textual analysis of zero dark thirty for media coursework, as level.

1. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS
Zero Dark Thirty
Gianluca & Jake

2. SHOT 1:
The long take in darkness with
voice over of people panicking on
the phone, connotes chaos. The
different voices reflect how many
people were affected and it instills
fear in you. Which makes the
audience panic. The dialogue is of
911 calls , we hear lots of people
trying to get help and put their
messages across (‘I love you”)
which connotes desperation. The
use of the blank black shot makes
you focus on the voices and it
connotes the gravity of the
situation, furthermore it makes the
audience imagine what's
happening.

3. SHOT 2:
This shot is the first visual
shot. The light that shines
through one little hole in
the roof of the room
connotes hope and it
suggests the resolution of
their problems is in reach
or in the room where the
light shines down.

4. SHOT 3:
The next shot is a close up of a
masked man which connotes a
lack of identity and we associate
it with violence because we fear
the unknown. It also explains
what is about to take place. The
camera then tracks right and the
over the shoulder shot reveals a
man with no mask, this connotes
that he may be the ‘boss’. No
mask connotes that he has no
fear of people knowing his
identity.

5. SHOT 4:
The long shot reveals
the possible resolution
of their problems and it
establishes what the
situations is and
explains why there are
masked men.
Furthermore the use of
shaky cam connotes
realism and it makes the
audience feel like they
are in the room.

6. SHOT 5:
This next shot is a close up and we
would automatically assume that is
was a man due to the situation and
the stereotypes of men being mentally
and physically stronger that women.
(Later on in the film we find out that it
is a woman) However due to the film
not being a Hollywood film, the
representations aren’t demonstrated.
The shot shows how she is looking,
this connotes observation, which is
needed to find out information. All
eyes are on the prisoners every mood
because any bit of information could
be vital for their problems.

7. SHOT 6:
The next close up of the man
(possible protagonist) is a very
slight low angle shot which allows
the audience to see the man
looking down on his prisoner
which connotes his dominance
and authority, furthermore the
over the shoulder shot connotes
the prisoners inferiority. In
addition the low key lighting
connotes fear of the unknown and
it adds to the effect of creating
this horrible interrogation scene.

8. SHOT 7:
This next shot is another over
the shoulder shot of the
prisoner which shows his face
and his injuries. The wounds
connote the violence and
determination of the
interrogators. However the
prisoners face connotes
tolerance but also fear, it seems
as though he isn't sure whether
to tell them what he knows, due
to the consequences of both
actions, either way something
bad will happen.

9. SHOT 8:
The close up of the prisoner
being pushed around shows
the violence begin, and it
connotes that the
interrogators will not tolerate
him wasting their time. In
addition the shaky cam
allows the audience to
almost feel the forces of the
violent pushing.

10. SHOT 9:
This close up of the prisoners feet
connotes the speed and pace of the
interrogators and how they perform
things quickly, this adds to the effect
of violence and it makes the
prisoner seem worthless. The
following close up shots also
connote intimacy allowing the
audience to feel close and as if they
are experiencing the situation with
their own eyes. The track of the
camera allows us to believe this as
it connotes a sense of watching.
The camera acts as eyes scanning
the prisoner.

11. SHOT 10:
The next few shots consist of
close ups with a lot of shaky
cam, they reveal the methods
of torture and the shaky cam
connotes the animalistic acts
which contributes to the effect
of showing how worthless he is
when he doesn’t cooperate
with the interrogators. The
camera also connotes
struggling and captivation, the
prisoner reacts to the
involuntary movement.

12. SHOT 11:
This shot is outside of the
interrogation room and we see a
change in camera type, we now
see medium close ups which
connote importance and authority,
in addition the high key lighting
explains to the audience the
difference in the environments.
This medium close up of the
woman shows the audience that
she isn't in the male gaze and
therefore we can apply Gauntlett’s
theory to explain how she has
control of her sexuality.

13. CONNOTATIONS OF EDITING & SOUND
•
At the beginning of the film we hear non-diegetic distorted dialogue between one person to
another, we assume these are phone calls. As I said previously, the voice over of people
panicking on the phone, connotes chaos. The different voices reflect how many people were
affected and it instills fear in you. Which makes the audience panic. The dialogue is of 911 calls
, we hear lots of people trying to get help and put their messages across (‘I love you”) which
connotes desperation. Throughout the rest of the opening sequence we only hear diegetic
dialogue and ambient sounds, such as doors closing etc. Having no musical score over the
dialogue makes the footage seem more realistic, as in real interrogation footage, there wouldn’t
be any post production sound editing.
•
Music is usually essential for creating effects and emotion, however it was not needed in this
opening sequence as the editing helped towards keeping the audience on their feet and
concentrated on what is going on. The shaky cam that tracks and peds to follow the movement
of the interrogator and the terrorist connotes realism and it gives the audience the feeling of
being in the interrogation room with the terrorist. The camera acts as the terrorists eyes and
way in which it jolts around scanning every move of the interrogator, gives this added effect.
When the camera looks at the terrorist you are getting the view that the woman gets and you
begin to get a feel for what she is experiencing.