Research Analysis: Layer Cake

The first film i researched was Layer Cake a 2004 British crime thriller. The film stars Daniel Craig as XXXX where he runs his own business buying, cutting and selling cocaine. The film sees many twists and turns as Craig battles for power however forever running away from his enemies. The 15 rated film contain strong violence, sexuality, nudity, drug use and pervasive langauge as come to be expected from films of this genre. However to fully look into the film in depth to see what makes it a gangster film we need to seperate sections the film by;  sound, camera angles, editing and mise-en-scene

SOUND: The soundtrack "Tits on the Radio" by the scissor scissors offers a very cockney inner London feel that symbolises the 1980's a time the film is set. While slow small pieces also adds to parts of the film which indicate tension and something is about to happen. "Gimme Shelter" offers a different view when it is played during a romatic scene between XXXX Daniel Craig and Tammy (Sienna Miller) giving the scene a very passionate feel.

CAMERA ANGLES: A variety of difficult camera angles are used at different times in Layer Cake to help portray stereotypes of people who are in different positions in life, whether rich, poor, old or young. For example an extreme close-up is used of a homeless man eating food and then moves to a birds eye view of him after a fight, initially this shows the gritty state of life he lives in with the close up and then his vulnarability and state of beating he is in the birds-eye view (Watch video below). Establishing shots are also regular so the audience can take in where the scene is, what sides house it is at for example, Craig or his enemies.

EDITING: A trend seen in the editing phase is that it is mostly used to support camera angles and sound in creating a curious affect for the majority of the film, an editing mistake is seen however in continuity when Dragan shoots XXXX's sniper - he is shown, dead, to XXX's right. Then, during the telephone conversation which follows, the sniper's suitcase is to the right of XXXX but the body is not to be seen mistakes like this can help us look out for mistakes with made and make sure we can irradicate them from our Preliminary film.

MISE-EN-SCENE: Costume, props, setting all intertwine to create a dark, creative, curious, gritty feel for the film, leather clothing is dominately used while sheds, dark warehouses and small flats usually filmed with little lighting portrays a feeling of wrong doing and keeping secrecy.

An extract of Layer Cake of the  Tea Pot Beating Scene: