Sunday, February 27, 2011

Film Analysis

Clip C: Silence of the Lambs
This clip is when the cops are closing in on Bill and his misdoings.  First of all, I noticed (and it told me) that crosscutting was taking place, in which it switches back and forth between two scenes and two totally different events.  In this case, it's outside and inside of his house, with him and his victim inside, and the cops outside (of the wrong house). Also, when he looks down into the hole that his victim is in, it's a high angle shot that makes her seem helpless and vulnerable.  There's also a tracking/dolly shot shortly after he notices his dog is down there with her, and the camera is tracking him from the front as he walks through the dark house.  I also noticed the costumes...the law enforcement officials are dressed formally, whereas Bill doesn't even have a shirt on.  It's a very noticeable difference. All throughout the clip, we know what the character knows, so it's restricted narration.  Had it been unrestricted, there would've been more suspense because the viewer would've known that they were going into the wrong house, but we found out along with the characters that it was the wrong house, so it remained restricted (we know what they know).  The last thing I realized was that when the man finds out it's the wrong house, the camera zooms in, which is done to show the seriousness of the situation, as it is usually done for a reason.

Clip D: Manolia
At the starting of this clip, when the man is walking into the building, a steadicam is used because it's following him, yet it still has a steady shot, and doesn't approach the unsteadiness of handheld.  Also, something that I noticed, is when he meets up with his wife and son, the 180 degree rule is very close to being broken.  The camera moves around him and his wife, but he walks around the backside of his wife to preserve his side of the frame.  A steadicam is then used throughout the clip, as it films people walking through the long corridors. There are a variety of shots in this clip, mainly long shots and medium shots.  There was also balanced composition, such as the son and the mother talking in the elevator, where everything seems to be balanced.  When they get out of the elevator and walk down the hall, you can tell that a wide-angle lens is being used because the depth of which they walk is being exaggerated.  Finally, the whole clip is a long take, as the whole clip is all one shot.  This helps push the point of continuity and shows the business of this day for all that are involved.  

Clip E: Amadeus
First of all, I recognize the lighting.  Amadeus is being lit by a method called backlighting, in which the light is behind the subject.  In contrast, the younger man who he is talking to is being lit by frontal lighting, but it is a soft light, because the older man is breaking up some of the light that would have reached that far.  Their conversation uses a shot/reverse shot technique, in which the shot is switched back and forth between the two subjects.  When Amadeus is playing the piano, the balance is well done, with the back of the younger mans's head taking up the right side, which is balanced by the piano/organ on the left, with Amadeus in the middle.  As the opera singer walks down the stairs,  the camera zooms out to show the setting and what else is going on around her.  There is also crosscutting going on, in which two different scenes are being shown.  In this case, he is flashing back to conducting, which presents two different scenes.  This is also mental subjectivity because we can hear his thoughts-the lady singing and the crowd cheering. The music that's coming out of the piano during this scene is also diagetic, because it's what the characters are hearing, not background music.  

Clip F: Merkalo
At the starting of the clip, the camera zooms out to show the composition of the home in which the two boys live.  The camera is on a track/dolly, because it moves through the house on a track and is very steady.  The camera also pans throughout the clip, because it is moving horizontally to give the full effect of the house and move through its hallways.  A longshot is used when the kids are standing in the doorway, and when the boy walks by it goes to a medium shot, then back to a longshot when showing the characters watching the house burn.  The clip is also a long take, because it's all one scene and no editing or cutting happens.  When the camera moves outside, it has a high angle on the characters, making them seem vulnerable-and in this case they are because a house is burning!  The balance in this scene is well done, as the burning house at the top fills the frame and balances it out.

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