Boogie Nights

The opening scene shows the three characters Durk Diggler, Todd and Reed sat in a car which ideal looks like it should only fit two people. this possibly suggest that all three characters were not meant to be going to this location. From them getting out the car and walking to the house the camera uses a wide shot to show all 3 at once. There is aspect of tension as they walk up to the house as Reed drops something on the stairs which suggests that he has anxiety amongst him.

Upon entering the house the camera stays in a fixed position to show the door shutting behind them. This door in particular has bars on it which suggests a prison like experience. The door doesn't shut instantly either so it is almost like a countdown. This also means that entering the house could be like entering prison and gives a sense of entrapment for the three characters. Everything also hits the characters at once. There is complete mash up of sounds which can be very overwhelming upon entering a location that you have never been before. this makes a connection with the audiences as the music outcrowds

A unique feature that this scene has is that the sound isn't blended like many other films. every bit of sound that is used in the scene is diegetic meaning the characters will be able to hear it. The music used makes it hard to hear the dialogue in the sequence. Paul Thomas Anderson chose to do this as it adds a sense of reality to the film as anywhere that has really loud music playing is usually quite difficult to hear what is properly being said. The director will have also done this to make the audience feel like they're in the scene with the characters as well therefore making the audience feel un easy like the characters.

The use of sound also adds an overwhelming feature to the scene as all the different noises at once make it quite difficult to take everything in at once. The dialogue, music and constant firecrackers going off give an un easy feel to the scene. This is another way the director makes the audience feel uncomfortable like the characters as well.

The different uses of the camera to show good story telling is used very effectively in this scene. when the scene starts off the camera mostly shows wide shots of the characters however as the scene progresses the type of camera shots become tighter and tighter moving from mid shots to close ups. Doing this is a good story telling technique as it allows us the audience to see how the characters are feeling during the scene. Durk and Reed are not used to this type of activity so the camera shows them becoming more and more uncomfortable as the scene progresses. The camera shows predominantly close ups of Reed and Durk as they're the two characters who the audiences will be able to relate to the most as a very low percentage of audiences will have actually been at a live drug deal. There body language and facial expressions of feeling uncomfortable are how the majority of audiences will have felt during this situation.

The house is set out in avery symmetrical manner which shows a sense of cleanliness and OCD in a way which are usually associated with some who is quite clean and well off however the man who lives in the house is walking around in his underwear and bright silver robe however he doesn't seem lie the nicest of people. This suggests like a possible inheritance of money somewhere along the line. He is also walking around with hardly any clothes full well knowing that the drug dealer is coming therefore suggests that he doesn't really care about much as a human. This is more aspects of performance but the Mise en Scene here is key as all these aspects like the furniture and the costs contribute to the final product. The way the man is dressed or hardly dressed should i say compared to the house and how nice it is suggests that something isn't right.