9 frame analysis: Taxi Driver- Theo Benjamin

1) A crane shot is used to show what is in the room and how messy and full of blood it is. The music is made by drums and symbols, this starts of slowly and quietly and gets faster. This builds tension as well as making the viewer’s feel on edge and uncomfortable. This shot lasts for 9 seconds which is a long time, the cinematographer has done this so that the viewers can see what has gone on in the room and so they are able to grasp how bloody and brutal the attack was. Low key lighting is used as darkness is associated with bad & upsetting things.

2) The crane shot is still used in the next part of the film where it shows the dead body of one of the men that worked in the house. The music has now started to pick up intensity and other instruments are added such as a harp and a keyboard. The light becomes brighter so that the viewers can see that the blood has covered the victim. This shot is shorter and only lasts for 5 seconds, this is because we have already seen the room but the director wants to show how bloody the man is and try to put us in the mind of the police officers that have entered the room.

3) In the third shot we get a close up of blood that on the staircase wall. This is a classic horror film convention. Although we as an audience member know whos blood it is; it is an enigma to the police officers that have just entered the building. This close up lasts for 3 seconds and the camera then tilts down in a diagonal direction into the next shot.

4) Next shows a close up of the step with a blood stain on it. The music is still building during this shot, the use of drums and symbols increase in volume and the camera slowly pushes in towards the blood. This shot then fades out into the next shot of the gun.

5) This shot of the gun shows the weapon that he used to kill his second victim; the music is now at the same volume as before. This shot lasts 3 seconds as there is not much detail shown in it, the blood around the gun shows the mayhem it has caused. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable as the shot shows them how dangerous the weapon is and what the holder of it can do.

6) The shot then lasts here for 5 seconds, the blood is dripping down the wall and the fact that some it is dry shows that the murder happened a long time ago now. The cinematographer shows more blood on the wall in this shot and it makes the audience get the feeling that the location is a slaughter house or somewhere where people are killed, although we know that it is the complete opposite of that earlier in the film.

7) The first murder weapon is shown here for 4 seconds. This is in a close up and therefore shows the audience a detailed picture of what the gun looks like, there is blood around the gun which had come from the Travis (the character seen in shot one). The music starts to get quieter here as we come closer to the end of the house.

8) The first victim is shown in this frame and it reminds the audience of how much chaos Travis has caused in this house, the blood covering the body makes the audience and myself feel uncomfortable and sad that a life has been taken and because we're being shown graphic scenes. The camera then tilts down and shows outside the door.

9) A long shot is done by the cinematographer to show all the neighbors outside the house trying to see what’s happening inside, there’s a police officer keeping everyone away. The music then becomes louder and builds more tension so the audience feel on edge and like something else is going to happen.