Fargo

Title:Fargo

Director: Joel Coen

Production Details: North Dakota, USA

Flat panes of landscape as it is winter. This makes it looks very cold, sad and vulnerable.

All of the movie was used in dull colours to suggest a mystery or a twist in the tale. Suggesting murders?

Many tracking shots are used throughout the film.

There is a contrast between the bad guys in this film.

Carl is a small guy who talks alot seems to get himself into trouble alot. He seemed to get what he wanted by demanding it.

Gaear is a very tall big guy who throughout the film was very quiet. It was suspected that he would play a bigger part in the film later on. It seemed he was very stressed out with carl and sooner or later he would have enough of him.

The character of Jerry - he seemed to wear bland colours which suggested he was a bit of a push over, no respect from anyone and was very defensive. Golf Trophies were displayed behind him in his office. This tells the spectator that he might be a push over, but he has achieved things in his life. He wore a professional suit the whole way through the film but at the end of the film he was caught wearing his pjs. This suggested that he had lost everything & he was just very vulnerable, as he had nowhere to turn.

The colour red seemed to be used alot in the film it was used just before someone was killed. Close up of the driver, where he is looking at red lights from the back of the car he seems to be chasing. The red jumper the guy who was running away on the snow, then was shot. Then in the end of the film, the red snow ( blood ) was used to symbolise that someone has been killed again.

Non- diegetic sounds were used throughout the film to build tension towards the characters. Diegetic sounds were used also.

A Knight's Tale - (Mise-On-Scene)

This was a french phrase orginally it means ‘what is put into the scene’.

- Landscape
- Settings
- Costumes
- Body Language
- How objects are used to represent characters.
- How lighting is used to represent character development and changes.


Director: Brian Helgeland
Production Details: 2001 USA
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Romance

" The letter scene"

The red rose - symbolies new love and romance. The clothes they were wearing were shabby and torn, not very much money. This was showing that it was a long time ago. Set in the oldern times.
A sword in the background symbolising fighting but the way it is just placed there by people sitting around talking to each other. Suggests they do not wish to actually hurt any one with it.
He wants to write a letter, he asks his friend. The sound of the pen writing on the paper ( diegetic sounds ).
Paning & Close up shots are used through the scene.
The editing was clever in the way that the scenes between him writing the letter to her reading it.

Armour in the background just layed like that, suggests that it was handcrafted.

Flowers in bloom behind Lady Jocelyn are empathsis of new love and faith.
Statue of religious faith believed to symbolise hope & faith.

Short Clips (continued)

Dirty Dancing 2:
Director:
Production Details: 2004 US

Non-diegetic sounds (her voice as commentary of what is going on).
Aerial views & over the shoulder views.




Gladiator:
Director: Ridley Scott
2002

Memories, long view down the path. Looking into the past? Has come a long way to get here?
Maximus is dying, music in the background suggests he is free and wants to be with his wife & son. Petals on the floor symbolise the amount of blood poured, from fights and wars. Passing into the after life. Colouring is different from the real world. The colour blue is shown maybe for the empathsis of feeling sad for maximus and the path to freedom.



The Green Mile:
Frank Darabont
2002

Eary music from the start. Cutting to another characters reactions. Close up shots. Camera follows eye motion. Lighting in the background reflects to the electricity running through the man. Another character sitting in his cell, reacts the same way, like the emotions are going through him as well. Like it is his turn next? To be in the execution chair. Or they may have been close as friends.


Jaws
Steven Speilberg
1975 USA

Diegetic sounds & non diegetic sounds. Underwater shot representing the shark in the water. Points of view shots.
False plato. Building up tension then nothing happens.
Tracking shot of running down to the water, the fence becomes more broken and looks like the waves of the ocean or maybe even the fin of the shark going up and down in the water.
Music in the background building up tension, with the woman in the water alone - knowing of danger is present.
Looking up shots as the shark is lurking beneath her waiting to attack.
You can sense that no- one will be able to hear her as no one is really around. Isolated. As the guy she was with, was too drunk and too stoned. Then just passed out. So its ironic as he could of been in the danger as well.

Munich
Steven Speilberg
2006 US

Lots of editing was used in the film, where they would cut to many different characters. There was also a strong danger for the child, where she nearly got blown up by picking up the phone. So a false plato was used. As the viewers were drawn in. The men realised it was only a child, so it hinted to be the wrong person. So they ran, very clever camera shots were used to trace there movement running towards the car. Sense of relief was brought to attention, then suddenly the room blew up. Glass fell from the shattered windows. Slow motion was used to empathsis this.

Short Clips

Fight Club:
Director: David Fincher
1999 US
Thriller/Action/Fighting

Shows contrast in the characters. Tension just used by lighting & the music. Lighting was really dim and made the film feel lots of tension. The camera angles signifies the main character may be mentoring and teaching the other character. To become a better fighter or person?

V For Vendetta:
Director Wachowski Brothers
US 2005
Thriller/Action

Inter-textuality when one film can reference to another film. For example in the matrix directed by Wachowski Brothers. The slow motion when the gun shots, he uses the same technique with the swiping of the swords killing the men in v for vendetta in the last fight scene. Where V dies.

Saving Private Ryan:
Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Drama/War/Thriller
UK 1998

Music: set emotional status straight away, feeling sad, mix of emotions. A sense of feeling the characters emotions. Director is drawing you in straight away. Defending his country? Lost close friends? Conrads?

War between countrys. Burial ground showing lots of deaths.
A while ago maybe, as family surround him. " dad? " suggesting his son might not be living today if he didnt survive the war.

Trainspotting:

Director: Danny Boyle

1996 Scotland

You think he's dying as he sinks into the ground representing his funeral? Or drifting between life and death.

Music: strange, ironic. " perfect day" not really a perfect day, but it symbolises that he is a druggy and this is the life he is used to. Point of view shots when he is sinking and then when he is at the hospital and is revived. Suddenly comes back to normal level. Saved his life?

Atonement:

Director: Joe Wright

Production Details: UK 2007.

Lots of editing, cutting back between characters. Non-diegetic sounds & diegetic sounds. As the man is listening to an opera song where two lovers die before meeting. Shows that the characters may be in love, the way the man is writing to her.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Director: Gore Verbinski

Production Details: 2003 USA

Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy.

Singing pirates song, english. Makes it feel really suspicious. Sense of the camera viewing her from behind makes it feel like someone is going to jump up on her. Looking up at the other men, as she is only a child/minor. Shipwrecked? As parts of a boat float by then a child is found in the water. Tradition. "Man over board". Bad luck maybe?

Thelma & Louise

Director: Ridley Scott

Genre: Girly, Drama, Thriller.

Filiming Location: Bakersfield, California, USA.

Busy place, country town. Friendly, Non -diegetic sounds. (phone rings).

Best friends going away on a trip. Road trip.

Maybe a violent husband? Empathsis of thelma's husband being a cheater when she mentions buying carpet on a friday. Who want buy a carpet on a friday? Thelma trys to tell him about the trip, but in a way she is teasing him.

Thelma - No confidence what so ever in herself, not very much dignity. She seems very disorganised in the way she packs for her holiday/get away. This seems to be the perfect chance to get away from her husband. Maybe suggesting she wants to leave him. She gave him chances to treat her as his wife.

Louise - Controlling, organised. Seems to be really protective of thelma, trying to take her away from her husband. So maybe she realises how bad it is at home for her. The way she packed seem to hint that she was really hygenic and knew she was coming back. Very neat & tidy suggests that she has a very organised life. Likes things to go to plan.

There is such a contrast between home kitchen, the family life in thelmas house & the hectic busy life of louise's job. Thelma's house life suggests she might feel trapped within her own house. Isolated? Lonely? Where as louise's busy lifestyle (being round lots of people, serving customers, friendly interaction).

Lots of background music. In the first scene where louise is in the resturant in her busy lifestyle. The lyrics to part of the song were " i don't need a man " suggesting she can cope without a man. Maybe past relationships havent worked in the past.

Taking a photograph creates a memory for them. Getting away for a break, or maybe in thelma's case forever.

When you first see the classic car, you see mountains in the background suggesting thats where they are intending to go. Escape? Freedom? Sense of direction.

North By Northwest

Director: Alfred Hitchcock.
Genre: Thriller/Horror/Action
United States - 1959

Route 41. Middle of no-where, long road & aerial views suggest he's feeling out of place & he has a long journey ahead of him. Shows his Vulnerability, massive landscape. Feeling of isolation.
Tension - when there is a possibility of interaction.

Sound - Silence, Real sounds you would expect to find in the middle of no where. e.g. character voices. (diegetic sounds).
Non - diegetic sounds - background music, narrator, orchestra if your the middle of no where)
Building up tension just by the use of sound.
Editing - reaction shot of the character - cary grant.
(Spectator - The viewer - thrillers work on a viewers reaction.)

Wide Angle Lens - focus point on the shuttle bus. Making you think someone is going to come meet him from the bus. But nothing happens. Alfred hitchcock is known for building up so much tension in the film, then nothing happens. When you least expect it, something jumps out.

Cary grants character seems of importance as soon as you see him in the film, just by the way he dresses. Important suit, suggests he's buisness man. Or meeting someone of important.

The 2nd character of the clip joins in, he appears from no where, possibilty of interaction. He notices a plane spraying over crops, but there was no crops. Maybe this was a sign of danger?