Conventions of Gangster Films

Mise en scene for tradtional gangster films

The costumes of the characters are usually quite formal. The men mostly where suits so that theyre taken seriously . The women usually where dresses and aren't seen as characters themselves, but more as something to look at. The make up on the characters in gangster films is usually just to make them look like theyve had a rough life by giving them scars and blood effects. The setting of gangster films is usually in a city. The gangs usually operate in the more urban areas and often work towards the more upper class parts of the city. The lighting of this film genre is usually low level to really help the viewer get into the mindset of what is actually going on, not just visually but in terms of the story as well. The overall colour of the genre is grey which helps to bring out other strong colours such as red.

Goodfellas
In this opening scene for Goodfellas you see what appears to be three main characters driving in a car. The three together form a power triangle with the most powerful being the driver; however if they were all in the back of a car with the driver being irrelevant like a chauferr then it the driver wouldn't be included. The lighting is low level which is a strong theme in the gangster genre as it creates mystery and depth. All three characters are wearing suits which makes them look very smart and classy which contrasts with their high level of crime lifestyle. At the end of the opening credits there is a close up of the main character's face ending in a still shot and there is some non-diegetic narrative and 1960's classic music; this makes sure there is no confusion to the audience and you know exactly who is speaking and the music helps to further set up the next scene. The trio are driving what looks like in the middle of nowhere to perhaps dispose of the body in the boot of the car which is revealed at the end of the scene.

Power triangle

Costume:Suits

Two Shot

Props:Knife

Still shot, close up indentifying main character

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

In the opening scene for Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels you see what appears to be the main character trying to sell which is often referred to as stolen. The main shot type used is a mid shot as he is talking to a crowd around him and if it was a long shot you wouldn't be able to see him. He is wearing a long coat and a scarf which indicates he isn't part of a big gangster oranisation but he is more to do with low level crime for personal profit rather than for a family like most traditional gangster films. In this scene there is natural lighting showing that they operate during the day time which is why there is a scout looking for the police the whole time as the chances of them getting caught are very high.This films fits under the British gangster film sub genre. When the police find him selling his stolen goods there is a series of long shots right until the end where then the camera is fixed at a set of stairs as it goes into slow motion and the two characters are running to escape the police. There is then a non-diegetic narrative which sets up the rest of the story.
Costume:Large Coat & Scarf Mid shot of main character selling goods Long shot in slow motion

44 Inch Chest
The opening to 44 Inch Chest is not very traditional. By this I mean you don't see any other characters and there is no dialogue meaning the viewer has no information about what they are seeing. The camera zooms in on a few broken objects such as the TV which are revealed to us when the camera zooms out and does a pan of the room. You can then see a man led on the floor which appears to be dead. However there is then a close up of his face and a few seconds later he starts to blink whilst his gaze is fixes on the camera as if he is looking right at the viewer. He is wearing a shirt, formal trousers and bracers, this is a traditional outfit in gangster film. there is low level lighting showcases that it is perhaps nightime hence the lamps being on. Throughout the whole scene there is non-diegetic music playing which is Harry Nillson's "Without You" which contrapunctual music as it's quite upbeat.

American Gangster
In the American Gangster opening we see a power triangle of two men stood side by side and one man strapped to chair. We can tell the two men stood side by side are the most powerful as they are positioned higher up than the person sat in the chair. They later cover the man in some sort of flammable liquid and burn the man. There is no narraitve in this opening and no non-diegetic sound, it's just what it is. There is low level lighting to amplify the effect of the flames when he is on fire. The man on the left's face is covered so that we don't know his identity and he is dressed as a traditional mob leader. The shot type mainly used are mid shots with quicks cuts in between in each shot.

Mob leader, face covered

Man who burned the other man, close up, no emotion

Power Triangle

Scarface
The opening to Scarface starta with a series of text that describes the story of Fidel Castro. This is then followed by Fidel Castro talking to the people about was described from the previous series of text. Lastly there is some establishing shots which demostarate both of following introductories by showing the harbour of Cuba and then further shows the many people travelling by boat. There is natural lighting as this film is meant to feel as real as possible. There is non-diegetic music playing over the top of the series of shots which starts to get more and more triumphant as the people get closer and closer to their destination. There are no main characters shown in this opening as the director wants the viewer to focus on the realism of the film rather than the actors themselves.

Opening text describing situation

Establishing shot

Extreme long shot of people on boat