Micro Analysis.Narrative:
In this still image from the film ‘Elephant’ you can see the character Alex Frost. The shot shows Alex looking up slightly whilst he is in the school canteen during the busy lunchtime period. The audience is unsure at this point in the film what Alex is actually looking at or what he is potentially looking for, and this makes the viewers want to continue watching to find out what Alex is possibly planning. However, as the film unfolds the audience can work out during the shooting that Alex could have been looking around to see if this would be an ideal location where Eric and he could kill the most people. In this scene Alex takes his time looking around the canteen, almost oblivious to everything that is going on around him. This highlights to the audience how it appears that Alex doesn’t fit in with the other students. As the narrative unfolds throughout the film, the audience becomes aware of just how isolated Alex and his close friend Eric feel and therefore we see what drives these two students to go on a shooting spree, killing their fellow students.
Costume:
From this still image, you can only tell that Alex is wearing a grey hooded jumper, over a red t-shirt. As the shot is a close-up, we are limited in information from this still. However, we know from seeing the film that Alex is wearing nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage boy. He is simply wearing jeans, t-shirt and a jumper. His clothing allows him to blend in with other students, although his odd behaviour still makes him seem like an outcast and this makes him a target for bullies. We see Alex being a target for the classroom bullies near the beginning of the film when he is sitting at the back of the classroom, having wet paper towels thrown at him. The teacher in the class appears to have no control over his class as his has no idea what is happening when his back is turned. As Alex is being the victim of a very visual form of bullying, the teacher should be aware of what is happening yet appears to have no knowledge of what is going or. However, he could know what is happening, and is choosing to ignore it.
Lighting:
In this still image, the right side of Alex’s face is very well lit. The lighting coming from above the canteen counters and staff has resulted in the right side of Alex being very brightly lit, so bright that you cannot identify objects or people to the right of him. In contrast to the brightness of the right side of Alex, the left side of his face is very dark, even creating a small shadow on Alex’s’ neck. In the background we can see a few other students and the wall of the canteen, all of this is also very dark and you cannot identify any other characters. The contrasting brightness and darkness on either side of Alex’s’ face can suggest that Alex has a good and a bad side to him. The light on his face along with his expression shows him as being vulnerable and even a bit scared. The darkness then shows him as being very secretive and possibly about to do something bad that we don’t want to see, we being both the audience and the other students.
Location/Setting:
This film is set in a shut down school which obviously adds to the realistic-ness of the film as the location is real and not staged. This particular scene is in the school canteen during lunch time when many other students are sat at the surrounding tables eating their lunch and mingling with friends.
Camera Angles/Framing:
This shot is a CU (Close Up) of Alex Frost. The shot shows Alex with his head tilted, looking up slightly. Alex is the focus of this shot and the background is blurry and out of focus. Alex takes up the majority of the frame with a little space to the right of him showing the canteen staff, and a larger amount of space to the left of him showing other students in the darkness. In the frame, Alex would be at the viewers’ eye level if he was looking straight at the camera, but, as he is looking up, this makes the audience look up as well as if they are trying to see what he is looking at. This framing ensures that the audience focus on what Alex is doing, but the audience can be conscious of what is going on behind and around him.
Props:
In this scene Alex has no props that we can see in this still image. All he is doing is looking around, not interacting with anyone or doing anything in particular.
Performance:
In this shot Alex is standing up near the canteen serving counter. He is looking nervous and a bit concerned. His head is tilted as he glances up and then around the canteen. The actor is positioned so that we only see his face and expression. The audience follows his eyes but we see nothing as we don’t actually know what Alex is supposedly looking at or looking for. The audience can vaguely make out other characters in the background, which appear out of focus as they are irrelevant to the scene. This ensures that we focus entirely on Alex and nothing or no one else. The performance in this still image highlights the vulnerability of the character as he is alone, and appears to be in a world of his own.
Mise-en-scene:
During this scene we see Alex in the canteen during lunchtime. Whilst fellow students are eating lunch and hanging out with friends, Alex is standing, apparently oblivious to everything around him as he gazes around the canteen. There are no real props seen in the image as objects are not as important compared to what the character is doing in this scene. As no other characters are in focus in this image, the audience are forced to focus their attention on Alex, the lack of props and distractions also ensures that this happens.
In this still image from the film ‘Elephant’ you can see the character Alex Frost. The shot shows Alex looking up slightly whilst he is in the school canteen during the busy lunchtime period. The audience is unsure at this point in the film what Alex is actually looking at or what he is potentially looking for, and this makes the viewers want to continue watching to find out what Alex is possibly planning. However, as the film unfolds the audience can work out during the shooting that Alex could have been looking around to see if this would be an ideal location where Eric and he could kill the most people. In this scene Alex takes his time looking around the canteen, almost oblivious to everything that is going on around him. This highlights to the audience how it appears that Alex doesn’t fit in with the other students. As the narrative unfolds throughout the film, the audience becomes aware of just how isolated Alex and his close friend Eric feel and therefore we see what drives these two students to go on a shooting spree, killing their fellow students.
Costume:
From this still image, you can only tell that Alex is wearing a grey hooded jumper, over a red t-shirt. As the shot is a close-up, we are limited in information from this still. However, we know from seeing the film that Alex is wearing nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage boy. He is simply wearing jeans, t-shirt and a jumper. His clothing allows him to blend in with other students, although his odd behaviour still makes him seem like an outcast and this makes him a target for bullies. We see Alex being a target for the classroom bullies near the beginning of the film when he is sitting at the back of the classroom, having wet paper towels thrown at him. The teacher in the class appears to have no control over his class as his has no idea what is happening when his back is turned. As Alex is being the victim of a very visual form of bullying, the teacher should be aware of what is happening yet appears to have no knowledge of what is going or. However, he could know what is happening, and is choosing to ignore it.
Lighting:
In this still image, the right side of Alex’s face is very well lit. The lighting coming from above the canteen counters and staff has resulted in the right side of Alex being very brightly lit, so bright that you cannot identify objects or people to the right of him. In contrast to the brightness of the right side of Alex, the left side of his face is very dark, even creating a small shadow on Alex’s’ neck. In the background we can see a few other students and the wall of the canteen, all of this is also very dark and you cannot identify any other characters. The contrasting brightness and darkness on either side of Alex’s’ face can suggest that Alex has a good and a bad side to him. The light on his face along with his expression shows him as being vulnerable and even a bit scared. The darkness then shows him as being very secretive and possibly about to do something bad that we don’t want to see, we being both the audience and the other students.
Location/Setting:
This film is set in a shut down school which obviously adds to the realistic-ness of the film as the location is real and not staged. This particular scene is in the school canteen during lunch time when many other students are sat at the surrounding tables eating their lunch and mingling with friends.
Camera Angles/Framing:
This shot is a CU (Close Up) of Alex Frost. The shot shows Alex with his head tilted, looking up slightly. Alex is the focus of this shot and the background is blurry and out of focus. Alex takes up the majority of the frame with a little space to the right of him showing the canteen staff, and a larger amount of space to the left of him showing other students in the darkness. In the frame, Alex would be at the viewers’ eye level if he was looking straight at the camera, but, as he is looking up, this makes the audience look up as well as if they are trying to see what he is looking at. This framing ensures that the audience focus on what Alex is doing, but the audience can be conscious of what is going on behind and around him.
Props:
In this scene Alex has no props that we can see in this still image. All he is doing is looking around, not interacting with anyone or doing anything in particular.
Performance:
In this shot Alex is standing up near the canteen serving counter. He is looking nervous and a bit concerned. His head is tilted as he glances up and then around the canteen. The actor is positioned so that we only see his face and expression. The audience follows his eyes but we see nothing as we don’t actually know what Alex is supposedly looking at or looking for. The audience can vaguely make out other characters in the background, which appear out of focus as they are irrelevant to the scene. This ensures that we focus entirely on Alex and nothing or no one else. The performance in this still image highlights the vulnerability of the character as he is alone, and appears to be in a world of his own.
Mise-en-scene:
During this scene we see Alex in the canteen during lunchtime. Whilst fellow students are eating lunch and hanging out with friends, Alex is standing, apparently oblivious to everything around him as he gazes around the canteen. There are no real props seen in the image as objects are not as important compared to what the character is doing in this scene. As no other characters are in focus in this image, the audience are forced to focus their attention on Alex, the lack of props and distractions also ensures that this happens.
