Introduction of character

Jackie Brown (1997)-Quentin Tarantino

In the title scene Tarantino uses camera angles to help establish a character. The first shot is a medium/close up follow shot of Jackie Brown. The length of the action is over three minutes, as Jackie moves it looks as if she is floating which re-enforces her elegances and effortless nature. Also and she walks her back is always straight which show her resilience and power within society. Another medium low shot helps represent her power within the air force because as a stewardess she has the ability to smuggle money in and out of the country.  There is another close up shot on Jackie’s face with the back ground out of focus which helps show how she has more importance than others in the mise-en-scene.

Her costume makes her stand out from the boring background and with the low medium shot it signifies the status and moral superiority.

Jackie’s strong background and high status juxtaposes the next medium close up of Ordell and Louis slumped on a sofa which makes them look like grungy bums. An image of the statue of liberty holding a gun appears on the screen and this signifies how America is controlled by guns and power. the shot is then a close up of the T.V with half naked women holding guns which helps show how America is run by males and females are objects.

There is a shot in the film which has nearly every generic thriller convention in it, which helps re-enforce the fact that the film is a thriller. There is the dark ambient lighting which creates cold feel to the mise-en-scene. There is the worm’s eye view from the inside of the trunk, and also the use of guns. Ordell’s dark clothing also signifies his dark personality. Ordell persuades Beaumont to enter the trunk using food as bait, this signifies the ‘fat’ America, and so this film is still relevant to the modern issues surrounding society.

Differences between Ordell and Louis

When Ordell kills Beaumont there is a high long shot to make the audience feel as though they are peeking over the fence. The long shot was also used to show Ordell’s distance from moral normality, he is very discrete with his killing. The black car fades into the dimly light space, this is similar to the scene in Essex Boys when Jason drives the white van to the marshes. Both characters are at home in there killing domain and the mise-en-scene reflects them as a character.  The wet floors are another thriller convention skilfully used to reflect the non-ambient lighting which gives a dark feel to the scene. Ordell’s killing seemed planned which reflects his cool, calm and collected personality, Louis on the other hand is very on edge and unpredictable. Yet I think that the darkness of the yard shows how Ordell hides his true personality behind a smoke screen of money and bling whereas Louiscannot cover his emotions which are uncoverd to society when he shoots melanie.Louis on the other hand is very on edge and unpredictable. When he kills Melanie it goes against all of the common thriller conventions. Louis shoots her in broad daylight, in a unconfined car park in clear view of the public. The tension is built whilst Melanie keeps moaning and groaning until she makes Louis snap and shoot her once in the chest and once in the head, which shows the slim similarities between Ordell and himself because they both killed there victims in the same way.