Contextual Studies

The scene begins with a wide shot of two men and women sat around smoking and drinking. One of the men is wearing brown suede trousers with a matching jacket. The mise en scene of his clothing is important because it looks like the clothing the native Americans used to wear. This is important because Wyatt and Billy, the two protagonists, are seeking peace but are rejected by bigoted small town Americans which is also what happened to the native Americans. The native Americans were hunted down and driven away from their homes because of their different culture and beliefs. The mise en scene of the girl dressed in a black veil could represent the death of American society. Black veils are commonly worn by widows or women in mourning so the fact that she is wearing the black veil shows she is has lost something or someone. The mise en scene of the graveyard that the protagonists are sat in The iconography of alcohol and cigarettes are commonly used as a symbol of escapism from the everyday world and society itself. These characters have no sense of belonging in the world they live in. Through the mise en scene of the protagonists taking drugs it shows how they are yet again just looking to escape and be happy for a while. This is also shown when the non diegetic sound in the scene grows louder after the protagonists take the drugs and gradually drowns out the diegetic dialogue which shows how the drugs block out the noise of the rest of the world. A non diegetic voice over is used as the scene cuts between the Protagonists drinking and a derelict building. The shot reverse shot of the derelict building and the male protagonist is suggesting that the two are very similar and that the male is also broken and doesnt fit in with his surroundings. The voice over dialogue is telling the story of Jesus's crucifixion and mentions "descending into hell" as there is a wide shot of three of the protagonists which suggests that they will go to hell due to their way of living and involvement with drugs. However when the building is shown again soft high key lighting is used to show the suns beams on the building as the voice over talks about Jesus's ascension to heaven the camera then pans to a clear blue sky before a jump cut to one of the young women, who is revealed to be the one reading the passage from the voice over. She says that she "believes in God" as it then cuts to the sun in the sky. A zoom in is then used until the sun becomes a blur. A close up of one of the males shows him sat on a statue with his eyes closed as he says "shut up". A vignette is then used as a montage of moving images are shown. The vignette represents the point of view of the male protagonist dreaming.One of the last things we see in the montage is the statue of Jesus on the cross. This scene contains a lot of religious symbolism and messages as the protagonists are shown as sinners through the acts of drinking, smoking and taking drugs. A zoom out is then used to reveal the sun yet again. A handheld camera is used to show us the point of view of one of the protagonists as it spins around in circles. The use of the handheld camera gives a sense of verisimilitude and puts the audience in the protagonists shoes as he feels lost and is going in circles.