The Bourne Identity Essay
The Bourne Identity is an action thriller, the seven core representations of media are shown in this clip through:
Ethnicity- Bourne is the stereotypical white American male who is shown as the protagonist in this clip as he takes on the government and tries to find his identity.
Love and Romance: Is not shown in this clip, but does exist in the movie when Bourne attaches himself to 'Marie' as she can drive him to where he needs and a bond forms between them. It turns into the classic 'boy help girl' storyline as Marie gets in too deep with Bourne and her life is out in danger.
Age: Bourne is around 30 years old in this movie. This adds to the verisimilitude of him being so good at his job as he has been very experienced in the past years.
Class/Status: For him he is unsure of his status, but by the unexplainable uncomfortability and opposition to the police offices, he could be on the run and fears that he himself might be the antagonist of the police.
Regional Identity: We are shown in the clip that Bourne can naturally. speak many other languages, and though, obviously his main language id English, he also is very familiar and comfortable speaking other languages.
Physical Ability/Disability: Bournes physical ability exceeds a regular persons as we are shown him fight and disarm two police officers in a matter of seconds.
Gender: Bourne is a male, this already gives the audience the view of him being powerful, strong, and unafraid.
The main fact that Bourne is represented as a 30 year old white male who is fighting against the government fits perfectly with Stuart Halls representation theory as the audience receives this information and interprets it in the way that the director has intended them to. These types of white American men are typically shown in the good light through the real life media as powerful business men, patriotic soldiers, and 'the good guy' in general. This helps the director to portray early on in the movie, before even Bourne knows who he is that he is most likely the good guy.
For Camera:
The first shot is an establishing shot of the boat and harbour, which sets the scene for the next part of the movie. There is a wide shot as Bourne moves closer and closer to the camera as it remains still until eventually he is standing in a mid-shot and we see the visible confusion on his face as he looks around to find the next direction to walk in as he furthers from the boat he had been on. He decides to turn down the road, an we see him walk into a wide shot again, and hen disappear completely from the shot behind a car. The next setting is also shown by the establishing shot of a moving train. We are shown next a close-up of Bourne looking at his reflection in a window on the train, his facial expression is shown as analysing his own face, mixed with confusion at his current situation as he tries to figure things out. The next shot is from behind Bournes arm, we are shown the tips of his fingers fiddling with the tracker previously pulled out of him in the movie- this signifies its importance in the plot of the movie, and the importance of it to find Bournes true identity. At the train station we are once again shown a mid shot of Bourne looking around for direction, with a puzzled look on his face. In the next shot, we are shown Bourne silhouetted in a tracking shot that moves from his feet to above his head to show an abandoned road with a blue haze coming from the lights. There is a three-shot of two officers legs walking towards a sleeping Bourne on a park bench in the middle of the night while it snows. The officer flashes a light in Bournes face and we see him in full light, yet the next shot is of the officer and the light hides his face as it hits the audiences eyes and his identity is hidden in the darkness- it almost creates the same effect as a mask does where people associate it with secrets and hidden identity, which links to evil and antagonists in movies. The next three shot shows Bourne still sitting and the two men in blue officer uniforms almost towering over him as they stand above him. It almost makes Bourne look weak and inferior to these two men. Bournes face is shown in a close-up once again as he shocks himself by speaking French, his confusion evident. A mid-shot of Bourne shows him get poked with a baton, his face almost automatically transforms from confused and helpless to determined as he grabs the baton and begins fighting back. Multiple wide-shots from different angles enables the audience to feel as though they are part of the fight and not missing anything as the shots show Bourne overpower these two officers.
The shot pans from Bournes surprised face to the gun in his hands, and the audience is shown his shock through his body language and his hands as he unloads the gun and throws it to the ground. A wide shot shows him running away and ditching his jacket- this action shows that he knows what to do in this situation, almost like its muscle memory as opposed to direct memory.
For Editing:
The start of the clip has slow cuts as it shows Bourne walking around the port. Editing is used to make him disappear instantly when a car and two guys walk in front of his shot. This creates a sense of mystery for the audience as they'll wonder how he disappeared and where he disappeared to. Editing is used to show Bourne silhouetted in perfect blackness as he looks down a road. There is fast paced editing when the two officers and Bourne are fighting. This creates a sense of urgency and danger for the audience as they watch the wide shots and feel as though they are there and aren't missing a thing. While the men are fighting, the shots have been sped up to create the effect that Bourne is moving in almost un-human speed as he disarms the police officers.
For Sound:
The first shot is accompanied by non-diegetic violin-based music which creates a sense of wondering and confusion which is also shown by Bournes facial expressions. There is the diegetic noise also of the port and the people and cars moving around. The music gets more intense and a little eerie as an underlying bass noise takes over the piano as Bourne disappears behind a car which creates a sense of confusion for the audience. The non-diegetic music continues as Bourne looks at his reflection in the window and at his mysterious tracker. Sound helps develop the setting as the diegetic sound of a lady speaking French's voice is on a loud speaker in the train station. The soft diegetic noise of far away cars and the wind and lack of non-diegetic music is almost eerie and quiet as we are once again shown him looking for a direction to go in the blue, hazy, abandoned alley. When Bourne is sleeping the heavy tread of the officers boots in the snow is loud as they walk, making them seem powerful as they walk to Bourne in his vulnerable sleeping state. His confusion is shown as they begin speaking a foreign language, once again adding to the setting. When Bourne grabs the baton from the officer there is a loud, sudden non-diegetic noise that was added in with the sound of the baton being grabbed harshly that is sudden and may make a few audience members jump at the abruptness. The music builds slowly in the background as Bourne fights the officers and wins, and the loud diegetic noise of the click of the gun is heard before we see the gun which creates a sense of suspense as the audience members don't know if he'll shoot or not. The music dies down as Bourne realises what he's done, and there are a few more clicks as Bourne suddenly un-cocks the gun and drops it promptly to the snowy ground. There is a loud diegetic zip that brings attention to him ripping off his jacket and loud noises on the ground as he runs away swiftly from what he's done.
For Mise-en-scene:
The first establishing shot is cloudy and gloomy which creates a cold atmosphere. Red and Blue are significant colours in Bourne Identity- each time they show up it is because they are representing something important. Red represents who Bourne is becoming, and the decisions he makes to become that person, whereas, blue symbolises his past, and also it represents authority throughout the movie.
Bourne walks of the boat wearing a red jacket which shows that he is making decisions that are going to effect who he is becoming. The setting is shown through the port, and also the multiple french flags that show the audience Bourne is in France. Bourne disappears from the shot behind to men walking and a blue car, the blue of the car could link to the fact he disappeared as Bournes past was being an assassin and they are good at staying hidden and out of sight, so when he disappeared it was a hint to his distorted past. We are shown a blue train in an establishing shot which shows that Bourne is getting closer to a clue of who he is. The headrest inside the train is red, so though he's getting closer to his past by the blue train, the red shows it was his decision to go this way. Bourne looks at his reflection in the trains window, and his face is slightly distorted. The mirror is revealing and represents his soul and emotion as he looks at himself almost in an attempt to reveal to himself who he is. He knows he looks familiar as its his face, but he knows there's something different to the reality he currently sees as he looks at his reflectionHis reflection is almost haunting him as its so honest, yet so hidden and mysterious to himself at the same time. Bourne walks outside the train with a look of confusion and lostness. A red light on the front of the train reflects on his face as he chooses the next direction he is going to take. We are then shown a silhouette of Bourne standing in an abandoned road with blue lights at the end that create a blue haze that surrounds his silhouette. The blue hints to the audience that he is heading in the right direction to uncover his past. Bournes lack of connections caused by his lack of memory is again evident in the way that he is sleeping in a park bench in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night while it snows. This contrasts , however, to when the French police officers (who are wearing blue which represent authority), start to speak to Bourne in French and he sub consciously moves from speaking English to speaking French, and even surprises himself which is shown through the confused and surprised facial expressions on his face as he talks. He says ' I don't have any papers' to the officers at first which shows the audience he can understand the language and this is when he transitions between the two languages, and then he continues the conversation in French. One officer pokes a baton at Bourne, and Bournes face turns from concerned to determined and stern instantly as he grabs the baton- he suddenly realises what he can do and almost in a robotic like way turns from the confused man looking for his hidden identity to a fighting machine who knows exactly what move and counter-move to make almost like he was programmed to do. He knocks out both officers and then almost switches back to reality as he hears the click of the gun in his hand, we see his bewildered face as he realises what he just did, and we are shown a shot of him un-cocking the gun and dropping the gun to the ground, flicking his hands as he does so almost like he's in shock off what he just did and wants to get the gun away from himself as he moves away from the scene. A wide shot shows him ditch his red jacket- this is to not be able to be identified, but could also represent that he regrets the decision he just made that will influence his future, and who he makes himself to be in the future. He sprints off in perfect form and fast in the opposite direction of the officers.
Ethnicity- Bourne is the stereotypical white American male who is shown as the protagonist in this clip as he takes on the government and tries to find his identity.
Love and Romance: Is not shown in this clip, but does exist in the movie when Bourne attaches himself to 'Marie' as she can drive him to where he needs and a bond forms between them. It turns into the classic 'boy help girl' storyline as Marie gets in too deep with Bourne and her life is out in danger.
Age: Bourne is around 30 years old in this movie. This adds to the verisimilitude of him being so good at his job as he has been very experienced in the past years.
Class/Status: For him he is unsure of his status, but by the unexplainable uncomfortability and opposition to the police offices, he could be on the run and fears that he himself might be the antagonist of the police.
Regional Identity: We are shown in the clip that Bourne can naturally. speak many other languages, and though, obviously his main language id English, he also is very familiar and comfortable speaking other languages.
Physical Ability/Disability: Bournes physical ability exceeds a regular persons as we are shown him fight and disarm two police officers in a matter of seconds.
Gender: Bourne is a male, this already gives the audience the view of him being powerful, strong, and unafraid.
The main fact that Bourne is represented as a 30 year old white male who is fighting against the government fits perfectly with Stuart Halls representation theory as the audience receives this information and interprets it in the way that the director has intended them to. These types of white American men are typically shown in the good light through the real life media as powerful business men, patriotic soldiers, and 'the good guy' in general. This helps the director to portray early on in the movie, before even Bourne knows who he is that he is most likely the good guy.
For Camera:
The first shot is an establishing shot of the boat and harbour, which sets the scene for the next part of the movie. There is a wide shot as Bourne moves closer and closer to the camera as it remains still until eventually he is standing in a mid-shot and we see the visible confusion on his face as he looks around to find the next direction to walk in as he furthers from the boat he had been on. He decides to turn down the road, an we see him walk into a wide shot again, and hen disappear completely from the shot behind a car. The next setting is also shown by the establishing shot of a moving train. We are shown next a close-up of Bourne looking at his reflection in a window on the train, his facial expression is shown as analysing his own face, mixed with confusion at his current situation as he tries to figure things out. The next shot is from behind Bournes arm, we are shown the tips of his fingers fiddling with the tracker previously pulled out of him in the movie- this signifies its importance in the plot of the movie, and the importance of it to find Bournes true identity. At the train station we are once again shown a mid shot of Bourne looking around for direction, with a puzzled look on his face. In the next shot, we are shown Bourne silhouetted in a tracking shot that moves from his feet to above his head to show an abandoned road with a blue haze coming from the lights. There is a three-shot of two officers legs walking towards a sleeping Bourne on a park bench in the middle of the night while it snows. The officer flashes a light in Bournes face and we see him in full light, yet the next shot is of the officer and the light hides his face as it hits the audiences eyes and his identity is hidden in the darkness- it almost creates the same effect as a mask does where people associate it with secrets and hidden identity, which links to evil and antagonists in movies. The next three shot shows Bourne still sitting and the two men in blue officer uniforms almost towering over him as they stand above him. It almost makes Bourne look weak and inferior to these two men. Bournes face is shown in a close-up once again as he shocks himself by speaking French, his confusion evident. A mid-shot of Bourne shows him get poked with a baton, his face almost automatically transforms from confused and helpless to determined as he grabs the baton and begins fighting back. Multiple wide-shots from different angles enables the audience to feel as though they are part of the fight and not missing anything as the shots show Bourne overpower these two officers.
The shot pans from Bournes surprised face to the gun in his hands, and the audience is shown his shock through his body language and his hands as he unloads the gun and throws it to the ground. A wide shot shows him running away and ditching his jacket- this action shows that he knows what to do in this situation, almost like its muscle memory as opposed to direct memory.
For Editing:
The start of the clip has slow cuts as it shows Bourne walking around the port. Editing is used to make him disappear instantly when a car and two guys walk in front of his shot. This creates a sense of mystery for the audience as they'll wonder how he disappeared and where he disappeared to. Editing is used to show Bourne silhouetted in perfect blackness as he looks down a road. There is fast paced editing when the two officers and Bourne are fighting. This creates a sense of urgency and danger for the audience as they watch the wide shots and feel as though they are there and aren't missing a thing. While the men are fighting, the shots have been sped up to create the effect that Bourne is moving in almost un-human speed as he disarms the police officers.
For Sound:
The first shot is accompanied by non-diegetic violin-based music which creates a sense of wondering and confusion which is also shown by Bournes facial expressions. There is the diegetic noise also of the port and the people and cars moving around. The music gets more intense and a little eerie as an underlying bass noise takes over the piano as Bourne disappears behind a car which creates a sense of confusion for the audience. The non-diegetic music continues as Bourne looks at his reflection in the window and at his mysterious tracker. Sound helps develop the setting as the diegetic sound of a lady speaking French's voice is on a loud speaker in the train station. The soft diegetic noise of far away cars and the wind and lack of non-diegetic music is almost eerie and quiet as we are once again shown him looking for a direction to go in the blue, hazy, abandoned alley. When Bourne is sleeping the heavy tread of the officers boots in the snow is loud as they walk, making them seem powerful as they walk to Bourne in his vulnerable sleeping state. His confusion is shown as they begin speaking a foreign language, once again adding to the setting. When Bourne grabs the baton from the officer there is a loud, sudden non-diegetic noise that was added in with the sound of the baton being grabbed harshly that is sudden and may make a few audience members jump at the abruptness. The music builds slowly in the background as Bourne fights the officers and wins, and the loud diegetic noise of the click of the gun is heard before we see the gun which creates a sense of suspense as the audience members don't know if he'll shoot or not. The music dies down as Bourne realises what he's done, and there are a few more clicks as Bourne suddenly un-cocks the gun and drops it promptly to the snowy ground. There is a loud diegetic zip that brings attention to him ripping off his jacket and loud noises on the ground as he runs away swiftly from what he's done.
For Mise-en-scene:
The first establishing shot is cloudy and gloomy which creates a cold atmosphere. Red and Blue are significant colours in Bourne Identity- each time they show up it is because they are representing something important. Red represents who Bourne is becoming, and the decisions he makes to become that person, whereas, blue symbolises his past, and also it represents authority throughout the movie.
Bourne walks of the boat wearing a red jacket which shows that he is making decisions that are going to effect who he is becoming. The setting is shown through the port, and also the multiple french flags that show the audience Bourne is in France. Bourne disappears from the shot behind to men walking and a blue car, the blue of the car could link to the fact he disappeared as Bournes past was being an assassin and they are good at staying hidden and out of sight, so when he disappeared it was a hint to his distorted past. We are shown a blue train in an establishing shot which shows that Bourne is getting closer to a clue of who he is. The headrest inside the train is red, so though he's getting closer to his past by the blue train, the red shows it was his decision to go this way. Bourne looks at his reflection in the trains window, and his face is slightly distorted. The mirror is revealing and represents his soul and emotion as he looks at himself almost in an attempt to reveal to himself who he is. He knows he looks familiar as its his face, but he knows there's something different to the reality he currently sees as he looks at his reflectionHis reflection is almost haunting him as its so honest, yet so hidden and mysterious to himself at the same time. Bourne walks outside the train with a look of confusion and lostness. A red light on the front of the train reflects on his face as he chooses the next direction he is going to take. We are then shown a silhouette of Bourne standing in an abandoned road with blue lights at the end that create a blue haze that surrounds his silhouette. The blue hints to the audience that he is heading in the right direction to uncover his past. Bournes lack of connections caused by his lack of memory is again evident in the way that he is sleeping in a park bench in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night while it snows. This contrasts , however, to when the French police officers (who are wearing blue which represent authority), start to speak to Bourne in French and he sub consciously moves from speaking English to speaking French, and even surprises himself which is shown through the confused and surprised facial expressions on his face as he talks. He says ' I don't have any papers' to the officers at first which shows the audience he can understand the language and this is when he transitions between the two languages, and then he continues the conversation in French. One officer pokes a baton at Bourne, and Bournes face turns from concerned to determined and stern instantly as he grabs the baton- he suddenly realises what he can do and almost in a robotic like way turns from the confused man looking for his hidden identity to a fighting machine who knows exactly what move and counter-move to make almost like he was programmed to do. He knocks out both officers and then almost switches back to reality as he hears the click of the gun in his hand, we see his bewildered face as he realises what he just did, and we are shown a shot of him un-cocking the gun and dropping the gun to the ground, flicking his hands as he does so almost like he's in shock off what he just did and wants to get the gun away from himself as he moves away from the scene. A wide shot shows him ditch his red jacket- this is to not be able to be identified, but could also represent that he regrets the decision he just made that will influence his future, and who he makes himself to be in the future. He sprints off in perfect form and fast in the opposite direction of the officers.
Hi Luci
ReplyDeleteOverall Score: 38/50
Terminology: 10/10
Analysis/ Argument:13/20
Examples: 15/20
A really great list of observations and basically a running commentary of what happened in this clip. Basically what I need to see from you is for you to show evidence of understanding HOW MEANING IS CREATED with the 4 technical elements. Pretty much what you did for mies-en-scene with making the observations AND THEN adding in the implied meaning and bringing in wider themes and context. You did this really well in the last paragraph. I felt the first 3 technical elements were just listing off exactly what was happening on screen.
For future, you do not have to list off all 7 core representations of society, you only need to point out the main one or two.
Let's sit together sometime and I'll show you exactly how to structure an essay like this because you're so close to being on the right track! Just a few tweaks and I'll have what I need to give you top marks :)