Breaking Bad textual analysis (homework)

Shot Types

• The crystal meth at the beginning- This was an extreme close up, I believe they did this to highlight the subject at the start of the clip, drugs. This also tells us what the basis of the clip is going to be about as it also quite a large subject. 
• The room- This is a master shot and this shows us where the limit of action will occur, we are aware anything that is going to happen is going to happen in that room. 
• Walt (The bald guy)- This is  medium shot of his body, you can see the room in the background and this makes us aware he has fully entered and that the action is likely to happen soon as the main character is there. 
• Tuco (The main drug dealer)- There is a close up of his face, this shows the concentration he holds whilst inspecting the drugs, it also elaborates the importance of the drugs to him and makes it aware to the audience that he obviously has a large involvement with them. 
• Tuco- An over the shoulder shot is taken when Tuco holds a conversation with Walt, this is the common way to film a conversation, and shows who is the conversation is being held with. 
• Walt- A following over the shoulder shot is used, this is again the common way to film a conversation but this also shows the emotion of the character that is speaking, in this case we see Walt displays fearlessness and therefore get the feel that Walt is a brave character. This shot is used again Tuco is replying, his emotion bares disbelief, in which we assume he treats life as a joke due to him laughing. 
• Walt- There is then a close up of Walt's face which again displays his emotion and shows his seriousness, which lets us know this scene is serious and something serious is bound to happen very shortly. 
• All the people in the room- This is an extreme long shot as it shows us how many people are in the room, this also lets us know we are right before the action as it is making it very evident of the amount of people in the room. 
• The building being blown up- This is an establishing shot as it established the where the deal was being exchanged and where everything had happened, it also emphasizes the damage made by a small rock, which can shock an audience.
• Walt- A medium close up is used. This shows him and the damage behind him, this tells the audience that he, the least threatening looking person in the room has caused the explosion. This can again shock the audience. 
• Walt- An extreme close up is used showing blood beneath his nose which creates a cause for concern and it shows his facial expression of relief as he handles the money which tells us why he has done the things he has done. 
• The car driving away- An establishing shot is used which is used to create a smooth transition as the car disappears but we still have something to look at. This also tells the audience that the episode is more than likely to be ending. 

Sound Types

• Hip hop music being played in the background- This is diegetic as I think it is being played on a radio as after the explosion the music stops as if it is no longer functioning. The use of this music tells us what kind of stereotype the drug dealer is, he is quite street orientated and a typical drug dealer we are lead to believe looks like by the media. 
• Rustling of the bag which contains meth- This is synchronous and I believe its used because it just makes the situation more realistic, if the bag wasn't to rustle it would be an action and scene very hard to believe. 
• The whooshing of the rock as it is thrown- This sound is non diegetic as it is a special effect, its used because it suited with the rock as the movement slowed down and it emphasized the movement by making it evident that this small rock was going to create a large impact. 
• The explosion- This sound is synchronous as we watch the explosion take place at the exact time we hear it. 
• Cars being hit- This sound is asynchronous, we know this because we can hear car alarms going off but cannot see them being hit, but it is obvious they are being hit as an explosion has just happened right next to them. 
• Long note- This is a non diegetic sound as it is mood music. The mood it creates makes us suspicious whether anyone is hurt as the note is prolonged. 
• Police sirens- This is asynchronous as we cannot see them. However it tells us that it is possibly a small area where this has occurred or a troublesome area as we hear the sirens very shortly after, meaning its being immediately looked into.
• Rustling of money- This is a synchronous sound and it emphasizes the amount Walt has as we hear it all rub together. 

Mise en scene

Within this part we can assume that the scene is taking place in a risky area as a drug is being held by a knife, being held by a man with a furrowed brow. We also assume this man isn't a very good man as he is heavily concentrating on the drugs showing it is what he deeply cares about

Within this part we can see that this is most likely a working area and not a legit one at that as it looks like a desk has just been forced into a room to make things seem more business than they actually are. The room is quite bare and doesn't contain any typical household items, so we are assured that it is most likely to be a make shift office. The area is dingy and tainted which reflects that the business within the office could be quite tainted. There are boxes in the room also and nothing seems to have a place which gives off the vibe that the working area is quite laid back. 

Within this part we can tell that this man is quite rough as we watch him put out a cigarette on his tongue, almost as if he is trying to make a point that he is the 'tough' one. We also learn that he is probably the reason for the issue that is about to arise and that he is not someone likely to be messed with. 

Here we can be reassured that the 'office' wasn't legit and that the business wasn't as we can see the building was previously abandoned and is only used for most likely illegal business. We can assume the business is illegal because an explosion is taking place, which makes us think that someone wants revenge and obviously has succeeded in trying to obtain it. The graffiti on the side of the building makes us think that the people who gain the most use out of the building are street orientated and quite careless. 

This shot shows that nobody is rushing in the background, meaning there is a state of normality and these people are used to things such as explosions, or just common violence. This tells us that the area is actually very rough and not a place you would typically choose to live. We can see from the clothing of the people in the background that the place could be quite urban and money orientated as they are more bothered about what they are wearing than where they hang around or work. We can tell that these garments have most likely been a product of dirty money.