Conventions Of A Gangster Film…

PK – AS Media Studies – Task 2

What makes a gangster film a gangster film?

• Organised crime• Weapons/Guns

• Drugs – Cocaine, Heroin, Ecstasy• Big family/broken family/Italian family

• Men acting tough• Violence at every corner

• Blood/killing• Car chases

• Foreign – Immigrants working their way up

A lot of the time there is a particular person or persons wanting to become as rich and powerful as possible, and will do as much and

whatever they can to get that. They most probably start from the very bottom, low key crime, and then work their way up to big drug deals

and so on. Their may even be someone more powerful that helps them into the game. The main people are normally close friends/group or a big family. There is always bloody and violent scenes in the films and

also car chases and police shoot outs. The costumes are normally suits or other smart clothing and sometimes bowler hats and long coats.

Scarface Opening Analysis…In the opening of Scarface there is a lot of ideas of mise en scene. The immigrants are wearing scruffy clothes that you would normally see in that day and age and the gangsters are wearing the usual suits or long coats and bowler hats. They use different props for different characters, the police officers or soldiers all have guns and bags and some of them have speaker phones as well. The immigrants all have suitcases or bags because they need their belongings for their new life. The setting is at see and on boats because it is showing the immigrants arriving in the us.

There is different uses of different types of sound. There is non-diegetic music that’s starts from the opening titles and carries on throughout the opening. After the titles finish and the scene starts there is some diegetic sound of boats and people shouting that go with what we see in the scene and this is over the top of the non-diegetic sound/music. When the films kicks in/the opening finishes, the non-diegetic music increases in volume to start the main narrative of the film.

There is a bit of editing in the opening, for example the titles are put in that say things like “A Martin Bregman Production” and these are all in black background with red text. The footage itself is mainly edited using quick cuts to different angles of the scene of a different scene.

There is a range of different shot types and camera movements in the opening. Mid-shots, long-shots and establishing shots are used to show people. Movements such as tracks, zooms, crab movements and pan across are used when filming the boats and people that are moving around so need a camera movement to follow them/stay with them.

Close Up – Showing emotionCamera Pan Across

Props – Guns and SpeakerphoneCostume – scruffy clothes and army outfit

Prop – Flag + Pan Across

Editing – titles in black and red

The Godfather Opening Analysis…

In the godfather opening, there s a lot of uses of mise en scene. The characters costumes are smart; suits or long coats and hats. The lighting is low level which links in with the scene because gangsters do dark/bad work so the dark room helps create that atmosphere. They use props like glasses with drink in them and also weapons. These weapons help portray the fact that they are gangsters. The set is a small office/study to show that the things they are talking about need to be away from people and kept private.

For the opening credits there is non-diegetic music to go with the titles about the producers and actors. When the actual scene starts the music stops and there is just diegetic sound of the men talking, the glasses on the table and the cat purring/meowing.

There is editing in the scene, like the titles that have been put in to tell the audience who is in the film and so on. These titles are a black background with white text. This looks smart and also links with the film because they all dress smart. The scenes are edited using fades and cuts.

There is different uses of camera shots and movements in the opening. For example, zooms and pan across movements are used to follow characters or get a closer view of there facial expressions. There is use of mid shots and close ups to get closer up to the character and see there reactions or facial expressions.

Titles – Black and White

Close up

Zoom out from close up to mid shot

Over the shoulder shotLighting – low level in a small room

Prop – Glass of drink

Costume - Suits

Goodfellas Opening Analysis…

The opening of Goodfellas uses a lot of ideas on mise en scene. The costumes of the characters are smart suits or coats. They uses props like guns, knifes and keys. The guns and knifes link in with the fact that they are gangsters. The lighting in the scene is dark like other openings. This dark lighting helps create the atmosphere of a bad thing that is going to happen. The setting is in a car/on a road at first and then it is on the side of the road where most of it happens. There isn't many people around which again links in with the fact that they are gangsters and go to remote places to do their dirty work.

There is different uses if sound types, firstly when the opening titles of actors names and directors are coming up there is use of non-diegetic sounds. When the titles finish and the scene starts there is diegetic noise/sound of cars driving and then the gangsters speaking in the car. There is also sounds like a gun shot and tyre bursting that were probably enhanced to sound louder. There is a voice over towards the end of the opening which gives the audience a bit of information to help them understand the scene.

There is a bit of editing like putting in the titles like “Warner Brothers Film” which is a black background with white text. Also quick cuts between outside the car and inside, and a camera track when the gangsters walk around to the back of the car to open the boot.

There is a variety of camera shots including close up and mid-shots of the gangsters when they are driving and also the man dead in the boot. There s also a long-shot/establishing shot to show the gangsters when they get out of the car and show roughly the kind of place they are at. There is a extreme close up of the gun because it is an object of significance in the scene. There is a pan across/track camera movement that follows the gangsters when they walk around.

Titles – Black and White Camera track/follow

Mid shot/two shot

Establishing/long shotCamera track as they walk Zoom in on boot

Long shot + props – gun, spadeCostume – suits/ blazers

Object of significance - gun Freeze-frame for voice

over

Gangster Squad Opening Analysis…

The Gangster Squad opening features a lot of ideas on mise en scene. Firstly the characters use props such as guns to help with the gangster look. The costume at the beginning is boxing gear but then smart suits or dinner jackets and coats. Also bowler hats when they are trying to keep a low profile. The lighting in the scene is dark which helps create an atmosphere of bad things. It tells the audience that the people in the scene are bad or something bad is going to happen, like pathetic fallacy. The set is mainly in the city in a remote area so the gangsters can do bad things and get away with it. There is different types of sound within the opening such as non-diegetic music that is intense to go with the scene where killing is happening, then there is cheerful music when it cuts to a different day and nothing bad is happening. There is diegetic sounds of dogs howling and the gangsters speaking to each other. There is also diegetic sounds of car engines and chains rattling to go with what we see in the scene.

There is editing in the scene like all the titles saying things like “A Warner Brothers Production” . There is a flicker from the titles that then goes into the start of the film which is good because it keeps the film flowing.

There is camera effects like slow motion to build suspense or allow sounds to be heard more clearly. Also there is a range of shots like mid-shots and close-ups on the characters so we can see there expressions or action more clearly.

Slow motion opening

Mid shot + costumesTitle/company in white black

Setting - The City Over the shoulder shot Mid shot/close up +

costume

Props - guns Track out as explosion happens

Titles – Black and white