Step Brothers
In this essay I will be analysing 2-3 minutes of an extract and discussing in depth the different aspects of film language, as these include mise-en-scene, lighting, sound, cinematography and editing. I will also be discussing the purpose they have and the effect it may have on the audience. The film I have chosen to analyse is called Step Brother which was directed by Adam Mckay in 2005. It is about two brothers both aged 39 years old who become step brothers after their parents get married, and become very competitive due to their spoilt lives.
I will be analysing from 2:00-5:00 of the extract as it shows all the elements of film language. The costumes worn in this part of the extract by the two protagonists is a tuxedo suit, which shows the comedy to the film as they have a job interview they wear tuxedo's. However other characters seem to dress smart as it shows the professional side and more seriousness to the trailer, when they go to each interview the interviewer shows they are being serious as to how formally they are dressing which then shows that they need to start behaving like adults and be professional.
Moreover the body language and facial expression show yet again what genre this film is for example at 2:30 to 3:05 it shows the body language of the two characters as they walk into the interview room, it shows how they are acting which is a childish manner thus showing them not being serious and this was used to entertain the audience which is the purpose of this comedy genre. The setting of this part of the extract is within different rooms which shows a multiple rooms and in each room a different job role is required, for example in the first room is a small room which is a cleaning agency and doesn't show much of the room however in the bigger office it shows more of the setting as the camera shows different angles of the room to give the audience a clue in where the characters are, which enables them to be more vigilant and focused. There aren't clear props used within this trailer but other than the kitchen items like the cutlery, however the TV was another prop used which was a used to create a parallel sound and the director might have used this to make it seem more realistic for the audience. The actors and actresses that star in this film are well suited for the genre as they portray two middle aged men acting like children which shows a funny side to them and they are also very famous actors which allows the audience to enjoy the movie as they have previously been in other films and people are familiar with the character for example Will Ferrell is known for playing an amusing character as he has stared in many comedy films like Elf and Blades of Glory. This then allows the audience to decide whether they want to watch a film depending on the actors that star in it.
The lighting used within this scene is very high key as it signifies the humour and comedy that is seen from the two characters. In the first part of this 3 minutes analysis the lighting isn't very bright as the characters are in their house but when they go to the office building the lighting becomes brighter to emphasis theexcitement that will happen. The lighting is very high key in all rooms but in the third room they enter, it becomes low key lighting when they are told they never got the job, and the director might have used this to show the seriousness and allow the audience to make judgement of whether they deserved it or not thus allowing the audience to interact and be more involved with in the film. The use of high key lighting is used to capture the lighting on the characters facial expressions when they talk to emphasis on what they might do next which again keeps the audience more focused. In 2:23 of the extract the lighting is more focused on the protagonist rather than the female actress and the director might have used this to show the audience who the main characters were and how their role was significant in the film, additionally other aspects that help the lighting become high key within this part of the extract is the ceiling light which helps act as top lighting which accentuates the features of the characters to again emphasis on their facial expressions. The lighting used in this extract also helps create an atmosphere for the audience as it conveys happiness and enjoyment which again works help identify the comedy genre.
The sound used in the extract are both diegetic and non-diegetic, this is because dialogue from the characters used is part of the sound heard from the audience. The main focus is the non-diegetic sound used and this part comes in when the two protagonist are sitting in the lobby waiting to be called. The sound begins very loud as the camera movement slows down and this is to emphasizes on the actions that the characters are doing. There is a clear sound bridge from one scene to the next as it shows the characters being in the lobby to them in the interview room. The music played goes well with the scene as it shows confidence before they enter the room and it goes well with the actions them portray. However when they go into the interview the sound becomes quieter but can still be heard to make it more entertaining and the director has used this to show the that the characters emotions through the interviews and the music coincides with the dialogue as they are speaking in a non-formal manner when having an interview which shows the director creating irony to keep the audience watching more.
Within this extract I am analysing the cinematography and this involves camera shots and camera movement. There are different camera angles used and camera movements for example at the beginning of the extract there is a shot of the two characters sitting on the table eating breakfast and that's a medium shot and this is used to coincide with the setting, so the director can make it as realistic as possible. It then moves on to another medium shot of the father talking to his son, which shows his body movement. At 2:33 of this extract the camera shot of the women walking towards the camera is a medium shot but then moves to a medium shot as she comes closer, then the camera moves to show the two protagonists as they stand up there is a tracking shot following the to the room.
The director might have used this camera movement and shot to keep a main focus on the two characters as they are told to go in and this was before the pan movement was used when the characters were walking past as this was used to emphasis on the characters physical side to make them look superior, which is then followed by a long shot of them walking away. At 2:57 there is a close up on the women to show he facial expressions as they introduce her character, but when the camera moves on to the protagonists there is a medium shot, and this was used because it shows their body language and what they might do next. The camera then becomes a point of view shot when the women is looking to the man and the director has used to show the audience a different perspective, as though the audience is the women so we can identify as to what she is feeling thus allowing a certain involvement of the audience. From 2:56 to 3:39, there is a clear shot reverse shot being used as the camera is moves from one of the characters to the other as this shows that they are talking turns when speaking and it also shows a close up of the women's face because she seems to be expressing more emotional feelings as she gets very frustrated with the men as they keep interupting and telling her to shut up. The director has used this shot allow the audience to be more interacted as the empathises with the female due to the nonsense she is taking and this keeps the audience more focused to keep watching more.
The editing used in this extract starts off with one continuing edit that moves on smoothly, however when it gets to the 2:56 to 5:12 there is a lot of straight cut editing used to make the audience more focused on the characters rather than the editing.
In conclusion from looking at all of the aspects and analysing them in depth it has shown me that when using all the film language, like lighting, sound, cinematography, editing and mise-en-scene they all help create a powerful narrative that allows the audience to stay more focused and watching. It gives it a different element that can be developed to allow the audience to even get involved by using different camera shots and camera movements. The lighting and sound both collectively works together to enhance the audience perception in what they are watching and to keep them more vigilant when using shots like jump shot. The director works closely with all the experts to produce a production that gets the audience wanting to watch more and develops ways to get them all working together smoothly so the audience can't tell when a cut is occurring or when the sound changes, etc.
I will be analysing from 2:00-5:00 of the extract as it shows all the elements of film language. The costumes worn in this part of the extract by the two protagonists is a tuxedo suit, which shows the comedy to the film as they have a job interview they wear tuxedo's. However other characters seem to dress smart as it shows the professional side and more seriousness to the trailer, when they go to each interview the interviewer shows they are being serious as to how formally they are dressing which then shows that they need to start behaving like adults and be professional.
Moreover the body language and facial expression show yet again what genre this film is for example at 2:30 to 3:05 it shows the body language of the two characters as they walk into the interview room, it shows how they are acting which is a childish manner thus showing them not being serious and this was used to entertain the audience which is the purpose of this comedy genre. The setting of this part of the extract is within different rooms which shows a multiple rooms and in each room a different job role is required, for example in the first room is a small room which is a cleaning agency and doesn't show much of the room however in the bigger office it shows more of the setting as the camera shows different angles of the room to give the audience a clue in where the characters are, which enables them to be more vigilant and focused. There aren't clear props used within this trailer but other than the kitchen items like the cutlery, however the TV was another prop used which was a used to create a parallel sound and the director might have used this to make it seem more realistic for the audience. The actors and actresses that star in this film are well suited for the genre as they portray two middle aged men acting like children which shows a funny side to them and they are also very famous actors which allows the audience to enjoy the movie as they have previously been in other films and people are familiar with the character for example Will Ferrell is known for playing an amusing character as he has stared in many comedy films like Elf and Blades of Glory. This then allows the audience to decide whether they want to watch a film depending on the actors that star in it.
The lighting used within this scene is very high key as it signifies the humour and comedy that is seen from the two characters. In the first part of this 3 minutes analysis the lighting isn't very bright as the characters are in their house but when they go to the office building the lighting becomes brighter to emphasis theexcitement that will happen. The lighting is very high key in all rooms but in the third room they enter, it becomes low key lighting when they are told they never got the job, and the director might have used this to show the seriousness and allow the audience to make judgement of whether they deserved it or not thus allowing the audience to interact and be more involved with in the film. The use of high key lighting is used to capture the lighting on the characters facial expressions when they talk to emphasis on what they might do next which again keeps the audience more focused. In 2:23 of the extract the lighting is more focused on the protagonist rather than the female actress and the director might have used this to show the audience who the main characters were and how their role was significant in the film, additionally other aspects that help the lighting become high key within this part of the extract is the ceiling light which helps act as top lighting which accentuates the features of the characters to again emphasis on their facial expressions. The lighting used in this extract also helps create an atmosphere for the audience as it conveys happiness and enjoyment which again works help identify the comedy genre.
The sound used in the extract are both diegetic and non-diegetic, this is because dialogue from the characters used is part of the sound heard from the audience. The main focus is the non-diegetic sound used and this part comes in when the two protagonist are sitting in the lobby waiting to be called. The sound begins very loud as the camera movement slows down and this is to emphasizes on the actions that the characters are doing. There is a clear sound bridge from one scene to the next as it shows the characters being in the lobby to them in the interview room. The music played goes well with the scene as it shows confidence before they enter the room and it goes well with the actions them portray. However when they go into the interview the sound becomes quieter but can still be heard to make it more entertaining and the director has used this to show the that the characters emotions through the interviews and the music coincides with the dialogue as they are speaking in a non-formal manner when having an interview which shows the director creating irony to keep the audience watching more.
Within this extract I am analysing the cinematography and this involves camera shots and camera movement. There are different camera angles used and camera movements for example at the beginning of the extract there is a shot of the two characters sitting on the table eating breakfast and that's a medium shot and this is used to coincide with the setting, so the director can make it as realistic as possible. It then moves on to another medium shot of the father talking to his son, which shows his body movement. At 2:33 of this extract the camera shot of the women walking towards the camera is a medium shot but then moves to a medium shot as she comes closer, then the camera moves to show the two protagonists as they stand up there is a tracking shot following the to the room.
The director might have used this camera movement and shot to keep a main focus on the two characters as they are told to go in and this was before the pan movement was used when the characters were walking past as this was used to emphasis on the characters physical side to make them look superior, which is then followed by a long shot of them walking away. At 2:57 there is a close up on the women to show he facial expressions as they introduce her character, but when the camera moves on to the protagonists there is a medium shot, and this was used because it shows their body language and what they might do next. The camera then becomes a point of view shot when the women is looking to the man and the director has used to show the audience a different perspective, as though the audience is the women so we can identify as to what she is feeling thus allowing a certain involvement of the audience. From 2:56 to 3:39, there is a clear shot reverse shot being used as the camera is moves from one of the characters to the other as this shows that they are talking turns when speaking and it also shows a close up of the women's face because she seems to be expressing more emotional feelings as she gets very frustrated with the men as they keep interupting and telling her to shut up. The director has used this shot allow the audience to be more interacted as the empathises with the female due to the nonsense she is taking and this keeps the audience more focused to keep watching more.
The editing used in this extract starts off with one continuing edit that moves on smoothly, however when it gets to the 2:56 to 5:12 there is a lot of straight cut editing used to make the audience more focused on the characters rather than the editing.
In conclusion from looking at all of the aspects and analysing them in depth it has shown me that when using all the film language, like lighting, sound, cinematography, editing and mise-en-scene they all help create a powerful narrative that allows the audience to stay more focused and watching. It gives it a different element that can be developed to allow the audience to even get involved by using different camera shots and camera movements. The lighting and sound both collectively works together to enhance the audience perception in what they are watching and to keep them more vigilant when using shots like jump shot. The director works closely with all the experts to produce a production that gets the audience wanting to watch more and develops ways to get them all working together smoothly so the audience can't tell when a cut is occurring or when the sound changes, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment