This blog will analyze a shot chosen from “Ratcatcher”, which was released in 1999, created by Lynne Ramsay. The shot was placed from 00:08:14 to 00:08:52 in this film, after Ryan Quinn was found in the canal and his mother was ready to bury him. It will be analyzed in three aspects for its meanings and influences of existing in this movie.
Firstly, the sound of this shot will be analyzed. It contains three parts. One of them is the sound of car’s engine, this sound became smaller and smaller as the car was driven away. James sat on the wall, saw the car and listened to the sound. Feeling his friend was leaving him and that was his fault. Then, the sound of thunder and rain can be heard more clearly after the car went away. Additionally, the lens also made the image of James more clearly by zooming. Thus, people can understand these sounds not only reflected the weather outside but also is the weather in James’s heart. He was sad and regretful for his behavior, but he did not have the ability to change the result. After that, a sorrowful music replaced other sounds and James also jumped down from the wall. He stood against the wall and people can also see his sorrowful expression from on face. The sounds and the images played together to create a painful atmosphere and people can recognize that this event became a trauma in James’s childhood.
Secondly, the backgrounds of it also contained information. The backgrounds of this shot were changed from car to rubbish in the neighborhood and finally turned into the wall. As mentioned before, the moving of the car and its sound expressed a feeling of loss and powerless. James can only see the car away and cannot make up for his fault. This event changed his attitude to playing with friends, so when Kenny raised the idea to catch perch in the canal, he refused. Because it was a trauma of him and he was afraid that Kenny will also drown in the canal.
Then, the rubbish in the street can convey the living conditions to viewers that there were not people who cleaned up the block. In fact, there was a strike happened in Glasgow at that time (Lopez, 2019). People did not work and stayed at home negatively, waiting for removing. Under this circumstance, his father drank and other family members also did not care about his emotions. Additionally, he did not share his nervous and loneliness that resulted from his friend’s death with his families, too. Thus, he needed to bury this trauma into his heart. The background of rubbish showed in this shot was a supplement and transformation of the other two backgrounds. This will be explained further after analyzing the wall.
James chose to jump down from the wall in the side that did not have people after the car was driven away, which means he separated himself with the block. The background also changed from wide (sky, light and neighbor) to limited (a wall held others back), just like his heart was closed after Ryan left from his view. Thus, the wall not only became the background of this shot, it also became a boundary between James and the neighbor outside of people’s view. To explain it deeper, a boundary was also built in James’ heart and kept this secret from others.
In conclusion, the changings of backgrounds in this shot were carefully planned. Firstly, James saw the car driven away and a trauma was formed in his heart. Then, because of the social phenomenon, his parents and sisters did not care about his emotions and feelings. He cannot gain comforts and guidance from them. Finally, he built a wall in his heart and kept this event away from others. Thus, the changings of the backgrounds in this shot were also the changings of James’s thoughts inside his consciousness and people’s understandings of his changings of emotions were also of great importance to help understand follow-up parts of this film.
Thirdly, people can obtain information from behaviors of James. A medium close-up shot was provided after James jumped down from the wall in an eyelevel angle. Thus, viewers can saw the expressions and actions of James clearly. His eyes were looking down to the ground and lost spirit, which conveyed his sorrow for Ryan’s death. He put his hand in his pocket, which delivered the information of refusing others to approach, just like he chose this side of the wall instead of another side. Then, he sighed because he cannot make up for his behavior and can only saw Ryan was carried away. Therefore, different elements work together to deliver similar information in one shot and made the idea of the film-maker emphasized.
Additionally, the other element that can express his press was his actions. He watched the car driven away on the wall and jumped down from it expertly. From these actions, people can realize that he was a naughty boy. However, he did not laugh frequently in this film like other boys. Instead, he was expressionless most of the time in the block. Nonetheless, he played cheerfully and smiled in a field without other people (00:42:00-00:42:28). Thus, people can recognize that he was a boy who liked to play but he had a painful secret and it caused him to be alone (Lopez, 2019).
Besides, in this medium close-up shot, the camera becomes viewers’ eyes to see the boy’s gestures. The camera was put in front of James and viewers are required to interact with the boy. Because it looked like this boy was really in front of them and made the fact more authentic. People will be engaged in this shot and have the same feelings of this little boy. That can also help people to understand this movie in James’s perspective.
To sum up, the using of sounds, backgrounds and techniques of shooting in this shot were well-organized and combined together to express James’s emotions and changings of complex thoughts. It was also a significant shot for people to understand the behaviors of James in the following parts of this film.
Reference:
Ramsay, L. (1999). Ratcatcher. UK, France: Pathé Pictures, BBC Films.
Lopez, C. A. (2019). Ratcatcher: CHILDHOOD, TRAUMA AND TRANSITIONAL SPACES. Screen Education, 96, 118.
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