Leon (The Proffesional) Dir. Luc Besson, Released:France September 1994. United States: November 1994.
Shots
The opening shot of 'Leon' is a slow-moving helecopter shot above the woodland outskirts of NewYork. It travels at a constant speed towards the Silhouetted stretch of sky scrapers. There is then a quick dissolve cut into a, still moving, shot through the city. The camera is now following the city roads as if placed on top of a car. The shots keep dissolving into each other, each time getting closer to the destination. The camera finally reaches a shop and whilst it carries on travelling the shot is eventually emmerced in complete darkness of the extreme close-up. The darkness of the shot before is merged with the darkness of the room in the following shot in which Leon and another man occupy. The camera is in extreme close-up of a section of Leon's face and it carries on cutting between the shots of him, the picture sliding across the table and the glass slamming down on the table.
Sound
The sound in the opening of 'Leon' is predominantly non-diagetic. As the camera travels through the city there is a peaceful soundtrack with a slightly oriental sound, this completely contradicts the film's theme. Then, as the camera zooms into the black doorway we hear a loud dooming sound, this makes the audience feel alarmed and know everything is not what it seems. When in the room with Leon all we hear is dialogue (Diagetic), this signifies the beginning of the film.
Mise-En-Scene
The Mise-En-Scene in Leon is all very conventional to the thriller genre. For example the staircase shot and the climbing lift numbers. The colour of the film is yellow tinged grey, I think that this highlights the bleak lives of the two protagonists.
Shots
The opening shot of 'Leon' is a slow-moving helecopter shot above the woodland outskirts of NewYork. It travels at a constant speed towards the Silhouetted stretch of sky scrapers. There is then a quick dissolve cut into a, still moving, shot through the city. The camera is now following the city roads as if placed on top of a car. The shots keep dissolving into each other, each time getting closer to the destination. The camera finally reaches a shop and whilst it carries on travelling the shot is eventually emmerced in complete darkness of the extreme close-up. The darkness of the shot before is merged with the darkness of the room in the following shot in which Leon and another man occupy. The camera is in extreme close-up of a section of Leon's face and it carries on cutting between the shots of him, the picture sliding across the table and the glass slamming down on the table.
Sound
The sound in the opening of 'Leon' is predominantly non-diagetic. As the camera travels through the city there is a peaceful soundtrack with a slightly oriental sound, this completely contradicts the film's theme. Then, as the camera zooms into the black doorway we hear a loud dooming sound, this makes the audience feel alarmed and know everything is not what it seems. When in the room with Leon all we hear is dialogue (Diagetic), this signifies the beginning of the film.
Mise-En-Scene
The Mise-En-Scene in Leon is all very conventional to the thriller genre. For example the staircase shot and the climbing lift numbers. The colour of the film is yellow tinged grey, I think that this highlights the bleak lives of the two protagonists.
2 comments:
Rosy - a good discussion of thriller conventions. Consider the staircase: what are the meanings and connotations of this mise-en-scene convention? Why do they occur so often in thrillers and what do they represent/ mean/ connote? How could they be a metaphor for the narrative structure? How could they be metaphorical of the (im)morality of thrillers and the journey into darkness and hell that so often comes with thrillers?
Try to comment on connotations throughout your film discussions
Rosy this is well observed but try to describe more precisely how the sound (diegetic or non diegetic) is used with visual shots.
How do we read the characters when we are first introduced to them? Are we referencing other film texts?
What other films did you research? Please post the trestment for your own thriller opening. mw
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