I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow

I want to look at the scene in O Brother, Where Art Thou? in which the film's protagonists, calling themselves the Soggy Bottom Boys, are in the recording studio recording what is soon to be their hit, "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow." The scene, beginning at roughly 23:00, when the characters walk into the studio, opens up with a conversation in which George Clooney convinces the blind man to record them. During this conversation, the camera cuts back and forth between the Soggy Bottom Boys and the blind man. It then cuts to a shot of the characters (predominately Clooney) inside of the actual studio, where they are recording their diegetic song. At about 25:13, the camera cuts to a shot of the blind recording engineer, emphasizing his enjoyment of the song that they are playing. I think it is really interesting that the Coen brothers chose to show, whether deliberately or not, the reflection of the protagonists in the window. It made the scene feel more real than had it cut to a shot from inside the control room. The most interesting shot of this scene is when the camera cross-cuts to, and then zooms in on the song being recorded on a record. The quality of the music changes, because of the move to a different room, and it adds a new layer to what is happening in the scene.

Overall, I believe this scene was highly original and important to the film. The Coen brothers had a strong focus on the music used within the film, and "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" played a vital role in the freedom of the protagonists, so it makes sense that they would put an emphasis on this scene. Not to mention, it is a fun scene to watch in general, with its multiple cuts to different parts of the recording studio and with how animated the protagonists are while performing the song.