Los Pollos Hermanos

Upon first glance Gus Fring is nothing more than the manager of many fast food restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos. He hides out in the open and appears to be an ally of the drug enforcement administration. But behind the chicken restaurant, behind his business friendships, and behind his dead eyes lies the the largest methamphetamine dealer in North America. Gus Fring is a monster.
      I was first introduced to the television show breaking bad by a friend and had finished all 4 seasons within a week. Gus is played by the exceptional Giancarlo Esposito. Within every monster there is a strange and twisted brilliance.
Gus has been peddling meth in new Mexico for twenty years without even a suspicion of his involvement with drug trafficking. He hides in a common suburban neighborhood as a socially conscience philanthropist. Through an underground war with the Mexican drug cartel Gus doesn't fear death. In the show Gus employs Bryan Cranston's character (Walt) as a meth cooker. He later manipulates Walt and threatens him and his family with death. Gus once murdered a man by slitting his throat and letting him bleed on Walt and his assistant Jessie.

      While many monsters prance around with their masks, Gus's masks are his chicken restaurant and his seemingly average life. Gus Fring is a monster because he is morally empty and his business ruins the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. One characteristic that all monsters contain is the their fear factor, When Gus's face turns cold and dead, fear comes from what we know he is capable and his lack of emotion.

mise-en-scene

"The windows were closed and the sunshine coming in through the venetian blinds showed up the dust in the air."

The recurring Venetian blinds lighting technique is a well crafted use of mise-en-scene in Double Indemnity. This classic film noir tactic is used multiple times. The best use of this tactic is the scene where Walter and Phyllis are both planning to kill each other. Only Walter's shadow is projected on the wall, while Phyllis waits on the chair sitting on top of her gun. The Venetian blinds separate the two characters before Mrs, Detriechson's demise. 

The next use of mise-en-scene I analyzed was the differences and similarities between the first time we meet the two femme fatales'. In both shots there is build up and a revealing of the two characters but it is done in two different ways. In Double Indemnity Mrs. Dietrichson is shown with a high-angle shot where she is wearing next to nothing. The significance of this technique is that Walter is left vulnerable at the bottom of the staircase. In L.A. Confidential, as Bud White walks across the liquor store the shot pans over Lynn wearing her black robe. When Lynn's face is revealed Bud White is caught off guard by her looks and is also left very vulnerable. The last difference between the two shots is that Lynn is wearing an excess amount of clothes while Mrs. Dietrichson is wearing a revealing towel. Although the two shots achieve the same result, they are portrayed very differently.

The last cinematography nod I give to double indemnity is the use of contrast between light and darkness. The silhouette of these two characters gives the audience a feeling of mystery and the unknown. In this specific picture the lighting technique is called chiaroscuro lighting. The use of shadows is also very prevalent in the film which achieves the same effect of mystery and the unknown.

The Dark Side

There are many images in this passage that portray foregrounding and back grounding but the one that exemplifies it the best is the frame where Harvey is sitting behind his dad, while his dad is asleep. In the foreground of the shot we see Harvey's father holding a Jewish scripture in his lap very much asleep. In the background of the shot, Harvey sits with his hands crossed, with a disappointed look on his face. The placement of these two characters in the frame portrays the way Harvey feels. He feels in the dark and pushed to the back. The lighting in this shot also helps deliver this point. Harvey's background is only darkness showing him "in the dark".

The next shot I found exemplified both foregrounding, back grounding and excellent lighting, is the shot where Harvey is preparing for battle royal with his classmates. There are three divisions of this frame. The first is closest to us and it shows a kid with a 2 by 4 in his left hand clenching it ready to strike Harvey. The second and middle division of this frame is a full shot of Harvey from his knee's up. He has an angry look on his face and both of his fists are clenched. His face is the only one shown out of seven people in this frame. The third division of the shot is in the background where 5 African American boys are waiting to pound Harvey. There faces are not shown to put more emphasis on Harvey's face. Lighting is also key in this shot because the boys in the background are completely black while Harvey is very clear and in the light. This lighting technique is very effective because it shifts the audiences’ focus toward Harvey.

The final frame I reviewed was the close-up of Harvey's mother looking down on Harvey. I liked this frame because with the position of Harvey's mother's face above Harvey, it is easier for the audience to see how much authority Harvey's mom has over him. I also liked this frame because it immediately follows a long frame of basically the same situation. When the close-up occurs it draws more attention to the situation.  

Third Times a Charm

         As we watched in class today this scene has a lot of meaning to the film. I believe the main subject in the frame is Lamar, but Laura still plays a role in attracting our eyes. Because Lamar is positioned along the very right grid line, our eyes are attracted to him and because he is positioned closer to the audience. I also think this shot plays with foregrounded and backgrounded shots in regards to importance of person. Lamar is the most important subject and is closest to the audience, followed by Laura and then Lamar's secretary behind Laura. Lighting also plays an important role in this scene. We can only see half of Lamar's face but what we do see is very well light by the natural light. This once again attracts our attention to Lamar. We can also only see half of Laura's face but it is not as intensely light by the natural light. This shot is a medium/long shot and its purpose is to capture all the characters in the scene. By capturing all the characters in the scene, we see who is most important because of their position on the screen and lighting. There is a mirror in the room which I think is very important and may be foreshadowing. This is a scene of realization and self realization so I think it is very interesting that Spielberg had Lamar looking into a mirror throughout the scene.