Film Analysis - Week 12
Nightcrawler (2014) - Directed by Dan Gilroy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Bill Paxton
Nightcrawler (2014) - Directed by Dan Gilroy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Bill Paxton
This film is an Action/Thriller following the life of Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he discovers his passion for filming for the news. The thrill seeking aspect that he discovers in capturing intense moments at the scene of a crime drive his sadistic nature and leads to rise through the ranks of the news world. The film develops Bloom’s character by showing his clear motivation and goals. His unique character structure makes the audience question whether he is doing right. His rise to the top is shown thorough the mundanity of life at the start of the film, he struggle for money and a passion in life. The film shows themes of greed, passion, exploitation and risk.
The film’s establishing scene at the start of the film is very significant to the audience’s perception of Bloom. He is shown cutting fences for scrap. His outburst of rage that he inflict on the law enforcement officer is used as foreshadowing for his sadistic nature. The way in which he manipulates people into getting exactly what he wants is mirrored through his thievery of the watch at the start. The expensive watch is also shown off in the second to last scene, showing the audience how far Bloom has come. After discovering his passion and conquering it, he still remains the same cruel person, unchanged by the society which he has indulged in. The watch plays a symbolic role in the film, as even though it is also explicitly referenced twice, once at the start and again near the end, it is a symbol of Bloom’s gift for manipulation. He often says in the film that he ‘wants’ things, not deserves, requires or needs. His personal gain is the only thing which he focuses on, growing and expanding are goals which have engulfed his life and therefore affected everyone around him. Bloom is seen twice during the film expressing a form of threat on people around him. The first time, he threatens Nina (Rene Russo) in quite a casual setting. He invites her out to dinner and spirals into madness, threatening to take away all that he has given her. For the second time, he threatens to physically hurt his assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed) who up until this point has been very distant from Bloom, doing as he says yet in quite an introverted manner. All of these small features are used to show Bloom’s progression and sadistic nature.
The film tries to mimic the same format that a cameraman operating on scene would use. Much of the film is shot through a handheld camera, from either Bloom’s perspective as a cameraman or either through a direct feed from his camera. This fits into both a cinematography and editing choice. During Bloom’s live shoot, the film often cuts between the audiences perspectives and Bloom’s perspective shot, the difference is established by the a lower quality recording on Bloom’s end, emulating a more tradition playback. Even further, the film uses many wide angle shots, as Bloom often talks about, to show the entire scene from distant perspective. This gives the audience a much more personal feeling when watching the film, it connects them with the world that Bloom lives in, by using a much more lifelike feeling to the cinematography.
The film’s establishing scene at the start of the film is very significant to the audience’s perception of Bloom. He is shown cutting fences for scrap. His outburst of rage that he inflict on the law enforcement officer is used as foreshadowing for his sadistic nature. The way in which he manipulates people into getting exactly what he wants is mirrored through his thievery of the watch at the start. The expensive watch is also shown off in the second to last scene, showing the audience how far Bloom has come. After discovering his passion and conquering it, he still remains the same cruel person, unchanged by the society which he has indulged in. The watch plays a symbolic role in the film, as even though it is also explicitly referenced twice, once at the start and again near the end, it is a symbol of Bloom’s gift for manipulation. He often says in the film that he ‘wants’ things, not deserves, requires or needs. His personal gain is the only thing which he focuses on, growing and expanding are goals which have engulfed his life and therefore affected everyone around him. Bloom is seen twice during the film expressing a form of threat on people around him. The first time, he threatens Nina (Rene Russo) in quite a casual setting. He invites her out to dinner and spirals into madness, threatening to take away all that he has given her. For the second time, he threatens to physically hurt his assistant Rick (Riz Ahmed) who up until this point has been very distant from Bloom, doing as he says yet in quite an introverted manner. All of these small features are used to show Bloom’s progression and sadistic nature.
The film tries to mimic the same format that a cameraman operating on scene would use. Much of the film is shot through a handheld camera, from either Bloom’s perspective as a cameraman or either through a direct feed from his camera. This fits into both a cinematography and editing choice. During Bloom’s live shoot, the film often cuts between the audiences perspectives and Bloom’s perspective shot, the difference is established by the a lower quality recording on Bloom’s end, emulating a more tradition playback. Even further, the film uses many wide angle shots, as Bloom often talks about, to show the entire scene from distant perspective. This gives the audience a much more personal feeling when watching the film, it connects them with the world that Bloom lives in, by using a much more lifelike feeling to the cinematography.
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