Journal+Entry+1+-+Sergio+Leone

Sergio Leone is a director who is renowned for his spaghetti western style movies and his epic western gun showdowns. He uses a combination of intense soundtracks, varying cinematography, and quick/slow editing to create suspense and raise the intensity of his films. These are several techniques I learned from Leone, and I hope to apply these to my final film.

Establishing shots and open, desolate landscaping: Although Lemonade Stand is set in a post-apocalyptic setting, I can still use Sergio Leone’s style of setting up barren, lifeless sceneries, but instead of using establishing shots of deserts and how dry and hot they look, I can instead use this style to film wide establishing shots of broken buildings, half-built buildings, piles of stones etc. which would be extremely beneficial in setting the atmosphere and tone of the film.

Choke Close-up shots: In his films, Sergio Leone uses extreme close ups, from above the chin to the forehead, which gives a detailed image of the character’s face and how their facial expression and features reflects what they are thinking or feeling at that moment. In Lemonade Stand, these close-ups can be used to also portray the feelings of Hugs as he watches Herbert become a more successful businessman, and it can give the audience an insight on the building hatred in Hugs.

Character Development: In many of his movies, Sergio Leone forces his protagonist to make a hard decision and choose between two things that are important to him. For instance, in a Fistful of Dollars, Manco has to choose between money and saving Marisol. I want to simulate this with Lemonade stand, as Hugs makes a choice between letting Herbert leave and be lonely again, or to go get him back.

Pacing: In Sergio Leone's films, the majority of the tension is built up in long, timely shots, which get shorter and shorter as the climax nears. This sort of contrast between long and short editing can be used to create a feeling of suspense in Lemonade Stand, and the shots of Hugs can be cut quicker and quicker to emphasize his frustration.

Music/Background soundtrack: Sergio Leone intensifies the music in the background as the tension point comes closer, and after it does the music immediately dies down. In Lemonade Stand, this can be used to show tension points and how the anger Hugs has directed at Herbert reaches such an unbearable point that he breaks and destroys Herbert's stand.