My chosen extract to write about is from Forest Gump. Forest Gump is a 1994 American film directed by Robert Zemeckis staring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. Manly focusing on a typical drama however as the main character has a disability the film can also be portrayed as a comedy. Following the life of this disabled boy we are shown the challenges he faces and the relationships he makes along the way.
The scene begins with a Mid Shot of both the characters. This shot is to show both Jenny and the mans face however just before the camera rotates around Jennys face to the second shot we see the man in the bed rubing her back, this suggests she has just had a one night stand which could portray her a little sleazy. As he sits fully clothed behind her we notice the jewelry and material of his clothing this suggests he may be wealthly as it looks quite expensive.As he rubs her back she is motionless and remains still without a change of expression underlinding her self-disgust. The music in the background is the same throughout however in this shot it is quite slow and fits well with the amount of movement taking place. However as the scene continues it picks up pace and adds suspence.
As the camera is rotated we are able to see Jennys facial features and emotion alot clearer. The bedside lamp positioned behind her is the only source of light in this shot which is why only certain parts of her face is highlighted. This is a clever angle Zemeckis has used as it makes Jenny look ill and regretful. Also in the background we can see the large silk bed cover, fancy bedside table and classy lamps we assume the characters are in some sort of Hotel room as the layout is clean and the furniture is well looked after.
As the camera zooms out into a wide shot we can identity her surroundings in more depth. The two current throws on the bed are different colours to give us the impression the bed is bigger than it is. The fact that both Jenny and the Male are fully dressed indicates that their is no love or current relationship between them. The lighting in this wide shot focuses parasitically round jenny, this tells us she is the most important part of the shot. The shadow on her right cheek especially gives out an ill and withered look, which indicates a a remorsefull feeling from the character.
The camera cuts and reappears at a mid shot of the hotel dressing table. The lighting is bright so we are able to see the objects upon it. The table is overflowing with makeup and perfume bottles this suggests that even tho she has low self esteem she continues to care about her personal hygiene. Also on the table is a large metal tray, suppling a hard surface for the characters drug supply. The cocain is evenly alined with minimal space between them, this was done on purpose to make the extend of the drugs look more dramatic. The size of the tray takes up a large quantity of the table which suggests both the characters had a high intake. As she wipes the drugs away her fingers tend to play with the powder for a sec or two which in away shows her disapointment in what she has done,
Once Jenny has destroyed the white lines on the tray she proceeds to look up at her reflection in the mirror. This camera angle is an over the shoulder shot as it shows both the back of her head(far right) and a mid shot of her waist up. Directly in the middle of this shot is the lamp that has been giving off most of the light throughout. Zemeckis has done this on purpose to brighten up and show the detail in Jennys face. Her eyes are dark with circles yet her skin eextremelypale this shows us her appearance in detail after taking drugs. The only way we are able to identify jennys face is through the reflection of the mirror.This relates back to the fact she may be staying in a hotel room as the mirror is especially clean.
The next shot is a wide shot of Jenny coming out on to the hotels balcony. We know it is the balcony as when she through the double doors the lighting immediately gets brighter this also suggests the light source is natural ie: the moon. The atmosphere also as the texture of the air is more windy as her hair has alot more movement as it violently blows around behind her. We are able to see her outfit and overal apearance in more detail once she steps out of the room. We can see she is wearing a low cut top with long dangly earings which again suggests she cares about her appeance. We can observe the size of the balcony due to there being palm trees in the background and the exit doors being wide. The Background music in the shot has increesed dramatically, it has become faster and lot louder. The song really connects to the character and what she is going through.
The next shot is a close up of jennys foot stepping up onto a small outside table which is leaning again the outter wall of the balcony. She is currently wearing high heels which makes the audience scared for her incase she acciental falls. When her right foot is places in the centre on the table the lighting is quite dark, there is dark shadows all around her shoe which makes the bright colour of heel stand out more. As her left foot extends to the top of the wall, light from the moon ecsapes though the creases revealing a greater amount of light on the heel and back of leg. The music has fallen into a guitar solo which is high pitched and fast, this adds alot of suspense to the situation Jenny has put herself in. Although she is wearing dark jeans the white background of the balcony wall highlights her slim and petit legs as she climbs on the flat surface of the wall.
The following shot is beautiful as it is a birds eye view of the ledge she is standing on and what she can see below. In this shot we cannot see anything of jenny other than her lower leg and shoes. The ledge she is standing on only takes up a small amount of space in the shot as the main focus point is the busy road with fast cars and bright headlights miles below her. Zemeckis has purposely made the road busy to add suspence and danger to what Jenny is doing. The road itsself is quite dark and gloomy however the headlighs and minimal light from the moon is the only source of light. Jenny then goes on to reach onto the roof of the balcony. This shows a lower angle of her mid body which stands out incredibly against the dark balck sky. The next couple of shots flicker from jennys face and emotion to the fast moving cars below. As these shots and being shown the guitar solo in the background picks up pace, this is to give tension to the audience as to whether she is going to jump of not.
Next is a close up of one of her feet slipping of the ledge. We then flick to a closeup of her reaction after nearly falling and it shows the realisaton on her face that she doesnt want to die. In the close up shot of her face there is a large varity of different levels of light. The background behind her and the sky is very dark and intense however her face pressed against her still risen arm is pale yet bright under the moonlight. As she looks behind her we notice she does not want to harm herself. She proceeds to bend down and crawls on the ledge. As this happens the shot size changes into a long shot of the whole ledge and the buildings behind. The lighting, again, is only shown on the important parts on the shot like Jennys postion and the ledge itself. As soon as her legs bend and her hands touch the surface of the ledge the background music conveniently changes back to the steady and not so loud pace. This is a way of Zemeckis telling us the danger the character was in is over.
Once down from the ledge she sits on an outside chair and begins to rock frantically. As the camera zooms in to a mid shot of her face the lighting begins to focus more on her facial features and emotion. The pace of her rocking slows down yet she is still shaking because of incident that has just happened. She stares directly up to the moon which has been the main source of light throughout the majority of the scene.The light in this last shot is explored greatly due to the fact she is looking face on into the light source and the camera is able to capture every detail of her face. We notice one single tear run down her face, which is the first sign of emoition throughout the scene. As she looks us at the bright, and big object it shows a sign of hope that Jennys future holds.
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