Skyfall Textual Analysis

Media Language:


We begin the shot in seeing a long shot of a narrow hall way, and the silhouette of James Bond as he walks towards the camera in a very broad shouldered and masculine way. As he walks in to the shot and he becomes fully visible, the director makes it so that his body fades out of the light of the shot however a lining of light makes his eyes visible to the audience, from a close up distance- to show the characters intensity and focus.

The non diegetic music begin to pick up pace and tension as we him raise a gun and cautiously approach a room. Having entered the room and seen multiple dead bodies, it becomes apparent that the action is looming by the growing ambiance of non diegetic sound growing in volume and tempo by the second. Bond then approaches a new outdoor environment and the non diegetic music come in to a more upbeat chorus for which we see packed roads filled with pedestrians, cars and narrow roads. The director also uses an engaging rule of third shot which is an effective use of camera work and Mise-en scene.


 There is a specific lighting which is presented as the sun, which sets an almost Arabic or Eastern European atmosphere to the scene setting alongside the Arabian genred music playing in the background. We see a synchronised blend of both diegetic and non diegetic sound, as the music sets a calming yet upbeat pace to the scene, and the visuals in having the car Bond is in smash over multiple stools adds to create an engaging and action based combination of diegetic sound of a roaring car smashing over stands and stools, and a Arabian tune which sets the location and atmosphere of where the scene is taking place. As a gun fight commences, the music subsides and the scene is flooded by multiple diegetic noises which range from police motor bikes skidding off the road and smashing stools, to gun fires blazing and the screams of citizens as the try to escape with their lives.


 During a bike chase, the director uses a rule of third shot to depict both the Mise- en scene, alongside the the intensity of the car chase and the beautiful scenery. The non-diegetic has once again picked back up but now it is no longer Arabian, but instead just general high intensity music to further show the importance and building climax throughout this clip in the scene. The editing also goes to show the an effective collaboration of shot-to shot action clips, along side 180 degree rule whilst characters conversed.

Representation:

Although the opening scene consists of mainly action based sequences. The director still effectively shows a general depiction of characters through facial expressions, body language and dialogue. We see that James Bond is a very cool and level headed character, who does his best work off of impulse and the adrenaline of the moment. As you would expect of a spy, he's very quick to think on his feet as shown when he used a Crain to link up with the other train which the person he was pursuing was on. The MI6 personnel are also shown to focus on completing the mission they're set above all else as shown when Bond left his fellow agent who was bleeding out on a chair on his own with a towel (even though he was reluctant to do it). A major aspect to the Bond franchise of films is the classy British voices held by the character's whom are spies. In having characters speak in that very distinct manner presents a commonly perceived stereotype which suggests that all British people are very posh and charming which, of course, isn't an accurate portrayal. The location of which the opening was in Istanbul, Turkey, and it presented a very accurate portrayal of the countries most monumental buildings, and also an accurate representation of the street life within the city. The use of music added to the culture of the selected setting and further reinforced the authenticity of the media construction established within this opening scene by the director.

Audience:

The benefit of Bond films is that they hold a longstanding fan base formed from decades back. As a result, the film sells its self. However the general audience for a film like this would be people who love a high intensity action packed film, with violence, glimpses of romance and a constantly un-raveling plot filled with mystery and suspense. All of this on top of the cool and collected Bond with his notorious bow ties and his choice for "whisky shaken- not stirred" adds to the ever growing fan base and franchise for this box office film.


Genre:

The film itself is an action and thriller genre'd movie with a good use of violence and dramatic aspects. A common generic convention for any Bond film is a beautiful lady that he finds himself involved with for a time being. However the film communicates is action sequences within the bounds of its classic James Bond theme tune, alongside a strong use of explosions and in depth commitment to a strong set location to make the viewing process all the more enjoyable.

Narrative:

The film doesn't follow the traditional concept of Todorov's which has an introduction where: everything is fine- problem occurs- multiple means to rectify problem are attempted- solution to problem is found- then a conclusion of peacefulness is used to end.  Instead, There's and action packed introduction- Then a showing of peaceful times- Then a problem occurs- action being taken to rectify problem- failure to rectify situation- solution being found- peaceful times are found again.

Institution:

The film had a budget of $150-$200 million and grossed $1.09 billion. Its production company Eon production company and the film was distributed by Metro- Goldyn Mayer and Columbia Pictured. The film was highly successful and grossed the most money a film from Sony Pictures ever has, and it grossed the second most in all of 2012.