Film analysis part 2

 Film: Knives out

Analysis: Sound wise while there is minimal talking in this short opening sequence, the main focus of sound here is the intense violin music played throughout this clip. Its very dramatic and follows the flow of the shots as the house is being shown and the music heightens in mystery to add to the overall mise en ène. In a way, the music matches the house, with it being filled with this abstract, antique-looking art. The editing and cinematography in this sequence is very well played out to convey to the reader the kind of vibe this film is giving right off the bat in the first shot. We are started off with a ground-level full shot of this dark, mysterious estate, with smoke coming from the sides to cover the home, giving it a very foggy, dark autumn aura. What seem to be two dobermans are shown running past the camera from the estate in slow motion, which kind of foreshadows the following events that maybe something bad has happened, adding to the overall look and feel of mystery and darkness. We are then shown a close-up of a breakfast table being set up by a caretaker and her going to deliver it. In the meantime, we are shown multiple clips of the decor inside the home and some wide-angle shots of the room that are full of antique furniture and decor but the home has little to no lighting. While it is morning, the house is still very dim, with only a few warm lamps being on in the home again to give that dark mistique feel. As the caregiver passes the home with multiple-angle shots varying from ground-level full shots to over-the-head and side-angle shots. This is used to portray how large the home is, which I think is to imply whoever she's taking care of is pretty rich. The care giver finally reaches the top floor, calling out to him as she enters the room. He's nowhere to be found. The music begins to heighten as she opens a secret door to his office/secret room As she comes in, we are only shown the actors faces as it drastically changes from happy to shocked, and the camera flips to show the actor dead on the couch with blood covering him and the couch. The music continues to intesify as the camera moves towards the dead body, creating a sense of mystery: "Who's done this?" "What happened?" is what comes to mind watching this. The ending shot is the caregiver in a medium shot spilling the breakfast in shock as she curses at herself, losing focus. The mise en scène in this sequence is created by the design of this set; the dark, mysterious mannor, the dark autumn time, and the antique furniture in the dimly lit home all portray a dark, mysterious mood. As for the sound editing and cinematography, they truly make it into a murder mystery with the victim, the buildup of suspense from the sound and editing. And overall design and cinematography were used to portray this genre.

Comparison: In comparison to our project, this is more complex. This film has more cuts and way more angles taken to show movement. Our film has more of a simple storyline; this is almost straight to the point. In this film, there is more detail shown that is more focused on the one location to convey more of the vibe of the film. While our film is more focused on an area. In similarity, our films both do have the components of a murder mystery with the victim and a culprit. While the film still has the culprit hidden to the viewers, our film sees the culprit before the victim does, heightening the suspense for the viewer.