Arthur...

Hi guys!

So I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed my last blog post all about Casino Royale. To continue the running theme of analysing the media techniques used within a film in order to create a genre were moving on to horror! The horror movie that I have chosen to use is The Woman In Black.

The 2012 movie The Woman In Black is based on the 1983 horror novella by Susan Hill. The director James Watkins is no stranger to horror films having directed and wrote movies like Eden Lake and My Little Eye. The movie follows a gentleman called Arthur whom recently lost his wife while she gave birth to his son. Arthur is a lawyer and following the death of his wife he because distanced himself from society and stopped going to work. In order to save his job Arthur is sent to Eel Marsh House in order to sort the files of deceased Alice Drablow. Little does Arthur know, this house and this town holds a sinister secret that he does not want to find out. The woman in black.

Well, now that I have thoroughly terrified you all, let’s dive straight in. first we are going to talk about sound and how Watkins uses different types of sound to make the film conform to the horror genre. The first use of sound used within the film is at the beginning when there is a medium shot of the little girls playing. Soft and eerie music plays. This effects the audience as it makes them feel uncomfortable. Also, it conforms to the horror genre as it scares the audience by making them feel as though there is something bad about to happen.

Following this the soft eerie music becomes cheerier and like a child’s song. This technique can be seen where there is a medium shot of the children playing together, having a tea party. The colour of the girl’s dresses are white and cream which has connotations of purity and innocence. The dresses also have a floral undershirt which has connotations of sweetness and innocence and little girls. This links to Todorrovs theory which says that there is a basic structure which begins with an equilibrium, the girls having a tea party with childlike music as they have their tea party as shown in the medium shot described above. Following this the soundtrack deepens in pitch and becomes a bass note as there is a long shot of the children looking at the camera. They stop smiling at this point and look very serious. This is the agent of disruption. Next there is a long shot of the children as they jump out of their windows, killing themselves which is fully lit so that the audience focus on the children at the window and question what they are doing. Linking this to Barthes enigma theory. This is the period of chaos. Then there is a woman screaming which can be seen as the repair. Finally, there is a zoom shot of the window where the camera zooms out to show the woman in black caused the children to commit suicide. The woman in black is wearing a black dress which has connotations of danger, horror and villainous which conforms to Propps character typologies. Then there is a fade to the opening credits. This is the new equilibrium.

Another form of sound used within The Woman in Black is the synchronous sound of the child opening the window. This technique can be seen in the close up shot of the little girl opening the window. I know that the sound is synchronous because the sound of the window opening accompanies the image of the window being opened. The window is made from wood and metal which is a stereotypically old window. This links to Barthes enigma code because it makes the audience question what the little girl is doing and ask themselves why she is opening the window. This impacts the audience as it makes them want to continue watching in order to find out.

The use of dialogue within the film also helps to create the horror genre. This can be seen when there is a medium shot of Arthur looking in the mirror, a ghostly figure appears behind him and whispers “Arthur”. The ghostly figure is wearing a white nightgown and this has connotations of purity and angels. This links to Barthes enigma code as it makes the audience question who the woman is and why she is trying to reach out to Arthur. There is then a straight cut which signifies Arthur turning around only to find out that she is no longer there. Alongside the long shot of Arthur standing looking for the ghostly figure there is a soundtrack of slow violin music which shows that Arthur is sad about seeing and losing the ghost. This impacts the audience as they want to know who the ghostly figure is and they keep watching to find out.

A match cut is used in The Woman in Black in order to show that the children are having a tea party. This technique can be seen in the close up of each childs activity, a girl holding a tea cup and another holding a doll. This links to Barthes enigma code because the eerie music accompanied by the images of the children playing makes the audience question whats going to happen to the little girls. This impacts the audience as it makes them want to carry on watching to find out what happens to them.

There is a fade through the mist of the opening credits. This can be seen in the close up of the bride. The bride is wearing white which symbolises purity and innocence. This links to Barthes enigma code as it make the audience question who the bride is and what her importance is. This impacts the audience as it intrigues them and makes them continue to watch the film to find the answers to their questions.

There is the use of a tea cup as a prop which can be seen the close-up of the little girl holding the tea cup and then dropping in slowly. The girl is wearing white which symbolises purity and innocence. This links to Levi Strauss’ binary theory because the Narrative tension within the film is based on conflict between the little girl and the Woman in Black. This impacts the audience as it makes the feel sorry for the little girls and be afraid of the Woman in Black.

Another use of props can be seen in the close-up of the little girl standing on her doll and breaking it. The doll is a ceramic doll which shows that this part of the film is in the past. This also shows that this part of the film is a flashback which has been placed into the film in order to show some of the things that the Woman in Black has done before and to make the viewers become scared of her. This links to Barthes enigma code as it makes the audience question why the little girls are breaking their toys and what has happened to them. This impacts the audience as it makes them feel scared for the little girls and continue watching to find out what has happened to them.

In the setting of The Woman in Black it is raining which can be seen in the long shot of Arthur standing at the train station waiting for his train, key lighting is used here so that you can only see Arthur and the station and no other surroundings. Arthur is wearing black clothing which accompanied by the rain has connotations of sadness. This links to Barthes enigma code as the audience question why Arthur is sad and where he is going. This impacts the audience as it makes them want to continue to watch to find out where Arthur is going and why he is so sad.

That’s it for now then guys, hope you enjoyed it.

Let me know in the comments down below what you thought. Speak soon!

Holly x

The name's Bond, James Bond.

Hi Guys!

So as you all know I’m a part of the independent film production company Jinjasnap, currently we at Jinjasnap are all working extremely hard to put together a new genre season. Therefore, in preparation for this series I have been asked to analyse a range of different film clips from different genres.

So, first up we have Casino Royale, now this is the first modernised Bond film so clearly I had to start with the first and best! The director Martin Campbell is no stranger to the world of Action movies, having directed films such as ‘The legend of Zorro’ and ‘No Escape’.

Ok so Casino Royale is an Action / Mystery film so in this blog were going to talk about how Martin Campbell used colour, sound, lighting, editing and mise-en-scene to make this film conform to this specific genre and helps tell the narrative.

Firstly, colour, we see colour being used is in the first scene. In this scene, we see an establishing shot of a large empty looking building in Prague, I know this due to the superimposition which is used to help set the scene and explain where it is located. A car pulls up and the audience wait eagerly for the character to step out. The colour has been saturated in the scene. The connotations of black are dark and mystery and the colour grey is widely stereotyped as an emotionless colour associated with sophistication and formality. This is effective in this film as Bond has to be emotionless to have the ability to kill. This creates mystery as you cannot see details about the setting that would give us a little more information as to what the why we’re there. Therefore, this conforms to the Action / Mystery genre as the use of black and grey gives the scene a sense of Mystery also this conforms to Barthes Enigma Theory as it leaves the audience asking questions.

Casino Royale also uses sound to create action and mystery within the film. The first  example of this is the non - diegetic, low pitch bass note that is played when there is a medium shot of the building and the mysterious car pulls up. This is a synchronous sound clip as the character in the film looks nervous and the sound clip builds tension so that you feel what the character is feeling. This is typical of action adventure movies as It creates suspense and makes the audience question what is going to happen next. It is stereotypical of action films as the bass note is used to build suspense and create tension. This conforms to the mystery genre as the synchronous sound creates a mysterious and suspenseful feel, this also expresses Barthes enigma theory because it leaves the audience asking questions.

Another example of the use of sound in Casino Royal diegetic dialogue when James says “two” in reply to the other man saying that he has never killed anyone. James’ voice has gravitas which means that it is very deep and serious, he has perfect pronunciation as speaks slowly this makes the audience pay attention and realise that he is serious. This conforms to the action genre as James is serious that he has once killed two men and following this statement there is a flash back to James killing the two men. Also, this conforms to Barthes Enigma theory because it leaves the audience questioning who the two men that he killed were and why he killed them. This then makes the audience want to continue watching the film in order to find out.

There is a use of ambient sound when James and one of the other character are fighting is used to show the brutality of the fight that they are having. This is effective as it further expresses the severity of the dangerous situations that Bond places himself in which then conforms to the action genre as it reflects the amount of violence that takes place throughout Bonds life.

The soundtrack to the film is the song “you know my name” by Chris Cornell. This song was effective as it is an alternative rock song which aids in building tension and excitement within the audience and conforms to the action genre as the song is at a fast pace much like the action that takes place within the film. Also, the song’s lyrics “you know my name” are also effective as everyone should know Bonds name as he is a force to be reckoned with, further hinting at the violence and action that will take place within the film.

There is a use of non-diegetic high pitched sound motif played when Le Chiffre comes on scene. The high-pitched sound builds tension and expresses that he is the villain which conforms to Props character typologies theory as there is a villain which is Le Chiffre and a hero which is James Bond. Also, this conforms to Levi Strauss’ binary theory as the narrative is based on conflict between Le Chiffre and Bond. This also conforms to the action genre as the conflict between the two men uses violence which creates action.

The final effective use of sound in my film clip is the diegetic dialogue during the medium shot of Le Chiffre where he says “I suppose our friend Mr white will have told you that I have provided reliable banking services for many other freedom fighters over the years” his foreign French accent makes the viewer uncomfortable and paired with his rugged and generally unapproachable appearance give the sense that he is a villainous character which conforms with Props character typologies as he is a villain and Bond is a hero. Also, Le Chiffre’s appearance and accent shows that he is a violent character conforming with the action genre.

Casino Royale also uses lighting in order to express the action genre. The first example of this is during the first scene where there is an establishing shot of a large building in Prague. There is a key light on the right hand side of the building and a fill light in the middle. The fill light makes the audience focus on the side of the building so that you can see how its empty and large. Then the fill light makes you focus on the car and notice that its important. This conforms with Barthes Enigma theory as it makes the audience ask themselves questions like: who is in the car? Why is he important? What’s the building? This conforms to the action mystery genre as it makes the scene feel very mysterious and ask themselves many questions about the scene.

The second use of light within the ten-minuet clip of Casino Royale is when there is a medium shot of the man that gets out of the car. There is a key light used that lights up the man’s face. This is used to make the audience concentrate on the man’s face to signify his importance he has a very nervous facial expression and looks from side to side to show that he thinks someone may be watching him. This also conforms with Barthes Enigma theory as it makes the audience ask themselves questions like: who is this man? What is his importance? This helps to create the mystery / action genre as it’s a mystery to the audience who the man is.

A key light is also used in a medium shot of James Bond when he is sitting down awaiting the other character. This is used so that we focus on James’ face and understand his importance and this then conforms to Levi Strauss’ Binary theory which says that the narrative is told through conflict between two opposing forces and in this case the narrative is being told through the conflict between Bond and the other 007 agent who has gone rouge. This also helps create the mystery / action genre as the conflict between the two men will use violence which will create action which conforms to the action genre.

There is a back light used in a medium shot of the door. This is used to show the importance of the door and that a key character is about to walk through it so the audience focus on the door. Also, the back light is used to make it seem like the room is empty to lead the audience into a false sense of security that there is no danger within the room. This conforms to the mystery / action genre because it is a mystery to the audience what’s in the room and why the character is going into the room.

Casino Royale also uses a Flashback to show that Bond has killed before and isn’t afraid. The flash back to the fight scene is very over lit in contrast to the dim lighting used in the present. The use of the over lighting shows every detail of the fight to express its brutality and it also shows the contrast from the mystery to the conflict. This conforms to the action genre as it shows a fight which is action.

The editing within Casino Royale also helps to explain the narrative of the film. One example of this is the use of superimposition which says “PRAUGE, CZECH REPUBLIC” to show the location within the establishing shot of the first scene. The superimposition is used to show that the large building is in Prague the name of the city comes on screen using a fade. The letters are bold and in capitals and this stereotypically means that the words are important, making the audience pay attention. Using this specific code links to Aristotle’s unities theory as the film starts in Prague and moves from country to country as the action takes place. The impact that this has on the audience is that it makes them want to keep watching to find out where bond will go next.  

There is the use of a straight cut between the establishing shot of the outside of the building and the low angle shot of the inside of the building. This is used to show that the character is moving quickly and this paired with the medium shot of the man looking very nervous helps to build tension. The characters costume is a suit and furry hat which shows that it is cold and he is important as the stereotypes of people wearing suits are that they are sophisticated and important. Medium shot of the character is saturated and by using the colour grey which has connotations of mystery the director helped to create a mysterious feel. Therefore, this helps to create the action / mystery genre as it makes the audience question why the character question why the man is nervous which conforms to Barthes enigma theory.

Just following the man walking into the dimly lit room there is a close up of his face and he looks nervous. Following this there is a straight cut to the point of view shot so that the audience can see what the character can see which is just an empty room. However there is a low pich bass note played when there is the point of view shot which is synchronous sound due it mirroring the characters fear and nervousness. This builds tension as the point of view shot shows that there is nothing there but the man gets increasingly nervous. Also, this conforms with Barthes Enigma theory because it makes the audience question why the man is nervous and who is in the room with him.

The final clever use of editing within my ten-minuet clip of Casino Royale is a match cut. This is used to seamlessly transfer to the flash back of James in a fight scene. This gives the audience a window into James’ thoughts as the conversation with the rouge 007 agent continues on. This conforms with the action genre as the match cut is used to immediately show us a brutal fight in James’ past and expresses the violent and dangerous life that Bond leads.

Finally, Mise-en-scene is used within this film to express the films action genre. One example of this would be the use of costume within the first scene when there is a medium shot of the rouge 007 agent. When he steps out of the car we see a medium shot of him and see that he is wearing a Russian looking hat. This hat makes us think that he is Russian and gives connotations of the mob, spies and villains and the saturation in the scene means that the character is shown in grey and black. The grey colour has connotations of mystery makes the audience wonder who he is which then links to Barthes enigma theory. The colour black has connotations of danger which makes the audience weary of this character. Therefore, this conforms to the action genre as the connotations from the hat are all violent and violence creates action.

The use of props is also an excellent way of expressing the genre of Casino Royale. For example, there is a close-up of a gun in the rouge 007 agent’s drawer. The close- up of the gun gives of connotations and idealisations of violence. Therefore, this conforms and expresses the action genre of the film as villains tend to have guns they tend to have violent lives and violence creates action which expresses the action genre. This links to Props theory of character typologies because the rouge 007 is a villain as he has a gun and wants to shoot bond.

The setting of this scene  is in a dark abandoned looking building which is shown in the establishing shot at the beginning of the film. The dark building has connotations of mystery and dark events taking place within. This conforms to the action genre as it appears violence would take place there and violence creates action.

Another example of the use of costume within the film to help express the genre is shown within the medium show of an African man wearing gold chains. The gold chains have connotations of gangs and mobs which conform to the action genre as those groups of people are very violent which would create action. This also conforms to Props character typologies theory which says that there should be a villain and a hero within a film and the man with the gold chains appears to be a villain and Bond is a hero.

There are also army trucks used as props within Casino Royale and they are shown in a head on shot. The army trucks have connotations of war and fighting which are violent events. Therefore, this conforms to the action genre of the film as tanks are typialy used in dangerous situations.

Another aspect  that is used within Casino Royale makeup; it is shown in a close up of Le Chiffre which shows that he has an eye injury. This eye injury and his generally unapproachable look helps to express the action genre of the film as Le Chiffre’s injury makes him look like a villain conforming to Props character typologies and villains normally conflict with heroes with plots to defeat them which usually involves violence.

So, there you go guys, that’s how Casino Royale uses a multitude of different media techniques to express the action / mystery genre of the film.

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Holly x