Thursday, 4 December 2014

Mind Map


Movie Idea 1
Our first idea for a film was to have a western style thriller with a male protagonist and a male antagonist. There would be a female love interest that would get captured by the antagonist and the protagonist would have to go and save her. The film would end with the antagonist in a prison and with the protagonist getting with the girl.

Movie Idea 2
Our second movie idea was to have a Neo Noir style Thriller with a female protagonist. Her parents were killed when she was young and she now lives with her grandparents. The antagonist would be a corrupt business man that had her parents killed and the film would be her getting revenge for her parents death by having anonymous tips in the form of letters that gets her closer to the corrupt businessman.

Movie Idea 3
Our third movie idea was to make a horror that would have been based in a creepy place. There would be a cult of cannibals and a teenage girl and grandmother make human pies for the cult and they get the humans by killing anyone who steps foot in the forest. The Protagonist would help to kill the teenager and the grandmother and take down the cult. The antagonist would be the cult and the Teenage girl and grandmother.

Wednesday, 3 December 2014

First Cut and Feedback



Feedback

Person 1 - Oliver, 16

Very good
some cuts are shaky
Upstairs movement needs changing
Good dolly bit
Camera angles where interesting

Person 2 - Becky, 17

Good
Variety of shots
Shaky shots
Continuity - Good
Don't know where the story will lead.

Person 3 - Mitch, 16

Shaky after some shots
Good close ups
Good Variety of shots and angles

Person 4 - Ash, 17

Variety of shots
Different ages of actresses good
letter looks realistic
good dolly movement

Overall
Overall the feedback that we got was good but there was some editing and camera shots and movements that people thought needed to be changed and tightened up a bit to make it even better. We also need to add the Institution logo and the text over the clips.

Thursday, 27 November 2014

Film Progress

 This is our production logo. It is 3D and animated. I did this in a 3D graphics software called Cinema 4D. It allowed to me to model the gears and make animate them. The Text at the bottom is also animated. Our production company is called SDK Productions. I found this easy because I use this software quite a lot so i know how to use it.




I then imported the video into After Effects and added a background and a lens flare. The Background is animated and is a space theme and the lens flare is just above the 'P' of Production. I found After Effects quite difficult to use because I don't use the software that often and I had to look at YouTube Tutorials to learn how to use it.





This is what the Production Company logo looked like after i had used After Effects to add a background in it. The whole group liked the way it looked and how I animated it.






The editing of the Intro to our film is going well as well. The Videos are all edited and the effect had been added. We need to sort out the audio of the video clips and add the sound effects in.

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Feedback - Miss Spencer

First Cut feedback - Miss Spencer

There is a clear narrative to this opening, good use of a variety of camera shots and angles, as well as a great use of a dolly shot. This is clearly a film opening, but needs some more work to polish and finish it. Here are my suggestions. I would also like you to ask some contemporaries/parents for feedback and embed the first cut into this post.

Suggested changes/improvements:

Add Institutional Logo

Add titles

I would like to see a c/u of the main protagonist at the beginning so that the audience can start identifying/ understanding her a little.

Tighten the shot on the letter - it is a little too slow.

Possibly shorten the walk up the stairs.
Tighten the letter exchange - make it a more natural pace.

Add SFX to create an atmosphere (ensure you create your own or use royalty free sound effects)

Tighten the end of the dolly shot

Are you going to add any music?

Do a colour correction to add the neo noir feel.








The Storyline

Story:
A woman's (Roseanne) family was taken from her at a young age (her parents are killed by order of a corrupt, jealous business man) so she goes to live with her grandparents. There she develops skills and her need for vengeance grows. She receives a tip off from an anonymous source about another person involved with her parents' deaths. She tracks down this person and tortures them for information which leads to another target involved with the deaths. Each target brings her closer to the corrupt business man and each target forces her to remember things from her past (both happy and horrific memories), Eventually, many targets later, she ends up face to face with the man who killed her parents. She fights off henchmen but ends up pinned against a window by the business man. She demands that he tells her why he had her parents killed and it turns out the parents and himself were all friends in the past and had fallen in love with Roseann's mother but she was with her father at the time.
The businessman went behind their backs and stole their idea for their business and became rich and powerful. With his new found power, he hired a hitman to kill the father so the mother would go with him, but something went wrong and the hitman ended up killed both of them.
After he tells this story, Roseann manages to take control of him as she is up against a window and he is now in the position she was in. She pushes him out of the window, turns and walks away.

We hope the audience would be able to feel sorry for Roseann but at the same time question what she's doing - is it right? The memories shown are supposed to give the audience some back story to what happened to Roseann and her parents. The plot twist at the end, about the business man liking her mother, was supposed to make the audience maybe feel bad for him and sympathize with his thoughts instead of hating him like the film was leading up to happening.



The Script

The Script

EXT.A WALL/STREET- DAY 

A MYSTERIOUS MAN dressed in a black coat and with a gloved hand, holds a white letter as he walks past the wall. 



INT.OFFICE-DAY


ROSEANNE(18)sits at her desk, looking at her laptop and typing. She sits upright with her hair swept to one side to show her face.


EXT.STEPS-DAY


The MYSTERIOUS MAN walks around the corner and GRADUALLY walks up the steps. 



EXT/INT.FRONT DOOR/LETTER BOX-DAY

The MYSTERIOUS MAN QUICKLY walks up to the door and posts the letter through the letterbox. The letter falls to the ground below the letterbox. 


                          ROSEANNE (V.O) 
 
                  It was 6 years ago today that my parents died... 
                                  (Sadly) 
                   I was only 12 at the time. 
                   

INT.HALL-DAY


FOOTSTEPS are heard as ROSEANNE'S GRANDMOTHER (75), a KIND, FORMAL woman who looks after her granddaughter in her Manor, picks up the letter. 


She looks at the letter then turns SLOWLY to head upstairs to give the letter to ROSEANNE. 



HARD CUT TO


INT.OFFICE DESK/CLOCK-2:10 PM 



JAZZ MUSIC is heard and the sound of typing from Roseanne's laptop 



INT.STAIRS-DAY


ROSEANNE'S GRANDMOTHER SLOWLY walks up the STEEP stairs with the letter in her hand, she holds the handrail for balance. 



INT.OFFICE-DAY


ROSEANNE sits at her desk as INCENSE SMOKE swirls around her face. A LOUD KNOCK is heard against her office door. 

                         
                          ROSEANNE 
                          (loudly) 
                              Come in!

The GRANDMOTHER walks towards ROSEANNE and stops at the edge of her desk. ROSEANNE turns down the stereo she had playing to focus on what her GRANDMOTHER has to say. 

                        GRANDMOTHER 
                      (handing the letter to Roseanne)
                This was just posted through the door. 
                        
                         ROSEANNE 
                      (to Grandmother) 
                              Thank you
                  

ROSEANNE takes the letter from her GRANDMOTHER, looks QUICKLY at it then places it besides her on the desk. 

                        GRANDMOTHER
                        (formally)
                I'll be downstairs if you need me

As the GRANDMOTHER turns to leave, she picks up the PHOTO FRAME on the desk and steps to the side. A SAD look is on her face as she looks at the photograph. Then she TURNS and places the PHOTO FRAME QUICKLY as ROSEANNE watches. The GRANDMOTHER then TURNS QUICKLY without even looking at ROSEANNE before she HURRIEDLY walks off.


INT.OFFICE/DESK-DAY 

The PHOTO FRAME contains a photograph of a YOUNGER ROSEANNE with her PARENTS. 

                          ROSEANNE (V.O)
                                (solemnly) 
 Today is a very difficult day for my grandmother. Due to there being no conclusive  cause of death, no real evidence ; the investigation of my parents death was as fleeting as a footstep in a snow storm.


ROSEANNE looks at the letter she had originally ignored when her GRANDMOTHER had first given it to her. Her hair falls over half of her face and HIDES her right eye. The look on her face suggests she is wondering who could have sent her a letter. 

                            ROSEANNE (V.O) 
                            (desperately) 
                We need to know what happened to them. 


The PHOTO FRAME is shown again but this time much CLOSER so details such as how everyone is SMILING shows the HAPPY atmosphere in the photograph.  

ROSEANNE faces the stereo and reaches with her hand to turn it back up again. The ORIGINAL JAZZ music has now changed to a more TENSE track. She OPENS the letter CALMLY but STRUGGLES a little as the letter is not easily taken out of the envelope, which suggests that the letter was pushed deep into the envelope by the sender. She SMILES quickly at the thought of not being able to take out the letter but hastily goes back to having a STRAIGHT FACE. She folds open the letter and begins to read. An INCREASING HEARTBEAT sound is heard throughout as she reads.  

                             ROSEANNE (V.O) 
                                    (eagerly) 
                    And I'm determined to find closure. 

Her EYES are shown as she reads the letter.

The letter starts with her name (ROSEANNE) in LARGE.  

Her EYES are again shown but with more SPEED as she continues reading the letter. 

The letter then contains the word: PARENTS,in LARGE.

Her EYES do NOT BLINK as she continues to read. 

The letter then contains the word: MURDERED,in LARGE.

Her EYES are again shown as she shown as they move across with a FAST PACE. 

The FINAL words in the letter that is focused on is the words: CORRUPT BUSINESS MAN. 


INT.OFFICE-DAY 

ROSEANNE stares at the letter for less then a second then places it back down onto the desk,she  RISES from her chair and turns to grab her coat, which was on the back of her chair, she STEPS away from the desk and she GRACEFULLY puts on her coat and walks away. 

                       ROSEANNE (V.O) 
                             (forcefully) 
                  By any means necessary.

She STRIDES towards the DOOR,PUSHES it open and walks out and begins to go down the STAIRS. 

                      ROSEANNE (V.O) 
                      (conclusively)
              Who ever you are... I will find you.


INT.OFFICE/DESK-DAY 

The PHOTO FRAME is again shown but the photograph is shown much CLOSER so that it is clear that the YOUNGER ROSEANNE and her PARENTS are much happier and that obviously the death of them CHANGED ROSEANNE to what she is now. 










Wednesday, 19 November 2014

Production Schedule

Date
Task
Complete Y/N

W/C: 3/11/14


Creating/sourcing sound and music



W/C: 10/11/14


Editing and creating graphics and titles



W/C: 17/11/14



Editing and creating graphics and titles



W/C: 24/11/14



Editing



W/C: 01/12/14


Uploading all elements from foundation portfolio onto your blog




W/C: 08/12/14


Blogging all stages of the filming/editing process



W/C: 15/12/14


Film to be handed in to be marked over the Christmas Break.


Storyboard

Storyboard

0. Production Logo - 10 seconds 

1. Rose sat at desk
Fade in from black
First shot- Establishing
Camera movement- none
Sound- Jazz in background
No dialogue
Duration-2-3 seconds

2.  Feet walking
Quick cut from shot 1
Camera close up of feet walking
Movement- tracking
Sounds- footsteps and jazz
N.D
Duration- 4 seconds

3.Cut back to Roseanne
Quick cut from shot 2
 Shot-Close up
Movement- Tilt
Sounds- Jazz
N.D
Duration- 4 seconds

4. Cuts back to a gloved hand posting an envelope through the letter box
Shot- Close up of the hand.
Movement- None
Sounds- Jazz and letter box shutting
N.D
Duration- 2/3 seconds

5. Letter falling in a hallway
Shot- Medium
Movement- none
Effects- Slow motion
Sounds- Jazz
Duration-5 seconds
(Dialogue starts- It was 6 years ago today that my parents died… I was only 12 at the time)

6. Grandperson’s hand picking up letter
Shot- Close up
Movement- None
Sounds- Faint jazz, door opening and jazz is louder, footsteps.
Duration- 5 seconds ( just letter with all the background sounds) 3 seconds- hand in shot      

27 seconds

7. Grandparent looking at letter
Shot- Over the shoulder
Movement- none
Sounds- Jazz
Duration- 2 seconds

8. Starting to walk up stairs
Shot- High angle establishing shot
Movement- none
Sounds- jazz
Duration-3 seconds

9. Walking upstairs with letter
Shot- Close up of letter
Movement- Tracking
Sounds- Jazz getting slowly louder and footsteps
Duration- 3 seconds

10. Rose at desk when a knock at the door happens
Shot- Long shot
Movement- none
Sounds- jazz turned down, knock at door
Dialogue- “ Come in”
Duration- 7 seconds

11.  Grandparent walking through door towards Rose
Shot- Long shot
Movement- Pan as grandparent walks towards rose
Sounds- quiet jazz
N.D
Duration- 4 seconds

12, 13, 15 . Conversation between Rose and Grandparent
Shot- Shot reverse shot ( gp, rose, gp)
Movement- none
Sounds- Jazz in background
Dialogue: GP: This was just posted through the door
 Rose: Thanks
GP: I’ll be downstairs if you need me…
Duration: 12- 5, 13- 3 15- 5 seconds

(14.) Handing the letter
Shot- Match on action (close up) 
Movement- none
Sounds- jazz
Dialogue- none
Duration- 6 seconds  

1 min 12 seconds

16.  GM picks up photograph and looks at it
Shot- Low angle medium shot
Movement- none
Sounds – jazz
N.D
Duration- 4 seconds

17. GM puts photograph back onto desk and walks away.
Shot- Medium shot
Movement- none
Sounds- jazz and footsteps walking away and door shutting
N.D
Duration- 2 seconds

18.  Camera focuses on photograph
Shot- close up
Movement-none
Sounds- jazz
Dialogue- Today is a very difficult for my grandmother. Due to there being no conclusive cause of death, no real evidence; the investigation on my parents death was as fleeting as a footstep in a snow storm.
Duration-10 seconds

19. Roseanne
Shot-close up
Movement-
Sounds- jazz
Dialogue- We need know what happened to them
Duration-4 seconds

1 minute 32 second

20.  Music gets turned up and the opening of the letter
Shot- Over the shoulder
Movement- none
Sounds-jazz getting louder
Dialogue- and I’m determined to find closure.
Duration- 7 seconds

21. Clock
Shot-Close up
Movement-none
Sounds-jazz
N.D
Duration-2 seconds

22.Focus on eyes
Shot- Extreme close up
Movement- None
Sounds-Jazz
N.D
Duration- 2 seconds

23.Focus on words in letter
Shot-Extreme close up
Movement- none
Sounds-Jazz
N.D
Duration- 2 seconds per word ( Overall 8 seconds)
(Words: Parents, murdered, corrupt business man, E.I) 

1 minute 51 seconds

24. Putting down letter and standing up
Shot-long shot
Movement- none
Sounds-Jazz
Dialogue - By any means necessary.
Duration- 4 seconds

25. Putting on jacket
Shot- long shot (low angle)
Movement- none
Sounds- jazz
N.D
Duration- 8 seconds

26.Walking across the room
Shot- Long shot
Movement- Pan
Sounds- Door shutting
Dialogue- I need to know the truth
Duration- 6 seconds

27. Opening the door and walking out
Shot – Long
Movement – none
Sounds – jazz music
Dialogue – whoever you are… I will find you
Duration – 7 seconds

28. Title Scene
The Truth
Duration - 5 seconds

2 minutes 19 seconds

Filming Schedule

Filming Schedule - Truth

Filming date: Wednesday 22nd October

Meeting Time: 9:45

Address for cast and crew to meet at:

Amington Rd, Tamworth, Staffordshire B77 3LH

List of crew and cast contacts:

David Cuff: 07********* 
Katie Limm: 07*********
Sam Hollis: 07*********
Maisie Goodman: 07***********
Lillian Limm: 07***********

Props

Laptop
Vase/Flowers
Letter
Photograph
Clock
Desk decorations (books, pens, paper)
Envelope

Radio/stereo
Candle/Incense stick

Equipment
Camera
Dolly
Tri-pod
Laptop

Tuesday, 11 November 2014

Opening Title Sequence Analysis

I liked this opening sequence because it looked old fashioned because of the style of black and white it was in and it was also 3D as well the camera moved through the lines that you can see in the picture to get to the next title. There was also little video that were related to the title that was being shown.
  I liked this opening sequence because it was a space themed sequence and the colours were very good. I thought the font that the text was in fitted with the space theme of the background.




I liked this opening sequence as well because the background was very dark and the contrast from the text being in yellow i thought was very good. This makes the text stand out and makes the text look more important.
The background for this Title sequence is the shield from Captain america, this shows that the film is Captain America and that is a good thing because you know what the film is about. The text in this title sequence stands out because all of the text is on the red part of the shield and that contrasts with the white text and that makes the text look important.
 I like this title sequence because it looks like it would be for a horror film because of the red text. It also is over lit meaning that it makes the text stand out. This stands out to me because of the general look of it made me like it instantly.


Monday, 10 November 2014

Feedback - Miss Spencer

Representation Feedback -
You have discussed the meaning of representation and gender in your genre, you have also looked at the main character types in relation to your genre. However in order to improve you need examples from specific films (many examples, at least one for each character type)
and in order to take this to a very high level look up Todorov - he was the person who came up with the idea of character types. Add this research to this post.

This post also needs many images to illustrate your points.

(Task 3.3) Genre Research

Sunday, 9 November 2014

Representation Research

Representation is the way that something is presented. Most of the time this is done though stereotyping, but there is sometimes new representations are made. There are different representations for the different genres but the ones that come up in all are gender and colour. Gender is usually a stereotyped one because it is easier for the audience to get what is going on if the characters in the piece of media are stereotyped.  

Todorvo's Theory of the equilibrium with in characters is that at the start of the film there is an equilibrium and then an even happens in the film that disturbs that equilibrium and then towards the end of the film a new equilibrium will be there and this can sometimes be the same as the start but most of the time it is different to what it was at the start of the film.

In films these are some of the stereotypes that are used for gender;

Protagonist – The protagonist is the hero in the film. They are usually male in most film genres and they are represented as strong, smart and brave. They will most of the type always come out on top in fights because stereotypically good always triumphs over evil. In the film Iron man, Tony Stark is the protagonist because he is the hero from the film.
Antagonist – The antagonist is the evil character and plots against the Protagonist to try and win but ultimately ends up losing or being killed. The Antagonist is always a male as well because they have to be strong and evil, but sometimes it can be female. In the film Transformers, Megatron is the Antagonist because he wants to take over the universe.

Femme Fatal – The femme fatal or otherwise known as the fatal woman is usually the female that gets the protagonist either injured or captured by the antagonist. This is a key role because it give the protagonist the opportunity to show that he can be strong and get out of a sticky situation. 

Damsel in distress – The damsel in distress is usually the character that needs saving. This is usually played by a female because stereotypically females are portrayed as the weaker character and the always get captured. This also gives the protagonist the chance to show that he is a strong and smart character by saving her. In most Disney films there is a Damsel in distress that the prince or the protagonist will save and they will live happily ever after. 

The Sexy Female – This character is only used for the male gaze aspect of the film, this character doesn’t have a significant role in the film they are just there to look sexy and to attract the attention of the male audience watching the film. In the film Drive Angry, Amber Heard's role in the film is to look good for the male gaze aspect of the film.

In the film the Hunger Games, Katniss is represented as a strong but mother like character because she has the strength to go through the Hunger games and win it but she also cares for her sister and at the beginning of the film you think she is her mother. She is the protagonist in the film because she is the hero and wins the hunger games. This is not the stereotypical hero because she is female but in this film it works and she plays the role of the protagonist really well.


In my film opening you are introduced to the protagonist called Rosanne and her grandmother. In our film the protagonist is a female and this isn’t stereotypically the case in the genre Neo Nior but in our film, we wanted to have the protagonist a female because we thought that it would be good to have her as the hero of the film. Her grandmother does have a specific role in the opening scene but if we made the whole film she would become a much more important character. There are some positives and negatives to having the character a female and that is that it might be confusing to have a female protagonist but it might be a unique selling point to the film.

Monday, 3 November 2014

Feedback - Miss Spencer

You are catching up with your research into similar products David, and your work shows some attention to detail and considering of the key concepts. However you still need to address the issues mentioned in my first feedback about your research.

Your target audience research is much to vague and broad, in order to take this into a level 3 you must:
Discuss similar products, what makes them similar, their age rating (mention who awards the ratings and why) and give specific examples of WHY your target audience is this. We will be looking at some audience theories that you can add to this post as well.





  

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

(Task - 3.1)Target Audience Research - Thriller

Target Audience Analysis

http://www.slideshare.net/jphibbert/thriller-film-research

This is the website I used to get the information for my target audience. This applies to me because I have made a Thriller film that is aimed at 15 - 19 years old because of the main character in my film being 18 so this makes the character relatable. The main character is female as well also making it more relatable to the female audience but she is part of the male gaze attracting the male audience.


The target audience for my Thriller trailer is males and females aged predominately 15-19. However, due to the broad amount of sub-genre’s featured within Thrillers, the trailer could also appeal to those younger and older than this age group. Thrillers appeal to both male and female audiences and a variety of social classes conventionally through the use of relatable characters and themes throughout the film. The target audience would also be interested in modern life and technologies, this is linked the Thriller film genre which conventionally influenced by real-life events. A key point of Thrillers that interests my target audience is the use of suspense and tension. This can be specifically seen with psychological thrillers which uses constant twists in plot to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. Overall, Thrillers appeal to a wide-audience and the large variety of sub-genres means that the Thriller genre can easily relate to a range of audiences.

A key appeal for the target audience of Thrillers is character which they can relate to and build a rapport with as the narrative continues. This can be seen in Scream which aimed to appeal mainly to a young adult audience. Through using a mainly teenage cast, each with their own individual story the audience was able to relate to the characters and therefore become more interested in the film and what happened to the characters.

Mazelow's Hierarchy of needs can be used to explain how my film targets different societies because it targets people morality and the love for there family. It also has lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts because the main character accepts the fact that her parents were murdered but she wants to get revenge for it.



Sunday, 12 October 2014

Feedback - Miss Spencer

Again you have done some reasonable analysis here Davis. You have looked at three of the areas of technical code, but there is not much mention of sound and I would also like you to use the DISTINCT formula.
Don't
Ignore
setting
Technical Code
Iconography
Narrative
Characterisation
Themes.
This would add more depth to your analysis and take your work from a level 2/3 border to a comfortable level 3



Thursday, 9 October 2014

(Task - 2.1) Movie Analysis Opening Sequence - Inception


Inception

This is the opening scene from the film inception. Inception is an action, sci-fi thriller that was aimed at a wide range of people and ages. This film is supposed to make you think and there is some jumpy parts to the film as well that adds an element of horror to it. This is why it was a successful film because it had elements of lots of the popular genres in it. This film is similar to the other 3 that I have analysed because it is a Thriller with a similar age rating> The camera work and the editing are similar as well and this means they all follow the similar codes and conventions.

Camera angles/movement

The couple of camera shots in the scene are close ups of a guy that is lying on the ground then there are some long shots of some kids playing on the same beach he is lying on. Then there is a close up of a gun pointing at the guys back and then a long shot of another guy. Then the camera cuts to two people have convocation. There is lots of over the shoulder shots and close up shots of the people’s faces. All of these shots are typical shots of Thriller films.

Editing

The editing in this scene is quite simple it mostly involves cuts and fades. Even though this is simple it is the typical editing that is used in most films and especially in Thrillers. There is some slow motion in the scene and this creates a good effect. This follows the codes and conventions for Thriller films because they are all similar to this style of editing. 

Sound and Lighting

The lighting in the scene at the start is bright because the person is outside on a beach but then the scene moves inside and the scene becomes much darker. The sound has mostly diegetic sound because there is no music in this scene so this means that all of the sound in the scene can be heard by the actors. Outside there is sound of the waves because that part of the scene is set on the beach. When the scene moves inside then all you hear is the guys talking to each other.

(Task - 2.1) Movie Analysis Opening Sequence - Fast and Furious 6



Fast and Furious 6

Fast and Furious 6 is the 6th film in the Fast and Furious franchise and all of them are action films. The films involve fast cars, car chases, guns and fighting.The opening scene of the film fast and furious 6 is of 2 people in fast cars racing down a mountain road in an exotic location. The car that’s they use are fast and expensive and the people driving them you can tell are good drivers. The drivers are also friends, you can tell this because they keep looking at each other and smiling, this show that they are two friends that enjoy racing.

Camera Shots/Movement

In this scene there are lots of long shots to get all of the action in the shot and to get the scenery in the show as well. There is also some close ups of the feet on the peddles and the hands on the gear stick. This shows the speed that they are moving at because the speed that the people change gear. There is also close ups of the drivers faces and this is done to show there emotion and the fact that both of the drivers look at each other and smile. Lots of the camera shots are taken from a helicopter this is so they can track the cars as they are racing down the track. Most of the camera movement are tracking shots because the camera is tracking the cars racing down the mountain road.

Sound

There is no dialogue in this scene all there is, is the sounds of the as they are racing. You hear the sounds of the engine and the tires screeching on the road. You also hear the mechanical sound when the drivers change gear as well. About half way through the race that they are having some non-diegetic sound starts to play. This is an action song and this goes with the fast edits and the action that is taking place in the scene.

Editing

The editing in this scene is fast and this is a convention of action films because when there is an action sequence in action films the editing is faster because it shows that the action is taking place. Also in the scene there are some shot reverse shots. One example of this is when one of the drivers changes gear, there is a shot of the peddles and then there is a show of the gear stick of him changing gear and then there is another shot of the peddles.    

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Feedback - Miss Spencer

You have written two reasonable evaluations David. Throughout you have noticed some of the conventions and discussed them. You have embedded the film and taken screen shots ot illustrate your points. However I would like a lot more detail as well as a lot more comment on why certain shots/angles/props etc were used. For example on the Sin City analysis you pick out establishing shots and over the shoulder shots, but you do not say what effect or why these were chosen.At the moment your work is still in a level 2 and I would like to see this improve. In order to do this I suggest you:
  • Add more detail to the analysis, commenting on the effect and why ecah element was used.
  • Although sometimes you have discussed conventions, and how this film fits into them, there are other times that you have mentioned an element and not highlighted it as a convention. I would like to make sure you spot all of them so that you can use this information when planning your own film.
  • At the start of the Descent analysis you could comment on why they chose not to follow conventions for the opening - what effect were they looking for on the audience?  
  • You should have at least four pieces of analysis by now, if you are struggling to get the work done in time I would appreciate it if you could talk to me about it.

Monday, 29 September 2014

(Task - 2.1) Movie Analysis Opening Sequence - Sin City


Sin City

Sin City is a Neo Noir style thriller and the story is from a graphic novel also called Sin City. The film is in black and white but there is some key colours. In the opening scene the key colour is red and the woman in the scene is wearing a red dress. This may symbolise death because red is associated with death and destruction but also with love and this could mean as well that the woman is the love interest in the film. The film is in black and white and this is convention of the Neo Noir style thriller and also this film is based on a graphic novel and the graphic novel is in black and white and this shows that they are also following the convention of the graphic novel as well. In the Opening scene there also is a voice over monologue, this is a typical convention of a Neo Noir style film. This voice over is diegetic because it has been place over the top of the normal noise and the actors are not supposed to hear it. In the film they use the typical 1950's american language, this is picked up from the line 'Care for a smoke' meaning do you want a cigarette.

Editing
The editing in this clip is slow because it is a just a conversation at the start and even towards the end of the scene when the guy shoots to woman the editing is slow. This shows that she wasn't a very good person because leading up to her death the editing was slow and usually when it is a good person being killed the editing speeds up to build tension.

Camera Angles
The opening shot is an establishing shots of a woman walking up to the edge of a balcony. Establishing and long shots are used throughout this scene, this is used to show where they are and what they are doing. This creates a good effect because it provides context for the scene and it shows a lot more of their surroundings meaning that you know where they are and what they are doing. There is also a lot of over the shoulder shots in this scene as well because most of the scene is a conversation between 2 people. this creates the effect that the 2 people are having a conversation. Also in this scene there is a match on action when the guys offers her a cigarette. This is to show the action clearly because most of the screen is take up by the back of the guy  because the shot before is an over the shoulder shot.



Narrative
At the start of the clip there is a woman stood on a balcony wearing a red dress. her dress is the only part of colour in the scene. This shows that she is at a party because of the post dress and the balcony of the building she is on. A guys starts waking up behind her and she turns are starts talking to him. they then have a conversation and he then offers her a cigarette and they smoking and carrying on with their conversation. Both of them in the scene look sophisticated because of the clothes that they are wearing. They then start kissing and hugging and the guys shoots her in the stomach. This shows that her red dress did symbolise death and then he holds her until she dies.