Summer Task

The two clips I chose to analyse are 'James Bond; Casino Royal' and 'LA confidential'; I'll be discussing the similarities and difference between the two, focusing mainly on the Mise-en-scene, Camerawork and the representation of particular individuals, groups or bodies within the clip: 

From the Casino Royal clip, the audience distinguishes the protagonist and the antagonist simply from their dress. The protagonist, James Bond, is wearing a simple black suit with a white shirt, displaying his elegance and sophistication; the antagonist is far more slovenly, making the audience feel uncomfortable /disapproving of him just from seeing him. The suit also makes Bond appear of higher intelligence, thus more likely to be succeed. Bond also uses a gun which reinforces this sense of superiority, yet, he also uses the sink to kill the protagonist, making him again appear of higher intelligence and wit. Similarly, from the LA Confidential clip, men wear suits in order gain importance and to show wealth, however the men in LA Confidential are placed within a smokey casino, making it disconcerting for the audience, and making the men seem mischievous thus is its difficult to distinguish between the protagonist and antagonist, especially with the anonymity of the busy, ever-day scenes. The women too are dressed to represent wealth, however its very motherly and conservative therefore the audience immediately 'write them off' as being important. Moreover, LA Confidential is set within 1950s LA and features lots of water - this could just be due to LA being a costal area, however it focuses on the water, giving it importance (which could perhaps be false or misleading); water is disorientating and unsuspecting therefore this could make the audience wary of such. Being costal, the title is shown as a postcard which increases desirability of the location. 
                                 However, the cinematography /camerawork used in LA confidential makes the location seem very 'every-day' and usual. There are plenty of panning shots showing cars in traffic - which could reinforce the need to show off wealth - as well as men running and women playing with children; despite being normal they do add suspense as the audience is waiting for something unusual to happen. There are also low angle shots of buildings that try to impress and perhaps intimidate the audience. The only time the pace of the montage quickens is once the suspected murder is shown, which reflects a need to cover up such story and increase audience interest. The quick shot-reverse-shot shown from the cork popping and the waiter clutching his chest further disorientates the audience, and makes them question the situation. The filter used makes the production appear very 'home made', like a holiday video, which although comforting, is also very un-comforting as its so ordinary that the audience becomes paranoid. Differently to this, the opening to Casino Royal is shot in black and white; this creates shadows, of which not all of the content can be seen thus increasing interest and suspense, it also makes it seem important, especially when compared to the flashback which is in colour. The startling white of the wall during the murder juxtaposes to the content, heightening the audiences senses. Various low angle shots are also used to give Bond superiority, especially the shot used over the protagonists shoulder which makes the protagonist seem physically on a lower level thus the audience assumes he is too mentally. A tracking shot is also used to follow the villain, alongside this the music quickens, this really brings the audience into the chase, increasing their interest. This feeling is too created with the quick shot-reverse-shot of the conversations between Bond and other characters. Moreover, the opening scene is a tilted worms eye shot, immediately disorientating the audience, and preparing them for the limited sight from the black and white.
                          The representation of women within the Bond is none other than within a crowd thus the women are anonymous, although this could be seen as dismissing the importance of women within society, I think its solely because all the characters are taken and therefore it has no relevance. However, as previously mentioned, women within LA Confidential are represented as being motherly, looking after the children and not playing a very important role to the story line. Despite this, Bond does have strong representations between the protagonist and the antagonist; the antagonist is stereotypically foreign, this is done so that the western audiences are immediately unfamiliar with the character and thus they become weary. Moreover, LA (in LA Confidential) is presented as luxurious, and this juxtaposes the context of the clip.
              Casino Royal and LA Confidential are very different, where Royal builds suspense, Confidential is quick and   disconcerting. Both do, however, succeed in increasing audience interest and making the audience want to watch on.