Brick (Johnson, 1999, US) analysis

  At the beginning of the opening sequence to Brick, it shows who the producer and distributer is. Along with this is a non-digetic sound of western music, with instruments such as cowbells slowly ringing alongside a non-digetic piano soundtrack. The use of the soundtrack creates a eerie/frightful mood and its played as we see the first shot of the sequence. This sets the scene and tells the audience that it could be set in the west.                  

   The soundtrack is played through to the next shot with a cross dissolve to focus us into the next. The next shot is an extreme close up of the boys eyes. He has his hands over/covering his mouth which suggests that he's done something or seen something shocking. By using the extreme close up, it shows the audience how the character feels in great detail and also builds up the mood. As an audience we automatically wonder what it is he's looking at, and because it's an extreme close up you can't see what's happened.  This also makes the audience judge him without knowing the whole story.  
  A long shot is used for the next setting, to show the audience where the guy was placed in the last shot and hat he is looking at. The fact that he is sitting quite far from the girls body suggests either he is too distraught to approach her to find out who she is or he's killed her herself. The setting is quite abandoned and looks as though no one would go down there, this adds to the mood and gives it a shocking atmosphere.                                                                          After seeing the body and the setting, we see various shot reverse shots of the the dead body and the guy overlooking her. They gradually zoom in on the guys face and this creates tension and puts the audience on edge. The shots used of the girl are of her different body parts. For example her head and arm. The girls face is covered by her hair and this makes the audience ask questions about her identity.                                                                                      This close up shows the girls hand in the dirty sewage water. She had bracelets on which also makes the audience ask questions like: who gave her those? Did the guy give them to her as a present? Are they friendship bracelets etc.                              

 The non-digetic sounds have stopped at this next shot and school bells fill it in. This shots is a graphic match of the previous shot shown of her hand in the river/sewers. It shows the same bracelets and hand just in different environments. It is obvious to the audience that its gone back in time to when the girl was alive because she is posting a letter through a locker door.   The final shot is the title 'BRICK.' Its a bold white serif font placed on a black background, it was used in this way to make it stand out and draw the audiences attention. 

Analysis of Wallander

This is the Wallander clip i will be analyising:


Mise en scene: From watching the opening sequence it gave away clues and information as to what happened through the use of the mise-en-scene. When you first see the blood on the girls, in the car and on the victim you automatically assume that something bad has happened and some one has been hurt or injured. They are in a large open area and doesn't look like anyone could help because no one lives close enough to hear any screams for help. This location I feel was used specifically for this shot, because it makes the audience ask questions like: Where are they? Why are they in the middle of nowhere?

Cinematography: The main shots that are mid and two shots of the girls. These are used to show both characters and to show the audience what sort of style they have. From the side shot of the girls shows the audience that there is a more dominant girl out of the two and we later find out that the girl with the red streaks in her hair holds the knife and has done the damage. This was shown through a close up of the knife in her hand.

Editing: Simple cut aways are used throughout the whole opening sequence this makes it simple but effective. The cuts gradually get fast in pace when the two girls get involved with the shots this causes tension between the girls and the victim, this also automatically makes the audience assume it was them that killed the guy.

Sound: The sounds that are used in the opening sequence are mainly non diegetic. The sound track helps to build tension and the track that was in Wallander displayed this very well. Every now and then a diegetic sound of the girls heavy breathing takes over the soundtrack as they move further away from the scene. This could indicate that they want to get away from the scene as quick as possible or that they are scared what will happen. But from looking at the way they are dressed and the image they portray I don't feel that they would be scared.

Analysis of Spiderwick Chronicles

opening of memento

In the first opening shot is a close up of a polaroid photograph. This close up is the longest shot throughout the opening. You can clearly see the title of the film because its blue in colour and is done that way to make it stand out. During the opening of Memento the shot at the start gave you a good insight as to what the outcome of the film would be like. It started as a dis-equilibrium so you found out what happened before it all built up to the murder. You can also hear is a non diegetic sound being played throughout it and it then allowed the audience what type of film they're watching. The music is very powerful and has a meaning behind it.




This next shot is a close up of the characters hand which pans up to the polaroid camera taking the photo, then up to his face where he doesn't show no emotion in what he's just done. His facial expressions make the audience ask questions about his past or preset life, and about the victim about if he knew the victim, did he deserve to die etc. Also the tense music stops as the audience see his face and plays a neutral score. A shot reverse shot is used, and it shows his face then it moves to him taking/putting away the camera, this shows the audience that even before and after the photo of the scene was taken he didn't show any emotion when doing so. An extreme close up is used on the bullet to give the audience a clue as to what killed him, and the connection to the murder. To show the bloody  impact the bullet had to the victim. By showing all the blood in the scene it was meant to shock the audience and ask questions. At the end of the scene, all the clips are merged together and gradually speeds up in pace to show how quick a murder can be, and also ties the clues together.

Character Description

 Age: 16

Gender: Female

Occupation: Student 

Looks: Blonde hair and blue eyes. Stereotypical young girl.

Personality: Not outspoken nor shy. Enjoys shopping, spending time with friends and family and a dedicated student. She is the innocent character (protagonist) who was what we believe to be murdered by the Main Character.  Also known as the victim.

 Age: 24

Gender: Male 

Occupation: International Sales Executive

Looks: Average height, brown hair. Very stereotypical male of his age, however, we do not yet know about his past that haunts him. 

Personality: Dropped out of university and now works in Sales. He seems very quiet and shy however as i said before we do not yet know about his past actions that have chosen his future. We know that he has a mental illness however we do not actually see this develop in the opening sequence. Also known as the Main Character.

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Occupation: Student

Looks: Brown hair, green eyes. Very sporty and friendly and fashionable.

Personality: Outspoken and popular. Also a dedicated student but is very focused on spending time with friends and going to parties, etc. She looks at the main character when walking down the street and is the one that causes him to be paranoid. Also known as the schoolgirl.

Story boards

This is a short animation that we created in iMovie. By doing this we could see what our opening sequence would look like, creating this gave us good ideas on framing, timing and shot types. 

Analysis of Se7en

Anaylsis of se7en

http://goanimate.com/videos/0MBXN69Bz6AA?utm_source=linkshare&uid=0XcPG9oNUrog

Analysis of brick

Analysis of Brick 

In the first scene of 'Brick' the diegetic and non diegetic sounds are very important in this clip and the non diegetic music starts straight away. It made out as if something was wrong, like someone was held hostage or has been killed. This music caused an atmosphere, and gave the scene that was about to come on an eery feel to it. The soundtrack confuses the audience because you think its going to be a western movie by the instruments playing, but its completely the opposite.

In the first scene you see a guy squatting, just a few feet away from the dead body by the bank of the river. This instantly makes the audience accuse him of killing the girl, just by the first image we see. Although he may or may not be guilty the audience still are asking questions about what has happened, this makes the audience want to carry on watching the film to answer their questions. Throughout most of the clip both of the characters faces are hidden, to hide the identity of the girl. Also the audience can't see the guys face because his hands cover most of his face as he covers it in shock. This keeps the audience un knowing about who he is and this then creates and mystery to be solved, for the audience.

Also in the beginning scenes of 'brick' you see an extreme close up of the guys face, this was used to show his facial expressions about what happened to the girl. This showed the audience that he was in shock and was guilty, this also makes the audience judge him without knowing the whole story.  

 Once we have seen the guys face and the scene around him, it slowly zooms from his face to different body part of the girl. It shows shots of the girls feet, her face and her hand in the water. The shot of the water running through her fingers symbolises her life is slowly drifting away, like the water through her lifeless fingers.  This then relates to the next scene because the girls hand is placed in the same sort of way and is wearing the same bracelets. The editing changes pace and slows down and you see the same girls hands put a note into some ones locker. This then makes the audience ask questions like: is that boy her secret crush? Was it the boy sitting with her's locker?