How can these success elements from Citizen Kane be Applied to Buddy Jacobson the movie?

Groundbreaking Cinematography

How Kane did it: Deep focus, unusual angles, expressive lighting.

How Buddy Jacobson could use it:

Deep Focus for Layered Storytelling: Imagine a Manhattan horse-racing club scene where Buddy is in sharp focus mid-frame, a socialite in the foreground laughs with champagne, and FBI agents linger in the background—each layer tells part of the tension.

 Low-Angle Power Shots: Show Buddy towering over his racetrack empire or walking into a courtroom, the camera slightly below eye level to amplify presence.

 Shadow Play: Use noir-style lighting to show his dual life—half his face lit at a party, half in shadow hinting at secrets.

 Nonlinear Narrative

How Kane did it: Told through multiple conflicting perspectives.

How Buddy Jacobson could use it: 

Tell Buddy’s life through the eyes of different narrators—

 A rival trainer (focuses on ambition and rivalry)

 A lover (focuses on charm and romance)

 A law enforcement officer (focuses on suspicion and crime)

 Buddy himself (flashbacks showing his own justifications)

 Each account could contradict the others, leaving the audience to decide who the real Buddy was.

 Thematic Depth

How Kane did it: Explored ambition, the American Dream, and loneliness.

How Buddy Jacobson could use it: 

Theme: “Winning at all costs”—from horse racing glory to social climbing.

 Underlying tragedy: the higher Buddy climbed, the fewer people he could trust.

 A parallel between the speed and fragility of racehorses and Buddy’s own rise and fall.

Sound Design & Editing

How Kane did it: Overlapping dialogue, audio bridges, and montage sequences.

How Buddy Jacobson could use it:

 Overlapping Dialogue: In high-energy racetrack scenes or New York nightclubs, conversations should spill over each other to give the feel of real chaos and excitement.

 Montage: A rapid-fire sequence of newspaper headlines, betting slips, horse racing photo finishes, and party snapshots to condense years of high-living into 60 seconds.

 Audio Bridges: The sound of a horse’s gallop could fade into the thump of a Manhattan disco beat, connecting two worlds.

  Symbolism & Mystery

How Kane did it: “Rosebud” as a central metaphor.

How Buddy Jacobson could use it:

 Introduce an object or phrase—maybe a lucky racing whip, a photograph, or a racehorse’s name—that represents Buddy’s lost innocence or a turning point.

 Reveal its true meaning only in the final act, reframing the entire story.

 Could tie into his childhood or first victory, making his fall more poignant.

 Collaborative Genius

How Kane did it: Welles brought in his Mercury Theatre troupe for sharp performances.

How Buddy Jacobson could use it:

 Cast theatrically trained actors in supporting roles—especially for the rival trainers, old New York socialites, and mob associates—to give dialogue a crisp, layered quality. 

Use real horse-racing consultants to keep details authentic.

 Technical Influence

How Kane did it: Used techniques that became film school staples.

How Buddy Jacobson could use it:

 Be bold with visual storytelling—don’t just show Buddy’s life, make the camera movement reflect his emotional state (fast, confident movements in his rise; slow, claustrophobic shots in his fall).

 Could even use Kane-style “ceiling shots” in interrogation scenes to make the audience feel trapped with him.

 ACT ONE – “The Legend of Buddy”

Narrator #1: Rival Trainer – Perspective: Ambition & Rivalry

 Opening Shot – The Last Ride

Visual Style: Low-angle shot of Buddy in a stable, cigarette smoke curling in the light, a racehorse shifting in the shadows behind him. Deep focus keeps both horse and Buddy equally sharp.

 Sound Bridge: The clop of hooves fades into a gavel striking in court.

 Purpose: Introduces duality—Buddy as both sportsman and outlaw.

 Scene 2 – Rags to Racetrack

Montage Sequence: Black-and-white stills of 1950s Brooklyn → first jobs at stables → winning his first small race.

 Kane Influence: Use old newspaper headlines, betting slips, and horse racing programs that dissolve into moving footage.

 Narrative Tone: Rival trainer says, “He wasn’t born into it—he fought for it, and he’d fight anyone who stood in his way.”

 Scene 3 – The Champagne Circle

Deep Focus: Buddy in mid-frame laughing with investors; foreground—champagne glass being filled; background—a racetrack scoreboard with his horse in first place.

 Symbolism: Over-the-top success as a precursor to his fall.

 ACT TWO – “The Man They Loved”

Narrator #2: Former Lover – Perspective: Charm & Romance

 Scene 4 – The Penthouse Party

Lighting: Half his face lit golden, half in shadow—echoing dual life.

 Overlapping Dialogue: Guests laugh, flirt, argue; Buddy whispers a sweet promise to the narrator amid the noise.

 Audio Bridge: Soft jazz morphs into the thundering gallop of a horse in the next scene.

 Scene 5 – The Winner’s Circle Kiss

Symbolic Object Introduction: A small silver horse pendant he gives her.

 Camera Move: Slow dolly in as he kisses her hand—making the moment feel like the peak of romance and power.

 Narrative Twist: She admits in voiceover that she never truly knew him.

 Scene 6 – The First Crack in the Armor

Visual Cue: The pendant appears again, now tarnished, in a drawer.

 Editing: Jump cuts between her memories of laughter and newspaper clippings about shady dealings.

 ACT THREE – “The Chase”

Narrator #3: Detective – Perspective: Suspicion & Law

 Scene 7 – Interrogation Room

Kane Influence: Ceiling shot makes the room feel oppressive; harsh overhead light.

 Sound Design: Tick of a wall clock grows louder as the detective asks about missing persons and gambling debts.

 Acting Style: Buddy’s charm slips—quick flashes of anger.

 Scene 8 – The Horse Auction Sting

Montage: FBI photos, auction paddles, briefcases of cash.

 Audio Bridge: The slam of a stable door transitions to the slam of a prison gate.

 Symbolism: A horse’s eyes in extreme close-up as it’s led away—mirroring Buddy’s loss of freedom.

  ACT FOUR – “The Escape and the Fall”

Narrator #4: Buddy Himself – Perspective: Self-Justification

 Scene 9 – Breakout

Visual Energy: Handheld camera work for immediacy; fast cuts as he slips out of custody.

 Theme Reflection: Buddy’s voiceover: “I was never running away—I was running to win.”

 Scene 10 – The Final Race

Symbolism: A dreamlike scene where Buddy imagines riding his greatest horse down an empty track. The silver pendant lies in the dirt.

 Lighting: Warm sunrise turns to cold shadow as reality intrudes.

 Closing Scene – The Mystery Revealed

Rosebud Equivalent: Detective finds the silver pendant at the bottom of a box from Buddy’s childhood—it belonged to his first horse.

 Final Shot: Camera slowly pulls back from the pendant to show the empty stable, light streaming through dust.

 Narrative Payoff: Viewers realize his entire life was chasing the feeling of that first victory.