Movie Analysis of Bonnie and Clyde - Essay Example

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Based on a true story, Bonnie and Clyde is an American film that came alive, shot and constructed in its traditional way. It was a major presence in the American era that inspired technology, which enlightened the people with the use of personal computers. Focusing on the formal and cultural “invisibility” at this movie became a reality in the sixties, probably way-back. We are going to demonstrate the movie review of Bonny and Clyde in addition, the movie analysis which includes technique analysis such as shooting and editing (Barsam, 19). In the movie, several filming techniques became exemplified for the success of its production. This report seeks to give an analysis and a review of the film “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967). It will also give an insight of the filming techniques adopted in the movie. Review Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker’s story inspired a debate. This represented a wide spectrum to most people because their characters trended from stealing, to robbery, to killing and committing crime! The film intended to give a romantic and a comic feeling of the violent gangster films. This couple became historical counterpart to their own struggles, To begin with, Bonnie was a waitress, she was so bored with her job. Clyde stole Bonnie’s mother’s car to try and search for quick money. They lived in Texas and decided to run away with the stolen car outside the town. The duo's crime spree gear up once they hooked up with a gas station attendant, C.W. Moss, then with Clyde's brother and his wife, a preacher's daughter and decided to go into robbing. The car was parked parallel to the getaway, within a twinkle of an eye Clyde shot the bank manager directly on the face, robbed the bank and sped off unknowingly. The gang found themselves in a hot pursuit by the law enforcement, which included the Texas Ranger. They finally locate Bonnie, Clyde and C.W. of whom they thought they had escaped, not long before, they were found hiding at the house of Ivan Moss. According to Richard Barsam, an author of “Looking at Movies” he mentions that the film was formally set in the past rather than the present. For most of us, most of the time, movies are a break from daily obligations; it is a form of escape, entertainment, and pleasure. The use of Motion pictures depicts a lot, coherently it shapes the way we view the world. Apparently, there is much more to movies than to meet the casual eye or ear, for that matter, they seem odd and aberrant to the general society (Barsam 146). Analysis Bonnie and Clyde are not only a well-crafted film by a first-time director it also touches on a number of fundamental cinematic elements. The film shows significant social and environmental issues vital to all Americans at the beginning of a new era. Hope, fear, hatred, dread, humor, guilt, and loathing became eminent in this film by using the best filming techniques bearing in mind significant elements concerning cinema. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker are lead actors in the film. They play a crucial role by blending in with all the elements. This enables the viewer get the actual essence and better understanding of the film. Camera Movement This film brings about much-needed reform in a nation, but true reform will always require more than Hollywood can offer. Nevertheless, to minimize the power of the mass media to generate sympathy, concerns, and demands for reform are to ignore reality. For that reason alone, it is pertinent to note how the producer of this film used camera movement to depict a sense of realism in the film. The film has numerous action scenes and camera movement such as panning which is essential in bringing better acknowledgement of the film. A pan is the horizontal camera movement. When a camera pans, it turns left and right. Panning is normally for a very wide panorama that does not fit with the camera frame. In the first robbery scene of the film, a pan reveals the point of view of lead actors Warren Beatty (Clyde) and Faye Dunaway (Bonnie) walking across the street from one end of the road to the other. Instead of cutting, panning offers an alternative option. This involves portraying the information in real time with a continuous shot. The camera movement brings about fluidity. Tilt This is the camera movement in a vertical axis. Normally there are two types of tilt. Tilt-up is when the camera moves up vertically from a central pivot point. It is thought to reveal either a character or a scene. It is evidential at the scene where Bonnie appears for the first time. The camera moves slowly from the Bonnie’s waistline to the top of her head revealing the attire and her beauty. Tilt-down is where the camera moves down on a vertical axis. It is also used to reveal a scene or a character. The dramatic value portrayed by this technique is to capture a moving shot with the cinematic revelation of a new character or scenario. Dolly (Tracking Shot) A Dolly is a very attractive and natural technique of camera movement. It involves camera moving horizontally through space. The characteristics of this technique shows a person standing, appears as if he is walking or riding on a platform. As the camera moves horizontally around a character, the background appears to be moving in a circular direction. The character appears as if he/she is being wheeled in a platform. This is depicted where Bonnie and Clyde are taking dinner at a restaurant. They appear to be at a standstill, but the background seems to be moving because of the Tracking shot (Barsam 32). Master Scene Technique As suggested, the sequence of Master scene represents a common movement from random to general information. Scenes often begin with a relatively random long shot, and then the focus becomes particular. In most cases, a wide view of the whole scene is shot first, and then the shooting is broken down into medium shots and close-ups. Though this process of breaking down scenes into their constituent elements has a variety of permutations and goes under several different names. This is called master scene technique. In the film Bonnie and Clyde a master scene shot is exemplified where Bonnie and Clyde are sharing a meal at a restaurant. Here, we see a long shot of both of them and one can see the whole restaurant table then the scene focuses on each of their faces. If a scene has two characters talking, there are two core elements. If they are arguing over the restaurant check in front of them, the check might become a third element. The elements are then presented in the groupings and the order that the director desires to create dramatic and engaging scenes (Sharff 112). Master scene technique is an approach in which the director stages the scene essentially, as it would be staged in a theater. All or part of the scene is shot in a master shot - a shot in which all, or most, of the elements are presented together. This shot is also called more descriptively an establishing shot because it establishes the space in which the scene is occurring, where the characters are in relationship to one another, any significant objects that may be present, and so on. In the movie Bonnie and Clyde, medium shots convey more information though, not with the emphasis or intensity that can be achieved with the close-up. Here, the director saves close-ups for the most intense part of an individual scene which is the climax (Sharff 132). This method has been recognized under a variety of different names, such as invisible editing, continuity style, classic Hollywood style, and master shot discipline, among others. There is logic to this element of moving closer to a subject. The application of this technique to the film Bonnie and Clyde was to give the audience the essence of participation. They give a feeling as if one is not watching the film but is inside the film itself. Camera Angle A camera angle adds an emotional influence to a scene. Low camera angle portrays characters to look as if they are tall and powerful. A high camera angle depicts characters to be diminished making the audience look down on them. In the film, there is a scene where Clyde finds Bonnie in a maize plantation, and then he hugs her. This scene is found to be satirical and portrays Clyde to be having more authority over Bonnie, which is quite the opposite. The scene wants the audience to regard Clyde and disregard Bonnie. The dramatic value obtained by the different camera angles is to enable the audience distinguish authority among characters (Lee 64). Recording Effects On-location On films, such as Bonnie and Clyde, it is sensible to get the effects immediately, when all of the elements needed to produce the sound are assembled. Planning to record effects later and using sounds from an effects library are perfectly good approaches if the resources and personnel to do the work are available. However, when resources are limited, creating sound in postproduction can be difficult. In addition, acquiring sounds from effects libraries can require extensive searching, and, once found, the sounds often lack authenticity. The sound mixer should be familiar enough with the script to anticipate needed effects and as shooting proceeds should make a list of everything required (Martingell 21). Framing Directing the eye This is the use of shades of light in dark areas to function as a visual signpost. This is done by lighting what is important and darkening what is unimportant. In this way, the director will direct the eye of the audience on what is intended. In the movie, an exemplary scene is at the final scene where leaves the car just before they get shot. He leaves the car to go talk to the old man outside, and the scene is shot from inside the car it is dark. The scene focuses on the events outside the car. The dramatic value obtained by the audience is the acquisition of a directive hence the audience will know what object to focus on (Martingell 24). Work Cited Barsam, R,. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W W Norton & Company Incorporated, 2012 Print. Lee, C., A., An Analysis of the Cinematic Elements. Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1976 Print. Sharff, S., The Elements of Cinema: Toward a Theory of Cinesthetic Impact. New York: COLUMBIA University Press, 1982 Print. Martingell, P., Better Location Shooting:  Techniques for Video Production. New Jersey: CRC Press, Oct 12, 2012 Print Read More