Tuesday 5 February 2019

Breaking Bad example



Examples
Breaking Bad (2008-2013) is a Crime Drama with mixed in elements of a Thriller created by Vince Gilligan. It follows a non linear narrative about a High School Chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The narrative leads it to have an 18 rating with elements of; drugs, murder and sexual scenes. Aired originally on AMC, it has since been put on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video. Due to it being a crime genre, there are typically a lot of establishing shots in order to show the surrounding of the scene which is later joined together in the editing process. The lighting is usually portrayed as dark as it helps build tension in the story. Other camera angles included would be close ups and mid shots in order to portray emotion.
The final scene of the show portrays a lot of these techniques in order to create a meaningful farewell to the show. It starts with a close up shot of a pressure gauge to begin to build a sense of familiarity of the setting with the audience. Next the camera tracks Walt's movement as he walks past these machines. Audiences who have watched the show will begin to recognise the setting of the scene as a meth lab due to all the equipment being shown in different places throughout the series. It is also a medium close up camera shot which displays the happy expression of  his face. This also tells the audience that he is also familiar and fond of the location he is in. The camera then pans down to show a gas mask which a significant prop to the whole series. It allows the item to be the focus of the shot as well as establish a relationship between Walter and the item. It then cuts to show a medium shot of Walt standing in the same spot. This time we are able to see more of the setting which builds on that original familiarity with the audience. It then cuts to an establishing shot to capture the whole setting so that the audience can now see the surroundings which is present for most of the series. The shot is also taken at a low angle to make Walt look powerful as he is often portrayed throughout the show. It also shows that Walter is in his prime when in this setting as he was for the majority of the show. It then cuts to a side profile shot of Walt patting one of the machines. The background shows numerous police cars driving towards him. This helps build suspense as it shows that Walt's time is limited. The lighting in this shot is used to place shadows on Walt's face. This helps build on this tension as it hints toward darkness that the character has. The next shot shows a reflection of Walt on the machine which is made to seem as if the machine is looking back at him which builds on the relationship between Walt and the location he is in. The scene closes by zooming out on Walt's body as numerous cops arrive on the scene. The slowness of this zoom out shot allows the audience to take in what just happened and helps build emotions. The continuity is maintained throughout as all of the lab equipment stays in place. The camera cuts and movement helps establish this continuity as the transitions flow well.






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