Micro elements essay final draft

Micro analysis Of A Film Sequence Essay

This essay will be analysing the film Inception. The film is directed by Christopher Nolan; it was released July 8^th 2010. The film is about the main male character Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. The clip is the dream-collapsing scene. The clip is 3:48 minutes long, this occurs near the beginning of the film. This essay will analyse how the micro-elements of sound and mise-en-scene create audience response and meaning.

The first micro-element that will be analysed is mise-en-scene. The clip is set in a Chinese Temple and then a hotel room. The fast change from one scene to another allows the audience to understand the characters are in dream state. The Chinese Temple allows the audience to understand the character of Arthur’s heritage.

The temple has patterns and colours on the Temple walls in the beginning of this scene. The walls are a green colour and they have patterns of trees and dragons. The trees create meaning to the audience that people may begin to grow during the film. The dragons in the patterns warn the audience that there are aspects of danger in the dream. The aspects of the trees and dragons on the walls create the meaning to the audience that the theme of this clip is good vs. evil or the turmoil a character goes through to be able to grow into the character they are at the end of the entire film. These aspects of the Chinese or Japanese culture show to the audience that the temple they are in may have some sort of relation to the person who’s dream they are in.

A significant prop used in the clip is the envelopes, the two envelopes are both a gold-copper colour, one contains blank paper and the other contains the confidential documents. This shows that it acting as a decoy communicating to the audience the deviant nature of the characters within the film or creating the meaning of urgency for the character to get the envelope and the information it holds. The significance of the envelope within the film is to show the audience that Cobb is unable to find the most important information in the second envelope. The fact that audience do not know what is in each envelope creates a reaction of suspense, as they wonder which envelope will be chosen.

Another prop that is used within this scene are the guns that are used by the guards in the temple, Cobb and Mal. These guns are all used as methods of threat, inducing pain, or a method of death to wake Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) up. Each gun is a different size, which symbolises to the audience the level of power each character has within this scene. The guards all carry small handguns compared to Mal and Cobb, Cobb holds the largest gun, showing the audience that he is the most dominant character. Every gun that appears in the scene is black showing to the audience that they all have dark, unforgiving purposes with the intention to either kill or harm an individual.

The statues of oriental soldiers in the temple, helping the audience to understand where the dream is set, also leading them to question why has the person’s mind they are in transported them to the place and what significance does it hold to the film. A figurine falls completely blocking Cobb’s route, this helps the audience to recognise the structure the narrative of the film. The figurines all fall as if they have a job they must do when they fall. The figurines look like dark menacing figures that have a purpose, to the audience the purpose of the figurines are to stop Cobb from getting the confidential information that the envelope contains.

The bathroom is dirty, grimy and looks very run down. The audience would gather from this that the area is very run down and poor, the audience would respond to this as they would wonder why they are there and why Cobb has been pushed into a bath in order to be woken up from his dream. Another prop that is used within the scene is the bath. The bath is full of water, when Cobb hits the water, it looks very still and cold, this creates the meaning to the audience that the stillness of the water is going to be disturbed, the coldness of the water is also shown through the colours of the walls surrounding the bath, this is because the walls are a very icy blue colour and blue carries the connotation’s of being cold and unpleasant.

At the start of the clip the non - diegetic sound of a quiet, low rumble builds suspense, making the audience feel tense, and full of suspicion about what is going to happen during the scene. The low rumble changes into a very quiet, almost unaudioable orchestral sound, which begins to get gradually louder, as Mal and Cobb begin to converse. The sound builds to a crescendo, enabling the audience to predict the narrative, which their conversation is going to result in a negative or unappealing way.

The diegetic sound of gunshots is extremely loud, allowing the audience to feel as if they are in the film. Each gunshot sounds different. The guard’s gunshots all sound the same, very rapid allowing the audience to understand that they have a target in mind. Whereas, the sound of Cobb’s gunshot is singular and louder than the guards; signifying Cobb’s dominance.

The diegetic sounds of shouts from the guards make the audience feel as if they are the ones that need to run because they are being chased by the guards. Another diegetic sound that is used throughout this clip is the sound of the statues falling, the windows and display cabinets smashing and breaking. These sounds create an intense atmosphere for the audience, allowing them to feel part of the chaos.

Cobb is pushed in the bath the sound of him falling becomes non – diegetic, the non - diegetic sound continues whilst Cobb is under the water. The sound becomes a very slow beat allowing the audience to understand that he cannot hear anything that was happening. This also makes the audience feel as if they are also under water, as the sound drowns out any other noise that is used in this scene. 

During the dream, the diegetic sound of the water creaks as it gushes into the temple. This is showing the audience the sheer amount of water that is going into the dream; it also creates the feeling that the water is also coming in around the audience. When Cobb comes up from the water the sound once again becomes diegetic. The diegetic sound of Cobb’s heavy gasping for air adds an element of drama to the scene.

The diegetic sounds of the characters begin wrestling on the floor; from this the sound is diegetic, using the sounds of moaning and groaning. This shows the audience the pure hatred the three characters have towards Saito. The diegetic sounds of angry shouting coming from outside in the street.  This makes the audience split their attention between what is going on in the scene and their thoughts about what is going on outside the room and what they can’t see. This makes the audience respond and look around and wonder what is happening, as they can hear angry shouting coming from somewhere and they don’t know where, this will make them feel intrigued about what is going to happen next in this film.

In conclusion, within this film clip the prominent micro elements that are used are mise en scene and sound. Sound is used within this clip to create drama and atmosphere, allowing the audience to respond and at times predict the narrative. Mise en scene is used to make a distinction between reality and dream state. Finally, the use of the props allows the audience to differentiate between the characters, helping them to discover the personalities and the characteristics of each individual character shown in the clip.

Bullet Boy Gender Representations

Beverly 

Beverly is Ricky's mum, she does not follow the typical stereotype of a single mum, she isn't a weak and timid. She is represented as being a strong, powerful woman, who in poor, trying times is still trying to make the best of the situation she is in. She is not sympathetic towards Ricky, this is because when Curtis shoots Rio, Beverly blames Ricky and tells him to move out. Beverly also shows some sign of weakness during the scene when they are in the church, and she goes to Leon and breaks down about what is happening with her sons, it is almost she feels like she's losing both her sons, both physically and mentally. 

Shea 

Shea is Ricky's girlfriend, she does not follow the general stereotype of a woman, she isn't weak or dominated by males. She is represented as being a strong and independent woman who in trying times still manages to cope with Ricky's crimes. She is more sympathetic towards Ricky, however she was never really impressed with Ricky still being involved with crimes. However, in the end of the film Shea breaks down and won't let Ricky in her house because she appears to of lost patience with Ricky being constantly involved in crime, she may also have lost patience in herself because she has not been able to change his ways.

Ricky 

Ricky is the main focus of the film, he is represented as the traditional male, always being in control and being independent, or being involved in aspects of crime. However, Ricky is also tied into a loyalty with Wisdom who constantly brings up the fact that Ricky owes him. He gets dragged into violence through the debt he owes to Wisdom which ultimately leads to his death. Ricky also goes to make up with Godfrey but it does not really work as it ultimately leads to his death. 

Wisdom

Wisdom is Ricky's best friend, who ultimately leads to Ricky's death. He is  represented as a very independent male character who does not lose lose face easily however does seem very dependent on Ricky being there, he seems to enjoy the fight he has with people. He initiates the conflict between him and Godfrey when he shoots Godfrey's dog as a warning to not carry on the violence, little did he know that shooting the dog would lead to much more violence and ultimately both his ad Ricky's death. 

Bullet Boy Show Me Task

Within the film there are aspects of mise-en-scene that show the how the audience may consider this area of London to be a poorer area which is more prone to criminal activity. One example of mise-en-scene that is used in the film to show the area as being a poorer area of London is the use of the high rise flats, boarded up windows on houses, run down shops and beaten cars. These show the impoverished area of the East End of London they filmed Bullet Boy in. 

Issues in all Three films

The Krays

•       Organised crime

•       Gun culture

•       A life of crime (i.e. crime as a profession)

•       Honour among villains

•       Loyalty and brotherhood

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Failure of law and the police

•       Appearance and reality

Bullet Boy

•       Poverty and deprivation

•       Gang crime

•       Gun culture

•       A life of crime (i.e. falling unwillingly into crime)

•       Desire to break away from criminal influences

•       Access to guns, especially for youngsters

•       Youth, the pressures on youth and a lack of opportunity, especially for black working class youth

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Innocent victims

•       Breakdown of the family

•       Strong female characters

•       Failure of the justice system

•       Under-privilege/disadvantage

Harry Brown

•       Drug abuse

•       Gang crime

•       Gun culture

•       Housing estates and the failure of social housing

•       Age (old age in particular)

•       Honour among criminals (how does this compare to The Krays?)

•       Gritty and realistic depictions of crime

•       Fractured British Society

•       The professionalism of the police

•       Strong female characters

•       Innocent victims

•       Breakdown of the family
•       Ineffective law enforcement and the failure of society to hold it to account
Sexual Abuse 

Bullet Boy Analysis

To which character does the title refer? Explain your answer.

The title Bullet Boy, may refer to the character of Curtis (Luke Fraser), who plays Ricky's brother. This is because within the film the gun crime that is present in the film, begins to centre around him. This is shown as Curtis is the first of the family members to find the gun Ricky is hiding in his draw, Curtis then helps his brother hide the gun even though he knows he should of disposed of the gun. When the police raid the family home the gun is not found, however after the police have left the home, Rio (Rio Tison) comes over to see Curtis, he plays dumb about what the police were there for but eventually gives in and shows Rio the gun he has been hiding under his bed for his brother. even though because of the 'suspected' gun in the house Ricky was arrested and spent the night in prison for supposed possession of a weapon.Also, in the title the word bullet is singular, showing that the person it is referring to may have only shot one bullet. Within the film, Curtis is the only one who fires a  single bullet, this is during the scene where he is playing hide and seek with Rio , and he shoots Rio accidently in the shoulder. Also, at the end of the film, Curtis is the one who disposes of the gun, by throwing it in the canal, after his brother is shot and killed by Godfrey's (Clark Lawson) gang at the train station when his mum has told him to leave the family home. When Curtis throws the gun in the canal it shows that his is ending the violence, hurt and gun crime surrounding his family, whilst the gun was still in his possession.

What are the main messages, values and social issues in the film?

Messages: One main message that is shown within the film is Curtis' aspirations to be like Ricky. This is shown throughout the film, it is first recognised in the film when Curtis has been reading Ricky's magazines and wearing his necklace whilst he has been in prison. This is also shown in the film when Curtis takes the gun out of Ricky's draw after the police raid to show Rio, this is because when Curtis takes the gun he takes it to show off to Rio that he has a gun in his house, however this ends badly as he shoots Rio in the shoulder by accident.

Values: One of the main values that is shown within the film is loyalty. This is shown within in the film the most  between Ricky and Wisdom, this is because in an incident not shown in the film it is insinuated that Wisdom saved Ricky's life in some sort of gang incident, and because of this in the film Ricky now feels as if he owes Wisdom something and so he has to do what Wisdom wants him to when it comes to being around or there when he is showing thee rivalry between him and Godfrey. After this occurs twice in the film Ricky tells Wisdom he's not doing anymore and this ends the debt Ricky is in with Wisdom.

Social Issues: One of the main social issues shown within the film gun crime / the availability of guns. This is shown within the film because most of the crime shown within the film is done with guns rather than other weapons, every person in association with a gang owns a gun. The availability of guns is also shown because in the film Wisdom had Ricky's gun whilst he was in prison, but because he gave it back to Ricky Curtis then became open to the availability of  guns in his home.
Another main social issue shown within the film is the lack of police authority within the area. This is shown within the film because within the film Wisdom shoots at Godfrey's house, Wisdom's car gets completely smashed, Wisdom is killed and Ricky is also killed, and the only time the police are seen within the film are at the beginning when Ricky is released from prison, in the middle when they raid Ricky's home in search of the gun and right at the end when Ricky is killed and Beverly (Clare Samuels) has to sign the death certificate.

How are the people and places represented in the film? Consider:

• Whether the film offers a realistic view of London. How this representation differs from other representations of London?
• How the characters challenge and fulfil stereotypes.

Places: Within the film the representations of London it offers do offer a slightly realistic view of London. This is because the film shows how life is on one estate in the East End of London, it shows the general stereotype for this area of London, with a mainly Black/Afro Caribbean families living in the area and the general amount of crime that appears within the film, this area also carries the stereotype of having the most gun related and gang criminal activity. This area of London is represented within the film as being a lower class, poorer area with a higher crime rate than many of the more seen areas of London. This representations differs from other representations of London because many representations of London show the main bustle of the city and the higher class of living that many people associate with the city of London.

People: The people within the film are represented as being strong, independent people. In the film the men seem to fulfil the stereotype of the 'typical' man as they seem to want to be independent and don't want people to try and protect them, they also fulfil the stereotype of being more violent or being more likely to be drawn to crime or commit crime. This is shown within the film as the only people who seem to be the ones coming crimes or being involved in some form of criminal activity are the men. The only male character who does not fulfil the 'typical' male stereotype of violence is Leon (Curtis Walker) this is because Leon is very religion orientated and does not seem to associate himself with crime at all, the only reason he could be related to crime would be when he asks Ricky about what is going on and when he helps Beverly protect Rio from the police and Rio's family when they go to apologise for Rio being shot by Curtis. In the film the women seem to challenge the stereotype of the 'typical' woman, they don't come across as being weak or reliant on men. This is because the women who are present in the film, Beverly and Shea have to put up with a lot because they both have to put up with Ricky's behaviour and him coming in and out of prison constantly, Shea has to also deal with the fact that anyone who has a problem with Ricky always seems then to have a problem with her, when Ricky's life is in danger so is Shea's. Beverly also has to put up with a lot, because she is a single mum bringing up two teenage boys, one attempting to follow in his brothers ways and being interested in criminal activity, and the other is always got a problem with someone and is always in and out of prison.

Bullet Boy Character Detail

Ricky (Ashley Walters)

• He is shown in the beginning of the film being released from prison, he is picked up by his friend Wisdom and his brother Curtis.
• He is shown as the main character in the film as he seems to be in the midst of most of the violence that happens in the film.
• When he is released from prison he seems to be trying to set himself straight and to stay away from crime.
• He is the one who gets most of the backlash from Wisdom's rivalry with Godfrey, he's the one who is found with the gun and the one who is shot right at the end.

Curtis (Luke Fraser)

• He is the younger brother of Ricky and is influenced by him and the way he acts, he tries to copy the things Ricky does.
• He helps Ricky to hide his gun underneath his mattress. 
• He seems to have all the aftermath of the crimes placed on him.
• He shoots Rio in the arm during a game of hide and seek.
• In the very end of the film when Ricky has died you see Curtis take the gun from it's hiding place and throw it in the canal, as if to say that now the guns gone the crimes gone with it.

Wisdom (Leon Black)

• Wisdom is Ricky's best friend, him and Ricky have a strong bond of loyalty between them.
• Wisdom is the one who tries to drag Ricky back into crime.
• He attempts to hold Ricky to ransom and get him to do things for him, as Ricky owes him as Wisdom saved Ricky's life.
• During the film Wisdom strikes up some firm of hatred between him and Godfrey after he smashed Godfrey's car mirror.
• Wisdom is very full of himself an constantly up for a fight with anyone who challenges him.
• During this film you see the hatred between them become extreme when Wisdom shoots Godfrey's dog, goes into Godfrey's home attempting to kill him and then finally when Wisdom is shot dead by Godfrey. 

Beverly (Clare Perkins)

• Beverly is Ricky and Curtis' mum, she has a strong bond with the boys which may be a result of her being a single mum.
• She is seen in the film as being a very strong character who holds alot of power over what the boys do.
• She is religious and when she goes to church with Curtis she goes up to the alter when invited to be Leon to seek help and forgiveness from God.
• When she returns from the Rio's family home she gives Ricky the key and tells him to pack his things and give the key back. This is the last time she sees Ricky alive as he is shot at the train station.

Shea (Sharea Samuels)

• Shea is Ricky's girlfriend and is seen throughout the film as a strong influence in Ricky's life now he has left prison.
• She is show as a very strong character who is able to control Ricky, her strength appears less in the film when Wisdom has roped Ricky back into crime, and she breaks down as if she cannot bare the thought of him going back to prison.

Godfrey (Clark Lawson)

• Godfrey is in a rival gang to Ricky and Wisdom and first appears in the film when Wisdom accidently hits his car.
• From the first sighting of Godfrey he is shown within the film as being a very dominant and violent character. 
• When Wisdom shoots Godfrey's dog he always seems set out to get revenge and he does this by first shooting Wisdom and the shooting Ricky at the train station.