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Thesis for goodfellas film analysis
Thesis for goodfellas film analysis
Narrative in films
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Title: Goodfellas
Film Origin
Goodfellas was based off of the non-fiction book Wiseguy, which was released in 1986 by Nicholas Pileggi. Director Martin Scorsese worked extensively with Pileggi when writing the screenplay, as Pileggi is credited for co-writing. Originally named Wise Guy due to the book, Scorsese and Pileggi changed the name to Goodfellas. In addition, Pileggi also worked with the main actors of Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci to understand from both the screenplay as well as from the book.
Summary of the film
The film is a biography of Henry Hill, who was born and raised in the mafia, and his story of how he advances through the system. Along the way, Hill finds himself very successful due to the work he was able
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Throughout the film, the most obvious commonality is their interest in the mafia industry. But, their common interest also is found in their drive for success. As each character is successful with their business, they share that commonality as well as leaning on each other through the process to make sure each will be successful. Even though things change throughout the film due to their success with the mafia, the trio share that commonality of leaning on each other and protecting each other in the …show more content…
Even though the film is a biography, there was still a provided closure for the viewers.
Camera Techniques
Goodfellas does an excellent job including different camera techniques. One scene in particular when Karen was pointing a gun at Henry’s face was using both a point-of-view shot as well as breaking the fourth wall. Also, it seems as if they were using a crane to film the scenes due to the accuracy of the shot moving horizontally. This technique is not new, but it makes the shot much more crisp for the viewer.
There was also usage of a long take in the film. In the particular scene, it was Henry and Karen entering the nightclub. But, the entire shot of the scene was a long take, because continued the scene until the subjects sat down. Not only was it a unique camera technique, but it was also an important scene in the movie, as it symbolizes the combination of Henry’s mafia life and love life in one area.
Signatures of the
The film starts with an uprising after a white storeowner kills a black teenager. This incident Highlights Prejudices. The teenager was labeled a thief because of the color of his skin and the unjustifiable murder causes racial tensions that exist as a result of the integration of the high schools.
The movie “Scarface” is the story of one these immigrants who came to the United States seeking money and power but ended up with much more than he ever excepted. Al Pacino plays the main
...ot where the camera follows a subject within a frame and motion of the subject or its surroundings is involved. In this movie Lee uses the double dolly shot which includes the camera dolly and the actor mounted on a second dolly so the actor is moving along with the camera. The double dolly shot signature move is one of Lee’s favorites and also plays into his technical competence for the movie. This shot stars Detective Keith Frazier and happens just seconds after a hostage is “allegedly” killed by the bank robbers. In this scene the camera tends to shake and Denzel facial expressions display feelings of sadness and anger. In addition, a small cameo of Sal’s Pizzeria pizza boxes are seen when the head bank robbers makes a deal with the officers to get food for the hostages. Lee has lots of these connections within his movies relating back to Do The Right Thing.
Goodfellas is based on the life of Henry Hill, a member of an organized crime family of Italian descent that continues to have strong ties to Italy throughout the movie. As the movie begins, an old car drives down a highway as the bumper and New York license plates are shown. It seems as though the flickering streetlights are representative of the lights of a large city fading in the distance. Two men watch as a short man makes the observation that they need to finish killing a mutilated and bloody guy in the the trunk. Tommy, the short guy, stabs the man with a butcher knife mercilessly in a way that would make most viewers cringe. It becomes clear that this is a movie about street level gangsters in the ‘70s. The protagonist, Henry Hill begins by narrating his life as a teenager, stating that he “always wanted to be a gangster.”
In the few of his numerous films that I have seen, Coppola appears to use much of the same aesthetic techniques. Most of his works’ mise-en-scene, with some exceptions, seems to be very basic. When he is filming, Francis Ford Coppola does not put too many unnecessary items into the scene. When using a Wide-angle lens, the frames are very open and spacious. This allows the viewer to focus on what is happening, rather than distract their attention. This technique can also prove useful. For example, if he wanted to make a character seem alone, abandoned, and insignificant, this type of shot would work well. Opposite a number of his films, in Apocalypse Now, it was important to some of the frames full. However, they still were not completed with excess objects, instead they were lavishly filled with the natural, lush greens of the Philippines. Francis Ford Coppola also uses dissolves in his works. In The Cotton Club (1984), this technique was used a couple of times, when both dancing and singing was being performed. His editing style proved continuous. It was neither choppy, nor disruptive to the viewer, which allowed for a more pleasant experience.
Shadoian, Jack. Dreams and Dead Ends The American Gangster FIlm. 2nd ed. New York, NY:
Also, in the West Side Story, it uses many camera angles and distances. One example is the high-angle shot (B 49). In the very beginning the camera shows an overview of the West Side. I think that is shows this because it gives the audience a perspective on how large the West Side is. It also shows a distance shot (B 49) when the police arrive to the fight scene where the...
The 1920’s was an extraordinary time period filled with flappers, speakeasies, and gangsters. One of the most notorious gangsters during this time was a man named Al Capone. On February 14, 1929, seven bullet riddled corpses were discovered inside a garage inside a lonesome garage on Clark Street owned by gangster George “Bugs” Moran.
“American Gangster” is based on the true story of Frank Lucas’ life. It is the story of how he cut out the middleman in the heroin business and the story of how Ritchie Roberts caught him. Throughout the film we see the parallel between a cop and a criminal as we inch forward to see their lives finally meet.
Another good camera technique used in Requiem for a Dream were split screens. The split screens used by Aronofsky were perfectly split in the middle. The screens used maintained a good balance of your attention on both sides. The split screens allowed you to see two characters at once, making it easy to see what each one was doing at the same time. For example, there was a scene where Harry and Marion were talking to each other. Both of their faces and bodies were shown at the same time. Each character's response to each other was shown while they were talking or touching. It emphasized each character’s love for the other, making it feel like you were in the room watching what was taking place.
With the long shots in this film it better allows us to see the whole picture making sure we aren’t focused on one particular
His decisions were in part due to the producers asking that he shorten the film but also to his decision to create the sense of discontinuity present throughout the film. One such way that he breaks away is through the use of nonprofessional actors and handheld cameras in order to achieve a more documentary style of storytelling while also allotting him a great deal of flexibility in deciding what and where to film the shots, allowing him to improvise regularly. Traditionally, filmmakers would attempt to make transitions and edits of scenes to be as seamless and unnoticeable as possible, such is not the case with Godard, who insists on having jarring cuts even within a single conversation, often changing the angle and juxtapositioning between actors and objects in the scene. We first see these most prevalently when Michael first confronts and murders the police officer where there are continuous cuts between himself, the officer, and various objects such as the gun where the positioning of each is swapped between cuts, causing a sense of confusion for the audience. Scenes such as these become commonplace throughout the film and offer insights into both the characters and the themes of the film as a whole.
The movie opens with the dreaded found footage style of lazy man filmmaking. I groaned loudly when I saw this, but thankfully after the opening scene of the movie, it switches to the normal style of shooting (aka, the non-lazy way).
Through the use of long shots, the director portrays the town as very miserable, an aspect essential to the plot and theme. Just as the film has begun, while the two soldiers are riding up the mountain, the audience feels a sense of subjectivity. The use of a hand-held camera, moving up and down, allows the audience to feel as if though they are present within the framework of the film. This scene then leads into a long shot, in which the setting is established and the audience has a clear view of where the film takes place. Furthermore, the camera angles and close shots add much detail and emotion.
In The Shawshank Redemption, a film directed by Frank Darabont, Friendship is a prominent theme that is explored throughout the story of Andy Dufresne, Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding and their imprisonment and subsequent friendship. Darabont uses a range of techniques in this film to convey that theme of friendship, such as lighting, dialogue, music/score, Camera angles, mise-en-scene and camera shots.