Distinct, Camera, Mise en scene, Sound and Editing
The film is set in America, south central LA. It is a dodgy area where gun shots at night are a regular occurrence. The four young children are walking to school and pass dead bodies and blood, then also when walking home the boy passes a fight like its normal to fight in the street. The time of year is unclear as it was set in LA which always has nice weather, however it was set just before the LA riots which is where the influence of violence comes in.
The themes used in the clip are violence and black Americans. The bad representation of black Americans is shown to give their point of view in he violence circumstances they are forced to live in as they are not accepted anywhere else. The violence is then a demonstration of how their life has hit rock bottom and they feel that violence is he only answer.
In the opening scene gun shots and shouting were heard but not seen (off screen). By having a diegetic opening it brings the audience into the film and means that they view the film as if they were part of it, as if they are there when the shots are being fired. The dialogue used is colloquial giving the idea that the characters are not well brought up and have a dodgy life. This also gives us hints that there will be crime and fights in the film as that is the stereotype that is being portrayed.
The themes used in the clip are violence and black Americans. The bad representation of black Americans is shown to give their point of view in he violence circumstances they are forced to live in as they are not accepted anywhere else. The violence is then a demonstration of how their life has hit rock bottom and they feel that violence is he only answer.
In the opening scene gun shots and shouting were heard but not seen (off screen). By having a diegetic opening it brings the audience into the film and means that they view the film as if they were part of it, as if they are there when the shots are being fired. The dialogue used is colloquial giving the idea that the characters are not well brought up and have a dodgy life. This also gives us hints that there will be crime and fights in the film as that is the stereotype that is being portrayed.
The first shot that is shown is of a stop sign. The frame starts wide at a low angle looking upwards at the sign. The moment of the scene is then when the camera zooms in on the sign, with it then filling the shot. Throughout the opening the shots follow theses children staying at their level to show even though they are young that have had to grow up quickly because of their neighbourhood.
The stop sign could also be seen as an icon, representing that the crime and dangerous actions need to stop. How many more people need to die? The colour red also represents blood, all the blood that has been spilt due to bad behaviour. Throughout the film opening there are many icons shown. The president poster that has bullet holes explains how the society feels anger for the upper class that run the country. They express the feeling of not being respected and looked after, showing as a country we need to take care of some of the more vulnerable family's and society's to improve as a whole. Even at the school the children know they are destined to become rebels. They all know of family members and close friends that have been shot killed or murdered and they act as if it is the normal. Making the pictures drawn by the children another icon. They show the harsh reality that these kids are forced to live in.
The characters costumes are very well thought out especially with the young children. The young boy dressed in a shirt and woolly jumper looks smarter that the other kids, this shows how he is above everyone else. For instance more intelligent and mature. The young boy in a tracksuit is being shown to already not care about what he looks like and is abiding by the thug stereotype. He will be the one to grow up and join into the dangerous life style. By doing so it shows the diversity between the boys making it inevitable that they have a dispute.
the screen time given to the characters shows to the audience that the smart dressed young boy is the main focus of the film. the audience then feels that he are important to us and we should care about his well being. Throughout the opening scene we follow his daily routine, giving us the order of narrative as his life. There isn't lots of special effects used other than the enhanced sound of the fighting scenes. This brings the audience into the film and makes them more involved within he film.
Colour, Binary Oppositions, Male/Female - Good vs. Evil
How they show the passage of time, Sound, Mise en Scene and Camera
Camera and Mise en Scene