Textual Analysis - Reasonable Doubt
Textual analysis number two of the film opening of 'Reasonable Doubt'
Conventions
One of the most important conventions of classic crime films is creating verisimilitude. In order to hook the audience deep into the storyline, it is vital to ensure the camera work and mise en scene make the events believable. The opening five minutes to the film Reasonable Doubt does this well, as it not only meets the audiences expectations (e.g. through the location and having a male actor play the lead role), but it opens with unexpected drama, that soon cuts to the main events, that introduce the lead character and establish the genre.
Tone/genre
Director Peter Howitt mostly uses the credits and location in the first two minutes to establish the genre. This is due to the connotations and associations related to the particular style used, and the fact that big cities are a typical convention of crime films. However, the opening two minutes of the film do not give that much away, especially when the characters are not seen again in the rest of the film, and the events do not seem to be deeply related to the actual story line of the film. In fact, Howitt actually uses the opening to tie in with events that occur later in the film, meaning it goes much deeper than to simply establish tone and genre.
Despite this, after the credits, the film goes straight into a court case, in which we meet the main character Mitch Brockden giving a speech to the jury as part of his job as being a lawyer. Genre is clearly established through the new location as courts deal with criminals - making it obvious the main character is associated with crime and the law.
Mise en scene
Mise en scene in the opening of Reasonable Doubt is key to creating verisimilitude. The location chosen is arguably the most important feature, because as mentioned in my previous blog post on the conventions of crime films, big cities are prime locations for criminal activity as they can use the large population and big buildings as a disguise. Although the majority of the film was shot in parts of Canada (due to the more wintery weather helping to create pathetic fallacy), it is set in Chicago. The state is notorious for high crime rates, therefore making it an ideal location for a typical crime film.
The time of day and snowy weather seen in the opening credits help to create a fairly bright and happy scene. This makes the events the audience are seeing believable as crime does not have to happen at night. The lighting used in the court room is bright, as everyone is paying attention, but it is not a colourful scene as the room features neutral tones such as brown and grey, showing it is realistic but serious at the same time.
The costumes worn by the children in the park are brightly coloured to reinforce the joy that comes with snowfall. However, in the courtroom, the characters are smartly dressed to suit the expectations of that environment, with Brockden himself wearing a smart black suit.
Music
The film opens with slow, calming sound of a piano being played, and the distant laughter of children can be heard in the background. This helps to establish an equilibrium The music then fades out when the girl runs towards the woods, where the audience can only hear the diegetic sound of her breathing and footsteps in the snow. Non-diegetic sound does not return again until her mother finds her, when slow, eerie sound effects can be heard up until the film title - which then fades into the squawking sound of seagulls in the city.
Text/font
The text is presented in a clear and precise way as it is large and central. The font is smart and always in capitals to demonstrate professionalism, which is likely to have been done to reflect the formal line of work Mitch Brockden is in. In addition to this, the black text is placed over a white background. This not only adds to the formality, however it also reinforces the fact that it is set during winter, emphasizing the dazzling white snow that has settled across Chicago.
Main characters
The characters that feature in the opening two minutes have no direct role in the rest of the film and are not seen again. This confuses the genre slightly as at first, the characters seem happy and playful as laughter can be heard, however once the young girl Emma runs into the woods, the sinister tone makes it feel more like a horror film. The characters are therefore an important device to convey the events later on in the film to give the story more depth, although it makes little sense at first.
Within the opening five minutes, the audience meets the main character Mitch Brockden. Although he looks fairly young, it is clear he holds a high position of power. The audience can also see that he is well respected by the way the courtroom sits in dead silence, attentively listening to his speech. His colleague also comments that Mitch never looses, demonstrating he is good at his job too. The audience also learns that behind the professional front, Mitch has a wife and new born daughter that he clearly cares deeply for. Showing this softer side helps the audience to connect with him, because although he may love his job, all he really wants to do is go home to his family.
Impact on audience
Reasonable doubt has a fairly surprising opening, which grabs the attention of the audience from the beginning. Despite the genre being slightly unconventional, the first five minutes are overall fairly typical of a crime film, making it easy for the audience to understand.
Conventions
One of the most important conventions of classic crime films is creating verisimilitude. In order to hook the audience deep into the storyline, it is vital to ensure the camera work and mise en scene make the events believable. The opening five minutes to the film Reasonable Doubt does this well, as it not only meets the audiences expectations (e.g. through the location and having a male actor play the lead role), but it opens with unexpected drama, that soon cuts to the main events, that introduce the lead character and establish the genre.
Tone/genre
Director Peter Howitt mostly uses the credits and location in the first two minutes to establish the genre. This is due to the connotations and associations related to the particular style used, and the fact that big cities are a typical convention of crime films. However, the opening two minutes of the film do not give that much away, especially when the characters are not seen again in the rest of the film, and the events do not seem to be deeply related to the actual story line of the film. In fact, Howitt actually uses the opening to tie in with events that occur later in the film, meaning it goes much deeper than to simply establish tone and genre.
Despite this, after the credits, the film goes straight into a court case, in which we meet the main character Mitch Brockden giving a speech to the jury as part of his job as being a lawyer. Genre is clearly established through the new location as courts deal with criminals - making it obvious the main character is associated with crime and the law.
Mise en scene
Mise en scene in the opening of Reasonable Doubt is key to creating verisimilitude. The location chosen is arguably the most important feature, because as mentioned in my previous blog post on the conventions of crime films, big cities are prime locations for criminal activity as they can use the large population and big buildings as a disguise. Although the majority of the film was shot in parts of Canada (due to the more wintery weather helping to create pathetic fallacy), it is set in Chicago. The state is notorious for high crime rates, therefore making it an ideal location for a typical crime film.
The time of day and snowy weather seen in the opening credits help to create a fairly bright and happy scene. This makes the events the audience are seeing believable as crime does not have to happen at night. The lighting used in the court room is bright, as everyone is paying attention, but it is not a colourful scene as the room features neutral tones such as brown and grey, showing it is realistic but serious at the same time.
The costumes worn by the children in the park are brightly coloured to reinforce the joy that comes with snowfall. However, in the courtroom, the characters are smartly dressed to suit the expectations of that environment, with Brockden himself wearing a smart black suit.
Music
The film opens with slow, calming sound of a piano being played, and the distant laughter of children can be heard in the background. This helps to establish an equilibrium The music then fades out when the girl runs towards the woods, where the audience can only hear the diegetic sound of her breathing and footsteps in the snow. Non-diegetic sound does not return again until her mother finds her, when slow, eerie sound effects can be heard up until the film title - which then fades into the squawking sound of seagulls in the city.
Text/font
The text is presented in a clear and precise way as it is large and central. The font is smart and always in capitals to demonstrate professionalism, which is likely to have been done to reflect the formal line of work Mitch Brockden is in. In addition to this, the black text is placed over a white background. This not only adds to the formality, however it also reinforces the fact that it is set during winter, emphasizing the dazzling white snow that has settled across Chicago.
Main characters
The characters that feature in the opening two minutes have no direct role in the rest of the film and are not seen again. This confuses the genre slightly as at first, the characters seem happy and playful as laughter can be heard, however once the young girl Emma runs into the woods, the sinister tone makes it feel more like a horror film. The characters are therefore an important device to convey the events later on in the film to give the story more depth, although it makes little sense at first.
Within the opening five minutes, the audience meets the main character Mitch Brockden. Although he looks fairly young, it is clear he holds a high position of power. The audience can also see that he is well respected by the way the courtroom sits in dead silence, attentively listening to his speech. His colleague also comments that Mitch never looses, demonstrating he is good at his job too. The audience also learns that behind the professional front, Mitch has a wife and new born daughter that he clearly cares deeply for. Showing this softer side helps the audience to connect with him, because although he may love his job, all he really wants to do is go home to his family.
Impact on audience
Reasonable doubt has a fairly surprising opening, which grabs the attention of the audience from the beginning. Despite the genre being slightly unconventional, the first five minutes are overall fairly typical of a crime film, making it easy for the audience to understand.
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