Cinematic blog task

Cinematography blog task: Breaking Bad opening minutes. 

1)

The opening scene plays a important role to attract audience to the series. This episode is called "Pilot". Pilot isn't a name referencing something from the episode, a pilot is a standalone episode which introduces the viewers the characters, the plot and settings. It's called a pilot because a plane takes-off with the audience, it then stays airborne if the audience like the plot and character and wishes to stay. But if they don't wish to continue they land and get on the next flight. The way that breaking bad made their pilot episode should set a example on how it should be for every single drama series. 

The first seconds of the clip starts with long, establishing shots of deserts and cliffs. Then the camera tilts towards a piece of pants the came from the sky and lands on the ground but later for the camera to be fixed on a caravan that runs over the pants. Then for next 30 seconds goes over different arrays of shots. It sometimes uses a steadicam shots to tell the audience that he is running away from something, sometime uses POV shots to see from his point of view and also mid shots to sort of show the audience what his environment look like.

Finally the caravan crashes and we follow the main character leaves the caravan. It then uses a long shot to establish the location it then follows the character using mid shots.

2)

The use of long, establishing shots already gives us good example of where we are. We can see that we are in the middle of a desert with cliffs. But accompanying with those long shots is the tilt, steadicam, POV shots, gives a sense of danger and chase. Especially with the body language of the character and the shot of the two dead bodies that is swimming and yellow liquid in the caravan. So immediately the audience is put in an uncomfortable situation. The POV shots helps a lot with sense of danger.

3)

This is a still image from the move "American Psycho"

We can first analyse the angle from this image. This is a low angle shot, meaning it gives the character more of a menacing prescence. It reinforces the characters dominating field of the picture and makes the audience focus on the character. We can also analyse different aspects of Mise-en-scene and termonology. We can see from the prop and make-up that it strongly suggest murder and violence. And with the way he poses with the chainsaw suggests that he is still looking for something or maybe someone. The lighting also plays a important factor. The key lighting which shines from top-right makes the audience focus on the character facial structure and expression. But also some filler light to be put on the chainsaw which makes the audience immediatly know what kind of situation this is. With all of this combined we read from the image that the character has killed someone, got blood all over him and looks like he is trying to find someone.