Research and Planning

The first thing that I did in my research was look at this still image of a scene from Pulp Fiction. I feel that Pulp Fiction fits our genre. This is the picture:

As part of my analysis of the picture I looked at the mise-en-scene. One of the key aspects of this is the setting. I highlighted the fact that being in a cafe suggests that this kind of situation is usual for Jules. A cafe is a very casual and relaxed setting which some people may visit every day. This juxtaposes with the fact that a gun is being held at a person in this scene and this could build Jules' character as it shows he is not afraid to do this kind of thing in public. As the audience you think that Jules is a very powerful character is comfortable in any situation.

Another aspect of mise-en-scene that is evident, even in this still image is performance. Jules is lent over the table asserting his dominance over the guy he is interrogating. He is taking up more space on the table which suggests that he is intimidating the other character and perhaps an intimidating character himself. Additionally, the other character is backed more into his seat and has his hands on the table. This contrast of the characters highlights to the audience the fact that Jules is definitely in the position of power in the scene

The prop of the suitcase adds to the idea that Jules is a very assertive powerful character. He is guarding it from the other person which shows that he is not afraid of him and also possibly that he has something to hide. The contents of a suitcase like this is often something like a lot of money in this genre, and whilst in Pulp Fiction you don't know what is in the suitcase, the genre itself helps build Jules' character; in my own piece I think the use of a prop that is stereotypical may be a good thing to use to build the image of a crime genre.