The shot opens with Carolyn putting up a ‘for sale’ sign outside a property she is trying to sell. Here she is organised, prepared and optimistic. She then glances to a house across the road where a bigger, bolder sign is. Her facial expression immediately changes to self-doubt, as she realises she has competition. She then takes control of herself and repeats ‘I will sell this house today’ a numerous amount of times. This shows that she is determined to sell the property and believes that the sale will make her more successful.
The use of language informs the audience about Carolyn’s character, and her reactions towards others ( In this particular scene, her clients). When speaking to her clients, she is upbeat, determined and positive ‘ This kitchen is a dream for any cook, can’t you just feel the positive energy in the room?” However, the clients disapprove and question her selling techniques ‘the ad says the pool is lagoon-like, there is nothing lagoon like about it. This is cement hole’. In this particular shot she begins to become sarcastic and desperate. Her tone of voice immediately changes when the clients show they’re not impressed with the property. In shot 25, her body language changes from being open and relaxed to desperate and sarcastic, ‘What do you call this, is THIS not a plant!’ Here she is shown to be desperate, with a nervous smile fixed on her face, which reveals that her character does not like failure. By the use of language we learn that Carolyn Is frightened of failure, hates to loose and becomes desperate and needy when plans don’t go in her favour.
The camera shots and angles play a vital part to learning about Carolyn’s role. Mendes uses a range of angles such as low-angle shots, mid-angle shots and most importantly close-ups. This is used where Carolyn breaks down at the end of the scene. Using close up shots exaggerates the characters emotions and makes the scene more dramatic. A low angle shot is used when Carolyn is cleaning in various different parts of the house. This enables the audience to see that Carolyn is well organised and plans ahead. Other camera shots at the beginning of this scene show Carolyn vigorously cleaning the property. In shot nine there is another mid angle shot of her back as she undresses and reveals a red satin negligee. This could show that there is a secret passionate side to her character. The camera shots reveal that she is clean, tidy and a perfectionist. For example in shot eleven the focus is on her hand cleaning the surfaces, in shot twelve she is dusting the fan and in shot thirteen she is frantically hovering. This shot reveals she is a perfectionist and was obsessively cleaning in a tasteless environment, as throughout the whole scene, no clients were impressed by the décor of the house.
Moreover, Annette Bening’s acting techniques contribute to revealing Carolyn’s true personality. She plays Carolyn dramatically and can control her characters mood swing effectively. For example, she was unsuccessful in selling the property and at the end of the scene she breaks down, calling herself a ‘baby’ and ‘weak’. Here she could be seen as unstable. This suggests that despite being able to control her emotions in front of the clients she punishes herself for failing. Through Annette Bening’s acting techniques we learn that there are almost two sides to Carolyn’s personality: the positive, determined, optimistic side that she only lets her clients see, and the child-like side that cannot handle failure disappointment or imperfection.
In conclusion, Carolyn is obsessive, perfectionist and cannot handle pressure or failure. We receive this information about Carolyn through the different camera shots, acting techniques and presentational devices. These devices are so efficient that the audience can portray Carolyn’s personality in seconds, whilst the different shots are being played. They also help the audience to comprehend and understand how her personality works and what her true character is really like.
