Lock, Stock and Two smoking barrels analysis

The film opens with a monologue of the character speaking persuasively in order to sell stolen goods. The characters voice suggest the film is set in London through the 'cockney' accent, non-digetic sound overlaps the character speaking. A grim atmosphere is shown through the characters joke of the undertaker: 'only person who sells empty boxes is the undertaker'. Dark humor coincides with the character's use of cockney rhyming slang. The character is manipulating the customers with the control he has over the way he speaks.
The humorous ways of the character's joke make his speech have an informal tone, the confidence in his tone could suggest that he had done this before . There is a theme of poverty throughout the opening, 'if you don't see value here today', expressing quite a bleak life of the people that live there. The music is introduced when they are running from the police, it has an fast tempo which matches the characters running. This is known as parallel sound, the music matches what is going on within the scene. The music is upbeat and filled with the sense of adrenaline matching the speed in which the characters are running in.
The font of the opening titles look quite old like a type-writer. This could suggest the lack of money within the area. The font is slightly uneven and there are no capital letters where there should be. This reflects an informal tone the font also looks quite rugged. The white font against a black background highlights the theme of good against evil, which also matches the first scene of the criminals running from the police. The white font also adds to the bleak lifestyle so it could be seen to fit in with the genre of the film.
The next shot opens with a medium, over -the shoulder shot, it dennotes a man doing something which has attracted a crowd. The body language of the various people within the shot show that they may be cold/ tired or their way of life is difficult because of the way they are hunched over. The background of the shot looks like a shop's shutters, this connotes a poor economic climate because the shop appears to be shut down . The clothes in which people are wearing within the shot also look average and not very expensive. This may reflect the working class standard of living in that area. The camera gradually zooms into the man who is persuading the crowd, while it is positioned within the crowd making the viewer feel like they are one of the people in the crowd.
The shot with the close-up of the characters face emphasises that the lighting looks like dull, natural light. This connotes that it is real-life and set in daytime. Following on from this the fifth shot is similar to the third, there is a jump cut away from the characters face. This gives the viewer the feeling of being in the crowd as well. The camera stays onto the character's face while being within the crowd. Another jump cut is used when he character holds up the jewellery and showing the crowd by using a medium shot. The character claps his hands and announces the price as if to encourage the crowd to buy it.
After the character has finished persuading the crowd there is a shot-reverse shot between a man in the crowd and the dealer. The camera changes perspective form the dealer to the man in the crowd, the way that the camera switches then being within the crowd could make the viewer feel swamped by the way the crowd is cut off within the shot.The people in the crowd look distressed this could be because they are aware of the illegal activity, this could be disorientating for the viewer because some of the other people in the crowds faces are cut off.
While the character is selling the stolen items non-digetic sound builds up in the background from a quiet sound to a louder sound.
It is full of suspense sound and carries on playing in the same tone until the police chase them and then the song starts. Things being hurled into the suitcase is filmed through a perspective shot of the dealer, the police run from the right suggesting an off-centre shot leading onto the chase. The scene where they are running turns to slow mode while another character speaks a monologue over it explaining who each characters are and what they are known for. The monologue gives a brief background of both characters and then the opening ends with the title of movie against a black background.

Panic Room analysis

The opening of Panic Room starts with a medium, long shot showing an outwards view of the city skyline and river. This sets the scene for the viewer that the film is taking place in a city. The Mise En Scene of this first shot allows the viewer to believe that the action of the movie will take place outdoors which is juxstaposition of what the title of the movie reflects "room". The way the credits have been designed also reflect and coincide with the urban and industrial landscape. The weather in each shot is sunny so this is also juxstapostion to the title "panic"which would reflect a more rainy weather landscape. This shows that there is no pathetic fallacy between the weather and scene.
The second shot is a medium, slight low angle shot focusing more on the industrial buildings and blue sky. The way each building is set casting shadows over each other show the intimidation or undertone feelings the viewer may experience. The contrast between the tallest buildings and the fact they are in the foreground would lead the viewer to assume that there is importance to them. It may also suggest that the Mise En Scene is being used to direct the viewers attention to them, in this sense we can recognise that the background objects have less importance because they do not stand out at much.
As the buildings are all set on the right side of the shot it gives an unbalanced feel to the shot because that side is heavier. This could be seen to make the viewer seem a little unsettled because the other side of the shot looks slightly isolated. Also a large shadow is cast over the right side of the shot giving an intimidating, powerful feel to the shot, as if the buildings are cowering from something. The harsh lines of the tall buildings compared to the low background lines can also make the fewer feel uncomfortable or unsettled.
The next shot is a medium, close up shot of a building the shot focuses on the amount of windows which could indicate numerous amounts of rooms or space. This can make the viewer seem unsettled because it can suggest there is no escape or a feeling of isolation. This shot could also concentrate on the shadow which is covering most of the building, which could be seen to give a sinsiter feeling of something following since the shadow flollows each shot with the camera.
The next shot is a medium, close up of a smaller building this could emphasise the weakness in it because of it's size. This shot does not seem signifcant compared to the others in the opening.
The shot of the side of the building which is slightly high angle shows the first trace of humanity. This could be significant because all of the previous shots have only been of buildings. The low angle shot makes the human aspects seem inferior or weak because they are so small. The next shot has the title of the movie spread across the enitre shot with the urban background, this is also a medium, long shot so it continues to set the scene. The next shot confirms to the viewer that the setting is new york city as familiar buildings (times square) and such are placed withing the scene. This is significant because the viewer can identify or relate to the setting in different ways.
The last two shots could be seen to focus on the inferior feeling of humanity because the cars and pedestrians and portrayed as small. In the last shot particularly even though it is slightly a high angle shot it portrays the people which are sitting on the grass as vulnerable because they are so much smaller than the buildings which are in the background. The contrast in sizes draw the viewers eyes to both the urban background and the humans making the viewer feel unsettled. The pace of the beginning of the film, in terms of shots, could be considered slow because some of the shots hold similar things such as buildings. This can be off-putting for the viewer if it takes a long time to get into the action.

Panic Room