Artaud Murder Interrogation Scene Reflection

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          For our final version of our spare scenes project, we added lighting, sound, and camera angles to our Artaud interpretation of scene 5. For the lighting, we decided to start off the scene with dark red lights that are cast across the whole stage. The scene starts off with the camera close up on Millie, getting closer and closer. This camera angle is meant to make the audience uncomfortable with the closeness and Millie’s obvious distress: she is breathing heavily and shaking. The red light is meant to signify the murder that she just committed, as it represents blood. The beginning of the scene ends with the camera very close to Millie’s face. Throughout the beginning of the scene we have the sound of crickets chirping in the background, and as the camera gets closer the sound gets louder and louder until it is piercing and no longer distinguishable as crickets. I think that some of the increase in sound was lost in the recording, but it was still somewhat recognizable coupled with Millie’s increasing panic. The beginning of this scene cuts when the lights go out and the camera angle switches so when the lights come back up bright and artificial, the camera is directly over the dead body (me). The lighting casts ominous shadows over my face, and the camera is again uncomfortably close. The audience may get the connection that Millie has killed me, but if not the switch in angle and lighting is even more jarring to the audience. The camera then cuts to Millie sitting at the table. Jackson starts to walk in, his footsteps coupled with a deafening crunching sound. This again is meant to jar the audience and make them uncomfortable. As Jackson continues to question Millie she begins to slip under the table, and Jackson continues to interrogate her. This creates a strong power complex with Millie’s quiet voice under the table and Jackson screaming from above. Next, the dead body is thrown onto the table and my hand holding the watch is dangled off of the table right in front of Millie’s face. This is also meant to make the audience uncomfortable with having a dead body thrown onto the table and Millie beneath it, as if she is hiding under the weight of what she has done. The scene ends with the camera angle nearly under Jackson as he screams directly into the camera. Overall, this scene is meant to make the audience question what is happening but feel removed from the overall craziness and peculiarity of what is happening to the point where they are uncomfortable.

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