Les Miserables - Script - Part 1.

In this task, i analysed the script of the opening scene from the musical (a film) 'Les Miserables' . 

Questions;

1. How does the script introduce the narrative, setting, time period, the characters and the genre? 

A) At the beginning of the script, it  introduces the year and the country that the film is set in, it also tells us about the film's historical background. On the script, it says;

 'The year is 1815. The French Revolution is a distant memory. Napoleon has been defeated. France is ruled by a king again.'

• In the script, in A1's screen directions, not only does it tell you the locations of where the film was set (Ahead, the port of Toulon, the home of the French navy) It also shows us  the setting and the atmosphere that the setting creates and it is also introduced to the audience. When it says 'Winter Rain' People might think of it being dark, miserable and cold.

•  In the first shot, the character, Jean Valjean, is described as being 'a great brute of a man' and 'he seems to feel nothing'. This is known to some as an enigma code because it makes us wonder why he feels nothing and comes across heartless and numb, despite being incredibly strong and brutal. The fact that the shot focuses on Valjean's character, and not the other convicts suggests to the audience that he is either a main character or a character that will show great importance further on into the film.

• The second shot shows and directs the convicts to sing their lines when it says, 'The convicts sing in time with the rhythmic pulls on the rope -'. This will show and let the audience know that the genre of the film is a musical. This caption also introduces the character, Javert, as being 'the officer in charge of the convict workforce' which shows the audience that there is a lot of power, separating him away from the other characters. It also says that he is 'expressionless' which shows that he wont be showing any remorse or guilt for the pain that the convicts are receiving. This gives us the impression that he must be the bad character or the villain of this film.

• In the third shot, the bond between Javert and Valjean appears to be strained and almost non-existent; when it says Valjean 'stares back for a beat, defying him'. This suggests to the audience that the conflict of power between the two characters could escalate further as the film progresses. This shows the audience that Valjean is not scared of Javert, and will not show any fear towards him, this will let off a sense of tension throughout the whole film.

2. How does it engage you?

• This film engages me by giving me full descriptions of the shots. This will then allow me to create an image in my head, this then makes me feel more involved and mentally and physically connected to the film, this will also make me feel more intrigued and leave me wanting more. Also, the writer of this film/musical, doesn't go into too much depth about the characters, so it gives you a brief idea on what they're like, and how they come across, but as you go further into the film, your opinions on the characters may change, as they unfold more information and characteristics of the characters.

3. How did the film-clip introduce the narrative (story), setting, time period, the characters and the genre?

• In the first few seconds of the first scene, it introduces the country and the historical context. Also, the year of the film is a lot larger than the rest of the text, this tells us that the date is being referred as the most important information. If the audience/viewers are unsure on why the date is important, it tells us why on the first half of the passage.  This Shot could be called the the opening scene. This shot is called an opening sequences establishing shot, due to the fact that it introduces the location of the film in the first scene, and it is quite clear to the audience. Even though it doesn't show the audience what the place is called, by the state of the settings and the surroundings, it is clear to the audience that this is a war-ship docks, this is also because of the size of the ships that are on both left and right sides of the camera shots.

• On another shot (a high-angle shot), it then zooms in from the ship to the cast who are pulling the ships into the dock. This shot is particularly focused on Hugh Jackman. Some who are familiar with this musical, may recognise him as being a main character (Jean Valjean); but those who aren't that interested in musicals and these types of films, may question his importance to the film, and who he is, because of the close ups that he is having. Also, his 'untidy' costume suggests that his character could be quite poor, even though he is a convict.

4. How does it engage you?

• This film engages me because of it's clear interpretation of the script. Even though i questioned all the enigma codes in the script, the film's sequence showed these enigma codes in different ways that wasn't completely directed to the audience. The photography that was created for the enigma codes, showed us the tension between two different characters and it symbolized the plotted elements. Also, the audio codes engaged me because it allowed me to understand and have a connection with the characters emotionally and physically.