Miss Thrasher's Homework

We analysed a shot sequence from Sin City to see what each different shot is showing us and the effect it has on the audience. When looking at the shots i noticed that they all varied in distances and angles to keep the audience hooked as it is interesting to watch and so it gradually revealed different things rather than doing it all at once so the audience had to continue watching to work out what was happening. The different shots are done to each show off different emotions, actions and introduce new characters to the scene gradually as to not confuse the audience but yet still create an enigma.

Shot 1

Low key lighting, medium close up, high angle, gun pointing slightly to the left of camera, white male looking at someone off camera to the left, holding his ear, central in shot, lying on wooden flooring, black coat and tie- signifies he is evil, a gangster, mysterious, smart. It introduces the audience to this character. We don't know who he is, where he is or what he has done but from this shot we know enough to know that this man is about to try and shoot someone and is lying on the floor somewhere. However it doesn't give too much information away that we do not feel the need to watch on. It creates an enigma. The framing is close enough to show his emotions but yet we still get to see his actions which are very significant in the shot and a big focal point.

Shot 2

High angle, low key lighting, extreme long shot, man shooting the man lying on the floor, characters are central in frame, cannot see the man shooting the man's face-creates an enigma and gives a sense of mystery, both wearing dark clothing-shows they are evil and trying to stay unnoticed, night time- signifies that it is something scary and frightening, on a dock with water around them, water looks murky- looks creepy and eery and dangerous, man standing is overpowering man lying on the floor - signifies he is more dominant and menacing, splatter of blood on the left of the man lying on the ground- it shows violence and death. This shot is an establishing shot. It has introduced the audience to the other character relevant to make us understand the shot before and has shown us part of the setting so that the audience now know that its on a dock. The main focal point of this shot is the man standing as he seems more in control. It makes the audience think that he is more important to the story than the man being shot at on the ground.

Shot 3

Extreme long shot, low key lighting, profile shot, slightly low angle- makes the man standing seem as big as the surrounding buildings- disturbing and terrifying, white male standing over someone- makes him seem big and powerful, man shooting down at man lying down, trench coat of man standing billowing in the wind- creates a sense of power and sublimity, dressed in dark clothing- trying to blend in with surroundings and signify evil and gangsters, figure sitting down in the left of frame in the foreground, night time- scary and deadly, the men are in the centre of the shot, buildings frame the left of shot, can see clearly that its a dock now due to rope poles and the fact it is jutting out further than the buildings on the left, can see scenery in background, scene seems deserted apart from the two men and figure- seems scary and eery and creates tension and suspense. It is a establishing shot. We can now see the setting more clearly so we get the jist of where they are. Also we are being slowly introduced to the male standing up as the shot sequence has taken the audience from not seeing him at all, to seeing the back of him, to seeing the side of him. The fact we are being so slowly introduced to him makes us think plays a very big part in the story and it makes him seem slightly mysterious. The figure to the left of the shot has also been introduced but only so we can see her outline. It creates an enigma as we want to find out who it is and the reason for them being there.

Shot 4

Extreme long shot, low key lighting, profile shot, white male standing over man lying on the ground, white male in long black trench coat watching from behind- seems mysterious and eery, all 3 men and the figure are central in the shot, man lying down is struggling- seems powerless and insignificant, man standing over him is looking down at him- makes him seem superior. It is another establishing shot. We are introduced to another character just by the camera zooming out slightly. Also by doing this they have bought the figure into a more central place in the shot showing it plays an important role in the scene and action too. As it is still a profile shot it still gives us a sense of ambiguity as you cannot see the characters faces but you can see enough of them from their actions and positioning to know roughly what is happening and what roles they play in the scene.

Shot 5

Close up, low key lighting, slightly high angle, a young white female crying - angelic and innocent, background is blurred and unfocused - slightly disorientating, looking off the camera to the right, long brown hair, central in shot. An establishing shot. We are introduced to another character in the scene. The tight framing shows the audience her expression showing us that her emotions are important in the scene. We are made to think that whatever is making her cry must be what she is looking at off camera. It connotes that it must be something terrifying and awful which frightens the audience. Her innocence is a contrast to the violence happening in the other shots. We are made to come to our on conclusion that this is the mysterious figure from the earlier shots.

Shot 6

Long shot, low key lighting, slightly low angle- makes man standing look bigger than the surrounding buildings - shocking and powerful, profile shot, characters are central in the shot, man standing over a man lying down- signifies superiority and greatness, man standing seems huge in comparison to everyone else in the shot- shows he is monstrous and dominating, ship rope poles in foreground- make it seem as if they are being spied upon, man dressed all in black is in the background watching the action- seems like an onlooker and a fairly minor character although the dark clothing makes him still seem frightening and menacing and creepy, girl is in the background- shows that man standing over other man is much more important to the understanding of the scene and makes the audience focus more on him, buildings and cloudy sky framing the shot. The way the shot is laid out creates a sense of mystery to the audience. We are still not introduced to the dominant male from the front therefore creating an enigma and the other man dressed all in black seems fairly mysterious and we never get to see him close up or the reason for his presence. The way the poles have been placed in the foreground also places the audience into the scene as it seems as if we are watching inside the scene from behind the poles. It makes it more scary and exciting for us and grips us more to the action. It has left us on a cliff-hanger enticing us into wanting to watch on and find out exactly what is going on.