Minority Report

Stills explained

The title for the film is in simple block capital letters which are slightly thinned out in some places. The title materialises from the black to enter and exit. Blue is used because the letters have a slight shimmer/ripple to them indicating they are water. You could also say blue is used so it stands out from the black background, and also because blue can be associated with sci-fi genres and this film is a sci-fi thriller.

The purpose of this shot is to show the relationship between two characters. The women is cheating on her husband with this man which this still represents as they are quite intimate. A big close up is used of their faces so the audience can focus on the characters and nothing else in the scene which is why they take up the whole screen. This is because nothing else is important at this point as the characters and storyline are just being introduced. A side profile shot is used so both characters can be seen at the same time. There faces are a greyish colour so the audience can distinguish what appears on their screen but not who they are. This image is merged into the next image and becomes transparent and the other image appears on top. Non-diegetic music is used throughout this vision however it cannot always be heard as diegetic sounds take over such as dialogue and water. In this clip the music creates tension and a few drum beats can be heard, this could represent their heart beating as they have adrenalin pumping through their bodies because they are doing this in secret.

The point of this clip is to introduce another character. This is the husband who his wife is cheating on. The whole of this scene is blurred around the edges to show that it is a vison and not reality. Dark colours are used so the audience can get a sense of where he is without giving too much away. Also, something negative is about to happen so the colours could be foreseeing the incident. A high angle shot is used to make him look less superior as his wife is cheating on him creating the effect that he is not as important as her. The audience can also see the characters outfit with this shot. At the end of this shot of him walking up the stairs it quickly jumps to his wife and the man in bed. The non-diegetic is continued in this clip.

In his clip the husband walks in and catches his wife and the boyfriend cheating behind his back. As the man realises the husband is there he pulls away and moves away from the women as though he is shocked and embarrassed. Simple setting is used to keep it minimalistic. A window is shown so the audience know they are inside and a bed and side table are used to show that they are in the bedroom. A high angle shot is used so you can see all three characters at one time and so the viewer can see clearly what each one is doing. To move into the next clip it jumps cuts as do most of the clips in this scene. The non-diegetic music carries on in this clip.

In this clip the husband stabs his wife with a pair of scissors. The scissors make the audience intrigued as to why he’s using them as a weapon and how he will kill her. As this is when she first sees the scissors her split second reaction is pleading him not to do anything which is shown in her facial expression through her eyes. There is not much setting or props seen in this image as the director wants the audience to focus on the characters expressions and dialogue. A two shot is used so both characters can be viewed in the same frame and you can see their facial expressions which is why a over the shoulder shot is not used. A jump cut is used to move to the next clip and the music continues in this clip.

In this scene John is watching the vision where the wife gets murdered by her husband, so he can try and stop this from happening. This is an over the shoulder shot as the back of his head can be seen as well as what is in front of him. The vision is displayed on a clear glass sheet the length of one side of the room. Special effects have been used to create this image on the clear screen in the middle of the room. The sound you can hear is the diegetic including music and dialogue which is coming from the screen.