Sound- Insomnia

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer(s): Nikolaj Frobebenius
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller.
Release Date: 30th August 2002.

In contrast to Taxi Driver the sound here is used to establish the genre.Before we see anyhting the music seems to creep up on us. The violins set a very sombre, depressing atmosphere that reminded me of death or funerals. The blurred out diagetic sounds that we hear is Nolan's attempt at pulling the audience in to the scene. It sounds as if we are just on the edge of sleep (as the character is). this goes with the title "Insomnia" The sudden jolt in music then "wakes" us up as it goes with the movement of the plane. The music and atmosphere are also reflected by the landscape which is very typical of Hitchcock, like in North by Northwest. it is very baron, plain and uninviting, which could be a hint at what is going to happen later on in the film.
The music that is playing becomes the films "theme". It does not actualy stop throughout the whole opening, just gets quieter. This is showing that the Detective is carrying parts of his city ife into this small town. this is very similar to Scorcese's technique in Taxi Driver.

Sound- Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver:
Director: Martin Scorcese
Release Date: 8th February 1976
Writer: Paul Schrader
Genre: Crime, Action, Thriller

In the opening scene of Taxi Driver music is mainly used to establish Robert De Nero's character. The big drum rolls as the camera moves around gives the taxi a real sense of importance and dominance. This music also seems very "military" which relates to the characters military background. The music then switches to a very sultry Jazz sounding score which then reflects New York city and the "seedy" sort of atmosphere. This shows the contrast between the characters city life and his previous military life. I think how the music changes when looking at the character shows that perhaps he may have split personalities?
The low drum beat symbolizes a heart beat. While the character is walking along the streets of New York there is a sort of "snooping" music which again goes with the seedy atmosphere. it is also as if he is inspecting the streets which goes along with his monologue where he is saying how disgusted he is at everything he is seeing.
The opening credits are very similar to Psycho by Hitchcock. The intense music reaches out to the audience and demands their attention immediately.

La Haine (The Hate)

Director:Mathieu Kassovitz
Writer:Mathieu Kassovitz
Release Date:17th November 1995 (UK) 31st May 1995 (France)
Genre:Crime, Drama.

Cinematography

• Begins with tilt shot lookiong up at sky. Clever editing which show time passing by (clouds moving very fast)
• Steady cam moving quite slowly, contradicts the sense of realism that Kassovitz is trying to create but also highlights the significance of the scene. Makes the audience remember it.
• The fluidity of the camera movement creates a sense of realism. The scene where the camera is following the group is particularly good for showing this. The shot goes on for a very long time with no cuts. This makes the spectator feel as if they are the fourth member of the group.
• Shallow/Narrow depth of field.Background slightly blurred. shows that we should be concentrating on the foreground, perhaps it has some importance?
• Shot from behind the character adds to the sense of realism as that is what we would be looking at if we were in the film. Relates to Guss Van Sant's "Elephant". it is all to create a sense of realism as if we were actually there within the film.
• The shot from behind also gives a sense of mystery as we cannot see the faces. Although this does make us concentrate on the conversation as we don't have alot else to look at. I think this is another way of stressing the importance of a certain factor in the film, in this case their conversation.
• The colour in this film is quite specific to the setting and genre. it is a gritty and at times violent film, so the black and white colour is good for showing the rawness of the setting.

Psycho

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers: Robert Bloch (novel)

Joseph Stefano (screenplay)

Release Date: 16th June 1960 (USA)



The first shot, an extreme long shot of the city creates a real sense of atmosphere. It also makes the two characters who are first seen seem very insignificant, like it is two tiny characters inside this huge city. The zooming into the window also creates a rela sense of voyeurism. I think Hitchcock is doing this to really involve the spectator and make the camera "our eyes". The use of a side-shot, or twin-shot showing the man and woman at the beginning is used to disguise the main character as they both seem to have equal importance. The focus on the money on the bed also shows how this is an important factor in the film.