Conventionsof a gangster film

By Robert Rowe

conventions(Mob)

themes

lightingcolours

openings

Good vs BadThis is could be mafia vs mafia or mafia vs cops

Rich vs poorthe could again be cop vs mafia

Strong vs WeakOld mafia vs uprising new mafia

Low level lightingThis lighting is used to display a change of in atmosphere when a character of significance becomes present

Spot LightingThis is usually used to show a character's importance

Establishing shots To set the scene of the movie, this is usually urban landscape

Dialogue This could be a conversation between a group of people; this could also be a voice over

Main characterYou are usually introduced to the main character; this character can be present in different forms such as the opening voice over. or we can be introduced to this character using the environment

the colours that are usually associated with these films are quite dark one; these is because they connote negativity and darkness. These might be used to complement a character's personalities

red blackgreydark blue

The departed

In this screen shot we are shown a broken bus window; this is due to a riot which is taken place in this part of the opening scene. This compliments the environment allowing it to connote an

tainted urban environment; this signifies that the population of this city is

corrupted. This is usually associated with a powerful negative influence such as the

mafia

This is an establishing shot of a city that looks to be Miami; this is to signify

to the audience where the movie is gonna be taken placed; giving this cities history of gang violence... It

paints a better picture.

This is a mid shot of the main character; he identity is masked at this point. This is

done by using low level lighting so he looks as if he's a silhouette; this has bad connotations around his personality even before we are properly introduced to him

you could also suggest that this character is quite mysterious but deadly

In this screenshot, the camera shot that has been used is a two shot; this suggest that there's some sort of relationship between these two characters; this is probably a negative one seen as the owner of this

establishment is giving him protection money.

In this screenshot we see a close up of the boys face; we are shown this to see the

emotion of this boy. He seems to be quite scared, this is due to the presents of the main character; his facial expressions

connotes that he doesn't appreciate the presence of of this character... This is

making him very uncomfortable

Scarface

In the open sequence the first thing displayed to the audience is the distribution

company; this connotes to the majority of the audience that this is a potential blockbuster

production. This Is is due to the the reputation of this production company

The director if the movies is also introduced; this is to give an rough idea to the audience

what to expect. Although this could only apply to a small majority if the audience due to the fact

they most like won't know who he is

At this section of the production the historical context is display on a black background with write writing; this indicates that the text is the important

context here... Giving the reader a rough understanding of the context behind the narrative;

enable the to engage more with the film and not get side tracked

This screen shot contains diegetic narrative to support the histrionic content display in the

previous sequence; this dialogue is of course in another language to support the ethnic minority

in this film(Cubans) the characters attire suggest that he is a dictator; the fact that he is doing a

speech supports this

This is a close up of Cuba flag. This is to show that the flag is an item if significance; raising awareness to the audience to what to expect. This could connote war due to its on a military

vessel. The lighting used here is quite high, this is to make the flag more visible and to enhance

the colours

This is a long shot of two boats full of that it seems to be of people; taking all the aspect up until this points the suggestion the come

to mind are immigrants. If you have seen the first attempt at this movie, this aspect would

be significantly care to you from the start

In this screen shot we seen a elderly lazy getting of this crowned board; a track in camera

movement is used to compliment the close up shot. This shows the audience the negative

expression on her face; depression is probably the main conception here. Judging from her attire she

looks as if she a maid.

At this point ibb the movie the title finally appears; this is usually done in many movies to give the audience important content before the actually

production starts, because throwing them straight into the movie can leave people confused. The writing display her is "SCAREFACE" this so in

capital letters to show importance. The red writing connotes blood which links to the name of the film. You could associated this tmwith their being a lot

of killing involed

This is the opening sequence of public enemies, as you can see from the screenshot the scene opens with these characters walking up a set of

stairs; a mid shot is used to display the three characters attire. This also displayed their facial expression which seem to be quite serious. At first we are under the impression that maybe

these group of characters at just business men, but from further observation of camera angles er can see these characters have bad intentions

This screen shot is an establishing shot to set the scene; as we can see here here all the

characters that we have previously seen are now going separate ways; this is seen with fast

pace movement from these characters indicating a significant event is about to take

place. The sound at these point are just diegetic talking from everybody with the firm. There is

also non diegetic music within this scene to build tension

This is an close up of the main characters face; the director has done this to show the

character facial expressions. The expression the is being displayed by the characters is a

one of seriousness; this connotes he is taking the situation of robbing the bank very

seriously. You could say this character is doing this to show confidence as well

Public enemies

This over that shoulder shot has been used to give the a perspective of an accountant

with in this booth; as well as this the item of significance is clear(the money). This low

angles also allows the audience to see this gangster attire and props; his facial

expression is supported quite egger. This shoes the audience that these thieves are in

a hirey before the cops get there. We are also shown the body language of the victim;

from this aspect we can see this character is quite frightened due to being held at

gunpoint

In this screenshot we are shown a close up of another member of this mob squad; his expression is completely contrast to his fellow associates. Having this worried

expression on his face is because of he is keeping watch; this suggest his life is in

danger as well as his companions.

In the shot we are shown the same character again, but due to the wide depth of field he is not

the main subject matter; the fact the he is then out of focus with a reduced amount of lighting

supports this. Here we see the classical them of bad vs good, but because this is a mob films the roles are switched making the authorities the bad

guys

The Godfather

The distribution company is displayed here; this is to give the audience an idea of the budget of this

movie; paramount movies are usually made with a high budget. This company is known for producing a number of blockbuster films. There is non diegetic music playing her; the type of music boring played

is usually the music you associated with Italians; so violins etc

The music is still continuously playing as the title of the movie is seen with a fade in

transition. As we can see from the font type the director has chosen it is the traditional font usually associated with the mob. Using the

effect of puppet strings above the godfathers name suggest he has control. The directors

name is Also introduced here

This is an close up of an mans face; from his diegetic dialogue we can see that he is telling a strong to somebody, but we don't know who yet. The expression on his face suggest that

he is very upset about something; this technique is used by the director to make the

story more engaging for the audience, he wants us to empathise with this character

This is an over the shoulder shot of an mysterious character; by making this character look almost as a silhouette suggest that he has

a high level of importance. At this point the other characters body language suggests he's looking for sympathy from the don't; by using

this shot we are able to see what this character is wear; by wearing a suit can suggest he's

quite a sophisticated business man

This close up reveals the character to the audience, and as we can see it is the son. He is following the traditional representation of me by having that bold facial expressions; he looks almost disgusted with what he is hearing. At this point our opinion of this character is still being built due to the continuous

dialogue. We are also shown this character attire; he is wearing a tuxedo with a bow tie. From this we can

tell that he is quite wealthy