Shooting drug scene research 2
PROTEGE
The shot of the drug scene will make or break my groups film. Such a scene must have the correct elements in order to convey the correct message we want to send out to the viewer.
The director Protege shows the sad side of drug use. He places great emphasis on negative side of drug taking. As you can see from the scene the mise en scene is very dark and gloomy, the character looks rough and her hair looks unkempt and greasy. You can also see that the character is experiencing early withdrawal symptoms even after her nicotine high. The director shows the following to show the viewer the bad side of drug use, the dependency on heavy drugs and also how the drug can overwhelm someone's life to a point that they don't bother to maintain their appearance.
The director also uses close ups of the drug paraphernalia, but he edits the clips of the drug paraphernalia in a different manner compared to the director of the movie pulp fiction. The director of the Protege does not linger over the close ups of the drugs and syringes, he cuts through the shots quickly. He just allows the viewer to see the props for the sake of continuity.
The drug user high is not prolonged with a range of shots of her facial expression, there is just one close up of her face and also a long shot of the characters life less body on the floor. By doing this the director makes the drug users high less glamorous and less blissful.
Also the lack of non diegetic sound frees up a percentage of viewers conscious, allowing the viewer to ponder on the cons of drug taking.
