Boyz in da hood

Film language analysis

Camera 

F - Frame
A - Actor
M - Movement

The first image that we see is a zoomed in shot of a STOP sign, this could connote the idea that racism needs to be prevented as it's almost out of control. The sign is red which could have connotations to danger, power and strength, all of these ideas sum racism up in a nut shell. We are then presented with a pan right to left as the camera shows drawings completed by the class which is then panned over to show the class environment. A long shot is used to show the entire class working and listening to the teacher, this type of camera frame is normally used if there are many people in the scene so that they can all be identified.

Editing

S - Screen time
T - Transitions
O - Order of narrative
P - Pace
S - Special effects

Within the short clip the character with the most amount of screen time was definitely the young boy, this causes the audience to imagine that he is one of the main characters. The transitions are mostly just straight cuts however, when we are shown the paintings/drawings the images dissolve slowly. From when we see the children walking to school until the fight scene breaks out I would hazard a guess that about 40 minutes to an hour have passed. Although after the fighting scene in the classroom we see the young boy walking home from school which then means that hours have passed since the fight.

Sound

M - Music
C - Contropontal/parallel
D - Diegetics
O - Offscreen
V - Voiceover
E - Emotion
D - Dialogue

As soon as the film opens we can hear a voiceover of a person speaking about death, which is then supported by diegetic sounds of cars and gun shots. The voiceovers and offscreen sounds continue when the officer begins to talk, this is then placed against the diegetic sounds of a mixture of sirens. When the children are walking up to the police investigation scene the music is contrapuntal as the gentle soft music doesn't quite replicate the tragic images. The dialogue of the teacher is rude and ignorant, we can identify this by the tone of voice that she uses when she communicates with the children and especially the mother. When the boy is walking home we hear an offscreen conversation between two people, which we find out to be the teacher and the mother. This is then supported by the dietetic sounds coming from the boys having a fight on the side of the road.

Mise en scene

C - Costume
L - Lighting
A - Actors
M - Makeup
P - Props
S - Setting

Throughout the clip the characters all wear casual clothing and the costume that the teacher wears is very traditional for her job in particular. Most of the children are black and they have strong personalities, this is most likely due to the environment that they are surrounded in - the idea of nature vs nurture. The teachers body language makes us view her as someone that sees themself above everyone else, this is sort of language is shown though the facial expression of the mother when the teacher questions her intelligence level. The setting throughout this clip is of a rundown street with a school in the middle of it, near the entrance to the school there is a crime scene which is observed by the young children, essentially exposing them to danger.