He Got Game Analysis

He Got Game(1998,Spike Lee)

He got game is a sports drama film, directed by spike lee and made in 1998.

The opening scene instantly suggest what genre the film is and what it’s going to be about. The use of Non- Diegetic sound which accompanies the series of shots of basketballs and basketball games immediately gives us a sense of what the film will entail and how it will be edited. The contrast in the Classical music against the sport suggest that this film may not be a typical ‘sports’ film. The juxtaposition between the two and the slow motion shots create an interesting image, it changes the way you view a basketball. However the use of Classical Non-diegetic sound also portray the sport as more of an art- form, the director Spike Lee may have been trying to basketball as something more than just a sport.

The editing and Camerawork in this film is very effective,throughout the film we see a wide range of camera shots and angles, like establishing shots, close ups, over the shoulder shots etc. the use of close ups and extreme close-ups are used throughout the film to highlight specific points and show their significance in the film. Throughout the film scenes jump cut to shorter informative scenes, these shots often have a distorted image, abstract lighting, enhanced colour and intensified sound, this is done to make these short snappy shots even more intense than the rest of film, to really keep the audience engaged and interested and to keep the film moving at a good pace. They also make it easier for the audience to visualize what the actors are talking about and again it shows the importance of what the characters are saying.

Ethnicity and minority groups are a constant theme throughout the film, from the start of the film we see this. At the beginning of the film we see shots of a statue of Michael Jordan, theses shots are slightly longer than the other shots included in this part of the film. There is also a close up of Michael Jordan’s name, I think this has been done, at the beginning of the film especially, as a reference to the success of black men in sport, but to also foreshadow the fame of Jesus (Ray Allen).Through the use of a ‘two shot’ and costume, we see the difference in the status and power between two black men, Jake (Denzel Washington) and Spivey (Jim Brown). In this scene Spivey is wearing a suit, with a yellow tie, a warm happy colour showing status whereas in contrast Jake is wearing a dark blue/green prison uniform showing how he is inferior.

There is a constant use of light, dark, warm and cold lighting throughout the film to symbolise emotions, and influence the way the audience views a certain set or situation. Jakes hotel room for example, was very poorly lit, it consisted of dim lighting and made the set look very dark, and unwelcoming, which is ironic because it is there that Jake finds salvation in both the room and the other characters whom he meets there i.e. ‘Dakota’, I think the warm orangey, yellow undertones of the lighting show this.

To conclude i feel that the way this movie was edited and the high standard of cinematography was very effective in portraying certain messages and themes.