Using the four categories associated with film language we had to analyse three opening sequences of our choice:
Cape fear:
Mise en scene:
- A criminal in a prison cell.
- The posters indicate he is religious
- Tattoos of scale of justice and books about law show he is obsessed with order
-Changing of clothes indicates he is no longer restircted and he is ready for freedom.
- The bars show he is in a prison cell and therefore trapped.
Camera:
-The opening shot is tilting down the wall of the prison cell.
- It then slowly zooms out to show the whole prison cell through the bars with the actor in the centre
- The camera then follows him as he walks round the corner and down the stairs. From this we can tell that the camera is on a crane as it follows him all the way from the cell to the bottom of the stairs in one continuous shot.
- It then switches to a close-up shot, outside the prison.
- The last shot switches to a long shot showing an area of the prison with the actor walking through out of the gates to freedom.
Sound:
-The music used in the beginning is contrapental to the events occurring. It is to dramatic for music in a prison. However the music towards the end of the sequence becomes more parallel to the events. The roar of thunder and heavier music matches him leaving the prison.
- During the sequence there are both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, the slams of the doors and the voices are diegetic, but the music heard and some of the voices are non-diegetic meaning they were put over the sequence when it was being edited.
- There is very little dialogue in the scene. The only person that speaks is the main character, his speech comes across quite harsh and deep, which matches the stereotypical criminal.
Editing:
There are no many transition's during this opening scene. There are two transitions that switch from one shot to another towards he end.
When editing, a music track as been placed over the shot as well as enhanced sounds of voices, keys and footsteps.
Up:
Mise en scene:
-A married couple and their life throughout the years.
-Costumes change as they get older.
-Use the change in ties to show the passing of time.
-Lighting and music changes when the events change. Low key lighting and slower pace of music is used.
-Set in places that are significant in their lives. Their home, their workplace and the hill.
Camera:
The first shot of the sequence is a match an action shot, the flash of the camera is taking place the same time the characters are having the picture taken but we see them at different times. We see a close up of a man face in the first few seconds, it then zooms out to show a women standing by his side, we can assume that they are the main characters involved and by their costume that they are just married.
The scene is set by a long shot showing their home and then just entering it for the first time.
Editing:
There are very few transitions between the shots in the sequence, they simply cut from one to another.
The order of events happen very fast, they show 50 odd years within 2 minutes by only showing main events in the couples lives. They help speed up the events by 2 specific features. The various bow ties the man wears help show a matter of months by only changing a small feature. The jar of money also reflects the period of time, the amount of times they have to break it is shows small events that occur over a number of years.
Sound:
There is no dialogue during this opening sequence, however the music is constantly running. The music playing is parallel to the events occurring, it changes pace when the events change to help the audience figure out what is going on since there is no dialogue.The film makers use the music to reflect the emotions they want the audience to feel so when the couple are first married and starting out their lives it is very upbeat, then when she loses her baby it slows down. All the music heard is non-diegetic meaning it was added during editing.
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Mise En Scene:
-The costumes and location suggest a very wealthy, middle class family.
-The music automatically tells us it is a teen drama film which is normally associated with being popular among teenage girls.
- Main character presented as a teenage girl, we later find out her name is Cher.
- Seems to be set in late summer as they are just going back to school.
-High key lighting suggests a very normal and pleasant events.
Camera:
The first shot is a birds eye long shot a moving car. The shots that follow are all close ups and mid range shots. Then cut to a close up shot of Cher which zooms out to follow her walking through her room to a door. The camera follows her father from behind along the corridor and down to stairs to show a long shot of the hallway to set the scene, it is the establishing shot. The shot that follows is a match an action shot as her father walks through a doorway leading to the kitchen. The camera tracks Cher's and her father as they walk around the kitchen.
Another birds eye shot of the car is used before a long establishing shot is used in front of Cher's friends house.
Editing:
All of the transitions are cut straight into with another very quickly. This opening sequence is an introduction into the life of Cher, so they try to show as much as possible in a short period of time. There are no special effects or changes to the speed of the scenes.
Sound:
The sequence begins with a song that is non-diegetic and parallel to the events in the story. It is upbeat. The song continues until dialogue is introduced. The dialogue of Cher is as you would expect from a teenager. The initial dialogue is a voice over that has been edited over. Further on in the the scene a conversation takes place on screen between her and her dad. Her dads dialogue is more as an adult would be expected to speak to their child, it is more harsh and in a much lower tone.
Practicing with premiere
This is my first sequence created using premiere. I played around with different effects like fading the video out to black, and making sure the video went with the music so it made sense. I found most of the programme easy to work out and find the things i wanted to use. The only thing i found difficult was cutting the music, i couldn't find the right place to cut the audio or video so i often deleted parts that i wanted to use and then had to replace them.
Semiotics
Semiotics is the study of signs and the way we read images and picures in an attempt to decode them and make sense of what they mean to us.
Denotation- What we see when we look at an image (what it is)
Connotation- What we understand from this image (what there meanings it has)
Denotations:
-The poster promotes the new Hunger Games film.
-The film is released on the 23rd of March.
-The main characters Peta and Katniss are on the banners either side of the poster.
-Their faces look determined
-The title of the film is in gold bold letters.
-Katniss is facing away from the audience so her face s hidden.
-The audience are facing towards Katniss as if they are watching her. This links to the small print at the top of the page stating 'the world will be watching'.
-The symbol for Katniss is displayed very big in the centre of the page, Katniss and Peta are facing towards it.
Connotations:
-All the characters are facing towards the symbol in the centre indicating it is important.
-Peta and Katniss are facing each other as if they are opponents.
-Katniss and Peta look slightly beaten and bruised as if they have been defeated.
-Katniss is centre stage indicating she may be more of a main character than Peta.
- Compared to the rest of the poster Peta and Katniss are wearing all black and look less polished as if they don't belong there.
-There are 4 pictures of both characters highlighting that there is no escaping the fact that the world will be watching them.
Denotation- What we see when we look at an image (what it is)
Connotation- What we understand from this image (what there meanings it has)
Denotations:
-The poster promotes the new Hunger Games film.
-The film is released on the 23rd of March.
-The main characters Peta and Katniss are on the banners either side of the poster.
-Their faces look determined
-The title of the film is in gold bold letters.
-Katniss is facing away from the audience so her face s hidden.
-The audience are facing towards Katniss as if they are watching her. This links to the small print at the top of the page stating 'the world will be watching'.
-The symbol for Katniss is displayed very big in the centre of the page, Katniss and Peta are facing towards it.
Connotations:
-All the characters are facing towards the symbol in the centre indicating it is important.
-Peta and Katniss are facing each other as if they are opponents.
-Katniss and Peta look slightly beaten and bruised as if they have been defeated.
-Katniss is centre stage indicating she may be more of a main character than Peta.
- Compared to the rest of the poster Peta and Katniss are wearing all black and look less polished as if they don't belong there.
-There are 4 pictures of both characters highlighting that there is no escaping the fact that the world will be watching them.
Mise En Scene
Mise En Scene is a French term meaning 'what is the scene'.
It is essentially information infront the camera for the audience to help them work out what is really going on.
Mise En Scene is made up of five elements-
1) Setting and props
2) Costume, hair and make up
3) Facial expressions and body language
4) Lighting and colour
5) positioning of characters and objects within frame
There are two types of lighting-
Low key lighting- this is when only the back key lighting is used. This produces sharp contrasts of light and dark areas and deep distinct shadows.
High key lighting- This is when more 'filler lights' are used, this makes the light natural and realistic to our eyes. They are used to create a brightly lit set or to create the effect of a sunny day.
Iconography is used when describing recognisable buildings in scenes/ the setting in a film.
Trailer Analysis
DISTINCT;
D- describe
I- in detail
S- setting-time, location, interior/exterior, day/night
T- themes- friendship, family, love, revenge
I- icons- symbols, significant objects
N- narrative- plot, characters
C- characters- speech, presentation, look, style
T- textual analysis- camera, editing, sound, mis en scene
The first trailer was for an upcoming film 'Oculus';
This film is clearly a horror. From the trailer it looks as though the characters are seeking revenge from something their father did when they were children, we can clearly see that the mirror presented in the trailer is a significant object throughout. It is involved in a lot of the shots of the trailer so obviously plays a big part. The setting is in present time in a dark house and we can tell it is set in America by the accents of the characters. Signs that it is a horror film are the low key lighting, the supernatural occurrences and the loud ambeance.
The second trailer was for 'The Guest':
From this trailer we can tell this is an action film. It is set in the present day, from the accents it is clearly set in America. The house that appears in the trailer is set in the middle of the desert. Although the trailer is short, the themes presented appear to be about family, as though the boy who died has sent this guest to look after his family he left behind. The main character appears to be mysterious and we question why he is really visiting the family.
If I stay trailer- From this trailer we can see that this is going to be a hybrid film of the love and drama genre. It is set in the present day with scenes at all times of day, the lighting throughout the trailer is constantly changing, adding to the idea that this is a drama film. The lighting is changing just like the events of the film are always changing. In the beginning of the trailer one object is presented as being significant, the violin, it seems to be the girls escape from reality. The plot of the film seems to be that the main characters are falling in love just as the girl has an unfortunate accident where she loses her family and she is put into a coma. Although she is in a coma she can still see and hear everything that is going on however no one can see her. After the accident the lighting of the trailer changes to a much softer light, as though the girl is now a ghost of figure of your imagination.
D- describe
I- in detail
S- setting-time, location, interior/exterior, day/night
T- themes- friendship, family, love, revenge
I- icons- symbols, significant objects
N- narrative- plot, characters
C- characters- speech, presentation, look, style
T- textual analysis- camera, editing, sound, mis en scene
The first trailer was for an upcoming film 'Oculus';
This film is clearly a horror. From the trailer it looks as though the characters are seeking revenge from something their father did when they were children, we can clearly see that the mirror presented in the trailer is a significant object throughout. It is involved in a lot of the shots of the trailer so obviously plays a big part. The setting is in present time in a dark house and we can tell it is set in America by the accents of the characters. Signs that it is a horror film are the low key lighting, the supernatural occurrences and the loud ambeance.
The second trailer was for 'The Guest':
From this trailer we can tell this is an action film. It is set in the present day, from the accents it is clearly set in America. The house that appears in the trailer is set in the middle of the desert. Although the trailer is short, the themes presented appear to be about family, as though the boy who died has sent this guest to look after his family he left behind. The main character appears to be mysterious and we question why he is really visiting the family.
If I stay trailer- From this trailer we can see that this is going to be a hybrid film of the love and drama genre. It is set in the present day with scenes at all times of day, the lighting throughout the trailer is constantly changing, adding to the idea that this is a drama film. The lighting is changing just like the events of the film are always changing. In the beginning of the trailer one object is presented as being significant, the violin, it seems to be the girls escape from reality. The plot of the film seems to be that the main characters are falling in love just as the girl has an unfortunate accident where she loses her family and she is put into a coma. Although she is in a coma she can still see and hear everything that is going on however no one can see her. After the accident the lighting of the trailer changes to a much softer light, as though the girl is now a ghost of figure of your imagination.
Narrative and Structure
Tzvetan Todorov devised a way of analysing narratives by the different stages in which they move, he divided it up into 5 stages:
1) The Equilibrium; Here the setting of the film is established
2) The Disruption; This is where the story takes a particular direction.
3) The regcognition of disruption; Here the problem is ecnoledged and the characters and event are interwoven.
4) The attempt to repair the disruption; This is where the characters try to solve the issue presented as the disruption.
5) Reinstating the equilibrium; Finally this is where the matters of the problem are solved and any questions are answered. Therefore bring it back to the equilibrium
In the short film 'Partly Cloudy' these five stages of the narrative are presented;
The equilibrium tells us that it is set in a sky where the clouds are able to make animals and babies for stalks to deliver to peoples front doors. These clouds are all very cheerful and friendly. We then see the disruption, one cloud is lower and darker than the rest in the sky, this cloud can't seem to make any of the animals that the other clouds can. When the camera changes to this cloud the lighting is low key and the music changed from up beat to a much deeper sound.
The recognition of disruption comes when a stalk still comes to deliver what this cloud makes, however we see the stalk often look up towards the other clouds wishing he could deliver the much friendlier animals. The attempt to repair the disruption comes from the stalk who despite the various injuries he encounters from the animals, still delivers them to keep the cloud happy.
Finally the reinstating of the equilibrium happens when the stalk goes up to see one of the other clouds to ask for some protective clothing to stop his injuries so he can still deliver the animals to people.
Claude Levi-Strauss came up with the 'Binary oppositions'. He believed that the way we understand words is not decided by the word itself but by our understanding of its opposite or as Strauss called the 'Binary opposites', Binary opposites are often used within the horror genre, for example the roles of sane and insane. For this reason Strauss argues that there has to be conflict within a film.
Vladimit Propp founded the idea that a certain type of character should be used within every narrative;
Hero; the main character in which the narrative is centered around, they often has a mission or quest to complete.
Heroine/Princess; the reward for the hero completing their mission
Princesses father; the hero must win his approval
Villain; seeks to stop the hero on his mission.
Donor/ mentor; gives the hero important information
Helper; ofter accompanies the hero on his mission, doesn't always successfully complete the mission
1) The Equilibrium; Here the setting of the film is established
2) The Disruption; This is where the story takes a particular direction.
3) The regcognition of disruption; Here the problem is ecnoledged and the characters and event are interwoven.
4) The attempt to repair the disruption; This is where the characters try to solve the issue presented as the disruption.
5) Reinstating the equilibrium; Finally this is where the matters of the problem are solved and any questions are answered. Therefore bring it back to the equilibrium
In the short film 'Partly Cloudy' these five stages of the narrative are presented;
The equilibrium tells us that it is set in a sky where the clouds are able to make animals and babies for stalks to deliver to peoples front doors. These clouds are all very cheerful and friendly. We then see the disruption, one cloud is lower and darker than the rest in the sky, this cloud can't seem to make any of the animals that the other clouds can. When the camera changes to this cloud the lighting is low key and the music changed from up beat to a much deeper sound.
The recognition of disruption comes when a stalk still comes to deliver what this cloud makes, however we see the stalk often look up towards the other clouds wishing he could deliver the much friendlier animals. The attempt to repair the disruption comes from the stalk who despite the various injuries he encounters from the animals, still delivers them to keep the cloud happy.
Finally the reinstating of the equilibrium happens when the stalk goes up to see one of the other clouds to ask for some protective clothing to stop his injuries so he can still deliver the animals to people.
Claude Levi-Strauss came up with the 'Binary oppositions'. He believed that the way we understand words is not decided by the word itself but by our understanding of its opposite or as Strauss called the 'Binary opposites', Binary opposites are often used within the horror genre, for example the roles of sane and insane. For this reason Strauss argues that there has to be conflict within a film.
Vladimit Propp founded the idea that a certain type of character should be used within every narrative;
Hero; the main character in which the narrative is centered around, they often has a mission or quest to complete.
Heroine/Princess; the reward for the hero completing their mission
Princesses father; the hero must win his approval
Villain; seeks to stop the hero on his mission.
Donor/ mentor; gives the hero important information
Helper; ofter accompanies the hero on his mission, doesn't always successfully complete the mission
Genre picture task
A text is classified in a genre through the identification of key elements, this helps the audience identify the films they like as they recognise the features and elements associated with that genre, these elements are referred to as codes and convections. A genre often helps form a relationship between the audience and the producers as the producers try to please the audiences expectations of that particular genre. They do this in order to build up a following/ fan base if they receive a good response to a film they will continue to use the same codes and convections for future films of the same genre.
A film that has more than one genre portrayed is called a hybrid-genre.
Our task for this lesson was based on genres, we had to take inspiration from various film trailers all with different genres and portray these genres through a picture. For example we watched the trailer for the upcoming film 'Oculus' we had to decide what genre we thought the film was and what features of the trailer portrayed this. In the ' Oculus' trailer there were long moments of tense pauses as well as lots of dark colours and harrowing background music, from these features i was able to see that 'Oculus' is a horror film. After planning our pictures and the genres we wanted to portray we went outside to take the pictures in our groups.
Portraying the thiller genre(inspired by 'The Guest')
Portraying the horror genre (inspired by 'Oculus)
I took the pictures again the next day with a different group, I think some of these pictures are better as we found different lightings and more original places to capture the photos. For example the picture playing horror we found a dark storage cupboard and used the flash on our cameras to create a shadow effect. We used more sites around the school the second time around whereas the first pictures I used were all taken roughly around the same area.
(inspired by Guardians Of The Galaxy')
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Portraying the horror genre.
(Inspired by 'Oculus')
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(Inspired by 'The Guest)
Portraying the comedy genre.
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