Film Language

Today's lesson focus was film language which involved Mise En Scene, the way in which films are edited in a specific way to make them flow well and how sound is used. In order to have successful coursework, we must learn about each aspect of film language to create a high quality film opening.

Mise En Scene
 What is put in front of the camera. There are five main elements involved which include:

• Setting/Props
• Costume/Hair/Make Up
• Facial/Body Language
• Lighting/Colour
• Positioning of characters/objects within the frame
  
  Camera Key Words 

• Frame: Extreme Long Shot (ELS), Long Shot (LS), Medium Shot (MS), Close-Up Shot (CUS) and Extreme Close-Up Shot (ECU)
• Camera Angles: Birds-eye view, High Angle, Low Angle, Eye Level and Oblique/Canted Angle
  
  Sound

• Dialogue
• Music - whether it is parallel or contrapuntal
• Diegetic Sound - natural noises
• Non Diegetic Sound - includes music, voice-overs or narration
  
  
  

  Editing

• Transitions
• Order of Narrative - including past, present or future
• The Pace of the Film 
• Special Effects 

Editors put in a lot of effort to use transitions that make the scenes join together seamlessly for the audience. Editing techniques are important because they allow producers to manipulate audiences reactions to the media.

 

Boyz N The Hood Opening Scene

Using what I have learnt today, I will textually analyse the opening sequence of Boys N The Hood by looking at how sound, editing, camera work and mise en scene is used to convey meaning for the audience.

Boyz N The Hood is a crime drama that predominantly revolves around the representation of race. Therefore, it can be assumed that the sound, editing, camera work and mise en scene of the film will work to reinforce notions of racial segregation in America in the 1980's.  

Camera/Sound/Editing Work

• Most of the opening sequence consisted of medium shots. Perhaps this is trying to give us a realistic view on what is going on during the opening scene. However, there are a couple of close up shots of the two children before they get into a fight. Using a close up shot heightens the sense of emotion so this allows the audience to focus more on how the character is feeling.
• The opening sequence automatically begins with foul and racist language. This makes the audience enter the action immediately. However, this could make viewers feel apprehensive to watch the movie since such explicit language is used. Only the sound at the beginning challenged the audiences assumptions on racism, are they black or are they white? There is a lot of diegetic sound used throughout the opening sequence as a whole, especially in the first minute. For instance, the gunfire, screams and revving engine. All these sounds are icons for a crime movie. This rises the intensity for the audience. Since there is only sound in the opening scene and no visual representation, this also reinforces the idea of challenging the audiences assumptions. Can the audience only judge by sound what type of people they are. The opening sequence lacks in non-diegetic sound which suggest that there is a lot of realism in the movie itself. You only hear music when the kids are at the crime scene, which is a build of suspense.
• There are no special effects in the movie, this must mean that the movie is very natural and realistic and that it breaks the suspension of disbelief. Most of the transitions just cut from one camera angle to the other apart from the faded montage of pictures from the crime scene to the classroom. The classroom transition are overlapping photos of some horrific images including a funeral, a police car at a crime scene and a helicopter with a spotlight on the run. It is the only transition used in the opening sequence which suggest that the editors want the audience to specifically pay attention to this part of the film. The images also convey to us that their crime ridden environment has a huge impact on the children's life that it interferes with their education. They also reinforce the violent nature of the opening sequence.

Mise En Scene

• The setting is revealed to us as a suburban neighbourhood set in the 1980's. This implies that crime can happen anywhere to anybody. The blood is also a key prop to a crime drama movie and both genres involve either a murder or a suicide.
• All of the costumes are smart or casual attire for attending school. This reinforces the realism of the movie.
• Most of the characters appear fairly innocent as they are children. However, they are all exposed to content that isn't appropriate for them. For instance, when the younger girl mentions about the gun fire the night before. It appears that they are so use to the face that they live in a crime infested area that they have adapted their lifestyle around it. They also appear very calm but also intrigued when they witness the bullet holes in the side of the building. The only character excluded from this category would be the leading boy. He is presented as a confident, well educated young lad, despite his bad temper. Unfortunately, it is revealed to us that his dad influences and teaches him things that are not appropriate for a young child. Especially that he knows why the blood has turned yellow and where the first dead body was found in Africa.
• Most of the scenes are set in the daylight apart from the beginning when you cannot see anything. This is another way to present the harsh reality of street crime.
• You can mostly see the characters faces in all of the scenes which is a technique used to highlight their importance in the film.

Symbolism and Racial Representation

• The beginning of the opening sequence importantly states that "one out of twenty-one black american will be murdered". This statistic will stand out to the audience since it is theoretically real but it also only refers to the black community. This could imply that they are presented and stereotyped as violent people. This idea is further reinforced when another quote appears on the screen stating "it will most likely be done by another black male". Although segregation should have ended in this period of time, they are still being socially segregated by having them being portrayed in a violet way. It is also typical of the writers to stereotype them as gangsters due to their clothing in the scene where a fight is about to break out when the little boy is walking home from school.
• There are two main symbols in the opening shots. For instance, the 10 second focus on the stop sign after the gang shooting. Perhaps this is a way to portray to the cast and the audience that gang violence must STOP. The younger generation cannot grow up in such a violent society so crime must come to an end. As well as this, there is one key segregation symbol used in the classroom. The teacher is white. The fact that the only white person is a higher figure of authority compared to everybody else in the opening scene suggests that there are still social segregation concerns. The teacher also questions the mother about her education in the last part of the opening scene. This further reinforces the idea that black people are still considered a lower part of society.
• Judging from just the opening sequence, the movie racially challenges the audiences view on street crime. It makes viewers think about whether black people are the only cause of gang violence or not.