Analysis of scenes from Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown - 1997, Directed By Quentin Tarantino 

Staring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Forster

A female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot between the police and an arms dealer.

In the opening sequence, Tarantino establishes the character of Jackie Brown as being a very confident character. He does this mainly thought the use of camera angles. One example of which is that when she is on the travelator she is standing perfectly still and always looking in the direction that she is travelling. Another example is that when she has got off the travelator, Tarantino uses mainly low angle shots looking up at her to give the impression of importance and stature. This camera angle also shows all the people in the background walking the other way and wearing very dull clothes, which is in contrast to the very smart, bright blue uniform of Jackie Brown. Also the feel of confidence is further developed by the fact that she never looks directly into the camera, always forward - this shows that she is very focused on one thing and is not easily distracted by her surroundings.

In the scene where the character of Ordell Robie shoots Beaumont Livingstone, is is established as a thriller mainly though the fact that it is set mostly in a set of apartments at night, which are both characteristics of thriller films. Tarantino uses the darkness and very little lighting to give the feel of emptiness. Also the last part of the scene, where we see Ordell drive off and then drive into what appears to be a building site, with Livingstone in the boot of the car and then stops to shot him, gives us the impression that Ordell planed this and therefore is a very methodical man and likes to plan things before doing them. Also in this scene he is very calm - this gives us the feel that he is not in a unfamiliar situation.

This is a contrast to the character of Louis Gara. In the scene where scene where he is in the shopping mall he is very nervous and uptight, this gives us the feel that he is very uncomfortable in his surroundings. Also at the end of the scene, when he shoots Melanine, he shoots her after getting annoyed with her. This show us that the character of Louis Gara is very short tempered and does things on a spur-of-the moment basis and doesn't plan them like Ordell Robie does.

Analysis Of The Witness Murder Scene

Witness - 1985, Directed by Peter Weir
Staring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis and Lukas Haas

A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.


The first shot a Long shot of a Amish boy - we can tell this by the clothes that he is wearing -  looking up at a large statue and then of a close-up of his face that has a expression of awe. This gives the a sense of scale to the boy and the location, which is a train station, and also the give a sense of the boy's insignificance in the world around him. The large open indoor spaces is also goes against the thriller convention of claustrophobic indoor spaces.   Also his expression indicates that he has not been in this environment before.


 We then see a mid/long shot of the boy and his mother sitting a another room within the station and the boy gets up and asks his mother to go to the toilet and he then pre-seeds to walk off. We then see the Boy in the toilet and also another man washing his face in the sinks, all we can hear during this scene is the sound of the tap running and the footsteps of two more men that walk into the toilet - one of whom is very smartly dressed and has a very confident body language, which suggests a person of power, A policeman in the case of this film. These two men then attack the man that was already in the toilet and then murder him, while this is happening we then get a close-up of the boy looking though the gap in the toilet cubical door at the scene that is taking place before him. This gives us the feel that boy has no power and a sense of helplessness in the current situation. After the men have killed the person they start rummaging though his possessions, as they do this the boy makes a noise that one of the men hear and he starts opening all the cubical doors one by one, slowly getting closer and closer to the cubical that the boy is in - this builds the tension and makes that audience ask what is going to happen next. As he is doing this we then skip to see the boys face with a very scared expression, he this franticly tries to close the lock on the door - this also adds to the tension in the scene but also creates a sense of urgency. As the man gets to the locked door of the cubical he tries to get it open and as he kicks it down the boy gets into the next cubical along that has already been opened. The man then walks out of the toilet past the boy standing in the open cubical, but he doesn't notice the boy standing on the toilet standing perfectly still in fear of the men.


This scene mainly builds tension mainly though the boys fear and insecurity in the current situation that he has never experienced before. Also the scene the toilet keeps to the thriller convention of being filmed in small dirty rooms - this contrasts with the start of the scene being in the grander of the huge areas of the train station. Another thing that contrasts in this scene is that at the start of it the boy is placed as a insignificant person interrelation to the huge statue he was looking at, and at the scene he becomes very important as he is the only one who saw the person that committed the murder.

Analysis Of The Opening Scene Of Essex Boys

Essex Boys - 2000, Directed by Terry Winsor
Staring - Charlie Creed-Miles, Sean Bean and Gareth Milne

The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the murders of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex, UK.


The scene starts with medium shot of a figure - Billy Reynolds -  opening a garage. This scene contains only one light source, a lamp in the background, and therefore it is quite a dark scene which is a classic thriller characteristic of Noir Lighting.  This creates some intrigue in the scene and acts to draw the audience in to continue watching the rest of the scene and film. The figure then continues to get the Mercedes that is in the garage ready to drive. He gets in the car and starts the window wipers to reveal another character, known as Jason. As this is happening we hear a monologue that sets the scene for the film and gives the audience some background to the character of Jason. Jason's body language in this scene when we first see him is of a very confident man, this is supported by the monologue which tell us that he has just come out of jail and also that everyone in the area knows of him. 


We then skip to another scene where Billy is driving Jason into the Dartmouth Tunnel. The tunnel is a signifier for the barrel of a gun which adds to the theme of violence in the film that becomes apparent in the rest of the scene. As they leave the tunnel the camera that is looking at the car from behind in a medium shot, focuses on the "Welcome the Essex" sign.  The sign is conveying a message that Essex is a friendly place.  This is in contrast to the image of Essex that the film conveys which is Essex as a a violent place that is filled with gangs and crime. In the next part of the scene we see Jason and Billy in a van at a fish market filled with people. Jason then gets out of the van  - with a wooden batten - and walks towards a man in a suit which suggests he is a person of importance and influence. We then see the mans expression as he sees Jason.  It is an expression of fear which also builds the character of Jason as being a confident person (in the way he walks up and beats the man in a crowed place) as-well as being a violent man (suggested by the way the presumably important man reacts to Jason as he goes to beat him up). Jason then continues to beat him, throw acid in his face and then locks him in the back of the van as Billy is nervously looking on. This tells us that Billy is in a very uncomfortable position that he is not familiar with. 


The camera then skips to the van driving along.  The van has a very generic nature about it, there is nothing special about it or anything to suggest that there is a person in the back. We see Billy and Jason sitting in the van and we can hear the man in the back shouting and hitting the sides of the van. Billy's body language tells us that he is still very uncomfortable in the current situation. The final part of the scene is on some marshes.   Billy opens the back of the van and the man charges out and falls over in the mud.  This is a contrast to his first appearance in the fish market.  The market was full of people and he appeared very confident.  Whereas now in the desolate deserted marsh landscape he is appearing as a very vulnerable person. This landscape could also be a reflection of Jason, despite the confidence that he shows on the outside, he might be feeling lost and quite isolated as he has just come out of prison. 

Analysis of Heavenly Creatures

Heavenly Creatures - 1994, Directed By Peter Jackson

Staring Melanine Lynskey, Kate Winslet and Sarah Peris

In this scene there is a focus on the clocks, used mostly to show the thriller convention of time, but also possibly to help the audience create a timeframe in the scene as the narrative of this film is non-linear. It can also suggest a countdown to some kind of act within the plot that could act as a climax. There is also a focus on the bag being carried by one of the girls which we saw earlier  in the scene,  where a brick was being put inside some tights and placed in the bag, to create tension in the scene to add to the feeling that something is about to happen. Another thing that the camera is focusing on is the feet of the three female characters struggling to walking along a muddy path, possibly to signify that they are in unfamiliar territory or situation.  

The majority of this scene is filmed on a very sunny day in a location that is very welcoming, and this goes against one of the main thriller conventions of being mostly filmed in very gloomy and desolate landscapes, although at the same time this gives the location a very eerie feeling about it, as if it was too perfect, to make it seem like a heavenly place. However, a feeling of isolation is also brought across. One way it is brought across is that when they are on the bus they are sitting right at the back when everybody else is sitting towards the front.

The song that starts playing when they are in the cafe also adds a very unearthly feeling to the scene.  This, coupled with the two girls acting nervously, the close ups of the girls feet and the way that the scene is slightly slow motion gives the same feel as in other films where an important character gets killed in a kind of noble way that is not typical of a thriller film (e.g. The Lord Of The Rings), and not like it happens in this scene where the mother gets murdered by her daughter and her friend which is more like a thriller convention.

Towards the end of the clip when the two girls are killing the mother there are cut scenes where we see one of the girls on a ship crying and screaming to the other girl who is struggling to push her way though the crowds who are all joyful with streamers and confetti flying though the air - to act as an opposite to the two girls emotions at the time. The cut scenes are also filled in a way that gives it a really unearthly feel as if it was a dream.

Analysis of Still from Thelma and Louise

Location;
This is set in a car park at night, suggested by the lighting, which plays into the thriller convention of being filmed in dark open spaces. This contradicts the other aspect of the still - the woman being dominant within the scene, rather than the male character.


Characters;
The female is the dominant character in the still -  which defies the thriller convention as well as reversing the norm of that time in America. There is also a crazed look on the woman's face to suggest that the man has done/said something to make her really angry. This suggests that before the situation shown that the man was the dominant, also the face of the man suggests that he is in a unfamiliar situation.


Lighting;
Non-ambient lighting is the primary light-source in this shot, to create some atmosphere around these two characters. It also helps the audience focus on the foreground - where all the action is happening- rather than the background.


Camera Angle;
The Camera angle is a medium-close shot which is cropped quite close around the action, again to get the audience focused on the action and to cut down in as much distractions as possible.


Props;
There is only really one prop within this scene, the gun in the hands of the woman, again differing from the thriller conventions of the man being the dominant one within the scene. 

The Analysis Of The Opening Scene Of Kill Bill Vol.. 1

Kill Bill Vol. 1 - 2003, Directed By Quentin Tarantino

Staring Uma Thurman, David Carradine and Daryl Hannah 

The Bride wakes up after a long coma. The baby that she carried before entering the coma is gone. The only thing on her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her - a team she was once part of. - IMDb.com

The black & white opening scene of Kill Bill Vol. 1 starts with a close up shot of the heavily beaten bride covered in alot of blood, possibly laying on a bed - i say possibly because the shot is cropped so tight around her face you cant see much else, and also the tight cropping is to draw the audience in to concentrating on her and her body language ,and not on her surroundings - and with the sound of her heavily breathing and foot steps of 'Bill'. After a few seconds we skip to a tracking close-shot of the feet of 'Bill', with the light of the scene reflected of his highly Polished shoes (this Gives the audience the impression of a man that cares about his image, this may also indicate that he is also quite wealthy) and then after another few second we switch back to the face of the bride, with her still heavily breathing but the footsteps stop and we hear the line: 

Do you find me sadistic ?

This line is the first Dialogue of the entire film, this draws the audience in due to the fact that we cannot see the face of 'Bill' and therefore this creates some mystery around him, why the bride is in this situation and how these two people are linked. We then see the hand of Bill - with a gold ring and Bracelet, to further give the impression that he is quite wealthy - wipe some of the blood of of The Brides face with a handkerchief with the name 'Bill' sewn into the corner (this is the first time we learn of Bill's Name, further creating some mystery) he then continues his monologue :  

 I bet I could fry an egg on your

head about now, if I wanted to.

Pause

No kiddo, I'd like to believe you’re aware enough

even now 

there is nothing sadistic in

my actions... - Maybe towards

those other jokers - but not you.

Pause

No Kiddo at this moment, this is me

at my most masochistic.

During this Monologue he continues to wipe the face of the bride - with her still heavily breathing, this give the  indication that she is quite scared of Bill. The way the camera is angled could give the indication that we are looking at her from Bills viewpoint, and because it is looking down on her it could signify that she doesn't have much power in the present situation and/or that Bill is a very dominant figure within the scene - despite the fact that we have yet to see his face. The Director could be doing this the keep as much mystery around the character of Bill as if the keep the audience watching and interested in the film.


At this Point we hear Bill pick up a gun and load it and The Bride says :

Bill... It's your baby

we then hear the gun fire as soon as the bride finishes hr sentence and then the scene finishes almost instantly after this.


Within this scene was mostly about drawing the audience in and to get them interested in what is going to happen in the rest of the film, and i think the director has done this quite well. The fact that it was entirely filmed in black and white and the mystery that the screen play creates around Bill really draws you in for more. 

The Analysis Of The Opening Scene Of Once upon a time in America

Once upon a time in America - 1984, Directed By Sergio Leone
Staring Robert De Niro, James Woods and Elizabeth McGovern

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life. - IMDb.com


Scene starts with the sound of footsteps at the end of the credits with a totally black shot and then female character (possibly a femme fatale) opening the door to her darkened room so she is a silhouette in the frame (as a medium-close shot & also the backlighting to create the silhouette - as if the director wants you to focus on that character within the scene) with the song God Bless America playing as a Non-diegetic sound. As she walks in the room her sihiloet disappears and you can only see her face - again to focus the attention squarely on her and what she is doing  - and she tries to turn on the light but it wont turn on, to give the scene some tension and also the lack of ambient lighting within the room can act as a signifier to say that the room is not safe/Dangerous and also to add tension. 


There is then a high-angle shot looking though some kind of ornament or light fitting towards the door where the female character is standing and then it then proceeds to pan down as the Woman walks toward the bed within the room. it then cuts to a close-up of the hands of the woman operating the switch of the lamp  and then tracking her hands to screw in the bulb to get the light to work  - this then lights up her face which give the audience there first proper look at her face, and her costume to give the audience an idea of what period the film is set in. It also helps build the American Stereotype of the time within the film along with all the other features of the scene - although such features as the song God Bless america gives a false indication of the Stereotype.


The next shot in the scene is a Close up of some bullet holes in the bed. then it cuts to a shot of her pulling back the covers - as she does that the camera zooms out to show the entire bed or to give the "Bigger picture" as it were - to expose the outline of a person in Bullet holes on the bed, possibly as a reference to the chalk outline the sometimes put down in other crime films to indicate a murder scene. Then - with the song cutting to an end - you see a close-up of a hand holding a gun, smash a picture with a quite loud noise as if to break the tension within the scene, cutting back to a high shot of the woman to give a sense of insignificance within the current scene and situation, and then cutting back to the hand and then the camera then pans up to the face of a man. You then see another two Male characters walk out of the shadows. The three men are all waring similar clothes, which signifies that they are all in the same line of work - most likely Gangsters or Police by the way they are dressed - they then proceed to ask the woman "where is he, where is he hiding", after replying "i don't know" on of the three men hits the woman - adding to the effect of insignificance and powerlessness the woman has in the present situation, along with the high angle shots whenever she is in the frame, also the opposite for the three men, which are always almost shown in a low angle shot to give a sense of command and authority in the situation (possibly suggesting that they are police). as she stand back up she asks the men "what are you going to do to him" - the audience does not know the man s name yet - you see a mid-shot of one of the three men screwing a silencer onto his gun and then you see him aiming and firing at the woman and she then collapses onto the bed - where she is then shot again. Two of the men then leave the room and the one remaining man switches off the light, as if to signify the woman has died and she is no longer present in the room. 

The Three Men are probably part of a stereotype of the typical American "hard man" - gangsters looking for money or a rival or tough cop type looking for a criminal. Possibly to help the audience establish a era in which this film is set or to give the three men some mystery around them. They could also be getting the audience asking some questions about the man they are looking for, such as what has he done ? or Could he just have been caught up with something that he had no part in and he is just running from these men ?

There is also the link between the Bed-side light and the woman, when she enters the room she goes and turns it on - this gives us the first proper look at her face - and then, at the end of the scene when she dies, one of the men turns it off again. This could possibly be a signifer of her life or presence whithin the room as before mentioned.