'Final Destination 3' analysis

We looked at a clip from 'Final Destination 3'. We were split in to groups and were assigned different micro-elements to look at and collected a large set of notes as a group and here are the notes we collected:

MISE EN SCENE:

• the darkness of their clothes suggests mystery and creates a dark, foreboding atmosphere
• sparks of of the wheels when it starts to break shows danger especially when we cut to it which draws our attention and shows us the danger
• flames in the background shows imminent danger and adds a twist to a stereotypically enjoyable place
• motivated lighting all happens in the dark however light coming from the ride and other fairground amusements
• the roller coaster itself is red & black which highlights the danger of the ride by using such provoking colours
• there appears to be a leak in the wires which is red which symbolises blood
• an uncanny setting of a carnival is usually associated with fun

EDITING:

• slow cuts creates tension
• faster cuts are used when there on the roller coaster as it matches characters feeling capturing the confusion and fear and builds up pace
• match cut is used when her premonition ends and she is back to reality (shot of her eye)
• quick cuts are used to shoot to the leaky pipes and the chains and the wheels that are sparking which builds pace but also shows the audience what is happening and draws our attention to them
• cutaway cuts away from the main action again showing us something that the characters cannot see

SOUND:

• first real sound is roller coaster ascending = music is in minor keys= builds tension
• sound goes= shows it just focus's on the action
• when things go wrong= music restarts and the pace picks up  and it follows the movement of the roller coaster
• volume changes when the roller coaster is moving up and down the track
• when she starts screaming music becomes dramatic
• when everything goes wrong it all goes silent
• no speech on the roller coaster apart from the occasion excited shouts
• irony= as when they are on the roller coaster they scream & shout
• use of expletives show age
• scream edits into her hyperventilating when she comes back to reality
• rattling, hissing and chains show the chaos and the fact that they are unable to control the situation (lots of unnatural sounds)
• ride seemed isolated as there was no other background sound other than the one from the ride and those on it

CAMERA SHOTS:

• 2 shots= smiling all happy, repeated frequently when they are on the ride to show the excitement
• point of view= audience feels like they are on the ride
• close up= of the wheels then to the people and then back to something else going wrong on the ride
• contrast between her feelings before the ride and those after it
• long shot of the boy in a yellow jacket= makes him stand out and we remember how he dies and as he seems quite obnoxious in the scene we feel less sympathy for him
• low angle shots= of the roller coaster shows that the roller coaster is more threatening than it appears to look
• canted angles= show that the disorientation and confusion of everyone in the shot, audience are able to capture their fears etc.