Winters Bone notes and essay

Winters Bone

Notes
Low key contrast
fade
establishing shot
country side
deserted (hardly any houses)
lots of cars( caravan, school bus-american)
long shot
non-diegetic music - not a score
creates mood

house made of wood
old
run down
toys everywhere
kids playing on trampoline
kids wearing red white and blue-american
hand held camera
extreme long shot

long shot
titles play
kids go around the trampoline
the world only goes round by misunderstanding
no parents
diegetic kids playing and trampoline spring noises

costume change - camouflage jacket little girl, denim jacket boy
behind bars/ wooden fence
white bars = would usually see these in a happy american home but it looks the opposite
trapped
kittens
kids looking after them
grown up
dirty walls run down
diegetic sound of kittens meowing with non-diegetic music being played
little girl gives the boy a black kitten and then she holds a white one
colours connote to foreshadow that maybe the boy will do something wrong and the girl will be innocent

he pulls her along on a skateboard
two shot
shows they are close brother and sister
tractor in background? who's going to use it wheres the dad
red tractor blue table white and red rope tried to trees

first sign of an adult
hanging up washing
red white and blue on washing line
boy sitting on red hammock
3 shot
proxemics
boy is further away
little girl is closer
camera continues to follow actors movements
big barns? buildings

no actual path
boy plays on skateboard
no technology
camera pans to follow the boy and skateboard
stops and turns around
quad bike
tubs everywhere on the floor
1 shot
shows separation


natural lighting
leaves on the floor autumn
tires randomly placed against house
reserved place



How do these technical elements add to your understanding of the action and narrative?

My text is Winter's Bone (2010) directed by Debra Granik. From the technical elements of the piece you are able to tell it is a rundown place. It starts with a black screen and it has a fade transition into the establishing shot. The low contrast fade gives us a view of the surrounding woodland area. The audience are able to see that it looks deserted because of the abandoned cars and the fact it only has one house. There is an American school bus which stereotypically and instantly makes you think that you are in America most likely in the south because of the wide landscape and no buildings or many people. There is non-diegetic music being played over the top of the following opening scene, which is not from a soundtrack score. This then begins to set the mood of the abandoned  farm yard.