Online Film Analysis Assignment

1. Clip A
In this scene from Ocean's Eleven, the main distinctive feature I think is the camera shots, and all the different angles and continuity editing they use. They obey the 180 degree rule and stay on the axis of action. They also use an eyeline match. The lighting in the scene is very low. It is mostly soft light, with lots of shadows. On some characters there is backlighting. This lighting is mostly used on Brad Pitt, since he is the "cool" guy in the scene. The light makes him seem somewhat mysterious. There is also a cool match on action shot when it switches scenes, with Pitt in same position in new location. In the end, soft light and backlighting switch to George Clooney because he is now the "cool" guy.

2. Clip C
There is obviously a lot of cross cutting to make you think the cops are at the right house. there is a dramtic moment when we realize that it is just Clairice at Bill's house, and how vulnerable she is. The Mise-en-scene is utilized to a high degree as well. The costume and make up play a huge role. A shirtless and stringy haired Bill makes him look insane, the girl in the well is made up to look very sick, hungary, violated, and desperate. The cops uniforms obviously show us what their role is going to be. The setting, in a quiet suburb, add to the suspense. We think that nothing could go wrong, but there is such a twisted sick killer who operates out of this neighborhood.

3. Clip E
Initially we see the backlight coming in from the old man, and gives him a slight sihlouette.   The light then hits the younger man as frontal lighting because he is facing the window. This follows the continuity editing, because it only makes sense that each one would be lit up that way. There is some shot/reverse shot used, looking at the back of younger man's head and over his shoulder. When the old man gets into the music, and starts conducting, we can see that the nondiegetic sound is just in his head, and the younger man clearly can't hear it. Cutting to the image of the opera from a close up of the old man's closed eye face makes it clear that he is remembering it.At 1:14 there is a good use of the rule of thirds, when the guy is conducting and the singers are in the background on either side of him, out of focus.  It cuts back to the present with a match on action to the old man when the song is over.

4. Clip F
The entire scene is shot in one long shot, which is the dominating aspect of the scene. It snakes its way through the house, going backwards and forwards, and drifting side to side sometimes. There is a semi-motif of light throughout the scene, with small, dim sources in the house, then finishing off with a giant fire outside. The use of sound in this scene is also crucial. For most of it, we don't know where exactly the sound is coming from, just somewhere off camera. We hear diegetic sounds coming from the actors mouths, the crackle of the fire, and dogs barking. It all adds to the confusion because we don't know who is making the noise.