My Film Still Analysis BLK

Our group constructed a still from a film using codes and conventions to display a particular narrative moment.

1.  This shot consists of a youth in a grey hoodie behind a fence. The side profile of the youth looking out of frame keeps half of his face in shadow, making him appear mysterious and threatening. The side profile could also signify that the audience are only seeing one perspective of the youth. The dark background contrasted with strong illumination of the youth gives the impression that the youth is on the streets at night and is trapped behind a barrier. The youth's hands grasping at the fence signify desperation and depict him as vulnerable, yet this juxtaposes his calm and composed facial expression and the low angle shot which connotes intimidation. Overall, this shot conveys the genre of a drama and an action thriller.

2.  To achieve this effect, we turned off the room lights. Ella and Pru used the spotlights to create high key lighting on parts of Josh's face. The shadows and the dark background create contrast between the foreground and the background. Josh pulled up the hood of his jumper to connote signs of a troubled adolescent on the streets. I also placed myself behind the fence so that the fence in the foreground could represent barriers in an urban society that divides communities.

3.  I intended the audience to interpret the shot as a still from an action thriller. I also wanted the audience to be curious as to who the character was and why he was there, with the hope that they would understand the narrative. From the shot, they should be able to infer that the youth is in the streets at night and is watching through the fence at something that will make him a witness to a crime and would place him in danger throughout the rest of the film.

4.  I think that our use of mise-en-scene made our shot successful. By placing the youth behind the fence, it distances the audience from the character. Together, the fence, the young teenager in the hoodie and the dark background are genre indicators of street and urban action thrillers such as 'Attack on the Block' and 'Straight Outta Compton'. The iconographies in the still are conventionally attached to gangs or crime.

5.  In hindsight, I would have changed the position slightly to obscure the storage on the right as it does not blend in with the street setting. Other than that, I think that the genre was clearly connoted through use of the genre indicators and that the narrative was interpreted well by other people.