How does the chase sequence and opening of The Third Man use framing and certain composition techniques, mise en scene and cinematography to create meanings, metaphors and effects.

Figure 1 

Figure 1 uses many techniques to create meanings, metaphors, and effects, such as certain composition techniques. In figure 1, the vanishing point towards the left of the screen takes the attention of the audiences eyes and makes the look towards it. This becomes disorientating because the actual focus /direction that Holly is drawn to is the opposite side of the shot/direction (out of frame), so the audience can get easily confused. Figure 1 also uses the chiaroscuro lighting to create a sharp contrast between the two directions that Holly could go in. This could show, due to connotations of light being hope/good, and dark being evil/bad, that Holly should go towards the light as it would be better. The darker side of the image (the side Holly actually ends up walking towards) could be more dangerous or the wrong way to go. By going this way, he finds Harry, however finds a darker ending than he would've thought. This lighting used caused a sense of expectation for the audience due to one side being darker than the other.

Figure 2

In figure 2, the high contrast sharp chiaroscuro lighting on Harry Limes compared to the darkness around him shows how Harry is seen as a good person, however the truth about him is mostly obscure, because all we get to see about him is his face, and nothing else. This means that the audience only know his identity and nothing else, which creates an enigma about his character because all the audience can see is who he is/what he looks like. Figure 2 also uses a tilted shot, which creates a slight disorientation for the audience. The use of the tilt shot could also show how Harry Limes character is different/mysterious because the first time we see him in the film is this shot, and the shot isn't clear enough to distinct many features about him. The tilt shot adds to this because it's off balance and makes the shot even more unclear as he isn't visible properly.

Figure 3

Figure 3 uses an off-centre vanishing point that is out of the frame, which creates an enigma about the chase and a sense of expectation because the audience can't see where Harry is running to. This creates links to the idea that the truth about where Harry is running to is obscured and can't be seen, because Holly doesn't know what Harry is doing not only in the sense of where he is going, but also the whole idea of what Harry is up to/why he is running. The use of the the lighting to create a shadow on the wall rather than the audience seeing Harry running creates an enigma about the scene. It also creates a sense of expectation for the audience because they see Harry essentially chasing a shadow which is leading him into an area of unknown. This creates a sense of the unknown for the audience, as a form of darkness (connotations of a shadow) is leading Harry into darkness/the unknown. The shadow also creates the theme of the evil within for Harry, which adds to the enigma.

Figure 4

Figure 4 disorientates the audience through the use of camerawork. The tilted low angle shot creates an off-balance image that disorientates the audience as they don't get a clear view of the location or the character who is in the shot, which creates connotations of anxiety and panic as the shot is so confusing. The use of the deep key lighting and angular German expressionism adds to the sense of anxiety and panic because it makes the shot seem claustrophobic, added to by the low angle shot which a third of the frame covered by a ceiling.