Once upon a Time in the West

Once Upon a Time In The West

Textual Analysis

In the viewed scene from the film Once Upon a Time a variety of camera techniques are used to to foreshadow and hint the destiny of the characters. The director uses implicit and explicit shots additionally to hint the character’s future.

The scene starts with a close up of the shotgun which signifies danger, violence and death which in addition foreshadows the climax of the scene. Then the shot cuts to the bird being shot at which is a tilt shot to show the bird falling which is another sign of death. When the father and son are done hunting, the son starts imitating the father which shows how young and innocent he is. At this point the director uses an eye line match to show the audience that the father cares abut his son and also that the child is too young to be alone. The father does a gesture with his head and the son know that the gesture means to go back home. This is a stereotypical move to show that the father is powerful and dominant and that he is the alpha male. To emphasize the dominance of the father the director uses a low angle shot at the father. The director uses the big overgrowth to hint that someone might be watching or spy at the family.

The scene cuts to an extreme longshot of the house to make the family look isolated. The director uses a tracking shot alongside the sister to make the audience feel immersed into the movie. The director shows the daughter humming which makes her appear innocent and unaware of what is going to happen. When the father slaps the elder son the audio is exaggerated to make the scene more dramatic. The audio goes silent which signifies danger and insecurity. The director then uses a longshot of the daughter to show how small, innocent and unaware of what Is going to happen.  A 360-degree pan shot is used to show that the family is alone and far away from civilization. When the gun is fired the camera points to the birds but none of the fall like in the beginning, which is the biggest and final hint the director gives. The tracking shot along the father makes the audience feel like they are in a fast paced environment. All the members in the family who get shot take only one bullet while the father takes two bullets which is the typical stereotype for a strong and tough male role.