Couldn’t find the trailer on youtube, so my analysis may be a bit sketchy.
Opens with the women coming through the door and the light being turned on, “God Bless America” is being played, a non-diegetic sound. Already we know it’s a noire thriller, as its dark and its very suspending.
The women is a stereotypical women, she has curls in her hair, dressed in very womanised clothing, and is wearing pearls, which symbolise as tears, which could be foreseeing what is to come.
The camera follows her around the room, and she then turns on the light, which is the same shade as the women, possible showing that she is the light and is bright and pure.
She then looks at the bed after seeing a hole, and pulls off the covers to reveal a body shape made out by bullet hole, the camera angle is of the perspective of the women, a high angle shot.
Three men then enter, all wearing tweed coats with suits underneath and trilby hats, they all look the same, showing they are from the same group and are all here for the same reason. The camera angle is low down, making the three men seem powerful and strong, also there are three men there to make sure the women doesn’t get away.
She is then shot, after a few moments of horror and fright, the light next to the bed goes out, symbolising the death of the women.
This case study is very weak, I know that, when I can find the opening scene for it, I will improve it.
Essex Boys starts off with a garage which is opened by a young man called Billy. The camera shot is from the back of the garage, a medium shot is used to capture everything that is happening without the need for movement, making it seem more real and "uncut"
The lights are then turned on, after the garage door is opened. The lighting is noire and non-ambient, giving the sense of darkness and danger. Also the sound is diegetic, which is the door being opened and footsteps of Billy, making it seem more isolated and real, putting the audience in with the character, as there isn't anything to stop the mood of the scene affecting the audience. The camera then moves around to follow the young man opening the bonnet of the car, there is then a close up of engine of the car.
The camera then jumps into the car with Billy, there is an over-voice, the voice is of Billy talking about what he would and wouldn’t try, his opening line is "I'll try anything once, me", already making it seem that there will be violence and crime, if the character is willing to try anything once. He then turns on the windscreen wipers and after clearing the muck off the windscreen, we can see Jason, who stands there in an old versace shirt, which is pattered in swirls and flowers, from this shirt, we can see the man is very confident and doesn't care what other people may think. After the camera zooming into Jason's face, for us for see his worn face, it then cuts to Jason’s car being driven down into the Dartford Tunnel, there is a close shot of the rear of the car, and it then slowly drives away, down into the tunnel, into a vanishing point. The tunnel is claustrophobic, dark and long, possible showing what is to come, the tunnel being dark, could be a sign of the unknown outside of the car. The sound is both diegetic and non-diegetic, there is the sound of the car on the road and some hip-hop music playing, the music, in my view, can sometimes be associated with gangsters in New York and then music may reflect the two men in the car making them seem like gangsters and law breakers.
After the car going off into the vanishing point, the camera jumps to a view of Jason in the back of the car, with the camera looking through the side window. Jason has his hands behind his back, showing his confidence and possible his “arrogant-ness”.
Then the camera moves onto the bonnet of the car, with the view of Jason, in the back and Billy driving. The strip lights of the tunnel reflect on the windscreen in bar like shapes next to each other, like prison bars, which shows what could really happen to Billy, showing that life will be full of crime and hatred.
The car then is seen and is driving out of the tunnel, into Essex, we know this because the camera looks towards the county sign with Essex written on it, this moment is important, as it is the real start to the film, as their both in Essex it signs the start of the crime and violence.
The music stops and Jason and Billy are in a van, there is a side view of Jason from Billy’s view point, and Billy’s voice over comes back in, telling us they picked up a van and Jason wants to see an old friend of his, we know this could be wrong, as Jason’s look is isn’t of happiness for seeing a friend, but hatred and revenge, he then gets out of the van with a wooden stick in his right hand, the camera then moves to see Billy inside the cabin of the van in the drivers seat with a emotionless face. They are in a fish market, which may have something to do with the film.
The camera stays in front of Jason as he moves quickly in-between people in a confident way, swaggering his body, there is then a shot of the “old friend” who is going about doing his business. The sound, again, is diegetic, making it seem more real and raw.
One final shot of Jason and of his old friend, before we see Jason hitting his old friend with the wooden stick, this throws the victim into a pile of fish and is then beaten up while a growing amount of people start shouting, this point Jason is swearing his head off towards his old friend, the victim is then pushed towards the van, the camera shot in the view point of Billy. The camera moves, and looks down the side of the van, the view point of the wind mirrors, where Billy is looking from, with the two men at the end, this thin corridor, creates makes it seem claustrophobic, and that there is no escape for the victim and that there is only one way out, with Jason. Jason then throws acid into his victims face and he yells out in pain, he then grabs his leg and throws him into the back of the van. This is the first act of violence for us and Jason since he was released, but Jason doesn’t seem effected by it all, he had a calm look about him before he attacked his old friend and throughout the scene he didn’t get worried about getting caught, showing he doesn’t care about whats happening and will do his business no matter what. The van doors are then closed at the back and it the jumps to the white van driving out from the fish market on an empty road, the camera angle is low down, making the white van seem powerful and large, the van then drives past leaving the camera looking at the market.
The camera then moves onto the bonnet of the car with Billy and Jason in view, Jason looks very calm and not scared or worried about the consequences, Billy, though looks worried and slightly sickened by what he saw. The sound is diegetic and the only sound is the van going over the road, then the man in the back screaming out in pain. Jason looks down at his shirt and notices there is blood on it and seems more worried about his shirt than the man in the back screaming, the camera angle, at this point, is a close up shot from Billys perspective. Jason stares at Billy, possible trying to read his face, to see if he will “grass” him up.
The shot is worms eye, and is of the back of the van, Billy goes around to open it, and after opening the victim comes running out screaming, and Jason then kicks the victim onto the floor, and then says to Billy “come on, let’s go home”. There is then a shot of the white van against the Essex marshes, this shows the isolation that Jason his been going through. The area also seems very primeval, the water comes in daily, erasing all traces of what was there previously, it also reflects Jason, as a character, he is isolated, dangerous and lifeless, which can all be seen in the marshes.
