Case Study: Kill Bill Volume 2 ( Caravan scene and Coffin scene)

This scene embedded below is one of the two scenes in Kill Bill Volume 2 that we have been studying.
We looked at how Tarentino utilises conventions of the thriller genre in these two scenes.





Lighting: The first bit of lighting that really catches your eye in this scene is the car headlights, these are often used in thriller films as they are visually interesting but also create a mysterious feel as well as a sense of unreality like a nightmare. It could also be used as a distraction or a surprise. It also adds to the Chiaroscuro lighting which Tarantino has used to connote threat and a feel of unreality
The moon adds a Gothic feel to the scene which also adds a mysterious effect, as the moon shines on the brides face it creates a low key light creating a feel of mystery and surrealism but also represents film noir.
When the bride is in the coffin a torch is used to create light and it is faced towards her head so he audience can see her anger and fear of being but in the coffin but it also shows her concentration.

Camera Angles: There is an overhead shot/bird's eye view of the car as it approaches the caravan, it intrigues you and makes you want to know whose in it or where he or she is going. Its as if someone is stalking the car from the hills.
The bird's eye view of Budd as he enters his caravan also has a similar effect as the shot of the car but it follows Budd as if someone is following him and stalking him like he is prey. The point that Tarentino is trying to get across is that Budd is the bride's prey and that she is hunting him down just as he has hunted the others one by one. Another point about Budd that we can infer is that Budd is a "low life" because of the shot it makes him look small and insignificant.
Close ups are used throughout both scenes to capture their emotions towards each other and focus of certain areas of interest to inform the audience or show the audience of important things.
Sound: The use of sound is very important in these two scenes especially the coffin scene.
The sound of the sword being unsheathed is one of the most intriguing sounds, it connotes how delicate but powerful the sword is and is a sign of heroism.
The crickets in the background are used to cancel out the silence and in some ways can create tension or suspension because you expecting something to happen. This is why Tarantino has used this to create suspension when the bride is stalking Budd. This could also relate to the bride and Budd being animals again because it reminds me of when an animal is stalking its prey in the grass and the sound of crickets is in the background.
When the bride is put into the coffin and it is nailed shut there is no light and the audience can't see anything at all, this makes the audience rely on their ears to know what is happening and how the bride is feeling. This is a very risky technique by Tarantino but it works brilliantly because he uses the sound of the earth being dumped on top of the coffin which brings fear to the audience and realism to the scene. The aspect of realism really captures the audiences attention and pulls them into the film as if it was them that is trapped. The bride's deep breathing is used to worry the audience and signifies that she is slowly losing air.
Location: The location that Budd lives is very isolated and remote which makes Budd look vulnerable and disorientated because if something were to happen to him, no one would know about and visa versa with the bride. The caravan that Bill's brother Budd lives in is shabby, grungy and worn which suggests that he is your stereo typical "trailer trash".
As the bride is being taken to the graveyard it is as if she is awaiting death as one of Budd's friends is digging out the hole for her coffin, it is making the audience think about what it is about to come and whether it is the end of the bride.
The coffin is the biggest link Tarantino could have made to a thriller film as it is claustrophobic  to the extreme, it brings out all the emotions of the character but also of the audience feels towards her. The bride is being buried alive which connotes entrapment and restriction. Being buried alive is basically death as eventually you will run out of air but some people "escape death" which is what I think Tarantino is trying to get across is that the bride is escaping death just as she has many times before, she is unstoppable.
This is part of the other scene we have been studying.



Soundtrack and the inter-textual reference to "The good, the bad and the ugly":





The soundtrack in the "caravan" scene and the "coffin" scene are both very similar but in the "caravan" scene is is identical to the soundtrack used in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly which was created by Sergio Leone. Tarantino has used this soundtrack to relate to Leone's film because of its significance and relation to Kill Bill. He is showing respect to Leone and Morrocone but is also making an ironic comment about how the bride is "the good" and Budd is "the ugly" and Bill is "the bad". "Blondie", who is "the good" has a significant relation to the bride because it could be interpreted that she is a version of him, she is blonde and he is called "Blondie".
The two films also reflect the changing position of women as the bride now has the traditional male role in a action thriller.
The locations of the two scenes are also very similar, they are isolated,deserted and disorientating. In The Good,the Bad and the Ugly they are in a graveyard and in Kill Bill she is taken to a graveyard which is a significant relation.
The Good                                 The Ugly                               The Bad