The camera can be deployed to affect us in more ways than we realise, and its usage often acts on our minds subconsciously in the sense that we do not think deeply about its psychological ploys whilst viewing a film. In the clip of ‘Dead Again’ we see how the director has integrated the use of camera into his film production. The camera starts alternating quickly between the characters that are in conversation. This fast skipping between them gives a sense of urgency, which is appropriate for the main character, his being on death row. However, contrastingly, Strauss maintains a ‘cool, calm and collected’ since his true focus is elsewhere, i.e. on the murder he plans to commit. This is made manifest when he takes the scissors used to cut his hair, with the intention of performing murder. As his success in obtaining these is the vital event within this scene, the camera is used in close up. It draws your attention to it. You then see Strauss looking at Baker. You see it from Strauss’ point of view. As if you are looking from the outside in; from the shadows into the light. It lets you feel as if you are Strauss, quietly and confidently looking into the eyes of a good and innocent man, yet feeling no mercy for the crime you are about to commit. Following this there is a jump cut. This really creates a touch and go atmosphere and is a device designed to put the audience on the edge of their seats. The corridor Strauss has to walk down is made to look very long and daunting. This effect is created by using a long shot. As soon as Mr. Baker realises the plan you see him appear in the distance of the long shot. This distance makes your heart rush and you truly wonder if he can make it in time to save Strauss’ victim. Strauss’ eyes never stray from his victim. His eyes do not even flicker when he walks in and out of bright lights. It clearly represents the determination of Strauss. On both sides of the corridor are cells, and you can hear the riotous prisoners within, yet this does not distract him either. There is a continuous close up shot of Strauss’ hand as he reaches for the scissors which accentuates the film’s climax – the murder of his victim.
Music is a medium that evokes emotions. For this reason it has the power to provoke a wide array of feelings whilst watching a film. It can prompt tears or laughter; make you feel light-hearted or deeply thoughtful. Because of these effects, music tends to play a key role in films. Sound Bridges are where sounds are carried between camera views so as to keep the mood the same in between different sections of the film. In ‘Dead Again’ you hear the chanting of vicious inmates at the prison. It gives you a real insight into what it is like in a prison. Strauss begins to hum whilst walking out of the room. His humming is amplified at the expense of the prisoners’ tumult which fades away. As soon as he stops humming the sound bridge continues and Mr Baker has figured out the riddle, the music instantly becomes louder. Violins play a shrieking staccato tune. Each small piercing burst of music makes you shiver – makes you tense. The tempo of the music increases and so does the volume. Faster, louder, faster, louder until Baker realises he is too late and Strauss reaches the end of the corridor. The music reaches its peak, but is cut short by a piercing scream of a woman. The base to the music matches the main chorus of instruments; however the lower note played reminds you of a heartbeat. It gets the audience caught up in the situation. As this happens their heartbeats also quicken along with the tempo of the music and the speed of the action on screen.
The Mise en Scene consists of many different components. It takes into account the make-up, costume, language and setting. It lets you know clearly what era and genre you are dealing with. In ‘Dead Again’ the language used along with the tone of voice determines the atmosphere in the film. Strauss uses riddles to try and give Mr Baker clues. He speaks in a tone of voice which indicates he is mocking the journalist because he knows that he does not understand, and cannot stop him. The audience can empathise with Mr Baker as Strauss lulls the journalist into a false sense of security but confuses him once again by contradicting what he has said. During all this Mr Baker stays calm. He starts off speaking to Strauss in a casual manner, regardless of the tense atmosphere and is in control. However, as the conversation progresses he becomes a bit shaken by what he has heard and begins to panic. Strauss sees this and uses it to his advantage by confusing him with more riddles and then leaving the room. Baker then becomes panicky and shouts as he tries to stop Strauss from reaching the end of the corridor. The conversation on Mr Baker’s behalf is very ordinary in terms of the type of language. He speaks clearly but not in a genteel sort of way and does not use extravagant language. By doing this the audience can relate to him more as a person and it makes conversation more realistic. Strauss, as mentioned before, speaks in riddles. This makes the audience have to think more and they begin to empathise with Mr Baker because they themselves would also like to know if he, Strauss, is the murderer. It is a perplexing way of speaking, yet it leaves them eager to know more.
There are a few important props used in the excerpt. They are the hair, scissors and newspaper. Strauss gets his haircut and the hairdresser leaves the hair and scissors on the newspaper. As he leaves the room he subtly removes the scissors from the pile of hair. However once he has left, the journalist gets up, blows the hair away from the paper and glances at the newspaper headlined ‘Strauss the scissor killer’. Having seen the headline, Mr Baker figures out what Strauss has done, but could be too late. The hair hides both the newspaper and scissors, delaying the time in which the journalist finds out about Strauss’ plans. The newspaper is the last piece of the jigsaw. As he reads it something clicks into place and he realises how significant this paper really is. Also as Baker is a journalist it makes sense that a newspaper could tell him so much in one glance.
Mr Baker is wearing a white suit standing out in the frame and against Strauss. It shows his status is higher than that of Strauss, who is wearing a worn and torn dull grey prison outfit. Strauss’ clothes look worn and uncared for, which the audience picks up, and this also comes across in his appearance. He is rather rugged because of his plain short haircut and somewhat unshaven face. He looks thin and underfed with protruding cheekbones, which may be a result of being a prisoner. On the other hand Mr Baker gives the impression he has money and uses it well. He has his hair gelled back and has a clean-shaven face. Taking everything into account he looks rich whilst Strauss wears rags. His way of carrying himself only adds to that idea. He appears confident yet not intimidating. He sits in a relaxed pose in the light but manages to keep everything under control. Although he does not look happy in this particular scene, he does not look sad. The expression of concentration is etched on his face. However Strauss is more introverted. Neither the audience nor Mr Baker knows what is going to happen as Strauss remains hidden in the shadows. Strauss appears confident but shows it in a cocky manner because he knows he is in control; they need him. Up close the audience can see how this emphasizes his mysterious sinister character.
The film title ‘Godzilla’ is unique in itself and so is something completely new and unheard of. Its name indicates it is about dinosaurs, so, therefore is unrealistic to this time period. The scene in ‘Godzilla’ starts with an old man attempting to fish on the dock on a day that is sunny day yet raining. In the background his friends just laugh at him. The first impression of the film seems quite light- hearted and this mood is also implied in the music and the tone of the voices. The man and his friends take it all as a bit of a joke, therefore making the scene and atmosphere pleasant. This is to lull you, the viewer, into a false sense of security. You feel safe, as does the fisherman and then when Godzilla appears for the first time, the impact of this monster rising from the water hits you harder. The old man looks extremely small as the camera takes a shot of New York and then closes in on the little fishing port. This emphasizes how big the city is in comparison to him. It makes him seem useless and futile. The harbour itself is about 20 metres long and juts out from the coast. It is made of several planks of weak, decaying wood. You only realise he is in danger when you see that he has to run from the approaching monster. It’s a real adrenalin booster!
The camera angles and lighting in this trailer are very different from those in “Dead Again”. This is because both films want to create very different moods. In Godzilla there are more points of view, mid and long shots in high-key lighting, making the scenes instantly more realistic. Point of view shots make the audience feel like they are there - like it is happening to them. You feel this when you see a shot looking out at Godzilla as if you are the fisherman. Your heart rushes as does his and feel as if you are in danger. Mid- shots allow them to take certain effects into account, such as body language and facial expressions, at a relatively close angle. The long shots are used to exaggerate or emphasize size for example the opening shot of New York reminds the audience of how big the city is. Another type of shot, which is used only once in “Godzilla” is a close-up. It is used to show Godzilla’s eye which emphasizes the fact that he is big, scary and worst of all, watching you! In “Dead Again”, a close up is used also. It is used when Strauss is being interviewed. You feel more involved in the conversation but also a close-up reveals more detail on a characters face, and at the same time can cover your eyes to what is going on around you. Because of this, the close-up is a very effective way of drawing in an audience’s attention. A point of view shot from the friends makes it easy for the audience to feel as though they are there. In ‘Godzilla’ there is a shot taken through bars as though to indicate the friends of the fisherman want to see but do not want to be there themselves. The mid-shot of the man trying to reel in the fish shows that he is struggling to bring it in. His face is screwed up and his shoulders are hunched and he is leaning back heavily to try and even out the strain. However, he looks rather frail and gives the audience the impression that he is going to get drawn in himself, making them feel sympathetic towards him. However this is very different from “Dead Again” as the mid-shots in that excerpt are used to emphasize the change in light as Strauss is walking down the corridor. The long-shot used from the land out to the sea exaggerates the length which the old man has to run. It suddenly shows how far away from safety he is and how minute he looks in comparison to the giant waves being caused by Godzilla that threaten to submerge him. This type of shot is also used in “Dead Again” when Mr Baker runs down the corridor to get to the woman before Strauss. In a sense they each have a target, balancing life and death, although they are in very different situations.
Similar to “Dead Again” sound also plays a big part in the film. However, “Godzilla” is different because it uses special effects whereas “Dead Again” does not. The non-diagetic sounds are misleading at the start. It starts the trailer off with loud upbeat music that fades into the background. The music quietly changes pitch and tempo as the old man is fishing. The music volume increases significantly as the seismic wave makes its way towards the man. It catches the audience with the bass, which amplifies the sound, and the tempo, the same as a heartbeat, as in “Dead Again”. The audience begin to question whether he will make it in time, and more importantly, they want to know what is in the water. As the wave comes towards the screen it becomes obvious that it is out of the ordinary and something not seen before. This idea is created using special effects for the dinosaur.
When Godzilla steps out of the water and on to the road, a large computerized foot is inserted into the frame. Because of the positioning in the frame it looks large and unearthly. Not knowing fully what this creature is adds to the suspense; i.e. what people do not know they tend to be afraid of. Another example of the use of special effects is the colossal green eye. Once Godzilla has crushed the harbour he glares into the eyes of the old man’s two friends. His eye itself is both odd in colour and in size. The pupil and iris are yellow and green whilst it is about twice the size of a full-grown man in diameter. The immense size of it belittles both the fishermen and audience. Although in “Dead Again” no special effects are used it has a close up on Strauss’ eyes. Even though the eyes themselves are different, they have a similar affect on the audience and other characters.
After reviewing the excerpts we have seen of these two films, this week’s ‘film comparison choice’ has been more difficult than ever. That is because we are comparing not only two different genres, but an iconic multi-million pound ‘masterpiece’ against a film with a much less of a reputation. As with all films, different people will prefer different films for many reasons however in the end we decided that our under-dog ‘Dead Again’ was a more enjoyable watch. This is due to its brilliant methods of building suspense and really gluing you to your seat. We hope you have enjoyed this week’s edition of ‘Film Review’ brought you to by Adam Harrison.
