Zero Dark Thirty

Gianluca & Jake

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

The long take in darkness with voice over of people panicking on the phone, connotes chaos. The different voices reflect how many people were affected and it instills fear in you. Which makes the audience panic. The dialogue is of 911 calls , we hear lots of people trying to get help and put their messages across (‘I love you”) which connotes desperation. The use of the blank black shot makes you focus on the voices and it connotes the gravity of the situation, furthermore it makes the audience imagine what's happening.

SHOT 1:

SHOT 2:

This shot is the first visual shot. The light that shines through one little hole in the roof of the room connotes hope and it suggests the resolution of their problems is in reach or in the room where the light shines down.

SHOT 3:

The next shot is a close up of a masked man which connotes a lack of identity and we associate it with violence because we fear the unknown. It also explains what is about to take place. The camera then tracks right and the over the shoulder shot reveals a man with no mask, this connotes that he may be the ‘boss’. No mask connotes that he has no fear of people knowing his identity.

SHOT 4:

The long shot reveals the possible resolution of their problems and it establishes what the situations is and explains why there are masked men. Furthermore the use of shaky cam connotes realism and it makes the audience feel like they are in the room.

SHOT 5:

This next shot is a close up and we would automatically assume that is was a man due to the situation and the stereotypes of men being mentally and physically stronger that women. (Later on in the film we find out that it is a woman) However due to the film not being a Hollywood film, the representations aren’t demonstrated. The shot shows how she is looking, this connotes observation, which is needed to find out information. All eyes are on the prisoners every mood because any bit of information could be vital for their problems.

SHOT 6:

The next close up of the man (possible protagonist) is a very slight low angle shot which allows the audience to see the man looking down on his prisoner which connotes his dominance and authority, furthermore the over the shoulder shot connotes the prisoners inferiority. In addition the low key lighting connotes fear of the unknown and it adds to the effect of creating this horrible interrogation scene.

SHOT 7:

This next shot is another over the shoulder shot of the prisoner which shows his face and his injuries. The wounds connote the violence and determination of the interrogators. However the prisoners face connotes tolerance but also fear, it seems as though he isn't sure whether to tell them what he knows, due to the consequences of both actions, either way something bad will happen.

SHOT 8:

The close up of the prisoner being pushed around shows the violence begin, and it connotes that the interrogators will not tolerate him wasting their time. In addition the shaky cam allows the audience to almost feel the forces of the violent pushing.

SHOT 9:

This close up of the prisoners feet connotes the speed and pace of the interrogators and how they perform things quickly, this adds to the effect of violence and it makes the prisoner seem worthless. The following close up shots also connote intimacy allowing the audience to feel close and as if they are experiencing the situation with their own eyes. The track of the camera allows us to believe this as it connotes a sense of watching. The camera acts as eyes scanning the prisoner.

SHOT 10:

The next few shots consist of close ups with a lot of shaky cam, they reveal the methods of torture and the shaky cam connotes the animalistic acts which contributes to the effect of showing how worthless he is when he doesn’t cooperate with the interrogators. The camera also connotes struggling and captivation, the prisoner reacts to the involuntary movement.

SHOT 11:

This shot is outside of the interrogation room and we see a change in camera type, we now see medium close ups which connote importance and authority, in addition the high key lighting explains to the audience the difference in the environments. This medium close up of the woman shows the audience that she isn't in the male gaze and therefore we can apply Gauntlett’s theory to explain how she has control of her sexuality.

CONNOTATIONS OF EDITING & SOUND• At the beginning of the film we hear non-diegetic distorted dialogue between one person to

another, we assume these are phone calls. As I said previously, the voice over of people panicking on the phone, connotes chaos. The different voices reflect how many people were affected and it instills fear in you. Which makes the audience panic. The dialogue is of 911 calls , we hear lots of people trying to get help and put their messages across (‘I love you”) which connotes desperation. Throughout the rest of the opening sequence we only hear diegetic dialogue and ambient sounds, such as doors closing etc. Having no musical score over the dialogue makes the footage seem more realistic, as in real interrogation footage, there wouldn’t be any post production sound editing.

• Music is usually essential for creating effects and emotion, however it was not needed in this opening sequence as the editing helped towards keeping the audience on their feet and concentrated on what is going on. The shaky cam that tracks and peds to follow the movement of the interrogator and the terrorist connotes realism and it gives the audience the feeling of being in the interrogation room with the terrorist. The camera acts as the terrorists eyes and way in which it jolts around scanning every move of the interrogator, gives this added effect. When the camera looks at the terrorist you are getting the view that the woman gets and you begin to get a feel for what she is experiencing.