How Tarantino uses generic conventions in Jackie Brown (1997)

             1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvA4VwMA6OY Title sequence. Explain how Tarantino establishes the character of Jackie  Brown  through camera shots and movement. Explain in what way Tarantino challenges  the  way women in thriller films are represented. Think about age, ethnicity and status.

          Tarantino establishes Jackie Brown's character primarily through the camera angles and         movements. The majority of the opening sequence is done at body height of Jackie which doesn't really indicate that much. The fact that the shot is a medium close up then adds more definition to the shot. It signifies that this is in fact Jackie Brown and that she is going to play a very important part to the film as a whole. The movement suggests that Jackie never stays still in her life. She is a woman that travels a lot and its almost as if her actions/movement is being watched. Tarantino is trying to establish that this is the main character and that she is noticed. Tarantino does use a a low angle in this array of shots. This type of angle illustrates that Jackie has power and status. This single shot proves all the presumptions that you made as an audience in the first tracking shot of the opening. 
                        Jackie has been choreographed to stand up straight and keep her head high in the first sequence. To me this portrays her character as being very strong and independent. The opening of the film shows her by herself the whole time which gives the impression that she is a lone, but her posture shows that she is strong without anybody by her side. This challenges the way women are seen because normally in Thrillers like 'Once Upon a Time in America' the female character is weak and lacks confidence. In Jackie Brown she is the complete opposite. Tarantino does this in a large amount of his films like 'Kill Bill: Volume 1' and 'Kill Bill: Volume 2'. He does this to create a Femme Fatale ( a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnares her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising dangerous and deadly situations). Tarantino wants to portray women the same way that men are perceived in generic thriller films.  

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XstgfkXrqUs  The shooting of Beaumont Livingstone by Ordell Robbie.

A) With close reference to the text  explain how this Tarantino uses thriller conventions in this clip.

            B) What  does the camera angle  used when Ordell  kills Beaumont connote about the character of Ordell Robbie?    

A) Tarantino uses several different generic thriller conventions in this short section of the film. The first one is the location in which this is set. The building looks dirty which is often used as a metaphor for the characters who own them, in this case Beaumont. The apartments are also very dark which could be seen as being a suggestion for the dark actions that either go on in this building, the dark characters or the dark lie Ordell is about to make. Tarantino puts a large amount of thought into his locations. He wants them to perfectly portray the characters. Another generic location is the boot of the car. Orderll makes Beaumont get in the boot of the car before killing him. When the two men stand over the trunk looking in and Ordell pulls the fun out it reminded me a lot of 'Pulp Fiction', another Tarantino movie. Jules and Vincent look into the trunk of thier car a pull out guns which is almost identical to the scene on Jackie Brown. Another thing that makes them similar is that Samuel L. Jackson is in both films.  

 

B) The camera angle that is used when Ordell kills Beaumont is a long shot that establishes the surroundings and gives the audience an idea of Ordells character really is. The first thing you learn is that Ordell lies. He told Beaumont that he should hide in the trunk until they get to the location and then Beaumont should use the gun he was given to threaten everyone, however this was a lie. This camera shot shows a very small distance was travelled but the space between Ordell and the world has never had so much distance between them. Ordell is distant from people and society and that is perfectly what this shots captures. Ordell is made to seem emotionless and almost careless due to his actions.