianne looks fragile and feverish."

[00:07:41]In fact, writer/director Céline Sciamma said, "this is the only time we will have this frame on Marianne, looked at and her own fragility, by the model."

[00:07:50]So the way the camera moves, how it frames the characters, and how those characters move within each frame precisely convey the shifting power dynamics of the scene.

[00:08:01]But there's another filmmaking technique at play in the scene.

[00:08:05]One that is less obvious, but just as important.

[00:08:08]The pacing.

[00:08:11]A filmmaker can use dynamic pacing to direct the audience's attention and to affect us emotionally, making us feel comfortable or uncomfortable.

[00:08:20]Pacing can often be driven by the musical score, but Portrait of a Lady on Fire doesn't have a score.

[00:08:27]The only music in the film is diegetic which means that the characters can hear it because it comes from sources within the story world.

[00:08:35]This diegetic music is used sparingly and to great effect.

[00:08:39]It was kind of scary because PLPs without a score and love story without score, you got to make that decision very early on in the process of writing, because you're not going to write film the same way, because you have to find this rhythm and also be aware that you will have to find the melody and the musicality of the film elsewhere.

[00:09:01]Because of the lack of score, the musicality and rhythm of each scene were determined solely by the editing, performances, and blocking-the actors positions and movements.

[00:09:11]So how do these elements enhance the story of the scene?

[00:09:15]If we pay attention to the rhythm of the dialogue, we can see that silence is used to punctuate each important beat.

[00:09:21]For example, after Marianne hurts Heloise's feelings, there's a beat of silence.

[00:09:28](conversation in French) This highlights the impact of her words which serves as the inciting incident of the scene.

[00:09:42]With the following lines, Marianne illustrates her power by demonstrating how well she knows her opponent.

[00:09:48]She wields this knowledge, almost like a weapon.

[00:09:51]So the patience with which actor Noemie Merlant delivers each line, conveys a confidence that each of our strikes will land.

[00:09:59]Let's play back these lines and pay attention to how the moments of silence both between each line and within each line stretch longer and longer until Heloise finally caps off the exchange with a quick retort.

[00:10:12](conversation in French) It's worth mentioning that these beats of silence are suggested in the screenplay, signaled by brief action lines that describe performance, something relatively uncommon.

[00:10:54]During this first half of the scene, the editing cuts back and forth between the characters with relative frequency, selectively allowing the audience to see both actors' performances as desired.

[00:11:06]But then comes the mid point.

[00:11:08]And just as it marks of reversal in the story of the scene, it also marks of a reversal and the rhythm of the editing.

[00:11:15]As soon as Heloise takes control, the cutting back and forth halts.

[00:11:20](conversation in French) Instead the next 77 seconds of the scene are played in a single take.

[00:11:27](conversation in French) Again, this technique is suggested in the screenplay along with the role that sound design plays.

[00:11:36]"The sound of Marianne's footsteps approaching.

[00:11:39]Heloise waits for her and the camera's frame.

[00:11:42]Finally Maryanne joins her."

[00:11:44]Here, the blocking is used to convey authority.

[00:11:47]Heloise stays seated and like a queen commanding a servant, she summons Marianne across the room and into her frame.

[00:11:55]Because the only sounds in the scene are those that come from the actors movements, Céline Sciamma even takes care to select the number of footsteps that will create the right pacing.

[00:12:05]It's about the rhythm of the steps, the breathing, and so most of my solutions, they are musical solutions.

[00:12:13]Like for instance I would really tell them like, you're going to her.

[00:12:18]This is five steps.

[00:12:20]It's not six, it's not four because it's not the same, like five steps or six steps, it doesn't feel the same.

[00:12:27]Six steps feel complete, for instance.

[00:12:30]Five steps is like a there's still a question in the air.

[00:12:33]Like you would be missing a step.

[00:12:35]So maybe the next step will be the kiss, for instance, you know.

[00:12:38]Silence is used once more to punctuate the critical turning point of the scene.

[00:12:42](conversation in French) And as Heloise uses Marianne's own tactics against her, Heloise's confidence is accentuated by actor Adèle Haenel's even greater patience with each line.

[00:13:00](conversation in French) Again, the editing and sound design are suggested in the screenplay.

[00:13:27]"We don't leave Heloise's gaze as we hear Marianne returned to her place behind the easel."

[00:13:33]Heloise returns to her role as the subject but with a new found power.

[00:13:38]And the last edit of the scene finally breaks the long take.

[00:13:43]The pacing of the scene works in tandem with the camera's framing and movement to dramatically enhance the simple scene about shifting power.

[00:13:55]But I want to point out one last thing about the power dynamic.

[00:13:59]In the moments after Heloise has demonstrated she is as much of an observer as Marianne, there is a powerful tension, but it isn't a tension filled with anger or loathing.

[00:14:09]It's a tension of desire.

[00:14:12]While Marianne has been studying every aspect of Heloise, Heloise has been studying every aspect of Marianne.

[00:14:19]The implications of this revelation suddenly render Marianne vulnerable and a question hangs in the air: Will they kiss?

[00:14:28]In fact, originally this was the scene where they did kiss for the first time.

[00:14:32]If you haven't seen the film, it might seem odd that there was so much romantic tension surrounding this power shift.

[00:14:38]But the beautiful thing about this scene and this film is that it's not about seizing power in order to dominate.

[00:14:45]It's about deconstructing the power dynamics between the observer and the observed to unlock equality.

[00:14:52]It's only after Marianne and Heloise have achieved equality that their desire can blossom into love.

[00:14:59]Writer/director Céline Sciamma uses all the cinematic tools at her disposal to create a beautiful story about a quality between artists, between lovers, between humans.

[00:15:10]And as Heloise says, (Heloise speaking French) I first heard about Portrait of a Lady on Fire on Mubi.

[00:15:23]Mubi is the curated streaming service featuring an excellent selection of films from all around the globe, and they're the sponsor of this video.

[00:15:31]If you like Portrait of a Lady on Fire then you'll love Mubi because this is exactly the kind of movie that they feature.

[00:15:39]Art House Films, some of which you've heard of, and even better many of which you haven't.

[00:15:44]In fact, if you're in the UK, you can watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire as one of the many excellent films that Mubi has now shown.

[00:15:51]Regardless of where you are, you can get 30 days of Mubi for free by signing up at mubi.com/lfts.

[00:15:59]You'll be supporting this channel and getting a free month of great cinema.

[00:16:04]Thanks to Mubi for supporting this channel and for introducing me to Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

[00:16:09]Thank you again to all the people who translated the screenplay for this film.

[00:16:13]Once again, all of their links are in the description below.

[00:16:16]And if you want more Portrait of a Lady on Fire, check out our podcast episode, where we dive deeper into all the things that make this film special.

[00:16:24]The link to that is also in the description below.

[00:16:27]Thank you to our patrons for making this channel possible.

[00:16:30]And thank you for watching.