The film versions Essay Example for Free

The film versions Essay The setting in this version is very ominous. It begins with a boy, Pip walking along a road past the gallows, which gives the audiences the feeling that danger is about because gallows were we criminals were murdered so it hints that a criminal is about. The sky is gloomy and looks like it is going to rain. You can tell this even though it is not it colour. As Pip goes into the graveyard, you can see the empty moors in the background. The graveyard looks intimidating because of the gravestones that look like people so it seems like someone is watching Pip, this makes the audiences feel like someone is watching them too. As there is no one about, it makes it more frightening because there is no one to see what happens or anyone to look after Pip. This is exaggerated because there are no people around so it makes it daunting. All together the setting is a place that most people wouldnt go to unless there was a good reason or if they did go in they wouldnt go in alone. This makes the audiences fell nervous and part of the action. There is a lot of sound in the 1946 version, the wind is howling and you can hear the trees creaking, because of new technologies and special effects some people might say the it sounds fake but it would have sounded very atmospheric at the time it was made. The sounds make the audiences feel like they are in the situations where the wind is howling and the tress are creaking. When Pip speaks his voice sounds very innocent and childish which makes the audiences think he is more venerable, Magwitch voices is dark, menacing and forceful which would send a chill down the audiences spin. The differences in the voices and the atmospheric sounds build up the tensions in the first scene. Pip is dressed in poor-looking clothes but he still looks like he is well cared for because he is wearing warm clothes, we already know from the sounds that it was cold, the wind in the trees. Magwitch is wearing rags and looks poor and scruffy. We know that he is a criminal because of the shackles around his feet. Portraying them like this tells the audiences straight away who the people are so it doesnt need to be explained. The lighting is used to great effect and helps create the atmosphere which colour does now. Although there is not any colour they are still ably to show some things though light. You can tell if it is light black and white or dark black and white. The most effective part is when Magwitch has Pip on the gravestone, when you see the both together it looks like Pip is in the light and Magwitch is in the dark, this is trying to express that Pip is nice and innocent and Magwitch is the malevolence person, this is done by making the light and setting brighter behind Pip than it is behind Magwitchs this makes the audiences think Pip is nice and Magwitch isnt all though they my not notice it. Nonetheless the light helps you to feel what the setting is like for, example the dark sky suggests it gloomy, if you didnt use lighting it would make it harder to tell. Being in black and white some people say it looks boring but I think it creates a misty atmosphere that adds to build the tension. The camera changes between the two characters Pip and Magwitch and doesnt show them both together to start with, this is done quickly when each one is talking, doing these speeds up the pace of the first scene. It only showed part of their face to start with not all of it. Its also effective when Magwitch looks down at his feet, which shows us the shackles, this is done because it make the audience feel like they know what he is thinking. Having the camera change between the two doesnt give the audiences time to take in the face until it show them together, this makes the audiences eager to see what he looks like.