Film Studies Blog

Sequence Analysis Film: Prisoners We begin the sequence with an establishing shot of Gyllenhaal's (G) patrol car in front of a restaurant, his car is the only one we can see, the lighting, or lack of, almost letting the car slip away into the darkness. We then cut to G inside the restaurant, eating alone. A waitress enters the frame and the camera slowly pans downwards from a LS to a MS towards his shoulder. She says "happy thanksgiving" this line of dialogue informs us that G's character is alone on a holiday traditionally spent with family, reinforcing this shroud of loneliness that the character possesses. The camera then come to CU on G and then cuts to a LS again to show us this empty diner once again, this CU and LS show us just how lonely he is, his phone vibrates, this diegetic sound changes to non-diegetic sound of the police radio in his car, which becomes diegetic once G enters his car, this may signify how the job is always on his mind, as he can hea...

Experimental Film Genre Analysis                                         The basic genres of film include Fiction and Documentary, which then include subgenres such as Drama and Thrillers, these subgenres then have similar conventions within it, for a film noir, for example, it is the detective and the femme fatale. These subgenres all have similar styles and techniques to them as well, such as flashbacks in film noir. However, there is a third main genre and that is the Avant-Garde or experimental film, as distinguished by Alan Williams. Experimental film allows a film-maker to change these conventions and with that change our perception of what those conventions make us think and feel. Other times it is used to help amateur film makers come into commercial film making or just test out new technology and letting the entertainment and revenue take a backseat. Experimental film often ...