How does Essex Boys create ideas of entrapment and moral ambiguity?

 

Figure 1

In figure 1 Billy is at the wheel of the car symbolising that he is in control, however, the lights which are reflecting on to the car create a sort of bar like image and connote ideas of being trapped. The character in the back of the car, Jason,  is shallow in the background so that we don't notice him straight away, this is done to show us that Billy may be in control for the short term but in the long term Jason has a lot of power over him and will inevitably take control over Billy. The bars on the car could also be foreshadowing Billy ending up in jail at the end of the film. By using a bleak colour pallet our eyes are drawn to the colour in the shot which is the bars on the windscreen and this puts emphasis on them, implying that they do symbolise events that will happen later on in the film and that they are not just there for effect.

Figure 2

Figure 2 showcases a low camera shot with a off centre vanishing point which our eyes are immediately drawn to. By using an off centre vanishing point a sense of uncertainty is created. Figure 2 features a horizontal so we know that everything is still on order, however the dim green lighting furthers the feelings of uncertainty. The use of the dimly lit tunnel with no light at the end of it connotes the idea that Billy is not going to get anything worthwhile out of working with Jason and that if he continues helping him there will be no "light at the end of the tunnel" for him and that he will be throwing away not only his future but his freedom and that he will be disregarding his morals. Tunnels usually symbolise the ending of one thing and the beginning of something new however we cant see the end of this tunnel, similarly Billy cannot see how his future will pan out if he continues to help Jason.

Figure 3

Surrounding by nothingness and an empty sea, figure 3 connotes strong ideas of moral ambiguity and a sense of desperation. By using such an isolated location for figure 3, we get the idea that the character shown in the shot has no future and no chance of recovering from his attack. The bleakness of the location connotes ideas of moral ambiguity as we know Billy only started to help Jason as a driver and now he his helping dispose of his enemies. Billy is getting himself wrapped up in something a lot worse than he imagined and he doesn't know what to do. His morals are telling him to stop and cut all ties with Jason but his fear of Jason wont let him do this. This continues on from the ideas connoted in figure 1 that Jason has a lot of power over Billy even though he isn't aware of it.

Figure 4

Finally, the use of an industrial location really lends itself to setting the tone of the movie. Industrial locations are a staple of the British Gangster genre and Essex Boys is no exception. By using a desolate gritty location we immediately know that nothing good is going to be happening there, this connotes the idea of Billy facing moral ambiguity and not knowing what to do.

How does the opening of Se7en establish character through mise en scene, dialogue and camerawork?

Figure 1

In the opening scene to Se7en, Morgan Freeman’s character is shown to be trapped in his everyday life. Camera work is used cleverly to do this. As Freeman is walking away from the kitchen his head is cut out of the shot. Usually we would expect the camera to zoom out and pan with his head, as cutting out headroom is often an amateur mistake in film making. However, this decision to cut out how head from figure 1 was a very deliberate one. By doing this we get the impression that Freemans character has no escape route out of his routine life. Furthermore, the placement of a chessboard is used to show us that Freeman's character is intelligent, however this also connotes ideas of clinging onto what he once had. We know that Freeman's character lives alone and perhaps keeping the chessboard he used to play with his loved one allows him to still keep some of feelings of her alive. By having a very plain living space, which through a mid-shot seems to be very constricting, it gives the impression that Freeman is trapped even in his own home and wherever he is he can't get away from his hectic life. Throughout the opening of Se7en there is always a wild track playing in the background and at this point in the film it is other tenants shouting and having an argument, this connotes the idea that Freeman is never at peace and never will be. The lighting in this shot is very gloomy and gives a whitewashed look to the room, this makes it look like it's not a very appealing place to live.

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows 5 items laid out in front of Freeman can be used to tell us a lot about his character. The paper rose symbolises that he is still holding onto memories of his wife and that he thinks about her every day, this is why he puts it in his blazer pocket as she will always be close to his heart. The police badge connotes the ideas that Freeman's character takes his work very seriously and that it is now the most important thing in his life, by placing it next to his wife’s rose it shows us that he puts a lot of effort into his work and that, that too is a massive part of his life, if not the biggest part of his life. The flip knife is a Chekhov's gun (Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there. - Anton Chekhov) because of this we know that the knife is going to be used later on in the film at some point. The context that it is going to be used in, we do not know, but we do know that it will be used in one way or another. Including a high quality pen is done to further show us that Freeman's character is intelligent and takes his work very seriously, along with the glasses case we get the impression that Freeman's character is a very calculated man and pays attention to even the smallest of details.

Figure 3

By keeping Freeman's character in focus whilst he is looking around the crime scene and keeping the other detective out of focus, the director further advances the idea that Freeman's character really does care about his work, unlike the other detectives in his preceint Freeman's character is looking into the case in more depth and context than the other detectives because he actually cares about the outcome, whilst we get the impression that the other detectives that Freeman work with really don't care about the cases and only collecting their paychecks.  Just before this shot the other detective says "Yeah well this is a done deal. All but the paperwork", I've included Freeman's response as it connotes further the idea that Freeman cares about the cases he works on and put in a lot more effort than the other detectives.

Figure 4

Brad Pitt's character is introduced from the get go to be a contrast to Freeman's character. In figure 4 there is a very small cue that tells us that Pitt's character is a bit of maverick, here he is quickly checking out a woman who is passing by, this connotes ideas of Pitt's character being a lot more laid back and perhaps less professional than Freeman's character. Throughout the next shot the camera is always below Freeman and Pitt's characters tilted up towards them, not showing much detail of the background apart from the metal bars which go across the windows of all the shops. Heavy rain is constantly in the background whilst the street is considerably packed with many passer-by’s bumping into our two characters. All of these factors go together to form ideas of being trapped. Freeman's character is shown to be continuously trapped throughout every moment of his life, whilst Pitt's character doesn’t realise what he has signed up for with his upbeat slightly optimistic personality.

Figure 5

Finally, in figure 5 we are introduced to Freeman's metronome. Although we see it earlier on in the intro we don’t see it in use until now. Freeman uses the metronome to help him get to sleep at night. Connoting ideas that Freeman finds it difficult to switch off from his everyday life as a detective and that perhaps the metronome is his way of escaping from his reality for the next seven days until he can retire. The wild-track off other tenants shouting and the outside life is ever present and it almost gives the impression that Freeman's character only method of coping with his life as a detective since his wife has died is the metronome. The metronome is also a Chekhov’s gun as it is shown at the start of the introduction to the film and is then used later on.