Sin City And Layer Cake Introduction

Sin City was made in 2005 and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, this is a similar time to Layer Cake but they are two very different films. My first thoughts on the film Sin City  and the introduction are; the opening shot is an establishing shot from above a sleazy city landscape with sirens playing in the background and a women standing on a balcony with a red dress on, the only colour in the opening scene is her dress and red lips. I think this is a good opening to a thriller because I like the black and white themed scene but with the small colour, which is a bold red showing danger and the woman as a sex object.

The opening credits to Sin City involve fire, suggesting danger and loud powerful music playing with the names of the actors and a cartoon or animated version of them in character. There was also a city scene to form titles in the opening credits; this is typical of a thriller film because urban settings are often used.

The Mise-en-Scene of the film uses chiaroscuro lighting, which is common in thriller films and is a thriller signifier. When the man walks up behind the woman who is looking off the balcony there is a sense of mystery because at first, she does not know he is walking up behind her. The woman always shows her vulnerability because she is very bare and it is raining, which is also another thriller signifier .After the scene with the man and the woman on the balcony, the camera spirals around the entire city; spirals are a common thriller signifier.  

The editing in Sin City is also the black and white scene except for the woman’s red dress and lips, and at one moment her eyes change from black and white into green when she is looking at the man. As the man and woman kiss, the scene goes into a monochromatic which is an interesting piece of editing.

When the man shoots the woman, there in complete mystery in the scene because you don’t know why he is kissing her, or why he shoots her. You don’t even know his character or name.

The narrative to the beginning of Sin City is an internal monologue, this is where a character says there thoughts or perspectives on things happening in the film. This has been used in thrillers before and can be seen as a thriller signifier. There is also a lot of mystery and intrigue when the man speaks, because you do not know who he is, or who she is so it makes you want to keep watching so you find out exactly what happens.

 

Layer Cake was made in 2004 and was directed by Matthew Vaughn. The opening shot to Layer Cake is in black and white, and then suddenly the back of a car being exploded, I think this is a good introduction shot because it keeps you gripped to the film and makes you want to watch more.

The opening credits to Layer Cake are in black and white writing, and are on the moving scene of the film, with indie/rock guitar music playing in the background as Daniel Craig walks out of his house. I think these are good credits because the music playing makes the film seem fast paced and interesting.

The Mise-en-Scene of Layer Cake is all in colour. It begins with zooming into blind, which is typical of a thriller and is a thriller signifier. This sun shining through the blinds causes chiaroscuro lighting. The film is set in very contemporary and familiar settings, which are very clinical and clean. I think this makes it try to seem like there profession of drug dealing is innocent and clean. You find out that he works in the drug profession but you do not find out Daniel Craig’s character name, which adds an element of mystery.

The editing in Layer Cake is not as interesting as In Sin City but my favourite piece of editing is when Daniel Craig is in a pharmacy and as he is walking past the shelves all the illegal drugs turn in to pharmaceutical drugs.

The narrative in Layer Cake is much the same as Sin City as they both use and Internal Monologue.