Action Genre post

LOGAN

The narrative given to us in this excerpt is a couple people trying to steal the caps off a man’s car. They then shoot him, but he seems to have supernatural powers as he gets back up. As this continues, he then fights them and ends up killing almost all of them with claws extended from his knuckles. We can then assume that the rest of the film will focus on this man and the consequences of him having these powers. 
Finally, there is a specific moment in the scene where you can really grasp some more of Logan’s character. This is when he is on the floor being beaten and surrounded. He is in the centre of the frame and the camera is at the same level of his eye line. 

However, the shotgun is finally pointed at his head. And there a slow tilt to a low angle close up of Logan’s face. Through the use of diegetic sound of frustration coming from him which leads to a gradual crescendo, along with really angry facial expressions, we can tell that he has finally ‘snapped,’ and that there is a side of him that we haven’t seen yet, and it can get very angry. This is further shown through an eye line match of him looking at the gun going off and shooting his car which further angers him.

I believe the target audience for this movie is definitely for older audiences of any gender, as I believe that action is for everyone which leads me onto what I think the genre for this film is; action. This is because, the opening scene is packed full of action and violence, and there are quite unsettling parts in which he is fighting, therefore I believe it is aimed for older audiences. There are quite a few characters introduced: a gang and this man with supernatural powers. However, it can be assumed that this man is the focus of the rest of the film and a key character, as the rest of the people in this scene are killed or badly injured, which makes us assume they won’t be used in the rest of the film. Throughout the opening scene, the man (Logan) has the most screen time, and the camera is predominantly focused on him.

The whole opening sequence is only in one location however, a lot happens in it. Firstly, it opens with a hand held close up of Logan waking up in the back seat, implying that he is tired or that what he has just done is tiring. When he gets out of the car, there is a close up of his feet as he steps out. You can tell through the use of character positioning and movement, that he seems to be quite week, or unsteady, as his feet shake a little before he grounds himself. This makes him come across as vulnerable. This is further shown when a tracking shot records him walking, which seems to be inconsistent and it looks more like he is stumbling than walking. 

When faced with the gang there is a mid shot of him in the middle of the frame. The lighting from the torches of the gang show his face, which looks tired and worn through facial expressions. You can learn a lot from the diegetic dialogue that goes on. For example, rather than telling them to leave his vehicle alone, he tells them that ‘no one is going to pay’ for the plates and in fact tells them how to remove them properly. This further emphasizes how he is tired and worn out, and would rather let them get away with it, than fight them. 

Suddenly there is a sound effect of a gun going off which shows that Logan has been shot and the reaction of the gang shows how little they care. Also, the use of the editing, when there is a sudden cut to a long shot from a mid-shot, startles the audience, and leaves a bigger effect.

In another part of the scene, Logan is now alive again, showing he has powers and says ‘guys, you don’t want to do this.’ This, once again shows that he is a reasonable man, and does not want to fight, possibly because he has been fighting for a long time and is tired of the burden he has of not being like most people. Through this shot-reverse-shot, it is shown that he has the power at this moment, as the camera stays on him for longer. When the gang first fights him the camera moves with his head, emphasizing the force of the punch, and displaying how Logan feels, so we can empathize with him. At this moment, we hear the music which is coming from the radio belonging to the gang, increase in volume, which increases anticipation and informs us that something is going to happen. 

When the fight happens, the shot duration is long when Logan is winning the fight, and shorter when he is losing. This could represent how he feels internally, as when he is in control he feels more relaxed, however when he loses control, he feels more panicked. This also links in with the movement of the camera. Each movement is usually a pan or a tilt to make the scene more quick paced and eventful. 

There is a specific point in this where Logan is on the floor and is being beaten badly from multiple members of the gang. The angle used by the camera is a low angle and it is shot from Logan’s POV making the audience also feel threatened and afraid, as this is the effect low angles have. This, once again, makes us empathize with Logan’s situation and we feel helpless watching. It also shows who has the power in this specific moment, in which the gang has currently, which makes the moment of him defeating them at the end of the scene even more satisfying and relieving.

Finally, there is a specific moment in the scene where you can really grasp some more of Logan’s character. This is when he is on the floor being beaten and surrounded. He is in the centre of the frame and the camera is at the same level of his eyeline. However, the shotgun is finally pointed at his head. And there a slow tilt to a low angle close up of Logan’s face. 

Through the use of diegetic sound of frustration coming from him which leads to a gradual crescendo, along with really angry facial expressions, we can tell that he has finally ‘snapped,’ and that there is a side of him that we haven’t seen yet, and it can get very angry. This is further shown through an eyeline match of him looking at the gun going off and shooting his car which further angers him. 

In conclusion, I think this was a really successful opening scene as it really establishes character, genre, and theme of the rest of the film. It also makes the audience want to keep watching, to find out more about Logan and what he is going to do next.