Elements of Film is a way to compose each scene of a film and form the essence of the film. There are five elements of film: narrative, cinematography, sound, mise-en-scène and editing. These five elements help determine the film and a way to judge a film. In the group of The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols, one can determine and judge using those five specific elements that constitute the elements of the film. Every movie can be determined by it as it also helps to analyze a scene of the movie. In this case the Graduate will be judged and explained through the elements. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first element of film is narrative. A narrative is similar to the plot of the film, but a narrative talks about what the film is, the characters and the world. The entire film follows the protagonist, Ben, who is a recent college graduate who doesn't really know what to do with his life. The entire film basically depicts Ben's struggles as he tries to find his purpose. He suffers serious relationship problems as he is having an affair with a family friend, Mrs. Robinson. Soon after he meets his daughter Elaine; he falls in love with her. At this point a conflict arises as the affair with Mrs Robinson is known to both families. Elaine intends to marry another man but Ben arrives and takes her away from the altar. Finally, they both sit on the bus and the look on their faces is the reality of what happened. A narrative is more like a short story in that it shows character development. The second element of the film is the cinematography, which is basically “writing in motion.” It's the way the film was framed, toned and colored according to his way of photography. Examples of cinematography seen in the film and one of them is The Party. In that scene, the camera responded to the audience by using claustrophobic close-ups of the main character, Ben. It gives the audience the feeling of "suffocation" that the character himself feels throughout the scene. Another example is the bus scene towards the end. In that scene, the camera takes a long take where we can see the performance of the actor (Dustin Hoffman who played Ben). He is able to capture the passage of panic as Ben, still at the end of the film, still doesn't know what to do. Although before, Ben was anxious to find Elaine and the way the cameras portrayed this made the audience feel the pressure and momentum of the marriage snapping, as he struggled through his journey. The cinematography of the film is a great example of showing the audience and connecting them to the character. Additionally, the cinematography leans heavily on point of view. In the scene where Benjamin floats in the pool on a sunny day and his parents and the Robinsons stare at him, the audience can see from Benjamin's perspective as these four adult figures loom overhead and obstruct his expression. Describes Benjamin's lack of interest in becoming an adult. He is uncertain about life after college and is unwilling to accept it. At Benjamin's birthday party, he is in the kitchen wearing the diving suit with mask and oxygen tank that his father bought for him. As he walks towards the pool, the audience sees shots from Benjamin's perspective as he looks through his glasses and all that can be heard is his rhythmic breathing. You may also be interested Essay Correction and Check This scene illustrates that Benjamin finds the elder's advice, requests, and demands to be incomprehensible, meaningless, and boring. The partial vision through the glasses is an indication of who Benjamin is as a person. He is an immature young man who only sees what he has.