Recently we gave our presentation on our film 'A Year in LA' to the rest of the class. We got a mixture of positive comments and things we could improve on. Everyone rated our film overall out of 70 and on average we scored 48.8.
Overall everyone seemed to like the film idea and said they would buy the film rights. An occurring positive comment we received about the film was that the title was interesting and catchy. Most students also said we chose very good and appropriate actors and actresses to play the main roles and that they would appeal to our target audience which was teenage girls. This is because we chose actors and actresses which teenage girls would have seen in previous films with characters who will suit the roles in our film. For example we chose Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens to play two of the main characters which would appeal to teenage girls as they would have seen them previously in High School Musical. When the students were asked if the narrative fits the genre which was a rom com they responded mainly with yes as it was funny, included romance and would appeal to teens.
Some of the things people said we could improve on with our film is that the film seemed similar to other rom com movies. If we were to change our film to make it seem different to other rom coms we would possibly change the setting as LA is a very typical place to shoot a movie.
In lesson today we learnt about independent films and when is a good time for a new block buster film to be released. For example towards this Christmas there are 3 big block buster films being released which are James Bond- Spectre, Star Wars and Hunger Games. Block busters are not released during the summer as not as many people will be going to the cinema which means not as many people will see the film. We also learnt that during the months October- February is when critically acclaimed films are released
In today's lesson we studied the big six production companies in film making. We looked at the types of films they make and we also looked at the mini majors in film making and what type of films they make.
The big six production companies and some of the films they create are:
Sony:
- The Walk
- Pixels
- The interview
- Fury
- 22 Jump Street
Warner bros:
- Magic Mike XXL
-San Andreas
- The Hobbit
- Gravity
20th Century Fox:
- Fantastic Four
- Gone Girl
- Taken 3
- The fault in our stars
As every film production company has a logo which represents them I have created my own logo which is:
My logo is an image of a forest at night time and you can clearly see the stars in the sky which brightens up the image. At the bottom of the image there is a plain black space. In this space I have written 'OVERSON PRODUCTIONS' because that is the name of my production company. I have written this in capital, bold, white letters as it stands out against the black background which means people will be able to read it clearly and also from far away.
In today's lesson we were working with Adobe Premiere editing a James Bond clip and a dancing animals clip. As we used Adobe Premiere we were able to play around with the clips, audio and effects. For example with the James Bond clips we were given many different clips from different James Bond films and had to make one short clip using the other clips. We did the same for the dancing animals clip and included different audio clips and effects. From doing this task I have learnt how to use Adobe premiere and learnt new editing skills.
My James Bond clip:
At the beginning of this clip it starts with the very famous James Bond quote which says ' the name's Bond...James Bond' with no music in the background so it is using diegetic sound. It then quickly changes clips and music starts in the background. The music is at a very fast pace and so is the scene in the clip so the music works with the scene. As the clip continues the pace of the scene slows down so at the same time the pace of the music slows down. Cutting to a different clip where James Bond is in trouble from the clip where he has the power shows variations from all of the different Bond films. The clip is then changed back to where the other clip left off and it carries on. Towards the end of the video the clips change again so there is two stories happening in one video. Whilst the clips are changing there is the same audio in the background then at the end of the video the music fades out.
My dancing animals clip:
For this video I used 3 different audio clips and many different clips of dancing animals. The three different audio clips I used included different genres of music. There are many different clips of dancing animals used which all fit with the audio playing in the background. When the music changes the transitions of the clips also fades from one to another so when the audio changes so does the clip.
In today's lesson we studied audience, uses and gratification. We also learnt an acronym to help remember this:
P - Personal identification - This is when someone can personally relate to the film, programme or magazine etc. For example in the film 'Southpaw' there is a scene where the main characters wife passes away. A person in the audience who's wife has died would be able to personally relate to this scene.
I - Information - This is learning new information which you did not know before watching the film. For example after watching the film ' Black fish' I learnt about animal rights and how sea world is abusing the animals they have in their care for peoples entertainment. This is factual knowledge which I have learnt after watching a film.
E- Entertainment -This is when someone will watch a film purely for entertainment. For example people who love action films would go to the cinema to watch the new 'Fast and Furious' movies as they enjoy watching action films so they would watch them for entertainment.
S- Social interaction - This is where people use media in social situations. For example if you were the first person within your group of friends to see a new film, when you explain the film to your friends and family they will be interested and then excited to watch the film which you have recommended.
In todays lesson we studied the four things which make up the film which are Camera, Mise En Scene, Editing and Sound. We then watched some clips and analysed them using this information.
Camera - An acronym used to help remember the information learned about the camera is FAM which stands for Frame, Angle and Movement.
For frame there are six different types of frames used while using a camera which are :
For angle there are three different angles used which are:
- Worms eye view ( Low view )
- Birds eye view ( High angle )
- Level
For movement there are five different ways which are used which are:
- Pan - this can only be to the left or right
-Tilt - this can only be up or down
- Tracking shot
-Steadicam
-Hand held
Mise En Scene - Another acronym which is used to help remember information about Mise En Scene is CLAMPS. These letters stand for
C - costume
L - lighting
A - actors
M - makeup
P - props
S - setting
Editing - Another acronym which is used to help remember information about editing is TOPS. These letters stand for:
T - transitions
O - order of narrative
P - pace
S- sfx
Sound -
- Dialogue
- Music
- Diegetic sound/ non diegetic e.g music, voice over, narration
We watched two different clips which we 'Up' and 'Cape fear' which we then analysed.
In this clip from the film 'Up' time is passed very quickly. This is done very interestingly as we go from their wedding day when they were very young up to when they are elderly at a very fast pace and also with no speaking. There are many different types of movement with the camera used in this clip to show time passing. For example at 1.25 the camera pans right going from a scene where they are preparing for a child to a scene where they have just found out she has lost the child. Another way time is passed during this clip is the use of ties. There are many clips of his wife doing his tie for him and then after a while we can see they have both grown in age.
In this clip from the film 'Cape fear' only four different frames are used. Very quickly into the clip we know the man could potentially be dangerous as he is covered in tattoos and is in a prison cell. However we can also see he could be very intelligent as there many books in his cell. We can tell the man from the clip could be very lonely as there is no one to pick him up when he is leaving prison. The camera uses an extreme long shot while the man is walking out of the prison where we can see thunder and lightning which creates an eerie atmosphere again showing this man could be dangerous.
I am now going to analyse the first six minutes of the film 'Boyz in the hood'.
At the very begginning of this film the audience can hear swearing, gun shots and screaming yet there is no visual for these sounds. The first characters we are introduced to are four young children walking to school. They are discussing the gun shots they could hear from the night before in a very casual way which shows that shootings in the area they go to school in is not a rare occurrence.
The next scene is set in a classroom. Towards the end of this scene two of the boys who were walking to school get in an argument which involves aggression and swearing which then turns into a fight. Other children in the classroom are encouraging the fight whilst the teacher tries to break it up. This shows violence in the film coming from children of a very young age. The next scene shows one of the young boys walking home from school using an extreme long shot view. Whilst the boy is walking home he has to go around a fight which has started within a gang. This would be very surprising to the audience as children as young as this boy is should not be surrounded by so much violence. Whilst the boy is walking home there is a voiceover of the teacher on the phone to the boys mother. The scenes from the mother on the phone and the boy walking home continue to flip from scene to scene. The teacher criticises the mothers education and employment believing she will not have one as she has a troubled son.
In todays lesson we looked at representations in media. Representations are the way in which people, events and ideas are presented to the audience. Representations are shown by typically using stereotypes which are visual shortcuts as the audience will instantly understand them. For example the stereotype for an Essex girl is a stiletto wearing, big busted, brainless, blonde girl.
A countertype however is a representation that challenges traditional stereotypical associations of groups, people or classes.
An example of a stereotypical French man:
A countertype representation of a French man:
When you are analysing representations it is important to consider these factors: - Who?
When?
Why?
Where?
I am now going to analyse the representations in the trailer of the film 'Top boy'
What/Who is being represented? - One thing that is being represented clearly in this film trailer is violence. This is clear as there are scenes which involve drugs, police cars and knives.
People who are being represented in this film are young adults and teenagers.
How is it being represented? - Violence is represented in this film by the use of weapons, drugs and fighting. As these things are being represented by young adults and teenagers we can tell that they are potentially troubled or are involved with a gang.
How is the representation made to seem 'true', 'common sense' or 'natural'? - These representations look real and true by making the characters look like real troubled teenagers. This is done by the wearing messy school uniform and clearly getting in with the wrong crowd of people. The representations also look real because because the film is set in a rough part of London which we know because of the skyline.
The theory of semiotics - In this film trailer there are signs drug use, this could mean that they are potentially drug dealers which would mean they are dangerous people. From this trailer we have an idea of who the main character is as there is one voice which is playing over the different scenes.
In todays lesson we studied four different narrative theorists. We then watched some film openings and analysed them using the theories.
Levi Straws - Levi straws believed that all narratives could be reduced down to binary opposites. Binary opposites include things such as black and white, male and female, rich and poor and good and evil. These binary opposites make the film interesting.
Barthes - Barthes believed in the 'codes theory' which are in films including action, symbolic and enigma. Enigma is used in films to keep the audience hooked to the storyline. Enigma makes the rhetorical questions in our heads whilst the film is going on. For example in class we analysed the film 'Prestige' which made us ask lots of questions about what was happening and why it was happening.
Todorov - Todorov concentrates on the structure of the film and overcoming obstacles. These parts of the film create excitement and interest in the film. In class we analysed a small clip from the film 'Jack Jack'. In the clip we saw a young girl babysitting a child. The babysitter has to overcome many different obstacles as the child is very challenging to look after. The narrative theory of structure is proven by watching this clip as the equilibrium would be a normal baby being taken cared of by his babysitter, yet because the baby creates many different obstacles for the babysitter to overcome the film becomes more interesting.
Propp - Propp concentrates on the characters in the films. Propp found that there were 8 different types of characters which are regularly found in most films. The 8 different characters are the hero, the villain, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, the helper, the princess and her father.
I have chosen to analyse the opening scene from the film 'Jaws' and apply Barthes narrative theory. I will be analysing the key actions, enigma codes, key characters and key themes.
Key actions - There is a girl and boy running towards the ocean. The boy is very drunk and collapses on the sand whilst the girl goes into the sea. After swimming for a while, suddenly something pulls her under the water. The girl struggles for a long time whilst screaming until her whole body is dragged under the water and she does not come back up.
Enigma codes - Why does the girl really want to go swimming?
Why is the boy so drunk?
Why does the girl not look injured when she hangs onto the bouy?
Why has the boy not woken up?
Why has the boy not heard her screaming or tried to save her?
Key characters - The girl- The main character from the opening scene is the girl. In this clip the girl represents vulnerability as she is in the ocean at night alone.
The boy- The only other character which is in the opening scene is the boy. He is not a very important character as all of the action which happens in this clip does not involve him. However his character is still important because the audience know if he was not asleep he could have possibly saved the girl.
Key themes - A key theme which is shown in this clip is fear. This is because an innocent, young girl is being attacked and the only thing the audience can hear is her screams. Fear is clearly shown in this clip form the girl. Another key theme which is shown in this film opening was action. Right from the very beginning of the opening we see a boy and a girl running which shows action and leaves enigma as to what are they running towards or from? Action is also shown in this film opening as when it is clear there is a shark attacking the young girl, there is a lot of action being shown.
I am going to analyse three different film openings in different genres and then analyse them using the DISTINCT acronym.
The first film I am going to analyse is 'School of rock'. The very first thing which is noticed in the opening scene is the loud, heavy metal music which shows the film is very much based around music. As the opening scene carries on we can see the music is coming from a live band, out of all members from the band the camera only concentrates on the guitar player so we can tell he is a main character. As the scene is set in a dark and loud bar the opening credits are very eye catching as the text is written in bold, yellow letters. The genre of this film is comedy which is shown in the opening scene as the main character is shown dancing and then falls flat on his face when nobody in the audience wants to catch him for a crowd surf. As the film is funny during the opening scene it shows the audience that the film is a good comedy.
The next film I am going to analyse is a horror called 'Insidious'. The very first scene is showing a young boy asleep during the middle of the night. As the opening scene continues we see different parts of his home. We know this is a family home as it includes many framed family pictures which include children. The music in the background of this scene is very high pitched which creates tension and fear for the audience. The opening credits and title of the film are written in red letters. The colour red represents evil and it stands out against the black backgrounds. It is clear the main character is the boy which is seen at the very beginning of the film as he is the only human shown throughout the whole opening scene. This would interest the audience as they feel sympathy for the young boy.
The last film I am going to analyse is an action movie called 'Fast and furious 7'. Strait away we can see a clear view of London so we know this where this scene is set and where the characters in the opening scene are. As the scene continues we see a very injured person laying in a hospital bed. This shows the audience that the film involves action and danger. During the entire opening scene there is only one character speaking which shows he is a main character. The text of the opening credits in written in white and bold. This stands out as the background whilst the credits are shown is dark. Towards the end of the opening scene the main character is shown walking out of a destroyed hospital. When he leaves the hospital there is a huge explosion causing a large fire. This also shows the audience that the film in full of heart racing action.
In todays lesson we learnt about Semiotics. This is the 'decoding' of images. Denotation is the study of signs and what we see when we look at an image. Connotation is what we understand from it and what it represents. Our task is to pick a film poster of our choice and then analyse the semiotics on the poster.
I have chosen 'Twilight breaking dawn part 2'. Firstly it is clear who the main characters are as they are the main focus of this poster, they are away from the other characters as they are more important than them. It is clear two out of the three main characters must be vampires as they are extremely pale and have a different colour of eyes which is what a stereotypical vampire would look like. The other main character is tanned and has a human eye colour unlike the other two which shows a difference in the characters. We know there must be a battle or war between two groups as they are on the same level and are 'head to head'. The main icons in this poster are vampires and wolves. The colours used in this poster are a lot of grey and black which are dark and gloomy colours which shows the darkness of the characters. The only other colour which appears on the poster is red which represents evil and is only shown on one group of people which potentially shows the audience who the evil side is. The clouds surrounding the main characters in the poster are on one side lighter than the other. The side with darker clouds is also the side which includes red. This shows that the side of characters including the red and dark clouds are represented as evil. The yellow writing is in the middle of the movie poster, this is so people can recognise what the film is. It is yellow so it stands out against the dark background colours.
