'Death Sentence' 'James Wan' '2007'
The Film ‘Death Sentence’ is a thriller/horror. This is one of many horrors that include a murder, also being of slight psychological status. The opening sequence doesn't give away the expectations of a horror genre, but instead shows the audience a home video of a young family at Christmas with the titles. The video begins to show hobbies of the children with one child being more involved with his mother painting and the elder child being into sport playing with his father. It fades into more home video, but this time the children are teenagers, all laughing connoting the close relationship between their family. This opening is an enigma as it isn't under the horror genre but you want to find out how it ties in with the rest of the film. The video goes into an office party, then fades to the office at which Nick works. A leading line is involved with a fellow worker walk into his office. Nick Hume is sitting there with a suit on and glasses. This connotes intelligence and high authority, with people coming to see him in his office. “You’re the one with the perfect kids” is a line of dialogue which sets off the change of scene to home where his two kids are fighting. The iconography and mise-en-scene in the house shows the woman cooking whilst the man comes home from work. There are typical family photos on the wall and open spaced rooms, typical of the wealthier American home. Nick only seems to talk about sport to his eldest son and the camera shows the youngest son’s reaction to his father. This tells the audience that relationship between these two could be closer. This is also evident when the father goes to see his eldest son play hockey instead of his youngest play soccer. There is CU shots in the car on the way back from hockey using the rule of thirds, so each character is never in the centre of the screen. The light shines through the front of the windscreen highlighting their faces. The camera changes to see two American muscle cars accelerating, then a CU of the car hood shows decal, showing that they are gang cars. Going back to Nick’s car the camera peds down to see his lights flashing signalling to the gang cars as they have no lights on. The camera shows the father talking with the window behind him as the two American muscle cars come speeding past him to box him in. The camera begins to shake a little bit to connote urgency as he starts to brake. Then a POV shot is used to see the two cars turn off the main road. After another CU of the dashboard with the fuel level low sign flashing, a high angle shot is used to see the car turning into the gas station. The same shot used as before, probably meaning they attached a camera onto the side of the car looking in, shows an ‘out of order’ sign through his window on a gas pump. There is a long shot of the gas station to show a homeless woman in the foreground, with what seems to be shown as her trolley of belongings, picking rubbish out of a bin. This connotes that the area isn’t very wealthy. Nick begins to talk on the phone as the rule of thirds is used again to show his son in the background getting a drink through the shop window. Unfortunately, there is an ironic line of dialogue as Nick says “course, we may never see our son again” as he is talking to his wife about his eldest going to Canada for a Hockey scholarship.They break the 180 rule by shooting from behind Nick to see a dark alley in front of him, where more homeless people behind a fence, another POV shot is used to see Nick look at the homeless women across the street with her trolley. The American gang cars appear from behind Nick, where camera changes to a shot of gang members getting out of the cars with balaclavas on. A steadicam being purposely shaken with non-diegetic music is used to build the tension and urgency. A steadicam is also used in the shop spinning round quickly to see the whole action. A CU is used to see the son’s reaction on his face when a gun is pointed at him. The shots change quickly and once again the 180 rule is broken. The iconography in the garage shows little stock on the walls with very little space to move, so once again reinforcing the idea that this area isn’t wealthy. A POV shot from father is used to see murder through the window. Going back to Nick, the CU shows shock and horror on his face with slight tracking in. Also more non-diegetic music is used to show the process of thought. A handicam is used following the father as he stumbles, then quick shots of a fight makes it seem more intense. Another POV shot is used to see Nick look at the gang member’s face when he rips off his balaclava. Once again another POV shot is used when Nick stumbles into the shop and sees his son on the floor. Sound effects of blood gargling would have been added in at post production.
The Film ‘Death Sentence’ is a thriller/horror. This is one of many horrors that include a murder, also being of slight psychological status. The opening sequence doesn't give away the expectations of a horror genre, but instead shows the audience a home video of a young family at Christmas with the titles. The video begins to show hobbies of the children with one child being more involved with his mother painting and the elder child being into sport playing with his father. It fades into more home video, but this time the children are teenagers, all laughing connoting the close relationship between their family. This opening is an enigma as it isn't under the horror genre but you want to find out how it ties in with the rest of the film. The video goes into an office party, then fades to the office at which Nick works. A leading line is involved with a fellow worker walk into his office. Nick Hume is sitting there with a suit on and glasses. This connotes intelligence and high authority, with people coming to see him in his office. “You’re the one with the perfect kids” is a line of dialogue which sets off the change of scene to home where his two kids are fighting. The iconography and mise-en-scene in the house shows the woman cooking whilst the man comes home from work. There are typical family photos on the wall and open spaced rooms, typical of the wealthier American home. Nick only seems to talk about sport to his eldest son and the camera shows the youngest son’s reaction to his father. This tells the audience that relationship between these two could be closer. This is also evident when the father goes to see his eldest son play hockey instead of his youngest play soccer. There is CU shots in the car on the way back from hockey using the rule of thirds, so each character is never in the centre of the screen. The light shines through the front of the windscreen highlighting their faces. The camera changes to see two American muscle cars accelerating, then a CU of the car hood shows decal, showing that they are gang cars. Going back to Nick’s car the camera peds down to see his lights flashing signalling to the gang cars as they have no lights on. The camera shows the father talking with the window behind him as the two American muscle cars come speeding past him to box him in. The camera begins to shake a little bit to connote urgency as he starts to brake. Then a POV shot is used to see the two cars turn off the main road. After another CU of the dashboard with the fuel level low sign flashing, a high angle shot is used to see the car turning into the gas station. The same shot used as before, probably meaning they attached a camera onto the side of the car looking in, shows an ‘out of order’ sign through his window on a gas pump. There is a long shot of the gas station to show a homeless woman in the foreground, with what seems to be shown as her trolley of belongings, picking rubbish out of a bin. This connotes that the area isn’t very wealthy. Nick begins to talk on the phone as the rule of thirds is used again to show his son in the background getting a drink through the shop window. Unfortunately, there is an ironic line of dialogue as Nick says “course, we may never see our son again” as he is talking to his wife about his eldest going to Canada for a Hockey scholarship.They break the 180 rule by shooting from behind Nick to see a dark alley in front of him, where more homeless people behind a fence, another POV shot is used to see Nick look at the homeless women across the street with her trolley. The American gang cars appear from behind Nick, where camera changes to a shot of gang members getting out of the cars with balaclavas on. A steadicam being purposely shaken with non-diegetic music is used to build the tension and urgency. A steadicam is also used in the shop spinning round quickly to see the whole action. A CU is used to see the son’s reaction on his face when a gun is pointed at him. The shots change quickly and once again the 180 rule is broken. The iconography in the garage shows little stock on the walls with very little space to move, so once again reinforcing the idea that this area isn’t wealthy. A POV shot from father is used to see murder through the window. Going back to Nick, the CU shows shock and horror on his face with slight tracking in. Also more non-diegetic music is used to show the process of thought. A handicam is used following the father as he stumbles, then quick shots of a fight makes it seem more intense. Another POV shot is used to see Nick look at the gang member’s face when he rips off his balaclava. Once again another POV shot is used when Nick stumbles into the shop and sees his son on the floor. Sound effects of blood gargling would have been added in at post production.
The ideological discourse of this film is challenging the typical American family, by getting the father involved with a gang from a different lower class neighbourhood. It also shows the father being the money earner, with the mother as a housewife.
The gang is represented as tough people who owe money to a hierarchy, doing petty jobs to make it. They are shown to be a lower class than the family who live their lives as law abiding citizens.
1 comment:
Tom - again great technical analysis but it is incomplete - you need the macro analysis; representation, ideological discourse (reinforcing values of the nuclear family, role of father/mother etc).
MEET DEADLINES... come on
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