Owen Riseley

The Godfather notes

Development:

1. In the horses head scene, the camera moves slowly, panning up Jack
Waltzs body until we see the blood in his bed and witness his expression
as he sees it. The camera then slowly pans down the bed flowing his line
of vison, until he lifts the covers up and we see the horses head, the
camera stops as we stare at this horrific spectacle then it cuts to his face
then back to the horse. This simply conveyed scene is only made up of
three shots, but these three shots are all it needs. The first shot is the
longest, easing us in slowly as we are drip fed elements of information to
peace the puzzle together, we only know as much as Jack knows which
places us right in the scene, meaning that we follow the action as it
happens. The slow panning used in the first shot also creates suspense
and sets the slow eerie pace.
2. The camera follows the action from room to room so there are no cuts,
making it more like real life perspective which brings the audience closer
to the horrific scenes and gets them more involved. How does having one
shot help build the tension? The fact that it is all one shot also increases
the tension as the audience are not distracted by lots of shots, so the
focus is very much on the brutal domestic abuse.
3. The Camera movement is very limited in the Lumiere Brothers piece as it
was so heavy they couldnt walk with it, the only movement is the shake
of the camera, and this is very different to the diverse movement in the
Godfather scene as the whole scene is one shot following the characters
because in the godfather they could walk with the camera so they can get
more involved in the action.
4. No
5. Close ups- allows the audience to see the emotion of the characters in
more detail
High angles- show a character being over power because the audience are
looking down on them.
Long shot- they used this to separate us from the discussion but still be
able to see everything that is going on, it also makes us feel helpless as
we witness death.
6. In a trip to the mood they only had one shot type a long shot as they could
not move the camera and there locations were just backdrops, a long shot
was the only shot they could use to capture what they wanted. Whereas in
The Godfather they had multiple shot due to their vast locations and
advanced cameras.

Storytelling:

Owen Riseley
1. The Godfather was engaging because of its intense dialog and storyline
and the way it is portrayed.
2. The pace and rhythm of The Godfather is very slow and it slowly eases you
into the climaxes but surprises you with what they are. The slow build-up
of this film and the long scenes causes the audience to be on edge waiting
for something to happen. This editing is similar to that in the good the bad
the ugly, as it is extremely simple and slow focussing on the actors and
the characters rather than the editing.

Conventions and Techniques:

1. The uses the 180 degree rule so as the audience were not confused with
who was talking to who and it also enabled them to incorporate
suggestions of power and who was in control. It was effective as I was not
confused and knew what was going on.
2. The parallel editing used in the Godfather is very powerful as they
juxtapose each other and emphasis the