Sound- The sequence starts with the Chicken Run theme which is Orchestral, military and connotes adventure. It also contains the riff which repeats itself in various forms throughout the film. It's military tone is also an intertextual reference which ties in with the fact that most of the film references "The Great Escape". This sets the audience up for and action adventure plot. As the military theme fades out it is replaced with a mysterious and dark piece of music which creates tension and also sets the mood of the initial scene. When the main character, "Ginger", appears on screen the music lightens slightly and signals that she is the main character. The score continues to get tenser and tenser as Babs gets stuck under a fence and must get back to the run without being noticed, the tension increases when the dogs give chase to Ginger and she is cornered. Use of strings such as violins adds to the sense of apprehension.
Camera Movements/ Angles- The first shot is a mid shot of the moon which then focuses on some barbed wire in the foreground. Immediately the audience knows that this setting is not a safe place to be because of the dangerous connotations of the barbed wire and the fact that it is night time. Next the camera pans down to an establishing shot show from behind a wire fence. It shows what looks like a concentration camp however the audience later learns that it is a chicken farm. This enforces the feeling of danger to the setting. After the establishing shot is a long shot of Mr Tweedy and his dogs. He is quite small on the screen which shows that whilst being a danger he is not a major one. Whilst Ginger and the rest of the chickens are attempting escape most of the shots are mid shots so as to show their actions and facial expressions however once they have to work against the clock to get Babs unstuck from under a fence the shots start to vary between close ups , mid shots and long shots showing their actions, how they are panicking and how close Mr Tweedy and his dogs are getting. The most memorable shot of this scene is A close up of Mr Tweedy's face showing his menacing expression which stays on the screen for a little longer than the other camera shots at make him appear scary for younger audiences. The following chase scene is made up of lots of long shots cut together to that the audience can see where Ginger is running and how far away the dogs are from catching her. When Ginger is cornered and the door opens to the Tweedy's house there is a high angled shot of Ginger and the dogs showing that whatever is coming next is more powerful than any of them. The camera then pans up into a low angled shot of Mrs Tweedy which could even be a point of view shot from Ginger and shows how overwhelmingly oppressive she is. Her pink slippers, pajamas and hair net ensemble is a juxtaposition for how evil she appears however this makes her seem comical instead of creepy which makes her appropriate for a children's film.
(Image shows the high angled shot of Ginger and the dogs recoiling from Mrs Tweedy's fearsome shadow)
Mise-en-scene:
Setting- The scene is set at night time in a chicken farm. Night time scares children and so is appropriate for this scene to add tension as it is difficult to see what will come next. The chicken farm also looks like a concentration camp and is muddy and damp so it is clear why the chickens want to escape.
Props- Mr Tweedy's torch is used not only as a prop but also to allow the audience to see clearly what he is looking a. It also shows ,with swift movements, that he is searching for something. Ginger's spoon used as a shovel is used for not only for comedy but also as an intertextual reference to war films in which they must use only the things around them to escape.
Costume- Because this film uses anthropomorphic animals in order to appeal to children many of the chickens have costumes. These costumes are largely made up of bits and pieces that the chickens have stolen from the Tweedys such as Ginger's hanky scarf and Bab's beaded necklace. The stolen bits of costume shows how the chickens are more clever than the Tweedys think. Mr Tweedys heavy duty rain coat and wellington boots introduce him as the chicken farmer and the dark colors show visually how he is a villain. Mrs Tweedy's outfit , as mentioned previously, is a juxtaposition to her vicious an commanding nature however is also used for comedic effect as it is ridiculously pink and over the top.
Setting- The scene is set at night time in a chicken farm. Night time scares children and so is appropriate for this scene to add tension as it is difficult to see what will come next. The chicken farm also looks like a concentration camp and is muddy and damp so it is clear why the chickens want to escape.
Props- Mr Tweedy's torch is used not only as a prop but also to allow the audience to see clearly what he is looking a. It also shows ,with swift movements, that he is searching for something. Ginger's spoon used as a shovel is used for not only for comedy but also as an intertextual reference to war films in which they must use only the things around them to escape.
Costume- Because this film uses anthropomorphic animals in order to appeal to children many of the chickens have costumes. These costumes are largely made up of bits and pieces that the chickens have stolen from the Tweedys such as Ginger's hanky scarf and Bab's beaded necklace. The stolen bits of costume shows how the chickens are more clever than the Tweedys think. Mr Tweedys heavy duty rain coat and wellington boots introduce him as the chicken farmer and the dark colors show visually how he is a villain. Mrs Tweedy's outfit , as mentioned previously, is a juxtaposition to her vicious an commanding nature however is also used for comedic effect as it is ridiculously pink and over the top.
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