Feedback

Connor,

the analysis of 'Blue Velvet' is thorough and accurate and an excellent de-construction of the director's intentions using subject specific terminology as appropriate.

this is very promising and your storyboards have shown an ability to think in filmic terms and apply knowldge and understanding from class sessiosn.

You could conduct further research into the director's and their work but this has not been asked for and I would hope that your interest in film will lead you to read around the subjects covered.  There are some British Film Institute books about film in the LRC you may like.

Excellent first review. You have set high standards and I expect you to aspire to the highest grades.

Media Assignment: Film Noir: Codes and Conventions

Media Assignment: Film Noir Codes and Conventions

Connor Cushingham

What are the Codes and Conventions of Film Noir?

Film Noir is quite a dark and almost edgy genre of film, it generally revolves around the heavyhearted investigations of a detective who is trying to uncover an enigma set at the beginning and is developed all the way throughout. The key aspects of a Film Noir come from the specific character traits as well as the unique uses of lighting, camera angles and Mise en Scene used within the film.

Film Noirs rely quite a lot on Iconography in order for the film to properly reflect the genre to the audience as it is usually quite recognisable. The locations of Film Noirs are often quite relatable to the viewer, an area similar to what the viewer will have most likely come across in their lifetime, which makes the film seem more realistic and relatable. These areas are typically shown to be everyday urban settings, such as a rainy damp street, alleyways or certain locations such as warehouses. Most Film Noirs are in black and white, but are obviously not limited to that style, the reason for this is mostly because the majority of Film Noirs are set in roughly the 1950s, in an era where woman were often objectified and men given the priority of power. These locations are Iconography associated with Film Noir due to their common prevalence in most Film Noir films. Other aspects such as dark lighting, gloom and fog are commonly associated with Film Noir as well due to their mysterious connotations and reflection of an enigma which would be common in a Film Noir. Certain Mise en Scene in Film Noirs is linked to Iconography as well, such as the costumes of the character which can reflect the genre. Smart suits, trench coats, trilby hats and polished shoes are often connoted to the hardboiled detective attire. Guns and cigarettes could also be linked to the detectives however the two may also connote to gangsters or some sort of villain. Red lipstick is also definitely a significant trait in Film Noirs, most likely attributed to the Femme Fatale in order to give her aspects of seduction, glamour or wealth. Gloomy effects in shots are significant to Film Noir; low key lighting used to increase the intensity of a scene is commonly attributed to the genre as well as cantered camera angles to give a distorted vibe and gloomy atmosphere to the shot. The music in Film Noirs is quite recognisable and is uncommonly associated with other genres; heavy jazz music is often common and is used to give the film an edge of sophistication as well as a type of mystery which fuels the enigma in the story.

The cinematography in Film Noirs is quite unique, often deliberate in order to throw the audience off, or make them feel uneasy. Film Noir cinematography is often quite distorted, skewed and uncomfortable to even look at, which puts the viewer at ease. The angles are often rotated slightly so they seem at a strange angle, or there is an abuse of worm’s eye view shots or aerial shots to make the size of certain objects or characters become emphasised or undermined. The intensity of the cinematography is also abused to make the viewer seem uncomfortable, extreme close ups are commonly used to display the intensity in a characters emotion. Since a lot of Film Noir is the solving of an enigma there is quite a lot of change in expression and characteristics that can be evident to the viewer to display a skew in the mood of the story, so intense close ups to emphasise emotion are very important. Shots that take advantage of deep focus are also very evident in Film Noir, there is often an object in the near foreground which seems enlarged due to its closeness to the camera, and this is what the viewer is forced to focus on despite their possibly being something completely different in the background. The background may also be distorted and blurred so that the image in the foreground is even more emphasised and guaranteed to be focused on by the viewer, and is forced to stick in the viewer’s mind due to its prevalent importance. Film Noirs often play with the distortion of images in certain shots, used to create an uncomfortable and mysterious atmosphere in the scene. This can be done with the distortion of faces through the use of objects such as broken or skewed mirrors or strange reflections. The distorted images often connote some form of danger or ingenuity in the scene, and may make the viewer uncomfortable. Dutch tilts are also common and the irregular framing of shots is very apparent and used to throw off the viewer, some shots may even be so skewed and irregular it is difficult to tell whether the image is completely vertical or horizontal at first glance and requires the viewer to pay close attention.

The Mise En Scene on its own in Film Noirs is very important and often instantly recognisable to the genre. There is a lot of chiaroscuro in Film Noirs to make the scene seem quite uneasy, if the Film Noir is in black and white which they majoritively are then the lighting is even more important since the scenes are completely filled with either one colour or the other, and few greys are left on their own. This provides intensity through the lighting. Very specific lighting placements are required in Film Noirs through Mise en Scene, these could be used to lengthen the shadows behind characters or shroud parts of their body to connote a mysterious atmosphere coming from a specific person or area. Venetian blinds are also abused during Film Noirs to provide a very specific effect of lighting upon a surface, blocking out certain traces of light to add unique shading to the scene. The lighting is often very contrasting, either black or white is very dominant and there are very few greys to add intensity, fog machines could also be useful with lighting because they can be used to provide an image of black shadows mysteriously drifting in a mist. Urban locations in Mise en Scene are often prevalent in Film Noirs, which are commonly relatable to the viewer so they become more hooked on the film since they believe it is more realistic. Dark alleyways are often filled with fog from a fog machine in order to connote mystery and potentially impending danger due to its claustrophobic connotations.

The sounds in Film Noirs may not seem to be all that unique however at a second glance there is a surprising amount to be found. There is often quite a lot of melancholy downbeat jazz music used in Film Noirs, and generally a constant soundtrack happening in scenes, the tone of which changes corresponding to the events of the sequence. Heavy breathing contrasting with the use of quiet sounds or absolute silence is quite evident in Film Noirs, since due to it being centred on solving an enigma there is quite a lot of silence and room for thought. In addition to the lack of speech there needs to be some context to scenes, so there is often a voice over from the protagonist to provide exposition and how he comes to certain conclusions after deducing evidence. Ambient sounds of the city or suburbia are used to make areas seem more realistic and relatable to the viewer, other kinds of sounds such as discordant grating music is also used. Sudden noises may also be present in Film Noirs in order to shock the viewer and make them pay more attention to the story due to the sudden change in pace or action.

Film Noirs have very interesting and signature characters, some of which are downright required for the film to even be considered Film Noir. The two characters which are almost certainly required are the down at heel Private Eye and the deadly Femme Fatale who provides the spider and the fly storyline. The detective private eye is often shrouded in flaws and can be easily swayed by the Femme Fatale’s advances; he is usually given a position of power and his role as a man grants him significant authority over women due to the general era of the 1950s which Film Noirs stem from. This character is often quite demeaning of women in the genre, objectifying them and only really appreciating them for their physical beauty rather than their personal attributes. In The Maltese Falcon this character is given to Sam Spade, a private investigator who inquires Ruth Wonderly about her predicament and aims to help the beautiful woman. Throughout his introduction to her he repetitively gives her pet names such as “darling” or “sweetheart”, this is also evident when he is addressing his secretary. The Femme Fatale is often portrayed initially as quite weak and in need of assistance while also being quite attractive, wealthy, glamorous and desirable. The Femme Fatale will often also provide an enigma for the story, some kind of mystery which the private eye and potentially other characters will attempt to solve in efforts to help the Femme Fatale. Despite her initial traits the Femme Fatale will switch her role at some point in the film and reveal to be the villain, or at least a contributor to the negative attributes to the storyline. Femme Fatale often acts quite helpless and also seductive towards the private eye in order to seduce him into aided her in her plight. Through her seductive tones she manages to manipulate the private eye and will likely sleep with him in order to get what she wants, potentially trying to cover her own footprints in a crime she committed or wants the aid of an authority figure to unknowingly help her commit a crime. In The Maltese Falcon the Femme Fatale character is given to a woman named Ruth Wonderly, a wealthy woman who comes to the protagonist Sam Spade, a private investigator about a predicament involving her sister. Wonderly acts incredibly helpless and often flabbergasted at her own predicament to seem innocent and in need of assistance, while demeaning her role as a human and succumbing to pet names from Sam Spade in order to sway him and get her own way. Several other characters are also evident in Film Noirs, such as a small division of corrupt policemen who are working in collaboration with gangsters or other members of a city’s shady underbelly to work against the system who pose a threat to the private eye. Gangsters themselves are prevalent in Film Noirs; however their style seems to be quite different to the generic teenage attributes given to modern day gangsters. Film Noir gangsters are often quite professional, running their own underground organisation against the law with their own forceful power to boot, evidently a threat to the private eye and potentially an obstacle. Another female character doesn’t have a specific name like the Femme Fatale; however her traits remain evident in several Film Noirs as a supportive role towards the private eye protagonist. She will often be quite close to the main character, either towards the start or throughout, perhaps a secretary or good willed female cop who encourages the protagonist and is potentially innocently flirtatious towards him. Despite her interest in the protagonist she is often outshined by the Femme Fatale as a candidate for the love interest category and the protagonist ignores her, while the audience may perceive this female character as being the more ideal love interest. Other characters such as a deadbeat down and out writer or other detective may be evident in such Film Noirs, often just supporting characters to provide exposition and a guide for where the storyline should turn.

Several themes are evident in Film Noirs and often reveal themselves throughout the story, and may be obstacles for certain characters to overcome. Greed, love, betrayal, jealousy, lust, revenge, corruption, murder, sex and justice are all evident themes in Film Noirs and may reveal themselves as predicaments slowly throughout the film. The narrative of a Film Noir has been shown to vary over the years as several incarnations have skewed the general idea of what a Film Noir is. Despite this there is always a main occurrence of the same variety which comes up. These include a voiceover narration commonly provided by the main character to develop exposition and context, fast forwards or flash backs to provide even more exposition, remind the viewer of certain events or to simply provide a time skip, a first person narrative from the protagonist to let us know what he is thinking without him needing to say things aloud which other characters may hear, a convoluted ending which may need some extra deduction to be quite clear to the audience and is often very dramatic and or confusing, and finally the generic good cop and bad cop scenario.

Throughout the years film noir has progressed and been altered in order to fit into modern society and conform to the more common ideals. The classic noir films still remain in the 1950s time period however there have been sub-genres invented along the years which stemmed from the Film Noir genre. These include Neo-noir, noir-science, noir comedies, noir westerns, superhero noirs and finally horror noirs. Each sub-genre has not been one hundred percent dedicated to the original Film Noir genre however incorporates its elements in collaboration with other genres for a different conclusion.

Media Assignment: Maltese Falcon

Media Assignment: Maltese Falcon Opening Sequence

Connor Cushingham/

 

The sequence opens with four establishing shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and the general skyline of San Francisco, with the first shot captioned “San Francisco” to indicate the location if the viewer did not recognise the Golden Gate Bridge as a landmark.

 

The shot then changes to a tilt downwards towards a middle shot of a man with sleek black hair preparing a cigarette, focusing deeply. The cigarette connotes to generic Film Noir traits typical of a hardboiled detective enveloped in their work. He is wearing what appears to be a smart suit with his hair gelled back, quite generic physical traits of a film noir detective. The man responds to nothing saying “Yes sweetheart” while still focusing on his cigarette, implying he was aware of his secretary’s presence in the room but didn’t make direct eye contact on purpose, this implies that he has a cool nature and is constantly aware of his surroundings, which connotes to the generic personality trait of a veteran detective. The use of the word “sweetheart” is quite patronising in reference to his secretary, it is a common pet name used in Film Noir to generally demean women and make the man seem like the stronger role. The next shot is an over the shoulder mid shot of the secretary. The lighting in the shot is coming from the right side of the room, presumably from an open window and potentially through some blinds due to the sprays of light on the secretary. The character of the secretary is quite generic to film noir and displays positive helpful characteristics aimed at the hero, implying she has an interest in him. This is also evident in the Maltese Falcon, in clichés this character would be the logical romantic choice for our detective to aim for. There is then a medium close up shot of the secretary, showing us a better look at her face and allowing us to register what kind of role she plays. The detective continues to use demeaning pet names for the secretary such as “darling”, this may connote the idea that they are involved in a relationship however that doesn’t seem to be the case due to the secretary’s reference to the incoming femme fatale character who she describes as a “knockout”. The detective’s pet names are solely for the purpose of patronising the woman, making her seem inferior to him, but also to suggest some level of understanding and friendship. The term “knockout” used by the secretary also connotes the idea that the incoming character will be quite attractive and taking from generic film noir traits the audience may be able to deduce that it is the femme fatale from this information. When the detective asks the secretary to let in the new character there is a shot which could be considered a shot reverse shot, changing from the two characters to indicate a conversation and continuity in the area.

 

As the femme fatale character enters there is another over the shoulder middle shot, however this time of the femme fatale rather than the secretary. At this point the detective stands up, while the frame still stays at his shoulder. This connotes that the femme fatale character is important as the detective is rising to greet her, whereas with his secretary he remained seated and did not even make eye contact with her once. This also connotes that the detective is disinterested in the secretary despite her ideal character traits for a romantic involvement and may imply that the detective could be more so drawn in by the femme fatale. The moment the femme fatale character arrives we can tell without even knowing her character’s role that she is quite important and probably wealthy. Her large fur coat definitely connotes some form of wealth, as well as her velvet hat which means she is quite important. The moment she opens her mouth we can sense a tint of an accent, perhaps a British accent. The British accent connotes to high class and wealth due to their relation to Queen Elizabeth and the British history of monarchy. There is a two shot of the detective and the femme fatale, showing that they are engaging in conversation.

 

The femme fatale acts very out of breath and hasty; making her seems quite frantic and inferior due to her lack of composure. This connotes a sense of helplessness due to her immediate need of assistant. The female fatale presents her enigma to the detective, which is what starts of the plotline to the movie, throughout this there is an over the shoulder shot of her from the detective’s back. Throughout her frantic explanation the woman scarcely makes eye contact with the detective, often looking around the room as she lingers on with her description. This connotes the idea that her speech is rehearsed, her tone of voice seems faked too, being constantly at a loss of breath to seem repetitively surprised to make her story seem more believable or pitiful. The femme fatale also questions her actions, asking for some approval from the detective, this connotes the stereotype of helpless woman and a commanding man who knows all the answers, needing confirmation and approval from a man. This is done on purpose from the femme fatale’s general role as a character, as she purposely makes herself out to be weak and helpless, while also wealthy and attractive so to lure in a man such as the detective and sway them to get close to themselves and feel the need to help them.

 

Media Assignment: Se7en

Media Assignment: Se7en

Connor Cushingham

 

Opening Scene

The movie opens with a black screen; the only noise is the non-diegetic noises of an urban city. The shot then goes to the main character; Summerset, who seems to be getting ready for work. The loud noises of the urban environment continue throughout the scene as Morgan Freeman’s character; Detective Summerset is getting ready, this reflects Summerset’s grudge against the city and potentially the world, as his character has come to a point where he cannot understand humanity anymore.

 

The next shot is a mid-shot angle of Summerset’s tie, he adjusts it and then the camera tilts upwards to his face in the mirror, giving the audience a good image of what he looks like. There is then a wide shot of several personal belongings laid out neatly on a desk in front of Summerset. This connotes the idea that Summerset is very organised, which is reinforced as he delicately removes each item one by one with a steady touch, placing them into his pockets as he gets ready for work. This tells the audience that Summerset is a very professional character, as he has been seen adjusting his tie for a very official job and he is quite organised. The urban diegetic sounds echo throughout the scene, which emphasise Summerset’s quiet professional and delicate nature in what seems to be a loud and rough environment. The scene then suddenly cuts to a very dark shot of a dead body with a puddle of blood surrounding him. This scene displays a contrast between the dark, dangerous urban city and Summerset’s delicate, refined demeanour. The scene is dominantly shrouded in darkness, with light sources being very limited and not illuminating all that much. This leaves Summerset often plummeted into darkness, which may connote to the idea that Summerset is always shrouded in darkness due to the horrors he has been forced to witness and his eventual distaste for the current state of the world, potentially influencing his current delicate and almost lifeless demeanour. In the scene we can see some “Mise En Scene” through Summerset, who is donned in a long beige coloured coat and an iconic trilby hat, both of which are signature clothing items of a detective. This choice of costume evidently connotes to the audience that Summerset is a detective without telling them directly, which is supported by the crime scene implied through the dead body. Summerset evidently seems to have distaste for current society, baffled by how people can mercilessly harm one another as if it’s the norm. This is supported by his first line in the scene. “Yeah, look at all that passion on that wall” which he says in response to a co-worker remarking that the murder was a “crime of passion”. Summerset says this sarcastically which connotes his disagreement with his co-worker, expressing that he cannot understand how a person could do this and that it cannot be explained or justified by being labelled a “crime of passion”.

 

There is a mid-shot of Summerset examining the fridge; however this seems to be away from the actual corpse in question, instead Summerset is focusing on pictures drew by a child, as well as fridge magnets which connote to child playthings. Summerset then asks if the child had seen the murder, connoting Summerset’s worry that a child’s innocence would have been shattered if he were to have seen this kind of murder. This also connotes Summerset’s faith in humanity, it seems to have been effectively diminished over his years as a detective, and however despite this he harbours compassion for the youth of the world, as they have not yet been tainted by the social norms. Throughout the scene there is absolutely no diegetic sounds, no music or anything, instead it all seems to be diegetic to connote the idea of realism and severity of a crime scene, the only sounds heard being dialogue and the generic background noise of an urban environment. Throughout Summerset’s mild conversation with his co-worker involving the child potentially viewing the murder Summerset seems shrouded in darkness while his co-worker is slightly illuminated due to being close to the only light source in the shot. This connotes the idea that Summerset is very misunderstood and exiled from his co-workers, having very compassionate ideals however nobody seems to agree with him or support them, which is reflected by his co-worker’s judgemental barks at Summerset after he inquires about the child.

 

The next shot is of Brad Pitt’s character, Detective Mills, who has just been introduced. The shot is a mid-shot to display to the audience Mills’ appearance, which seems to be a little less traditional to the detective theme and more modern, lacking a trademark hat or coat. This connotes the contrast between Mills and Summerset which is built up throughout the movie. This is also reinforced as Mills introduces himself to Summerset throughout the next scene, already talking more than Summerset has throughout the entire movie up until this point. Afterwards Summerset cuts Mills off mid-sentence to propose that they go to a bar to discuss the case that they have both been assigned to. This connotes that Summerset is quite old fashioned, also evident by his traditional detective attire. It may also connote the idea that he is quite secluded, enjoying a quiet and traditional environment to ponder his options. Summerset is then cut off during his sentence too, by Mills, who proposes that they both go back to their department, which seems quite official. This connotes that Mills wants to prove himself to Summerset, as he is evidently quite a young and new detective who feels a need to justify himself in his work, wanting to go by the job in a very generically official way by staying in the workplace to do work. The entire scene is from a low angle, looking up at Mills and Summerset, this is to give them the appearance of being important, making them look taller and more of the centre of attention.

 

Soon afterwards Mills constantly chats to Summerset, who evidently doesn’t seem thrilled with the conversation, to which he responds with “I want you to look, and I want you to listen”. This connotes that Summerset is a very practical person and enjoys a lot of silence, he tells Mills to look and listen rather than talk, as Summerset has had enough with listening. When Summerset tells Mills to look he could be talking about the city around him, which Summerset has grown tired of in his years.

 

At Summerset’s house we see him in bed, again there are absolutely no non-diegetic sounds and the only sounds provided are diegetic, coming from the city around him just like at the start, still audible despite being inside. Summerset’s expression seems to squirm as he attempts to sleep, and he turns to the window which appears to be the source of the urban noise. This connotes that Summerset is disturbed by the sounds of the environment around him, supporting the idea that he despises the state of the world around him. Afterwards there is a shot of a metronome at Summerset’s bedside, which he pushes to start a steady beat from the Metronome. The camera focuses on the metronome as the beats slowly start to add emphasis and drown out the urban city noise. This is when Summerset can eventually get to sleep and the scene cuts to the opening credits after a slow zoom on the metronome to emphasise that it seems to have saved Summerset from the dreadful city chaos.

 

Opening Credits

Throughout the entirety of the opening credits there are no long shots of the setting, because of this there is quite a lot of focus on Mise En Scene, which leaves the scene surrounding in mystery and only up to the assumption of the viewer. The scene majoritively relies on props and close ups of paperwork, pictures and the works of hands. Many of the props would be expected to be seen at a person’s house or perhaps in an office since everything seems quite homemade and organised; however the setting is still completely put in mystery and only connotes assumptions to the audience. The close ups of the objects connote intensity and suspense as the audience have no idea who is acting upon the props and so are kept wondering. Many of the props connote to detective works or investigations, reflecting the genre of the movie, it is also evident that throughout the credits a person in question seems to be organising some sort of file. Throughout the credits the scenes are reasonably dark, this connotes danger and that the film will be shrouded in a very serious tone. All of the shots are of indoor locations and there is very little lighting, which sets a dull and suspicious atmosphere.

 

There are a lot of cuts throughout the opening credits, almost displayed in a sort of slideshow, because of this there is not a lot of camera movement when the camera focuses on one scene at a time. The camera is mostly still and there is no panning or any other kind of movement since each shot is over just as fast as it has begun so in the minimal time it is on screen it does well to focus on whatever it is focusing on. The credits themselves are written in a font that strongly connotes to handwriting, this fits with the idea of somebody having hand drawn these credits as if they were in some sort of investigation file, which is evidently being crafted throughout the opening credits. Additionally the textual credits appear a bright white, contrasting greatly against the dark lighting in the shots behind it, making them stand out.

 

Many of the cuts in the opening credits vary; either being straight quick cuts of eerie fades which smoothly transition into another scene. These effects can either keep the viewer on edge as the cuts quickly switch between each other or make them feel uneasy as the scenes eerily bleed into one another, connoting the idea that they are happening back to back in real time.

Media Assignment: Mission Impossible 2

 

Media Assignment: Mission Impossible 2 Opening Scene

Connor Cushingham

The scene starts off with an establishing shot of a large mountain which turns out to be the Grand Canyon. A forward tracking zoom shot focuses us on Tom Cruise’s character scaling the canyon. As Cruise’s character gently scales the mountain there is no music for a couple seconds, the only sound being a diegetic sound of wind breezing across the mountain, which emphasises the desolate location and focuses the entire scene on Tom Cruise himself rather than anybody else. The desolate sounds of wind remain evident throughout the scene in collaboration with Cruise’s heavy breathing and tense panting. Despite the clearly desolate location and obvious room for danger in the fate of Tom Cruise there seems to be room for a very light-hearted tone, this is due to the non-diegetic music which is played over the top of the scene. The music is similar to holiday music, similar to a tropical getaway, later in the scene this is reinforced as one of Tom Cruise’s assumed co-workers mentions that he is on vacation at this remote location. The music takes the serious out of the scene and effectively eliminates any worry for Tom Cruise as it manages to eradicate any intense or potentially dangerous scenarios through the sheer tone of the music.

Towards the start of the scene there is not a lot to comment on except for the vacant sounds and diverse camera angles, all of which are centred on Tom Cruise. The camera is constantly switching to different angles however it does not lose focus on Cruise. The camera preforms an arc shot, moving around the side of the canyon towards Cruise, who scales the canyon with vigour. There are also a few pan shots which zoom in and out while moving to one side, usually back to back. These shots effectively emphasise the background as quite a few of them can also be seen as aerial view shots due to the location of the scene. High on the Grand Canyon the camera is commonly facing downwards and acknowledging the sheer depth of the canyon, which may connote danger. Despite this connotation Cruise’s character seems quite contempt and cocky about the situation. This potentially cocky attitude may be proven by the scene following, in which Cruise places his knees in between a crack in the canyon to support himself, leaning back and resting. This shows confidence in his abilities and may imply he is somehow showing off to the canyon itself, expressing the fact that he is gradually conquering it.

There are several full body shots of Tom Cruise as he has planted his legs into the canyon, all of these also including a large body of land far below Cruise, emphasising the height he has achieved. The scene doesn’t show Cruise climbing the mountain from an outward shot constantly, it uses a variety of close ups to almost transition the scene a little bit up the canyon more and more, implying that Cruise is expertly scaling the canyon in a short amount of time. The camera has a close up of Cruise’s feet, gradually climbing the canyon and planting themselves into several cracks to connote that Cruise is moving up the mountain with ease, however  we do not see all of Cruise and the scene exaggerates his abilities. There is a shot soon after of Cruise’s face, focusing on him for a moment to show us his expression, this implies intrigue and connotes that he has an idea in mind. This query is then provided to the audience as the camera zooms in on a chunk of rock protruding from the canyon. Cruise’s intrigue in this and the focus on the chunk connotes that it is important and that Cruise may make an effort to get to it. This shot also provides a shot reverse shot of Cruise and the protruding rock, foreshadowing potential action. At this point the once cheery upbeat holiday music which generally ruined the dangerous atmosphere is dimmed down, to an eerie soft volume, which eliminates the hindrance of the dangerous atmosphere and allows the extreme situation to be acknowledged. This is also emphasised by the close up on Cruise’s face. Cruise then jumps to the chunk of rock protruding from the canyon and slow motion is used to make the scene seem more dramatic. The slow motion connotes the idea of suspense and danger massively as it plants a seed of doubt in the viewer’s mind that Cruise may not make the jump. This is again further emphasised by the lack of music and general danger of the extreme environment. At the point of his jump there is an aerial shot of Cruise in slow motion, this shows us the grand steepness of the canyon and reminds the viewer how high Cruise is, again reinforcing the suspense of the situation. Upon Cruise’s landing there is a slight pause in his movements and a close up of his legs standing firm on the ledge. This connotes the idea that the suspense has ended, however less than a second later Cruise slides down the edge, refuelling the suspense. As Cruise manages to maintain his hold on the canyon the sound of an eagle can be heard echoing in the background. This sound connotes to the idea of America as it is the country mascot, which also connotes to Tom Cruise himself, an American. This connotation reflects the idea of American freedom and pride as Cruise had cheated death and is close to conquering the mountain. As Cruise falls there is amplification in volume of the music, with heavy drums, reflecting the sudden danger. After Cruise regains his composure and the eagle echoes in the background the music is completely gone rather than lowered. The non-diegetic sound becomes eliminated and then all the diegetic sounds are emphasised. Cruise’s heavy breathing can be heard, connoting to the idea that he is worn out and surprised, which may empathise with the viewer due to the sudden scare. There is a close up of Cruise’s troubled face as his heavy breathing is emphasised, keeping our focus on him more than anything. There is then a middle shot with Cruise swinging his free hand up behind him to grab onto a rock, which puts his back to the canyon and his front to the viewer. The camera then provides an arc shot vertically, slightly zooming in at an angle which emphasises Cruise’s current position. The rock he is on protruding an alarming amount out of the canyon, showing Cruise’s perilous situation. The camera then focuses on Cruise with a middle shot of him centred, which zooms in to a close up shot of his face. Under the non-diegetic holiday music which had now returned since his recovery we can hear the diegetic sound of Cruise’s breathing, as well as a shot of his expression, which seems to suggest confidence and a rush of adrenaline to the audience.

Afterwards there is a crane shot of the top of the canyon, with Cruise reaching the top. The shot shows the distant ground in the background. The shot then turns into an arc shot and completely revolves around Cruise, using him as the centre. The centred focus on Cruise connotes that he has completely succeeded and he is now the absolute centre of attention, congratulating him.

Seconds afterwards the diegetic sound of a helicopter or a plane can be heard, which drowns out the non-diegetic holiday music, which had increased in volume upon Cruise’s conquer of the mountain, however it has now been lost and the atmosphere filled with pressure. The sound connotes danger to the audience as the sound of the helicopter can be connoted to the war or artillery. We then see the helicopter itself, and a slow forward zoom towards it, which focuses on a man draped in black wielding what seems to be a weapon out the side. The rocket launcher connotes immediate danger and peril to the viewer, as it looks like Cruise is about to be attacked. The man in the helicopter is draped in a suit and sun glasses, which connotes to secret agents, or the men in black. It could also reflect the gentlemanly agents from the James Bond series.