Editing Analysis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUcCEqZbemE


Through the use of various colors, sounds, music, symbolism, and camera angles, the movie Punch-Drunk Love, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, not only shows the physical isolated state of Adam Sandler but expresses the emotional isolated state of him as well using different shots.  

I started analyzing this scene right when Barry is then taken by the four blonde brothers. As the first bit of dialogue in this scene begins, Barry stutters his words, has nervous expressions and body movements, which gives off the feeling that he is timid, scared and unsure of himself. As this scary type of music gets louder it heightens the tension as the fourth brother comes into the frame and punches Barry down to the ground as the camera moves into a subjective camera angle and takes us on a sideways perspective with Barry as he falls showing his view of the brothers license plate (his POV). Also the next shot, a close up of Barry gives off a more emotional effect and after seeing Barry’s reaction to seeing the license plate where shortly after the suspense starts to heighten with the scary music coming back into play, (sharp violin playing) making us feel that this moment is still not safe for him. Barry gets up and the shot shows an extreme long shot of the parking lot of the bank giving us hope that Barry has somewhere to run away to. 

The shrieking music and sound effects increases the suspense as Barry starts to run into the shadows, making us feel nervous for him. Listening without the sound definitely wasn't as suspenseful as it was listening with the sound. The use of shadows through-out this scene also helps to give Barry somewhere to hide or to feel hidden. It then cuts to Barry running along this bright white wall. Whiteness, especially white walls seem to be one of the common color themes through-out this movie and scene. The white seems to symbolize some type of enclosed or isolated room, kind of thinking of an insane asylum white room. While he runs faster and faster the music gets a little faster to keep up the suspense. A little later on the camera then moves into a high angle shot to which gives us the sense that he is feeling belittled or isolated, at the same time making me feel some sort of anxiety. The lack of sound for a few seconds also adds to the sense of isolation and the quietness in this shot makes you question whether he is safe or not, by this point you just feel bad for him. 


Back to a tracking shot we are then lead back to Barry running out of the dead end, with the music intensifying again and with the sounds of a car making us feel like the four brothers are close by, it creates an even more dramatic suspenseful feeling and also heightens the tension even more. Those car sounds were probably edited in after the filming, as well as the sound earlier of Barry getting punched. There are a lot of scenes in this film that are great examples to how music or any sounds definitely adds to every scene, helping to create a certain feeling among the audience.