Film Techniques Used in Films: Goodfellas

 Many filmmakers use a variety of types of techniques to convey their point in films. Depending on the choice of the type of films, different filmmakers have a different approach on how to communicate their ideas across the screen. There is a lot that goes into filmmaking, for example, the artistic creation of the visuals, the musical choices, casting, the story and concept behind the movie and so on. All these aspects combine together to create movies and the modern-day cinema that allows other directors to create movies in new ways. 

The director m=uses a number of different cinematic techniques to engage the audience and create a sense of suspense and dramatics. Over the past two weeks, we watched the different film techniques used by Martin Scorses(Goodfellas), Delbert Mann (mary), Christ in concrete (Edward Dmytryk) and N.Jewison (moonstruck). In this essay, I will discuss the different film techniques used by different filmmakers as seen in Goodfellas, Marty, christ in concrete, and moonstruck. The first filmmaker I will be talking about it is Martin Scorsese and his film Goodfellas. Martin Scorsese is known for making larger than life movies and some of the greatest films of all time. 

One film in particular that we watched in class is Goodfellas. Goodfellas is an Italian American crime movie which is a story of Henry Hill and his life in the mob. Because of martin's source great filmography, Goodfellas is a film that people watch over and over again. The reason why Goodfellas is considered one of the best films of all time is because of its originality. The music and the editing is what creates energy and the pace going throughout the film. There are some great filmmaking techniques from Martin Scorsese that we get to see in this film. One scene in particular where you get to see Scorsese's great artistic talent is the Copacabana scene. 

While this scene is very short(only 3 minutes in length) it's great execution causes it to a standout scene in the film. This one-shot scene gives us an example of the power and social status of the mafia in the early 70 's.the shot of the couple walking from the car to the table was shot in one unbroken shot using a Steadicam. The Steadicam allows the camera to be held by the operator which allows it to produce a smooth shot. One thing that's interesting in this scene is that compared to the rest of the film this scene doesn't have swearing, violence, or any dialogues. Another thing about this scene that stands out is that Scorsese uses this scene to depict every theme of the movie with his genus film making. Through this scene we get to see that it's not the violence that attracts henry to be a gangster, rather he is aspired to have a life of privilege and power and be different than the rest.