There are five major elements of films which are narrative, cinematography, sound, mise-en-scene, and editing. The use of all five of these elements can be found in the movie known as Wadjda. Similar to the majority of movies, in Wadjda the audiences are given a visual of what a writer or writers tried to portray in their scripts. One way for a film to be successful is to have a grand narrative.
The narrative is simply another way to say storytelling. In movies, the narrative is the story the writer or writers want to tell his or her audience. Wadjda was written by Haifaa al-Mansour. The story she writes takes place in the strict religious atmosphere of Saudi Arabia. The girl in the story, Wadjda, wants a bike which goes against many cultural and religious practices of her country. There are other storylines in the movie such as the conflict between Wadjda’s parents over the fact that her mother cannot provide her father with a son. These are just some of the examples of the narratives that play out throughout the movie. The cinematography of Wadjda can be inspected frame by frame.
The cinematography is the movement of the movie's narration. Wadjda takes place over a considerable period. Therefore, through the use of camera tilts, angles, and pans, the audience can see the story about the life of Wadjda and those around her as it all unfolds. The audience sees how Wadjda’s life develops from a young girl who is determined to get a bike despite the repercussions to one who receives a bike from her mother.
In Wadjda, the story is told in Arabic to give the audience an authentic feeling. There is singing between Wadjada and her mother as well as the recitation of the Quran in various scenes. Music can be heard playing in the background during scenes in Wadjda’s room and while she is in the store. Most importantly, the dialogue between the characters allows the audience to understand fully the story al-Mansour is trying to tell. Mise-en-scene involves everything that is seen in the movie.
Mise-en-scene is everything that is placed in the movies. A prop such as the girls’ abayas and nail polish to the background actors and actresses is considered to be mise-en-scene. Everything in the Wadjda is used in the film to give the audience the idea that they are looking into a period of someone’s life. In this case, the audience is glimpse through the camera at the life of Wadjda and people around her. Finally, editing is crucial.
Editing allows for the movie to have a continuation. In Wadjda, the editor was able to piece together various camera angles. This way the audiences got to see different points of view while watching the movie. The editor also used fading to switch among the various scenes. Additionally, editing the movie allowed for time lapses that does not add too much time to the movie.
Works Cited
Wadjda. Dir. Haifaa Al-Mansour. Prod. Gerhard Meixner, and Roman Paul. Perf. Reem Abdullah, Waad Mohammed, Abdullrahman Al Gohani, Sultan Al Assaf, Ahd Kamel, Ibrahim Al Mozael, Nouf Saad, Rafa Al Sanea as Fatima, Alanoud Sajini, Rehab Ahmed, Dana Abdullilah, Mohammed Zahir . 2012. Koch Media, 2013. DVD.
