Effects of Color and Camera Shots in the Sequence of Road to Perdition

In the film, Road to Perdition, Sam Mendes used many different techniques to help get the viewer understand the meaning of the film. Cinematography, which was a predominate technique used by Sam Mendes in "Road to Perdition," uses various colors to help the viewer see more into the film. Another cinematic technique that was predominant in the film was static camera shots, which allows the viewer can be introduced to the main characters in a film without the use of language. In "Road to Perdition," Sam Mendes used cinematography to decide and control what is filmed and, also, how it is filmed. Cinematography is the art or technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film.

The film "Road to Perdition" is a color film, which uses darker colors predominately. The sequence contains mostly just grey and black colors. The buildings and streets are all grey and the men are all wearing black. With the use of these darker colors, the feeling of earlier black and white films is preserved. This helps the reader feel more in touch with the time, 1930s, of the film. After Michael Sullivan, Tom Hanks, shoots his machine gun the color yellow always shows. It is the light coming from the gun. This greatly contrasts the darker colors of the setting. This helps the viewer feel the shock and surprise of the shooting. The filmmaker also uses static camera shots in this sequence of the film.

There are both long and close-up camera shots. In the sequences when the men first realize their driver had been shot, the camera focuses on the worried face of the mob boss. The camera then pans a long distance shot of the street while the shooting begins. There are various close-ups with the camera while the shooting is going on. The camera switches from the mob boss, Paul Newman, to the other mob men. The camera switches between the shooter's face and the mob boss's face, right before he is killed. The last scene is the camera panning the windows of the buildings and showing the people watching. These camera devices help the filmmaker create meaning without having to use words. The filmmaker is helping the viewer to see the worry in the shooter and the mob boss. The close-up shots seem to reveal the character to the viewer.

The focusing of the camera shots on the mob boss, in "Road to Perdition" help the viewer understand that he is one of the main characters. It revealed to us that he was in fact the headman of the group. The long shots seem to bring the setting into the actual plot of the movie. The close up shot on the shooter, Tom Hanks, right before he kills the mob boss is an essential one. Through the close up shot, the viewer is able to see the hesitation in his eyes. The close up shots make the character more personal and human to the viewer. In the film, "Road to Perdition, " the use of various cinematic techniques allows the view to understand the film and the characters without the use of language. The film has the same meaning when viewed with and then without sound. The cinematic codes all work in conjunction to help make the viewer see more than just the sequence they are watching.