Friday, October 12, 2012

Writing About Film: Young Frankenstein


 
In this clip from the film Young Frankenstein, they utilize several different film aspects to put together a polished piece. Much of the clip is shot from a high camera angle where we look down on Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle’s characters as they dance. Additionally, the camera makes use of zoom as it varies between different distances with the shots. The zoom varies from about a medium close-up to as far as a long shot to give the viewer a good sense of the scene. Their dancing is accentuated with a seamlessly synced soundtrack of an orchestra playing along with their choreographed dance. In addition to using a spotlight, they utilize high-key lighting to make the bright tones in the image more striking. This is very effective with the black and white film. Much of the segment shows the two actors dancing on the stage, but it is interrupted to switch to Teri Garr’s character as well as the audience using a jump cut. The use of the jump cut allows the movie’s audience to get a better understanding of the entire scenario playing out as the performance falls apart.

3 comments:

  1. The film is an interesting piece of cinema and was an interesting topic. Thanks for the clip.

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  2. You did a good job at pointing out the camera views and all the special angles they used. Normally on zoom in they are trying to let the people see certain views that they would not have seen.

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  3. Young Frankenstein is one of my most favorite movies! My parents were big Mel Brooks fans, so we watched this movie (and Blazing Saddles too) often. After writing this up, I actually made my boyfriend watch Young Frankenstein with me this weekend. :)

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