Pulp Fiction - Textual Analysis

Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime and gangster film directed by Quentin Tarantino.
In the drug scene the plot is about drugs and piercings in which Jody, Fabienne and Vincent are having a strange, alternative and rebellious dialogue about piercings related with sex and provocation (sexual pleasure) while Lance is preparing the different drugs for selling it to Vincent.
Vega is a drug dependent and in this scene he has lots of close-ups and the camera follows him.
It can be said that the three caracters that were in the house (except for Vincent) don't fit in the society as Jody has 18 piercings and Lance is a drug dealer, what is not common.
In this scene there are some still shots in which there are many close-ups in faces (when talking about piercings and when Vincent is in the car injecting himself drugs) and in the drugs on the bed. There are also extreme-close ups in the syringe and the preparation of drugs; low shot showing the reflection in the mirror of  Vincent and Lance (bedroom of drug dealer);medium-close up in Vincent when he is counting his money sitting in a chair with "hippie" stuff arround him.
The scene creates a feeling of being "flying away" because of the effects of the drugs by the provocative background music (dream-like guitars); there is lack of lighting, with shadows (Vincent in his car - "dark world" because of drugs), highliting with close-ups and light in the drugs and it's preparation, and there are dark colours, white and red; slow motions when Vincent is riding the car, "drugs effect" creating a feeling of "drug tentation" , there is also slow movement when he is inyecting himself; close-ups in faces and drugs (preparations, inyections, etc.); dutch angle shots and alternative when the boys are talking about the different characteristics of the drugs and the camera is in a low angle showing the bed, Vincent, half part of Lance and the other half reflected in the mirror.
In my opinion, Tarantino tries to persuade the audience to consume drugs and that they are good because it shows in the whole movie the relaxing and pleasure effects that the drugs create

Pulp Fiction - Textual Analysis (NOTES)

• narrative: plot about drugs and piercings (talking about sex and provocation)
• genre: crime and gangster
• presentation of characters: Jody and the other woman talking about piercings, Vincent and drug dealer (Lance) talking about the different types of drug. Outcast characters (dont fit in society): 18 piercings, drug delears, etc.
• camera angles, shots and movement: still shots: close-ups in faces (when talking about piercings and when Vincent is in the car), the drugs on the bed; extreme-close up in the syringe and the preparation of the drugs; low shot showing the reflection in the mirror of Vincent and Lance(bedroom of drug dealer); medium-close up in Vincent when he is counting his money sitting in a chair with "hippie" stuff arround him.
• editing and sequencing: slow motion when Vincent is riding the car "drugs effect" creating a feeling of "drug tentation"
• lighting, shade and colour: shadows (Vincent in car - "dark world" because of drugs) lack of  lighting.
• sound: provocative background music
• location and set design: Lance's house (hippie decoration), Vicent's car.
• genre conventions:
• target audience of the film :

"... who operate outside the law, stealing and violently murdering their way through life."
"Crime stories in this genre often highlight the life of a crime figure or a crime's victim(s)."
"Gangster/crime films are usually set in large, crowded cities, to provide a view of the secret world of the criminal: dark nightclubs or streets with lurid neon signs, fast cars, piles of cash, sleazy bars, contraband, seedy living quarters or rooming houses."

Production Journal 4

Two weeks before the classes re-started, our teacher gave us a day (tuesday) in which we could miss school for finish filming.
At 10 am we met on Viveka's house and took all our memory cards that we had. There we put all our camera batteries and celphones to charge (so there is no problem), we searched the adresses of different tattoo shops for going and we had breakfast.
Then we took all our cameras, celphones, memory cards, tripod, money, etc. and walked again to the Bond Street.
There we interview 2 different tattooers and also one man that was tattooing her girlfriend's name in his arm.
Then we went to Mc Donald's to have lunch and then we continued filming another tattooer.
We recovered a lot of footish, including photographs.

PRODUCTION JOURNALS - becoming more analytical

Watch the student film, "Treehouse". Initial comments as to its strengths/weaknesses?
Plot not interesting, good use of music, bad lighting, good actors, good shots and sound.

Read the commentary extract from the director's production journal. To what extent does it meet the guidelines above?
Good shot positions (close-ups, medium close-ups, etc.), good colour in the images but bad lighting when interviewing the others in close places, good use of storyboard, good editing in jump cuts and putting three shots of interviews together in one shot, good and clear sound, music well used, good costumers, backgrounds related with the characters.