Thursday 10 February 2011

LF:Technical Deconstruction: Cinderella Man (2005) Corn Griffin Scene

After technically deconstructing the two minutes of the main boxing scene in the film it has provided me with great insight into the clever ways directors approach boxing scenes and certain unusual effects I feel we can adopt whilst filming our opening two minutes that would add an edgy feel to our production and gain the highest marks.

First of all the cutting rate during the fight was very fast to create a sense of excitement within the audience, over a time period of two minutes there was fifty five different shots showing how the director tried to intensify the situation. However one of the best techniques I feel the director utilized was the use of slow motion which is present within a lot of boxing films. For instance ‘shot 50’ was a close up slow motion shot of the antagonist feeling the force of a large blow, the use of slow motion emphasizing the impact of the punch. The antagonist was clearly positioned in the middle of the frame drawing all the intention to his face. Throughout most of the fight the protagonist and antagonist were positioned in the middle of the frame either in a mid shot or long shot.

As the scene begins with a close up of the protagonist we are instantly positioned with this character, it was closely followed with a extreme close up of his eye showing a wound adding drama to the sequence. Although the scene was mainly based around the two boxers there were other characters that took a back seat but were still vital to the narrative. Firstly the trainers in the corner of the ring tell there own story through there non verbal language. For instance in shot 47 there is a medium shot of the trainers shot from a low angle showing there anguish, the audience would immediately interpret that the boxers may have taken a heavy blow, it then cuts straight to a medium close up of the boxers. The audience can often feed off the reaction of the trainers.

In addition the commentator creates huge amounts of tension through the clip and is often driving the narrative; the commentator is talking for most of the scene so he plays a vital role in keeping the audience interested. Therefore I believe if we are going to use a voice over throughout our opening the script will need to be very interesting and fast paced to keep the audience interested and to create excitement.

One of the most interesting and effective shots was shot 53, it is the first time we are positioned with the antagonist as we are now facing the protagonist and can see his punches coming at the camera. I feel this positions the audience right in the thick of the action especially when handy cam is used. The protagonist the throw a couple of punches and as they land the screen flashes black as though the audience is boxing in the ring. If we adopt this unusual effect I feel it would make our opening scene very authentic.

Towards the end of the clip there are aspects of iconography that are driving the narrative with the use of slow motion once again, the protagonist gets his gum shield punched out of his mouth however as the gum shield is in mid air there is an extreme close up and an extension of time with a silent atmosphere, the tension these two effects creates is very effective. In addition the protagonist then picks up the gum shield and there is a panning shot of the crowd’s reaction clearly showing the protagonist driving the narrative.
 
This clip is continuity edited however there are flash backs included within the clip which we are looking to include in our clip. After the protagonist takes a couple of heavy shots there is a flash back to his childhood which almost acts as a source of inspiration to him.

After analysing numerous boxing scenes and technically deconstructing this particular fight scene I have realised that lighting is vital, first of all there is a very original POV shot when the audience is positioned with the protagonist. His version appears blurred and four bright lights are positioned in the centre of the shot, I feel the audience can interpret the physical tiredness caused by the blurred vision again keeping them interested.

After technically analysing ‘Cinderella Man’ there are certain effects and shots I am considering using in our film opening
·        POV shots of either boxers facing there opponent.
·        Extreme close ups of body wounds.
·        Blurred shots of lights/old fashioned camera flashes.
·        Low canted angle of trainer’s reaction.
·        Slow motion extreme close up of either iconic props or boxers face.
·        Long panning shot of ring with both boxers positioned in the middle of the frame.
·        Montage editing of close ups of family, lovers or friends.

1 comment:

  1. Excellent work Luca - focused, detailed, relevant, technical. A grade work.

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