SHANK - First Scene Deconstruction

Link to Shank


The scene I am using in my Shank Deconstruction is the first chase scene where Junior is being chased by the youth on a motorbike.

Firstly, this action Shot of Junior being chased is a good shot of setting the scene of this film, as it is in London and it is very relevant to current day society and the view that society is deteriorating as a result of things like Gang violence etc. The text of the shot is the most important part of this picture due to the fact that it clearly sets the scene showing us when and where this chase is happening. The editing of the shot is also a freeze frame as the chase scene is filled with editing techniques like jump cuts to make the chase seem more fast paced than it actually is so the freeze frame is needed in order to allow the shot to calm down enough so we can begin to create a picture of the way London is being represented in this clip.

The mise-en-scene of the next shot is the part of this shot which drew me towards using it, as the whole point of this scene is to set the scene of the film the clothing had to also be relevant to the time. Below the man is a staffordshire bull terrier which is more related to violence as it is seen as a violent dog and the clothing that the man is wearing is a black hoodie, you are never even shown his face, this shows the current mysterious and dangerous side to youths in London in this film and in London in current day society as a whole. The low angle shot shows his power in his surroundings as he is conforming to the violent outlook that many youths wish to portray which would allow him to not be taken as a victim as he doesn't appear different.

This establishing shot is another method of setting the scene, in the background you see more architecture associated with urban London, the background holds a very compact and not very bright looking estate which in present day is associated with the ghetto or violent areas, the framing of the shot is very effective as even though he is on foot being chased by a motorbike, the framing still gives us the outlook that he has a hope of escaping the villain that is pursuing him.

This low angle shot not only shows the danger he is partaking in by jumping off the bridge but it also once again presents London to be a city with extremely high buildings and is very compact, the low angle shot also shows his power in the situation as it represents strength and that is the shot where he escapes his pursuers, so in the battle of cat and mouse he has just come out on top.

In this final shot I am also using the mise-en-scene, the bandana in London culture is usually associated with Gang violence and each individual gang has there own colours etc. So as the first scene comes to a close we see how society in this film has changed from a civilised place to a run down city run by gangs and violence. This reaction shot is a powerful shot as it shows his disgust at him losing the person he was attempting to capture, the low angle shot shows his power in the city that surrounds him.