Looking at mise-en-scene, cinematography and sound in the film Leon (Luc Besson) 1994.
Focus on how one or more of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing and and sound create meaning and generate response in a film sequence of no more than seven minutes. I will be looking at mise-en-scene, cinematography and sound in the film Leon (Luc Besson) 1994 In the opening sequence of Leon, Besson uses a travelling aerial shot of a lake followed by a huge park, which is finally dominated by huge, cosmopolitan skyscrapers. The camera rests here to show the contrast in jungle and urban life. We then enter the urban city, where several travelling shots going through the streets are used giving an apparent sense of setting and location. The added use of non-diagetic sound combined with many beautiful shots of New York's streets combine to produce a very mysterious atmosphere. This mood is enhanced once we zoom in to the dark open doorway of a small Italian restaurant. The first image of Leon goes hand-in-hand with the first scene, as we see him only in an extreme close-up of his eyes, which are concealed beneath sunglasses. This image is shrouded in darkness and mystery. We are also shown close ups of Leon's boss through the reflection of his own sunglasses. This again adds to the mood. At this point in the film, we see neither Leon nor his boss in full view, meaning that the first character conveyed to us in the film is a photograph of a victim. In this shot, the director
Bourne Ultimatum
The clip from The Bourne Ultimatum tells the story of Jason Bourne trying to help a journalist escape a group who want to kill him to prevent him from passing on his information to Bourne. The narrative follows on from two previous films and this sequence consists of three narrative threads; 1-Jason Bourne's attempts to discover his identity and expose the conspiracy, 2-the attempts of the American organisation trying to capture and possibly kill Ross, 3-the journey of the unnamed assassin ('asset') to kill Ross and Bourne. The three strands are intercut to make a coherent narrative and they come together at the end of the narrative in a crescendo, namely, the death of Ross. The early use of iconography such as red buses, black cabs, the London underground, an establishing shot and even a glimpse of the Evening Standard make it clear that the scene is set in London. These famous icons make it clear to the audience where it is set and draw on their personal experiences of this particular place, thus possibly making it feel more 'real' to them. The music and the editing create a tense and fast-paced feel to the clip as the shaky camera work and whip pans give it a documentary type feel. This method is often used in this genre of films in order to make the viewer feel like they are there, which is only a new technique as not too long ago if the camera work was shaky this was
James Bond Assignment
James Bond Assignment: In this assignment, I will be examining the standard Bond genre from Golden Eye, the seventeenth bond film. I will also be exploring how the audience and I respond to Bond films and what our expectations of the films are. In the film industry, Genre exists as an obliging system of categorization and allows audiences to sort between films. The industries use the appropriate advertising, marketing and distribution for it to target its audience. Moreover, it allows the audience to filter through films and make a selection on what they want to watch. Genre is a recognizable and established category of written work employing common conventions to prevent readers or audiences from mistaking it for another kind. Narrative is a way of comprehending the story, time, and causality. Since in film there are at least two important frames of reference for understanding the main plot of the story, time, and causality, narrative in film is the principle by which data is converted from the frame of the screen into a diegesis, that frames a particular story, or sequence of action; equally, it is the principle by which data is converted from story onto screen. Contending that fairy tales could be studied and compared by examining their most basic plot components, Vladimir Propp, a Russian Folklorist from the 1920s developed an analysis that reduced fairy tales to a
Typical gender representations in the films Casino Royale, Dead mans shoes and Control
Typical gender representations in the films - Casino Royale, Dead man's shoes and Control Representations provide models for how we see gender, social groups, ethnic groups and many other things, I am going to talk about the representation of gender in the films I am studying. In the action film "casino Royale" a very typical male action hero is represented in the form of James Bond (Daniel Craig). He fits in with the stereotype of a male action hero that viewers will expect to see when watching the film. The viewer may take enjoyment and comfort in the character conforming to their typical expectations. This representation presented is not real but a version of reality. James Bond as a character has typical masculine traits such as - strength, confidence and aggression. He is also quick witted solving the problems that face him. This is a typical and mostly positive representation of males as physically fit, intelligent and confident however he also uses violence frequently which may not be considered a good trait. There is some truth in this representation because representations reflect cultural values and beliefs. Also in this film there is a typical representation of women with the character of Vesper Lynd. She is beautiful and typically feminine as she is fragile and passive - she needs protecting by a man, in this plot James Bond. This representation of women has
From Russia With Love.
From Russia With Love From Russia With Love, is a James Bond film created in 1963. It pits James Bond, the British secret agent at his best against the Russian organization SPECTRE. From Russia With Love is the second film in the long running Bond series of films. This film is the successor to Dr No, and many critics argue that these two are among the best of the Bond films, with memorable scenes, solid storyline, memorable villains and acting (Sean Connery as James Bond especially). James Bond was the creation of Ian Fleming, who began writing his first story 'Casino Royale' while on his Jamaican hideaway. After almost a decade, his stories were turned into a movie, Dr. No in 1962 which was directed by Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, although Ian Fleming still had an influence on the movies. Ian Fleming described Bond as "an interesting man to whom extraordinary things happen". This is why he chose the name James Bond, as it seems anonymous, even though James Bond is far from anonymous symbolizing a very upper class person with a good taste in cars, cigarettes and wines. The movie, From Russia with Love, was created in 1963, in the middle of the car war. Thus, it was very much influenced by the historical happenings at the time. At the time, tensions were quite high with the allies and the communists, particularly between the USA and the USSR. At the time, the
Dead Poets Society
Media coursework Dead Poets Society Rebecca Kelly For my media coursework I am going to study the scene in 'Dead Poets Society' were Neil Perry commits suicide. I will examine the media techniques used in this scene and how they affect the audience. I will discuss how the director uses different shot types, camera angles, camera movements, sound and lighting to create the atmosphere and suspense of the scene. The story of 'Dead Poets Society' is set in an American prep school called Welton High. The main characters are Neil Perry, Todd Anderson and Mr.Keating. Neil is a talented student and is well respected by his friends, he shares a room with Todd. Todd has an older bother that used to attend Welton. Todd feels he has to match his brother's high achievements. Neil and Todd are thought by Mr.Keating. Keating encourages the students to think for themselves, he also used to be a member of the Dead Poets Society. When Neil is contemplating committing suicide the lighting and camera movements are vital throughout. If the type of shots and sounds were the same all the time, there would be no drama or suspense. Even though normal shots are used, the director has done an excellent job of making them as dramatic as possible. The beginning of the scene starts with Neil and his father entering a room. A table lamp lights the room, this is called 'realist lighting'.
