‘Citizen Kane’ was distributed by RKO in 1941. At the time, Welles was most well-known for his highly criticised, infamous but also remarkable 1938 episode of ‘The Mercury Theatre On Air’ radio broadcast show called ‘The War Of The Worlds’. This clever episode realistically depicted an alien invasion around the world, which terrified the public into believing it was actually occurring. Prior to this launch of success, Hollywood was interested in Welles, possibly due to his dedication and hard work implemented solely in the theatre. This could be why he denied many opportunities to work within Hollywood, to pursue his passion. However, it was the large contract and the promise of complete creative control; something never offered by RKO previously, which convinced Welles to make the leap from theatre to Hollywood in July 1939. Remarkably, Welles was given the opportunity to cast his own crew, dictate cuts wherever he wanted and even so far as to decide on the final cut. Although RKO did have some control over approving Welles’ desired plot, their trust remained within the hopeful success of his impending work. Despite the early interest invested in Welles, it was primarily due to the wide public (although mixed and extremely controversial) perception of the broadcast show which finally convinced RKO to invest in the later talent that would be ‘Citizen Kane’

Before his infamous radio broadcast, Welles had worked within radio for several years with an even earlier and extensive theatre background. His frantic radio schedule mixed alongside his continuous passion for theatre in the mid-1930s led to an average of $2,000 pay a week. Arguably, his success arose from an outstanding performance as an announcer in the radio series ‘The Fall of The City’

Arguably, RKO was one of the best and more successful Hollywood studios during the 1930’s. During the lead up to Welles’ signing, RKO made one of their most successful creative years excluding the slight net worth drop. They produced 49 films including the famous ‘Hunchback Of Notre-Dame’. However, there were no academy awards winning films during the end of this period nor real innovations worth mentioning. Despite the arguable success of the studios, their signing of Welles towards the end of the decade was considered one of the most significant manoeuvres at the time. There could be many reasons for Welles’ signing, perhaps RKO finally decided to act on Hollywood’s opinion to utilise his talents from 1936. It could also be due to the frantic public reaction to the broadcast, although widely criticised, it gained perception from many and caused a lot of people who wouldn’t have before to actually notice Welles

The protagonist of the film, acted by Welles himself is Charles Foster Kane. A brash, selfish and controlling yet troubled character, there have been many debates throughout time over who this controversial character is based from. Most notably, it has been heavily implied that Kane is a parody of the narcissistic, incredulously rich Hearst. Despite Welles claims that ‘Citizen Kane is the story of a wholly fictitious character’, the parallels between both characters are too similar to regard as a coincidence

Although Welles denies replicating Hearst within the film, he admits to basing elements of his character from the newspaper tycoon. However, he claims that it was Hearst who brought on the attention himself whereas he only used elements of his character to influence the development of Kane. Regardless of the controversy and drama surrounding Kane’s’ character influences, the character is well acclaimed due to the levels of complexity and realism developed by the many influences added (with Hearst being just one).  The makeup design of Kane was also influenced by Samuel Insull, whose mustache was admired by Welles. With a lower significance to the success of Citizen Kane, Insull served merely as inspiration from the unique look of Kane.

Another possible influence for Kane could come from the businessman Harold McCormick. He shared many similarities with the character in regards to failed relationships so we can assume that Welles based the disastrous love life of Kane from this character. He was divorced by his first wife in favour for a new woman of which he tried to promote a singing career for her. He arranged for her to play the lad in a signing production, alike Kane did within the film. In a similar situation to what occurred in the film, McCormick’s wife fled the country after being told by her vocal coach that she was unprepared for the performance. Within the many complexities and controversies surround the character of Kane, his relationships is something of great development and expansion. Due to the selfish nature of Kane’s’ created personality, it is inevitable that his desire for power and success outweighs his supposed love for family and relationships.  But we are forced to focus on the negative traits of Kane’s personality by being constantly shown him display behaviours such as having an affair, and pay little attention to his first wife. The vulnerability of Kane is only shown as a child, meeting his Susan and during his death. During this we are given a glimpse into his gentler demeanor which is contrasted by this fury at Susan after she refuses to sing later on. This implies his deep troubles and furthers the complexities which make him such an intriguing character

At the time of production for the film, America was primarily dominated by extremely power-hungry men who wanted as much success and wealth as possible. The traits of these men are portrayed by Kane, this is significant in shaping his character since he is likable and also relatable to these men because of the close similarities.

Welles was given a budget of $500,000 for the film and told not to exceed it. Compared with modern films, this does not seem significant but it was worth much more in the 1940s so really showed the trust embedded in Welles by RKO. However, Kane managed to actually exceed the budget by an extra $186,000. Not only was the budget large, but it was in particular for someone with little film background. Since Welles had only really worked within theatre and radio, it took lots of trust and potential for RKO to invest in such an unproven filmmaker. By upholding such a large budget, Welles could ensure that Citizen Kane followed his exact aspirations, which could perhaps explain why the film is considered now, such a success

Another unique idea within Citizen Kane constructed by Welles was the concept of using relatively new actors to motion pictures. Ten of which were billed as Mercury Theatre actors from the theatre Welles himself worked with prior to Citizen Kane. The film showcased the debut of several budding actors, including; Agnes Moorehead and Paul Stewart. Many of the Hollywood studios utilised famous actors to entice the audience, by using a fresh palette of unknown actors; Welles id displaying a high level of trust within his assembled cast but also showing that he can make the decisions for the film himself.  Another relatively unheard of innovation used by Welles was the practice of group rehearsals before filming. This was used to ensure the best quality acting by the actors and Welles deemed it ‘necessary’ in bringing the cast together. Although some actors had played several small roles within Hollywood, the majority of the cast was new to Hollywood. This could represent the lack of familiarity and practice honed by the cast but also Welles who was new to Hollywood himself. The actors influenced the ‘look’ and ‘feel’ of Citizen Kane by delivering raw and emotional performances due to their vulnerability from a lack of experience within the industry

Although the themes embedded within Citizen Kane were hardly new nor innovative, the high levels of technicality were considered remarkably advanced compared to other films produced around the same time. The cinematographer, Greg Tolland received lots of praise for his work within the film; in particular the unique use of deep focus used throughout. In particular, this technique is used to separate and segregate Kane from his family by trapping him in the background of the frame. This is done to express the significance of his lonely and isolated character by creating a physical separation from his family, which makes us pity him as we are beginning to understand his actions due to his upbringing. As well as visually engage us, deep focus is used primarily to develop the character of Kane by continually expressing the theme of isolation within his character throughout. Another new innovation introduced by Tolland is that of the ‘wipe’ transition between two scenes where one image is ‘wiped’ off screen by another. This was a new creation and influenced the fluid and natural flow of the film, by effortlessly connecting and contrasting each scene.

Another significant aspect of Citizen Kane is the storytelling. Although the film is fiction, it almost acts as a biopic due to the high levels of realism and honestly perhaps mainly due to the realistic themes which resonate with the audience. A long time period is portrayed, primarily told through flashbacks. The film is not told with a linear, chronological order but instead overlaps to join together moments within most of Kane’s life. More information is told to the audience as the film progresses by matching the onscreen action alongside each narrator’s addition to what happened. This adds a sense of reliability, because we are both seeing and hearing accounts of what happens; thus ensuring verisimilitude throughout the entirety of the film. Although flashbacks were used commonly at the time, they were used to great extent within Citizen Kane as they helped to tell the story by mixing past and present. Contrasted against the aged narrators, they provide a visual confirmation of what happens to ensure reliability from the lack of remembrance by the narrators of the events actual occurrence. Since the whole film is based around ageing and time passing by, the narrators could be considered unreliable since they may forget what happened, or their opinions bias their memories. By constantly referring back in time, the audience know that what we are seeing on screen is truthful to what happened

The makeup used throughout the film is also significant in expressing the important theme of ageing. At the time makeup would’ve been done by experts who had near enough perfected the art to create the most realistic looking working possible. However, this changed with Citizen Kane as all make-up was applied by a young apprentice. Usually make up would be quite simple, excluding horror or monster films. But within Citizen Kane, the makeup was quite complex to show the definite time changes. This is significant because the audience need to believe that the characters have aged to present the non-linear storytelling aspect of the film. Plaster molds were used to create wrinkles and lines to show ageing, with the exception of Welles himself who had a lower body cast made to pad out the character and expand on the ageing. This is arguably one of the most significant elements of the film since the ageing had to be done accurately to show the different stages of age throughout the whole film.

Since Welles had claimed to have done ‘everything’ within the film, a controversy surrounding authorship of the script arose. A young author called Mankiewicz drafted the script, after Welles gave a basic character explanation. Although his contract stated that he would not receive credit for his work, Welles adjusted the scripts to downplay his contribution to make it seem like he conceived the entire script alone. Eventually RKO awarded him credit in 1941 after he threatened to go to the newspapers. This showed that perhaps Welles was not as involved as he would’ve liked to be, suggesting the exaggeration of his ‘boy wonder’ persona to paint a positive picture of him within Hollywood.

The 1930s was a successful decade for the Studios mainly due to the increase of their control over a films creative decision. This meant that the studios had more of a say in what would happen, which ensured that the films followed their hopes and aspirations. It also ensured that they could continue with a level of control over the film

The big studios produced many academy award winning films which showed the success of the creative decisions made. Studios such as RKO and Warner Brothers produced Cimarron and The Life Of Emile Zola respectively which won academy awards and gained exceptional reviews

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In the late 1920’s, films usually had little restrictions and were very sexual. Due to this, a ‘pre-code’ was established in 1927 before the actual code was submitted in 1930. This was significance because the excess of inappropriate scenes led to a negative perception of Hollywood for allowing such content to appear

The code was split into two main parts – the ’general principles’ and  an actual list of restricted materials and concepts used in film

Certain restrictions were put into place so the studios had a vague idea of what to include and avoid. This was important because it allowed the studios to exclude certain content that could be deemed inappropriate from their films

Morals were a main focus because the code was written by Father Daniel Lord who was Catholic.

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The aims of the general principles were to discourage ‘wrongful actions’ such as sexual relationships before marriage. Ultimately, these types of behaviours were prohibited because by being shown they were giving the wrong impression on how to live your life which would send out the wrong messages.

Main concepts such as adultery and miscegenation were forbidden in the hopes of promoting morality and high values

The code covered many varieties of inappropriate behaviour but a high emphasis was put on sexual content. This could be perhaps due to the widespread use of it prior to the code and also catholic significance

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The particular applications consisted of a list of restrictions

These focused mainly on crime, sexual content and gore to name a few. This could be due to the controversies surrounding the showing of such content. An example of this comes from the 1933 film Ecstasy (Machaty) which was heavily criticised due to the amount of sexual content shown

Although film is regarded as a form of entertainment, another significant purpose is to convey important messages. By showing such behaviours, this encourages the wrong aspects of morality.

But by creating the code, the Studios are acknowledging the responsibility of maintaining high morals which presents them in a positive light, contradicting the negative perception

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Many people viewed the code as ridiculous and prudish. This could be due to the growing appeal of sexualised films mainly during the great depression.

Films such as James Whale’s ‘Frankenstein’ (1931) were controversial due to the scenes of a young girl drowning. Regardless. It grossed £13 million profit by other 1953 and was very popular

But towards the mid-1930s, the enforcement of the code grew much stricter. To the point where the famous character of Betty Boop was adapted to wearing a housewives skirt which was deemed more appropriate

Tarzan and his mate was the first real instance of censorship, where nude scenes were edited out

But the code began to weaken again, and child nudity was even shown in the 1939 film ‘Child Bride’ Harry Reiver

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In general, the 1930s was considered successful for the studios as the ‘big 5’ dominated 95% of the box office. This proved the success of the decade

However, smaller studios also produced successful films such as ‘Gone with the wind’ 1939 victor flemming. This showed that it was not always the larger studios who produced more successful films or grossed the most money

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The ending scene of Whiplash (2014, by Damien Chazelle) displays a wide varied range of editing techniques to fully immerse the audience within the film and keep them interested for the remaining time. A good editing technique used an eyeline match. This is used to show the intense gaze Fletcher is expressing, the shot later cuts to one of Andrew, showing that it was him who Flethcer was staring at. This is a powerful cut because it shows the real shock and almost awe of Fletcher which contrasts against his prior vile and aggressive characterstics. This contrast does not make us particularly like him, especially after what he put Andrew through; but the slight change in his personality expresses his true passion in coaching and how despite his abusive nature, he does care about Andrew’s success. This cut is significant to the plot because it adds more depth towards Fletcher’s character which helps solidify his importance within the fim. It also expresses his reaction as just as significant as Andrew’s by focusing on him as a parralel to Andrew. This has a profound effect on the audience because it shows the strong and extremely emotive impact Andrew has on Fletcher dspite his aggressive behaviour displayed earlier.

An establishing shot is used very effectively within this shot to unify the band as one. This is an interesting contrast against the prior restricted interaction only between Andrew and Fletcher, with the occaional singling out of band members to aesthetically please the audience. By showing the band as a group, we are reminded that despite Andrew’s success as the obvious protagonist of the film, the band requires unity and teamwork to work cohesively to produce the music. The shot is showed from both a right and left high angle shot, almost verging on birds eye view. I think that this would have a lasting effect on the audience because they are shown the stage as if it was perhaps a filmed musical performance opposed to a fictional film. This works well in ensuring versimilitude because we are shown different angles and aspects of the action to the point where we feel included in what is going on. Another thing to consider is the physical positioning of the band as a group contrasted to their separate closeups prior. This can reflect how Fletcher had set Andrew up, in hopes of humiliating him by having him play different music. At the start, the other musicians are shown only unified together whereas Andrew is only shown alone. But by this point, Andrew has begun to understand what Fletcher has done to him and fights back against it. This fully unifies the band together, which could be why they are positioned together for once rather than seperating into just the band and Andrew who is considered an outsider. This can have a very emotional impact on the audience who symphasize for Andrew

The scene opens with an extremely long close-up shot of Andrew’s face, which reflects the humiliation suffered at the hands of Fletcher. This is held for almost seventeen seconds, which is an awkward, considerably long length of time. This could be done to enforce Andrew’s uncomfortableness on the audience by forcing us to stare at his unamused demeanour for a while. This can be done to make us understand his character even further because; to a certain extent, we are experiencing what he is. This ensures great levels of realism and depth within his character because his issues are that of somewhat relatable which continues to make Andrew a likeable character which cements his protagonist role.  I think that this shot would have an intriguing impact on the audience because although nothing happens, tension is built successfully as we are waiting for the moment where the camera finally breaks away from him. The shot is followed up by a dramatically short cut to the audience’s unamused and almost bored reaction at the whole climatic drama. This is done extremely cleverly to avoid giving away too much of Fletcher’s reaction to And  rew, saving his later shock but eventual pride for him later on in the ending shot of the scene

An example of the Kuleshov effect is used to portray Andrew’s reaction at the audience’s disapproval about his embarrassment due to Fletcher. The shot begins with a solemn look at his face, which cuts to the audience looking extremely disapproved. This is followed by another cut to the same disappointed look across Andrew’s face. This shows the impact that the audience has on Andrew, indicating his strong passion for performing due to his sadness towards their negative reaction towards him. Most of the film is based around his desperate desire to be the best; this is reinforced in a heart-breaking way for the audience, as his facial expression reflects his true disappointment at Fletcher’s let down. However, this spurs on his desire to be better and come back fighting which impacts the audience who should have grown to appreciate his perfectionist attitude.

One of the most arguably best shots in the scene was the interesting montage of the musicians together. A crab shot is used to establish the musicians each in turn, visually displaying their significance as a united band. This promotes significant message of equality and team-work by individually recognising each musician. By expressing this shot as a montage, we can take our focus away from the deeply emotional scenes from Andrew and Fletcher, and rather instead focus on the other musicians who are shown. This can express the vital messages about equality in an interesting way which doesn’t break the tension because of how fast-paced the montage is. The mix of fast transitions and music helps speed up the atmosphere.

Shot reverses are also frequently used to build tension within the scene.  These are used to convey the strong passionate feelings of Andrew and Fletcher by ignoring the disagreements that they had and actually uniting them together with a common passion. Their facial expressions successfully show the audience how passionate they are by switching from Andrew to Fletcher’s reactions. This is to show that despite Fletcher’s negative attitude and behaviour, everything he does is for a reason. The audience can understand this by seeing the clear passion evident in his reaction to Andrew’s drumming. This does not excuse his behaviour but rather lets us understand it, substituting his malevolent behaviour in favour for hard work expressed in the entirely wrong way. This technique is significant because it expresses the importance of emotion within the film by framing both men’s emotions clearly on stage. This contrasts against everything that has happened, suggesting that there is a reason for all of the hardship and despite how tough things get; success can be achieved.  As the audience, we are observing the characters reactions and expressions opposed to their actions, implying that Andrew’s success is merely based form his own goals. Although his physical success of drumming is displayed, we are shown both men’s reactions to it; implying that their perception of the events are just as, and if not more important than the end goal. This is shown at the end to suggest that Andrew’s journey was worth the struggles because he finally achieved what he wanted. We can tell that both men are pleased and proud by the expressions on their faces, which are shown frequently and in comparison

Towards the middle of the scene, a particular sequence shot is used to show the increased tension between Andrew furiously drumming and Fletcher conducting in response.  The camera rapidly flits between both characters to show how hard they are both trying. It almost seems like a challenge, both unwilling to back down against the fast-paced fury. The shot represents the relationship between both characters extremely well, since the movements between the two are very quick and rushed; we get the implication that they are fighting for control of the band. This is highlighted by Andrew’s determined attempt to drum as best as he can compared to the wild flurry of conducting from Fletcher. This contrasts against the previous ideas of unity between the characters since their intense rivalry is highly on display here

An L cut is used towards the end of the scene to establish the significance of everyone else’s reaction to Andrew’s success. The shot begins with a long cut of Andrew playing the drums, then cuts to the astonished face of his father at the doorway. We can still hear the drums furiously beating in the background, which can represent his father, Jim’s final realisation of the fury, passion and dedication that Andrew has imposed upon his music. The shot is shown as a parallel to express how his father is involved yet on the side-lines when it comes to Andrew’s music, this is implicated by showing him behind the door but still able to listen to the music. This can represent that despite how Andrew’s obsession of the drums has even overtaken his family life; Jim is still involved. This is shown by allowing him to listen to the music, from a distance. We know that he is listening because of the crucial details of the L cut still presenting the music while he is in shot. On the flipside, there is also an element of seclusion. Although Jim can hear the music, he is on the other side. This is literally portrayed by positioning him behind the door. This suggests that the only thing between Andrew and his father is music, as although Jim is behind the door both literally and metaphorically, he can still hear the music. This suggests that he has now realised the importance of music within Andrew’s life as it is one of the only things connecting him to his son

In general, fast cuts are used frequently throughout the scene, mainly to retain a fast pace and high tension. However, as the scene progresses, towards the end; the cuts begin to slow down. This gives us the impression that the issue is beginning to get resolved as there is less fury and tension shown. However, just at this moment, everything rapidly speeds up. This contrast represents the whole pace of the film, where some moments are slow and deliberately drawn out whereas others are fast paced and full of action. By using such fast cuts, this makes the audience pay attention because if they look away, they could miss some of the action. This is an engaging technique because it ensures verisimilitude by fully immersing us into the world of the film. The last shots of the scene are very fast and frantic. This represents the desperation evident in Andrew’s drumming, hoping that he can finally succeed. The fast conducting of Fletcher matches the quick beat set by Andrew, uniting the two finally after everything they have been through. This is finished by a shot of Fletcher smiling at Andrew, proving that he has finally earnt the respect he was so desperate to gain throughout the entire film

This is an example of the Kuleshov effect. The effect of juxtaposition is of upset and somewhat fear from the first image because photos of war typically evoke these feelings.  The second image portrays the character as hungry, by using a photo of soup to contrast. Finally, the photo of the girl portrays the character as a dirty old man by implicating his attraction towards the young girl