Friday 13 September 2013

Dead Man's Shoes Analysis


Dean Man's Shoes Analysis


MISE EN SCENE:

  • The green jacket and bag suggest that the character is part of the military. This leads to the audience wondering why he has left the military or whether it has left a psychological mark on him. 
  • As the second boy is wearing a tracksuit it implies that he is the younger of the two. 
  • The use of family films shows the link between the two boys. It also highlights that they had a strong bond even when they were very young. Again this leads the audience to question why the boys do not speak or acknowledge each other during the whole of the opening sequence if they had such a strong relationship as children. 
  • The footage in the family films shows not only a tight relationship between the brothers but the whole family. By showing scenes from Christmas and at Church then it shows just how tight the family was as a whole. This contrasts with the present images of the boys alone without any family around. 
  • The scenery shown as the boys walk highlights their isolation and that they are in a rural area with hardly any civilisation. Also the purpose with what the older brother is walking with suggests that he has walked here before, even though he is following no path. This implies that he is comfortable with the route he is taking, but the audience question why he is walking so far and why he knows the way so clearly. 

CAMERA:

  • The over the shoulder shots give the idea that the audience is following the boys on their walk and shows the distance they still have to travel ahead. 
  • The idea of home videos is created by jerky camera movements as it implies that it was filmed on a basic camera and by many different people. 
  • The smooth movement of the camera following the boys again implies that the boy know the route well and have walked it before. 
  • The high angle and establishing shots show the isolation of the boys and how rural the place is. 
EDITING: 

  • By making the images of the home videos grainy it gives an authentic old feel which shows that these  videos were filmed a while ago and that time has changed.
  • By merging the past and present scenes together it links the boys as adults to them as children to make clear to the audience that these are the same boys.
SOUND:

  • The song used in the opening sequence is Vessel in Vain by Smog
  • It creates a melancholy feel which suggests that something sad has happened in the past that is still haunting their present. 
  • Two of the main lyrics "I can't be held responsible for the things I say" and "My ideals have got me on the run" suggest that these men have caused something dreadful to happen that they are trying to escape from. 
  • The music gets louder through out the piece which implies that as the boys get nearer their destination the sadness the song is hinting at is getting greater. 

No comments:

Post a Comment