Summer Task

Media gap task: comparing L.A confidential and Casino Royale opening sequences

One difference between the two sequences is the choice of music. L.A confidential has more light-hearted, up-beat music to create some irony in the scene whereas Casino Royale uses more tense music to add to the suspense of the scene.

Another slight difference is that in L.A confidential there is a use of original, old real life clips to create a naturalistic portrayal of the film’s context. On the other hand, Casino Royale appears to flip between two very contrasting scenes which produces a sense of flashback, which is also used in both sequences at times through the effect of black and white picture.

One more difference is that the character writing in L.A confidential is narrating in an almost monologue way and is speaking positively which possibly foreshadows negativity in the film through his sometimes sarcastic tone. In comparison, Casino Royale starts off in silence which creates tension and later on there is quiet one on one dialogue, which highlights this tension further.

The major similarity between the two clips is the camera work. For example both clips use close-ups on character’s faces to capture the feelings and emotions of the character through their facial expressions.

One other way in which camera work was used similarly was through the use of low camera angles. Both clips used low-angles at times for reasons such as determining a character’s status or setting a scene.