The two British Crime Films that we have been studying are 'Fish Tank' - which is about a 15 year old girl called Mia who is brought up in a run-down neighbourhood, surrounded by bad influences. And 'Sket' - which so far is about a young girl called Kayla who once lived with her sister until she was brutally murdered seeking vengeance through the use of a group of girls. The biggest difference between the two films are the range of crimes. Within 'Fish Tank' the crimes are mostly seen as minor or petty until we come to the child abduction of Kira and the disturbing grey area of whether or not Connor had committed rape. Whereas we are instantly immersed into a world of Grievous Bodily Harm, as the man is beaten by the group of girls, through the opening credits. We then later witness our first murder of a crack-addled woman because she couldn't pay up and the cruel death of Tanya simply because she tried to help Shaq as she believed she was being harassed.
Edit wise the cuts were a lot faster when looking at 'Sket' which pushed along the narrative and gave the audience a sense of action thus peaking their interest. That being said, in both films the transitions considerably slow. I believe this highlighted the "grit" of the films genre of British Crime compared to Hollywood, as it made sure to show all of the uncomfortable truths and realities some have to face. Within 'Fish Tank' there is a miniscule slow motion edit with scenes between Mia and Connor to create a dream-like state and muster a sense of calm with their relationship; a good example of this is when Mia is smelling Connor's neck. The audience then emotionally attach these characters and are able to tell that their relationship is "special" compared to any others we have witnessed as there seems to be a spark. We are similarly shown this kind of edit between Shaq and Kayla in the cafe. The way in which we have an over the shoulder shot presenting the two characters, as well as, the slow edit mark the shot due to the stillness in both of the characters. This then creates an intensity connoting the way in which their relationship will be significant later on during the film.
The costumes in both films were similar. This may be a convention of British Crime films particualrly when they are set in the council estates. The main running costume was the trackuit bottoms, hoodies and the latest, or what is considered to be fashionable trainers. When we look at 'Fish Tank' it is a lot more understandable as first of all she an aspiring dancer and uses them practically. However when looking at 'Sket' this costume seems to be negative and is used to induce anonimity - when putting their hoods up - thus creating a sense of caution.
13 Nov 2013
6 Nov 2013
How Does Cinematography and performance construct meaning and provoke response in the "Mickey Blue Eyes" extract?
The film I will be analysing is "Mickey Blue Eyes," released in 1999 and directed by Kelly Makin. This romantic comedy is of an auctioneer who proposes to his mob-related girlfriend. And that his proposing to her would mean that he becomes part of the family therefore "favours" would be asked of him. In my extract Mickey (Hugh Grant) has recently delved into his first deal with the family and now has returned home to Gina (Jeanne Triplehorn) to celebrate the 3 month anniversary of their very first date; unfortunately Johnny (John Ventimiglia) turns up and turns the evening sour. Throughout my analysis I will focus on the theme of the movement from domestic bliss to threatened happiness.
In this extract I believe that Triplehorn was one of the most convincing performace wise. For example at the start of the scene we have a long shot of her in her "sexy" dress leaning coyly against the door. This connotes the way in which she has decided to be playful and seductive towards Mickey. This is emphasised via the dim lighting in the shot which is quite warm creating an ambiance of that which is recognised as enticing. As she shows Mickey the gorilla she bought him she grins and bites her tongue which shows her excitement for the evening as well as the sexual nature. Thus allowing the audience to connect with the character by making us happy for the character.
During Mickey and Gina's conversations; an over the shoulder shot reverse shot is used so that we are able to see the relationship the characters share. At the start of the scene they are extremely close to each other dennoting their intamacy as a couple, even when faced with a threat - Johnny. However there are times when purposeful distance is put between them both, a good example of this is when Mickey is trying to tell her about the money laundering. Grant pushes and then holds Triplehorn at arms length so that the character understands that the subject matter is serious. As the audience already know what has previously occurred when watching the film this knowledge then allows us to worry for Mickey because of the reaction Gina may have to the news.
Mickey tends to behave quite nervously and hopeless most of the time. Grant does well in showing this particularly when there's a difference of relationship involved. Around Gina Grant's body language a lot more relaxed and confident enough to be silly. We see this in the way he stands quite tall until she says " would you mind if we had company" Grant pulls his head back and leans away from Gina to show his angst. However when it comes to showing positive emotions, like when he presents the necklace to her, he keeps a slanted smile. This then makes the audience connect with Grant as we find his awkward ness cute and humbling, especially the way in which he shows the necklace around his neck. When they're kissing after the purposeful distance we are able to see that most of the communication we have is in the facial gestures, his eyes droop and not make much eye contact which denotes the way in which Grant has identified that Mickey would be feeling guilty. As he walks away to the door his body is hunched over and closed off with his arms close to his sides. In this mid close-up shot we see only Grants back, which is unusual on the other hand because of this the audience are able to focus a lot more on how his non-verbal communication connotes his internal struggle. As we are focused on his movements we notice that he sweeps his hair to the side - a common tell tale of when someone is nervous.
The shot through the spy hole when Mickey looks to see who's there was, in my opinion, an intelligent way of connoting that Johnny is dangerous. It's due to the fish eye affect contrasting the the high angle shot.
In this extract I believe that Triplehorn was one of the most convincing performace wise. For example at the start of the scene we have a long shot of her in her "sexy" dress leaning coyly against the door. This connotes the way in which she has decided to be playful and seductive towards Mickey. This is emphasised via the dim lighting in the shot which is quite warm creating an ambiance of that which is recognised as enticing. As she shows Mickey the gorilla she bought him she grins and bites her tongue which shows her excitement for the evening as well as the sexual nature. Thus allowing the audience to connect with the character by making us happy for the character.
During Mickey and Gina's conversations; an over the shoulder shot reverse shot is used so that we are able to see the relationship the characters share. At the start of the scene they are extremely close to each other dennoting their intamacy as a couple, even when faced with a threat - Johnny. However there are times when purposeful distance is put between them both, a good example of this is when Mickey is trying to tell her about the money laundering. Grant pushes and then holds Triplehorn at arms length so that the character understands that the subject matter is serious. As the audience already know what has previously occurred when watching the film this knowledge then allows us to worry for Mickey because of the reaction Gina may have to the news.
Mickey tends to behave quite nervously and hopeless most of the time. Grant does well in showing this particularly when there's a difference of relationship involved. Around Gina Grant's body language a lot more relaxed and confident enough to be silly. We see this in the way he stands quite tall until she says " would you mind if we had company" Grant pulls his head back and leans away from Gina to show his angst. However when it comes to showing positive emotions, like when he presents the necklace to her, he keeps a slanted smile. This then makes the audience connect with Grant as we find his awkward ness cute and humbling, especially the way in which he shows the necklace around his neck. When they're kissing after the purposeful distance we are able to see that most of the communication we have is in the facial gestures, his eyes droop and not make much eye contact which denotes the way in which Grant has identified that Mickey would be feeling guilty. As he walks away to the door his body is hunched over and closed off with his arms close to his sides. In this mid close-up shot we see only Grants back, which is unusual on the other hand because of this the audience are able to focus a lot more on how his non-verbal communication connotes his internal struggle. As we are focused on his movements we notice that he sweeps his hair to the side - a common tell tale of when someone is nervous.
The shot through the spy hole when Mickey looks to see who's there was, in my opinion, an intelligent way of connoting that Johnny is dangerous. It's due to the fish eye affect contrasting the the high angle shot.
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