The films that I have examined are ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and ‘The Bone Collector’. Ocean’s Eleven was released in 2001 and is a heist film targets a young age group around 18 and also any person who like a film with action. Similar films that were released during this year were, ‘’ and ‘Monster Ball’. The director of ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ is Steven Soderbergh, who has directed and written many films such as Insomnia. He also won an award for Traffic. The stars in the film (George Clooney, Brad Pitt) are typecast. George Clooney plays the old sympathetic criminal; the type that George Clooney has played before. Brad Pitt plays the young cool criminal who is a bit arrogant. Ocean’s Eleven was a box office success. It is a high concept film. We can tell this because of the amount of gadgets are used, hi tech equipment to break open the vault, and even the glamorous setting which is a massive casino in Las Vegas. We can also tell this by the A-list actors which include George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia and Julia Roberts
The ‘Bone Collector’ was released in 1999 and is of the crime thriller genre. Similar films that were released during that year included, ‘The Sixth Sense’ and ‘The Blair Witch Project’. The director of the film was Philip Noyce. The main stars in the film include Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Denzel Washington goes against his usual typecast as he usually plays an action role in films with lots of action. In this film, he is playing a quadriplegic cop, giving out orders to Angelina Jolie’s character. Bone collector is a high concept film. We can tell because there are two A-list actors, Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. We can also tell by the studio involved in the production of this film, Columbia and Universal Picture. Also there are many special effects such as the body and the setting of where Denzel Washington has the accident.
According to Todorov’s narrative theory, each film should follow a particular order. Equilibrium – then a Disturbance – followed by a New Equilibrium. Todorov’s theory explains that the opening sequence should establish the location, and main character. Basically the opening sequence should establish the equilibrium. Most Hollywood films adopt a linear narrative because it keeps the storyline simple. A film could begin with the disturbance in the title sequence by using flashback, dream sequences and flash forwards.
In Ocean’s Eleven, equilibrium is the first stage and is important because it establishes the genre, and setting. The main character or protagonist is established by the dimly lighted room which connotes the criminal side to him. Also there is a window, which creates shadow on which connotes his dark side. Some of the other visual signifers are the prison guard which makes it very obvious this is a prison. . There are also aural signifers such as the clanging on the metal bar, reveals it is a prison. The heist genre is connoted by the fast upbeat music; it shows this movie is fast paced .The lighting is very dark inside but it is sunny outside suggesting freedom and a new start. The heist genre is revealed by the flashing light of the city which connotes wealth and sophistications. This connotes the action is going to happen here so the audience ready and guess the plot.
The opening sequence of Ocean’s Eleven conforms to the convectional linear structure of many films. Ocean’s Eleven has a linear structure and this make the film conventional. I think that the film had a high production value although there is a simple storyline; it was made big by the A-list stars .It has a clear beginning, middle and end. It does establish the original equilibrium, then it reveal the disturbance in the title sequence and it finish with a new equilibrium. This linear structure in the film causes the film to have a fairly uncomplicated storyline which most mainstream audience preferred to compare to a complicated storyline.
The producers have tried to complicate the basic storyline by using sub-plots. The main sub-plot is the love triangle between Danny, his ex-wife and the casino boss.
Unlike Ocean’s Eleven, Todorov’s theory says that the disturbance comes in the middle of the storyline but in The Bone Collector the storyline starts with the disturbance. The disturbance is created through a variety of different signifers. The music played is very solemn and is associated with murder. This gives away the fact that it is a thriller. Crime scenes are shown in quick flashes to us and in night vision. This adds to the disturbance and thriller genre. There is a close-up of newspaper clippings in negative and this connotes the sinister motive of the crime. The surgical gloves and forensic evidence also reveal the crime-thriller genre because you would expect to see it in a murder investigation. However when the first scene opens, equilibrium is established as the audience are introduced to Lincoln Rhyme. We see a side view mid-shot of Rhyme against the Brooklyn Skyline, it establishes setting and protagonist.
The opening sequence suggests that the film is unconventional and does not use a linear structure. The Bone Collector storyline is more complicated than Ocean’s Eleven because it uses a dream sequence of Rhyme in a tunnel and the accident when he became quadriplegic. A normal Hollywood film does not use a dream sequence or flashbacks. The Bone Collector has a less conventional storyline. This also means that the film involves a complicated storyline. During the film, there are more flashbacks so this movie is aimed at a higher age group.
The start of Ocean’s Eleven is much more conventional then The Bone Collector. Ocean’s Eleven starts off with a normal equilibrium whereas in The Bone Collector, you ready start off with disturbance in the title sequences.
The disturbance progresses when we see a couple arriving at the airport. There is an establishing shot with the couple in the middle, which tells the audience this couple is part of the story. Before that we hear an airplane roaring overhead, this establishes the location and the arrival of the couple. .The scene is set in night time; the darkness conveys that something is going to happen. We see the cab pick up the couple, there is a shot panning the driver which creates an air of suspicion and apprehension. We wonder what the importance of this specific driver is. Inside the cab, we see a series of mid-shot and close-up of the couple. There is a shot of her face looking disturb, this creates tension and dark atmosphere. During the scene in the cab, the shot are quick; they last for 2-3 second, this builds up the tension and show it is a climatic scene.
Clearly, there are some similarities between the film’s presentation of genre and narrative. One of the similarities between the films is that the disturbance is resolved and there is a new equilibrium. On the other hand, it is also possible to identify several differences between the films. The Bone Collector has more complex storyline whereas Ocean’s Eleven has simpler one.
Both films have high production values and this is shown by the studios which produced Ocean’s Eleven and The Bone Collector. The Bone Collector was produced by Columbia and Universal Picture and Ocean’s Eleven was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures. We can also tell that these films have a high production value because the cast contain A-list actors like Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Denzel Washington. Both films have mainstream audience, though The Bone Collector would attract a smaller number because there are only two A-list actors and it has more complex storyline. Some of the difference can be explained because Ocean’s Eleven has a more convectional approach to the genre, because the film follows a linear storyline. Whereas The Bone Collector has a more innovative approach to genre, as the director uses flashbacks to explain the story.
Ocean’s Eleven is the more successful in introducing genre and narrative because it had a linear structure, therefore it is less complicated. Ocean’s eleven had successfully created an engaging and coherent narrative because it uses conventional yet sympathetic character e.g. Danny Ocean in Ocean’s Eleven.
Also Ocean’s Eleven was more successful because of the clear establishment of equilibrium, so the audience knows what is happening in the storyline. The most effective technique was the crime genre signifier’s e.g. the gadgets, mobile phone and the prison cell, whereas The Bone Collector uses the signifers to signify the thriller genre where as Ocean’s Eleven more signifies the crime genre.