Project 3: Filmmaking Conventions and Cultural Codes - BLK HW2

Clip from the 2007 movie 'Shooter', Classification 15

I have chosen this clip because it is one which plays an important role in the film's narrative and does so through its use of cultural codes and Film conventions which allow us to further understand the characters and settings

Cultural Codes:

00:05 - the colours of the room are cool, making us feel on edge and not fully comfortable with the situation, adding suspense

00:20 - The fact that the protagonist is not wearing military or FBI clothes suggests he is not fully part of the surveillance group

00:25 -  We can see that the person they are observing is the president, and we can instantly guess his character through our previous knowledge of US presidents

00:27 - We can see that the man is showing signs of boredom and does not understand the severity of the situation, even though he is dressed like a professional government agent.

01:23 - Although we do not know what will happen, the dirt and water marks on the window in conjunction with the fact the protagonist is looking straight at us through binoculars can make us feel uneasy and forebode the events to come.

01:27 - As the hero's blood flashes on the window, the red instantly alerts us to the danger which is ensuing

Film-Making Conventions:

-Technical Codes:

00:08 - the music that starts playing adds to the uneasy feeling of the audience.

00:54 - This establishing shot allows us to relate what we have seen in the room and outside to the overall area, making us understand the proxemics

00:57 - Close ups are used of the man clicking the button which suggests he is an antagonist and does not 

want to be seen.

01:11 - The MCU framing allows us to see his facial expressions, as well as the binoculars he is holding

01:20 - The pace of the music picks up and the suspense builds as we wonder what will happen

01:25 - The editing is made faster, as shots are only a few seconds long to increase the pace of the film at the time the shooting begins and the crowd begin to scream. This increases the feeling of danger in the audience

01:29 - The shot through the civilian news channel camera flings to the right as the cameraman attempts to flee the scene, the tilt and film grain connote chaos and confusion

-Genre Conventions:

00:01 - Typical of action adventure films involving military personnel, we are looking POV through a pair of binoculars at what we can presume to be the main focus of the scene

00:15  - When the protagonist (holding binoculars) is asked what he feels after shooting a civilain, to which he replies 'Recoil'. This remark makes us place him as a stereotypical army special agent and sharpshooter, which allows us to understand he is well trained.

00:24 - The people in the room, including a police officer and a man looking into the laptop on the table, as well as the binoculars make us feel that the target area is being spied on and surveyed, and we assume they are not antagonists as they have a police officer with them

00:58 - The scope and cross-hairs seen pointing at the president is a stereotypical example of an assassination attempt to the president, something easily identifiable with the action/thriller genre.

01:09 - As the protagonist looks through the binoculars and comments on the 'altitude, humidity, and temperature' we can finally understand he is working with the police to try to halt the assassination attempt, and as he is a veteran sharpshooter he is useful in identifying the assassin's location

01:25 - As the tension builds to the climax of the scene, instead of stopping the assassin, our protagonist is shot by the 'honorable police officer' and the sniper is shot, but hits the wrong target. We instantly associate this to a conventional conspiracy thriller film, helping us understand the narrative

01:48 - This man can be identified as an agent of some sort, but his confusion over the situation makes us believe he may be inexperienced and innocent.

02:04 - Our perceptions of the men in the beginning is changed as they show their true intentions. They are associated with the stereotype of corrupt, yet powerful antagonists who elude their discovery through their statuses