Psycho Scene Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4

Screenshot from the point at which the audience can
see the figure of the murderer in the shower curtain.

Most noticeable is the effective use of non-deigetic sound for this scene i.e. the backing track which characters cannot hear.  To begin with the sound is calm and in a state of equilibrium when the woman is writing a letter. This then starts to change and distort when she enters the shower, it continues to change as the viewer can begin to see the shadow of the murderer in the shower curtain. The sound completely changes when the curtain opens and villain is shown, it goes to a sharp high pitched striking sound, it is the audio representation of the knife which the murderer is using. The use of this non-diegetic sound is to keep the audience in suspense for the whole scene making them feel unsettled and convey a sense of disequilibrium (Todorov's Narrative Theory). Once the murderer had killed the victim and left the apartment the music then begins to return to the original state of equilibrium as the tension has passed. Since there is no dialogue in the scene the clip relies totally on sounds & it's famous backing track.

The use of the weapon (knife) adds to the effect of the scene. With it being a manual weapon it gives more effect to the scene by adding suspense, 'will the character manage to fight back?' It also gives us the silhouette of the murder from when he opens the shower curtain, shocking the audience, this would not have the same dramatic climax if the weapon of choice was a gun.

Close up shot of the villain, his face is hidden in
the shadows to add mystery to the scene.

There is also a use of black and white to connotate who is good and evil. It is clear from the use of shadows who is the villain character (according to Propp's Character Types). It is clear from the scene that the woman is the victim. Even when he pulls the shower curtain you cannot see his true identity as his face is hidden from the light, by doing this is gives him an element of mystery,  it allows the viewers to be held in suspense as to who he could be.

Close up shot typically used to convey emotion of
the character.

The use of camera angles is additionally a key aspect of the scene. The use of the high angle of the woman when she is in the shower signifies her as the victim. A high angle shot is used to make the character in view appear vulnerable, it can also foreshadow that there will be a disturbance of the narrative. The other camera angle which is significant is towards the end of the scene where there is a use of an extreme close up as the camera then pans away to show her face. This use of a close up is to convey emotion (i.e. fear) to the audience, it suggests to them that the character is dead without actually saying or showing any gore.

Scene Analysis - Bank Robbery Scene - The Dark Knight (2008)

Chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYBEquZ_j0

In the bank robbery scene from The Dark Knight there is a large use of Mise-en-scene to convey the characters in shot. It shows who is good and who is bad.

This extract expresses Mulveys theory of 'Male Gaze' in the sense it is from a heterosexual male's point of view, it is from the point as if the viewers are one of the bank robbers. By doing this is will hugely appeal to the target audience through the use of Mise-en-scene as it's conventions of character and storyline primarily will target young/ middle ages men. This can be expressed though their use of over the shoulder shots and long shots. This conforms to not only the thriller genre but to how media is represented in general. 

The use of setting is stereotypical for a film of the thriller genre. The urban setting is used highly as it's immediate connotations are that a city is busy and full of action; very popular among crime thrillers, such as the Dark Knight. A similar film which use this kind of location of effect would be Jake Reacher. Additionally making a bank scene the primary location of the film immediately conveys character types, it is obvious that the masked men are bank-robbers i.e. the 'bad guys'.

The use of the masks in this scene is highly effective and alternatively ironic. By having a clown mask for such a task as robbing a bank it unusual and in some cases 'funny'. This is not something you would expect from people robbing a bank as they are hidden but also stand out. It also adds a sense of enigma to the scene as we do not know who is behind the faces. We assume from the use of hidden identity and their reckless behaviour that they are the villains according to Propp's character types. People who are familiar with the Dark Knight movies may identify the characters to a villain as henchmen from their costume.

Continuing with the costume of the villains they are all wearing similar purple suits. This is to help identify they are with the villain (purple being the Joker's iconic colour). Purple connotates Wealth, Money, riches, royalty, all things which link in with the style of robbers (i.e. the Joker's theme). Additionally it symbolises  power, mystery and ambition all things which link to that particular villain. The colour purple is a very rare colour in nature; some people consider it to be artificial, maybe suggesting that not everything is as it initially seems.

Generally there is Masculine theme, they are primarily male characters in the scene and are armed with guns as well as explosives; the guns represent power and authority by the masked villains. Again this will appeal to the audience as these movies are watched to see characters such as criminals and their perception of the law. People watch film such as the Dark Knight as they get a sense of a side of life they do not ordinarily experience additionally they enjoy seeing people being brought to justice especially by a vigilante type character such as Batman (the hero).

As this is early on in the film there is a use of the backing track to create an atmosphere of equilibrium - according to Todorov's narrative structure. However the music is also a ticking noise which suggests that something is about to happen, it is used to create a source of tension so that the viewers of the film are being pro-active to see what is going on in the city. The use of diegetic sound i.e. the breaking of glass represents the disturbance in equilibrium  as it is where the tone of the film changes. It goes from a state of equilibrium to disequilibrium and ultimately chaos. We can tell this from the change in the sound of music and that the camera diverts from introducing the city to following the story of the bank robbers.

Pulp Fiction Hamburger Scene Analysis

Close Up (0:42 mins)

In this scene of the Thriller Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino uses a close up shot on Joules. Through this shot it conveys the emotion that the character is feeling, in this particular scene we can tell that he is extremely angry possibly even slightly surprised at what is going on. From this shot it gives the viewer a sense of build up in tension and anger, as the first time you get to know the character it sets the tone for his ways later on (early expectations). You could suggest that the use of light on one side of Joules' face foreshadows his change in emotion/ direction later on in the movie (when he retires). There is no background sound (no dieagetic nor non-dieagetic) in this scene overall as this makes it more naturalistic (as though you are there) as well as creating a 'silence' tension when no one is talking, gives an ambient background; the only audio from this particular clip is dialogue. Joules and Vincent are the dominant (alpha male) characters in the scene, this is typical of movies for the 'villains' to be dressed smart... although in this film these aren't the generic characters. These characters represent the disequilibrium in the particular scene. 'Villian' characters Joules and Vincent in this scene are seen wearing smart black suits. The colour black is associated with power, fear, mystery, strength, authority as well as death; this likewise relates to Joules referring himself later on in the film as "the reaper".

Low angle shot (4:14 mins)

The use of this low angle shot is used to make us feel vulnerable (as though we are at the same level as the victim). It is clear that from this shot the character Joules is in control of the situation he is the one the angle shot is looking up to, giving giving him the authority. With the use of light shining on him combined with his stance and the camera shot it gives him a 'god like' appearance (possibly relating to his bible speech later on in the scene). With the distorted angle of the low angle shot it shows the imbalance of order in the movie at their particular scene, it also could also show that something is wrong with the scene (things maybe don't add up at this point in the movie). We can additionally look at the use of weaponry in this clip, there is a clear association between the hit-men (Joules and Vincent) who have the guns and those who are the 'victims' in the flat; they are quite obviously out matched. You can notice that the pictures with weaponry in this movie overall is as is typical for most movies (not just thrillers) for those to be very masculine scenes. The use of weapons sparks interest and action into a scene, in some genres it would be unusual for the characters to carry guns however in thriller movies it is considered typical and conventional for most characters to have these props.

View the full clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PE9Qm8mShik

Mise-en-scene in 'Watchmen' and 'No country for old men' (Comparing scene analysis)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNfWlt69WKI 

In the clip from Watchmen the scene begins with pitch black then going into a dark alleyway lit up solely by a contrasting bright yellow neon light, this foreshadows danger in the upcoming scene (represents the flame thrower). The vigilante character is wearing all black clothes, including a trilby hat. In the opening sequence the character is situated in front of a white light giving us a rough outline of his face, suggesting purity and that he is the 'hero' despite not acting in the stereotypical style of the character type. Overall minimal light is used in this clip to create a tense atmosphere in which the character thrives on to go about his tasks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLCL6OYbSTw

In the clip called 'Coin toss' from the from 'No country for old men' the most important prop is the coin itself. In this movie it has a different style of tension, this builds up over the course of the clip. Unlike the scene from 'Watchmen' it has no music making it silent (apart from when the characters are talking). The man dressed in all black is (stereotypically) the bad guy, or villain, everything the man behind the counter says he repeats creating an awkwardness between the two characters, this makes the audience wonder why he is there. The coin is a symbol of the balance of good and evil in the clip. It is the equivalent of the flame thrower in the first extract as it determines the fate of the victim and the result of the coin toss relieves the built up tension in the film.