Kill Bill Vol. 1 - Alicia

Camerawork

• The first shot of the entire film is a big close up because as it is a shocking image, it makes the opening more effective.
• The shot which breaks the continuous shot is of the approaching character’s feet as he/she is walking towards the central character.
• This shot is shot on a dolly in order to capture the walking motion of the approaching character and give that eerie ‘stalking’ effect.
• The close up of these feet create suspense for both the spectator and the other character because the intensity of the positioning makes us feel inferior.
• This opening sequence is only 1:28 but the entire length is only 2 shots. The effect of this ‘restricted narration’ makes the audience want to continue viewing so they can understand more of the plot where enigma is created.

Mise en scene

• The positioning of her face allows the spectator to see more of her surroundings i.e. the veil clearly states that she is in the middle of her wedding, giving an initial reaction of shock for the spectator.
• In the shot of the approaching character’s feet, the props in the background create a sense of destruction as they are sparsely scattered beyond the focus of the feet.
• As the second character’s hand comes into the frame, the handkerchief is positioned to give us some a sense of characterisation i.e. tells the spectator his name is ‘Bill’.
• However, as we don’t see any other part of his body it gives the spectator a sense of mystery and are more keen to watch more in order to find out who this other person is.

Editing

• Continuing from the previous shot, another then character comes into the frame.
• The black and white editing effect shows how this is a flashback but has some importance and relation to the rest of the film. It also reinforces the goriness of the scene as it is clearly too bloody to show in colour.
• There is no shot reverse shot technique because it keeps the spectator guessing about the unseen character. Also it makes the viewing experience more intense because as it is only made up of two shots, it keeps the spectator on edge about shocking shots or images that may follow.

Sound

• Throughout the entire sequence there is no diegetic sound, only the intensity of the central character’s breathing as well as distant footsteps.
• The first 3 seconds of the clip is just a black frame, therefore the heavy breathing over the top of this creates more suspense for the spectator as they are unsure where and who the breathing is coming from.
• As the footsteps approach, the breathing starts to fade and get quieter as if the central character is trying to show she is not scared, or that she is preparing herself for confrontation.
• The shot gun sound effect at the end of the scene fades into a frame of text. The intensity of the volume and the pace of the gun shot shocks the audience and draws them into the rest of the film.