United 93

Gianluca & Jake

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

SHOT 1:

The birds eye view of the city connotes normality, it also sets the scene and shows the audience the exact location where the film will later unravel.

SHOT 2:

This establishing shot takes the audience further in on the city which allows them to experience the scale of the city (connotes the size of the city). The tracking connotes a focus on the tall buildings which are relevant to the narrative.

SHOT 3:

The medium long shot of the man connotes fear, the man has his face in a bible or prayer book, which we instantly associate with religion, and normally when in fear people turn to their faith for help.

SHOT 4:

This next shot allows us to have reason to believe that their faith is very important. Their kneeling connotes that they are of the Muslim faith, also the mats gives further evidence of this.

SHOT 5:

This extreme long shot connotes a focus on the tall buildings, the sun connotes hope but because it is setting it connotes that there won’t be any hope for the city.

SHOT 6:

The close up of this knife connotes violence and it will be associated with what the Muslim men want. From this we begin to see the stereotype that some people believe, “All Muslims are terrorists” due to the knife being a violent instrument.

SHOT 7:

This medium shot connotes fear because it almost as if they are saying ‘Good luck’ to one another. It also connotes friendship and it gives the audience two sides to their opinion. It allows a passive audience to view Muslims differently.

SHOT 8:

This shot again shows the faith in action and this close connotes fear in the young Muslim man. The low key lighting connotes danger and a unstable environment.

SHOT 9:

This long shot connotes normality and a normal day. Everyone is oblivious of what is going to happen. The lighting has changed to high key which connotes a safe environment, where people are confident that they are safe.

SHOT 10:This medium close up shows the ordinariness of going to the airport feeling tired and fed up. The shaky cam reminds the audience of what it is like to be standing there waiting in queue.

• This medium long shot to medium close up connotes a normal day at work. The tracks back allows us to follow the conversation and experience their emotions.

SHOT 11:

SHOT 12:

The medium long shot shows the air hostess’s. This shot shows shows the people that will be affected by the Muslim men. From the medium long shot we can experience how all the hostess’s are feeling, we can see that they are all happy which adds to the effect of normality.

SHOT 13:

The medium close connotes fear, we see one of the Muslim men and from his facial expression we can see that he is scared of what he is about to do.

This two shot medium close up of the other two men also connotes fear.

SHOT 14:

SHOT 15:These two medium close up shots connote commonality. It is very normal for people to ring their families in order to report on back on where they are and what they are doing. However, it also displays the different types of people who will be affected.

SHOT 16:

SHOT 17:This medium close up of the man connotes humanity. The Muslim man is human just like the rest of the people around him, he also has family and he isn’t represented as a soulless murderer. He has the same emotions as everyone else and as the film is from an independent production company, it doesn’t represent Muslims as some Americans do. In addition, even though these men are about to commit a horrific crime they are still accounted for and we form two opinions on them; a positive and a negative opinion.

CONNOTATIONS OF EDITING & SOUND• At the beginning of the opening sequence we hear a few non-diegetic stings which creates tension and connotes

that something is going to happen, and it is making the audience aware of this with scenes of the Muslim men who we assume are involved.

• The diegetic sound of city life connotes normality within the city, a non-diegetic dialogue of the Arabic language is heard over the top of the diegetic sound. We assume that it is a prayer that is being said, as we stereotypically expect that Middle Eastern people are religious and take pride in their faith, and will therefore pray a lot. The words that are said do not mean anything to us and so it connotes unknown. We passively take what they say as religious and therefore assume it is for good. However, it could be taken in two ways. The orchestral score which is added over the top, creates suspense and

• Diegetic sound of tap, shaving etc.. Connotes normality and realism.

• Dissonant score, with diegetic sounds of airplanes, car engines etc.. Connotes normality however the dissonant score suggests that something bad is going to happen, something which will change the flow of normality.

• Lots of diegetic sounds connote normality, however the non diegetic orchestral score gives the audience different feelings. This is what suggests that something isn’t right.

• Normal day situations have a lot of diegetic sound, dialogue and ambient sound connoting normality again, when we see the Muslim men, a dissonant score kicks in which connotes fear.

• The use of shaky cam gives the audience a feeling of what it was like to be there. The camera gives the impression of watching and looking through the use of tracking, pedding up and down and zooming,