Zatoichi

Zatoichi, a film created in 2003 directed by Takeshi Kitano, is about a blind samurai and many filming techniques were used throughout the film to represent theme and tone. One of the techniques used to help represent theme and tone was lighting, lighting was used in a very specific and consistent way throughout the film. The main use of lighting to represent the tone of the film is when there is a happy and cheerful part of the film the scene would be in warm lighting, and when something serious was happening the scene would always be in cool lighting. The reason for this is because while watching the movie the audience would be able to easily relate the brightly lit scenes to happiness and hope while the darkness to the viewer would represent evil. In this specific scene, the main character Zatoichi has just finished fighting off men who attempted to kill him. With the use of cool lighting it is obvious that the film is representing a very dark tone. Throughout the entirety of film, Zatoichi has fought many people, but as this is right before the climax of the film, the director is trying to show the viewer that this is a very serious part of the film, and that is done through cool lighting to represent a dark tone. However in this very happy scene, a very cheerful tone is given off due to the warm lighting. After getting her house burnt down, O-Ume is getting fellow townsfolk to help rebuild a new house. Even though getting a home burnt to the ground is a very negative thing, the use of warm lighting in this scene of rebuilding puts a warm feeling inside of the viewer, making this a happy scene.

The next technique used was cinematography. The cinematography was used in a very advanced way for the time period it was release. In these two shots played right after each other, it is obvious that the group of men standing straight up looking down at what seems to be an old homeless man on the ground have more power due to their positioning. However Kitano (the director) is able to play with his audience due to this fact, because the old homeless man who seems to be smaller and weaker turns out to be a master samurai who is in fact much larger regarding power status in the movie. Also in these two shots the band of bandits take up a much larger portion of the shot then Zatoichi does alone, giving them another reason to be bigger and more powerful. These two shots are in the introduction of the movie, and they are used to represent the theme that even though Zatoichi is old and blind, he is not a force to be reckoned with, because in the upcoming shots he kills most of the men and leaves the rest running.

Another technique used by Kitano to represent theme is editing. Same as in cinematography, the level of editing in this film is very advanced compared to its time period. With the use of match cuts, not only does it show the identity of the random child without straight up saying it, it also gives the viewer the sense that O-Sei has been preforming as a geisha for a very long time. Throughout the film we are taken through the life story of O-Sei and O-Kinu, and in this particular scene O-sei is rehearsing his geisha dance, a dance he has been doing for his whole life to tricking people into giving him money. In these particular shots it is very emotional because even while just a little boy he has been having to deal with very bad people, and it makes the viewer feel sympathy for the siblings.

The final technique used to represent tone is sound. The use of sound in this movie is very common except for one particular part. Like for the lighting, for a serious scene the music used is very tense and fast paced, while the happy scenes very peppy and upbeat music is used. The way sound is used very uniquely in this scene is by playing with the diegesis. While Zatoichi is walking past the field a very peppy song is playing, which is supposed to be non-diegetic. But after closer observation the viewer is able to see that the sounds produced by the farm tools striking the dirt are in rhythm of the beats of the song, making the song diegetic because it is now a part of the world of Zatoichi. The effect this has on the movie is it puts the peppy music inside of the head of Zatoichi making him feel happy and setting the happy tone.