-V For Vendetta (2006)

Film Techniques Examples of typical film techniques used and why

Illustrate your findings with references to actual
onscreen moments.
Titling colour, font
style, over image or
black, timing, credits
presentation etc


0:00-0:38 show a variety of well-known logos and
animation sequences that are entirely in black-and-
white which grabs the viewers attention from the start
as they are usually shown in colour, which insinuates
that this film is going to be very dark and/or morbid.
At 2:05 another animation begins and continues until
2:18, showing us fire against a black background in a
particular pattern we only see small parts of this until
the pattern has been completed, when the camera
shows the entire picture and we can see it is the
symbol of the film (a circle with a V through its
middle), which fades out to show the title of the film.
Camera Movement
(panning, tracking,
crane shot and crabbing
etc)



This scene uses a tracking shot at 1:11-1:13 to follow
the movement of a dog on the screen and show that it
is moving at a rapid pace towards the character shown
before.
1:29-1:30 shows a very brief vertical tilt shot that
follows the character as he walks up some stairs,
giving us the sensation that we are watching him from
a lower platform.
1:30-1:35 uses a crane shot to raise the level of the
camera and move forward a little, allowing us to see
more of what is going on from this the audience can
see the environment and knows that the character is
being led up a podium to a noose.
Framing of Shot
(CU, MLS, ELS etc)
0:55 shows an extreme long shot; even though we
cannot see the environment as it is completely dark,
we can tell that the character is very far away and
being secretive, so we could assume that they are
underground or in a tunnel.
At 1:02 the character is shown using a medium-close
up. From this we know what he is wearing and what
expressions he is making; while this creates no
empathy for the character we know more about what
he is doing than before.
1:35 uses a medium-long shot to show a large group of
people. We can tell the time that the film is set in as we
can see the dress code of the characters, and we
understand that they are angry or hysterical as we can
see their expressions and that they are facing towards
and calling/yelling at something.
Camera Angles (high
and low angles etc



We see the crowd of people at 1:35 from a high angle,
showing that we are seeing them as though we are on
the platform and thus is a point-of-view shot. We do not
see any other character through a high or low angle
except through other point-of-view shots; for example
at 1:50 we are looking up at the character, but he is not
in a position of power and thus we must believe that
we are looking at him.
Selection of mise-en-
scne including colour,
figure, pops, lighting,
objects, location and
setting;

From 0:50-1:28 the scene is very dark and there are
lots of shadows as the scene uses low-key lighting.
The quality of light is very hard as shadows stand out
significantly from the lit areas and we are given the
impression that the scene is in a secretive environment
that only a few people know about. However from 1:29-
2:00 the scene is brightly lit with high-key lighting and
we understand that the scene has changed and the
location is outside now.
The lack of definitive colour gives the scene the
impression that it was an event that happened a long
time ago there is a lot of dark yellows shown in the
environment due to the type of light (natural or candle-
light) which gives the scene a dated feel. There is also
a lot of black used in the scene in both the environment
and the characters clothing.
Because of the characters clothes, we understand that
this scene is set a long time ago as the women at 1:35
are wearing Elizabethan headdresses and and the
men are wearing old-fashioned shirts (most noticeable
at 1:00-1:02) and hats.
Editing directions
(Match cuts, jump cut,
reverse shots etc)



The sequence in the tunnel/underground (0:50-1:28)
shows numerous matched cuts, with an increased
cutting rate as the action increases, making us feel that
the action sequence was not expected. There is a jump
cut at 1:29 as the scene changes completely and the
character is shown being led up some stairs; the
cutting rate has slowed again and we understand that
the tension has suddenly drained away as the man has
been captured. There is no dialogue between the
characters, so no reverse shots are used.
Sound techniques
(diegetic, non diegetic,
silence, dialogue


From the beginning of the scene (0:41-2:06) there is
non-diegetic dialogue from an unknown character,
telling us that the narrator of the story is female, but we
do not know why she is telling us what happens. She
explains about the origins of the Guy Fawkes legend,
allowing us to understand what the film is going to be
about (even indirectly).
During this sequence there are other diegetic sounds
made such as the clashing of metal during the sword-
fight, and the squeak of wheels of the cart. However
there is no dialogue between any of the characters
shown onscreen at any point, making us feel detached
from the scene as though it is unrelated to what is
actually going to happen.
Actors positioning and
movement
During this scene the main character shown is kept
roughly in the centre of the screen, emphasizing his



importance and who we should be focusing on. He
moves around a lot during 0:50-1:28, showing us that
before his capture he was very energetic and willing to
fight others if he needed to. However after 1:29 he is
shown to be submissive towards others, giving us the
impression that he might regret his actions.

-the opening titles are preceded by the animations of the production companies; these
are shown in black-and-white to emphasize the fact that it is going to have a dark
theme.

-1:02; the camera is tilting up to allow us to see the environment as well as props and
character.

-1:36; medium-long shot; we can see lots of different characters from a low angle to
show they are looking up at something. We can see how they are dressed and
therefore what time period it is set in.