The costumes used in the striking party scene creates a lot of impact due to the fact that all the party guests are dressed in colourful hues e.g. red, orange and gold. The director has used these colours to demonstrate the decadence of the party guests and how culpable they are. The use of colour used in the party makes the audience know the party guests behaviour instantly as there costumes look wild and flamboyant. Tybalt’s costume is a very effective costume as it is bright red and looks like a devil. This connotation and iconography gives the audience a hint of Tybalt’s behaviour, violent aggressive and arrogant. His costume is foreboding as the Devil is to do with death and Tybalt does die later on during the play. The audience would associate Tybalt’s behaviour of that of a devil. In the play Romeo and Juliet Tybalt represents the pain and the feuding between the Capulets and Montagues.
Romeo and Juliet’s costume contrasts the party guests and Tybalt’s costumes. Romeo is dressed in a suit of armour like a soldier and Juliet is dressed in a costume with white wings like an angel. This makes the audience feel like there is a link between Romeo and Juliet due to the colours that they are both in. The choice of colours that were chosen makes the audience already sense the behaviour of Romeo and Juliet – pure, innocent and sensible. Romeos costume gives you the connotation of a soldier. In stories and fairy tales the soldier always gets the princess or bride in this case he does. The costume is foreboding as its connotation tells you what happens later on in the play. Juliet’s costume gives you the connotation of an angel. This costume is opposite to Tybalt’s costume, which tells the audience that her behaviour is opposite to Tybalt’s. An angel is thought as holy, peaceful and pure, this costume signifies Juliet’s characteristics and is foreboding as angels are to do with death and peace, giving the plot of the play away to the audience.
Before the party, Romeo has taken drugs, the director wants to convey that Romeo is aware of everything that is going on at the party but his senses which have been disrupted by the drugs are not e.g. The speeding up of the scene and when Romeo looks at many characters it looks like they are pulling faces. Close up shots are used continuously in the party scene to show Romeos attentiveness of the happenings in the party. The close up shots of the different characters make them look scary, ugly and big for example the close up of Tybalt where the close up shot shows him growling like a tiger in slow motion and the close up shot of lord Capulet chanting “ amore, amore” and hissing like a snake. A crane shot is used to show Romeos disorientation at the party, which makes the viewer bewildered and uncertain of what they are watching. It also puts the viewers in Romeos shoes. This disorientation soon becomes a crescendo when all of the diagetic music, non – diagetic music and the colours in the atmosphere become too much for him Romeo eventually runs out of the room and goes in the toilets to gain his senses back. In this scene all the mixed crescendo of music stops and the colourful atmosphere is replaced by clear silver water and a slow paced love song playing diagetically (Kissing You by Deserae)
When Romeo and Juliet first meet, the scene is very effective. The end of the party scene is quick and concise. It shows Romeo frantically immersing his head in a bowl of water. A close up shot is used in this scene to show Romeos bewildered expressions and actions. In this scene there is no non-diagetic music but the diagetic muffled sound of water moving, this sound could represent Romeos troubled mind because he has taken drugs earlier. The use of dim light makes this scene dramatic.
After this part of the scene Romeo starts looking at coloured fish in a fish tank. The director uses close up shots to show Romeos admiration of these creatures by the expressions on his face. He spots Juliet’s eye and jumps up and examines her face for a few seconds. At this point amorous calming music is played and Romeo realises that he is looking at pure beauty. While Romeo and Juliet are staring at each other through the fish tank it looks as though they are in their own world amongst the coral. This image is foreboding as to be in your own world or not of this world you must be dead. With this connotation and Juliet’s angel costume, it seems as if her beauty is unearthly. On the tank Romeos and Juliet’s faces are casted ghostly. This gives the impression that they are dead. This is foreboding as it interprets what happens later on in the play.
The music played in this scene suits the scene and is effective as it talks about love and the kissing of young couples. It is as if it is convincing Romeo to kiss Juliet as they have fallen in love at first sight, this convinces the audience that they are truly in love.
Romeo and Juliet’s first kiss is effective as it is presented in a revolving close up shot with no diagetic music and an affectionate song as a non – diagetic music which can only be heard by the audience. The director has done this due to the fact that Romeo and Juliet are madly in love and the diagetic silence is to show that Romeo and Juliet are concentrating on each other and not on the party guests and party actions. The camera shot and the place that they are in makes it look like they are in their own world. When you are madly in love you are continually focused on the person you are madly in love with and you cannot think of anything else, this is what I think the director is trying to portray. The director exemplifies Romeos and Juliet’s first kiss as a close up shot to show to the audience that this part is a very important part in the play and how important their first kiss is. The playing of slow affectionate music (Kissing you) by Deserae adds power to the first kiss, as it is suited to the mood of the scene. The muffled silences of the party guests (diagetic sound) make Romeo and Juliet seem that they are in their own world, which is unearthly. The director has used all these different styles of media to show how Romeo and Juliet meant to be together as it is said in the prologue of Romeo and Juliet. ‘Two star struck lovers destined to fail’.
Romeo’s shock of understanding that Juliet is a Capulet is portrayed by a number of camera shots and non-diagetic music. When Juliet realises that Romeo is a Montague, her sworn enemy, the slow affectionate music shifts from affectionate to sorrowful diagetic music. The violins used in the non-diagetic music make the audience feel sorry for Romeo. When portraying Romeos shock the director uses a high angle shot to make Romeo look secluded and helpless and makes the audience feel powerful and in control of Romeos feelings. Contrasting this is the shot used at Juliet. A low angle shot is portrayed to show Juliet’s understanding of the conflict. This type of shot makes the audience feel vulnerable and know of Juliet’s understanding and sorrow for Romeo.
The Romeo and Juliet party scene as a whole has effective presentations that would make the audience have a mixture of emotions. The mood of the party is portrayed with different camera shots, costumes, diagetic music, non-diagetic music and the pace of the scene changes. The director has used all of these techniques in the party scene to make the audience feel involved in the party scene and make them feel the same feelings and emotions that Romeo feels.
