Film analysis

This is the introduction to the film Layer Cake, in which a succesful coccaine dealer is set one last task before his planned early retirement. It is a monologue spoken by the main character which fills the purpose of introducing the characters and setting the scene for the film. In this monologue the main character talks of his rules and attitudes towards his crime setting us up to see which he will break and which he will change throughout the film. As a film technique this is very useful as the director can discreetly inform the audience of the plot outline quickly, and tell the audience as much as he wants. Also in this monologue some characters from later in the film can be shown without spoiling the plot.

The very opening of this clip is interesting from a visual perspective as we see the use of colour and film style change. The opening shot is in the "old days" filmed in black and white with an old film style. The use of black and white here is also important as it emphasises the characters point of things being simple back then. The next shot is in colour, but still has an aged sepia look to it. The reason it is in sepia colour is because it is the 70's the introduction of LSD and hash. This is also to emphasise my point earlier of the complications of drugs being represented by the addition of colour to the scenes. The next shot is very interesting as it shows the future. when, as the character explains things will be simple again because the government will sell us all our drugs. This simplicity is represented again through the use of colour but this time through the brightness and neatness of the artificial room he is in. So we have seen the transition now from the simple "old days" filmed in black and white to the confusion created by the addition of drugs to the system represented by colour and sepia tones, followed right through to a conclusion in the future where things will be in colour but simple colour represented by the bright and fake looking supermarket the next shot is in. This now sets us for the next shot, the present day where the story will occur. This is filmed in normal modern film, the confused times. where drugs are still sold by dealers and the police are still out to get them. This transition in film types and colour adds to the words and the premise of the clip. Explaining a simple narrative about the way england has changed since the introduction of drugs and how it will be in the future in a very visual way.