Detailed Analysis Of The UnderWorld Gangster Thriller Miami Vice : What Makes This Gangster vs Cop Shoot Out Effective

Me and Mike were analysing this clip as we were interested in a gangster thriller, and have looked at all the technical aspects so we have a better understanding of how to make our own thriller even if it is not gangster more effective.

Camerawork

• In this scene camerawork is used a lot to emphasise the action taking place. For instance handheld is used in virtually the entire scene as it creates and air of realism and makes the film more gritty. As well as this the audience in several scenes are put in the place of the gangsters with this technique and so it appears like a POV shot. This is most notable when the camera is OTS of one gangster, but once he gets shot, the camera tracks over to another gangster just to the side of him, still with blood on the lens. This also makes the clip appear more like a documentary and so adding to the realism that the director is trying to put across. This is also conveyed with the quick zooms of the camera, as it moves into the action.
• There is a number of OTS shots in this clip as not only does it give a sense of direction of where the gangsters are firing, makes the shootout more intense. This is especially true as we look down the crosshairs at Crockett with Isabella, as we as the audience sympathise with them, and do not want them to die.
• Frames within frames are used at the beginning of the scene. This gives the feeling of being watched and adds to the tension just before the shootout.
• Reverse tracking shots are used of Tubbs as he is advancing to one of the main Cuban villains. This camera angle gives the impression that he is moving at pace and it looks quite menacing, as we see him full on with shotgun. This emphasises the characters determination.
• Low angles and hyper masculine framing is used often in the scene in order to make characters look more dangerous and imposing. For example the shot of the main Neo Nazi as he fires his automatic rifle looks powerful as the camera is at a low angle, therefore emphasising his height and making him look more dominant.
• The shot of the main Cuban villain reloading we see Jamie Foxx running in the background. This is a continuation of the previous scene and is a good example of continuity of action.
  
  Mise en scene
• It is easy to tell who the gangsters are in this scene due to how they dress. A lot of them are wearing dark suites and pinstripe which are both clear connotations. As well as this the excess of gold jewellery which they wear show their excessive and rich lifestyle. This greatly contrasts with the modest silver watches and badges of the police. The large flashy cars that the gangsters drive also signify their power.
• Crockett, Tubbs as well as the other policemen wear bullet-proof vests and communicate with walky-talkies connoting that they are more advanced than the gangsters and work for some kind of law enforcement agency. The comparison between the gangsters and the cops can also be seen in their hairstyles. While all the gangsters have uncontrolled beards and straggly hair, the cops have a well groomed appearance.
• The location of the dockyard is put across with the two ships and the numerous bits of ropes and the huge truck tyres. Overall this location has a very industrial feel as a result.
  The fact the scene is set at night adds a lot of confusion, as we cannot see everything which is going on. As well as this it signifies the fact that the difference between the cops and the gangsters is not that huge.
• Artificial light is used in the scene, mainly from the cars headlights, but I expect another source was used in the filming as well. This adds to the industrial and man made feel of the location. The lights also add a lot of shadows to the scene. This is perhaps most notable when half of Gong Li’s face is cast into darkness. This signifies the split of her personality, between the side which loves Crockett and wants a new life, and the old criminal and repressed side. The shadows also make certain characters look more menacing. For example the shadows of the SWAT team members along the side of a crate. The Night time setting is typical of the genre as a whole.
• All the characters in this scene seem to be wielding large rifles or submachine guns rather than pistols. This is typical of the action genre as normally bigger weapons signify the character has more power and thus can inflict more damage.
  
  
  Sound
• In this clip, there are both Diegetic and Non Diegetic sounds.
• The non diegetic sounds are used to build up tension before the fighting breaks lose. This is done with first drums and strings slowly picking up in volume level and speed. This creates suspense and signifies to the audience that there may be impeding violence. The sound then fades out, as the fire order is given. This is done to show the importance of the action, and not distract from it.
• When the shoot out has started, percussion fades in at a low level, this is at a faster pace to the previous music and increases the tension and makes an aggressive atmosphere for the scene as well as helping maintain the pace.
• After the soot out has finished and we have had the slow motion of when the villain boss is killed, strings fade in over, the percussion, which are slower in tempo and match the slowed pace of the film. This music is more dramatic and creates a reflective mood, which also allows the audience to take in what they have just seen. The music then changes to a Cuban influenced peace of bass, and drums. This music is faster tempo and allows the slow motion to come back to real-time. The music also signifies the end of the danger, and that the Cuban mob has been defeated. This then allows for the next plot development in the film.
  
  
• Diegetic sounds in this clip are gunshots, gravel, ricochets , glass breaking, and all add to the realism of the clip.
  
  SFX
• This scene uses a number of special effects to try to get across the idea that this is a shootout. For instance we can presume that all these guns are firing blanks.
  But we believe CGI was used to enhance the flashes emitted from the barrels to enhance the action. Or possibly was composite in over the footage in a program such as after effects.
• Squibs and small explosive devices are also used a lot in this scene for when we see walls and cars being shot at. In the case of the walls we presume that at least some of the wall was made out of some form of plaster cast to give the right effect when the explosives went off.
• The same could be said of the car windows which were most probably made out of some kind of fibre glass for health and safety reasons.
  Squibs filled with fake blood were used for the percentage of times when people got shot, although sometimes this can be too dangerous for the actor if they are placed near the head. This is why when the main White supremacist gets shot in the head we believe it is done with either CGI, prosthetics or perhaps both to give the right effect.
• When the main Cuban villain gets shot by Tubbs, a program similar to after-effects must have been used in order to show the blood splatter from his body. As well as this the hole in his chest we deduce is a prosthetic chest plate under his shirt.
  
  Editing
• The editing used in the 5 minute clip from Miami Vice is fairly generic to the action genre, and especially a fight or shoot out scene.
• Throughout the clip, there are no transitions , dissolves, or fades, the cuts are all straight cuts. This builds up the pace of the scene as cuts become faster, and helps maintain it. If dissolves or fades were used the audience would have become confused as normally these are techniques used to show time passing, hence why straight cuts are used, and are effective in creating a pace to the scene which matches the frantic emotions and action on the characters.
• The selection of shots that the scene starts with are of the police. This is to reinforce that we in fact want the police to succeed and are supposed to be on their side. It also signifies they have the upper hand in the situation, as we see them initiate the firing.
• But when the real action in the scene has started, we see a higher percentage of shots from the Drug dealing Neo Nazis point of view. The purpose behind this is to increase the audiences understanding of the villains in the film, and why it is essential for the police to succeed. It also has the effect of highlighting the team work and unison of the police, as they cleverly take down villains one by one.
• Throughout the scene there are a lot of close ups from the villain side of the shootout a lot being over the shoulder shots, which are then cut to medium shots of the police reaction to this. Thos shot order maintains the pace created for the scene, and also increases our understanding of the danger being faced.
  
• In our medium reaction shot of the police, we see them fire back at the villains, and the scene then cuts to the Villains reaction. This technique is a classic example of shot reaction shot. And is the editor is creating narrative structure out of a busy chaotic scene, so that the audience can at least understand who is shooting at who.
• But however the scene is cut so that the audience has a basic concept of what is going on its editing style also means that there is a vast variety of distances and angles. This adds to the chaos of the scene, the franticness, and confusion of the situation for the audience, which mimics that of the police who are in the situation.
• There is also interesting use of slow motion, where the film is slowed down to roughly ¾ speed, as the main villain is killed. This gives dramatic effect, and highlights to the audience the importance of the character just killed, and the start of the resolution to the scene.
• There is a certain pace that is set up within the scene and when slow mo is used it is to say look important reaction shot. Eg when the Cuban before he is shot in the chest, there is a slowed down extreme close up of him , which if real-time would be too short to notice, and would also disrupt the pace of the scene. Editing is used throughout the action like this so the audience absorb key events or reactions to heighten the understanding.
• Some of the slow mo is replacing what in conventional films, would be a close up, that lasts half a second. The medium shots that are used frequently take longer for the audience to understand and take in , therefore the slowed speed gives us more time to understand what is going on.
• The deliberate cutting between different parts of the action, ensures the paces as well as excitement is maintained. If the scene stuck with one characters action for too long it would not be very interesting and would also mean the scene lacked pace.