For this
preliminary exercise, I worked with Drenusha and created a story on an
incidents leading to a kidnapped. Our planning process was fairly simple we
mainly just worked around an idea of kidnapping. In terms of the final video
there were elements to it that were good and elements that needed improving. In
my view, I feel we did well with the
beginning shots as they connected together with the match on action personally
think, the story-line lost interest as the scenes went on- not really making
sense. In the first
However, our
filming process was confusing and unorganised which lead to many difficulties
such as not knowing when to film and how we were going to edit. Originally, we
planned to film more scenes for the exercise but we were not able to agree on a
time to do so. As a result, we just had to make a story based on what we had.
Nevertheless, I managed to put the video together and had a chance to
familiarise myself with the program. As a group we worked well together even
though we had problems putting the video together. If we were to do this again
I think we would definitely need to spend more time getting the accuracy of our
shots right, our setting and mainly our organisation.
In this film sequence from 2013s World War Z, there is a lot of fast-paced editing which is used to show the panic and how these people are not thinking but reacting to this epidemic. This also creates tension and apprehension for the audience. During this scene, there are many cuts to show more than one perspective of the same situation.
The scene starts with a medium shot of the main character followed by civilians. Then there is a close-up on the microphone which gives the audience the assumption of music and celebration. The back view shot of the three guards may cause suspense as the audience don't know who they are but still have a sense of alarm. This is then followed by an establishing shot confirming to the audience that these people are being isolated from the outside world. At this point of the scene, the editing is slow- paced to show calmness of. However, the camera then focuses on outside the wall where the shot is cut again and is filmed from the zombie's perspective for a brief moment. The juxtaposition of the continuous switch from the increasing number of zombies and the civilians inside dancing inside builds nervousness as the audience know something the character don't in that moment (dramatic irony). Anxiety begins to rise, as the soldiers begin to panic and the fast-paced editing signifies the fear of the unknown. From this point, the editing only speeds up as the atmosphere changes from celebratory to terror. The overview shot of the Jerusalem wall makes the audience understand how tall it really is. The shot of the single zombie itself is low key lighting which then changes high key as the zombie comes out of the shadow. This enigma code makes the audience understand what the zombie purpose. By using these codes the audience may become distressed and fearful for the characters as the zombie's increase in number and reach the top.The duration of the shots shortens to emphasise the intensity and moral panic increasing. When the zombies jump off, there is a follow shot that shows the impact of the fall which then contrasts back to the characters who are in horror. Which is then followed by actions codes as, the main character is forced to run. The use of one shot of the zombies falling to the soldiers shooting creates rigidity as the audience continue to stress about the main character and the civilians around him. The perspective of the helicopter (high angle shot) is used to establish the situation. The constant movement of the camera signifies hysteria and terror of all the characters/ civilians. Slow motion is also used to notice the terror. There is a continuation of the use of high angle shots which quick transfer to close-ups of the main character followed by a close-up on the zombie. A close-up is used to show the bomb this enigma code allows the audience to understand that there is going to be an explosion which is shown through a mid shot. There are also elements of sound that help contrast the editing. For example at the beginning the music was calm and the civilians were singling however, when the attack was taking place the sound of screams and bits are audible.
This is the opening scene to Gravity directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The first shot of the film is an establishing shot, introducing to us the setting which is in space. The next shot is a medium and long shot of both protagonists Ryan Stone and Matt Kowalski, so we as the audience, get the idea of their situation. The camera seems to be revolving around them. At this point there is a wide shot of the bottom half of the earth, giving the audience the impression that something is going to happen. There are also several close up shots in this scene that only briefly concentrate on the protagonists individually to signify how they have no time and gives the atmosphere a sense of danger. From the crane and tilt shot makes this scene more extreme when things start to go wrong and they have lost control building suspense. By the camera following the characters every movement, the audience feel a part of the action and desperation. There is another intense long shot when Matt is trying to help Ryan escape which is then followed by theclose up of when Ryan is spinning alone making it clear to the audience her state being panicked and terrified. This scene is one continuous shot and ends with how it started through an establishing shot and also an extreme long shot where we can see the protagonist drifting off in space alone leaving a sense of mystery and uncertainty of what may happen to her next.
Film Noir is a type of genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and problems. The term originally came from french critics which mean "black film" or film of the night .This is a genre that doesn't make you think about happy endings. They are mostly set in locations that have are dark always, involving shadows of alleys and cities. Most film noir films have cigarettes and smoke to build tension in scenes. I have noticed that the women in theses film are portrayed to be independent and more eager to kill men rather than love them. In terms of dress code, women wear floaty hats and dresses, high heels and lipstick whereas men have more of a business-like look wearing suits and ties. Film noir is mainly set in the 1940s-50s in the era of There are many high and low shots and fading scenes. Relationships in which "love is the final card in the poker game of death". Film noir has been inspired by crime which was a very big part of film noir that reflected America during that period of time. Film noir presented what America was going through in the Depression of the 1930s.
WWW: Overall, this is a very solid start to AS Media and
I enjoyed reading your blog. You’ve picked out some really interesting clips
and images to study which to me suggests you have great potential as a Media
student. I’m particularly impressed with Drive – it’s a fascinating film,
incredibly atmospheric and not a mainstream release so an excellent choice to
analyse. It’s so important for Media students to be engaging with interesting
and alternative texts outside of lessons and it looks like you’re already doing
this.
EBI: You have a few bits missing or incomplete that we
need to keep an eye on. The workload in AS Media is significant and it’s vital
you stay on top of it – as long as you’re putting in the five hours or work
outside of lessons you’ll be fine. The incomplete work: lighting – still image
analysis and Film Noir research; Sound LR – you haven’t discussed who you
thought produced the top three sound videos and why. In terms of the work you
have posted, you are picking out some interesting details but overall you will
need significantly more depth to your analysis in order to reach the higher
grades in AS Media. Take the Drive poster – there is so much more you could say
about the mise-en-scene here. Why a scorpion on the jacket? What about the neon
lights in the background? The shadows? The upturned collar? Is the jacket
slightly worn or dirty – what might this signify? Always go the extra mile in
your analysis and explore every possible interpretation or detail.
LR: Firstly, make sure you catch up with the missing work by
the end of this week. Then, for your LR, reflect on your first month of Film
Language. What is your strongest piece of work so far? What is your weakest?
What specific skills or knowledge do you need to develop over the rest of the
course?
The characters are seen to be a typical middle class family playing middle class games (guess the classical music). The diagetic sound is calm and relaxing which is reflects the families relationship with one another which emphasises the fact that this is a normal family. After a while, the music changes it is contrapuntal sound to the scene. This foreshadows future events in the film that give the audience an understanding of something happening to the family.
Clockwork Orange (1971) by Stanley Kubrick
From the opening scene, the mysterious non diagetic sound that is heard creates a tense atmosphere which continues even while we are introduced to the characters. Their facial expressions give the audience the impression that the film will be sinister and dark.
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) by Sergio Leone
In the opening scene of Once Upon A Time In The West, the sound is parallel to the scene giving it a sense of mystery and tension. This is reinforced through the facial expressions of the characters.
Interesting description/ inspiration- young + old Great choices of images for parallel they work well.Colour is a real strength here- vibrant party atmosphere contrasted with black and white images for the second half. Not sure the contrapuntal works- gets something of a reaction but perhaps not enough of a jump ( and with old people smiling could even suggest a different version of parallel?)
My Feedback: I think that my video had a good concept with the colour scheme and however, I do agree on the fact that the black and white pictures of the old people could be interrupted to being parallel which is why I focused more on the colour scheme than the expressions of the old people.
LR:
Learner response: compare your video against your evaluation of the top three videos in the class. Who did you think was best and why? How could you have improved your own video?
From this poster we can see that it has low key lighting because most of her face is hidden from the shadow. The smoke has connotations of film noir. From her facial expressions we can see that perhaps she is not happy with her life looks as if she has experienced something which in reinforced in the smoke coming from the cigar implying the character being rebellious and seductive.
In this poster the women is in complete darkness suggesting low key lighting. From the way the majority of her face is covered by shadows giving us the impression of horror and possibly a darker side of a person. From this we can also assume links to film noir
In this image we can see that it has high key lighting. From the characters clothes we can infer that this is a historical drama possibly being set in the 1800s. This is high key lighting as
From the poster we can see that it is low key lighting Suggestions of film noir and possibly crime from the weapons in hand. Background is rainy
High key lighting shadows are natural The women looks scared suggesting horror
High key lighting (light coming from the blinds
Low key lighting Men look intimidating from weapons Many shadows suggesting crime
Low key lighting Women looks apprehensive Half of her face is covered from the darkness (horror)
High key lighting lighting from above Suggestions of hope and worship
Low key lighting Most of the poster in dark from the shadows Only light is coming from the door which is barely visible
In this poster we can identify that it is high key lighting. This helps create a realistic feel of where the characters are
