Feud: Bette and Joan (2017-) was created by Jaffe Cohen, Michael Zam, and Ryan Murphy. The series originated from a film script called 'Best Actress' written by Cohen and Zam which was then picked up by producer Ryan Murphy (known for shows such as Glee and American Horror Story), who decided it should be turned into a TV show.
It stars Jessica Lange as Joan Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Bette Davies, chronicling the making of their film Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and the two actresses supposed feud.
Framing:
The characters in this series are often framed by their environments, which can signal and represent attributes of their mental or physical state to the audience.
For example, in this scene director Robert Aldrich (on the left) has been summoned to Jack Warner's office (on the right). The archways that frame the two shows to the audience that they are trapped in the space, and are in deep conversation, unable to stop until they find a solution to their problem. However, the enclosed nature of the space also shows the nature of their close friendship as the audience is aware that Jack Warner launched Robert Aldrich's career, but since they are sitting so far apart it could be inferred that the problems on this latest film are beginning to push them apart and threaten Aldrich's career. The repetitiveness of the arches also could symbolise that Jack Warner, as the head of a studio, experiences conversations with directors about problems with their motion pictures like this one daily.
In this scene, Robert Aldrich's assistant Pauline (left) has gone to Joan Crawford's house to give her a screenplay she has written. She talks to Mamacita (right), Joan's maid. The conversation is secret and private as Joan doesn't know Pauline is there, or that she has written screenplay or wants to direct. Therefore, the doorway gives the impression the audience are eavesdropping on Pauline telling Mamacita her dreams, which she has never told anyone. The closed space of the doorway creates a personal, intimate feel.
When Robert Aldrich comes to Joan's house to convince her to be in what is effectively a remake of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? in this scene, she is framed at the top of her stairs by the curtains on the window. By her standing at the top and looking down on him, it shows she is more powerful and that he needs her to succeed and get his film made. However, the framing of the curtains could represent the fact she is boxed in by the Hollywood system because it is difficult for an actress of her age to get work because of a lack of roles, and if she wants to act she needs offers from directors. The closed nature of the rectangle she is in also implies her closed mindedness towards working with Aldrich again, as she is hesitant and stubborn about working with him again to effectively re-do what they have already done.
Emotional distancing:
Zooming in or out at the end of scenes creates emotional distancing between the characters and the audience, either focusing on their expressions or hiding them.
During this scene, Joan is mainly framed close-up as she speaks on the phone in a controlled manner about her brother's death. Her emotions become somewhat known to the audience when she tells Mamacita she must work on Aldrich's next movie despite not wanting to.
During this scene when Robert Aldrich is in Jack Warner's office, he is mainly framed from the knees up, or the two are shown in a wide shot.
However, the grief Joan feels over her brother's death is concealed from the audience, as at the end of the scene the camera zooms out and she is framed in a wide shot from the back. This represents the fact that the audience are focused more on Joan's work, as she and the press also are, and did not even know she had a brother until this episode.
Although, at the end of the scene, Jack Warner tells Aldrich he does think he has the potential for greatness which changes the tone of the conversation from casual to more serious. Therefore, the camera zooms in on Aldrich's expression as the audience wonder how he is going to react and salvage his career.
Positioning of actors:
The way the characters are positioned relative to each other in a scene can also hint at their intentions or relationships with one another.
In this instance at the Oscars in 1963, only Bette (at the front to the right), was nominated for an Oscar, as the Academy have snubbed Joan. However, Joan has arranged with the other actresses nominated in Bette's category that, as they cannot attend, she will collect the Oscar for them if they win. The way she is positioned in the far left behind Bette so she is not noticed creates tension for the audience as it is almost as if she is sneaking up on her to steal it without Bette knowing. The distance between them also shows how the Oscar nominations have negatively impacted their friendship as it could be implied they no longer talk to each other as they used to.
The contrasting colours of their cars, as well as the way they are positioned directly opposite from each other, foreshadows that, when Bette and Joan pull up in the studio lot for the table read of their next film after the Oscars, the events that previously took place may cause them to argue. However, as Joan's car is on the left and is yellow, which is generally seen as the positive direction and colour compared to black and the right side of the screen where Bette's car is positioned, when Joan makes a peace offering to Bette during their argument it is unsurprising to the audience.
This leads to this scene, where they decide to have a united front going into the making of this film, as they do not want to be bossed around by their male co-workers. Their unity is shown by how they walk together equally, side by side. However, as this shot is framed from the back with the stand-offish nature of the positioning of their cars still visible, the audience are not allowed to forget about past events which have led to this point, foreshadowing that the feud that occurred between the actresses on the set of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? could still continue on the set of this new picture.
Influence on my work:
Scene 1
Positioning of Emma and Cleo when sitting at table to show conflict, that they are directly opposed at first.
Scene 3
Cleo framed by bathroom corridor to show how she is boxed in by her need to turn Emma in to get paid.
Scene 4
Zooming out to reveal Emma's jacket at the end, creates an emotional distance between her and the audience, especially since her emotions her hidden when she leaves the scene. This is because this is the version of Emma the audience know, so they understand her intentions/motivations, and can think about how she has changed from her past by being distanced.
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