The blockbuster movie Ocean’s Eleven. released in 2001. was the first movie of a trilogy of rip-off movies directed by Steven Soderbergh. This large budget crime-thriller remaking of the 1960’s Rat Pack favorite conveys the elaborately thrilling secret plan where Daniel Ocean leads a rag-tag group of con creative persons and ex-cons for the monumental rip-off of 3 major Las Vegas Casinos.
This sequence is important because it sets up the diegesis of the movie and besides gives us an penetration into the character of the supporter. Besides. structurally. the set up of the rip-off is important to puting up the audience’s high outlooks and apprehensivenesss of how something of this graduated table can be achieved swimmingly. Daniel Ocean. played by A-list star George Clooney. is being interviewed by the parole board at a little New Jersey State prison. Immediately after being released. Ocean caputs straight for Atlantic City and so Las Vegas to get down enrolling old familiarities for his grandest rip-off yet. The genre characteristic of piecing the rip-off squad members. each with a particular accomplishment. is an highly of import one as it functions to do the audience anticipate what function each will play and how. precisely. their accomplishments will come into drama subsequently. Through this sequence. it is made clear to us that Daniel Ocean is a leader and a natural. experient condemnable whose ends and aspirations are non affected by prison.
To set this movie and its heist subject into context. we must take into consideration the significance of utilizing a casino in Las Vegas as the mark of the rip-off. Las Vegas. besides known as wickedness metropolis. is the amusement and chancing capital of the universe. where lucks are made and lost. Las Vegas connotes certain values and attitudes. Heist genre movies have to do the stealers magnetic and about heroic. hence. the object or establishment being robbed must be seen as immorality in some personal or societal manner. A casino in Las Vegas is a symbol of mass corporate greed. capitalist economy on a lurid graduated table. and a topographic point where the odds are stacked in the casino’s favor. The bets are so high when it comes to robbing a casino that. Daniel Ocean and his 10 associates are non merely chancing their opportunities of traveling to prison. they are chancing with their lives. We know that this is the instance with this movie because we can see Daniel Ocean unthreatened and unaffected by prison life.
MISE EN SCENE
During the interview in the prison. The Mise en scene lends intending to the fact that it isn’t a nice topographic point to be. where conformance reigns. and individualism is quashed. The dark mise en scene. with the walls painted Grey. as a prison is. creates an institutionalised ambiance. The empty benches behind the character indicate the character’s solitariness in prison. There is besides a barred window in the background. stand foring the outside universe and something that can be seen but non experienced every bit good as the fan that isn’t on. further underscoring the lifeless ambiance of the prison.
Figure arrangement is efficaciously thought out to demo Ocean in the Centre. as the chief character. and one side of him lit. from outside visible radiation. the other in darkness from inside the prison. presenting the authoritative narrative structural resistance of good versus immorality. and demoing Oceans two sides in the framing and lighting. The subdued back illuming creates a halo consequence and prevents the audience from recognizing him. making instant enigma and proposing he is making something incorrect or close. feature of the genre.
Through Costume. Hair. and make-up. we see that Daniel Ocean. unshaved and slouched. is have oning a dark ecru jump suit with a white singlet. which represent his repression and imprisonment. Although Ocean is presented as a felon. his slicked back hair. articulated address and star image make him appealing. Clooney is normally seen as playing the hero in movies. a trait common in studio movies such as this. so the audience will anticipate the same of him in this movie. although he is being portrayed. non as a observant citizen or jurisprudence hatchet man. but as a criminal.
As Ocean leaves the prison. we see natural visible radiation coming from exterior of the prison. with Ocean. confronting off from us. silhouetted. This visible radiation is at that place to stand for freedom. and flight from the restricting walls of prison ; Ocean’s silhouette raises yet more enigmas. Figure arrangement puts the “ North Jersey State Prison” prison behind Ocean as he walks out. puting the location and besides typifying Ocean go forthing the prison and life of parturiency behind.
In the following location. a casino in Atlantic City. we have a large contrast in mise en scene. which conveys to us Daniel Ocean’s character in a non-confined scene. As this finish is the first topographic point that Ocean visits after go forthing prison. it suggests that it plays a important function in the narrative. In the background. pendants can be seen. along with potted workss. and a Bourgogne and gold coloring material strategy. typifying wealth and desire.
Ocean himself is now flawlessly shaven. stylishly suited and can now be seen as much more of an person. with the high-key lighting demoing all of his facial looks. All of the mise-en-scene shows the audience how this new scene is much more welcoming. the colorss used give the puting a sense that Ocean feels at place and the unreal visible radiation brightens up the full shooting. The scene is made clear to the audience and the big budget of the movie is made apparent by the usage of props such as the slot machines. roulette tabular arraies and the uniformed croupiers. These uniforms are besides important because the croupiers are have oning nametags. giving them an individuality. which farther contrasts the prison life where the captives in uniforms have no individuality.
Filming and EditingArguably the most critically acclaimed facet of Ocean’s Eleven is the exceeding filming and redacting. Stephen Soderbergh’s originative influence as an auteur is seen through filming and redaction and it is known to be effectual in conveying the secret plan with or without duologue. The shootings in this sequence are typically rather long continuances of shooting because they allow for the scene and context to drop in.
The set uping shooting is average close-up shooting on the character. who is positioned in the Centre of the shooting. This long continuance of shooting allows the audience to take in Daniel Ocean’s character in item. exemplifying his importance.
A fast cut to a stopping point up shooting reveals the character to be Hollywood star George Clooney. fixed and focused onto his face. leting for a more personal connexion with the character. and besides leting individualism. This stopping point up besides reveals his eyes. which help derive the audience’s trust. stressing his importance even further. The bobbing camera motion suggests the point of position from another character. the parole interviewer.
A point of position shooting through gaol cell bars and decelerate tracking shootings of Ocean go forthing the prison suggests that other felons look up to Ocean as an icon.
A stopping point up shooting of Daniel’s ocean’s manus keeping a nuptials set conveys the importance of the ring. and therefore. the importance of his antique married woman. This feeling is confirmed when the camera easy pans up to Ocean’s face. uncovering his yearning look.
A stopping point up tracking shooting from behind Ocean is used as he exits through the prison gates to underscore his importance and his function as a leader.
In Atlantic City. a shallow focal point shooting of Ocean lifting up in an escalator. filmed from a low-level camera angle. indicates Daniel Ocean’s rise from a drilling repressed life style to the pretentious planning of an heroic rip-off. The shallow focal point allows for more accent on Ocean.
Once Ocean is seated at a jack oak tabular array. there are several shot-reverse-shots of Ocean and the croupier. which doesn’t break the 180-degree regulation. and besides allows for duologue. This helps to set up narrative. A point of position shooting. from Ocean’s position. shows another croupier speaking to person. demoing that something had caught his oculus. This suggests one of the characters in this shooting. plays a function of importance in the future narration.
The female croupier walks out of the frame and is replaced by the adult male from the old shooting. This raises enigma as to why she has left. and satisfies the audience’s outlooks of one of the old characters being of some significance. The camera so zooms in closer to Frank’ . whose name is established from the duologue. This rapid climb suggests that this conversation between him and Ocean is that of a more secret nature. between those two. and the audience. Both characters seem to hold their eyes at the same tallness in an eye-line lucifer. proposing friendly relationship and equality. but besides raising an mystery between the two characters. as to how they are friends.
SoundDiegetic and non-diegetic sound are used to collaboratively to augment the sequence in several ways.
Off screen. metallic diegetic sounds can be heard. like big. heavy doors. or keys. and voices can be heard. but non clearly. This off screen sound raises an mystery as to what the beginning of these noises are. prompting their significance to the secret plan as associated with parturiency and prison. puting up the menace of prison for the stealers subsequently on in the movie.
Off screen diegetic duologue can be heard from a good educated. apparently jurisprudence staying character. questioning our character. who we find out to be Danny Ocean. binding in with the rubric. and giving more ground to the fact that he is the supporter in this movie. This interviewer acts as a contrast between observant citizens. and the stereotypes that are normally found in prison. stand foring the good. in this movie.
When the interviewer asks Ocean “ What do you believe you would make if released? ” he does non react. but a cut to a close up of his face and a non-diegetic baseline insinuates that he so plans to interrupt the jurisprudence once more. We don’t need any book to propose this as the arch. jazzy non diegetic sound and the close up of Ocean’s facial look state the audience all they need to cognize.
The non-diegetic sound thickens with more instruments as Daniel Ocean leaves the lone prison life and enters the lively casino. Combined with the diegetic sound of the casino machines and the gaming crowds. this sound construct up represents Daniel Ocean garnering together thoughts and the pack members for the rip-off. easy coming back to life.
The non-diegetic sound is of a fetid wind genre. reflecting Ocean’s optimistic attitude every bit good as giving a sense of mischievousness and complexness.
Critical Reception
Ocean’s Eleven. with it’s A-list dramatis personae and artistic manager. was considered to be a success at the box office and with critics. The movie received a evaluation of 80 per centum at Rotten Tomatoes. People magazine called the movie “ pure merriment from start to complete. ” and included it in its end-of-year Best of Screen list.
With its 85 million dollar budget. Oceans Eleven grossed over 183 million US dollars in the US entirely and over 260 Million dollars overseas. doing it an highly commercially successful movie.
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