I chose this page because it instantly stood out to me. What I found most interesting was the way that I could so easily see this becoming a movie. By reading left to right I could envision in my head a montage of these scenes together as the text is being read in a voice over manner. I found it interesting that I could envision a series of static images as a montage of live action shots.
I also liked the fact that this page bridged what came before with the very end as the mix of text and image skipped us forward at least a couple of years.
Characters:
who?
There are several main characters in this scene them being the father, Blake Morrow, his wife Peggy, his daughter and his son. There are also other characters that feature such as the doctors, the new head of homeland security, Blake's grandchildren and also an unknown male figure. A collection of extras who are a mix of journalists and officials feature in the second frame.
what do they want?
It seems as though Blake just wants to get away and leave everything behind following all of the events that conclude in the first frame. He achieves this and we can see that he is content with this in the last frame.
any status changes?
Between the first and last frame the status of Blake changes. I the first frame he seems insignificant placing his life in the hands of the doctors. The camera angle and lack of a view of his face portrays this. However by the end frame he has become the dominant figure in the frame.
costumes:
The doctors in the surgery wear the dull blue traditional outfits which seem to blend in with the background.
Blake goes through several costume changes as he goes from wearing nothing to wearing a suit to wearing more relaxed clothing in the form of a shirt and shorts. These costume changes show a mood change as the bright colours that fill the last couple of frames contrast sharply to the dark dull costumes of the doctors in the first shot.
It is also unusual to see blake wearing something that isn't a shirt or suit.
setting:
This page features three different scenes.
- The first image is set in a surgery room of a hospital. It is unsure what time of day it is as there are no windows to show us outside.This scene is the last in this current space of time as the comic jumps ahead after this frame.
- This next picture is set presumably in a governmental office perhaps somewhere within the white house. The blue sky and bright green bushes/trees suggest that this is during the day perhaps some time around summer.
- The last two images are set on a beach. We are unsure as to where this is. It is sometime during the day. This scene is set probably 2-3 years after the first the frame as the grandchildren seem to be somewhere around toddler age.
Why here?
The bright and sunny beach contrasts sharply to the first frame and a lot of the rest of the series where frames are generally dark. This shows that Blake has moved on from his previous life and can relax now.
Mis-en-scene:
Shot 1: This first thing in this scene that our eye is drawn to is the bag of blood. We are drawn to this because it is almost center in the frame. It is also the only non light or blue thing in the image. This bag of blood makes us worry about blake as it signifies danger and the idea that he needs this to survive which is shown by the fact that it is not full. In this scene the next thing to draw are attention is the doctors crowded around Blake. They make him seem insignificant as he is small in comparison to them. He is also naked from the waist up which shows an almost infantile sense of vulnerability. His face is also hidden which confuses us as to whether he is dead or alive. The doctor towards the left may even be writing out the death certificate.
Shot 2: In this image there are two main dominant figures, Blake and the next head of homeland security. The two figures look almost identical in clothing but their faces are quite different. Blake's head is turned away as if he is already walking away from the job because he is so anxious to get out this business. The other man is leant inwards and seems to be a little more dominant than Blake. The window in the background separates the two and again pushes Blake further from his old job. The blue sky in the background could be a suggestion to where he is going (on holiday shown in the next frames)
Shot 3: In this shot the children are in focus, mainly the daughter. The inclusion of the two small children in the foreground help us figure out the time period in which this shot and further frames take place as we figure out, with the aid of the text next to it, that these are the children she had with her brother. Her brother is the next most important figure and he features in quite a close framing with his sister and the grandchildren. He is playing frisbee perhaps with a boyfriend or just a male friends. In the fare background we can make out the parents who seem quite content with his arm draped over her shoulder.
Shot 4: This is a very simplistic shot with the two characters standing out against the almost pure blue background of the house. Blake stands out the most as he is the bigger figure with Peggy purposely taking the inferior position by placing her head on his shoulder.
lighting?
The lighting of the last three frames differs greatly from the first with very low lighting being replaced with a lot of natural lighting including just the sun in the last two images.
Camera Work:
Shots:
- wide shot looking down at the operating table. this shot makes Blake look small and vulnerable amongst the doctors.
- Mid shot of Blake and head of homeland security. This shot puts them both at the same height so neither one is dominant over the other. Blake is towards the left of the screen which conveys the fact that he is about to leave.
- Wide shot of children on beach. In this shot the children and grand children are all in a very small area of the frame showing there closeness and also the fact that they are in essence their own family. The wide shot still allows for the parents to be incorporated as they are in the top right although there is a lot of space that separates them.
- Mid tilt shot of Blake and Peggy. this shot shows the closeness of the pair as they are crammed in to a small space on screen. However there is something a bit off in this frame between the dutch tilt and the fact that they are not in centre. This shot accentuates the text being read out which is also a bit off and confusing and a dramatic change from the rest.
