City of God

Opening scene:

Editing:

• Fast paced cuts 
• blacked out screen during part of the knife part
• cuts from chicken to killed chicken
• kinetic
• narration added as it cuts between rocket, the gang and the police
• slow orderly editing for rocket
• slow motion on Lil ze as rocket sees him
• 360 cross fade across rocket as it transitions to the past

Sound:

• knifes - references cooking but has connotations of violence
• traditional rio samba music
• camera clicking
• ambience of talking
• loud gun shots
• sound/music stops on shift to rocket showing that he isn't connected to the last scene

Cinematography:

• close ups on knives and blood
• cold lighting, the past is lit warmly but the progressively gets colder as the film goes on
• lots of close ups of all aspects of. the scene e.g lighting the cooking pot, chicken, people
• handheld camera - shaky
• tight close ups
• little sky in these scenes
• open sky in the past, less claustrophobic 
• close up on Lil Ze laughing psychotically
• birds eye view of the group running through alleyways, showing sections of poverty within the city
• pov shot of chicken
• blinding sunlight with gunshot
• rocket starts with a mid shot and walks into a close up
• close ups on guns
• over the shoulder shot, focused on rocket as he gives lil dice the ball
• freeze frame on rocket during his introduction
• old era gnagsters vs new era gangsters - both have guns and surrounded by children, but lighting is different and the children are scared of the new era gangsters
• midst of the tender trio
• cheering from children - Robbin hood e
• out of focus shot with rocket with tender trio in the background
• close ups on lil ze murdering people

mise en scene:

• violent props - knives, guns
• close ups of police vehicles
• opposition of gun and camera
• chicken is representative of rocket - trying to get out - linked to failed attempts to escape
• guns brought in very early
• lil ze pulls a gun out at first sign of violence

Ideology:

• violence
• escape
• weed vs coke
• opens with children shooting a chicken - futility of violence
• police and gangsters are equal and negative
• lil dice cheering shows his ideology early on
• circular narrative reflects how there is no escape
• contrast between lil dice and shaggy

No Country For Old Men

Cashier scene:

• Chigurh most likely planned this
• Estableshing shot
• metaphorical nooses in the background
• lot of over the sholder shots
• chigurh mocks his accent
• Chigurh dose not like that the cashier married into his business
• light tone through out the coin part of the scene

Captain Fantastic

Cinematography:

• Opening shot - extreme long shots for a long duration to establish and romanticise the grandeur of the natural world.
• aligns us with their choice of lifestyle 
• Framing of ben in the rear view mirror in close up is repeated through the film, establishing that he is in some ways isolated from his family.
• Contrast between wide shot of open landscape as steve the bus receeds and the big close up of ben 'alone' clearly expressing distress for the first time in the narrative
• reverse shot to show Bo's awkwardness around girls - suggests he is unprepared for the real world
• close ups on Bo's acceptance letters to prestigious universities
• Close ups on Bo's face show his mixed delight and confusion of what he should do
• close up on Ben's grief at the word of Leslies death

Mise-en-scene:

• Hair as symbolic - Ben shaved his beard and Bo his head to mark lifestyle and tradition changes to identity
• Costumes of the family suggest they are out of touch with the modern world e.g in the funeral scene, Jack refers to Ben as "some hippie in a clown outfit". Also shown later on in the film by Bens 'Jesse Jackson 88' tshirt.
• Harsh lighting when Bo and Rellion are discussing Ben at the basketball court, compared to the largely used natural lighting in the rest of the film. the blackness lends gravity to the dificult conversation they are having

Editing:

• Bookended with scenes highlighting the rite of passage narative and foregrounding Bo becoming a man, "the boy is dead, and in his place is a man".
• Matt Ross was keen to avoid conspicuous editing, "i dont want to notice that when im watching"
• Bens hallucinations of Leslie break from the editing, showing it as other-worldy. These scenes feel almost holy and religious, even though they dont believe in organised religions.

Sound:

• Diegetic music used to symbolise Rellions rebellion and assertion of individuality as he uses confrontational drumming to challenge Bens acoustic guitar music
• bagpipes on bus suggests they are an army going to battle. This is ancored by Ben saying "so they know were coming".
• Train sounds when Bo looks at his acceptance letters, suggesting impeading conflict and provokes a sense of anxiety in the spectator.

Ben in the mirror:

• Shows he is disconected, but reconected when he turns around
• powerfull control the powerless - ideology
• close ups on childrens faces to show their anguish
• bagpipes - going to war

Funeral scene:

• Traditional Christian funeral
• Family arive in bright "formal" clothing
• One child is wearing a gas mask
• Many close ups on the mourners faces an reactions
• Bens eulogy goes against traditions
• Leslies wishes for after her death are also untraditional
• Only the children find Bens speech moving and funny
• Grandmother is visibally upset when Ben is removed 
• Children start to reject his ideology - children yelling at him to stop when he trys to go and stop Leslie from being burried

Basket Ball scene:

• Dark and atrificial lighting
• Bo walks out of the darkness, seemingly from nowhere
• non diageting music
• Rellion backs towards the camera
• Dark shadows on Rellion when he rejects his father
• Close up on Bos shocked, angry face as he contemplates

2nd 'funeral' scene:

• areal long shot
• very unconventional funeral
• placement of feather 'little bird'
• all light the fire together, close up on that
• side shot of Kielyr singing, showing the scenery behind
• reflecting the earlier scene of family singing, but more peacefull and harmonius
• upbeat funeral with dancing - ideology

Airport scene:

• Family still do not fit the norm
• focus is mainly on Bo
• Close up from inside the toilet, showing all the family looking over it
• Ben still preaching ideology till the end
• ends with Bo becoming an indipendant man in a more traditional sense than the opening

Ending scene:

• Living a more socially acceptable life, but still with elements of their past
• children are now in mainstream education
• silent scene as camera shows a long shot of the family going about their morning activities in a quiet, peaceful manner, contrasting to the lively opening

Camping scene:

• All silently reading, Ben asks questions on books they are reading
• Ambient sound of grass hoppers in background
• Ben strums a light, peaceful melody on his guitar
• Rellion joins in with a more boisterous beat, metaphorically symbolising the differences between them
• emphasises their style of living
• diegetic music showing Rellions rebelion - boisterous
• no dialogue - showing their closeness
• lowkey lighting gives a warm feeling
• Ben getting his guitar shows his transition from teacher to dad
• long shot of whole family around the fire depicts their closeness
• close up on books shows how advanced these kids are for their ages
• boho style
• zaja's gasmask - alternative style
• literature props showing they are educated
• Ben is suitably authoritarian
• Rellion is represented as an outsider from the family
• alternative ways of bringing up children
• the scene is a rejection of mainstream, American, capitalist society 
• aligns the spectators with Bens views as they all seem happy and contempt

Announcement of Leslies death:

• darkly lit tavern when Ben hears the new
• Appears to replace upset with anger at first
• starts wearing a black band around his arm, which he wears for the rest of the film
• children instantly start crying, while Ben is calm
• Ben docent try to comfort kids
• Rellion flips out, showing the start of his rebellion
• docent show her will but imply she's left something Ben dosent like

Apocalypse Now

Opening:

• Jungle, lingers on first scene
• No words, napalm drops on the jungle as the words "this is the end", giving a hostile feeling to the jungle
• surreal feeling
• fan blends into helicopter wings and is in sync with helicopter sounds, suggesting that Willard is haunted by what he saw and cannot escape it even when away from war
• opening shot fades slightly into a shot of the statue at the ending of the film, forshadowing.
• willard is unshaven and broken
• photo of his ex wife on bedside table - vietnam has caused his life to fall apart
• near empty glass of alcohol showing unhealthy coping methods
• cant get the jungle out of his head suggesting he is suffering from PTSD
• willard is so tied into the war he is no longer able to function in everyday life
• sleeps with a gun - shows paranoia
• willards narrative is a voice over, giving us an insight into his mind
• is being driven insane by not being in the war
• his lonely room is reprisentative of his isolation
• feeling trapped in his room
• willard breaking his mirror is reprisentative of him seeing himself as broken, and wanting to see himself as such
• Non-diagetic music

Meeting Kurtz:

• kurtz is reflective of Willard, both are deeply traumatised from the war, turning Kurtz crazy.
• Kurtz's voice is detatched and delusional
• Willards cult are on the offensive, as they are weary of willard
• |Willard is low down in ranks in this scene, contrasting to the rest of the film where he often has the highest rank and authority

Documentary Notes:

• kopola was instrumental in breaking away from the hollywood film industry
• The film was filmed in the Philipines
• Original set was distroyed by a typhoon
• Martin Sheen nearly died on set due to a heart attack, and Koppola refused to stop production for it
• Much of the film was unscripted
• Koppolas wife says that he turned into Kurtz

Twixt

https://youtu.be/n06zpgejLq8

• Dream world uses dark, grey and black colours, contrasting with the bright, heavy lighting in the real world
• Strong lighting on V compared to Baltimore 
• V’s white clothing shows her as innocent, and stands out in the bleakly coloured dream world
• Her bright makeup, the only colour in the dream world, shows her as out of place 
• Vs skin is very pale and ghostly, which distinguishes her as a ghost
• Although this is the first time the characters have met, the dialogue is casual, alining us with V as we see her to be trustworthy 
• Woody atmosphere is reminiscent of a graveyard
• Close up on V before entering the hotel shows her hesitance and suggests she may have prior history with it 
• Hotel is darkly coloured, and windows are blacked out, suggesting it could be dangerous 
• Eerie fog and trees around the house further emphasises the potential danger 
• Tone of the music in the Background creates a calming, magical feeling 
• Music contrasts with other dream world scenes, where the music is darker and more intimidating 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

• close up on Mildred as she lights the lighter and speaks
• causes fear in the spectator, as we are aware that the officer is in the building but Mildred is not
• long shot of the officer in the station as the fire burns behind him, showing how oblivious he is
• diabetic music playing as he reads the letter
• calming classical music playing, which juxtaposes the chaos occurring behind him
• lighting in the scene only comes from the fire outside, the rest of the scene is dark
• close up on Mildred throwing the last bottle, in slight slow motion. This suggests to the spectator that this one will cause more damage than the last 3.
• music now becomes non-diabetic, as his headphones are ripped out but it still plays, consisting the struggle of his escape
• close up on a burning file, but the spectator is unable to see what the file is until later in the scene
• switches from close ups of the officers face, to long shots of the fire, emphasising to the spectator how bad this situation is, and showing the fear and confusion on his face.
• the officer makes a huge effort to preserve the file, showing that it is clearly important, and also shows his change of heart and development into a better person
• long shots of the officer climbing out of the window and rolling around on the floor
• close up on the file, showing he saved Mildred's daughters file
• long shot of all the damage she's caused
• the camera pans up from the file on Mildred's face as she realises that she could potentially cause the officers death, showing to the regret on her face
• black shadow over the small guy and the officer as he tries to put him out

Saw *may contain minor spoilers*

Saw

When thinking of gory, torture porn films, most people turn to the saw franchise. With elaborate traps designed to maim and kill its victims in the most agonizing ways possible, and seemingly no end to the death toll. However 8 (going on 9) film prior to the 51total deaths in the franchise, Leigh Whannell, and James Wan came up with an idea for their first low budget horror film.

Saw takes place in a bathroom, following the story of two characters, Adam Stanheight and Dr. Lawrence Gordon and also the detectives attempting to solve a series of crimes, The Jigsaw Murders, which Adam and the Dr are now a part of. They are the victims of a serial killer known as Jigsaw, who tests (forces) his victims who have wasted their lives to prove that they have the survival instinct, a desire to live. Adam and Dr. Gordon must now prove they have the will to keep living and survive their trap, but also the will to kill the other to preserve themselves.

Saw one is a very low budget film, only having a $1.2 million budget, limiting their options. They made the best of this though, choosing to shoot saw in a single room. While the concept seems boring at first, several flashbacks show the events leading them to the room and the reasons that they are being tested.

Now I could go on all day about how ridiculous this opening is. Don't get me wrong, I love this film and its one of my all time favorites. However, there are certain parts of the plot that don't really make sense. For example, how long was Adam asleep? And how did he not drown? and if Dr. Gordon was awake long enough to have attempted shouting for help, and eventually giving up, then how is Adam not dead? All questions that are never answered, however after 8 films I've come to the conclusion that Jigsaw is Omnipotent and can predict everything that happens, which gives a lot of sense to many unanswered plot convenience points.
I find the opening scene (above) particularly powerful, the main reason being the camera angles. After Adam leaves the bath, the camera focuses on him and his reaction to this situation. With the lights off, Adam cannot see anything, not even when the Dr. starts talking to him, and the camera continues to focus on Adam. This gives the viewer a feel into the minds of the characters, as you are just as confused as they are, and find out major plot points just as they do, enabling you to feel their genuine reactions. Another scene I enjoy for the shot of the scene is the reveal of the room, specifically the body. This is our first look at the bathroom, a now iconic location in the franchise. They build the suspense, not fully showing the room, but instead showing the lights, followed by another shot of Adam adjusting to the surroundings before the horror of the center of the room becomes apparent. I personally like the spin of the camera from the top of the torso to the full body shot, it's fast-paced and really shows the insanity of the situation and how the characters must be feeling in this scene.



Another part I particularly enjoyed was the razor wires trap. The flashback scene shows the discovery of a man, tangled in razor wires. Dead. The detective team deduces the cause through a tape, detailing why the man was being punished and how he could escape. He had to walk through a room of razor wires within a limited time before he is locked in the room forever. For me, however, this scene is very powerful. The mental anguish is clearly shown in the speed of the scene, which is sped up. while the camera stays in one place, the screen itself is moving at a fast pace, coupled with the screaming and intense music, this makes for a very dramatic scene.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It's very immersive for a film set in one room, and even with a lot of plot flaws, the execution of the film itself is excellent.