A Walk Among the Tombstones, 2014 - Film Analysis

Synopsis

A drug dealer's wife has been kidnapped and killed. He hires ex-cop, Matt Scudder, to find out who it was who killed his wife.

These screenshots are taken from the first meeting of Matt and the drug dealer. This first screenshot establishes where the two men are talking. It is a long-shot which shows both of the men sitting opposite one another and part of the setting around them. The audience can establish that they are both sitting in the living room as they are sitting sofas and arm chairs which you typically find n a living room. There is also a fireplace in the same room which is another aspect which suggests that they are both in the living room. This makes their meeting with one another less formal besides the fact that that neither men has met one another before.

I really like the shot reverse shots between the two men. This is because whilst you can see the front of the one who is talking, you can see the back of the other character, however, it is slightly blurred out. This is a really effective technique as it allows the audience to know that the other person is there but it automatically makes them not focus on that person because at that specific point, the other character is the main focus. 

You can tell that the ex-cop has only recently arrived at the house as he still is wearing his coat and a scarf. This suggests that he doesn't live at the house like the other character does because the drug dealer is only wearing a shirt and some trousers which is all he would need if he has been in the house.

By the fact that the ex-cop is wearing a scarf could help establish to the audience what time of year the film is set. Scarfs are usually worn during the autumn and winter months and maybe even early spring.

Both of the characters speaking are american. Therefore the audience would assume that they are both in and from America.

Their clothes and the furniture in the room is quite modern. This suggests to the audience that the film is set during the modern days.

After a few over the should shot reverse shots, the camera then changes to a shot reverse shot between the two men but with close up shots. I really like this technique because it adds a bit more interest to the conversation and the audience is able to get a better look at the character's faces. 

As their conversation becomes more intense, the close up camera shots have quicker cuts which adds to the tension of the conversation. As their sentences become less intense, the close up camera shots aren't so sudden when they cut.

I really like the way that after the men have spoken with some shot reverse shots, they continue to speak but as the camera cuts to a long shot which is over one of the characters shoulder. This makes the conversation interesting as it gives the audience a sudden change in the camera shots which helps to keep them focused whilst watching the film. It allows the audience to see the room from a different perspective. For instance, in this shot, you can see that the living room is one of the front rooms as there is a large window with some veil-like material hanging down which blocks anyone's vision into the room if they were to look in from the outside.

The drug dealer is the man sitting on the left whilst the ex-cop is sitting on the right. This house is where the drug dealer lives. You can see that he is a well-off man as his living room looks very smart as all of the objects in the room are matching. The items in the room look of a good quality which is another aspect which suggests the drug dealer's wealthiness. The room is very tidy and clean which suggests that the drug dealer takes pride in his home and he has high standards for himself despite him being a drug dealer. The typical stereotypes for a drug dealer is usually seen as being unclean, living in a cramped up flat, high from taking drugs themselves, dangerous people and scum. However, the drug dealer in this clip challenges this stereotype as he is the clear opposite to them all.

Clip

This is the clip from which the screen shots have been taken. What I particularly liked about this clip was that through mid conversation, the drug dealer was speaking in one clip and then within a quick cut, he continued the conversation without any jumps or pauses. This is a really clever editing technique as the conversation he was speaking, he would have had to re-do a couple of times so that the cameramen could get a range of different shots. However, with the clever editing, it just appears as the same conversation.

There isn't any music playing in this clip. I really like the fact that there isn't because I think that if diegetic music was playing it would partly distract the serious conversation both of the men are having and if non-diegetic music was playing it would take away the naturalism from the scene.

The audience are able to establish that this scene is taking place sometime in the evening. This is because outside, you can just about see that it is dark. The inside artificial lights are on which creates a yellowish light effect which most lights create. Also, if this scene was taking place during the day, then there wouldn't be as many or even any inside lights on. The room would instead be lit by natural lighting which would mainly fall through the window. 

AT2: Self-evaluation - Poster

Self-evaluation

The title of my 5 minute film is 'Betrayed' and it is a drama film. My main target audience was for teenagers, young adults and some adults. These are the groups of people who I thought my film would appeal to the most. Also, as my main characters are at the  teenage/young adult age, it gives the target audience something to connect with.

I needed to assure that not only the film meets the target audience's needs but also so that my film poster meets their needs because otherwise, when they look at the poster, they may get the wrong impression about the film and may be reluctant not to watch it as they may think that it's not aimed at their age. To assure that I targeted the correct target audience I made sure that my poster looked serious and grown up. I tried to portray this by making sure that the two characters had a serious look on their face staring straight out to the audience. 

I wanted to show this and at the same time hint ideas about the film in the poster. For instance, the title already begins to hint at what the film is about, which is betrayal. The sub-heading 'Who would you trust?' already begins to make the audience think about the theme of trust with the two main characters, Jay and Ashton who are shown on the poster. This subheading hints at the fact that only one of the two boys can be trusted, but you don't know who.

I am most pleased with the photograph on my film poster. This is because I like the way the light falls onto the characters. There is slightly more light which falls onto Ashton which hints at the the innocence of his character as he falls into Jay's trap whilst Jay has more of a slight shade over him which suggests that he has darker characteristics.

To make my poster look more professional, I think that I would try to enhance the photograph more so that it looks more clear and crisper. I would also make the the age guidance '12' slightly smaller so it doesn't stand out that much.

AT2: Audience Feedback - Poster

This is my audience feedback from my 5 minute film poster Betrayed. This feedback has allowed me to review on my poster and to see that it looks like an authentic film poster. It has also allowed me to see what elements I would need to improve on.

AT2: Final Poster

This is my final film poster for my 5 minute film 'Betrayed'. I have added in a few more items to my final poster. For instance, I have added on a date as to when the film will come to cinemas. This is because most film posters have the screening date on so that the audience know when they can go and see the film.

I have also added in an age range on the bottom right hand corner of the poster. This is so that whoever views the poster will instantly know who the targeted audience for the film is and whether it will suit their needs of a film. In order to make sure I got the correct age range, I went onto the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) website and researched the different age classifications for a film. I decided that my film would be in the 12 age range as I have moderate violence in my film and no swearing.

I finally added on the film production company name in the bottom left hand corner. I thought that this would be a good idea as it allows the audience to easily see the film company that made the film. If the film company have made many successful films, then the audience may be reluctant to watch the film because of the film company.

To improve my film poster, I could have also explored portrait styles of the poster as well as horizontal to see which one I preferred the most.

I would also change the film company text (bottom left hand side of the poster) colour from black to a lighter colour which would't overpower the poster but at the same time could be read easier.

AT2: Film Poster Drafts

 Draft 1

In my first draft of my film poster, I decided to use colour for the photo. This is because my film will be in colour and I thought that it would match the same colour scheme of the film. However, I didn't like the way that it highlighted the characters. I felt that the green of the trees in the background appeared a bit over-powering and it made the characters blend into the background too much. I also felt that the colour scheme didn't highlight the characters features as much. I thought that it was important to highlight their facial features as it allows the audience to see each character clearly.

I think that the title of this poster is quite basic and doesn't look original to the film or even that well thought out even though the title is in capital letters and looks quite big.

Finally, I have added in some text at the bottom of the poster. This text tells the audience the film companies who made the film, the main actors who star in it, the director and all of the main people who took part in the rest of the production such as the editing, the sound, the camera work, etc. I thought that by adding in this text would make my poster look more professional and realistic. I also tried to use a similar font for the text to the font on actual professional film posters. 

Draft 2
 

After playing around with the different colour schemes, I decided that I really liked the poster photo in a navy/black and white colour scheme. This is because I felt that it really highlighted the two characters and their facial features so you can see each of them more clearly. The character on the left has come out with a slightly darker shade whilst the character on the right has more light which falls on him. This is already hinting ideas about each of the character's characteristics. This is because the darker shade over the left character could suggest that he has a dark secret or commits something dark, whereas the character on the right in the light could be seen as innocent or even naïve as he has no idea about the dark trap of which he falls into. 

I also like the way the trees in the background don't overpower or blend in with the two characters. The trees hint at the setting of the film without being too much in the audiences face. 

I wanted the main title to be shown in capital letters with a styled font. This is because the capital letters would make the title stand out more and the styled font would differentiate this poster to other film posters which may be shown. I decided to add in a quote in a slightly different font so that it would be clear to the audience that it wasn't apart of the title. I thought that a question quote would be effective as it makes the audience think about the two characters on the poster again hinting at the fact that only one of them may be trusted but which one?

At the top of the poster, I have added in the actor's names above their character on the poster so that when the audience looks at the poster, they will assume that the actor Joe is on the right whilst the actor James is on the left.

AT2: Audience Research - Film Poster

This is the audience research which I have gathered to help me create my film poster. This research has helped me to make sure that I keep my poster design to the needs of my target audience.

AT2: Ideas for my Film Poster

Main Photograph

• The two main characters Ashton and  Jay will both feature on the poster.

• I would like to edit the photo so that Ashton's character has more light falling on him as he is the victim whilst more shade will fall on Jay because he is the darker character in this film who kidnaps his best friend.

Colour Scheme

• Dark colours to suggest the dark themes which are explored in the film. Slight dark turquoise colour mixed in with the black and white to suggest that the film isn't all dark and it may have a sense of hope but also to show the audience that the film is a colour film, not black and white.

• The poster could be in full colour.

• In the black and white colour poster, I would have the title in a bold black colour as it will be significantly darker to the colours of the poster and will stand out. It will also match the colour scheme of the poster.

• If the poster was in full colour, then I would have the title in a deep red colour to suggest danger as Ashton is in danger of what Jay might do to him.

Title

• In capital bold letters spread across the top of the page. This will make the title stand out to the audience and catch their eye.

Credits

• In order to make my poster look authentic, I want to include the credits at the bottom of the page. They will be featured in a white font so that I can assure that the focus emphasis will be on the poster and not the credits.

Actor Names

• On my poster, I also want to include both of the main actors names above their character. This will help to make my poster look professional as most film posters usually include this, especially if a well-known actor is featured in the film, as it may make the audience bias about watching the film.