Props And How They Make A Scene

Pulp Fiction: what was really in the briefcase? | Dazed

You know exactly what this is. Even people that haven't seen Pulp Fiction know what this is. The mysterious briefcase. Nothing more than a prop, but isn't a prop essential to a scene? Without props, old westerns don't have six-shootin cowboys, Captain America doesn't have his shield, and a scene lacks depth. I want to break this up into a few parts, Functionality, Depth, and Atmosphere. Essentially, breaking down this photo, but explaining why it's all necessary in order to make the scene whole. All from one single image from a 178 minute movie made in 1994.

Functionality

I won't put too much detail into this, since honestly it's a pretty self explanatory part of the props. The revolver, a hold up, a robbery. This is a diner, so of course it has nice roundabout seating, little utensils on the table behind Jackson, and the wall to show that yes, this is indeed a diner. Clothing an obvious bit since they are in public. Functionality is rather obviously not a very creative part of your decision making with props in your scene. These are just the props you have so your scene makes sense.

Depth

Depth is the light off the briefcase. The prop isn't the focus but what it represents is. It's mystery. Intrigue, it makes you want to know what's inside the stupid prop. The revolver also evokes another layer of depth. Without it we'd be losing some of the tension and danger conveyed. This is a scene with the character we've grown attached to is in danger, and the setting adds to that. This is an American diner, a place to eat, clearly shown my the materials on the table. This is not a place where something like this happens, it feels so unnatural and unconsciously puts us further on edge. This is not a thriller or horror movie, but the tension built up just through the props alone is incredible. This still image has so much depth and the final product has more with a combination of performances and good prop work.

Atmosphere

Now the depth leads into atmosphere. I already brought up the tension, but to explore it further, the realism depicted through the prop work makes you even more concerned. This feels like an American diner, this feels like a real revolver, this FEELS like a scene. Certainly you could never confuse it for legitimate footage of a real life event but that doesn't matter, the atmosphere FEELS real. The props add to the feeling of the scene, and the feeling builds atmosphere, and the atmosphere enhances the feeling. 

(Mr. Bomboy if you didn't enjoy the style I did this in please let me know so I won't do it again! I just wanted to experiment a little bit about what a blog post could be and kind of wanted to break down and understand on my own instead of looking at a bunch of websites and having people explain it for me.)

Bibliography

“Pulp Fiction Briefcase.” Dazed, 20 May 2014, www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/19937/1/pulp-fiction-whats-in-the-briefcase.

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