Analyse a sequence between 2-3 minutes (minimum of 750 words)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90KPJ6n4Ew
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Genre of crime and thriller (originally rated X) this film was produced both in Hollywood and in Britain, by Stanley Kubrick. This film was released 13/01/1972, in the U.K; it was released two week later in the U.S. It was made using a budget of $2.2 million and in turn achieved a huge revenue of $26,489,400. I think the main target audience for this film were men shown to be at a level from B-E on the demographic scale, this is because the film was rated 18. Also, because of adult themes and extreme violence, and so stereotypically men would have been targeted. With concern to physographics the film may have been targeted at the –resigned and strugglers. This is because all people in these groups have one thing in common- they are wasting their life, therefore can relate to the protagonists.
As the audience, using Todorov’s theory, we can tell that the fight scene is the beginning of the disequilibrium. Disequilibrium is where all harmony is broken by evil forces. Also, using Propp’s theory the audience can identify the four men- the protagonists, to be the villains.
Mise-en-scene refers to what can be seen by the audience in the actual frame. It sets a mood and enlightens the audience of the characters, and sets an overall theme. The setting of the scene looks to be near some river side residence. The actors are shown to be walking down the pavement. This connotes realism, as the audience has all walked down a pavement, although when in relation to this scene enigma codes are created as the audience are eager to find out why the three men are represented the way they are by the director- threatening, anti-social and silly when considering the costumes.
Props used include knives and batons. These connote violence in the very beginning of the scene and therefore the audience must brace themselves, as violence is expected. (This is likely to cause catharsis)This is later shown to be true, although the audience do not expect the friends to fight as violently with each other as they do.
Costumes worn by the men are white jumpsuits and black top hats and black boots. This connotes that the men are rebels of some sort; this is concluded as you don’t expect to see grown men dressed like that in the street. Also, all men are wearing crotch pads, this is purely strange. The audience question themselves whether to take the men seriously or respect them because they have a unique style. Personally, I feel that the men are ludicrously stupid.
Facial expression on the characters faces are of sadness when they are getting beaten by their friend. Although, when they are walking as a group they look united and have serious facial expressions, but they cannot be taken seriously as their faces connote that they must be intoxicated due to the cheeky smirks expressed, which cannot be justified. The four characters are wearing hats; therefore we cannot see their hair. But, when in the river, the audience can tell that the men have short, scruffy hair. This confirms suspicions of the men being uneducated and therefore are represented as ‘strugglers’- people who seek escape from the world and probably do so by taking drugs. Also, makeup of the characters is done to ensure the characters have a natural complexion.
Lighting in this clip is of a key light. This is the brightest and makes the characters stand out. It automatically attracts the audience’s attention to the four characters in the scene and makes them the subject of the frame. Key lighting can be directed from various angles. In this specific clip top lighting is used, this again, helps makes the four characters stand out, connoting that they are the dominant subject of the frame- this creates enigma codes for the audience. A sense of mystery is made about the four men and the audience begin to wonder- who they are? What they’re doing? For what reason? High key lighting is used by the director. This enables the frame to look more realistic and connote sunny weather. By doing so, the audience can conclude that the film is not of the horror genre and could be an uplifting comedy; although as the film advances the audience are enlightened.
Sound is arguably the most important factor in a film. It includes dialogue and sound effects. These both contribute to how the audience interpret the scene and therefore cannot be compromised. In this clip non diegetic sound is present. It comes from both the voice over narrating, and the classical music being played. The classical music is of contrapuntal sound- as it is something we would not normally associate with the scene. In this case, classical music would not be related to violence. Although, when being played showing the men walking, it connotes some sort of victory, for example, the men have triumphed in a fight. This view is soon shown to be wrong, as the men fight violently, with each other. In this clip, there is no sound bridge present as the clip is shown to be one recorded long shot. This creates a sense of realism. As everyday you are aware of people walking down the street.
Cinematography is the working of camera framing and camera movement. Camera framing in this scene starts with a long shot of the men walking towards the camera. This connotes a sense of threat and enigma codes are made- where are the men walking to? This mystery is later unravelled when they start fighting. At 0.48 the camera shot changes and a medium close up is used. It focuses on a man’s boot kicking the pelvic area of another man. This sudden change into violence encourages catharsis- when the audience engage in violence. However, the media effects are negative; some of the audience may be disheartened by the sudden change to violence. Later, the same effects are made when a man slices his friends hand with a knife at 1.17.
A tracking shot is where the camera moves along a track. In the beginning of the scene a tracking shot is used, when the shot looks like the men are walking towards you, the camera is moving backwards. Panning is also used from 0.51- 1.01, then the camera switches to a low angle shot-this connotes that the man is dominant and superior over the over three men. Then, a high angle shot is used to focus on the knife he pulls out then stabs his friend with. The camera alternates many times throughout the time of 1.02-1.40, moving from high angle to low angle shots.
Editing is the joining of the different shots to produce a scene. The editing can vary in style depending on the mood and theme of the film. There are about 10 shot in this scene. The most used is a straight cut, this type of cut is the most popular, and they are used so that the audience rarely notice them. This is the best type of shot as it fails to break up the main scene, and therefore does not damage the quality of the scene. It makes the scene look like one long, continuous shot. In this scene there is no use of continuity editing. Continuity editing is when shots are placed logically so that one event follows the other; this is a good technique to use as it enables the audience to follow the story line without any difficulty. As well, there are no montages used, a montage is where shots relative to each other are shown, this provides an overall impression of what they director is trying to convey.
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