Contextual Analysis - Easy Rider

This clip begins with a medium shot of four adults; two sitting on a bench, the other two sat on the floor. This type of shot delivers information to the audience. Non diegetic, eery music is playing which creates a tense atmosphere and creates a build up to an event. It shows the four adults participating in drug use. This shot also determines the location: outside of a rundown building on a bench. This shot has been taken with a hand held camera. This gives a sense of realism to the clip and makes the audience feel more involved with the action and as if they were there. It makes the happenings more intimate. The characters are wearing scruffy, dark clothes which, represents sin and suggests a negative mood. Natural outdoor lighting has been used to show the location. Diegetic dialogue is heard as some characters laugh and one says, “Just shut up and take it”.

After the characters and their actions have been identified, there is a 1 second shot of a vertical pan of a building. This identifies the location as perhaps being in a built up area such as a city. Plants are growing on the walls of the building suggesting that it has been abandoned. This may be portraying that these characters are from a low class. The shots then continue to switch from the location to the characters. This could show the ‘tripping’ effect of the drugs and is representing the changes of the characters mental states.

The pan of the building is moving upwards which conforms to the characters ‘getting high’. There is a glare of lighting across the camera which gives the impression of being blinded by the sun and suggests disorientation.

The final panning shot moves towards the sun, blinding the camera. This shows that the drugs are taking effect and may be a representation of ‘going into the light’.

We are now shown a close up of a girls face reading passages from the bible. The angle of the camera is looking up at her suggesting that she is of higher class or has higher morality than the other characters shown. She has her hair tied up and is wearing minimal make up conforming to the innocent/biblical stereotype. She talks about how Jesus sacrificed himself for us which is ironic as the four characters are being sinful. The shots begin to switch between one another as the girl talks about god and eventually the shot goes completely white as if being blinded by the sun. As this happens the girl reading gets muffled and what’s being said is no longer understandable. This shows the mindset of the characters under the influence of acid and how they can no longer see or hear purity as they are sinning.

The shot then switches to a man, perhaps one from the first shot, leaning his face against a religious statue. He says, “Shut up”. This suggests that he is hearing these religious passages in his head as a result of taking the drugs and could be hallucinating. By saying “shut up” it shows that he does not want to hear that he is doing wrong and he is trying to escape purity.