Analysis of the opening of After Thomas

After Thomas

Sound: The sound in the opening consists of what sounds like heavy breathing, high pitched screaming and crashing waves.

These sounds set the mood of the clip as the sound is very soft and calm then you hear screaming. 

The sound used communicates emotion to the audience.   

The sound is manipulated as it has been blurred and stretched out.

The diegetic sound does not match the non- diegetic sound.

Diegetic sound (in the scene) 

    - screaming

Non-diegetic sound

      -waves 

Sounds were magnified - emphasises the danger of the situation

Editing 

The date of 1993 is added on at the beginning of the clip.

Pace of editing is fast- action editing makes audience feel tense.

White screen shows that you can believe that the story is true.
Different place in time therefore the sound is being sucked out.

There is the same scene as the start but in real time so that the audience feels the same emotion as the mother.

Mise en Scene 

Colour- dull, red shows connotation of danger and is presented through the red bus. 

A fire alarm is used to make clear what the man’s priorities are as he refuses to evacuate and carries on working.

The representation in this clip is of disability and how the mother copes with it.

Narrative theories

The clip challenges Todorovs theory that there is no equilibrium.

 Barthes- enigma codes, action codes

Levi- Strauss - binary opposite’s
                         normal family- family coping with a disability 

Creates an enigma code because the audience doesn't know what is going on and doesn't know if the mother and child will survive.

This reflects the relationship between mother and child.

The ideology is to show disability through the eyes of a parent and how they cope with day to day life.

Narrative time

Subjective time- the beginning of the clip is in slow motion so that the audience feel the same as the characters.

Camera movement 

Pan around characters when they enter the shoe shop. 

Close up on faces shows the distress of each character.

White screen is a straight cut.

Camera angles
long shots are to show the full scene and are used when the two characters enter the shoes shop.
An over the shoulder shot is used so that the audience can see the boy’s nappy and is used so that the audience can make the same judgement as the mother and daughter do when they are in the shoe shop. They are asking the audience to judge the mother, the other women enforces this by telling her daughter not to stare.

Story

The mother has a routine with the child as when he is good he gets rewarded and it is kind of a bribe because the boy knows that he will always get a treat at the end.

 The mother is trying to do normal things with her son by teaching him how to cross the road and such.

The mother reveals her anger at the other people watching her from the side of the road she feels that they are judging her because of her son and she feels that she has to apologise on behalf of her son even though they have done nothing wrong.