AT Technical Analysis

Law Abiding Citizen(Gary Gray,2009)


Shot 1: Shows a girl making a braclet, use of a CU to show the name on the braclet and what she is doing, with a POV shot to reveal the braclet and get an insight into the characters view point and use of iconography of the braclet which not expected in the genre of a thriller, use of props being the beads and braclets connotes child environment.


Shot 2: Shows her father talking to her about what she is doing. We do not see him however a CU of the machine he is working at is shown and the use of a sound bridge to make out he is talking to her and they are in conversation. Machinery often linked with males as being rugged job however he is doing a precise job but still stereotype of males fixing things or working.


Shot 3: Cuts to the father talking MCU. Doesnt apear to be doing strenuious work and wearing relaxed casual clothing.


Shot 4: Conversation between the father and daughter her talking about what she is making a POV shot used to see his eyeline looking down on her. Props use of table show her sitting up at the table working.

Shot 6 -13: Conversation continuing with introduction of the mother in shot 7 with use of sound bridge almost as if she is calling out to the father to get him to answer the door.


Shot 14: Father walks over to the door to answer it, use of stedi-cam following him effect. Nice middle class house due to quiet fancy and neat good lighting throughout house.


Shot 15-19: Father is hit with a baseball bat and is beaten up by one man while the other enters and turns of the lights and then seals the mans hands with varying shot sizes from mid shots to CU of the mans hands and facial expresions. Both attackers wearing rugged clothing and have a rough apearence especialy main antagonist.
Shot 20 -21: Shows the mother entering the hallway of where he is being beaten, shot goes from a mid shot to a MCU to get her reactions more. The use of the reaction shot as we hear the scream before we see her.

Shot 22: Shows the mans legs running over to the women with use of stedi-cam to make it feel like a head turn. However it is a quick swish pan to help create the speed of it.


Shot 23: Reaction shot shows what the women was looking at her husband on the floor tied up and trying to free himself.


Shot 24-28: Cutting rate picks up as women is thrown into a cabinet followed by the masking up of the mans lips to keep him quiet all in MCU of the man to show him strugle and show his positioned where as the women is shot in a mid shot.

Shot 29: We get a CU of the attackers face and of the knife in his hand showing the iconography and symbolism that the knife represents especisaly in this genre. Antagonist talks however doesn't seem to lead to anything and we don't seem to get any clues as to why leaving mystery.


Shot 30: He is stabbed with use of the sound to dramatise the knife going into his body. Also frammed in the shot is his face to show his reaction to the build of before getting stabbed then as he is stabbed.


Shot 31: Then the blood is wiped on his jumper all in a MCU. Seen as more of a robery but also an assult.


Shot 32: The two men pack up to leave and it fades to black connoting his eyes clossing also the slow fade connotes how quickly it has happend and the slow fade gives time to reflect on the opening seqeunce.
Review:

• Overall from the technical analysis I undertook, helped me to get an understanding of the variety of shots used and how these can be interlinked
• How character exposition is key in this opening, and is something we should think about when doing our opening.