Oceans Thirteen
Establishing Narrative;
The opening sequence instantly conforms to the crime genre, with props such as balaclavas and settings such as vaults. The male after rappelling into the store, proceeds to take a mechanical gadget and place onto the vault door; the gadget shows the intended target audience as a 20-30 year old male as gadgets appeal to that age range and gender. The gadget allows him to see through the door into the vault, this shows that the goal of the crime is wealth, this conforms to the genre. Diagetic sound of a phone ringing can be heard, and the male answers the phone. The ringtone of his phone is an up-beat tone usually associated with the standard sounds you get with a new phone, this adds a comical element to the scene. Dialogue is exchanged and the male leaves the rest of the men with dialogue stating 'gotta go'. This challanges a convention of the character; being part of a team, and committed, this could imply that this isn't the real team which the story is based around. Non-diegetic sound of a strong, loud beat begins to play as the character leaves the room, the other males lean over and watch him leave. There is a straight cut to an airport at night time in which the character walks across to a small jet, usually associated with private jets for wealthy individuals. This shows that the character lives the high life and is quite wealthy. The non-diegetic sound picks up and begins to play casino jazz. This conforms to the genre of a crime-heist film. Inside the plain is another man and the two of them begin to chat immediately as if they know each other. After lines of dialogue exchanged, there is a straight cut to a long shot of the sun through the plain window. This shows there is a time change, and as the camera pans down to an extreme long-shot of the Vegas strip. Las Vegas is 'The Home of Gambling' and sets an enigma in the audiences mind of, why are they in Las Vegas?
Establishing Character;
The character rappells from the roof into shot, central to the camera amongst toy shelves. The character is wearing dark clothing with a balaclava and black leather gloves. This gives connotations of the darker side of life, mystery and crime. The tracking shot indicates that he is the main character of the scene, keeping him close and central emphasises his importance. He walks confidently and with a quick pace. As he enters a room in the back, identified as the room next to the vault indicated by the door, the character begins to pin a gadget to the door, the sudden action indicates that he knows what he is doing and belongs amongst the other males now in shot wearing similar clothing. As the story progresses, the character pulled off his balaclava to reveal a good looking, male, blonde man (Bradd Pitt). The seriousness on his face shows he means business. As the next scene comes into shot through a straight cut, the same male walks confidently across an airport runway to a private jet. He is wearing a beige suit, black shirt and no tie, carrying a brown leather bag over his shoulder and a coffee stretched out in his hand. The fact he is wearing no tie, takes the seriousness of the suit away from the character. The coffee stretched out indicates that the character is fond of his appearance and does not want to spoil his image by spilling his coffee on him. This also shows he is a careful and appreciative man, because he doesnt want to ruin his suit even though judging by the connotations of wealth he could afford another one easily. The private jet is a clear indication that this character is a wealthy man, that lives the high life with the most classy commodities around. This character is well spoken and comes across as an educated man. This shows that the more sophisticated crime is more suited to him.
Establishing Setting;
The film begins with a long shot of shelves in a toy store, the character enters from the roof. The low key lighting and silence adds tension to the scene, this also sets an enigma in the audiences mind. The Toy store is empty and no lights are on, from this and the costume, the audience can instantly extract that the character should not be there and the store is closed. The camera follows him through the shop with a tracking shot, into a room which contains a vault door. The team of men in dark clothes and balaclavas, along with the gadget placed on the vault door, establish clearly that the goal is the vault. After the phone call, the scene cuts to an airport at night time, the tracking pan shot establishes that the character is on the runway heading toward the private jet. As the scene cuts to a long-shot at the sun with the aeroplane window still in shot, the camera pans down to an extreme long-shot of the Vegas strip, clearly identifyable by the MGM Grand and the Luxor hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment