Textual Analysis - Ishma - Collateral

Collateral was produced paramount in 2004. It is a crime thriller film starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. It is about a cab driver who finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds during one night in LA. I think this film is very similar to ours. The storyline of this film is also similar to ours as it is about a man who is held hostage, as this is an award winning film; it gave us some kind of influence to do something similar. We were shown this opening sequence in a media lesson. In the opening, you see the two men; it reverses from one man to the other until they bump into each other. It is tense because of the shot –reverse-shot technique which we have also used and puts the viewer in suspense. In the beginning, there is emphasis on the steps. The man in the glasses is walking slower indicating that he is more laid back and in control of the situation. This builds suspense as the diegetic sound of the people in the background gets louder and louder. Another technique used here is that the camera focuses on the two main characters, blurring out the rest of the people this makes the viewer focus on the main characters and making it easier to follow the story. Both the protagonists are dressed smartly, with one of them wearing sunglasses. The use of the sunglasses makes the viewer wonder what he is hiding. His glasses represent his life and what is behind it that we do not yet know. The man in the glasses is also wearing a lighter colour, showing his higher status than the other man. We used this in our own film. We dressed one man in lighter a lighter colour to show he in control. As the two men are walking towards each other, mid-shots are used, as they men get closer, the shorts get closer into close-ups. The viewer feels tenser as they watch this. The exchange of the briefcases is quick and sudden which again adds dramatic impact. The dialogue shows that the man in glasses is control as he is the one asking the questions. After the edgy dialogue, the camera focuses on one man, on an extreme close up, implying that there is no going back. The use of non-diegetic sound builds up, putting the viewer on edge as to what is going to happen next.

 This is the DVD cover for the film. The colour scheme is dark and gloomy, which the viewer would automatically associate with something negative. The man is holding a gun which indicates that it is a crime or thriller. There is a taxi in the back which tells us that the man standing in front of it is a taxi driver. The expression on the man’s face on the right looks confused and worried. However, the man on the left is more in control of the situation. He is dressed more smartly which in status, puts him higher. He is holding a gun which puts in control and gives him authority. The image clearly does its job, it tells you about the film, but does not link it, and this makes the viewer want to see the film as they feel more intrigued.