Dancing animals, practice editing skills

In this lesson we started to use premier editing program. I got video clips from the shared area and added them together, Cropping out parts I did not want. I then added effects and transitions and chose music to go with the clips. 

Narrative

key words:

Narrative: some kind of story re-telling. the narrative is not the story itself but the was the story is told.

enigma: what people want to find out.

Barthes

Anything is possible.

lots of meaning for the narrative

texts may be open or closed

Aristotle

Must be a beginning, middle and an end.
Todorov

suggests each narrative passed 5 stages.

equilibrium: state of normality

a character or an action cause effected which disturbs the normality./

has ups and downs.

the main protagonist recognises that the equilibrium has been disrupted.

Propps

Studied Russian fold and fairy tales

came tot he conclusion that all narratives have common structures.

propps 8 character types

1. The hero

2. The villain

3. The Donor

4.The dispatcher

5. The false hero

6.The helper

7.The princess

8. The father of the princess

Levi strauss

An interesting story has opposites

Binary opposites everywhere

e.g. good-evil

old-young

black-white

masculine-feminine

The Prestige- Opening scene 

Barthes Code 

what are that tops hats on the ground doing there? what is their relevance?
- The top hats could represent the magician, to foreshadow death, or even foreshadow the 'magic' which is trying to show the audience.

"are you watching closely?" what does this mean?
- this comment not only describes the audience when a magic trick is taking place; because they are trying to see how the trick is done, but also reminds the audience to pay close attention or they might miss something, it also suggests something is going to happen in the film which needs the audience to watch carefully.

who is the little girl?
- the young girl appears to be a relative or acquaintance of the older man. she is very young, and signifies innocence, and naivety , this could represent how naive the audience are to believe in magic.

who is the magician?

what is the big machine?
- the machine appears to give off electricity however this could be an illusion to fool the audience and build up tension.

what is the relationship between Angier and Borden?
-Angier and Borden work together i know this because  he says 'i'm part of the bloody act you fool'
Borden did not appear to be trying to help Angier get out of the water tank, this could suggest this was planned all along; for him to drown.

what will happen to the little girl?
- the little girl represents the audience, she may get caught up in the act and be fooled just as the audience have.

Action Code

Flattening the cage, could represent the death of the bird however the man then shows another bird, this could be used as representation that magicians do die but there will always be another to trey the trick.

Angier takes off his jacket, he later falls into a tank of water, he may have taken his jacket off so that he has less wight when he falls, however he doe snot seem to be aware of falling into the tank of water, therefore the removal of his jacket may just to be to add the suspense as part of the act to show off to the audience.

when Angier steps into the electrical field it adds to the suspense, the audience are unsure what is happening, this adds to the mystery and illusion of the show. 

water tank locks

Symbolic/ Semiotic Code:

The type of clothing signifies the Victorian Era.

The dress type seems to be suits- suggesting rich and successful people.

The lighting is very dark, adding the the mystery and gloominess f the scene.

Electrical fields shows danger- this also represent show dangerous a magicians job it and how not all of the tricks are safe.

the warmer colors in the young girls and older mans setting signifies comfort and being safe, in a warm environment this assures the incidence that the young girl is not in a dangerous environment.
The young girl represents the Audience, this also assures the audience that the audience in the film are also safe.

The bird represents the magician and the danger he is in.

Film Language

Camera- FAM

Frame- size of shots

Angle-high, level, low, worms eye. ,birds eye

Movement- pan(right and left on tripod), tracking (camera and tripod move), static, Zoom, whip pan, drone/helicopter, hand held

Mise En Scene- CLAMPS

Costume-

Lighting-high key- light, low key- dark , natural light

Actors- Age, gender, class

Makeup-costume make up , injury's(scars cuts etc.)

Props-

Setting- place, weather, time, date, season, indoors/outdoors.

Editing- (invisible- subconscious)

Sound- MCDOVE

Music-

Contrapuntal- when the music does not match the images.

Diegetic/ non-diegetic- what you hear in the film

Off screen/ On screen-

Voice over- (non- diegetic)

Emotion Felt- when hearing something.

Dialogue- the way something is said, accent, emotion behind it.

Editing (most invisible) STOPS

Screen time-

Transitions-

Order of Narrative-

Pace-

Special effects-

Film Language, film opening analysis 

Boyz in the hood

For this task we were asked to watched the firs minuets and apply our knowledge of camera,sound, editing, and Mise en scene to textually analyse the clip and the meaning it created. 

From the first few minuets of the film opening instantly non-diegetic sounds can be heard of gun shots and muffled talking and a young boy saying 'they shot my brother,they shot my brother'' this sets the scene for the rest of the film. This sound instantly makes the audience sympathise with the situation and the young boys loss of a brother.
The first image that is seen is a stop sign, the colour red signalling danger is in focus at a level camera angle in a close up shot. The next scene is a boy around 10 years old standing on a street corner, the street appears un-kept and the time if day seems to be mid morning as soon after the audience knows they are on their way to school. In this scene there is non-diegetic sounds of street noises (cars, wind, dogs ect.) the boy is then joined by three others (another boy and two girls; all of the children are dressed smartly which appears odd due to their surroundings) the camera tracks the children as they move up the street. Digetic sound can be heard as the children have a conversation with each other.One boy brags about how is is not afraid of being shot and how two of his brothers have been shot and they survived. this makes the reader feel a sense of shock that these young children are having this type of conversations and speaking about such violence, something with children of their age typically shouldn't be exposed to. The scene then changes again, the camera tracks the children at a medium long shot moving into a medium shot as they look at the scene which a shooting has taken place. Backing music plays in the background along with background non-digetic street sounds, whilst the children look around and then continue to have a digetic conversation about what they see, the way they talk again makes the audience sympathise with them, as they sound like they are used to this type of environment. The scene then changes into a classroom, where the camera is at an extreme close up on a picture of a children's drawing of  coffins, police cars and police helicopters. The cameras focus then changes as the classroom is tracked to allow the audience to see the children and teacher. digetic sound can be heard of the teacher talking to the class, non digetic sounds are then dded amongst this of children answering the teachers question and laughing at the 'class clown'. the boy although speaks confidently whilst say in his class chair becomes shy once he agrees to stand up and teach the class after answering back to his teacher. The boy then proceeds to speak the audience can head non-digetic sounds of laughter and digetic sounds of conversations. the scene rapidly turns into a fight with two boys. the fight between the two young boys then fades into a scene of a fight between a group on men in the street, this could suggest to the audience that children brought up in this way, and who act this way will end up like these violent adults in the street. it is unclear why the older men are fighting suggesting the rough neighborhood leads to unnecessary violence with unclear  causes other than that is the way these people are brought up to think and act.

Matrix- Opening 

For this video we were asked to consider color, binary opposition, female/male- good vs evil.

 This scene is very dark, with low key light. Police officers in the scene are using flash lights to see in the darkness. Binary opposites are used between male and female roles. The male characters are portrayed as 'good' trying to take down the Female character who appears much stronger than them. However towards the end of the scene the female character seems to be worried or nervous, She is then hit by a truck, it is unknown whether she has died or not. In realistic situations she would have however she seems like a very strong character, and because this is an opening scene it is unlikely that she would die.  It is unusual for the female role to be portrayed as the stronger character.

Up

For this video clip we were asked to consider how they show the passage of time, sound, mise en scene and camera. 

 In this video clip the passing of time is shown in a very clever way. it is shown by them doing different things e.g. getting married, building a house, hobbies, getting a job, planning for a baby, then the money in the jar each day and the wearing of different outfits as they do things. It is  a very original way to show the passing of time through the wearing of different ties, which shows perfectly time going on as they age. Once they are married the sound in the background is very upbeat and happy music, which represents the happiness of their life. The music then slows when they go through  hardships such as the loss of their baby, the music then gradually becomes happier as they move on with their life, and become content with the things that they have. the music is very inspiring and cheerful perfect for such a feel good clip. the clothing which they wear is very traditional, and stereotypical for a couple who have very original dreams and  ideas such as their colorful hose. their cloths clear represent the activities they are doing e.g. zoo keepers outfit for the wife when shes working. the lighting is very high key, which keeps the video clip feeling happy and light,even during the storm shot it is not particularly dark. The camera does not seem to move much rather its the images which are being shot that moves in front of the camera however the camera occasional pans right and left in slow movements. 

Cape fear 

For this video clip we were asked to analyse camera and Mise en scene. 

           

In this scene the camera tracks the movement of the actors. The actors shown play two opposite roles, this shows binary opposites the police officer and then the criminals. the police officers are wearing a  stereotypical officers uniform and the inmates are wearing very stereotypical shirt and trousers. The lighting appears to be natural lighting, it is not to dark but still not very bright. this could represent the mood of the characters. 

Audience

Uses and gratification theory

Blumbler and Kate

- focuses on not what the media does to the audience but what people do with the media.

Information

Education

Entertainment

Social interaction

Escapism

who has power and control over the audience?
When the audience engages with the Media, the media then takes control over the audience. Their attention is captured, which then means the audiences views, opinions and ideas can be changed according to the medias preferred reading and whether  the audience goes along with this or makes up their own mind.

Who creates the content the media or the audience?

Although the Media creates what we see I think the content is down to negotiated reading, and is down to the audience to decide what it is they take from the content. what a person sees when the see content depends on what it is their looking at and from what view point.

Can the media exist/function without an audience? Can an audience (public) exist/function without media?

Media without an audience is point less. The media would cease to exist without the viewing of an audience, an audience is not an audience if they are not viewing something , without the Media there would be nothing to view there for the audience and the media need each other to co-exist.

Who is more powerful: the media or the audience why/how?

The Media is a very powerful tool and often the medias preferred reading is the opinion given to the audience, although this can be tested I think the media is more powerful ands to often the media sways peoples opinions by giving true but sometimes false  information, sometimes the audience can not always identify that their opinions have changed because of the media it is a sub conscious act. this is why the Media is more powerful than the Audience. However the media does have some responsibility to the audience, if the audience became unhappy with something the media was portraying, it could harshly implement how the media continued to run. Therefor the Media and audience must have a balance in what they both do.

Can the media control an audience?
The media has a huge grasp on the way the audience view different things, this is because the media is everywhere, it has become such a daily thing that the audience no longer acknowledges that their life is run by the media.

 The film industry- the film and me questions

what do we mean when we use the word 'film'?
"a story or event recorded by a camera as a set of moving images and shown in a cinema or on television."(Goggle's definition)

Do you think the word 'film' means the same as 'movie'?

I do not think film and movie  are the same thing. Films are the actual story created and watched by the audience movies are the films watched in cinemas which represents the film industry.

what about the word 'cinema'?

The word cinema is the place which movies are watched, people go there for entertainment purposes.

My Top 10 Films

1. The book thief
2. 10 things I hate about you
3. Armageddon
4. The Polar express
5. The Last song
6. Beauty and the beast
7. LOL
8. Harry Potter Series
9. Hunger Games series
10. Divergent series

what have these films got in common?
 Many of my favourite films are different, and do not tend to have the same actors in, and are not the same type of film however there seems to be a theme of science fiction and thriller between Armageddon, hunger games and divergent. and also a theme of drama with 10 things I hate about you, the last song, LOL and the polar express.

How do You find out about a film?
I find out about films, though trailers shared on social media, as well as posters around town centres. if I go to watch other films in the cinema I also find out about upcoming films though the advertisements before the film starts. social media plays a large part in how I find out about films because trailers are shared.

what makes you want to see a film?
when I see a film advertised it makes me want to watch it, if It doesn't tell me much about the film, if the trailer intrigues me then I tend to want to know what happens, I also like hybrid films when I have the read the book and go to see the film, it is interesting to see if my imagination matches the film and if the story line has changed much.

How do you know what to expect from a film?
A film trailer plays a large part in what the audience expects from a film. Depending on the genre and actors the audience will expect different things. A trailer that doesn't give away to much leaves room for more expectations through imagination.

what are you paying for when you buy a cinema ticket or buy/rent a movie?
When you buy a cinema ticket you are paying for the rights to view the film, when you buy a film, you are paying for the right to own the DVD when you rent a film I is similar to paying for a cinema ticket, you are paying for the right to temporarily watch the DVD.

Do you think there are differences between watching a film in he cinema and watching it at home on DVD? If you think their are, what are they?  
Going to the cinema is different from watching a film at home because going to the cinema has a different atmosphere, the excitement of watching a new film that you Havant seen and one that hasn't been out long has a much different feel to watching a DVD at home, when the films been out a while, sitting in your lounge/ room in your home watching a film you could have seen before.

Are there some films that you have to see at he cinema or doesn't it matter?
I think some films are hyped up a lot which makes you more likely to go to the film and watching in oppose to watching it when it comes out on DVD I do not think their is a specific type of film that needs to be watched in the cinema however I do think films that are made a big deal of tend to be watched in the cinema more- However 3d films also have to be watched at home, 3d home glasses are nothing alike watching them in the cinema.

Representation in the Media

 

For this task we were asked to find a film opening and analysis the stereotypes which are shown.

For this I used DR GAGES

Disability

Regional identity

Class

Age

Gender

Ethnicity

Sexuality

Stereotypes- media institutions use stereotypes because the audience will understand them. they are visual shortcuts. they're repeated so much that the audience then assumes these labels are 'normal' or 'true'

Archetypes- this is the ultimate stereotype.

Countertype- a representation that challenges traditional stereotypes associated with groups, people or places.
Representation- the way which people, events and ideas are presented to the audience.

Legally Blonde- OPENING SCENE

Feminism - the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.

In the opening scene of legally blonde stereotypes are very obviously present. Instantly the colour pink is shown for the opening credits; this is a very well known stereotypical  colour which portrays girls. This instantly makes they audience aware this film will be based around girls, without any characters having to be introduced. This is the medias way of stating the obvious without having to actually state it. The next thing which is seen is blond hair and manicured hands this is also a very subtle yet obvious stereotype that the character is a girl and can be instantly recognised as a preppy girl who is very self aware of her appearance to others.  The whole opening centres around activities and stereotypical ideologies of girls. The first face which can be seen is a girl, whom is riding a bike, as she rides past a group of boys they all stop and stare, this appears to make the character happy as she is gaining the attention that she wants. The whole scene makes girls seem like they only care about their appearance and the way others view them. Everything is very pink and 'girly' all the girls are either doing something to their appearance, partaking in sport, with a boy or doing some kind of activity which the media would deem as 'girly'. The age of those in the scene are around 18 as it is an America film and the girls are in college. The kind of audience this seems to be aimed at are girls in their teenage years or just over between 13-18. It is a fun 'chick flick' film which entices those of similar age of the characters and targets the audience of the same sex as the main characters; girls. The way girls are presented in this film at the beginning can be portrayed as degrading to all females, it suggest females are not 'go getters' and that they will settle for looking 'pretty' it also suggests an antifeminist tone by the way women are objectified; this can be seen in the clip where the group of boys call out at the girl on the bicycle.

Furthermore if  the audience compares and looks at the closing scene of the same film below the tone changes. The main character; Elle woods although still looks pretty has changed her perception and realises that she can do more than look pretty for those who have seen the film, you can remember how the original reason for Elle woods enrolling at Harvard law was to chase a guy and it is easy to recognise the struggles she faces as an attractive women. From not being taken seriously, to being made fun of, and even being 'felt up' by her professor as he assumes she would do anything to be able to support herself in the law career. However Elle woods sticks at it and eventually graduates from Harvard law. she fins herself throughout the film and realises her own aspiration sand how you can achieve anything if only you try and persevere.

Legally Blonde- CLOSING SCENE

       
 The closing scene of Legally blond is hugely different to the opening scene.  The stereotypes are broken and a blonde female proves herself as an intellectually equal to men; even above the man she was at first chasing(warner). she identifies that first appearances are no always correct., and even the colours shown in the scene are more professional and unisex. although Elle's personality has not totally changed it is clear that she has become more true to herself. This is important because of the films target audience It was important that the film shows girls can achieve anything and not to allow people to label them.

Semiotics film poster

In this task we had to choose a film poster and analyst its semiotics. 
key words
Semiotics: the study of signs, also anything which stands for something else.
Denotation: what we see when we look at something
connotation: what we understand from this image.
preferred reading: how the creator wants the audience to view the media text.
oppositional reading: where the intended meaning of the text is totally opposed by the reader.
negotiated reading: making your own mind up.

Beauty and the beast- 2017 

In this image a young girl can  be seen in the forefront wearing a yellow dress, yellow is a happy color it represents sunshine,suggesting she is a kind hearted person. She seems happy and unaware of the things around her. In the background blending in with the back drop is some kind of beast. From the title which appears to be in a fancy italic writing we can assume the young girl is the 'beauty' and in the background is 'the beast'. The denotation is simply that there is a fairly pretty young girl in a fancy dress, behind her is a beast who appears to be agitated. There is also a rose glass sculpture which seems to be enchanted. 

Film Opening analysis

For this task we had to use the anagram DISTINCT to evaluate these film openings.

DISTINCT stands for: 

Describe

In detail

Setting (location, interior/exterior, time period, time of day,weather.)

Themes 

Icons (significant items)

Narrator (plot and characters)

Characters (class,age,ethnicity, sexuality)

Textual analysis (camera,editing, mise en scene)

Ghost ship opening- with credits 

From first look by the title of this film the audience can tell the film is going to entail some sort of mystery, or horror aspect.

From the first scene (show above) in this film opening it starts out in a very nice, pleasant tone, the characters are dancing, drinking and  listening to  the singer. The setting seems very formal on a cruise all the characters are wearing formal attire. The scene is set at night and the cruise appears to be mid sail in the middle of the ocean. The most significant items up to 2:38 are the characters, the way they all seem carefree just enjoying themselves, specifically the singer and young girl seem to be focus points. All the characters appear to be between 30-50 years old apart from the young girl who is around 10 years old. Due to her being the youngest this could foreshadow different events will happen to her compared to the rest of the passengers.

 After 2:43 the themes change, the scene becomes more mysterious as something appears to happen, Although you can not see the characters face or know what he is doing the change in sound and the sound effects put in place suggest what is about to happen is not good. The icons then become the wire and what is happening to it, the way it is out of control. The focus then changes to all the passengers and their bodies which have been cut in half by the wire. After 3:21 the audience can then tell that the genre of film ghost ship is a horror. The title of the film then makes sense due to all the deaths which happen aboard the ship. The young girl is the only one who has not been sliced in half by the wire, this suggests she will endure something unpleasant on the 'ghost ship' throughout the rest of the film.

Harry brown opening scene 

The film opening to 'Harry brown' immediately suggest something bad is going to happen. The first thing the audience sees is what appears to b a gang initiating a new comer. the scene is set down some sort of alley way and he scene is very dark although is set in what appears to be mid-late afternoon. At first it is hard for the audience to understand exactly what it is the characters are saying however it soon becomes clear once the scene picks up pace. Two characters can be seen on a motorcycle, driving recklessly. The two characters on the motorcycle then come close to a lady pushing a baby pushchair. The two male characters which appear to be more dominant in this scene then take advantage and terrorise the women whilst she is walking, They then fires three shots two of which miss the women the last shot then hits the women and presumably kills her the two male characters then drive off hastily and is hit by a lorry. the scene is very fast to tart and it is hard to foreshadow or predict what might happen in the rest of the film, however the audience by watching this film can tell that this film belongs in the action genre.

Clueless opening 

The song which this film opens with is very upbeat, it plays in the background as some  characters are introduced. The characters are teenagers, this can foreshadow that this will be a high school film.

The main character seems to be the typical blonde of a stereotypical high school film. Blonde, pretty and wealthy, with a big house and father with a good job. Appearance seems to be very important to her. Although from the first scene you cannot really tell what is gong to happen in the film, the first moments of the film the audience can tell the film will be a high school drama.

Genre picture task

For this task we were assigned three genres, we then had to go around school and photograph images which we thought represented these genres.

Genre: Seasonal

This image shows a pair of boots surrounded by autumn leaves. This is a stereotypical autumn image; taken outside, in late afternoon. The theme of this photo is autumn, the use of the brown leaves makes this clear. The most significant icons in this photo are the brown leaves and boots. These Icons make it obvious that this image has been taken in autumn weather, the weather is cool enough for boots to be warn but not cold enough for snow, or all leaves to have fallen off the trees; which can be seen in the distance of the photo.

Genre: Sport

This image captures the moment a basketball goes through a hoop. This image clearly represents a sport because it is a still image of a sport taking place. the setting of this photo is inside, the angle of the image suggestions a person standing on the court. The key icons in this image is the backboard of the hoop and also the ball itself. The ball is blurred, as the image is a still of a moving image this gives the image more depth. Basketball is an obvious sport with would be recognised by everyone.

Genre: Children's/Family

This image shows four books. The book Matilda and harry Potter can be seen these are some stereotypical children's books which have also been made into children/family films. This does not as clearly show the children/family genre, however is clear that it is not in the genre such as horror or action.

Film Opening

Furious 7 is part of an action sequel along with eight other films. The opening scene contrasts between the beginning and the end of the same scene. At the beginning of this scene there is little action and Ian Shaw; the first character to appear has a dialogue to his brother who is unconscious. Once Ian Shaw leave the room it can be seen that a lot more has happened off camera, which sets the tone for the rest of the film, this is how the audience can tell it is part of the action genre as there is signs of violence from the state Of the background and emotional state of the other characters. Although from this first scene the audience can tell that this film will be full of action, it does not give away any details it only suggest the character (Ian Shaw)is out to gain some sort of vengeance for his younger brother.