Charlotte - Film Studies Blog

No Country For Old Men introduces its main characters in a way which effectively confuses the audience from the very beginning. The first thing heard in the opening scene is a monologue from Ed Tom Bell, who is the first character we are introduced too. Although he is heard first, he isn't shown until after the introduction of the main antagonist and protagonist, this alludes to the notion that he's always, narratively, a few steps behind. His monologue voices over multiple shots of a traditional western landscape, which slowly introduces the idea of human activity into the film. As the scene progresses, a panning shot comes to rest on a police car, followed very swiftly by a young police officer and a strange, mysterious looking man, who we later come to know as Anton Chigurh. This shot is shown from behind, so we don't immediately see Chigurh's face, which eliminates any opportunity at alignment with his character. 

Apocalypse Now 

During Rick's cafe scene, classic Hollywood style is clearly and successfully used to create meaning and audience response. These adept uses of conventions, such as mise-en-scene and cinematography, subtly add to the context and help provoke feelings of intrigue and tension within the audience. Throughout the cafe scene, Rick is mentioned multiple times but not seen until the last moment. This leaves an atmosphere of mystery and furthers the importance that Rick's character holds, as everyone wants to talk to him. Just as the camera enters the bar, a spotlight is seen shining and moving outside of the building, which connotes the idea of surveillance, and this helps portray the almost military feel of Casablanca. Everyone in Casablanca wants to escape, and the area is almost this purgatory that they're all stuck in, especially due to the fact that it's under French control, but France is now under Nazi rule. Spotlights are also commonly associated with glamour and e...

Mother! is arguably one of the most confusing, captivating films I have witnessed; with the names of each characters barely allowing any preconceived ideas, mainly to the nature of their personalities, the elusive atmosphere created instantly attracted my attention. The plot of this film leaves much open to interpretation and definitely challenges classic horror conventions.  The entirety of the film is set in an old style Victorian house, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, surrounded entirely by a circle of trees and dense forest. This ties in with the classic horror cliche of an isolated, old house which is played to in a lot of new and old films within the genre. The residence of this house are Mother, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and Man, played by Javier Bardem, who both have a mysterious air around them. Lawrence plays a young wife, who seems to be restoring the house to its former glory, as her husband, a famous poet, struggles with intense...

The Basic Definitions: Cinematography - use of camera and lighting (angles, shot types and movement)                                    e.g. mid-shot, close-ups, zooms, high and low camera angles, pan shot,                                    tracking Editing - the relationship between the shots, how they follow each other                  e.g. cuts, fades Mis-En-Scene - what's in the shot/scene                               e.g. props, costumes, backgrounds, and their significance Sound - music, sound effects and spoken word within a scene (diegetic and non-dietetic) Performance - the performance of the actors and how they add to the scene ...