Thriller #4.

Film Title: Sin City (2005)
Director: Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez

Title Designer: N/A

Camera- distant, angle, movement...

1) High Angle- LS
2) MS of woman and man in BG
3) CU of woman
4) CU of her taking cigarette.
5) SRS + CU- over the shoulder cam
6) LS of comic scene
7) Low Angle- CU
8) CU’s and tilting to shows status.
9) High angle LS after he shoots her.
10) Zooms out- to an ELS

The extract opens with an establishing shot at a high angle. The characters appear to be at a penthouse party. The high angle is done to make references to the height that they’re at and possibly the characters status. Next the camera uses a MS to show a woman and a man in the background. This is done to introduce the characters. Also to divert the audiences attention to the male character. After this the camera mainly resides to CU of the characters. This is done to show the characters emotions, and speech. Later on in the sequence we see the two characters kiss, the camera tilts up to show the characters status, the man being higher than the woman. The camera undertakes a LS at a high angle to show the desolation of the area of which they’re in. Then the camera zooms out to an ELS of the city. This is done to establish the location of the movie.

Editing – speed, style…

Fades in to city
Mainly cuts

The editing begins with a fade into the opening sequence. A fade is used to represent a different time or place of a narrative. The editing predominantly uses cuts to help create continuity and help the narrative flow.

Sound – effects, musical score…

Suave jazz music
Mainly dialogue
Some overhead narration
Ambient Sound- wind, clicks, footsteps etc

The jazz style music invokes a sex appeal to the scene. The music appears to have a mysterious tone to it; this helps the audience understand the scene. There is an overhead narration that can be heard. It is very descriptive. This reinforces the comic book like aspect of Sin City. The scene after the overhead narration uses ambient sounds to help create atmosphere and engage the audience. They consist of footsteps, wind and lighter clicks. There is also an inclusion of dialogue- which appears to be very structured- this makes references to the comic book aspect of the movie.

Mise-en-scene – props, costume, setting, lighting, colour…

City landscape
Formal wardrobe
Chiaroscuro lighting- reversed to make low key
(artificial)
Black- white- red
Comic book references

The extract opens with an ELS of a building rooftop- looking out to a city landscape at night. The darkness of the scene invokes a mysterious sense to it. The mysteriousness is reinforced by the musical score at the beginning. The Chiraroscuro lighting is used to mimic the shading of a comic book. The shadows of the characters appear to be very bold. However, due to the black and white saturation the extract appears to have low key lighting, thus reinforcing the shady atmosphere. The predominant colours evident in this sequence are red, white and black. These colours are characteristics of the comic book agenda. Thus reinforcing the base of this movie. The blacks invoke a sense of formality- seen through the males wardrobe- and darkness. The whites are visual signifiers of light and connote optimism- contrasted by the music- and purity and virginity. The red is used to give the woman a sexual appeal as well as invoke it, it also implies danger. The sequence makes references to comic book art. Not only does this justify the base of the movie but, also could implies that the narrative is structured via these pictures.

Special Effects – CGI, animation…

Titles – font, colour, placement, over black / over clip…