Taken away by Postproduction

Paper by Dustin Skipworth. Viewed on DVD.

Just when we all thought that the world had become somewhat a better place where we didn’t have to worry about our children being kidnapped from right under our noses, we are given a film like Man on Fire that opens our eyes to just what happens in some places around the world. Man on Fire is an American thriller film made in 2004 that is based on the 1980 novel with the same name by A.J Quinell. There is actually another film based on this same novel that was filmed in 1987. Tony Scott who is the director of this film, actually tried to have a version of this film made in 1983, but since the film would have only been his second, people believed that Scott lacked the experience to direct a film like this one. At this time 20th Century Fox wanted the film to be set in Italy as this was still a major place in the world that kidnapping was still happening and that is where the original film was made. The earliest of the film script was set in Naples. Instead however, Mexico City was decided to be the setting of the 2004 film, as Mexico City had a higher kidnapping rate. As a result of this some of the character names were changed. For example Rika Balletto was changed to Lisa Martin Ramos, and Pinta Balletto was changed to Lupita “Peta” Ramos, Ettore Balletto was changed to Samuel Ramos. The film could easily have looked very different if Robert De Niro had taken the role that was originally offered to him. He would have played the character of Creasy instead of Denzel Washington who was the second to be offered the part.

The scene of the kidnapping of the young girl Peat is one of the most important throughout this picture. It works as a turning point in the movie due the change from originally being unhappy and suicidal, to becoming happy and improving his life. This all changes once Peta is kidnapped, the killing starts in order to pay her kidnappers back for what they have done. This scene was edited in such a way that the rhythmic relationship and the post production effects become one with the mise-en-scene, bring a story together with more suspense and meaning than they ever could have had without each other. I am going to prove this by relating certain shots from the scene of the kidnapping to the rest of the film, representing what the layers and rhythmic relationships of the shots actually represent what the film is trying to say as a whole.

The scene starts off as a happy part of the film where Creasy is taking Peta to her piano lesson. While Creasy is standing outside in the sun, on the outskirts of a park right next to the house that Peta is in taking her lesson. As he puts the dog back in the car he look up to see police cars at the end of the street. He knows something is wrong when he sees the same car that had been tailing them just a few days earlier driving down the street. As the car gets closer he makes a move for the door where he knows Peta is about to come out of. This is when it all turns ugly and the action begins. As the door opens and Creasy realizes that they are here to kidnap her he shoots his gun in the air to warn her to run away. From here shots are fired between Creasy and the policeman who are about to take Peta. A few of the men are shot dead in the middle of the street in broad daylight, and so to is Creasy, which makes Peta turn around and come back to the scene. This is where she is kidnapped from. Pulled right out of the arms of the almost dead Creasy lying on the floor after trying to protect Peta from these guys.

I feel that the rhythmic relationship of the shots sets a tone for the fast pace film, along with the post production effects that are put on the shots in order to blur multiple shots into one scene. These multiple shots give the viewer the representation that there are many layers to this story and make you want to look deeper throughout the film for more information. During the Kidnapping scene the shots are all blurred together and we are not sure of what is going on, which I feel is done in order to disorientate the viewer because of all the different people that are involved in the kidnapping to some extent. When we see Creasy trying to figure out either to go after Peta or to stay and fight, we see the blurring of shots together to show us the confusion that is going on in his mind. This is used throughout the film in order to give this effect of how unsure the characters are of what is happening.

The rhythmic relationship in the editing of a film explains the cuts that are made at specific rates in order to show a certain incentive. Rhythmic relations are a very important part in editing a film because they have the effect on the rhythm and speed of the film as a whole. These Rhythmic relationships are also important because they influence the way we create conflict within the emotions of the viewer while also triggering excitement. The film Man on Fire, is filmed from this motion perspective during the kidnapping scene which was shot and edited in a way that kept you in suspense and unsure of what was to come. When Creasy is stuck in the middle of the shooting scene the cuts are extremely fast and choppy to keep us on the edge of our seats and to make us feel uncomfortable in what is going to happen.

For me meaning was created not only in what was being filmed, but more in how the filming was actually shot and put together in the postproduction. The meaning came out of the suspense that was imprinted on the shots with the flashing of lights and the over lapping of shots and also the shaky way that some shots were used in order to create a feeling for the viewer. We knew how fast paced this action was suppose to seem was and how good Creasy was at what he did because everything he did was done so quickly that it represented his professionalism. The fast pace of the shots also gave the viewer the feeling that the life that was being lead by the kidnappers was one of danger and craziness, where all kinds of things go wrong on a regular basis, but they have to change their plans as they go along.

The shots in this film were used in a specific way, to create and portray the characters in a certain light. When we see Creasy, we see flashes of light that represent him looking into his past and remembering bad things that he has done, whilst we also see the shakes of the camera to reflect the alcoholic in him that cant handle a gun as well as he used to be able to when he was in his prime. On the other hand when we see Peta we are given more consistent and light shot that represent her innocence and the fact that she is a young girl that is just trying to get a man to like her. Also that she may be the only character in this film that was not corrupted at some stage. The shots used worked very well in give us an understanding of what the characters were going to be like throughout the film and where they were in the stage of their character. For example when we see the shot of Peta’s mother in her room after she has been kidnapped, it is a very slow moving shot with soft lighting and a higher camera angle in order to show her sorrow and sadness.

This kidnapping scene has an interesting way of building up to show us not only how much Peta really cares for Creasy and loves him, but also just how much Creasy is willing to give up in order to save this little girl that only weeks before he had no connection with, nor would he want to have a relationship with. The scene as it cuts to and fro from Creasy to Peta we see the connection of the eyes and also the looks on their faces when they know that either one of them is in trouble and needs help. This is shown by the close up shots of both of their faces during these shots. This is the first real time that we can see Creasy show passion in something and sense of fear in him. The filming bought out these emotions to an extent that we could feel the pain and hurt he was going through when the camera looked into his eyes and the flashes of light were interrupting his view.

The way the kidnapping scene is shot and edited is very similar to the rest of the film. The lighting techniques were similarly used throughout the film enabling a feeling of being out in the open in a hot sunny country, while still feeling the dirtiness and corruptness of the country. This was done in the way the lighting created shadows, leaving one to imagine what was out there. The camera shots throughout this scene were all very quick, which was also represented all the way through the film. The film had a lot going on with its underlying connections of characters to each other, which made you feel uneasy. This is one reason for which I believe that there were so many fast cuts in between the shots. This scene along with a couple of other action scenes in the movie was shot with purpose. That purpose I felt relates to the certain shots from the scene of the kidnapping and continuing it for the rest of the film, representing the layering of shots and rhythmic relationships of the them, which represent what the film is trying to say as a whole. The kidnapping scene is one of the first in the film to use this filming and editing technique, which I felt was a great place to use it seeing as this scene also works as a turning point in the film. From here on out, Creasy’s number one goal is to kill anyone that had anything to do with the kidnapping of Peta.

The films form is chronological in order and for most part happens as we see it. The film has a rising, a climax and a falling. Although along the way we see the falling of different characters at different times. For example we see the falling of Peta’s father earlier than we see the falling of any of the other main characters. This is well represented in the scene when Samuel Ramos shoots himself in the dimly light church, representing his downfall. The down fall of John Creasy doesn’t happen until the very end of the film, yet it doesn’t feel as much of a downfall as you would usually expect from the lead character dying. Personally I feel as though there were two climaxes in this film. The first comes when Creasy is on the phone to the “voice” and he finds out that Peta is still alive. This changes the whole film from one where he is just killing for revenge, twisting it into a strive to get Peta back unharmed from these men. The second climax in the film which is also a falling and occurs at the end of the film is when we actually see Peta on the other side of the bridge and she is let go and runs across the bridge to Creasy and then to her mother. Once back with her mother the viewer gets this bitter sweet feeling in their heart because we understand what this means for Creasy. This was an interesting choice by the director, as it steeps away from the Hollywood movie scene and creates a film with more depth and meaning to it.

This scene is the rising of the film. It is where the film gets its whole purpose. Without this scene there would be no film because there would be no girl to kill for or to save. The kidnapping scene kicks of the form of this film and gives it that rising towards the thriller film that it ends up being. This is the first time that we see these really fast cuts and blurring of shots along with the light flashes as the shots take action. For me this is where the films engine starts up and is given the revs to get it shaking like a 67 mustang. The way this scene was shot is part of a repetitive process used throughout the film. We see in all the action scenes these same kinds of shots where they are layered over each other in order to get the feeling of the fast pace and the craziness of what is going on. We also see these flashes of light for the rest of the film, resembling the pain that Creasy is feeling when he is shot or when he is thinking about what happened to Peta but also when we see Creasy think of his past. From this I viewed these post production techniques of an accent on the feelings that they were trying to portray.

The film Man on Fire has a narrative organization that focuses on miss communication, culture and family. The one thing that is prevalent to all of these is corruption, which ends up being the underlying factor in nearly all of these issues and encumbers the whole Narrative of the film. We see corruption not only in the police force in Mexico but also within the family, lawyers and the media, who are all portrayed as doing what they need to get ahead. We see the corruptness first actually happen in the scene that I have chosen to analyze. The normal feeling that you get when you see police is usually safety and honor. However, in this scene you get the feeling that these police officers are not the good guys. This is confirmed when we see them jump out of the car as Peta comes out of the house where she is practicing piano. As Creasy shoots his gun in the air to warn Peta, we are confirmed with the start of the shoot out between the two of them and the fact that the police are not there to protect but rather to harm

The police are the first ones in the film to be shown as being corrupt. Children go missing and the police profit from it. They are involved in organize crime and even have a society that protects them. Secondly we see of the corruption within the media and the way that people can be bribed in order to get the information that they need. This is not only done with money, but actually we see that the main female journalist is sleeping with the head editor, which we can only see as happening because she uses him to get the information she needs to help out Creasy. Once she has slept with the editor, the shot shows the bank details that were given to her to give to Creasy. Next is the real big one of the narrative. We see the corruption within the Ramos family. Samuel Ramos betrays his family in order to get money to get him out of debt. He corrupts his loved ones and sets up the scam to get the kidnap insurance from their insurance policy. What he actually does here is corrupt his relationship and his life, saying goodbye to everything he ever had and owned.

Creasy’s goal as the lead character is to unveil all of the corruption that is going on and to make these people who profit from corruption pay. This is how this particular character goal are linked to the narrative of the film. When we look at the film as a whole the only other person that wasn’t corrupted by the world was Peta, and this is why Creasy fights so hard and all the way to the end to save it. Peta represented to Creasy all that was good in the world, giving him a chance to live and believe again in the world. This I feel is represented by how light the shots are when Creasy is looking at Peta. They are always in a more happy light and scenery than when anyone else is around his scenes. The film is a mix between the Hollywood Narrative, and also goes off on its own accord at some stages. The usual Hollywood film only has one particular point that it is trying to get across, whereas this film is trying to do more at once in my opinion. Not only is Tony Scott trying to inform the world of the fact that kidnapping still occurs in many places in this world but he is also trying to emplace morals and values on the viewers. To me this is unlike the usual Hollywood narrative in a way that we get a deeper connection with the characters and their lives. We put ourselves in their shoes and try to imagine all the pain, hurt and suffering they are going through. If this film was shot like a normal Hollywood film I feel that it would have just ended up being another Die Hard film, with fight scenes and an uninspired story.

When Peta was kidnapped in the streets of Mexico and her only protector was John Creasy, we became immersed in a narrative that would take us on a ride emotionally and mentally. The scene set the mood and narrative for the entire film, giving us an insight into what we were getting into. From the fast shots to the sudden flashing of light in the shots which were used to connect us emotionally to the characters and to give as the uneasy feeling that the characters were experiencing. Without this scene the film would be useless and have no rising of the narrative. This is why this scene was so important to analyze the meaning behind it. It creates a connection between the characters through either the Ramos family or through the corrupt police who are behind the whole kidnapping scams. This in conclusion shows how important it is to critically analyze the mis-en-scene, editing and how the film is put together. Without analyzing the film Man on Fire you would not get the full understanding behind it.

Work Cited

Man on Fire. Dir. Tony Scott. Perf. Denzel Washington. 20th Century Fox, 2004. DVD.

Barsam, Richard Meran. Looking at Movies. New York [u.a.: Norton, 2010. Print.