TASK 14: Micro and Macro analysis

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 (2009):


MICRO ANALYSIS:
Camera:
The camerawork in the opening credits for the film is a bit strange. There are many shots, where it is filmed incredibly shaky and a bit unfocused (kind of like if a child tried to film something without knowing how a camera works), there are also various scenes where the camera has very quick movement, such as fast, blurry pans and just moving through locations really fast. There a also quite a few moments when the shots are filmed at a very low frame rate, giving the video a very choppy, rough and slow look to it. Occasionally, things would be framed more on the side rather than centred with the camera. There are a couple shots where the camera focuses on one character, and may either pan along with them (like the first moment Travolta's character appears), or will remain stationary (usually when the character isn't moving). This kind of camera work is more common when the antagonists of the film are on screen or when they are present in an area. When the protagonist is on screen, the camerawork tends to be more traditional and tolerable.

Editing:
There are very fast and rapid cuts featured within the opening credits. During the Columbia Ident and the first parts of the opening, the screen is zoomed out very far, and progressively zooms in, back to normal size (why it happens is beyond me). Usually when the film is focusing on the antagonists, the cuts get more rapid, some sequences are slowed down for 'dramatic' effect, or sped up on occasion. The text, credits and titles seem to be integrated into the scene itself, such as titles or black bars (representing trains?) appear and move behind and in front of various characters or objects on screen. Sometimes, the text moves around with objects on screen, like one occasion where text appears to be moving alongside and in front of a train, before stopping at a stop, as if the text were a passenger. One a few occasions, characters and objects on screen are used for transitions, such as a person walking by in front of the camera being used to show the next scene appearing behind the character. As mentioned earlier, the scenes with the protagonists seem to play normally, without any 'wacky' 'stylish' edits, except for when text appears on screen. The music also has slight timing with the edits, such as more sped up footage being used during the 'louder' parts of the song, with normal or slow footage playing over the quieter moments of the song. For the main titles, the appearance of "1-2-3" on screen was timed with the song.

Mise-en-scene:
The antagonists tend to appear wearing darker, more casual clothing. Some may be a bit conspicuously dressed (like Travolta, who is wearing a black beanie and sunglasses) or may have visible injuries such as a scar or a 'plaster' over a persons nose, some of them also have visible tattoos. The protagonists seem to be more smartly dressed and do not look conspicuous at all.

Sound:
The opening primarily plays Jay-Z's '99 Problems' during it. Scenes with the protagonists seem to have more calm, traditional film score playing, while the antagonists have '99 Problems', which is more 'aggressive'. Sometimes, the music during the antagonist's scenes cut '99 Problems' off to play more tense film score, but suddenly cut back to '99 Problems' with no rhyme or reason. Sometimes, random sound effects are heard throughout the opening, but sometimes, certain sounds are timed with  things seen onscreen, such as sniffing or the sounds of trains.

MACRO:
What is the key plot introduced in the title sequence?
There are a few people who are planning to take over a train, and the people in the control room most likely need to do something to stop them.

In what order is the storyline introduced?
In real-time (?) it seems. The plot from both the protagonists and antagonists perspectives seem to to happening at similar or the same time, as the film repeatedly cuts between their perspectives.

What characters are introduced? When and how?
The main antagonist (Travolta) is shown first, entering the subway. The people we believe to be helping Travolta are shown right after standing around in the subway, some holding bags and such, waiting in at the terminal or another who appears to be going into the subway himself, and the last one waiting at a different terminal. After that, the main protagonist and his 'fellow workers' are shown, doing work and having conversations.

What social groups are represented? How are they represented?
Criminals are represented in a negative light because criminals are bad. They are made to look more casual and unkempt. They seem to have either injuries or tattoos, to probably make them look more tough and threatening. The protagonists are presented to look more neat and tidy in comparison, so they look less threatening and more relatable.