Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 2 minutes

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) Drama and War

Camera shots and angles:

To begin with the background is extreme close up of just the red of the swastika flag, this could connote blood and death which is an important issue in this film. Then the camera slowly begins to zoom out so you have a close up of the flag which is a symbol of the Nazi’s and therefore highlights to the audience that this film is going to be based around the Germans during the time of war. Then you have a high angle long shot to set the scene, which is based in a German town, this also helps to portray the period as there is swastikas hanging from the buildings. Then the film begins to zoom into the town and we can see four boys running across the square pretending to be planes, in this we have a close up on one particular boy’s face which implies to the audience that he is the main character of the film. We can see from the multiple close up on the young boy's face that he is very happy, enjoying all the time with his friends and is unaware of all the world problems happening around him. When the boy is running through the town there is a clear juxtapose between the boys having fun and the soldiers sat in the back of there van, positive and negative both so clearly divided in one scene.

Sound and Editing:

The film starts with the quote ‘Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows’ John Betjeman this suggests to the audience that the film is about childhood innocence but also that something very negative is going to be portrayed in this film. Behind the credits is a very quiet piano music, classical, which depicts that the film is going to be sad and begins to set the correct time frame to the audience. The piano continues to play throughout the whole of the opening two minutes which allows the audience to focus on the images on the screen rather than what is being said.

Mise-en-scene:

In the first establishing shot we can see flags and armed soldiers standing around a building this illustrates to the audience that it is set in Germany during the war. This is also confirmed by the old fashioned clothing and cars that we can also see in the frame. Then we are taken to a very old fashioned house with maids and housekeepers cleaning the house suggesting that the little boy we have just seen comes from an upper class German family.