Analysis of the clip 'Collateral'

'Collateral'

Collateral looks like an Action Thriller and it started off with Vincent wearing a grey suit and glasses. The mise en scene portrays a serious side to this character because of the formal attire. The colour gray seems laid back and the glasses present a sense of coolness but bring questions into the viewers mind on why he dressed in this way. Also he is the one focused on by the camera and it shows that he is in a public area like a transport terminal around a lot of people. The camera shoots him at close- up and a big close up so we can identify his facial expression and body language. During these shots, the sound of people talking and footsteps are heard in the background which gradually become loud and echo. This indicates a busy and noisy area that can lead to a shocking event later on. However we assume that his footsteps are the main ones that we hear and we find out that his pace is slow.

We then are presented with another man who wears black walking past people in the same setting that Vincent is in. He too is in focus by the camera and this drags the reader’s attention to the two characters being displayed boldly on the screen. The camera shoots this character close-up to allow the viewers to see his facial expression. Moreover, we hear footsteps in which the main one is his too, but we can also distinguish between Vincents footsteps and the other character because this character’s footsteps are at a fast pace.

Coincidently, the 2 men in focus bump into each other and drop their black brief cases in front of them. From seeing the facial expressions on the character wearing black, we assume that he may be involved in something sinister therefore building up the suspense on what may happen next, therefore builds up the climax of the scene. After the brief apologetic conversation between the two characters we acknowledge that they have picked up the wrong brief cases creating tension and making us eager to find out more. Editing showed a match cut to make the viewing smooth and provide that we see all the actions.