Feedback - Miss Spencer

There is some great work here Kirst, you have laid all of you work out neatly, and the embedded film openings and screen shots help to illustrate your points and make your blog look interesting. There is some detail in your work, noticing elements of Sound, Mise en Scene and Camera Movement, angles and framing. You have also clearly understood the differences in the genres, but sometimes I would like you to be a little more explicit. Remember that you can use this research to help plan your own film opening. At the moment your work is just hovering around the level 2/3 border, but in order to gain a more secure level 3 I would suggest you:    

• Make some more comments on the editing, how does it differ from genre to genre?  
• Ensure that if you mention an element (e.g. bright sunny day, feel-good music etc) that you also discuss whether or not this is a convention of the genre, and add more comments on the intended effect on the audience.
• Remember DISTINCT (Don't, Ignore, Setting, Technical Code, iconography, Narrative, Characterisation, Themes)I don't feel like I have read much about Iconography in particular, and characterisation is a little thin!

Task 2.1 Analysis of a Romantic Comedy (She's The Man)

(Opening from 0:00 to 3:28)

The film is introduced with the Dreamworks production logo and theme tune. We then see a black screen and the upbeat sound of a pop song is the first thing we hear, instantly setting the tone of the opening. We see bright orange colours during the opening credits

which is something that we can associate with positivity and happiness and then the camera cuts away to a boy on a jet ski, clearly having fun and providing us with our setting which is a beach during the summer. Which again, is something we can personally relate to being in a good mood and having a relaxing, fun filled experience. This imagery is good as it allows us to feel as though we ourselves are having a good time watching the film along with the characters in it.

The camera then cuts away to a girl playing football on the beach. The editors of this film use a clever technique where they provide a still image for a split second, which then turns into a moving video.

 The way the opening credits are created is almost similar to a scrap book of images which would indicate that the characters are making memories of a fun summer. We can connote that the weather is hot due to the teenagers on the beach wearing swim suits and the sky being blue. The director could be using pathetic fallacy here, so that the audience can make a connection between the positive weather and the mood of the scene. 

The camera then pans up as the football is kicked to indicate the height and strength behind the kick, which some would consider unusual for a girl to be capable of. The camera then pans back down to the ground as the ball falls and we can see that the camera is moving with the ball. This is highlighted again as the girl tackles other players and the camera moves left to right depending on the direction the ball is heading in. We can now connote that football is most probably going to be a large part of the film as the opening is entirely centred around the football. The sound in the background of the cutaway shots of the credits and the girl playing football is light hearted screaming and laughter and the background images are girls and boys stereotypically messing around,

 picking each other up and pushing each other over which infers that the people in the shot are having a good time and are therefore inflicting those positive feelings onto us as the audience.

The girl kicks the football at a lifeguard ring and the scene builds a light tension as we wonder whether or not she will hit her target. The camera tracks one of the boys as he runs in the direction of the ball and as the football goes through the hoop he jumps and catches the ball before it falls. Celebration erupts through the group of teenagers and more laughter and cheering erupts, adding to the already very positive vibe of the film. The boy picks her up in a celebration and here we can infer that they are a couple and are clearly two important characters in the film as they are the two that have been mostly focused on in the opening. The couple share a kiss which is typical of the conventions of a romantic film

and is followed by some light comedy about the kiss seen in the previous shot. The comedy is introduced to create a light hearted feeling and make the audience feel comfortable and relaxed. The opening of this films purpose was to make the viewer feel as though they are having a good time and this is influenced by the bright colours, warm setting, friendly happy characters and positive upbeat music. 

Task 2.1 Analysis Of a Horror Film (Halloween)

Halloween opens with a hand held pan of the exterior of a house. Outside of the house in the mis-en-scene is a lighted pumpkin, which is in place to provide us with a iconography which we can then associate with the holiday being celebrated and instantly confirms the subject of the film. The camera comes to an abrupt halt as it reaches the window of the house, and peers through at the teenage couple inside. This provides the audience with the realization that the camera is being purposely used to show that they are being watched through a point of view shot. The couple the antagonist is watching are laughing and appear to be relatively relaxed, to lure the audience into a false sense of security.

Point of view shot.

The point of view shot watches the couple until they leave the room and then slowly moves back around to the front of the house. It tilts up to the window and the lights upstairs flash out. As this happens, a high pitched piano key is sounded to unnerve the audience as we did not expect the sudden change of frequency from the subtle ambient sound we were used to. Dramatic music that we can associate with the typical conventions of a horror film begins to play as the camera (and therefore the person holding it) enters the house. Indicating that we as the audience should fear the person holding it. We can infer that this music has been chosen purposely to build tension as it is the old fashioned, typical horror soundtrack that informs us that something particularly 'scary' is going to happen.

The whole of the opening is filmed in a point of view shot and to confirm this, we see a hand reach out from the camera to open a drawer in the kitchen of the house.

As this happens, we see a glimpse of the antagonist's arm, which appears to be covered with a costume of some kind. The hand takes a knife from the drawer (Another typical convention) and he begins to slowly exit the room. At this point, the music gets quieter but does not fade out as having a silent shot would break the tension being built. As the antagonist begins to climb the stairs, a loud grandfather clock chimes and the loud unexpected noise again adds to the growing tension. The camera quickly cuts away and this time part of the lens is covered to infer that whoever's point of view we are seeing is wearing a mask.

As they see the girl we originally saw through the window of the house, the same high pitched piano key is sounded again. Again drawing fear from the audience. As the girl notices she is being watched, she shouts 'Michael' and clearly seems agitated by his presence. This would indicate that she knows the antagonist and it is not entirely unusual that he is in the house. A high frequency noise is sounded to begin the murder and we first hear and then see Michael murder the female. We see the knife being raised up and then plunged down through the eyes of his mask accompanied by the sound of screaming to shock the audience and then see the body fall to the ground. 

As this happens, the music starts again and the antagonist leaves the house. We see the exterior of the house again, still from the eyes of Michael. For a brief moment, we see the street and hear the ambient sound of heavy breathing and a car pulling up outside of the house. The name 'Michael' is said again, this time by an unfamiliar voice and the camera cuts away and reveals the face of the antagonist. The camera does this cleverly to create the image of the mask being taken away from his face. As this happens, we are given the face of our murderer which is supposed to initially shock the viewer as it is a small boy in a clown costume, which  is not what we would expect, as we would not predict a child would be capable of murder. The camera pans out to an extreme long shot to reveal the child stood on the lawn of his house with who we can assume are his parents.

Task 2.1 Analysis Of A Horror Film (Saw)

The film opens in darkness with the sound of water and desperate cries from one of the protagonists, this connotes an element of fear and uncertainty from the audience, as not being able to see much of what is happening in the background is scary enough, but the added sound unnerves the audience even more. The lights are suddenly switched on and the room immediately illuminates, to break the audiences false sense of security. The lighting of the camera is tinted slightly blue and this creates an element of chaos and pandemonium in the scene as the colour of the shot is something we subconsciously associate with feelings of anarchy and turmoil. 

The second protagonist is introduced through a point of view shot, where a blurred image slowly focuses. This introduces us to the hazed memory of the character and provides us with the impression that they are disorientated and do not know where they are or what has happened to them

and this is a concept which is unnerving for us as we ourselves are seeking answers that the protagonists can not provide us with. 

Once the characters have allowed their eyes to adjust, they notice a bloodied body in the center of the room with multiple gun shot wounds. Before the camera tilts to show us the victim, ambient sound is used to assist the protagonist's realisation of what they have found; followed by a high frequency sound as the camera reveals the corpse, similar to that of a scream.

The opening scene ends with three cut away shots of the victims body and the objects he is holding. This is used to create an element of confusion and hint to the audience what happened without fully revealing the whole story, whilst drawing fear from us as we see the body and the brutal way in which he died.
 

Task 2.1 Analysis Of a Thriller (Mission Impossible 2)

The opening shows an aerial shot of the protagonist climbing a cliff face with no ropes supporting him. This connotes his experienced, almost ''dare devil'' persona which introduces his characteristics to the audience.  In the background of the shot is the ambient sound of the wind, the connotation of this introduces an element of fear for the audience, as the shot depicts how high up he is and therefore the danger of the situation. 

If you listen carefully, you can hear the faint sound of an eagle in the distance which could have been added in purposely to raise connotations of freedom and prosperity as this is what the image of an eagle symbolizes In addition to this, an eagle symbolises being at the top of the food chain, which again could infer elements of the protagonist's personality. This is again supported by the birds eye view shot used in the opening of the film.

A few minutes into the opening, we see the protagonist fall from the cliff face and save himself by holding on to the cliff as shown in the photo to the left. From this image, we can depict connotations of a bird, as the shadow situated behind him looks very similar to a pair of wings, which again could be symbolic of his freedom and ability to rule over others with his power. This image can also convey biblical connotations as the way the protagonist is hanging is very similar to the crucifixion of Jesus. This can communicate the purpose of the character, which we can infer is to be the hero of the story, the saviour who will protect those in danger and be a recognized symbol of hope similar to the role of Jesus Christ.

Feedback - Miss Spencer

Great Prelim task, you have noticed what went well, and what isn't! This will be useful when you get to the evaluation of your main task. You will be able to track your progress from here
Well done.

Preliminary Task

Preliminary Task Evaluation

The 180 degree rule is the concept that the camera can only film two characters on one side of an imaginary line that runs through the center of both characters, when they are situated opposite one another. Breaking the 180 degree rule can cause confusion as it will look like the two subjects are facing in the same direction. The 180 degree rule allows the audience to have a greater sense of location in the scene.

The 180 degree rule.

A match on action is an editing technique for continuity where one shot cuts to another shot portraying the action of the subject shown in the first shot. The purpose is to create a sense of continuity and it creates a visual bridge that draws the audiences attention away from sight cutting. It creates a continuous sense of the same action. We used this camera technique in our video when the detonator is handed from Person C to Person B to help the audience continually understand what was happening.

The film making process around the college went well as there were lots of appropriate areas to film in. The biggest problem we had to overcome was other students in the college who were walking around on their lunch breaks, so we had to time ourselves efficiently so that we would not accidentally have them walking around in the background of our shots. We found it difficult to find places to film in that were quiet, without the background noise caused by other students, but this problem could also be overcome as even if there was unnecessary background noise we could edit this out or overpower it with the background music.

A match on action.

Whilst using Adobe Premiere Pro to edit our video together, we learned all of the different tools and their purposes. Admittedly, we only used the basic tools as we were still learning how to use them. We used the razor tool to trim clips to our desired lengths and adjusted the sound settings on each video so that it was not too loud or too quiet. We overlapped videos in order to make the transitions look smoother and elongated some of the clips to make them play for longer. We also learned how to use a green screen to create the explosion in our video.

Green screened explosion