Green Street Opening Deconstruction

Camera Angles

• Establishing shot: train station at night - urbanized, how area is important to them, dark side, empty
• High angle from top of stairs - showing the lowness of their actions and way of life
• Focuses on extra - activity of firms going on around people but not known by everyone 
• Over-the-shoulder shots - intruding, part of the firms, followers of the crowd hiding behind tougher of the group
• low angle from bottom of stairs during fighting - GSE's power over other firm once violence begins
• close ups - emphasizes violence, shows anger/hate and other emotions
• establishing shot: river and bridge - calm/serenity, different paths of people at university 
• low angle up towards window - students of high importance and class, particularly Matt and Jeremy as central to the story
• over-the-shoulder shots - private conversation, intruding 
• close-up shots - shows emotion
• long-/mid- shots - normality of scene juxtaposing with confusing close-up shots in previous scene

Sound

• Train station atmosphere (diegetic): wind/trains - danger, emptiness 
• Crowd chanting and jeering (off screen to on screen) - mob brutality, eerie, aggressive
• Kicks can - disturbs piece, echoing (effect/scarring)
• Silence as recognition - no initial thoughts (not necessarily want to commit violence/follow crowd's lead/look to leader for starting action or opponent's move) 
• Swearing - anger/hate/aggression or to appear so
• Lary talk - out for a fight, no morals, English slang vs. American well-structured sentences
• Smashing/shouting/punching/kicking - violent, aggressive, hard-hitting, 
• Rock music (non-diegetic) - anger, hate, strong emotions, loud sounds, relentless, powerful bravado 
• birds tweeting/water in river/chatting - contrasting (peaceful, mellow, calm, serene, natural, friendly, comfortable)
• phone call (on and off screen) - contacts are important to them e.g. knowing someone from a particular family
• TV - various sounds, busy life, recreational distractions (e.g. drugs)
• dragging out of cupboard - bringing secrets into the light can hinder relationships (i.e. phone call in this scene)
• Matt's softly spoken voice - easy to manipulate and control, dominated in dialogue
• Emotional music fades in - empty, missing father figure as phone goes to voicemail

Mise en Scene

• Blurred - disorientated, affected by alcohol/drugs
• Train station - different walks of life involved in firm (even teachers) having various destinations
• Squashed can - battered, wasted can dropped and damaged (low lives damaging each other)
• white trainers, jeans, coats, scarf (typical to wear to football match)
• skinheads, greasy, scarred (don't care for appearance)
• white/yellow lines - restricted in certain areas (either ways of life because of previous choices or regions because of other firms)
• American flag in office - patriotic, strict rules, American way of life
• Red noticeboard - bad connotations of journalism and journalists
• Pastel colours - soft nature, pristine appearance
• Ralph Lauren jumper - care about appearance and money 
• Wine and cigarettes - sophisticated, drugs (addiction), more harmful than may appear
• Photos by Matt's bed - cares for family

Editing

• Jump cuts - fast paced, on edge (looking around/being wary)
• Hand-held camera in crowd - disorientated, confused, dazed (trying to focus on anything)
• Tilt back - fainting
• Cut to black - black out (power out/fainting)
• Pan - establishing scene
• linear narrative - juxtaposition of scenes before joining together in film

Deconstructing this film opening has influenced us to consider aspects to include in our own coursework.We will be using high/low angles on stairs to depict the class and the character position in society. We will be looking to use over-the-shoulder shots also to achieve a sense of intruding on someone's life. Concerning sound, we may use the sounds of a train (station) as we are looking at having this as a location. This location could also suggest the various walks of life involved as stated in the deconstruction. Aggressive/violent sounds such as crowds swearing, shouting and fighting shall be considered in light of the plot and genre of our film opening. As a contrast to this, birds twittering etc. shall be used to illustrate the peace and serenity in the higher class area. Although we won't be using a phone call, we have decided to include the sounds of a Blackberry Message being received to show not only the importance of contacts and people to the riots but technology.

Daisy