Compare the ways in which directors Sergio Leone and Baz Lurhman us the codes and conventions of the Western genre to create tension, atmosphere and interest in the gunfight scenes from Once Upon a Time In The West(TM) (Leone 1968) a

In 'Romeo and Juliet' the way the sound is used is very different to 'Once Upon a Time In The West'. This sequence has a lot of hyperbolic sound. For example when Tybalt takes off his jacket or drops his match hyperbolic sound is used. This makes the moment more effective because it focuses our attention and emphasises Tybalt's power.

The music in the sequence is very conventional of the western genre. Even though it is not a western film. There is also much more diegetic sound. This being the dialogue and sounds like cars passing or gunshots. The dialogue is also a lot faster than in 'Once Upon a Time In The West'. This creates tension and a sense of anger.

In this particular scene in 'Once Upon a Time In The West' it is a typical western setting. Including the Open spaces, the strange shaped mountains, and the railway lines. In the film the lighting is very realist. In this scene Frank and Harmonica are dressed in typical cowboy outfits. They both have the hat, the boots and mast importantly the gun. One of Harmonica's features is that his hat looks quite old and tattered while Frank's looks much more new. This signifies what Harmonica has been through. Frank's black outfit also makes him look more evil as black stereotypically represents bad.

The setting of 'Romeo and Juliet' differs from the one of 'Once Upon a Time In The West'. It is much more Urban and 'Once Upon a Time In The West' is rural which is typical of a western. The Montagues and the Capulets have a very different appearance. The Montagues are dressed in beach clothes. They have open Hawaii type of shirts, they all have short hair and they all have sunglasses. They look very relaxed and as if they have had a party the previous night. The Capulets on the other hand look much darker. They have black jackets on have and generally look tougher than the Montagues. Abra has metal teeth with 'sin' engraved in them. This suggests he had his real teeth knocked out in a fight. Tybalt has a direct comparison with frank from 'Once Upon a Time The West'. He is all in black with a jacket and cowboy boots.

In 'Once Upon a Time In The West' Sergio Leone mostly uses long shots to show the landscape. This effect gives us spational awareness as Frank and Harmonica are walking towards each other. The close ups also have a big effect. For instance when the camera is zooming up to Harmonica's face it has the effect that the audience can feel his emotions more deeply. Baz Luhrmann's camera work is very similar to that of a western. A good example is when Tybalt is introduced. You only see his feet which is similar to 'Once Upon a Time In The West' as you only see Frank's feet at one point. This has the effect of the character looking more mysterious and maybe bad. The shots in 'Romeo and Juliet' are also much faster creates more exitement in the audience.

Luhrmann uses very fast camera movement. It is so fast that it is almost like a cut. This is not very western style but more like the matrix. This is effective because it is a point of view shot. Of course the audience loves effects like this to heighten the tension. There is a lot of tracking in this sequence. For example when the Capulets are storming across the gas station to the Montegues. Again this makes you feel as if you are in the action. This is a very fast track which again aids to the pace of the sequence. Leone has much slower camera movement. This is typical to a western as it again gives you spational awareness. There is a very slow pan across the scene when the characters are walking opposite each other. The camera movement in this sequence plays a big part in the speed of the scene.

The position of the camera in 'Once Upon a Time In The West' and 'Romeo and Juliet' is very different. In 'Romeo and Juliet' the audience is meant to be part of the action. You are always level with the characters so that it seems you are witnessing the event. However in some parts for example when you see Tybalt's feet or the close up on their faces this is not the case. In 'Once Upon a Time In The West' It is different. In some scenes we are looking at the characters as though we are part of the action. However in some scenes we are not. The camera is mostly quite high up Which gives us spatial awareness. This is very important in 'Once Upon a Time In The West' because it is the only way Sergio Leone can get away with the slow pace. The slow pace has the effect of the audience waiting for something to happen. Films of the Western genre tend to be quite slow paced which the low number cuts in this sequence has a large effect on. The slow pace also creates tension because it makes us wait.

In 'Romeo and Juliet' however the pace is much faster. The camera is constantly cutting between the characters. This shows the emotions of the characters by having a close up of their faces. The large number of cuts greatly aids the pace of the sequence because each one is quite short. In the sequence there are quite a few slow motion scenes. This makes the central character in the frame look more skilled and cool. This is especially the case with Tybalt. There are, however, a few fast motion scenes too. This makes the characters look quicker in their actions and it takes the audience into the action. The use of hyperbolic sound with the fast motion creates even more tension.

In the films 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Once Upon a Time In The West' two characters are portrayed quite similarly. Tybalt and Frank. The directors have both chosen them to wear black outfits. This signifies him being on the bad side, black being the colour of evil. The only difference is that Tybalt is more mysterious because in 'Once Upon a Time In The West' Harmonica is the mysterious one. Also, the feature that in both films you see these two characters feet is also a similarity. Harmonica in 'Once Upon a Time In The West' is a very mysterious character. When the camera zooms into his face one can see his facial expression never changes. Leone has done this to let the audience know, this man wants revenge. In this sequence Harmonica also has no speech at all.

The 'Montague Boys' are supposed to bring a bit of comedy into the sequence. At the beginning of the sequence they act very silly in the car shouting at all the other cars. Later on in the gun sequence they seem scared but Lurhmann has made it funny again. The director makes the audience think that they are the clowns always starting fights and getting drunk. Benvolio is made to look like the other Montague boys but seems tougher as he puts up more of a fight in the gun scene. The Capulets are definitely supposed to look more evil than the Montagues.

Even though some aspects of the two films are quite similar 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Once Upon a Time In The West' are mostly different. In the sequences the directors may have used the codes and conventions of the western genre, however the pace of 'Romeo and Juliet' is by far faster. The sequence in Leone's film typical of a western but Luhrmann's is only partly a western. Personally I find Lurmann's film more effective because I love action packed films. However Leone's film does grab your emotional feelings more.