Pretty Little liars.
I chose to base the textual analysis on the opening titles of
pretty little liars, a TV program, which I believe in some ways, is similar to
trust, and the titles contain quite a few things to write about.
I will start with the camera
angles/cinematography, as this is quite simple. Almost all the shots
are extreme close ups of actions of the other girls getting someone ready to be
buried in their coffin. For example, there are extreme close ups of applying
mascara to an eyelash, of the lips having lip gloss applied, nails and nail
varnish etc., which I think is good because it adds suspense, as if you were to
see these titles for the first time, you wouldn’t really understand that the
girl having makeup applied to is actually dead, until someone closes the eyes,
which again is another extreme close up.
After the series of 5 extreme close ups, we zoom out to a
close up, of the arms being crossed, which is a symbol of the end, so this is
effective. In the same shot, after no camera movement, the coffin lid is
suddenly shut, causing suspense, and fear.
We then zoom out yet again to see a mid-shot containing the 4
main characters in the program where there is a camera tilt from the coffin up
to the girls, and then back in to the middle one for her to put her finger to
her lips, and say ‘shhhh’.
Next up is the sound. Anyone familiar with the program will
instantly recognise the catchy theme tune (called ‘secret’) to the program and
be singing it for hours! This has a fairly slow beat, and sounds quite eerie to
listen to, as it almost sounds like whispering, like someone is lying, which
may be why the show’s producers chose to use it for their show, as it does go
with the show very well. It helps to build up suspense for the program when it
begins.
As well as the soundtrack, there are a couple of sound
effects that really add to the suspense and tension of the sequence. The first
sound effect we here is when the coffin lid closes, when we get a delayed, very
quiet echo-y thud, which makes it sound like there’s almost a ghost like
presence around.
Another sound effect is when the main character says ‘shhhh’
at the end of the sequence (but just before the title comes onto the screen), which
the sound then carries on over to the titles, ‘Pretty Little Liars’, which then
makes the word liars stand out with the ‘shhhh’, making her seem like the main
liar.
The editing in the title sequence is quite subtle and simple.
Between all of the extreme close ups, there’s no fading out, just simple fast
transitions, that have been jump cut. We know this because when makeup is being
applied, makeup is already on, so there must’ve been a jump. Similar happens
with nails, hair, etc.
The shots have been edited to change with the music, so every
3 beats of the music, the shot changes, which helps with the general flow of
the title sequence, and means that it’s well paced, so we can see what’s going
on, but we aren’t waiting for too long for shot changes.
The only different transition between shots is when after the
coffin lid closes, there’s a flash of yellow/gold and then the shot of the
girls, which may reflect on the dead person’s personality.
The Mise-en-scene in
this sequence is fairly simple but effective. The lighting is the same most the
way through, with dark edges of shots, then illuminated centres in the shots,
drawing our eyes to the middle of the screen, making the skin look paler.
The sequence is set in a coffin/funeral parlour, then outside
in front of a dark stormy sky, which may portray anger and fear.
All of the girls are wearing dark costumes, to show sadness,
and darkness inside. This may create a sense of evil.
Finally the colours used are all very dark, as would be
expected with a death scene.
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