Although our presentation was effective and of a high grade, we could have made the presentation better by incorporating a comparison with another movie of similar or same categorized genre or even an opening of a completely different genre film, to use in contrast.
an example of a film we could have used to contrast Dredd with would be the first film of the divergent series.
Displayed above, is the opening two minutes for the film divergent. it begins with an establishing shot very similar to the opening shot for Dredd with a large mass of derelict land separated by a wall...however this wall is not as simplistic as the concrete wall in dredd- it seems almost like a three dimensional electric fence. having this instead of a typical concrete wall hints there is more than what meets the eye and divergent possibly has a more confusing plot or enigma within its basis. Also, the non-diegetic sound in the background is very similar to that of dredd- however in Dredd we hear the diegetic sound of the wind through the land mass however in divergent we hear human made noises- almost like a faint humming as we pan up the wall. this is also an effective contrast as in our analysis for Dredd we saw close up shots and aerial shots being used to see over the wall empathizing its height however here we use panning as we travel almost up the wall which is too ,effective to show its authority and importance in the society divergent is set in.
having establishing and master shots showing the location of the setting for divergent is effective because the ideology of a city being engulfed by un used land is very atypical- so when we see this in the opening we automatically place both films into the futuristic and possibly dystopian categorization as the opening of the film continues our protagonist states 'they built the wall to keep us safe' creating firstly- a dramatic and tenacious attitude to watching more of the film, and secondly it enables us to question whether the wall is really to protect or separate? to confine or contain?
In divergent, the opening differs with the setting of the film not reinforced by the narrative like in Dredd- instead simplistic titling of 'Chicago' tells us where the camera is panning into. Also. much like our opening for Dredd....there is many high angle and aerial shots looking down upon masses of abandoned buildings- even car parks just like we saw in Dredd. however- one of the main differences i found between both film openings was that in dredd, the only hint we receive of human life within the dwellings is a point of view shot through Dredds mask where even here, human faces are blurred hiding their identities and not allowing close up shots to view emotions or mid shots to frame body language...the characters in Dredd are not associated with their surroundings very much- the only time is when rioting is happening or disruptive activities however in divergent we see the immediate relation of human life with the degraded surroundings in ruins looking almost normal. for the audience this is a complete juxtaposition of objects...we wouldn't think that human life would thrive under such challenging conditions however everything we see in the beginning of divergent is positive- everyone is helping their community and doing their part in different 'factions' unlike in Dredd where an ultimate judge is needed to sort out the rebellious citizens of an un-organised city.
mid shots used in divergent are often used to show people walking- this shows their productivity and movement- possibly movement forwards in advancements in technology and scientific research, advancements in population advancements in time.....the advance in science is reinforced when it links to an extreme close up of an eye looking through a microscope- suggesting that scientific research is being undertaken and once again- everyone is doing their part for society. the eye through the microscope would connote knowledge- and knowledge is power.
there are many tracking shots used from a medium angle to follow citizens of the varied fractions and the camera continues,without cutting, to follow onto the next scene. this is effective because it links everyone together- in comparison to Dredd which doesn't link any human life with the surroundings. also, in divergent a two shot is used with two of the characters from the agricultural fraction. this is effective alongside the narrative which at that time states 'kindness and harmony' because it represents how people are working together, helping each other, there is a sense of complete positivity...however in dredd there are no two shots we only see Dredd alone- creating this idea that possibly he is fighting or standing up for what is right on his own, that maybe his side is the villainous side, that his judgement is questioned.
one of the prominent links i analysed was the brief shot of a judge banging his gavel in the opening for divergent. this is because this was an extreme close up and very symbolic to the fraction that was filmed. the surroundings behind the shot of the gavel are white- connoting purity and goodness. the symbol for this fraction is even a pair of scales- connoting that judgement is fair, the odds are weighed up, everything goes accordingly to plan. in dramatic contrast- in judge dredd the mise en scene as well as the lighting is very dark. we know our main character judge dredd wants some kind of authority and rule- but from the dark surroundings and havoc in the city we guess that this power is not as pure or fair or abided by as the rules in Divergent.
one of the final shots in the opening for divergent is a tracking shot- tracking the runners from 'dantlas' as they sprint forwards. they are in clad, military style dark costume just like the mise en scene choices in dredd however these runners unlike dredd who stands alone are being followed by children, looked up to, respected...they don't need bulletproof armor like we see in the close up shots of dredd nor do they need specialist helmets...this indicates these youngsters are more pure, less disguised, less of an undisclosed enigma like dredd...less to hide from. we even see these members from dontlas being looked up upon from a low angle shot, empathize their power as they climb up towering buildings in contrast to Dredd who hasn't yet associated with the outside world and its ginormous buildings.
in the opening for divergent, we don't receive any indication of a fatal flaw in society until the end where the narrative voice states she doesn't know where she belongs...however in Dredd we are reminded of negativity and flaws in society the entire way through the opening two minutes. This suggests that although full-packed action thriller Dredd may be a typical action movie of cyclic plot twists and occurrences....sometimes things that are hidden or undisclosed under the surface create more of an enigma for the audience, and more tension to see a film like divergent when we are completely left in the dark about what the problem with society.
No comments:
Post a Comment