Henry Le

English 104

Instructor: Brian Ganter

May 21st 2015

Netflix’s “House of Cards” is a drama series that documents the life of congressman Frank Underwood as he embarks on a mission to establish greater amounts of power and influence in the American political system. The central theme in this series is exploiting power which often pushes Frank into the realms of corruption, manipulation and betrayal. The willingness that Frank has to do whatever it takes embodies him to use such actions in order to achieve his ultimate goal — power. This theme sets the stage and gives the audience a glimpse into the dark world of politicians and the things that are not always visible to the eyes of the general public. To illustrate such a dark context, the visuals used in the show relies on specific colours and lighting as well as camera angles and techniques used in theatre known as “breaking the fourth wall”.

First off, in every scene played out in the first season, the characters are seen wearing dark clothing paired with dim lighting in the back or even sometimes in complete darkness. The colour schemes chosen to be used in this context of the show puts the audience in a very dark setting. The dark colours are also symbolic to the characters of the show. For example, black and dark blue are colours often worn by Frank and his wife Claire. These colours are known to symbolize power, fear and aggression which are traits we see in Frank and Claire. Throughout the first season we learn that Frank and Claire are an ambitious couple who have positions of authority in their respective jobs and will let nothing come in their way. These traits are particularly evident in the show when Frank commits a series of cold blooded murders without any sense of guilt or remorse. In addition, Claire also demonstrates her ruthlessness when she fired her assistant for opposing against her business plans. Throughout the first season, the producers of the show were able to maintains a consistent level of visuals such as colour, lighting and patterns that have had a very dramatic effect. It automatically illustrates the personalities of the characters as well as the context of the show while keeping the audience on their feet.

Another technique used in the show that makes the visual work so effective is the positioning of the camera angles. In the first season, we see a lot camera angles being shot from below someone. In most cases it was shot from the ground up focusing in on Frank Underwood as he stood over somebody. For example, in one scene Frank is seen standing over two congressman in his office as he threatens them to vote for the water bill or otherwise face consequences. Once again, this type of positioning conveys power and intimidation. As more of these scenes are shown throughout the season, we as an audience begin to notice the dark and powerful nature that resides within Frank Underwood.

Finally, the last and most unique feature about the filming of this show draws on a technique traditionally used in theatre called “breaking the fourth wall”. Throughout the series Frank often takes a moment away from the scene, looks at the camera and speaks directly to the audience. For example, in season one Frank made a wise statement about money over power after one of his former assistant left his political party for a more lucrative job in the private sector:

“Such a waste of time, he chose money over power. In this town, a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the McMansion is Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I can not respect someone that doesn’t see the difference.” (Fincher, House of Cards)

In another episode, after sleeping with Zoe Barnes, Frank turns to the camera and says:

“A great man once said, everything is about sex. Except sex. Sex is power.” (Fincher, House of Cards)

Throughout this series, Frank often takes time from the scene to engage the audience and talks to them about his political views on power similar to the ones discussed. As an audience, the fourth wall adds another layer of darkness into the show as we almost feel as if we were welcomed into his dark world without even asking to be in it.