"Essex Boys"
Directed by Terry Winsor - (2000)
" Essex Boys" starring sean bean, much like se7en is a dark, tense thriller. Essex boys uses lighting very effectively to give the overall feeling of tension and unease, for this reason I will be focusing mainly on the way director Terry Winsor uses his skill with lighting to draw the viewer into the world he creates and into the twsited brutal lives of the characters invovled.
This opening shot, shows one of the charcters entering a garage. The use of the dark lighting suggests that the room itself represents the dark and mysterious character , the only light seen in this shot is a dim lamp that barely covers the whole room. This could suggest that there is not much hope for the man shown in the shot, he is surrounded by darkness and mystery and prefers to stay in the shadows. Furthermore the way the light is projected from the outside suggests that the garage is being used as a metaphor for all that is bad in the world, and that the charcter is unwillingly walking into this.
The second shot we have here, is a fantastic shot, showing the first meeting of Billy and Jason. As the car wipers remove the dust, jason slowly comes into view through the cars window screen, the way the light is projcected from behind him suggests he is an important character and is also used as a way to tell the viewer that Jason has arrived into Billy's life, whether Billy like it or not. The overall murkiness of this shot also tells us that Jason is a dark and again mysterious character, at the same time it also tells us that he means buisness and is not to be messed with.
The final shot we have here, differs greatly from the others, while the others relied on light comming from un natural sources, such as the lamp, this shot uses all natural lighting to get the desired effect of a barren wasteland. This shot feels much more open, due to the fact the other shots have been in enclosed spaces, such as the garage and inside the car, and therefore it feels a little more hopeful than the other two shots. The way the white van is used in this shot, could be seen as a metaphorical way of representing Jason himself, the van very much like Jason is alone in a barren, empty world and now has to fend for itself.
Directed by Terry Winsor - (2000)
" Essex Boys" starring sean bean, much like se7en is a dark, tense thriller. Essex boys uses lighting very effectively to give the overall feeling of tension and unease, for this reason I will be focusing mainly on the way director Terry Winsor uses his skill with lighting to draw the viewer into the world he creates and into the twsited brutal lives of the characters invovled.
This opening shot, shows one of the charcters entering a garage. The use of the dark lighting suggests that the room itself represents the dark and mysterious character , the only light seen in this shot is a dim lamp that barely covers the whole room. This could suggest that there is not much hope for the man shown in the shot, he is surrounded by darkness and mystery and prefers to stay in the shadows. Furthermore the way the light is projected from the outside suggests that the garage is being used as a metaphor for all that is bad in the world, and that the charcter is unwillingly walking into this.
The second shot we have here, is a fantastic shot, showing the first meeting of Billy and Jason. As the car wipers remove the dust, jason slowly comes into view through the cars window screen, the way the light is projcected from behind him suggests he is an important character and is also used as a way to tell the viewer that Jason has arrived into Billy's life, whether Billy like it or not. The overall murkiness of this shot also tells us that Jason is a dark and again mysterious character, at the same time it also tells us that he means buisness and is not to be messed with.
The final shot we have here, differs greatly from the others, while the others relied on light comming from un natural sources, such as the lamp, this shot uses all natural lighting to get the desired effect of a barren wasteland. This shot feels much more open, due to the fact the other shots have been in enclosed spaces, such as the garage and inside the car, and therefore it feels a little more hopeful than the other two shots. The way the white van is used in this shot, could be seen as a metaphorical way of representing Jason himself, the van very much like Jason is alone in a barren, empty world and now has to fend for itself.
Note the lighting in the garage mise-en-scene is a splendid example of chiaroscuro lighting. You need to explain the purpose of this style of lighting whilst also making an intertextual reference to other thriller films which utilise this convention of noir thrillers.
ReplyDeleteFor example in the sewer sequences in "The Third Man". Her you need to explain how this lighting is used in the "Third Man" and why the director of Essex Boys is emphasising this lighting effect. See me for advice, or email me.
The shot of the Essex Marshes reflects the bleak featureless landscape of Jason's world whilst also suggesting a primeval landscape where dog eats dog, illustrated by Jason's violent attack on his grass at the fish market, and in later action in the film. The view here of Essex is as bleak as the shot at the beginning of "The Third Man" of the bombed ship and the body floating on The Danube.
Your analysis lacks detail, and confidence, possibly because you've left it too long before posting your notes onto your blog.
I'd suggest you develop your analysis as advised.