The Matrix
Director:Larry and Andy Wachowski
Release:1999
Gerne: Action, Sci-fi
The scene I studied from The Matrix is the scene where Morpheus and Trinity drive Neo to see the Oracle. Its the first time Neo has returned to the matrix after been freed from the program he believed to be real and he doesn’t see the world as he used to before he knew the truth. The whole scene is shot inside the car because the dialogue is important and the directors didn’t want the audience distracted by the world outside of the car but everything in this scene has being placed in the shot in a specific way for a specific reason.
Each shot concentrates on the character who is talking showing the characters head and shoulders on one side of the shot leaving a lot of free space a small bit of which is taken up the bland, black interior of the car they are in. The rest of which is taken up by the window of the car, outside of the window is a blurry, green tinted moving shot of the street they are driving past. The directors have done this to draw the spectator’s attention to the characters and what they are saying making the character talking the focal point. But mainly to show that the characters inside the car look out the window and see the matrix as a false world because if it looked really clear it would appear to be real, this is similar to the use of a the shallow depth of field used inside the school in Elephant to show the spectator it is a familiar place that the characters pay no attention to it because they see past it. This affect was obtained by using Rear screen projections, as apposed to the more green screens which provide a realistic image, the same technique used in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. This is also used to show that the contrast between the characters inside the car and the people outside the car who are caught up in there meaningless lives in the false world of the matrix and the characters trying to change the real world and end the war. The inside of the car is a very formal black to show that the car is plain and doesn’t stand out because an over the top car would draw attention and the character wouldn’t want catch the attention of agents they are clearly seen as fugitives or vigilantes. As for the characters they are well groomed and dressed immaculately to because they are how they imagine themselves as apposed to dirty and dressed in rags as they are in the real world.
Monday 13 October 2008
Wednesday 1 October 2008
Elephant
Elephant
Director:Gus Van Sant
Release:2003
Genre:Drama
Elephant is a film that is shot to feel like a documentary but a documentary the spectator feels like they are in. This is done by using various types of shots to make you feel like you are next to the characters. The film follows several characters through there daily lives in high school showing how their paths intertwine and how everyone has their own problems until two characters take things too far and massacre the students turning an ordinary day into a blood bath. This climactic end comes as a shock to the spectator because it is completely different to the rest of the films mellow, slow paced feel.
The film starts with a wide tilt shot of the sky showing clouds glide by to show time passing by, this is used later in the film to create a sense of time scale for the events. Followed by one of the only point of view shots in the film, looking at trees as the car drives past them. Then it switches to a blacked out screen with the characters name on it, this is used several times to introduce the main characters in the film. The first character John is introduced with a tracking crane shot of the car he is in shot from behind the car, similar to the shot of the flats in "La Haine" were the camera was mounted on a remote controlled plain. The shot follows the car at a steady pace but the car doesn’t keep to the pace so the shot often catches up to the car brining the long shot to a medium long shot then the car pulls away from the camera. This instantly tells the viewer something is wrong because this type of shot is used a lot to show cars traveling and the shot and the car usual move in unison but in this case the car is not in time with the camera. Then there is a reverse shot of John's dad as he switches places with John and the camera follows him and becomes a reverse shot and close up when he's in the passenger seat. This show that his characters importance. Then as the car starts again the camera shakes making it seem as if you were on the bonnet looking into the car.
The next character Elias is introduced then there is a still shot of the character walking towards the camera and without cutting continues as a tracking shot, shot using a steady cam. During most of the scene you are looking at the back of the characters head or his side and when he leaves the scene, which is all one long shot, the camera becomes static and the character walks away. This, like most of the film, isn’t like the conventional rules of cinematography but makes the spectator feel as if they are there next to the characters. When John enters the high school the depth of field becomes shallow so inside the school your attention is on the character and you don’t rely think about the surrounding almost as if it were a familiar place further emphasizing the sense of being there and being a student. Then it cuts to still, extreme long shot of the field where several groups student are doing different sport. This is used to show some of the characters that will feature later but instead of concentrating on a certain group the shot shows every one, so the director has to uses the movement of the characters in the shot to grab and move the spectators attention to someone different as apposed to moving the camera. But the effect is the feeling of being there and starring at the field not rely paying attention to any particular group. When Nathan gets his hoody and starts walking away the camera starts following him with a tracking, medium long shot that stops following him as he nears the edge of the field so that as he walks up to the high school it becomes a extreme long shot. But once he’s in the building the camera is above his shoulder and the depth of field becomes shallow again. This is used to show where he is going then when he is inside its like you are following him showing you his point of view without a point of view shot and see it as a student who is familiar to the surroundings. This is the shot used to show each character inside the high school building until they begging doing something.
Because Elephant show sections of different characters day and how they intertwine, similar to Pulp Fiction, there are certain parts of the film the director want you to remember so that you can relate back to it later in the film. Van Sant uses slow motion when one of the girls (Brittany, Jordan and Nicole) says “He’s so cute,” as Nathan walks by so later when the film follows the girls story from that point the spectator relate back to the scene with Nathan not only connecting the several stories into one and setting a time frame but also making it feel more like regular school life where you often see people you know walking around during the day. This is done at this point so that the spectator knows how and when each character started their day and is used again when John passes a jumping dog then see’s Alex and Eric enter the school carrying big bags and dressed in army gear. So that later in the film when the girls see the dog you know that’s the time Alex and Eric enter the building and when you see it from Alex and Eric’s point of view you know where the other characters are around that time.
Another thing Van Sant uses to make the spectator pay more attention to a scene and remember it throughout the film is panning shots. In the class where the students are discussing weather or not you can tell if someone is gay just by their appearance a panning show rotates 360 degrees to show each student in the circle they are debating in. This relates to the fact that the Alex and Eric are both gay even though they are not portrayed as gay so the spectator doesn’t expect it when they walk into the shower together. And also to the fact that though you cant tell weather someone is gay or not just by appearance and way they act but you can tell when someone has the problems that the two characters had just by looking at them. The film is called Elephant because of the phrase “elephant in the room” which basically means obvious but ignored because if there was an elephant in the room it would be impossible to miss so the only way to seem as if its not there is to ignore it which is what the students and teachers done in the school ignored the problems that Alex and Eric had. Panning was also used to show Alex’s room and the drawings on his wall to show he is talented person not just a psychotic kid so the spectator can relate to him and the problems he has so that when he massacres the school it comes as more of a shock.
In the final scenes of Elephant the depth of field becomes deeper to show unfamiliarity because it not just an ordinary day the characters become more conscious surroundings this is made clear to the spectator by using a deeper focus so they can see the detail of the surroundings they hadn’t seen earlier in the film. Also the colours you saw earlier seemed to show who would be killed, with all characters wearing red being killed and with John surviving wearing yellow which gave hope for Benny but Benny was the character of false hope to show that there are heroes in situations like this one but they don’t always succeed. And the film finishes with a medium long shot of Alex holding the a gun pointed at Nathan and Carrie and for the first time in the film the camera zooms out on a character turning the shot into a long shot as if the spectators chance to look into the world of this high school was over and the camera crew were leaving.jumping dog then see’s Alex and Eric enter the school carrying big bags and dressed in army gear. So that later in the film when the girls see the dog you know that’s the time Alex and Eric enter the building and when you see it from Alex and Eric’s point of view you know where the other characters are around that time.
Another thing Van Sant uses to make the spectator pay more attention to a scene and remember it throughout the film is panning shots. In the class where the students are discussing weather or not you can tell if someone is gay just by their appearance a panning show rotates 360 degrees to show each student in the circle they are debating in. This relates to the fact that the Alex and Eric are both gay even though they are not portrayed as gay so the spectator doesn’t expect it when they walk into the shower together. And also to the fact that though you cant tell weather someone is gay or not just by appearance and way they act but you can tell when someone has the problems that the two characters had just by looking at them. The film is called Elephant because of the phrase “elephant in the room” which basically means obvious but ignored because if there was an elephant in the room it would be impossible to miss so the only way to seem as if its not there is to ignore it which is what the students and teachers done in the school ignored the problems that Alex and Eric had. Panning was also used to show Alex’s room and the drawings on his wall to show he is talented person not just a psychotic kid so the spectator can relate to him and the problems he has so that when he massacres the school it comes as more of a shock.
Director:Gus Van Sant
Release:2003
Genre:Drama
Elephant is a film that is shot to feel like a documentary but a documentary the spectator feels like they are in. This is done by using various types of shots to make you feel like you are next to the characters. The film follows several characters through there daily lives in high school showing how their paths intertwine and how everyone has their own problems until two characters take things too far and massacre the students turning an ordinary day into a blood bath. This climactic end comes as a shock to the spectator because it is completely different to the rest of the films mellow, slow paced feel.
The film starts with a wide tilt shot of the sky showing clouds glide by to show time passing by, this is used later in the film to create a sense of time scale for the events. Followed by one of the only point of view shots in the film, looking at trees as the car drives past them. Then it switches to a blacked out screen with the characters name on it, this is used several times to introduce the main characters in the film. The first character John is introduced with a tracking crane shot of the car he is in shot from behind the car, similar to the shot of the flats in "La Haine" were the camera was mounted on a remote controlled plain. The shot follows the car at a steady pace but the car doesn’t keep to the pace so the shot often catches up to the car brining the long shot to a medium long shot then the car pulls away from the camera. This instantly tells the viewer something is wrong because this type of shot is used a lot to show cars traveling and the shot and the car usual move in unison but in this case the car is not in time with the camera. Then there is a reverse shot of John's dad as he switches places with John and the camera follows him and becomes a reverse shot and close up when he's in the passenger seat. This show that his characters importance. Then as the car starts again the camera shakes making it seem as if you were on the bonnet looking into the car.
The next character Elias is introduced then there is a still shot of the character walking towards the camera and without cutting continues as a tracking shot, shot using a steady cam. During most of the scene you are looking at the back of the characters head or his side and when he leaves the scene, which is all one long shot, the camera becomes static and the character walks away. This, like most of the film, isn’t like the conventional rules of cinematography but makes the spectator feel as if they are there next to the characters. When John enters the high school the depth of field becomes shallow so inside the school your attention is on the character and you don’t rely think about the surrounding almost as if it were a familiar place further emphasizing the sense of being there and being a student. Then it cuts to still, extreme long shot of the field where several groups student are doing different sport. This is used to show some of the characters that will feature later but instead of concentrating on a certain group the shot shows every one, so the director has to uses the movement of the characters in the shot to grab and move the spectators attention to someone different as apposed to moving the camera. But the effect is the feeling of being there and starring at the field not rely paying attention to any particular group. When Nathan gets his hoody and starts walking away the camera starts following him with a tracking, medium long shot that stops following him as he nears the edge of the field so that as he walks up to the high school it becomes a extreme long shot. But once he’s in the building the camera is above his shoulder and the depth of field becomes shallow again. This is used to show where he is going then when he is inside its like you are following him showing you his point of view without a point of view shot and see it as a student who is familiar to the surroundings. This is the shot used to show each character inside the high school building until they begging doing something.
Because Elephant show sections of different characters day and how they intertwine, similar to Pulp Fiction, there are certain parts of the film the director want you to remember so that you can relate back to it later in the film. Van Sant uses slow motion when one of the girls (Brittany, Jordan and Nicole) says “He’s so cute,” as Nathan walks by so later when the film follows the girls story from that point the spectator relate back to the scene with Nathan not only connecting the several stories into one and setting a time frame but also making it feel more like regular school life where you often see people you know walking around during the day. This is done at this point so that the spectator knows how and when each character started their day and is used again when John passes a jumping dog then see’s Alex and Eric enter the school carrying big bags and dressed in army gear. So that later in the film when the girls see the dog you know that’s the time Alex and Eric enter the building and when you see it from Alex and Eric’s point of view you know where the other characters are around that time.
Another thing Van Sant uses to make the spectator pay more attention to a scene and remember it throughout the film is panning shots. In the class where the students are discussing weather or not you can tell if someone is gay just by their appearance a panning show rotates 360 degrees to show each student in the circle they are debating in. This relates to the fact that the Alex and Eric are both gay even though they are not portrayed as gay so the spectator doesn’t expect it when they walk into the shower together. And also to the fact that though you cant tell weather someone is gay or not just by appearance and way they act but you can tell when someone has the problems that the two characters had just by looking at them. The film is called Elephant because of the phrase “elephant in the room” which basically means obvious but ignored because if there was an elephant in the room it would be impossible to miss so the only way to seem as if its not there is to ignore it which is what the students and teachers done in the school ignored the problems that Alex and Eric had. Panning was also used to show Alex’s room and the drawings on his wall to show he is talented person not just a psychotic kid so the spectator can relate to him and the problems he has so that when he massacres the school it comes as more of a shock.
In the final scenes of Elephant the depth of field becomes deeper to show unfamiliarity because it not just an ordinary day the characters become more conscious surroundings this is made clear to the spectator by using a deeper focus so they can see the detail of the surroundings they hadn’t seen earlier in the film. Also the colours you saw earlier seemed to show who would be killed, with all characters wearing red being killed and with John surviving wearing yellow which gave hope for Benny but Benny was the character of false hope to show that there are heroes in situations like this one but they don’t always succeed. And the film finishes with a medium long shot of Alex holding the a gun pointed at Nathan and Carrie and for the first time in the film the camera zooms out on a character turning the shot into a long shot as if the spectators chance to look into the world of this high school was over and the camera crew were leaving.jumping dog then see’s Alex and Eric enter the school carrying big bags and dressed in army gear. So that later in the film when the girls see the dog you know that’s the time Alex and Eric enter the building and when you see it from Alex and Eric’s point of view you know where the other characters are around that time.
Another thing Van Sant uses to make the spectator pay more attention to a scene and remember it throughout the film is panning shots. In the class where the students are discussing weather or not you can tell if someone is gay just by their appearance a panning show rotates 360 degrees to show each student in the circle they are debating in. This relates to the fact that the Alex and Eric are both gay even though they are not portrayed as gay so the spectator doesn’t expect it when they walk into the shower together. And also to the fact that though you cant tell weather someone is gay or not just by appearance and way they act but you can tell when someone has the problems that the two characters had just by looking at them. The film is called Elephant because of the phrase “elephant in the room” which basically means obvious but ignored because if there was an elephant in the room it would be impossible to miss so the only way to seem as if its not there is to ignore it which is what the students and teachers done in the school ignored the problems that Alex and Eric had. Panning was also used to show Alex’s room and the drawings on his wall to show he is talented person not just a psychotic kid so the spectator can relate to him and the problems he has so that when he massacres the school it comes as more of a shock.
Wednesday 24 September 2008
Spiderman 2
Spiderman 2
Director: Sam Raimi
Released: 2004
Genre: Action, Super Hero
The clip I examined showed the main villain Doctor Octavius (Doc Ock) lying on an operation bed as the surgeons attempt to amputate his long mechanical arms. But the arms have artificial intelligence so lash out at the doctors and murder them. What makes this scene interesting is the fact that its different to the overall genre of the film because its more like a Sci-Fi Horror than an action sequence so had to incorporate elements of Horror and Thriller films to be effective but still keep to its roots of a super hero action movie.
The opening shot is a close up of a monitor used to explain to the spectator that the arms are fused with his spine and the doctors dialogue explains what they are going to attempt to do. Then there is a tracking shot of the doctor as he walks round the table which only shows small sections of Octavius until he stops to begin the procedure then the camera zooms out to a wide shot of Doc Ock and his mechanical arms. The director dose this to introduce the spectator to the surroundings but only giving them a small view of the villain to tease the spectator and make the operation room the focal point. Then finally showing Octavius, similar to horror films like Jeepers Creepers were the monster is slowly revealed to the audience, shows they are all part of one creature. Then it cuts to a close up of the surgeon with a saw then to a pulley suspending an arm in the air as it rocks then cuts back to the doctors reaction this is done to create tension and show the spectator that something is about to happen.
In this scene editing is used to set a fast pace by cutting from one shot to another and only showing a few seconds of the shot before switching. This fast pace and constantly changing view conveys a sense of mayhem and shows the confusion the characters are feeling to the spectator. The editing is also use to switch between the action and the characters to show their reactions which is similar to horror and thriller films because in those genres the characters are supposed to be scared so it is important to show their fear to the audience. The director also uses a lot of close ups of the characters to show the characters reactions to what’s happening around them. Trough out the scene there is only diegetic sounds, this creates tension and emphasizes the violence in the scene as well as emphasizing the fear the surgeons show.
The director uses a point of view shot through the eyes of the arms similar to horror movies showing the attacker home in on its pray to create tension but also to personify the arms. When the mechanical arms move the director uses a rail shot to follow them as the attack the surgeons but the rail shot sways making the arm look as if its slithering making it seem like a living organism like a snake or a tentacle so rather than a tool they become an extension of Doc Ocks body.
Director: Sam Raimi
Released: 2004
Genre: Action, Super Hero
The clip I examined showed the main villain Doctor Octavius (Doc Ock) lying on an operation bed as the surgeons attempt to amputate his long mechanical arms. But the arms have artificial intelligence so lash out at the doctors and murder them. What makes this scene interesting is the fact that its different to the overall genre of the film because its more like a Sci-Fi Horror than an action sequence so had to incorporate elements of Horror and Thriller films to be effective but still keep to its roots of a super hero action movie.
The opening shot is a close up of a monitor used to explain to the spectator that the arms are fused with his spine and the doctors dialogue explains what they are going to attempt to do. Then there is a tracking shot of the doctor as he walks round the table which only shows small sections of Octavius until he stops to begin the procedure then the camera zooms out to a wide shot of Doc Ock and his mechanical arms. The director dose this to introduce the spectator to the surroundings but only giving them a small view of the villain to tease the spectator and make the operation room the focal point. Then finally showing Octavius, similar to horror films like Jeepers Creepers were the monster is slowly revealed to the audience, shows they are all part of one creature. Then it cuts to a close up of the surgeon with a saw then to a pulley suspending an arm in the air as it rocks then cuts back to the doctors reaction this is done to create tension and show the spectator that something is about to happen.
In this scene editing is used to set a fast pace by cutting from one shot to another and only showing a few seconds of the shot before switching. This fast pace and constantly changing view conveys a sense of mayhem and shows the confusion the characters are feeling to the spectator. The editing is also use to switch between the action and the characters to show their reactions which is similar to horror and thriller films because in those genres the characters are supposed to be scared so it is important to show their fear to the audience. The director also uses a lot of close ups of the characters to show the characters reactions to what’s happening around them. Trough out the scene there is only diegetic sounds, this creates tension and emphasizes the violence in the scene as well as emphasizing the fear the surgeons show.
The director uses a point of view shot through the eyes of the arms similar to horror movies showing the attacker home in on its pray to create tension but also to personify the arms. When the mechanical arms move the director uses a rail shot to follow them as the attack the surgeons but the rail shot sways making the arm look as if its slithering making it seem like a living organism like a snake or a tentacle so rather than a tool they become an extension of Doc Ocks body.
Wednesday 10 September 2008
North by Notrthwest - clip
North by Northwest
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1959
Genre: Thriller
The clip i watched showed the main character Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Gruant) get off a bus at a stop on a long road surrounded by barren fields. He soon see's a man get out a car and wait for a bus on the opposite side of the and thinks he might be the man he is looking for. This turns out to be a false platter after the tension builds to a anti climax. But when the spectator least expects it Roger is attacked by a small plane used to spray crops with chemicals. The fist shot is wide and sets the scene by showing the large open, lifeless area to which the main character is heading. By using a high angle to show the bus approaching the stop the director has still made the bus the focal point but emphasizes the distance Thornhill has traveled because the bus is a small object in the large landscape. This effect is achieved by showing the hole journey from the top of the long road to the stop in the foreground in one static shot as apposed to cutting to the bus stop or following the bus with a rail shot. Hitchcock choose to exclude background music and only includes dieogetic sound which further emphasizes the fact that he is in a life less environment and he creates a contrast between the settings and the characters and mise-en-scene. This makes the spectator pay attention to the cars that go past and the plane spraying chemicals in the background while also giving this scene that the character doesn’t belong their. Then Hitchcock uses static point of view shots which switch from one direction to another and show the characters reaction to his surroundings to give a sense of being lost while further introducing his surroundings. Another character is introduced when a man steps out a car and stands opposite Thornhill, this creates tension because of the Thornhill's reaction the mans presence and because of the mans similarly out of place look. The tension escalates when the two men begging an awkward conversation with Roger being the more nervous and unsure of the two. But the tension leads to an anti-climax when the man leaves on a bus but not before bringing your attention back to the plane when he points out the plane is spray a field that doesn’t have crops. This is followed another point of view, wide shot of the plane which begins to turn towards the character and almost hits him.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1959
Genre: Thriller
The clip i watched showed the main character Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Gruant) get off a bus at a stop on a long road surrounded by barren fields. He soon see's a man get out a car and wait for a bus on the opposite side of the and thinks he might be the man he is looking for. This turns out to be a false platter after the tension builds to a anti climax. But when the spectator least expects it Roger is attacked by a small plane used to spray crops with chemicals. The fist shot is wide and sets the scene by showing the large open, lifeless area to which the main character is heading. By using a high angle to show the bus approaching the stop the director has still made the bus the focal point but emphasizes the distance Thornhill has traveled because the bus is a small object in the large landscape. This effect is achieved by showing the hole journey from the top of the long road to the stop in the foreground in one static shot as apposed to cutting to the bus stop or following the bus with a rail shot. Hitchcock choose to exclude background music and only includes dieogetic sound which further emphasizes the fact that he is in a life less environment and he creates a contrast between the settings and the characters and mise-en-scene. This makes the spectator pay attention to the cars that go past and the plane spraying chemicals in the background while also giving this scene that the character doesn’t belong their. Then Hitchcock uses static point of view shots which switch from one direction to another and show the characters reaction to his surroundings to give a sense of being lost while further introducing his surroundings. Another character is introduced when a man steps out a car and stands opposite Thornhill, this creates tension because of the Thornhill's reaction the mans presence and because of the mans similarly out of place look. The tension escalates when the two men begging an awkward conversation with Roger being the more nervous and unsure of the two. But the tension leads to an anti-climax when the man leaves on a bus but not before bringing your attention back to the plane when he points out the plane is spray a field that doesn’t have crops. This is followed another point of view, wide shot of the plane which begins to turn towards the character and almost hits him.
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