RESEARCH: '21'

'21' (2008), directed by Robert Luketic.

'21' is the fact- based story about six MIT students who trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.

A more in-depth analysis of this opening as we plan to base our clip around it's extreme close up shot techniques and quick paced 'throw you into the action' nature.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnlDNBoZ1_Y

Notes:

Media Studies

Research Blog

21

• straight cut (fade) from production logo
• digitalised close up of the detail on a card ace (Jack)
• tracking up the line.
• Twist as zoom out to reveal the card – follows the lines of the design
• Slight hint of music in background, otherwise silent.
• Music is heavy base
• Have another card come down on top of jack – ace – 21
• Narration of lead character – uses technical terms/ tells story of winner, winner chicken dinner- makes it personal – puts himself in the game
• Close up of chips (all digitalised) – zoom up side of stack and over top to see high value of chips ($1,000)
• Clicky drumming with guitar – very vegas and cool.
• Camera runs round table basically over cards.
• Starts highlighting the card values as counting cards is mentioned – shows he is thinking about them and that.
• ‘shiny’ ting when 21 is seen (A&J)
• starts zooming out to see the cards are a reflection in an eye – again showing this is what he is looking for.
• Extreme close of the card rack as card keep coming out quickly (digitised) – diagetic sound of card coming out of the rack
• Extreme close up panning from birds eye view of cards on table. Top of card, closer to the camera appears with shadow – whooshing sound.
• Extreme tight close up of his eyes with the card reflecting in his glasses.
• Narration still going.
• As straight cut back to BEV of card, non-diagetic sound of him in game shouting ‘winner, winner, chicken dinner’
• Narration ‘winner, winner, chicken dinner’
• Card turns over to shows A coming down on a J.
• Straight cut to digitised extreme close up tracking down A of spades
• Straight cut to quick track around the edge of the table, seeing cards in between high stacks of chips.
• Timeless cut to quick track running around a stack of chips, running upwards like a corkscrew to show $5,000 stack
• As narration introduces character ‘first of all, what I was doing wasn’t illegal…’ cut to main character preparing himself in a disguise for that night – smoothing gel over hair, putting wig on, putting moustache on and glasses.
• Extreme tight close ups
• When puts on wig, pulls focus (blurred – clear as he lifts his head – in time)
• Cut to more cards coming down with the values lighting up
• Cut back to ETCU of his eyes and the cards reflecting in his glasses – sound of him talking during the game – happy and hyped.
• Fast cuts – seconds
• When mentions his amount up – digitised low shot of the stacks, tracking around
• Unsteady shot of him in play – clapping and smiling – wining
• Cut to low shot (dig) of card coming down (10/10)
• Sound of dealer saying ‘splitting tens’
• He repeats in games – cut to close up of him calling out ‘splitting ten’
• ECU of the tens splitting
• Zoom out, sweeping upwards to birds eye view shot – narration starts again
• To blackness – cut to zoom in on crossed arms of his partner – signals
• Cut to him in play
• Extreme close up of girl putting finger to eye as he mentions that signal
• Cut to him in play as he looks to see ‘a hand running through perfect flowing hair’ – another signal the narration mentions
• Extreme close up of hand running through hair, slo mo – camera follows the hand
• Music runs throughout this scene
• Cut back to him as his expression changes with realisation, slo mo – rising undertone to music to create suspense
• Cut to shadowed feet walking on shiny floor – lights reflect off floor – sound of feet walking – slo-mo
• Cut to midshot of shadowed man walking (his head) slo mo
• Cut to main character realising more – slo mo
• Cut to slo mo running feet of security (blacked out men)
• Cut to mid shot of security pushing straggler out of way
• Cut to main character (tight close up of profile with pulled depth of field pulled so lights behind him blurred)
• Cut to slo-mo him grabbing his and chucking them into a black bag (close up
• Cut to running blacked out man again running
• Cut to his feet
• Runs to black out camera and music fades out.

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We intend to use the narration technique and the close up shots to make our poker game more interesting and involved.