Non-Diegetic Elements In The Red Balloon (1956)

In the opening shot, The Red Balloon (1956) mise-en-scene presents the dull surroundings of buildings with muted colorization, which is seen throughout the file providing the overarching sense of dreariness. This dullness is in direct contrast to the later introduced bright red balloon. Of note is the introduction of the non-diegetic element of the light, whimsical music score from the beginning shot. Additionally, the scene opens with a deep focus of a young boy in the foreground, a cat and stairs in the midground, and finally the vast city in the background. However, it could be argued that the city starts to blur in the background. In this opening shot, the camera is held stationary as the young boy enters the scene and he moves from the

The death of the red balloon is the catalyst for the migration of colorful balloons across the city as they converge to the sight of the of the red balloon and the boy. As the colorful balloons follow this migration, again the “feeling” of action is understood via the non-diegetic element of the music score. The score begins with a fleeting tempo as the balloons leave their owners and begin to fly through the streets and into air to the final resting place of the red balloon. Along the journey, the music score transitions to a more triumphant sound as the balloons soar through sky higher and higher. And finally, the music becomes almost wonderous as all the colorful balloons reach the boy and the red balloon. The final shot begins as a shallow focus of just the boy and the colorful balloons as he grasps them in his hands and he is magically lifted off the ground. The camera alternates between remaining stationary and following the balloons as they carry the boy away, up into the sky. The focus of the shot changes to show the boy and balloons in a deep focus with the vast city evident along with the open sky. The scene ends in a shot of mostly blue sky, while the boy is barely visible as he hangs onto the balloons in the