Subject Matter/Genre
Frank Darabont’s films themes are mostly just someone looking for a solution to their problem. Also, the genres of most Darabont films are thriller, horror, and drama. For example Nightmare on Elm Street 3 is horror/thriller, but movies like The Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile are movies in the drama category. Although, Frank Darabont likes to make movies in the horror/thriller genre, I think he’s better in the drama genre.
Cinematography
My director Frank Darabont’s style is the same in many of his movies. First off, certain shot sizes are used all throughout the movie The Shawshank Redemption. One shot size he used several times was an establishing shot. Darabont first uses when Andy Dufresne is coming to Shawshank Prison for the first time. The first shot is a wide shot of the top of the court yard and then it goes to a head on establishing shot of the entrance to the prison. Darabont uses an establishing shot again when Andy is about to enter his cell block. The only other kind of shot that was commonly used was the close-up and the extreme close-up. Darabont tried as much as he could to catch the emotion in the character’s face and he definitely succeeded at it. The story itself was very emotional so these shot sized was fitting for the story.
There were only two camera angles noticeable to me and it was the eye level and the point of view angles. Right from the beginning the director used both angles. Although, the first angle was a point of view angle or a POV angle, Andy was on the stand in a court room looking at the victim’s attorney as he gave his closing statement. Then, during a lot of the conversations in the movie, Darabont used eye level angles to catch the emotion and to give the feel of a real conversation between people, because usually when you have a conversation with people you’re usually eye level with them. The two camera movements used were zoom and dolly, so the camera moved in and out a lot. So the shot would go from close up to medium shot or the opposite.
Frank Darabont likes black and white movie because he thinks it shows the real fear and emotion of a scene. Although he doesn’t make black and white films because they don’t appeal to the people, but he has been known to put a black and white versions of his movies with his colored movies, to give you the option.
There were only two camera angles noticeable to me and it was the eye level and the point of view angles. Right from the beginning the director used both angles. Although, the first angle was a point of view angle or a POV angle, Andy was on the stand in a court room looking at the victim’s attorney as he gave his closing statement. Then, during a lot of the conversations in the movie, Darabont used eye level angles to catch the emotion and to give the feel of a real conversation between people, because usually when you have a conversation with people you’re usually eye level with them. The two camera movements used were zoom and dolly, so the camera moved in and out a lot. So the shot would go from close up to medium shot or the opposite.
Frank Darabont likes black and white movie because he thinks it shows the real fear and emotion of a scene. Although he doesn’t make black and white films because they don’t appeal to the people, but he has been known to put a black and white versions of his movies with his colored movies, to give you the option.
Mise-en-scene
The décor of the scene is in the middle of the court yard and is nearly empty but it has the entrance to the prison and the side of the plate factory. Both those building are where big plot differences happen and they’re both important to the plot. Throughout the whole movie there is high lighting, because there are very little shadows, and the director wants you to see what’s happening. The costuming for most of the prisoners is rugged, ripped, and dirty. Although, for Andy his clothes are nice and clean because he has higher stature in the prison, and someone like Warden Norton is always dressed in a suit because he is the most important person in the prison, and his clothing shows that. The scene is shot in the court yard and the court yard is where Andy and Red first meet and that’s where their long friendship begins. That friendship is later on a key to the theme of the movie. Also, the blocking in the movie incorporates a lot of the supporting characters being introduced into the plot. For example when Andy first goes to talk to Red, Red is throwing a ball with Heywood, so Andy is introduced to him, and Andy and Heywood eventually become friends.