EDITED: SUMMER TASK

SUMMER TASK

What are the similarities and differences betwwen the opening scene of 'Casino Royale' and the title sequence of 'LA Confidential?'

Mise en scene

in the opening of Casino Royale, the picture is shown in black and white. This, to me, fits the genre and the context as at the begining of the clip, a very shadowy character steps out of a car. The use of black and white and the shadows highlight the idea that the character may have caused, or be in, some sort of trouble. The sets in this scene also reiterate the same idea.It's seen to be a very dark and again shadowy place. This then links to the way sound is used in this scene too. The building that the man enters is seemingly echoy and dark. This can be seen when he walks through a corridor that has flooring, that may be made of metal, that echos when he walks on it. This again highlights that something is arising as echos and darkness conotate danger and the idea of emptiness and being alone which we soon see is not the case.

In the title sequence of 'LA Confidential' an almost oppasite aproach is used in the more positive parts of the opening. For example, when the good things about LA are mentioned, the footageis shown in bright colours with people who are always seemingly happy and busy, but when the more negative things are mentioned, the film takes more of a classic 'film noir' approach. In terms of costume, the darker parts of the film are shown to have much darker clothing. For example when it's mentioned about how many people he kills, it turns to everyone in suit-type clothing and features police officers which contrasts with when he talks about the positives of LA as it shows people dancing in brightly coloured clothes that seem much more happy than the characters in the darker sections.

Genre

In the opening scene of 'Casino Royale' fits incredibly well with the genre of film noir. The scene is in black and white which links directly with the theme of film noir as it makes the scene a lot more intense and intereesting. The use of the music also links well as it draws on moments that seem to be more tense. The use of camera work in this scene also compliments the genre as it uses angles and shadows that give a more mysterious and illusive feel. The tone of voice the characters use also link well to the genre. They talk to each other in a low pitched,drawn way. This highlights a mysterious and shadowy effect which lures the audience in and makes them want to find out why everything is set in the way that it is.

Im Contrast, much of the 'LA Confidential' opening scene is the exact oppasite. There are bright colours used throughout. This challenges the idea of film noir. Similarly, the music used is also bright and has a seemingly happy tone to it throughout. Also, the narration/main characters voice contrasts with that of the characters in 'Casino Royale.' The characters seem happy and excited and almost sarcastic at times which, again, challenges the idea of film noir as it doesnt include many of the generic key features of the film noir genre.

how does the chiaroscuro lighting add to the connotations, meanings and themes in these clips?

Chiaroscuro lighting is a type of lighting in film where the black and the white of the image are contrasted very highly.

In Casino Royale, the strongly contrasted light really adds the idea that something in the scene is negative. The harsh lighting that creates strong shadows on all of the characters in the scene shows the audience that they both have a ‘bad side’ that is represented by this shadow. In this case, the harsher the lighting, so the more evident the chiaroscuro lighting is, the stronger the shadows will be so the more the character may have to hide or may show the character as having an alternative side, like a darkside.

Similarly in LA Confidential, the pasts of the clip that are in black and white use less of, but still use elements of chiaroscuro lighting. The lighting in this clip is again used to create dark shadows to show another side of each character that may not have the characteristics that you first assume they would when you first come into contact with them, almost creating another character or telling the person watching that there is more to these characters than meets the eye.