Body of Lies Case Study

i)- Institutions
The production company for this film is Warner Bros, it was released in 2008 and directed by Ridley Scott. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio (Roger Ferris), Russell Crowe (Ed Hoffman) and Mark Strong (Hani). It was filmed in both the USA and Morocco, including locations such as Annapolis, Maryland, USA, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Rabat, Morocco and Casablanca, Morroco. The budget for this film is estimated at $70,000,000. In the USA, by 11 January 2009, gross profit for this film was $39,380,442.


ii)- Audience
By looking at the cast we can see that it is highly dominated by male actors, also the film's posters are male orientated, such as the one shown above. From this we can draw the conclusion that the film may be based around characters that are male and that the target audience is largely male. Without analysing any reviews and ratings we can see that due to the film's violence, torture and offensive language, the film is aimed at people aged 15 and above. With the film's quite complicated story line and reference to politics, a large portion of the audience will be adults; reasonably intelligent with interest in politics and the situation the film is based around.


On the website imdb.com, from 71,423 users, the film has gained a 7.1/10. This shows that to the majority of people, this is a successful film.

Truth, Lies and Betrayal, 19 October 2008

Author: krish_kartik

Firstly when big names like Leonardo Dicaprio, Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott come together for a movie, the expectations are going to be sky high. So does the movie live up to them? The answer is YES.

This movie seems like a planned innovative sequel to Scott's well made Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

It starts off as a high octane thriller and the pace is retained almost very well. It does go into some subplots which do little to contribute to the main story but again the movie is redeemed by its strengths which covers up all the minor blemishes.

The basic plot is about a CIA operation to uncover potential terror threats. Roger Ferris (Leo) is a CIA guy who has to dig the Middle East to hunt for a jihadi (read - terrorist) who has big terror plans and its his quest that makes up the story. Ed (Crowe) is his boss and is quite a cold opportunistic guy and the duo are on back slapping terms which make them a treat to watch.

The strengths of the movie are :

Leonardo Dicaprio and Russell Crowe (Their pairing works very well because of the dark humor and the absence of forcibly inserted confrontation scenes. Their chemistry rocks). Mark Strong - He excels as Hani (definately a nod for best supporting actor). The screenplay by William Monahan and David Ignatius is quite intricately woven and has a few holes (Read subplots). Cinematography by Alexander Witt and Editing by Pietro Scalia lends much to the gritty style of the flick. Last but not the least - the music by Marc Streitenfeld

Now for the weaknesses :

The Love interest of Leonardo Dicaprio, played by Golshifteh Farahani is quite a weak character and does nothing to move the story ahead. The second half of the movie drags a wee bit and can do with a little trimming of about 15 minutes.

Also this movie deserves its R rating and there are some gory scenes and is not recommended for those with a weak stomach.

All in all, a thought provoking action thriller and Scott scores again.

The comment in this review referring to the disappointing inclusion of the love story in the film shows the basis the film lays of having action violence, commonly associated with a male audience, usually males tend not to be interested in love stories within films.This review is an example of males showing their approval of the male actor partnership in Crowe and DiCaprio and their dislike of the romance aspect.

iii)- Technology
Body of Lies was released in 2008, a time with many accessible technologies with features allowing people to view films, critiques, interviews and other things. The internet is the main factor within technology which improves access and knowledge of the film. The film itself has a website: http://bodyoflies.warnerbros.com/mainsite/index.html, this site allows people to view a gallery, information about the cast and downloads. Also, sites such as Youtube allow people to view clips of the film, along with comments from other people who have watched them; this will let the viewers gauge an idea of what the story of the film is and how good it is.


iv- Codes/forms & Conventions of the thriller genre
The opening of the film has quiet music with a black picture, there is then a heavy deep bass when 'Manchester, England' is shown, this shows the area may have been affected by terrorism, it is an area of significance and danger may be about to occur, or occur at some point in the film. A Muslim is then shown, looking as if he is talking to the camera, from our social experience we can assume he is recording himself to send to countries such as USA and Britain, these are usually used to threaten attacks and revenge, sometimes demanding something which if not delivered will result in an attack. He is gesticulating violently at the camera, frequently pointing with his finger violently. The area he is in is predominantly dark, with a small light coming through the window beside him. This could connote the man's claims to be doing the work of his god (the light), but doing the work through dark and violent methods. Traditional Islamic music is played, it is in Manchester but gives the feel of an eastern country, this shows that terrorism has taken a hold of the area and the is a big problem at the time. The camera sneaks into one of the rooms of the building shown to be of importance, the camera effect used shows that the room being entered is an area possibly containing danger, or something that should not be there/being done. With reference to mise-en-scene, we can see materials being used for what we can expect to be the construction of bombs, this suggests to the audience that there may be an explosion soon and it is an area in great danger. There is a man shown who is holding the Qu-ran, but he is looking away from it, suggesting he had beliefs in the book, but over time he, and his group, have taken a path not recommended by the holy book, the man is looking into the dark, showing he is now indulged in violent and evil ways. There are then quick and various camera shots as we see soldiers of some sort nearing the building. These camera shots connote their swiftness, organisation and precision. As the people in the building realise they are coming in, they begin to speak a foreign language; without the help of subtitles the audience are unsure what they are saying/planning, creating tension and suspense in the scene.
The convention of thrillers, voyeurism, is utilised in that we have people prying into the apartment, watching the people inside. Big bullets can be seen in the apartment, possibly a statement of intent of the terrorists. The camera movement at the time of the explosion leaves the audience confused and disorientated, adding to the scale of the incident. There is then an aerial view of the explosion, the eye of God?? In that the terrorists see the event as their god's will.


As mentioned above, the film's opening utilises the usual conventions of thriller films such as voyeurism, with the people watching the apartment then sneaking in, also there are criminals, very common characters among thrillers, with reference to iconography, the opening contains both shadows and confined spaces. All these things help to create tension in the film and help to set the audience up for the rest of the film; the immediate use of criminal suggests to the audience that there will be frequent crime and violence, enticing them to keep watching.


v)- Representation
In the first 3 minutes of the film, with the exception of one, there is no showing of particular ethnic minority groups. The Muslims are represented as dangerous terrorists, which of course does not apply to all within that religion, but with experience recent world news, we know they have conducted terrorism and suicide bombings. But we can draw a conclusion from the fact that some groups have not been shown, for example, in the opening no women were shown; this suggests that they do not belong in dangerous situations, although of course this is not necessarily true. This argument of men taking the lead and only role in tasks such as these is one that has gone on for a long time, and still, although on a smaller scale, takes place, therefore relating the film to current affairs. Interpretations such as this can also be drawn from other thrillers. For example, in films such as The Rock, a dangerous task is the main story of the film and all the characters involved of men, showing them to be strong and physically, possibly mentally, superior. Also, in Law Abiding Citizen, the opening of them film shows a man's wife and daughter restrained and abused by two male criminals, this conveys the message that men are superior and could take control of female(s) should they choose to. This also relates to the micro to macro theory, the predominant use of men in this small clip can be scaled up to the ongoing real life issue of gender inequality.

AS Media Studies Preliminary Task

Finished editing today, overall everything was fine. The only problem was that, because we had to film on different days, the continuity of the film was not as good as it could have been. Also, it was the majority of the group's first time using iMovie, but everyone got used to it very quickly.

I enjoyed making this video and using the equipment, I'm looking forward to making the thriller opening.

No Country for Old Men- The Coin Toss, How does this scene create tension?

The opening long shot emphasises the isolation of the petrol station. It also shows the desolation of the land surrounding it. With reference to the rule of thirds, the petrol station is in the final third, also helping to show its isolation; if it was placed more in the middle of the shot and the camera then zoomed into it, it would seem more busy and give the area a sense of life. In this shot, the desolate land suggests it is a harsh and merciless place to venture, this provides some of the tension when the two men talk, as the audience may sense something bad is going to happen. Also, the old and dying land suggests the attributes of the shopkeeper, old and frail.

As the camera shows a mid-shot of the shopkeeper, Chigurh walks in. It is visibly clear that as he walks in, the room becomes darker. This may signify that he is a sinister person, and that his evil has already taken control of the shop merely by his presence. Also, with reference to semiotics, above the shopkeeper's head there seems to be some rope hanging down in the shape of nooses, this suggests death for the shopkeeper. Behind the shopkeeper is the only light source within the shot, a window, in front of him is the shadow of Chigurh, this implies that the light shining through the window signifies escape and life. Although, this means it is near impossible for him to escape the implied threat from the customer as it is not as easy as walking or running through a door.

As the conversation begins to delve into each characters' personal affairs, Chigurh begins to be the powerful participant in the conversation. We can see this by his calm and confident voice and facial expression, which never seems to waver. Whereas the shopkeeper's voice becomes croaky and weak with various comments from Chigurh. Also showing the Chigurh's confidence is that he is always eating the nuts, as if he was at home on his own, as opposed to the shopkeeper who seems uncomfortable. There is an atmosphere of interrogation towards the shopkeeper, Chigurh scrutinizes every word he says.

After having asked the shopkeeper when he shuts the shop, it is suggested that the customer has consolidated his superiority. He says 'You don't know what you're talking about do you?', when he says this the camera shows a close up of him, after having shown over-the-shoulder shots for the majority of the scene, giving Chigurh more attention after having switched between the two shows he is now the most important and powerful character in the scene. Soon after this, Chigurh places a wrapper on the counter, the camera shows a close up of this, there is a very clear (diegetic) sound the audience can hear as the wrapper unravels. It signifies the tension of the conversation unraveling as the previous part of it comes to an end. Although Chigurh is quick to bring back tension with the introduction of the coin toss. Also, after the shot of the wrapper, there is a medium close up of the shopkeeper, showing him looking at the wrapper. This shows that the wrapper is very significant in this situation, whereas in a normal conversation the wrapper would be overlooked. This shows that the shopkeeper wants to be out of the situation he is in, he is feeling trapped and uncomfortable, hanging on every word and action of the customer.

Other than the diegetic sound of the wrapper, the coin toss and the wind, there is little sound with the exception of the voices of the men. By not using any non-diegetic sound, there is an emphasis on the isolation of the two men, showing there is no input in to what happens from anyone else. Also, there is more focus on what is being said rather than dividing attention with music, this is done very well and adds tension to the scene.

Behind the shopkeeper are some smiley-face stickers on the wall, these are symbols of his vulnerability. Also the products around him are very crowded, whereas the area around Chigurh seems more clear and concise, these things signify the clarity of thoughts within each character's minds. The shopkeeper is confused and flustered, the customer is confident, powerful and takes care with what he is saying.

In conclusion, by using various methods including the sparing use of sound, well planned camera shots and use of lighting, tension is built throughout the scene, ending in a sense of relief as the shopkeeper wins the coin toss. The audience is kept on edge from beginning to end, it is very successful in creating tension. This scene shows that there are many ways by which tension can be created and the methods can be entwined, for example, both the camera shot and the sound help to create tension when the coin has been tossed and is under Chigurh's hand.

Preliminary Task, Synopsis

Our Preliminary Task involves me, Ed, Jack and Emily. We decided to make a short story that used a lot of movement allowing us to use a larger variety of camera shots.

'Confused'

It begins with Emily walking through to the LRC and sitting down to work on a computer; although she doesn't know how to operate it, which leads into the story. She begins to hit the desk as she gets angry, Jack then comes over to try and help but he ends up getting punched in the face. Emily then walks out of the LRC angrily, the camera follows her as she begins to run round the college. We then tried to make it quite funny by her then sitting on a regular computer in the LRC after having (now evidently unnecessarily) ran a lap of the building. Then the camera shows Emily looking over to the other side of the room seeming very frustrated, the camera then pans over to where she was originally planning to work at the beginning of the story to show me easily working one of the computers she could not.

There were no major problems with the filming of it, although while filming, Emily found it difficult to be filmed without laughing, but with plenty of time to follow, we were able to record repeats for the shots to ensure it was OK. At the next session, I was absent but the group had a slight problem in that Emily was wearing different clothes to the previous session. But with a last lesson available for filming, there was chance to finish the task successfully.