Case Study 2 - 'Breaking Bad Episode 13: Face Off' Television Program
The next scene is in a car park, and we can clearly hear the diegetic sound of radio station which is interrupted by a news report on the explosion, this scene is an example of the show having high verisimilitude. The camera zooms into the car window and Walt listens to the report, it then fades to black. The action then cuts to Jesse, who is shot in a low-angle, this shot may have been used to show Jesse as a vulnerable character as he is being guarded and has no chance of escape. A tracking shot follows the guard to the elevator, the camera goes into an over the shoulder shot, Walt suddenly appears and shoots the guard killing him. Jesse hides fearing that someone has come to kill him too. Walt emerges from the darkness, half of his face is dark and the other half is light, this shot of Walt symbolises how his character has become something much darker and unpredictable then he was at the start of the series. After the long stretch of no dialogue Walt's only words to Jesse are 'We've got work to do', Gilligan has allowed the visuals to play out naturally therefore allowing the characters to act erratically. Gilligan uses a technique that is frequently used throughout the series and that technique is a montage, the montage in these scene has Walt and Jesse destroying the lab, the montage is accompanied by a non-diegetic soundtrack of a Mexican style guitar playing in a fast tempo, therefore the montage and soundtrack work parallelly to enhance the supposedly victorious moment for the two characters. The two characters then walk off screen which then fades to white. The fade to white juxtaposes the previous fade to black as the white epitomizes good and replicates the victory that Walt and Jesse have achieved by killing Gus and destroying the lab.
In contrast to the rest of the episode the final sequence has Jesse and Walt using dialogue. Although the characters have achieved what they wanted there is still an element of dubiousness, particularly from Jesse who tries to justify Gus' death as he believes that Gus was the one who poisoned Brock. Gilligan uses a mid-shot/two shot of Walt and Jesse as they shake hands, we as the audience can feel the hesitance on Jesse's side. Once Jessie leaves Walt alone and Gilligan highlights this by using an extreme wide angle shot. Walt speaks to Skyler on the phone and when Skyler asks what happened Walt replies "I won" and then hangs up. It then cuts to Walt's back-garden where the camera pans to reveal the plant used to poison Brock. By ending the episode with this image Gilligan is creating an enigma code to make the audience question Walt's actions and reflect on what he has become.
The last fifteen minutes of the season 4 finale 'Face Off' perfectly showcases the cinematic quality of Breaking Bad. As this is the final episode of season 4 the anticipation and tension are cranked up, the show creator Vince Gilligan has taken hold of the reigns to direct this episode as it is an important game-changer in the Breaking Bad series. Gilligan has made the character of Gus appear to be invulnerable as many of Walt's attempts to kill Gus have been thwarted, instead Walt devises a plan in which Gus will not expect his inevitable death. Because of this we as the audience are shown Gus' last moments from his perspective.
When Gus is waiting in his car for the go-ahead the camera slowly zooms into his face, his face is expressionless and we get the feeling that Gus has been anticipating the day he gets to exact revenge on Hector but what he doesn't know that he is also walking to his doom. Once Gus receives the call saying it is all clear to go, he does not respond, the lack of dialogue reiterates Gus' constant focus and professionalism and this builds tension as the audience are constantly thinking that Gus is going to catch on. The non-diegetic soundtrack playing over shots of Gus walking towards the care-home is very harmonious and reflects Gus' mood that today is going to be a day of vengeance. Before entering the room Gus takes in a deep breath and exhales, he then smartens himself up, throughout the series Gus has been portrayed as someone who appears to be gentle and calm when in fact he is a very dangerous individual.
Upon entering the room the camera is on a low angle and shows a depth of field, Gilligan has used this shot as it represents that these characters are in a stand-off that they are not entirely aware of, the low angle makes them all seem as equally dangerous and unpredictable. The over the shoulder shot (behind Hector) shows the audience that Hector is the most vulnerable character in the situation, or is he. There is little dialogue between Hector and Gus, therefore Gilligan uses the camera to do the talking, for example close-ups are used of the characters faces, Gus' eyes are fixed on Hectors, however, Hector is looking to the side avoiding eye contact. Gus demands for Hector to look him in the eye but he refuses to comply. An action shot is used on an injector needle, Gus holds it in his hands and we as the audience can sense the satisfaction that Gus is feeling knowing he has the power over Hector who is sitting there in the wheelchair, powerless. Throughout the majority of the scene the camera is at the same height as Hector with the top half of Gus and the bodyguard off-screen, this is used because the scene is all about Hector and Gus. As Gus looks up his expressionless face becomes bewildered as Hector is finally looking him in the eye, Gus is taken aback, it then cuts to a close-up shot of Hector who has angry face, suddenly the diegetic sound of a bell ringing begins, as it intensifies the camera pans down in a reveal shot of a bomb attached to Hector's wheelchair, it then quickly cuts to Gus who stands up and shouts releasing what is about to happen, the audience receive gratifications from this as Gus who throughout the series has always remained calm and collected and one step ahead of everyone else has finally lost his cool, it then cuts to a wide shot outside of the room followed by a loud explosion. Gilligan has used off-screen violence because it creates an enigma, the audience will be wondering have they all died? Gilligan shows draws out the aftermath of the explosion, the camera lingers in the same wide shot outside of the room, the carers frantically run around, and the diegetic sound of sirens and screams is heard and gives the scene high verisimilitude as the responses to the explosion are realistic. When Gus walks out the room the audience feels a sense of astonishment, Gus has managed to survive again. Gilligan has done this to tease the audience. Gus smartens himself up as he always does, the camera then does a 180 degree turn (abiding to the 180 rule) and reveals that Gus is missing half of his face he then drops to the ground dead.
The next scene is in a car park, and we can clearly hear the diegetic sound of radio station which is interrupted by a news report on the explosion, this scene is an example of the show having high verisimilitude. The camera zooms into the car window and Walt listens to the report, it then fades to black. The action then cuts to Jesse, who is shot in a low-angle, this shot may have been used to show Jesse as a vulnerable character as he is being guarded and has no chance of escape. A tracking shot follows the guard to the elevator, the camera goes into an over the shoulder shot, Walt suddenly appears and shoots the guard killing him. Jesse hides fearing that someone has come to kill him too. Walt emerges from the darkness, half of his face is dark and the other half is light, this shot of Walt symbolises how his character has become something much darker and unpredictable then he was at the start of the series. After the long stretch of no dialogue Walt's only words to Jesse are 'We've got work to do', Gilligan has allowed the visuals to play out naturally therefore allowing the characters to act erratically. Gilligan uses a technique that is frequently used throughout the series and that technique is a montage, the montage in these scene has Walt and Jesse destroying the lab, the montage is accompanied by a non-diegetic soundtrack of a Mexican style guitar playing in a fast tempo, therefore the montage and soundtrack work parallelly to enhance the supposedly victorious moment for the two characters. The two characters then walk off screen which then fades to white. The fade to white juxtaposes the previous fade to black as the white epitomizes good and replicates the victory that Walt and Jesse have achieved by killing Gus and destroying the lab.
In contrast to the rest of the episode the final sequence has Jesse and Walt using dialogue. Although the characters have achieved what they wanted there is still an element of dubiousness, particularly from Jesse who tries to justify Gus' death as he believes that Gus was the one who poisoned Brock. Gilligan uses a mid-shot/two shot of Walt and Jesse as they shake hands, we as the audience can feel the hesitance on Jesse's side. Once Jessie leaves Walt alone and Gilligan highlights this by using an extreme wide angle shot. Walt speaks to Skyler on the phone and when Skyler asks what happened Walt replies "I won" and then hangs up. It then cuts to Walt's back-garden where the camera pans to reveal the plant used to poison Brock. By ending the episode with this image Gilligan is creating an enigma code to make the audience question Walt's actions and reflect on what he has become.
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