Cinematography

I believe that the cinematography of the film is best described as off-putting. I believe this is due to Lynch’s intense usage of wide shots and still camera shots. This makes the film seem unnatural and uncanny which is a subtle hint towards the films dreamlike atmosphere. An excellent scene that represents this is when director Adam Kesher was selecting candidates for his film and is observing a young actress. Their is a solid minute of her staring directly into the camera singing as if she is singing to the audience. This adds to the unease that the film presents.

Mise en Scene

The characters outfits, car and buildings are all reflective of that of a 1950’s Hollywood era. I believe that this era was used due to the nostalgia element as well as it being useful to showcase the change of Diane’s character. We see how at first she has a very feminine look and appears to be attractive. This look shifts when she becomes jealous Camila and appears to be dirty and aggressive looking.

We see their outfits are expressive and vibrant which may be a hint towards the dream sequence idea the film is trying to present. There outfits seem almost unreal as if not many would wear them which could be a subtle hint to the dream world fabricated by Diane.

Sound

The sound of the film is very abstract and features a distortion of sounds in order to cause unsettlement within the audience. This is evidenced in the Scene where Diane is haunted by the old couple, the scene features a combination of sound including the knocking of a door, the laughter of a couple and Diane screaming. This makes Diane’s ruined mental state appear more vibrant to the audience.

Editing

A great way to describe the editing is the reflective of its characters mental states. A great way to showcase this is by showing the scene where Diane and the hitman’s conversation. This scene is co cut between the a scene with Diane at director Adam Kesler’s party. We see the cut start when a plate is smashed which could be used to represent Diane’s troubled mental state and how she is overthinking.