Shawshank Redemption - Close Reading

Setting: At the start of this shot the viewers can see that the convicts are on the roof of a dull brick building, while the shot is panning over to the building to show the convicts, the audience can see the contrast from the dirty rooftop and the bright green grass, and open space. This setting is used to show the difference between the dull life in which the convicts have to endure, and the freedom of the fields of green grass.

Props: The four main props in this scene are the mops which the convicts are using, the guns and bats the guards threaten Andy with and the beer at the end of the scene. The mops are important because it shows automatically that the convicts have it tough, and have to do unpleasant chores. The gun and bat shows that the guards are the dominant people in this scene, they turn to violence and threatening behaviour when they feel Andy is challenging them/being inappropriate. The beer is important because this is when Andy feels like he is finally beginning to make the most of his life, even if he has to spend it in the prison. This is when he makes better acquaintances with the convicts and he gets on the guards good sides by making a deal with them/helping them with their accounts.

Colour: The colour in this scene is important because it shows the contrast between the dull coloured brick building where the convicts are working and the blue sky and green grass. This contributes to the image in this scene that the convicts are trapped in a colourless life, and the green grass and blue sky represents the freedom they can’t have while in prison.

Lighting: At the start of the scene, the lighting on the convicts faces is a dull lighting, this adds to the effect that the convicts have a dull life, and are the less dominant people, compared to the guards. The lighting is important when the convicts is drinking the beer at the end of the scene and one of them offers one to Andy and he says he doesn’t drink, the lighting shines down on him, giving him a pure/godly image.

Costume: The guards are wearing suits in this scene, even though it looks like it is a hot day. Their suits are a dark blue colour, which makes them stand out, they are clean and look new; this contributes to making the guards looking like the more dominant people in this scene. The convicts are dressed in dirty, old overalls. The overalls they are wearing are a dull grey colour, so this stops them standing out; this adds to showing that the guards are more dominant.