The music used in this scene is very effective and it is a good use of non-digetic music it really adds tension to the scene.
Also Mrs. Tweedy has a very sniggering tone of voice that just adds to the evil and sinister character being quickly built up in the space of five seconds.
The use of dark and shadows in the scene really helps us with the idea of who is good and who is bad. In this scene the lighting is particularly harsh as Mrs. Tweedy is backlit in an unfriendly and somewhat disturbing manor. Her face is in shadow that gives off a very negative vibe to her as a person.
The costume in this scene is very simple; Ginger simply wears a green knitted hat possibly, knitted by Babs. Where as Mrs. Tweedy’s clothing is quite contradictive as she is dressed in a pink dressing gown and a pink frilly nightdress. Her face is in shadow so she looks garish and very cold hearted.
In this first scene we are quickly led to the assumption that Mrs. Tweedy is the boss and the chickens are small and unimportant. We get a good guide as to who is a good character and who is a bad character.
I n the second scene I am analysing is where Mrs. Tweedy is patrolling up and down the lines of chickens who are stood arranged in whet can only be described as military style rows.
Many are stood quaking on the spot scared ‘witless’. The different styles of cinematography in this key scene really help the audience to see the bond between the chickens and the fear they share of Mrs. Tweedy.
Again the camera pans up Mrs. Tweedy making her look really tall and powerful, she stands hands on hips looking almost like a giant or an ogre. The chickens are about the same size of Mrs. Tweedy’s wellington boots and this is actually quite important as it gives us the audience a sense of proportion. Especially when the camera skims along the lines as if it’s inside the chicken farm. This really makes the audience feel close to the chickens its like being inside the film. This is quite a dramatic scene and that is reflected in the music, which is again non-digetic. As this is a film aimed mainly at children and the feel of the scene is a bit heavy and depressing for small children so some light comedy is added in e=when Mrs. Tweedy strikes down and clasps Babs (in what turn’s out to be a tape measure not a weapon). Babs puts her hands together in a prayer like manor and heavenly music is played. This adds a touch of humour to the scene. Through out this scene Ginger is standing next to Babs holding her hand this seems to bear little significance at that moment but it proves that she holds no grudges for being caught trying to help the others escape. She obviously doesn’t resent the other chickens as they have such a strong bond.
Sometimes the camera is looking through Gingers perspective then at other times it is in the eyes of the other chickens and finally also through Mrs. Tweedy’s perspective. This shows that several views can be taken from the same situation.
Mrs. Tweedy demands that their food portions are to be doubled and the chickens completely oblivious to Mrs. Tweedy’s plan to fatten them up to eat them, head straight to the food trough and start to eat, Ginger is the only character that realises the plan.
In this third scene I am analysing ginger and the other chickens are escaping in a home made plane piloted by war veteran rooster, Fowler, when mrs tweedy grabs on to the tail of the plane. Ginger takes the risks and lowers herself down onto the rope so that she and mrs tweedy can battle it out once and for all, good versus evil, the final showdown!
The camera focuses on the faces of both characters changing quickly, much like the first scene only much more dramatic. There is a lot of background and this shows that they are flying high and travelling at very high speed.
There is a lot of sound on this scene, not just music but also background noise, the repeated swish of mrs tweedy’s axe, the low-pitched grunts and the movement of mrs tweedy’s flailing limbs. Ginger is also making noise; she is using scissors instead of an axe so snipping noises can be heard, the chickens cheering in the background, with the occasional scream from rocky. There is also stereotypical dramatic chase music that speeds up the momentum of the scene making it more dramatic and enjoyable to watch. The overall effect of the music is quite excellent.
The lighting in this scene is quite basic but very successful with the main focus in gingers scenes being on her face the obvious lighting would be just a bright highlighted face possibly with a slight focus on her eyes. Where-as mrs tweedy has a pale face that is almost grey making her look very evil and quite possibly insane. Again as this is quite a dramatic scene small children may find this slightly upsetting but again there is light comedy lifting the mood of the scene, this occurs when two mice, that have been appearing in different scenes through out the film, catapult eggs, that they really worked hard to get, they are heading straight at mrs tweedy knocking her off balance, obstructing her vision. They are crying and kissing the eggs they are using this is quite funny and will appeal to the younger audience.
At the end of the scene mrs tweedy takes one giant swing with the axe and it looks as if ginger has been brutally decapitated but it turns out that mrs tweedy cut the rope on which she was attached to the chickens plane! Ginger looks up at mrs tweedy straight in the eyes showing her the severed rope shaking her head the simply shrugging her shoulders before letting go of the rope. As mrs tweedy fall ginger waves this also adds a touch of comedy, the camera pans round the chickens who are smiling and cheering, ginger is helped back onto the plane by rocky and it is clear that they have a bond that is not shared by the other chickens.
This was an excellent film and it appeals to a wide variety of audiences, to small children to adults and grandparents. This film has so many levels to it some of the humour is subtle and some of it is obvious (like the mice Nick and Fletcher). The drama in this film is quite strong but the fact that it’s a cartoon and they add in comedy at exactly the right moments make this film really fantastic.
