Genre Research

The first shot we see in the opening first 2 minutes are the media institution warner bros opening title. The name titles/credits are in sync with the diagetic sound of driving down the motorway and cars passing. this connotes a sense of pace to the audience and that time is progressing and the characters to, are progressing. We are instantly shown the infamous celebrities names that are stereotypically known for their notorious Italian-American gangster roles. these consist of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Raw Liotta and Paul Sorvino. We first see Henry and his two fellow crime Family members , James and Tommy, driving along a dark highway. The mis en scene of darkness instantly depicts the characters to be dark, and the low key lighting signifies that something has happened. this creates plaisir in the audience as this is what the audience would be used to, very clich male characters so their expectations would be met. the fact that the car is moving fast and radically is ironic because it connotes that a crime has just taken place, but inside the car the characters are very calm which signifies to the audience that these characters are made for the radical lifestyle they lead and these crimes are nothing new to them.This also uses bathes enigmas code to provoke the audience to ask what has happened and why the characters are moving at a fast pace. The use of cut and jump shots instantly connotes a fast paced lifestyle. We are informed as the audience that this is based on a true story and this creates a sense verisimilitude for the audience. We are also informed that the film is set in New York 1970 an Era where these crime families were particularly famous and well known. This adds to the conventions of the genre as it uses hyper reality to appeal to the audience by making the film setting a real place and date. As the car continues to drive the characters hear the diagetic sound of banging in the boot of the car so The characters pull over to the side of the road. On opening the boot they come to realize a man they thought they had killed is still alive. On quick retaliation, Tommy stabs the man several times in the chest, after which James continues to shoot him four times. The fact the audience are instantly exposed to violence, is a key feature to draw in the audience and keep them engrossed.it also shows how the producer knows the audience are probably desensitized to the violence so the actions they carry out will come at no surprise. this also sparks plaisir in the audience as it appeals to the typical codes and conventions of a gangster film.The fact that they stabbed and then shot the man so many times when simply just once would had been fatal shows how gratuitous this violence is. The camera then focuses on Henry as he closes the car boot, which signifies that henry is the main character in the film. At this point you hear a non diagetic voiceover with Henry saying As far back as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangster, followed by the track Rags to Riches by Tony Bennett. This connotes to the audience that at the time this movie was set, being a gangster was a big thing and signifies a glamorous lifestyle that young mobster henry lived. finally the film could also be classed as post modernism as it is set in the past but uses modern characters of their time to appeal to the audience as these actors were seen as infamous so this acts as a key selling point of the film through the celebrity endorsement. One of the key features I want to use from the Goodfellas opening sequence is the instant violence to keep the audience engaged .