Analysis Of The Use Of Lighting In The Godfather Essay

First, we start with movie technique. A commonly used movie technique used throughout the movie is close up, this includes zooming in to keep mostly only the face of the person in the frame and showing how a few people are talking. Another commonly used technique in the movie is sound, during the movie they used sound to build up suspense more times than I can count on my fingers. The final movie technique I found was a medium-shot, used to show

Director Francis Ford Coppola, in the film Godfather portrays the inner workings of a Mafia family. Coppola employed various filming techniques to make the film. These techniques serve to show the audience what is important to the Godfather and the reasoning behind actions that they do. Some techniques include lighting, music, and camera angles. The way that he styled the film was a lot different than the style that existed in the 1970s.

The use of lighting does a good job to create “x” shapes as well as create contrast in décor and costuming to illuminate deeper ideas. Scarface claims to be an indictment of gang violence and yet throughout the film it maintains ambiguity. The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre scene provides clarity as to why the film contradicts itself. Despite what the film says it aims to achieve in the title card, indict gangs, this scene manages to express the opposite. This scene shows the layers hidden throughout the film which is why it is so important; there is the obvious anti-gang violence message but also the hidden police corruption message. Using hidden messages in this film was a risk, as people may not have understood or interpreted it incorrectly. The risk taken was rewarded since it was understood and provided the inspiration for other films. It would be interesting to look at the other films that cite Scarface (1932) as inspiration and compare the use of

In Figure 2, it is early on in the film where the director establishes who the main character is. The director uses the middle of the screen for dominance. The frame shows O’Neill in trouble and sums up the sort of trouble he has caused himself. The lighting around the two characters is very low, emphasizing the situation. The intricate use of lenses shows the connection between the two at the very moment. The proxemics helps define the relationship between the men too. The director did a great job in the way he has shaped the image to accentuate the action and engage our attention. What is not seen in the shot are the other men trying to get to O’Neill too, the director does this to provide some visual variety in the scene. O’Neil seems to be dominated by the man, indicating vulnerability and powerlessness. The blackness toward the outside of the frame is indicating danger and possible death. The camera angle is at eye-level. The subjects are both standing, and the camera is placed as though the audience was viewing the

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters are feeling at a specific moment. Through the use of freeze frames, we learn of significant moments that shape Henry into the man that he is. By means of first-person narration we are able to know exactly what is going through a particular character’s mind. Finally, wonderful editing made great use of point of view and multiple jump cuts, which added to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. I will go into further detail and specify scenes that convey these elements as the essay progresses. Altogether, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas effectively depicts paramount scenes and allows the audience to empathize with the characters by virtue of stylistic editing and cinematography.

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features a great deal of talent. Household names such as Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Golden Globes and Academy Awards nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters are feeling at a specific moment. Through the use of freeze frames, we learn of significant moments that shape Henry into the man that he is. By means of first-person narration, we are able to know exactly what is going through a particular character’s mind. Finally, strong editing made efficient use of multiple jump cuts, which add to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. Altogether, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas effectively depicts paramount scenes and allows the audience to empathize with the characters by virtue of stylistic editing and cinematography.

Karl begins to tell his story under the soft light of the lamp. His story is accompanied by a strong and slow heartbeat. As the story is reaching its horrific climax, the heartbeat quickens, and with the last word of the story, the heartbeat now louder and quicker than ever, stops. The lighting creates a chilling moment in the movie. The constant use of lighting is most definitely contemporary noir.

The movie Godfather introduces you to the life of an Italian-American mobster family, during the prominent era of the 1940s and 1950s. The story follows the family of Don Vito Corleone where there youngest son Michael is about to decide of he is going to join the family business or not. One can argue that Dinner at Louis Italian Restaurant ' is probably one of the most memorable scenes from the classic movie because it represent a major turning point and a crucial character development scene in the movie for the character Michael as he decides to follow in his family business.

The Godfather is a gangster film that I have view attentively many times over the years, a great American classic. This movie overall has everything from excellent action to great actors. Gangster films are movies that are about organized crime, and often with mob families (Goodykoontz, & Jacobs, 2014). Gangster films a favorite and forever film genre is surprising a subgenre “The gangster film is really a subgenre of the broader genre of crime film” (Goodykoontz, & Jacobs, 2014). The Godfather film did a great job in representing the conventions typical in gangster films, like the audience was able to sympathize with the forces of evil and not the forces of good as the main character Michael Corleone did. The audience can sympathize with

Another fact about the cafe scene is the design of how it is all laid out. “Design is the process by which the look of the setting, props, lighting, and actors is determined.” (Barsam Monahan 495).It is important to incorporate how the characters, lighting and set help design and distinguish this scene in The Freshman. First it is important to compare the lighting between both films The Godfather and The Freshman. In the beginning of The Godfather film the viewers are introduced to Don Vito in his office at home. While there is a wedding happening outside Vito’s home his office is isolated from outdoor light and the only true light scene in the film is from the dim lights in Don Vito’s office. This limited form of light helped the viewer understand

In scenes where emotions are high and danger seems nearby, low-key lighting levels with the dark atmosphere within the room. Good Furthermore the appearance of the mobsters convey their professional behavior when talking business, and their savagery when carrying that business out. InterestingFor instance the mobsters all wear black suits to portray themselves as businessmen. With the exception of Don Corleone’s red rose placed over his heart, the majority of color gets drained.

This use of lighting destroys any sense of suspense or mystery in the movie and reveals what’s about to happen before it happens. Fourth, the camera angles and shots are clunky as everything looks very staged an unnatural. The camera is often seen panning to a character then they start speaking, then again and again. This makes the film unbelievable as it becomes apparent that the abnormalities of the camera and speaking patterns that everything is staged and prewritten, there’s nothing natural and is

Camera is set using a deep focus that gives clarity of foreground and background. Although, the lighting technique employed in this scene is considerably low key lighting for the presence of strong shadows. The cinematography shows details in the background and foreground with meticulous

A classic American crime film, The Godfather is a memorable motion picture, worthy of a 4.5-star rating. Released in 1972, the story follows that of an Italian-American criminal family living in New York. One of the most notable components of the film is without a doubt the cinematography. The composition of each shot alone, as well as collectively, sets the mood of the piece. Gordon Willis, the cinematographer for the film, is most well recognized and acclaimed for his method of employing shadows to reflect the morality of characters. This bold move awarded Willis the title “The Prince of Darkness”, as the sinister atmosphere created was perfect for the story. Willis’ use of underexposure and shadows, was particularly effective in showing

Another great moment in the film that uses lighting to express Guido’s love for Dora is the part where Guido goes to the theatre that he knew Dora was going to. Benigni makes Dora light up, showing the audience how Guido sees her. From his perspective, she stands out, and his focus on her is shown to be strong because the lighting draws the attention of that everyone that is watching this scene.