Goodfellas

Analysis of Camera Movement

Goodfellas Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi.The film features actors such as Ray liotta and lorraine bracco. It was produced by Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. which an American entertainment company that produces film, television and music entertainment founded in 1923. It's one of the biggest production companies of all time and has made a profit of approximately 12 billion USD over its years.

The scene shows a young man who is taking his Woman out for meal at one top restaurants of in town. However he much too important to wait in line to enter the building, so the tracking shot follows the couple as they weave their way through the back entrance and straight in. This scene is not edited at all and is just one big take all the way through till they get given a table. The man is dressed in dark black suit which could denotes his strength and authority however it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color. The female is wearing a dress also in the colour black but her dress is very revealing a shows off lots of skin. This could be used to present her as being almost some sort of sexual object owned by powerful looking man in a suit.

The scene opens with the couple in a busy street, with the male guiding his woman through. They have to pass through a queue to able to enter the stairwell and everyone instantly moves out his way to let him though without even asking. One of the men in the street even shields his woman from him by putting a firm hand in front of her. This instantly shows some sort hidden power the man poses as it feels as if even random people in the queue are scared of him?

As they head down the stairs you instantly recognise the bright jungle wallpaper which surrounds them. This could used to represent them going on some sort of adventure or going into the unknown, this applies even more so to the female character as she has never been here befor.

As they pass through the door the male slips the doorman a dollar bill for his services showing his importance of his financial statues. Being wealthy often comes with power and dominance over others. They enter a lowly lit corridor covered with red velvet. The red velvet gives a feel of royalty and riches only something to be associated with the utmost of people. However the dim lighting gives a dark side towards this showing that these people may be immoral and red riches are unfairly earned. It also make you this secluded as secret way associating with again with going on a mysterious adventure into the unknown. Down the corridor he passes multiple character who all show appreciation towards this man. Ever with hand shakes, nods of head or a quick joke it seems he is a liked and respected person all around this area.

They soon enter a back way into bustling kitchen. But before they even enter you can tell that it's busy by the diegetic sfx used when they are approaching the kitchen to heighten your expectations. They swing round the corner and so does the camera to give a real feel of entering the kitchen. The kitchen is full of many workers but no one questions why he is there in suit with his girl. The staff all appreciate him and carry on acknowledging him in asimilar to in the hallway. The camera work is also able to show the tight spaces of a kitchen some areas which are only big enough to fit one person down at a time. At one point a man even waits for them to come past showing the respect that he has for him. The kitchen to me also shows a hierarchy in this business with workers slaving away at the bottom and powerful men that can just walk in and dominate the kitchen at the top.

They swiftly exit the kitchen and enter into the main dining area. There queue still carries on inside the building but they carry on and walk onwards past it straight over to man who stops his conversation as soon as sees him. He greets them and quickly signals over a man to get a table for them. The camera now follows the table instead. I think this has been done to put emphasis on that table which represents his power being able to instantly have it. They are also seen to them by multiple waiters and respected by the by the general public around him when someone buys him a bottle of wine. We are also reminded of his financial status again when he is seen giving out 20 dollar bills.

The use of the Camera Movement The camera movement is key to marking this scene to what it is. Straight away the tracking shot used gives the audience a real view of their perspective on a busy street. As you enter the building every corner they turn keeps you entertained as it feels as if you turn it with them. This could only be achieved by a tracking shot or it would have been less exciting. In the kitchen you can almost feel real bustle of it as they zig zag around counters and swing past people, really bringing it to life. In main area the camera movement is so important in leaving behind the couple and following the table to show the pure importance they have to be able to command that.

Comparison to James Bond Spectre This can be compared to the new James Bond film spectre. Where a tracking shot is used in the opening scene at a mexican festival. This scene follows James and a female in a very similar way from behind. It shows them moving through a busy carnival weaving there way round people. The camera movement helps to bring the scene to life and gives you feel for how busy the street is. This is very similar to the scene where they moving through the kitchen around the people. Also added in the tracking shot they move into a lift where the camera follows them. This gives the feeling of being inside the lift with them.