The Great Gatsby analysis.

1. The first cut shows the
production company, Warner
Brothers, in a black and white
format possibly portraying an
old fashioned sense, or the
movie could be looking into the
past. The patterns around are
luring you into the middle of the
picture where the production
company logo is based with a
dark outer rim getting brighter
and brighter as you go in. In
another sense, the dark edges
becoming brighter into the
middle could portray that the
storyline has a dark, fearful,
disequilibrium beginning
however, becomes brighter and
more equilibrium towards the
end. The non diegetic sound
works with the fade in, fade out
effect used between cuts in the
introduction, the slow music
with a old fashioned aspect and
a vaguely eerie effect gives off
the impression of the past and
disequilibrium; you can also gain
this analysis from the black and
white effects which interlink
with the non-diegetic music and
the eerie like effect. The editing
with the fade in, fade out effect
could consist of an idea of
mystery and sibylline aspects.
The second cut has a visual of
the distribution company
which portrays a flashing like
feature in the middle with
the logo drawing the viewer
into that aspect of the cut.
The whole scene is in black
and white and has writing in
a ribbon shape on the logo.
This could possibly portray a
story of the past, the black
and white could connote the
idea that there is an essence
of flash back, the idea of a
previous story being retold as
nowadays we have colour.
The writing in which says, ‘a
life lived’, ‘in fear is a life’ and
‘half lived’ could connote the
idea that there is a pure
element of fear, as if it is
some kind of horror that
beneath all of the fear in a
person is life, is the reality of
them. The life lived and half
lived could revolve around
the ‘in fear is a life’ in a way
that the filmcould be
following a person’s life,
possibly consisting of major
fear, trying to find
themselves through
defeating the fear.
Withinthisscene,the editingof
a fade in fade outwitha blur
flowingdiagonallyacrossthe
screencouldconnote the
mysteriousaspectsof the movie,
the unknownessence thatyou
gainfrom the dull blackand
white coloursfloodingthe
screeninpatternspossibly
portrayingthe complexityof the
film;aspectsof possible
difficultywithin the durationof
the film.One otherpartI picked
up on wasthe continuousdark
yetsoothingnondiegeticviolins
playing,givingoff the mystery
and posh,richimpression
towardsthe viewerasviolinsare
a form of a posherinstrument.
One cleverpiece of editingthat
was alsopickedupon wasthe
image inthe middle of the
screensurroundedbythe
patterns,the image fades
backwardsintothe darknessas
the patternsaroundit enclose
slightlyonthe middle of the
picture.Thiscouldreinforce the
turningback of events,starting
fromthe beginning,andthe
patternsclosinginmayportray
that the beginningstartedhard,
yetbecame betterinthe endas
it enclosesshowingitisgoing
back intime,where itseemed
much more complex asif itis
closingbackin onthe image,
workinginunisonwiththe
middle picture fading
backwards.

2. In the first cut after the opening
scene, The middle image fades
backwards, disappearing as well
as the patterns to portray the
start. You can see clouds, fog,
emerging in the scene, with
vague lighting in the distance
getting brighter and brighter,
conveying the unknown,
showing you the mystery
beyond the clouds and the start
of a story back in a possible
complex time, due to the editing
in the opening. The non-diegetic
sound has become more
indulgent and smoother,
however, more intense, creating
a slight sense of unease and the
idea of not knowing what is to
happen next. The shot is a wide
extreme long shot showing very
little yet enough to give off the
connotations of conundrum, the
sea being a prime example,
giving off that lost effect, that
nothingness giving away no
clues to the movie, just
immediate thoughts and
impressions from the opening.
Almost immediately after the
previously analysed scene,
there is a sudden flashing
green light, possibly
connoting the natural feeling,
the beginning, it also it
almost a light of guidance, as
if the camera is following it
along the trail of reflection it
has left rippling on the sea.
The mist in the beaming light
is mysterious, covering
silhouetted background of
what looks like mountains,
creating that feel that the
movie is a climb, it has its
highs and lows looking at the
way the camera is angled it is
looking directly at the middle
of the image, possibly
reinforcing the idea that it
begins with equilibrium and
along the line there is
disequilibrium and a return in
equilibrium. There is a vague
element of unease and
uncanny non-diegetic music
in the background
complementing the narrative
over the top of it, the voice
of a man, young it seems but
is communicating directly to
an audience with that deep
story telling dialogue and
speech.
Finally, is this scene there is a
sound bridge and narration
over the jump between two
scenes, this may infer the idea
of a continuation of the
mysterious like story due to
the way the narrator is
speaking. Furthermore, the
idea of long shots zooming in
a jumping into different
scenes may connote the
variation of different stories
within the film, the sea still
being a part of the image
closing in closer to the
destination could create the
feel for the story beginning.
Also, the snow everywhere
could suggest a heavy
beginning, as there is a lot of
it and is falling heavily, so this
could interlink with the idea
in the previous cuts of the
complex patterns possibly
showing a difficulty at the
beginning with the snow
falling heavy and sitting
heavily on the ground as well
as the sea so show a possible
hard time. The non-diegetic
music continues to be
uncanny, quite subtle and
intriguing, like it is looking
into something yet not quite
giving anything away.