Summer Work

Kieran Powell

Childs Play
Runtime: 1hr 28 mins
Director: Tom Holland
Rating: 15
Genre: Horror
Year released: 1988
Synopsis: A serial killer named Charles Lee Ray is shot and killed
in a toy store not before he transfers his soul into a Good Guy
doll. Meanwhile, a single mother struggles to get her son, Andy, the
perfect gift for his birthday until she buys a Good Guy doll. Over the
coming days Andy is blamed for a string of murders which he
claims that his doll, Chucky, had done.

Introduction summary
The film starts off with a police chase between a long
haired man, Charles Lee Ray and some police
officers. Charles Lee Ray is wounded and waddles
over to a toy store, there he exchanges fire with a
police officer, Mike Norris and is shot, mortally
wounding him. Charles falls over a stand of Good
Guy dolls where he then begins to chant a voodoo
chant on one of the dolls causing an explosion
afterwards. For now the audience doesnt know that
the chant was in fact supernatural, which comes into
play later on.

Camerawork
The opening starts off with a long shot which depicts the police chasing down
Charles Lee Ray allowing for the audience to see the action. At the toy store
there are some closeup shots of Mike and Charles during the gunfight, usually
with them standing by a wall and showing half of their face, connoting the
intensity of the situation and how close the action is. Other angles include
tracking shots, e.g. Charles is severely injured and waddles around, the
camera follows him. Mid shot e.g. when Charles transfers his soul to a Good
Guy doll.

Editing
There are quite few quick cuts during the chase scene and upon entering the
toy store some show the same scene in different angles. More quick cuts are
used during the gunfight in the toy store between Charles and Mike cutting
each time they fire a shot at one another connoting close quarter tense
action. When Charles begins to chant, lightning effects are added as well as
lightning strikes to signify the voodoo chants success connoting a
supernatural elements in use.

Sound
Diegetic sounds of gunfire connoting the intense action being portrayed in
the scenes, there is also added lightning sound effects to go with the
lightning effects used as well as the sound of an explosion when the store
explode, all of which were added in production. Non Diegetic can be heard by
the squeaky sounds of shoes rubbing against the tile floor as well as foot
steps during the chase making loud banging sounds.

Mise-en-scene
The location is set in a city, presumably a more
poorer and run down section as noted by the trash
in the street. Charles Lee Ray, being the villain, is
dressed in a black/grey trenchcoat and has long hair
suggesting his roughness while Mike has a brown
coat as well as formal detective attire. The toy store
is exaggerated and over the top with toys literally
everywhere on the shelves, the top and bottom
large and small, the bloody gunfight happening in
the innocent area gives a sense of irony. When
the toy store explodes everything is on fire,
innocence has been destroyed a theme that the
movie has later on, with Chucky laying down with
fire reflects connoting future revenge.

Lighting
The setting is a dark Chicago street with the lighting coming from neon signs.
The toy store it self is very dark with few natural lights from the toys or
ceiling. This was probably done to give a realistic setting and or to add to the
tense atmosphere being created in these opening shots.

Use of Titles
Opening titles begin almost as soon as Charles Lee Ray enters the toy store.
The titles come up at the bottom left or right corners in simple,white, thin
and bold text with some of the letters in lowercase with others in capitals,
similar to a young childs writing. Each credit is for the directors, producers
and some of the main cast. The title of the film is placed in the centre and in
the middle of credit sequence.

Conclusion
It may not be the scariest but Childs Play is certainly entertaining with its
characters and use of puppetry/animatronics which make Chucky a more
alive villain rather than a cgi monster. I like the fact that the film has no
real happy ending as the innocences are blamed for the murders that
Chucky commits with no one believing their tales, something thats rarely
seen in other films and the horror genre in general, most ending in the good
guys winning

Amadeus
Runtime: 3hr 8min
Director: Milo Forman
Rating: PG
Genre: Historical drama
Year Released: 1984
Synopsis: An elderly and insane Salieri attempts suicide and is sent to an
asylum after preaching he murdered the great composer Mozart. In the asylum
he tells a young priest about his youth and his experience as a composer and
his rivalry with the extravagant and somewhat rude Mozart, which would last until
his death.

Introduction summary
Two men holding candles run up a flight of
stairs upon hearing the sound of a man
screaming. They open the doors to see an
old man, Salieri, with slit wrists and
moaning that he had killed Mozart. The
men place Salieri in a wheelbarrow and
wheel him off to a mental ward, along the
way Salieri can hear the sound of Mozarts
music while preaching he had killed him.

Camerawork
The camera work in the opening sequence is a mixture of mid shots and long
shots. Long shots are used outside the home of Salieri before and after his
attempted suicide. This is to set up the scene and to create atmosphere to
eventual events such as the servants opening the door. Mid shots are used
for the servants (and Salieri for the most part) This allows the characters to
have conversations and even allows for reactions to be expressed with hand
gestures as well as facial expressions making them more human.

Editing
Most edits in the opening are cuts from one character or setting to another.
While Salieri is being carried to the hospital he passes a building where he
can hear the music by Mozart, the scene cuts to inside the building in which
we see dancers dancing to Mozarts music, it cuts to different angles such as
their feet. This was done to highlight the popularity of Mozart and the burden
that it carries for Salieri knowing that even after death he is more popular.

Sound
Before Salieri attempts suicide most of the sounds used are diegetic such as
a bang sound from Salieri collapsing to insight that something bad has just
occurred. After the suicide attempt most sounds are covered by loud classical
music by Mozart himself signifying the popularity and legacy that Amadeus
had left behind and how haunting it is to Salieri to have to listen to it
everywhere he passes.

Mise-en-scene
Being a period drama film, the setting is appropriately made to be classical,
archaic and visually Victorian in design. Many of the settings show dark
places only lighted by candles or fireplaces and accompanied with smartly
designed furniture and paintings covering the wall, all to make the scenery
seem like it was taken from the time, and seemingly belong to a rich human
being and to appear realistic enough to appear in this facade version of
history.

Lighting
The lighting is natural in most scenes. When Salieris servants are at his
door, the lighting comes from the candles though behind the scenes more
lights would have been used to make the scene brighter than what it would
be. The natural lighting coming from the candles is supposed to connote the
time period that the movie is set in making it very archaic in appearance.

Use of Titles
Titles dont appear until after Salieri attempts to kill himself. The titles are
plain white, centred and are given a somewhat fancy, old fashioned writing to
reflect the time and era that the film is meant to be set in. Amadeus itself is
given a larger presence, not only is it the title but it could also connote the
importance of the character and reflect the loud music being orchestrated in
the background as well as appearing line in line with Salieris moans of
Mozart.

Conclusion

Amadeus was chosen because its my favourite film of all time mainly due to
the way it was orchestrated with perfect visual, camera work that allow us
the witness the whole scenery.

Kill Bill Vol 1

Runtime: 1hr 58min
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Rating: 18
Genre: Action/Martial Arts
Year Released: 2003
Synopsis: A pregnant bride is shot and left for dead after a
group of assassins, lead by a man named Bill whom she use
to be with. Four years later she awakes from her coma and
pleas revenge against Bill and the assassins for the loss of
her child (who turns out to have survived) killing them off one
by one, starting with O-Ren.

Introduction summary
The film opens up in black and white with a beaten and bloodied pregnant
bride, Beatrix Kiddo, lying on a floor being talked to by Bill who shoots her
after she tells him the babys his. After the opening titles are shown we are at
present day where Beatrix pulls up by an ordinary suburban home. There she
meets a mother, Vernita, and she remember her from the day she was left
for dead. The two engage in a fight in the home until Vernita's daughter
arrives where the fight pauses temporarily only for it to restart briefly with
Beatrix killing Vernita, only for Vertitas daughter to witness the death.

Camerawork
A range of different camera angles are used throughout the film. Most
commonly used camera angles are close ups, during the black and white past
memory scene there is a mid close shot showing only the face. This was done
for the purpose of the story as we dont see where she is shot (it is presumed
in the stomach though this is later confirmed as false) but it also allows for
some unsettling intensity from the situation. A close up shot is used when
Beatrix and Vernita come face to face, accompanied with high pitch music it
highlights the fact the two remember each other and signifies the beginning
of a fight connoting vengeance and anger with the use of that close up.

Editing
The beginning at the wedding massacre, it is filmed in black and white
though this could have been filmed in colour with the black and white added
later to signify that this scene is set in the past while any scene in colour is
obviously set in the present. During the meeting between Beatrix and Vernita
there are multiple cut aways between the two and edited in flashbacks of
Vernita, to connote that she remembering her assassin and wants revenge.

Sound
During the wedding massacre there is no music or sounds other than speech
between Bill and Beatrix as well as the sound of a gun being loaded and soon
fired. This was used to bring suspense as the viewer is unable to see whats
happening. During the fight scene at the home many of the sounds used,
such as a knife swing or an object being broken, have been edited in to make
the action sequence seem more feisty. These sound effects used connote the
violence and intensity of the situation as well as make the fight more exciting
for the audience.

Mise-en-scene
Despite being an action film the sets used in this opening scene are very
normal and are pictured as a seemingly pleasant place with bright colours
used, this is to give it a natural setting of a perfectly normal family, though of
course this isnt the case. Beatrix and Vernita wear very casual clothes for
assassins and may have been chosen to fit in with the normal surroundings,
that said the clothes are somewhat bright in colour as well.

Lighting
During the wedding massacre the lighting is coming from the right and
highlights the wounds on Beatrixs face through the shadows made by the
lighting. At the house there seems to be natural lighting, though this was
probably filmed in a studio it is made to have lighting that makes it seem like
a natural sunny day to give a normal appearance rather than something
completely unrealistic, connoting pleasant surrounding which contrasts the
darker setting in the church.

Use of Titles

The titles are shown before and after the wedding massacre scene. The first
set are presented similar to that of a 1960s B movie film with a colourful filter
added to them while the second set are blank with just white writing and a
black background though some of the credits do have numbers by the side of
them, to reflect the Kill list five but it could also reflect the style of credits
used in 1920s/1930s films, something that the film is inspired by. The black
and white reflects the tenor of the situation that has just occurred, reflecting
the dire setting, but one could also make connotations that the blank screen
with text could reflect Beatrixs mind while shes in her four year coma hence
why the titles appear straight after shes shot.

Conclusion
I chose Kill Bill mainly because I enjoy the film for being a great action film
with lots of visuals, varied degree amount colours, great storyline and
interesting characters. The movie opens up with action allowing for the
audience to be immersed with the carnage from the very start, rather than
delay and have unnecessary padding. The mise-en-scene is bright, colourful
and incredibly varied with costumes and settings suiting each character,
scenery and clashing with the atmosphere making the action film incredibly
beautiful as well as providing great fast pace entertainment.