conventions of a gangster film
DESCRIPTION
conventionsTRANSCRIPT
Conventionsof a gangster film
By Robert Rowe
conventions(Mob)
themes
lightingcolours
openings
Good vs BadThis is could be mafia vs mafia or mafia vs cops
Rich vs poorthe could again be cop vs mafia
Strong vs WeakOld mafia vs uprising new mafia
Low level lightingThis lighting is used to display a change of in atmosphere when a character of significance becomes present
Spot LightingThis is usually used to show a character's importance
Establishing shots To set the scene of the movie, this is usually urban landscape
Dialogue This could be a conversation between a group of people; this could also be a voice over
Main characterYou are usually introduced to the main character; this character can be present in different forms such as the opening voice over. or we can be introduced to this character using the environment
the colours that are usually associated with these films are quite dark one; these is because they connote negativity and darkness. These might be used to complement a character's personalities
red blackgreydark blue
The departed
In this screen shot we are shown a broken bus window; this is due to a riot which is taken place in this part of the opening scene. This compliments the environment allowing it to connote an
tainted urban environment; this signifies that the population of this city is
corrupted. This is usually associated with a powerful negative influence such as the
mafia
This is an establishing shot of a city that looks to be Miami; this is to signify
to the audience where the movie is gonna be taken placed; giving this cities history of gang violence... It
paints a better picture.
This is a mid shot of the main character; he identity is masked at this point. This is
done by using low level lighting so he looks as if he's a silhouette; this has bad connotations around his personality even before we are properly introduced to him
you could also suggest that this character is quite mysterious but deadly
In this screenshot, the camera shot that has been used is a two shot; this suggest that there's some sort of relationship between these two characters; this is probably a negative one seen as the owner of this
establishment is giving him protection money.
In this screenshot we see a close up of the boys face; we are shown this to see the
emotion of this boy. He seems to be quite scared, this is due to the presents of the main character; his facial expressions
connotes that he doesn't appreciate the presence of of this character... This is
making him very uncomfortable
Scarface
In the open sequence the first thing displayed to the audience is the distribution
company; this connotes to the majority of the audience that this is a potential blockbuster
production. This Is is due to the the reputation of this production company
The director if the movies is also introduced; this is to give an rough idea to the audience
what to expect. Although this could only apply to a small majority if the audience due to the fact
they most like won't know who he is
At this section of the production the historical context is display on a black background with write writing; this indicates that the text is the important
context here... Giving the reader a rough understanding of the context behind the narrative;
enable the to engage more with the film and not get side tracked
This screen shot contains diegetic narrative to support the histrionic content display in the
previous sequence; this dialogue is of course in another language to support the ethnic minority
in this film(Cubans) the characters attire suggest that he is a dictator; the fact that he is doing a
speech supports this
This is a close up of Cuba flag. This is to show that the flag is an item if significance; raising awareness to the audience to what to expect. This could connote war due to its on a military
vessel. The lighting used here is quite high, this is to make the flag more visible and to enhance
the colours
This is a long shot of two boats full of that it seems to be of people; taking all the aspect up until this points the suggestion the come
to mind are immigrants. If you have seen the first attempt at this movie, this aspect would
be significantly care to you from the start
In this screen shot we seen a elderly lazy getting of this crowned board; a track in camera
movement is used to compliment the close up shot. This shows the audience the negative
expression on her face; depression is probably the main conception here. Judging from her attire she
looks as if she a maid.
At this point ibb the movie the title finally appears; this is usually done in many movies to give the audience important content before the actually
production starts, because throwing them straight into the movie can leave people confused. The writing display her is "SCAREFACE" this so in
capital letters to show importance. The red writing connotes blood which links to the name of the film. You could associated this tmwith their being a lot
of killing involed
This is the opening sequence of public enemies, as you can see from the screenshot the scene opens with these characters walking up a set of
stairs; a mid shot is used to display the three characters attire. This also displayed their facial expression which seem to be quite serious. At first we are under the impression that maybe
these group of characters at just business men, but from further observation of camera angles er can see these characters have bad intentions
This screen shot is an establishing shot to set the scene; as we can see here here all the
characters that we have previously seen are now going separate ways; this is seen with fast
pace movement from these characters indicating a significant event is about to take
place. The sound at these point are just diegetic talking from everybody with the firm. There is
also non diegetic music within this scene to build tension
This is an close up of the main characters face; the director has done this to show the
character facial expressions. The expression the is being displayed by the characters is a
one of seriousness; this connotes he is taking the situation of robbing the bank very
seriously. You could say this character is doing this to show confidence as well
Public enemies
This over that shoulder shot has been used to give the a perspective of an accountant
with in this booth; as well as this the item of significance is clear(the money). This low
angles also allows the audience to see this gangster attire and props; his facial
expression is supported quite egger. This shoes the audience that these thieves are in
a hirey before the cops get there. We are also shown the body language of the victim;
from this aspect we can see this character is quite frightened due to being held at
gunpoint
In this screenshot we are shown a close up of another member of this mob squad; his expression is completely contrast to his fellow associates. Having this worried
expression on his face is because of he is keeping watch; this suggest his life is in
danger as well as his companions.
In the shot we are shown the same character again, but due to the wide depth of field he is not
the main subject matter; the fact the he is then out of focus with a reduced amount of lighting
supports this. Here we see the classical them of bad vs good, but because this is a mob films the roles are switched making the authorities the bad
guys
The Godfather
The distribution company is displayed here; this is to give the audience an idea of the budget of this
movie; paramount movies are usually made with a high budget. This company is known for producing a number of blockbuster films. There is non diegetic music playing her; the type of music boring played
is usually the music you associated with Italians; so violins etc
The music is still continuously playing as the title of the movie is seen with a fade in
transition. As we can see from the font type the director has chosen it is the traditional font usually associated with the mob. Using the
effect of puppet strings above the godfathers name suggest he has control. The directors
name is Also introduced here
This is an close up of an mans face; from his diegetic dialogue we can see that he is telling a strong to somebody, but we don't know who yet. The expression on his face suggest that
he is very upset about something; this technique is used by the director to make the
story more engaging for the audience, he wants us to empathise with this character
This is an over the shoulder shot of an mysterious character; by making this character look almost as a silhouette suggest that he has
a high level of importance. At this point the other characters body language suggests he's looking for sympathy from the don't; by using
this shot we are able to see what this character is wear; by wearing a suit can suggest he's
quite a sophisticated business man
This close up reveals the character to the audience, and as we can see it is the son. He is following the traditional representation of me by having that bold facial expressions; he looks almost disgusted with what he is hearing. At this point our opinion of this character is still being built due to the continuous
dialogue. We are also shown this character attire; he is wearing a tuxedo with a bow tie. From this we can
tell that he is quite wealthy