Criminal justice extract

Write a response to the "criminal justice" extract;

how is the prison represented in the extract?

refer to camera work, editing, sound and mise en scene.

There are many different representations created in the extract of "criminal Justice" towards how prison is represented, examples of these representations are mainly corrupt, enclosed, cold and violent which is portrayed through the camera work, editing, sound and music as well as mise en scene.

The editing used in this film sequence of criminal justice build towards the representations, which are mainly corrupt. there is a use of match on action when the main character Ben walks through a cell gate. he does this after walking through a dark tunnel and after walking into a blue tinted lit room, this therefore creates a contrast between the two rooms and reinforces the representations of cold and isolated; this therefore creates the enigma. this representation has bee created through the clear contrast through the match on action, although the security guard is there, the blue lighting creates a negative view although the audience are unaware of whats about to happen.

The 180 degree rule has been kept throughout the whole sequence simply in order to make sense and work logically. the fast paced editing at the fight scene as well as the unsteady camera creates the representation of uncontrollable (corrupt) and violence. the audience are unaware of what will happen next due to the really unsteady camera therefore makes the seem more violent and unpredictable.

The camera work used works with the editing in order to create representations. for example, there is a deep focus shot on the inmates with the security guards in the foreground, but we can still hear the two guards conversation. this is one of the strongest examples in the sequence which creates the representation of strong corruption within the prison.

There is also a use of a tracking shot at the beginning when Ben is walking through the tunnel, the camera then zooms as he is walking through the gate, this is all been done from a low view. this could represent the idea that the character is important and builds up on the enigma, its also has a link to the idea of a boxing match, as the fighter walks through the tunnel and is usually viewed from a low angle shot in order to make them look superior and more intimidating, which later proves to be the opposite as he looks more vulnerable.

when we see the two shot of the villain and Ben, it is viewed from a low angle shot, this makes the conversation between them look intimidating and presents the idea of a conflict. later there is a cut shot to the guard who is stood to the right and quite far away from the gate; the left third is taken up by the gate, the middle third is left blank with the prison wall and the guard is seen in the right third, this implies that he is not part of the police service and shows a clear representation of corruption in the force.

The camera has a close up shot of Ben's face, this presents his expressions and emphasises his emotions created from what is happening around him, at this point the interrogation from the villain. The camera is also very steady when ever filming the character Hooch, apart from when he has his confrontation with the villain. this portrays the idea that he is not violent and is presented in a positive way. when the camera is unsteady on hooch it represents the idea that he does have a negative side that is uncontrollable, and also allows the audience to see this side of him as well, the unsteady camera is at the scene where he is with the villain, this could also imply that something is not right and that there may be some confrontation.

Mise en scene plays an important role in this sequence. the red chair featured in the fighting scene could represent danger and contrasts against the grey colour scheme in the rest of the set. the red could also be linked to the representation of violence as it is in a prison and the characters look very intimidating. the villain has darker clothing than the rest of the characters, this could represent the idea that he is more negative than the rest of the characters which can then furthermore be linked to being more dangerous.

The lighting used in this sequence is kept very dark, but the lighting has a blue tint, this emphasises the negative impact and idea that there is trouble as well as heightening the dramatic impact. One scene with the lighting is where the villain has key lighting on one side of his face and shadow on the other side, this makes him look more intimidating as a character and clearly shows he has a negative side to his personality.

The fighter character has no hair and doesn't talk for the whole sequence, this makes him look harsh and violent as he is wearing a hoody which can also be portrayed as yobbish, he is also the only character that is wearing a hoody which also makes him stand out from the rest of the characters. Hooch is wearing a grey cardigan and blue top, this makes him sand out from the rest of the characters are they are all dressed in complete grey. he is mocked by the villain as the "father figure" and also is presented this way as he is dressed the smartest and he also appears the oldest character there, therefore we automatically assume that he is a positive character that is non-violent. while the interrogating conversation is taken place with with Ben and the villain, the inmates are sat in the shadow which makes them look negative, this contrasts against Hooch who is sat in the light, making him look more of the positive character. The two guards also create a contrast against each other. the young guard is clean shaven and looks innocent where as the old guard has a beard and is the character to be corrupted, this gives the impression he has experience with the prison and has experience with these awkward situations.

Sound and music also has an important part in this sequence. amplified gate at the beginning emphasises the representation of being isolated and enclosed. footsteps amplified in the empty room when Ben is walking to the group portrays the idea he is walking for a purpose which therefore builds the enigma, there is also the amplified heart beat as he is walking which reinforces this, it implies its his heart beat and possibly his nervousness which therefore makes the audience feel this emotion as well. There is also a use of ambiance throughout the sequence as we can hear the rest of the inmates shouting, cheering and pressuring the other characters, this could further more be linked to the representation of violence/ aggression. While Hooch and Ben are talking, their conversation is slightly more amplified than the other conversations, this has been done in order to make the audience more aware of the conversation as well as making it seem more important. throughout the sequence, all the dialogue is slightly echoed, this reinforces the idea o the empty room and further more strongly shows the representation of being enclosed.

An eery score is played throughout the conversation/ fight part of the sequence in order to build the enigma. it also makes the place seem more cold as it is quite a negative tune due to it being slow paced and a low tone. when the villain character shouts, all the sounds go quiet including the score, ambiance and amplified sounds, this portrays the idea that he has power over the other characters including the security guards and yet again links to the representation of being corrupt. During the fight the punch sounds are slightly amplified to portray the representation of violence, further more, when Hooch punches the Fighter his punch is even more amplified to make him sound stronger and more important. this however makes the sequence build the representation of corruption and violence.

To conclude, the representations created by music, mise en scene, editing and camera work have been created in the extract from Criminal Justice in order to portray the idea of prison as enclosed, violent, corrupt and cold. this has been well done by all the use of filming techniques working with each other in order to portray these representations strongly to the audience, over all, the representation of prison is completely negative.