Citizen Kane

In Citizen Kane, I thought the most influential part of the movie was the use of cinematic elements by the director. There were several shots that were carried throughout the movie to retain continuity and there were also several stand out shots that made the movie unique.

One shot that was used a couple of times was the framing of Kane in the center of the frame with other people talking about him using the deep focus lens. The first time we see this is when he is sledding (you can see him out the window) and his parents are talking in the foreground to get rid of him. The second time we see this is when Kane is at his party and he's shown dancing in the reflection in the window while in the foreground his two friends are discussing him. These shots make Kane seem very uninvolved or almost careless as to what is happening in the world around him. It shows that the people closest to him have level heads while he is somewhat up in the clouds, unconcerned.

Another shot technique that was used several times was the crane shot. We see this when the narration goes to Susan in her night club, through the sign and down the sky window. We also see it at Xanadu a few times craning over all Kane's stuff and outside views of Xanadu. This crane technique really makes us seem like we're the investigators right along side Thompson. It helps us to creep into scenes and have a sort of "outsiders" perspective.