How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

     The film La Haine is set in the 1990's in France, the time when the youths and police force were rioting against one and other. Normally when we think of France we stereotype it, think of it as very peaceful loving place, but the representation of France in La Haine is very negative and involves lots of conflict, this is created by the film techniques but also by the performance of the actors.

     Matthieu Kassovitz based the film around a small social group of young men from ethnic minorities. The first character we are introduced to is 'Said'. He is stood in the middle of the street with his eyes closed and the camera is slowly zooming into his face. When Said has his eyes closed there is no sound, but as he opens his eyes, you can hear the diegetic sounds around him, this almost suggest that the youths at this time are trying to shut out the world, or that they can't believe their eyes, this film technique makes an impact on the audience as they are already aware of some kind of conflict in the film. In this opening scene impact is created on the viewers straight away with the usage of conflict which is shown through film techniques. After the close up is shown of Said opening his eyes, the film then cuts to the back of Saids head, the camera slowly pans up and over the top of his head to reveal what Said is looking at.

Said is looking at the Police Station where many Police Men are standing (pigs). A point of view shot is specifically used because Said is standing on the other side of the road, so this is creating distance between him and the Pigs. This shows conflict, as even though the Pigs are usually seen as the heroic people in films, you know that in this film from the usage of the film techniques, that in this film they are the 'bad guys'. The camera then pans to Said at the back a Police Van writing graffiti on the van.
A close up of the graffiti of the van is shown for a reason, because at the top of the graffiti he has marked his name, and underneath says 'Fuck the Police' (but in french) This had an impact on me because it made me think of him as a very risky character, showing he's not afraid of the police and is quite rebellious, so it showed me as to what kind of character he was.

     We are then introduced to another character who is friends with Said, Vinz. Straight away I was aware of the character Vinz was as a low angle shot is shown of him asleep, which to me made me think of him as a bit of a slob. As Said then enters the room a point of view shot is used and the camera zooms into his hand, which on it, is a ring that says Vinz. We are introduced to Vinz' character in a similar sort of way in which Said is introduced. Because of the fact Vinz was wearing a big ring, it made me stereotype him and look at him as a kind of thug who wears a lot of 'bling'.

The next clip backs up my theory as Vinz is standing in the mirror threatening his reflection, almost practising in case he needs to hurt or threaten someone, I think this behaviour has been influenced by the surroundings he is living, constant conflict and riots going on around him, which in a way, made me feel sorry for him.