Kaidee's Photography

Kaidee Lewis

For my creative project I have produced a storyboard of a sequence from a gangster film. For my storyboard to fit into the genre, I have followed the conventions by using stereotypical characters within gangster films, such as; the gangster (Tony), the enemy (Leon) and the gangster’s girlfriend (Tequila).Sequences of films such as The Godfather(Francis Ford Coppola,1972) and Scarface(Brian De Palma, 1983) have inspired me, the scene in The Godfather where Carlo Rizzi beats up Connie his wife and the scene in Scarface where Tony first meets Frank’s girlfriend and see’s her as a love interest. The target audience for my storyboard is males aged 15+, as this is usually the target audience for gangster films. My storyboard includes violence, however it is suitable for my audience as the violence isn’t in lots of detail and the language isn’t too harsh.

Cinematography is used to show Tony as threatening and dangerous, by using low angle shots to enhance how dangerous he looks. I have used a play on power to show how vulnerable Tequila is by using high angle shots. Close ups are used to show a character changing their state of mind, for example, close ups of both Leon and Tequila showing their love for each other. Close ups are also used to show significant props like money and a note. The note’s importance gives an insight into the plot, and the large amount of money gives the impression they are involved in criminal activity. A close up of Tony’s fist is also used, this makes the audience feel exposed as they are in Tequila’s view point, this also develops the audience’s opinion of Tony, forcing them to see Tony as an aggressive man. This makes the audience want to see Leon’s and Tequila’s love to blossom. Medium shots are used showing proxemics between characters, as well as their body language; Tequila’s body language, which is very seductive and flirtatious as she leans against the wall and twists her hair, establishes her as a character. Two shots are used showing a contrast in characters and expressions. A big close up of Tony looking extremely angry and a medium shot of Tequila looking sexy and flirty, builds tension.

I have also considered the mise en scene. I have used lighting to shadow half of Tony’s face; representing Tony’s split personality and that he is dangerous. The background of each image is very simple; however I have placed a plant in the images which Tony appears in, as the leaves look very spiky; again representing danger. The photographs of Leon have shadow behind him, this represents both characters having a weight on their shoulders and somebody following them; giving clues to the plot. The money is used to show how serious Leon and Tony are, establishing their characters.

Diegetic sound such as a TV playing in the background, is used to make the sequence realistic. I also added sound of heels on the wooden flooring so the audience understands that Tequila wants to catch Leon’s attention; Use of a sound bridge creates this effect as the heels are heard before Tequila walks in. Soft music is used representing how much Tequila and Leon love each other, this emphasizes the emotion onscreen. A heavy, fast paced sound begins at scene one, shot 8; this begins slow and increases pace, building tension. The sound is aggressive making the audience feel threatened by Tony. I have used sounds of Tequila crying and sniffing, as this makes the event realistic. Another sound added was the sound of Tony hitting Tequila this is a loud thud, this makes it more effective. I have used dialogue which indicates to the audience what is going on. At the beginning of the sequence Leon and Tony discuss money helping establish them as dodgy characters. They use slang which shows the audience they are working class. The characters speak with different tones depending on who they are speaking to. For example Tony speaks to Tequila very aggressive, whereas he speaks to Leon calmly.

When creating my storyboard, I had taken my first shoot with the camera portrait; this meant that I had to retake the photo’s landscape. This was the only problem I faced with the storyboard. I have used different micro aspects such as cinematography, sound and mise en scene to show the love between Leon and Tequila, as well as the contrast between Leon and Tony. Also I have given clues to the plot and represented the gangster genre.