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The Kings Speech Film Clip Scene Analysis

Notes for Analysis: When analyzing film technique, you should consider how the technique enhances the plot or heightens a characters emotions or
brings out a viewers response.
For instance, how does the sound (or lack of) fit what the characters are doing or enhance the time period? Consider the lack of sound when George VI
gives his war speech: the lack of sound reflects the seriousness of the speechs topic (war), and the director wants you to ONLY hear the kings voice, but
WHY does he want you only hear the kings voice? WHAT does that show you about the king? About Lionel?
After you determine WHY the director establishes the shot, determine what it means? WHAT does the director want you to see/feel/experience?
What technique is used? Include ALL
WHAT does the director what you to
WHY does the director establish the
instances that the director uses in the
see/feel/experience? How does the
shot using this technique? How does it
scene AND describe the clip from the
director want you to understand the
reflect/connect/enhance the scene?
scene.
depth of the scene?
1.
Close up is used when Bertie sits on
The director uses close up to engage in
The director wants the viewers to see
the couch. It is also used when
Berties facial expression. Allowing
how Bertie feels when he is treated as an
Lionel is sitting in front of Bertie
viewers to understand what Bertie is
equal. He wants the viewers to
asking him about whether or not he
feeling without him verbally saying so.
experience
stutters when he speaks to himself.
The director wants the viewers to see
The director uses an establishing shot to
2.
Establishing shot is when Lionel
where the scene is taking place. The
allow the viewers to see where Bertie is
goes to brew himself a cup of tea. It
director wants the viewers to have a
getting his treatment for his stuttering.
is also used when Lionel is looking
second hand experience of Berties
The establishing shot provides a
at Bertie, who is comfortably sitting
surroundings. In order to captivate the
broader view of the room and what it
on the couch.
scene viewers must see what Bertie is
consists of.
Framing
capable of seeing.
The director uses medium shot to let
The director wants the viewers to see
(shot)
viewers examine Berties body language. how closed off Bertie is trying new
3.
Medium shot is used when Bertie is
When Bertie first comes in his shoulders methods to help Lionel examine his
second guessing whether or not he
are high and stiff, once he is a little
speech defect. Bertie is not very
should be recorded while reading
more relaxed he begins to let his
accepting of the methods Lionel is
the book.
shoulders down a little, and slightly
trying in order to find a way to treat
slouches even.
Bernie.
The director uses extreme close up to
The director wants us to focus on the
4.
Extreme close up when Lionel puts bring focus into the needle on the record
fresh disc that was being recorded on.
the needle onto the unrecorded
player. Showing that Lionel began
He wants the viewers to see that the disc
disc.
recording on a fresh disc with every line
was not already recorded on.
scratched into the disc.
Lighting
1. Flat lighting is used majority of the The director chooses to use flat lighting
The director uses flat lighting to
films. Whenever filming Bertie flat because of Bertie's facial structure. His
enhance Berties feature slightly while

lighting is used.

2. Front/soft lighting is used when

filming Lionel close up.
1. Eye level is used when Lionel is
speaking to Bertie on the couch,
and also while they are recording. It
is also used when Bertie decides to
leave.

Angle(s)

2.

Birds eye level is used when Lionel

and Bertie are talking on the couch
and while they are both standing
up.

Birds eye level angle was chosen by the

director to create a straight forward
view of Lionel as he speaks to Bertie and
vice versa.

3.

Low angle is used when Bertie is

looking up at Lionel who is
standing up by his chair.

The director chose a low angle to show

that Bertie feels rather small of himself
when he speaks or discusses his speech
problem. At the moment Bertie felt as if
Lionel was the superior.

4.

Camera
Movement(s
)

brow bone over shadows his eyes and

flat lighting will eliminate the raccoon
look. If the director was to use back
lighting the brow bone would cast a
darker shadow over Bertie's eyes
causing a more disengaged feel to the
scene.
The director uses soft lighting to create
a smoother look for Lionel. Soft lighting
draws attention away from Lionels
wrinkles and puffy eyes. It creates a
more appealing look.
The director uses eye level to emphasize
Lionels request to be equal in his office.
When Bertie is expecting to be treated
as a royal Lionel tones it down by only
accepting equality in his palace.

High angle is used when Lionel is

looking down on Bertie when his is
standing near his chair.

1. Panning is used when Lionel walks

from where Bertie is to the window.
It is also used when Lionel goes to
brew his tea. Panning is also used

The director chose to use a high angle

shot to enhance the viewers perspective
of how Bertie felt during that moment
Lionel was a superior or greater. Lionel
stands up to move to another practice,
but in that moment that Bertie was
looking up towards Lionel you could tell
by his facial expression that he felt
vulnerable and small.
The director uses panning to enable a
smoother role of the scene. It creates a
broader visual for the viewers. Allowing
viewers to feel like they are part of the

minimizing the shadow his brow bone

casts in order to capture more of Berties
facial expressions.

Soft lighting was used by the director to

create a softer look for Lionel. The
director wants viewers to see a more
innocent and welcoming face when
looking at Lionel.
The director wants viewers to see that
Lionel treats Bertie as an equal. To be
an equal the two sees eye level no one
higher than the other, and no one lower.
The director uses Birds eye level along
with POV to allow the viewers to engage
in the conversation between the two.
Enhancing Lionels request for equality
in his work area.
The director wants viewers to see that
Berties speech problem brings out a
self-esteem issue of his. Though he is
royalty his speech defect causes Bertie
to be little himself when he struggles to
say what he wants.
The director wants viewers to see that
Bertie feels little compared to Lionel
because Lionel has no problem when
speaking his mind. Lionel looks down
towards Bertie not to make him feel a
certain way it was just to transition to
another practice to treat Berties speech
defect, but Bertie did not see it as such.
Using panning the director wants
viewers to engage in the scene and
notice that Bertie is opening up and
slowly getting more comfortable with

2.

3.

4.

Sound

when Lionel walks over to the

record recorder. It is also used
when Bertie decides his session is
over and walks towards the door.
Being used once more when Lionel
follows Bertie to the door to give
his record disc.

scene. As Lionel walks toward the

recorder the camera movement is like a
perspective of either Bertie or the viewer
depending on how one sees it. As Bertie
decides to follow the camera moves
slightly as if the director wants us to
only focus on Bertie.

Tilting is used when Lionel stands

up when Bertie says the line, I
dont care.

Tilting is used in this to add onto point

of view. When Lionel stands up, the
camera follows as if viewers are seeing
Berties point of view. Tilting is said to
be when the camera is mounted but still
moves up and down.

Proxemics patterns is used to shoot

the scene where Lionel gets up to
brew a cup of tea.

Proxemics Patterns is used to allow

viewers to see the scenery rather than
wondering what Bertie and Lionel is
surrounded by. It enhances the view of
Berties surroundings. The view of the
overall room.

Long take is used when filming the

scene where Bertie is reading while
being recorded.

The director uses long take to shoot this

scene to create focus on only what needs
to be focused on. Rather than allowing
viewers to choose what to focus on the
director chooses for the viewers. He
wants the viewers to only focus on
Bertie and his willingness to try another
one of Lionels methods.

non- diegetic is used throughout the clip

when Lionel and Bertie are speaking to one
another.

The director chooses non-diegetic to

have a more general understanding of
the scene. Bertie and Lionel are directly
talking to one another, there is no prerecorded voices, and there are no voice
overs.

Lionel's procedures. The director wants

viewers to notice only what is moving
rather than what is not.

The director wants viewers to be able to

see the scene in their POV. When Lionel
stands up the camera follows to allow
the viewers to engage in the scene. This
will make the viewers feel as if they are
seeing through Berties perspective.
Tilting also is the rising point of the high
angle and low angle shots.
The director wants viewers to engage in
the scene. Being able to know exactly
what the room looks like makes the
viewers more engaged. This relates to a
reason why Bertie probably felt so
uncomfortable when he first came. The
room has lighting but it does not have a
welcoming feeling. Making it all more
uneasy on Bertie.
The director uses long take to engage
viewers, allowing for a broader
perspective of the scene. When Bertie is
reading into the microphone that Lionel
is holding it causes viewers to only focus
on them. Although the director leaves a
visual background he knows that
viewers will only be engaging in the
connection Bertie has with the book,
and how satisfied Lionel is with Berties
reading.
The director uses non-diegetic sound to
engage the viewers. With voice overs
often viewers tend to tone it out. With
non-diegetic sound the director
captures the attention of viewers and
allows viewers to see the

communication and body language of

both Lionel and Bertie.
1. Shot reverse shot is used when
Lionel and Bertie are talking,
cutting back and forth between the
two.

Editing

2. Point of view is used when Lionel is

listening to Bertie talk on the
couch. It is also used when Bertie is
looking at Lionel when he is
brewing his tea.

3. Continuity editing is used towards

the last portion of the clip when
Lionel walks over to the recorder,
followed by Bertie. It is also used
when Bertie walks from the
recorder table to the door followed
by Lionel. Both frames runs
smoothly.

Focus

Depth of field is used when Bertie is

reading "to be or not to be". Also used
when Bertie is speaking to Lionel as he is
standing.

The director chooses to use shot reverse

shot to allow viewers to engage in
Bertie's and Lionel's conversation. In
order to keep the people watching shot
reverse shot kind of made it seem like
Lionel and Bertie were talking to the
viewers directly.
The director uses point of view to allow
the audience to connect with the actors
Lionel and Bertie. While Lionel speaks
the audience is watching from Berties
point of view and vice versa. This also
connects with shot reverse shot when
two cameras are being switched back
and forth to see both Lionel and Berties
perspective.
The director chooses to use continuity
editing to enhance the view of the
settings. This connects to panning.
Instead of cutting to another camera the
director films Bertie willing walk over to
the recorder to show that Bertie is
finally opening up and willing to try
Lionels methods. While Lionel walks
over to the window and opens it the
camera slightly follows to make viewers
only interested in Lionels simple
movement.
The director uses depth of field because
he wants us to focus on Bertie and his
facial expressions rather than the book
and the background. Only allowing the
audience to focus on one thing. The
background is still there just blurred
out. When Lionel is speaking to Bertie
the background is blurred out and the
lens is focused on only Lionel. Once
again when Bertie is reading, the book
in front of him is blurred out so that the

Shot reverse shot allows the viewers to

see both sides of the conversation
between Lionel and Bertie. It allows
viewers to engage in the conversation as
if it was Lionel or Bertie talking to the
audience directly.
In order for the director to grasp the
attention of the audience POV is used.
The audience is able to engage in the
conversation as if they are the one
speaking to either Lionel or Bertie.
Allowing viewers to see both sides
creates a more interesting scene.

Continuity editing allows viewers to see

the full view, and every action Bertie
and Lionel makes. In order to grasp the
audiences attention the director allows
the scene to flow all the way through
with slight movement rather than
cutting cameras, making it a little
harder to look away from the screen.

The director is only allowing viewers to

see what he wants them to see. Bringing
focus onto the person speaking makes
viewers only focus on that rather than
the background. To engage his viewers
only what is important is in focus.

viewers only focus on Berties reading.