The Shawshank Redemption Introduction to the prison setting

The Shawshank Redemption Introduction to the prison - setting

► Red’s First Parole Hearing ► Sound of iron prison bars opening. Close up of the bars sliding open. We feel a great sense of imprisonment. ► Point of view long shot shows a row of five sombre, grey looking older men sitting at a table. ► Medium shot of Red fiddling with his hat. He seems nervous – but what is he nervous of: leaving or staying? Red doesn’t know how to conduct himself. ► Red is in the light – foreshadows that he may have hope

“I learnt my lesson. I can honestly say I’m a changed man. No longer a threat to society. That’s the ► God’s honest truth” – Sounds rehearsed, he’s said this before, telling them what they want to hear. ►

► Sound of the stamp with a close up of the word ‘Rejected’. ► Red walks out of the parole hearing and there is a level medium close up of Red. The walls have some light on them – they don’t appear so daunting; this can be contrasted with Andy entering the Shawshank. The light is focused on the prison – this is where Red feels safe/ at home. ► “There must be a con like me in every prison in America” – Red is a ‘big man’ in the prison. He has respect from the others. A businessman/ entrepreneur. People rely on him.

Andy Entering Shawshank ► Sweeping overhead shot of the prison shows gothic buildings – the prison seems threatening and all encompassing, lifeless (drains prisoners of hope and freedom). Music is sombre and slow moving – like time in prison. There is dull lighting and everything, including the prison uniform is grey. The prisoners seem helpless. ► The sweeping overhead shot allows us to get a sense of the atmosphere of the prison – foreboding, daunting, draws the life out of you. ► Voice over – Red is the voice of authority and knowledge on Andy. This voiceover allows us to learn details about Andy and his background that are an integral part of the film

► “Andy came to prison in early 1947” ► Zoom in to a medium close up of Andy shows that he still appears to be devoid of emotion. He is not giving anything away. ► A series of point of view shots shows what the prison has in store for the new prisoners – The black-cloaked guards waiting for them and the prisoners lined up like caged animals banging and shaking the wire fence. They are threatening ‘Fish’ ‘Bitch’ ► Low angle point of view shot of Andy walking into the prison show the great grey walls suffocating and enveloping him. It is a threatening place that swallows you whole – also we get the idea that it is impossible to escape.

Power and Corruption ► Introduced to the Warden Norton and Hedley ► Medium close up reveals that they are dressed in dark colours and are both framed by dark/ shaded background light. Contrast with the prisoners. Straight away we get the hypocrisy and corruption of the authorities: ► “Put your faith in the Lord; your ass belongs to me” ► He talks about religion and God, respecting these things and then stands by and allows Hedley to beat a prisoner. ► Lighting contrast between the ‘corrupt’ screws and prisoners ► Shadow-like long shot of Hedley beating up the new prisoner – they look almost demonic ► “I swear by God and sunny Jesus” – blasphemy, hypocrisy