- Film Structure - The structure of a film refers to how the film is made, and what processes a director goes through to produce the film. From pre-production to post production, to the camera position and movement, the structure of film is the broad scope of what is required to make a film. In Citizen Kane, film structure is important because the film starts at the end, and then flashes back to things that were before the end chronologically.
- Cinematography - Cinematography is the way a film is presented to its audience. Cinematographers can put filters over their film, as well as direct how the cameras are to be used. From film structure, the cinematographer already knows what has to be filmed, but most of the extra camera placement and lighting adjustments are done by the cinematographer. In Citizen Kane, cinematography is essential, because all of the camera angles, high and low lighting situations, and the scenes with camera placement all are key parts of the movie.
- Production Design - Production design focuses on making the background of the film a living, breathing world. Without these people, films would have story, but utterly bland backgrounds. The design of the production allows for viewers to be interested in the movie. In Citizen Kane, the production designers had to create a whole mansion for Kane to walk around in, as well as make a populated New York City for the newspaper and other events to happen in.
- Acting - Acting is the emotion and feeling that actors put into their movie roles. Acting makes the movie much better, considering the characters would be so dull if the actors didn't act. In Citizen Kane, all the actors are stellar actors, and all play their roles perfectly. They play an integral part in the movie.
- Editing - Editing is the reason people like watching films. Editing brings the film together, cuts out all of the bad parts, makes the film exciting or sad, and makes the film mean something. The different ways of cutting films and piecing them back together are what make movies good. The editing in Citizen Kane is very important. The film has montages (a first in the film industry), and other important editing moments that set it apart from other films.
- Sound Design - Sound is said to be most of the movie. Movies need great sound effects and soundtracks. Foley artists spend their whole lives making sound effects for movies, so our movies can sound weird and wacky, or strikingly realistic. Sound really enforces mood and makes a movie 110% better than what it would be like without added sound. The soundtrack for Citizen Kane is definitely very striking and moving, and the sound effects (for example the screaming bird) are very strange, but fitting.