Class Notes Module 1

V for Vendetta, Key Themes Moodboard

V for Vendetta, Use of Juxtaposition in the Domino Montage

The domino montage in v for vendetta is one of the best examples of juxtaposition in any film I have seen, it takes unrelated incidents of what V is doing with the dominos and what is happening in the world and puts them side by side. Cutting between the two effectively to make us form a link between the two. At the start of the clip it shows V placing the first domino
and then switches to a shot of parcel delivery lorries driving, the lorries contain the boxes full of the masks that V wears. This is juxtaposition as this is the first part of Vs scheme which is like the first domino. The shot then goes to a man wearing the mask robbing a shop, before switching to the government officials discussing the topic one of them says "this is exactly what he wants" before the shot cuts back to the man in the shop who says "anarchy in the UK". these two events are unrelated but by

putting them side by side it makes it feel as if the robber is ending the sentence of the government official. the next main use is when the official is speaking of his trip to lark hill, he says "it was as if i could see the whole thing, one long chain of events" the shot then goes to V with many many dominos layed out, showing that one thing has led to another and being a physical representation of the long chain of events that had just been mentioned in the narrative.

"it was like a perfect pattern layed out in front of me, and i realised that we are all part of it"
 is a quotation taken from the montage. the quote is spoken over the top of a shot of Vs dominos showing juxtaposition between the narrative and the dominos. there is no link between the two but we start to see the dominos as the perfect pattern and we make the link that every domino must fall for them to work linking it too the "we are all part of it" piece of the quotation.

"someone will do something stupid" is spoken by the official as the shot changes to a police officer shoots a young girl in a V mask. This makes us see the stupid act he just predicted as this shooting. "and then" is the last dialogue used before V is seen flicking over the dominos, this makes us feel that V is in control and has the power. the shots then switch between riots in the city and Vs dominos falling.
 this is the most impressive use of juxtaposition as the two scenes are completely unrelated yet we start to see them as representative of each other. the dominos falling, being representative of the order falling and anarchy taking over. 

V for Vendetta and Psycho Shower Scenes Comparison

V for Vendetta and Psycho both have shower scenes in which somebody is murdered but due to the types of shots used, and the characters in the showers they have very different feels and different effects on the viewer.

Firstly starting with psycho the majority of the shots used are close ups of the woman in the shower, this allows us see her facial expressions before she is attacked. The close ups also make the viewer feel as if they are in the shower with her immediately creating a sense of unease as it is supposed to be her private place and you feel as if you are invading. Extreme close-ups are also used at various times such as when she screams there is an extreme close up of her mouth and also once she has died there is an extreme close up of her eye, showing its blank dead stare.

 The clip also makes use of high angle shots showing her lack of power, the higher angle could also be seen as the point of view of the killer showing his dominance over her.

However the V for Vendetta shower scene is very different, his shower is much larger than the one in psycho, and is filmed as a mid-close up which makes you feel as if you are further away and therefore less invasive of his personal/private space. Also as he is male you feel as if it is much more acceptable for you the viewer to be in there, than it was with the woman in the psycho shower scene. The mid-close up allows you to see the televisions on the wall; by showing these it eases tension in the room because it feels as if he is not alone. 

Much different to that of psycho were you feel like something is going to happen the whole time. A racking shot is also used when we see the reflection of V in the television. We see him faintly but then the racking shot pulls focus too him, making him the clear image and almost making his reflection feel more powerful than the physical body of the man in the room. 

When V is about to kill the commander a close up of V’s face is filmed from a low angle, showing that he is standing above the commander making him the dominant, more powerful character, the close up also emphasises his mask and how his facial expression can’t change whatever he is doing, adding a sense of mystery. Also when the commander is on the floor there is lots of lead room showing that he is looking up speaking across to V who is off scene.

 Of the two clips i think that psycho is the one which makes use of voyeurism. The fact that she is female makes it feel much more private than if she was male because females are much more private whereas it is generally more acceptable for men’s bodies too be uncovered. Also as there is no dialogue in the psycho shower scene you feel as if you are not supposed to be there and feel more as if you are spying on her, whereas in the v for Vendetta sequence the television and the fact the commander is on the phone make it feel much more acceptable for you too be watching. I think voyeurism was used very effectively in the psycho scene as it makes you feel uncomfortable watching it but also brings across an aspect of her weakness as she is naked and uncovered.