400 BLOWS XTRA CREDIT-one paragraph

Just like books are made for library shelves, movies are made for the cinema. As a result, movies include cinematic elements. I believe that cinematic aspects of a film have the ability to control an audience’s thoughts and impose certain emotions and viewpoints that a director wants to emphasize. A camera’s angle and photography shot have a big impact on a scene. For example, when following Antoine at the end of the movie running along a dusty road, the camera is at eye level and the audience can see nothing but Antoine and the background. This creates tension that makes viewers think he may get caught at any time. Or when the camera follows Antoine into the building where he steals a typewriter. We, as the audience only see his feet and the stairs moving fast but we comprehend that this is a matter of urgency and great importance to the characters. Nevertheless, it is not always what you see that creates emotions. Many of the times it is also what you hear. Background music plays a big role in supplementing the action. During the opening scenes of the movie, the music is very melancholic yet uneasy. This complements the passive nature of the scenes of the streets of Paris and the ensuing anticipation as an evocative picture of a woman circulates in the boys’ classroom. Further on, in the middle of the movie the Doinel family is laughing happily and driving home from the movie. During this scene the music is upbeat and lively to portray the happy emotions of the characters.