Textual Analysis
Case Study 1 -The Matrix.
Soundtrack
In the very
beginning of the opening scene they use the soundtrack almost entirely to add
tension and mystery about the film to come. The soundtrack has two people a man
and a women talking on a phone. It is not entirely clear what they are talking
about but use key words like killing, watching which draws us in wanting to
know more. We know that what they are talking about should be top secret as by
the end of the call he is reassuring her that no one has intercepted the line.
As the audience listening we know that they can be heard. As we are one of the
people listening to it, it brings us into the film like we are part of it.
Another
example was when trinity had jumped into the air and it was slowed down. When
she was in the in slow motion the music started quiet, building up until she
kicked him across the room. When she is in the air all the other noises around
her are blocked out and it is just the music building up. Once it is sped up to
normal time all the sound from around her comes back and it is like a kick of
sound. As the music gets louder you get more excited and on edge until all the
sound come at one time also giving you a sort of kick/shock.
Editing
Once trinity
starts running with the police behind her they use cross cutting to show her
and then them. This shows how close they are and how they are just behind her.
This adds tension as you don’t want them to catch her but also excitement as
you can see her getting away. With cross cutting you can see each team of
people and them going through the same obstacles.
When Trinity
is having a fight with the police it is all very fast passed and quick but then
changes to slow motion when she is in the air about to kick one of the police
officers. This adds tension as it gives a break from the quick passed action we
had previously. You are on the edge of your seat for it to all start again and
go back to a fast passed action scene. It also builds emphasis on Trinity and
how good she is at fighting. This makes us want to root for her and we are on
her side.
Camerawork
When the
last police car pulls into the hotel it uses a crane shot. It follows the car
from above also showing all the other police cars there. It shows lots of
police cars and the area they are in. them showing all the police cars shows
how serious the situation as they needed lots of police for just one girl. This
build tension as we are not sure what she is capable of and why it is necessary
for so many police to be there. The crane shot also shows the sort of area it
is set. It is clearly not a very nice area, a bit dingy, were maybe not very
nice people live. This sets the scene as dark and grey which makes you on edge
and shows it clearly isn’t a happy place where you would want to be.
Once trinity
has started to run away there is get a point of view shot from the perspective
of the police officers chasing after her. It shows us Trinity running away
quickly showing how she is getting away and how hard it is for the police. It
shows us that she is ahead and is going to get away. This gets us excited for
her to escape and win against the police. It’s also tense as we can see her
trying to get away but we see that they are close.
Mise-en-scene
All the
police are wearing grey, black, dark coloured uniforms with ties and badges. It
shows how they are one group of people and how they are quite boring and all
the same. This is a big contrast to Trinity’s black shiny leather suit that is
skin tight. This creates the effect that she is different from everyone else
and is defiantly the daring heroine. It makes a clear distinction between the
two group and which one we should be routing for. The black leather suit shows
how powerful and daring she is in contrast to the boring plane suits that are uniform
across the whole the police force.
Overall the
matrix opening scene uses lots of different techniques to mainly create tension
and excitement throughout the scene. It is an upbeat scene and the techniques
help to create that.
