First 15 minutes of a film analysis

Introduction 

I decided to look at the first 15 minutes of a crime film as I believe this will help when it comes to the making of my film. This will help because I can see how the film structures it's content and then what they actually include. By doing so I can include what is best whilst also making it look as professional as possible. I have chosen to look at the film Bugsy Malone. This movie is a gangster/crime film which is set in the 60's. There is a situation where Dandy Dan send men to shoot people with custard guns which kill people. His main rival is Fat Sam a jazz bar owner. Bugsy a friend of Fat Sam sets out to resolve the issue. The movie has original music which helps when setting the scene and telling the story. The cast is all children which gives it a unique point about the movie and it could also help the film appeal to a wider audience especially children. 

Establishing shot

The film starts with an establish shot. This is a good shot to use as it helps set the scene and it gives us an idea of what the character and story line may be like. It also gives us a time setting which can add historical content and an understand of how people lived their lives during the time period in which it is set in. As seen in the photo the street is empty to begin with. The sound in the background is a cat which meows. This echos as there is no other sound which is heard. By using this sound it makes the street look and seem abandoned. This then adds mystery to the movie as we haven't see anything. There is also a lack of lighting which makes the setting dark and doesn't reveal too much. This makes us as viewers see the mystery and potential dangers which may lurk. 

Focus on drainpipe and metaphor for Roxy Robinson

The next scene then focuses in on water dripping from a drainpipe. This is the first time we see a scene in detail and it helps us to understand the conditions the characters were living in. From this scene we see that the conditions are dirty and not well tended to. When it first focuses in on the scene we are puzzled as to why it would focus on something so completely out of context. However, a voice over of the main character Bugsy Malone comes on. His voice shares information on the rivalry which has been taking place. He uses a metaphor which symbolizes a character and the ongoing issue. "Someone once said if it was raining brains Roxy Robinson wouldn't even get wet". Here we learn of the weather condition and the reasoning of why it has focused in on a drainpipe. Also we learn of a new character which we begin to question Who is he? Why is important? This adds to the crime genre as little information is released in a long duration of time. 

Roxy hiding 

We then see Roxy Robinson's character emerge and with Bugsy's voice over we learn more about his character. "All his life Roxy Robinson had tried making 2+2 into 5". This shows how his character always wanted more than he could get in his life. He then says "He could smell trouble wherever he went" This as a viewer makes us anticipate trouble and almost assume it because of Bugsy's comment. This makes us as viewers gripped to see what trouble he's in. By grabbing the viewers attention already it makes us want to see the rest of the movie just to see what happens to all the other characters. There is also low light and most of it is caused by shadows. There is a fill light on the left which gives just enough light to see the surrounding and the shape of Roxy. By doing this we don't see much of his face as his hands are cupped. By not seeing this we anticipate who he is and why he has found himself in this situation.  

Opposed emerging

Once we have seen the scene of Roxy hiding we go back to the first scene of the establishing shot. We being to see what was making this character so scared. Again the setting is dismal and dark to keep up the tension and mystery.  As these characters emerge we hear music in the background which has heavy and short sounds which help to keep the pace of the movie going. The faces of these character are also hidden which also makes us question who are they? Why are they chasing the previous character? This keeps a sense of mystery like the other scenes and keeps us on a cliffhanger as to what will happen next. 

Gang lined up

Once the setting has changed to an off street alley way we begin to learn more about the setting. As Roxy ran down an alleyway in an attempt to escape he realizes it is a dead end. The gang close in and we get to see their faces for the first time. We know it is a gang by looking at the costume and props. They are wearing black suits and hats which are all uniformed and they all look the same. This gets rid of their individual identity and shows of the gangs image. They are also holding guns which they are using as a threat. The guns show the power the gang have over Roxy as he is defenseless and also outnumbered. The scene is again dark so that not too much information or clues are revealed as to how the movie will end. 

Gang close up

We then see the camera go into a close up of different member of the gang. They begin to question who Roxy is. They find out his identity and then ask who he works for. We learn he works for the popular business owner Fat Sam. They ask if he works for him in which he responds yes. We then want to know why this Sam is an important role in the film. The close up shows that the gang have no fear or worry in their eyes as they know that Roxy can't do anything to harm them. 

Roxy shot in the face and use of prop.

Once the gang have manipulated answers out of Roxy we learn that Sam is the main enemy towards them. This shows Roxy isn't an important character within the movie. However, by shooting him we see that the gang will do anything that is even close to Fat Sam purely because of their dislike towards him. The producers here make their first use of prop when they use the gun to shoot. As you can see from the image the guns are in no way realistic. The weapons are custard guns that if shot the contents of the gun will kill whoever the ammo hits. There is then a close up of Roxy splattered against the wall and we begin to learn what the plot of the movie really is about. 

Title scene 

Once the shooting scene has finished we then see Bugsy walking down the street and this is when the titles begin to take place. There is then a part in the title sequence where we see the movie title logo. This is an important thing to feature as it brands the movie and helps to set the scene. The scene is relatively similar to the opening scenes which makes us think that he can't be too far away from the other characters which make us presume they will be linked somehow. As he is walking there is a soundtrack in the background with the original song Bugsy Malone. The song lyrics give us information about the main character. It informs us of his personality and his behavior. It also helps us predict how the film will end as one line of the song states "don't mess with Bugsy or you'll wind up wishing you had left better off alone". This shows he is a feared person and that he has more power than anyone. This makes us think he has control over other characters. 

Title sequences

As the title sequences continue we learn how the background images make an impact on us as viewers. The producers have use images and videos in the background of the title sequence to show part of the movie. The snippets help us as viewers to get gripped into watching the movie. They use white as a contrasting color which makes it easier for us viewers to read the information on the title sequence. They use the same color and style of font throughout the title sequence in order to make it look more professional. The song of Bugsy Malone is still being played throughout the title sequence with the scene noise muted so we can still get an understanding of the character and the plot. 

Secret entrance

As the movie progresses into it's main opening we get a change in voice over. This changes to the voice of Fat Sam who begins to talk about Bugsy. We hear him say that Bugsy is the hero of the story. This gives away some information about how the movie will end. This is not necessarily a bad thing for a crime movie as we want to know how things get resolved and what happens to other characters who are also involved in the movie. We then see Bugsy enter to what looks like a bookstore which is really Fat Sam's grand slam which is a jazz bar. It appears to be this way as a security measure as with the criminal activity going on it keeps unwanted custom out. We see that Bugsy must know Sam as he can visit the bar. 

Fat Sam's office

We then see a scene 5 minutes into the film of Sam in his office. We see him sat down at his desk talking to his main gang who are known as "The Bad Guys". After one of his best gang member has died Sam shifts blame onto his gang. We see the power he has over them as we see them scared to even talk. We see the feud between Sam and the other gang is serious as he is not happy about losing vital members of his gang. 

Dancers

We then go into the main room of Fat Sam's. We see that the setting really emphasises the time period in which the movie is set in. Also in the 60's there was a lot of jazz entertainment around as it was increasingly popular. The dancers show what sort of clothing the people in the 60's would have worn. By being realistic with the setting and costumes we have a realistic element to the movie which is not seen that often.  There is also high key lighting which is used. This helps us to see the setting around Fat Sam's.  

Blousey and Bugsy meeting

In this scene we see another main character Blousey meet Bugsy. Blousey came to Fat Sam's hoping to get a job as a singer. However, her audition was cancelled as Sam was too busy, she then goes into the main hall of Fat Sam;s where she bumps into Bugsy. The two then start talking about her reasoning of carrying a baseball bat in her bag. The two in the movie later on become romantically involved. This is a good scene as it explains why an ordinary girl got dragged into the trouble between the two gangs. 

Shoot out in Fat Sam's

Whilst the conversation between Bugsy and Blousey is ongoing there is and outburst which brings it to a halt. The gang from the previous scene have come into Fat Sam's in order to shoot more people. This puts emphasis on how serious the rivalry is as the gang are willing to shoot anyone who is slightly connected to Fat Sam. There is key lighting from the shot shown to the right. This is so it looks more natural and gives a more realistic feel to the situation. Once the gang spot Fat Sam they automatically shoot his way but miss. They then make a swift exit before they get caught as they are hugely outnumbered.  Afterwards Fat Sam tries to calm down the situation as he wants to keep a good reputation up.  

I think that this film was a good choice to look at as it shows many different techniques which could be used in order to make my film look more professional. It gives examples of different lighting, shots and other features of which I could potentially use. By looking at this it has given me inspiration of how to make my film look. I have also learnt that I can tell some story through music which could be potentially more enjoyable for certain viewers. The use of voice over in the opening scene has also been informative as it gives plot and character information away. Title sequences were also included in this movie also which makes me also want to include them in my film. Overall, I believe that the producers have made the first 15 minutes of the movie gripping. I also want to do this in order to make my viewers want to carry on watching my movie.