Textual Analysis Case Study 1 -The Matrix.

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.