Daybreak Express

This is a short film by a director called D. A. Pennebaker called Daybreak Express (1953). I personally feel that the main aim of Pennebaker was to show a juxtaposition between the calm early morning of New York City and the hectic noise and bustle of the big city. I would say the main focus of the film is on the trains of New York; which express the chaos of the city as well as the calm through the depiction of silouettes and people patiently waiting at the station. Pennebaker makes good use of sound by choosing a particular piece of Jazz music that in it's own way evokes in the viewer a sense of the frantic and busy New York City. I also got the impression that the music was chosen for it's likeliness to the sounds of a train which fits perfectly with his subject matter to make the audience almost forget that what they are hearing is not diagetic sound. The film and director involves the viewer in that sense. To this end I would say that the short film is successful in in portraying it's subject matter. The most pivitol moment for me is captured in the screenshot above as during this scene the train cart is progressing through Midtown New York, the camera aimed up at the high rise buildings to give the audiece a sense of scale and space. The use of cuts blend well with the fast paced movement of the train which is completed by the clever use of music. All of these points come together to express the subject matter through style and form. To conclude I feel that this particular film stood out above the other shorts that I watched during the session as I was impressed by the filmmaker's use of all the elements of film production to create a coherent final product.