Second Cut Feedback
This is a much better version, although we are still in danger of this looking too much like a Trailer. You have made great strides to add interesting effects and sound effects.
However it is still missing a narrative, I would like you to think about how to tackle this, possibly adding a voice over to start to explain some element of narrative.
I would also like to see an animated logo and of course the titles.
I think it may look more sophisticated if you were to cross fade some of the images and add some interesting 'glitchy' transition.
Thursday, 27 November 2014
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Second Cut
In our second cut of our film, we added a translucent distorted video over our film to add a sense of mystery and to incorporate features from the film 'Se7en', starring Brad Pitt. We had to find out how to do this ourselves which made the editing time a lot slower than we would have liked. We tidied up some edits and cuts and we have still got to add titles and do some colour correction, as some shots are quite dark. We also are yet to do dialogue and add it to our film, we are considering a voice over from the main character explaining what happened to him, as we feel like this will add some narrative and story. I think that we should also cut the soundtrack down a little so it doesn't become reminiscent of a trailer, and also add some sound effects, such as a bird caw when we have the scissors going down. I think this would also help the cult links in the film become more prominent, which will add more of a horror theme and it'll really fit into the horror genre.
Our scene has been criticized by a few people saying that it has no narrative, but this is only our second cut and I think that the third cut will be much more refined and a lot better, with added narrative and definitely a sense of story. We are following the conventions of the 'Se7en' opening, so we think that it doesn't necessarily need too much in it. I think that the abstract nature of our film helps to add tension to the audience and the film overall, but I do also think that a voice over is needed for the narrative.
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
The First Cut
For our opening scene, we wanted to establish a supernatural element to introduce our film. We decided that we wanted to incorporate a cult-feel to our scenes, which follows the horror genre, this also helped to establish how the main character got his powers. We used a lot of imagery and abstract pieces of film in this opening, such as the chess pieces, we did this to symbolise good and evil and how the innocent can be broken and changed to evil.
I showed this to some of mine and Harvey's friendship group and a lot of them thought that it was quite bad and needed a lot of work doing to it, this motivated me to improve the editing, as I don't think that this first cut was up to the standard of editing that Harvey and I can actually do. I feel like we can really do well and make our film look quite professional.
Miss Spencer told us to improve on the following:
- Make the opening shot so it's not halfway through a zoom
- Tighten up on some edits
- Add titles with a suitable font
- Add a vignette
- Add a cinematic feel
- Add transitions
- Add sound effects
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Role Allocation
Director - Cathy Maddox
Writers - Cathy Maddox & Harvey Perry
Editor - Harvey Perry
Starring - Harvey Perry
Camera Man - Cathy Maddox
Writers - Cathy Maddox & Harvey Perry
Editor - Harvey Perry
Starring - Harvey Perry
Camera Man - Cathy Maddox
Casting
For our film opening, there is only one role, the demon who cursed the protagonist with his supernatural abilities. We thought that we should have this as a man, as men generally seem stronger and more capable than women, especially in the film industry, and so we had Harvey be the main role. I personally thought that by having Harvey instead of someone else play the role, it would save a lot of time getting another actor to get into character or understand what drives the character.
Target Audience Research
Horror
Horror and the BBFC
[ information taken from the BBFC's website]
Historically, the BBFC has treated horror as a special case, so much so that in the late 1930's they introduced a 'H' sign to show (or warn) an audience that the film would have horror features and content. Horror films were also banned from distribution during the second world war in case they damaged public morale, often not released until afterwards when they could have the desired disturbing effect on an audience. This shows that horror films have always been made to disturb or shock the general public, even from the beginning of horror during the middle of the last century.
Throughout the years, horror has been marketed at almost all ages. From films such as 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and 'Dawn of the Dead'
Our target audience for our film is preferably 15-20 year olds, as most young people around these ages are willing to a watch a horror film with friends. Most horror films such as Paranormal Activity are rated 18/R, due to their nature, however I don't think this prevents younger people from actually seeing the films marketed or made for over eighteen year olds.
In films such as Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield, a handheld camera is used. I feel like this is an effective way of attracting an audience to a film because the handheld camera adds realism to the film. This makes the scare factor a lot more prominent for the audience and would encourage them to see the film and recommend it to their peers. In our opening scene, we used a mix of handheld camera and a camera on a tripod, which not only reflected how the characters mental state could fluctuate between stable and unstable, it also reflects how easily people can change sides between good and bad, which also links with the story of the film, as the protagonist switches sides and turns out to be evil. This attracts audience as it happens in a lot of Hollywood films such as Transformers, Olympus Has Fallen, and Iron Man 3.
In other films such as X-Men, chess pieces are used. This attracts audiences to the film because it shows the underlying game playing that the protagonist and antagonist participate in. This is effective because it foreshadows plot lines, such as conflict or a character falling. In films such as X-Men, we are shown Magneto's plans to overthrow Xavier and get his way, this was a clever way into looking at a character's plans and hidden thoughts. We decided that for our film, this would be useful to use as it shows us what's happened or what's going to happen. We also decided to put this in the opening, as like in Se7en, we used our opening to give hints at future or past events, and to confuse yet intrigue the audience and captivate them into watching more.
Moreover, our use of candles and cult-like symbolism shows that
Horror and the BBFC
[ information taken from the BBFC's website]
Historically, the BBFC has treated horror as a special case, so much so that in the late 1930's they introduced a 'H' sign to show (or warn) an audience that the film would have horror features and content. Horror films were also banned from distribution during the second world war in case they damaged public morale, often not released until afterwards when they could have the desired disturbing effect on an audience. This shows that horror films have always been made to disturb or shock the general public, even from the beginning of horror during the middle of the last century.
Throughout the years, horror has been marketed at almost all ages. From films such as 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and 'Dawn of the Dead'
Our target audience for our film is preferably 15-20 year olds, as most young people around these ages are willing to a watch a horror film with friends. Most horror films such as Paranormal Activity are rated 18/R, due to their nature, however I don't think this prevents younger people from actually seeing the films marketed or made for over eighteen year olds.
In films such as Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield, a handheld camera is used. I feel like this is an effective way of attracting an audience to a film because the handheld camera adds realism to the film. This makes the scare factor a lot more prominent for the audience and would encourage them to see the film and recommend it to their peers. In our opening scene, we used a mix of handheld camera and a camera on a tripod, which not only reflected how the characters mental state could fluctuate between stable and unstable, it also reflects how easily people can change sides between good and bad, which also links with the story of the film, as the protagonist switches sides and turns out to be evil. This attracts audience as it happens in a lot of Hollywood films such as Transformers, Olympus Has Fallen, and Iron Man 3.
In other films such as X-Men, chess pieces are used. This attracts audiences to the film because it shows the underlying game playing that the protagonist and antagonist participate in. This is effective because it foreshadows plot lines, such as conflict or a character falling. In films such as X-Men, we are shown Magneto's plans to overthrow Xavier and get his way, this was a clever way into looking at a character's plans and hidden thoughts. We decided that for our film, this would be useful to use as it shows us what's happened or what's going to happen. We also decided to put this in the opening, as like in Se7en, we used our opening to give hints at future or past events, and to confuse yet intrigue the audience and captivate them into watching more.
Moreover, our use of candles and cult-like symbolism shows that
The Pitch
A boy has grown up with a supernatural ability to become invisible at his control. During adolescence, he falls into a life of crime and his path becomes intertwined with the very demons that cursed him with his power.
The opening scene will involve the demon responsible for the boy's curse surrounded by items of witchcraft (religious iconography, old books, candles, etc) in a dark, out of the way room, we want it to be dark, creepy, and perhaps slightly hard to follow, as we want to confuse the audience and make them feel less secure while watching the opening.
The opening scene will involve the demon responsible for the boy's curse surrounded by items of witchcraft (religious iconography, old books, candles, etc) in a dark, out of the way room, we want it to be dark, creepy, and perhaps slightly hard to follow, as we want to confuse the audience and make them feel less secure while watching the opening.
Friday, 7 November 2014
Feedback - Miss Spencer
Representation feedback - You have covered the basics of representation, outlining what it is. However you need to go into more detail talking about why directors use stereotypes etc. I would also like to see some discussion of the stereotypes in your genre and to use so me clips or images to illustrate your point.
Genre research feedback - again you have covered the basics, with some detail.
In order to improve you should:
You have looked at equilibrium - but you have not mentioned the theorist who came up with this idea. Look into Todorov and add research about his narrative theory to your work.
Add some images to illustrate your points.
discuss the history of your genre.
This work is at a level 2 - the above will help you move into a safe 3 or even a 4.
Genre research feedback - again you have covered the basics, with some detail.
In order to improve you should:
You have looked at equilibrium - but you have not mentioned the theorist who came up with this idea. Look into Todorov and add research about his narrative theory to your work.
Add some images to illustrate your points.
discuss the history of your genre.
This work is at a level 2 - the above will help you move into a safe 3 or even a 4.
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Representation
Representation in Media
Representation in media is to represent or depict something that may have already been presented, for instance, things like class, age, gender, sexuality, disability, and ethnicity. Often these stand in for stereotypes which are represented throughout. Stereotypes help the audience know more about a character as soon as they have been introduced, make predictions about the character, and understand the character and who they are and what their opinions may be.
Although the media can be useful for helping us understand more about characters and their opinions, it's also a very negative medium and can spread negativity quickly. For instance, celebrities like Amy Winehouse, Amanda Bynes, and Lindsay Lohan have all been depicted in the media as negative role models due to drug use, alcohol, and mental health issues. This, in turn, creates a bad image for people going through these problems. For instance, people complained that the media representation of Amanda Bynes provided a negative stigma for mental health problems.
Directors use stereotypes to get across a personality of a character almost immediately, it helps the audience understand what kind of person they are and how their story will go. This is useful for a director because it helps them to not have to introduce the character as much. Along with costume, props, and setting, stereotypes are a useful way of the director giving the audience a little back story and personality without having to go into an excess amount of detail.
The media in different places reports things in different ways. This shows that people in different groups will react differently depending on who is witnessing the events in the media. For instance, in places of war, the media may spread propaganda to their people, whereas if the media reporting in this country told us about events in that country, there would be more liberal coverage of the situations.
Media is our understanding of the world, as the media control what we see and what we think; it shapes our opinions and beliefs on the world, however corrupted these beliefs and opinions may be. Representation may be a negative thing, as it leads people to believe whatever they cover.
In TED, directors and writers broke the stereotype of a nice teddy bear by making him a foul mouthed, drinking, drug abusive individual. Although he looks like your standard issue child's teddy, the disruption of the stereotype not only make a hilarious film to watch, but also helped build TED's character more and more. The more we saw, the more we thought about him, making this film almost limitless in possibilities for all the things and situations TED could get himself into. By breaking this stereotype, the director was able to open the audiences minds, and therefore come up with more and more outrageous things that could happen.
In my film, representation will be used to display stereotypes and issues in both positive and negative ways. For example, I want the two female characters to break their stereotypes and not conform to gender norms. I think that women are usually portrayed as weak and useless, or usually used as a sex symbol. I think by breaking these norms, the film will become even more developed and the characters will become more well rounded. I feel like this will also help the story to become more interesting and will surprise audiences as the female roles won't be generic and boring, this also stops sexism in the film as it shows the women as heroes, as in most horror films, women are rarely seen as the hero.
For the male characters, I wanted generic, but in no way boring characters. I wanted the male characters to be like real people, with confidence issues and underwhelming and overbearing personalities. For example, one character may be quiet and have low self esteem, while another might have a totally overbearing personality. Although this does conform to some genre conventions, I feel like a lot of characters in horror are very two dimension and written poorly, whereas I wanted three dimensional characters with actual layers of personality who were written well into their story.
Representation in media is to represent or depict something that may have already been presented, for instance, things like class, age, gender, sexuality, disability, and ethnicity. Often these stand in for stereotypes which are represented throughout. Stereotypes help the audience know more about a character as soon as they have been introduced, make predictions about the character, and understand the character and who they are and what their opinions may be.
Although the media can be useful for helping us understand more about characters and their opinions, it's also a very negative medium and can spread negativity quickly. For instance, celebrities like Amy Winehouse, Amanda Bynes, and Lindsay Lohan have all been depicted in the media as negative role models due to drug use, alcohol, and mental health issues. This, in turn, creates a bad image for people going through these problems. For instance, people complained that the media representation of Amanda Bynes provided a negative stigma for mental health problems.
Directors use stereotypes to get across a personality of a character almost immediately, it helps the audience understand what kind of person they are and how their story will go. This is useful for a director because it helps them to not have to introduce the character as much. Along with costume, props, and setting, stereotypes are a useful way of the director giving the audience a little back story and personality without having to go into an excess amount of detail.
The media in different places reports things in different ways. This shows that people in different groups will react differently depending on who is witnessing the events in the media. For instance, in places of war, the media may spread propaganda to their people, whereas if the media reporting in this country told us about events in that country, there would be more liberal coverage of the situations.
Media is our understanding of the world, as the media control what we see and what we think; it shapes our opinions and beliefs on the world, however corrupted these beliefs and opinions may be. Representation may be a negative thing, as it leads people to believe whatever they cover.
In my film, representation will be used to display stereotypes and issues in both positive and negative ways. For example, I want the two female characters to break their stereotypes and not conform to gender norms. I think that women are usually portrayed as weak and useless, or usually used as a sex symbol. I think by breaking these norms, the film will become even more developed and the characters will become more well rounded. I feel like this will also help the story to become more interesting and will surprise audiences as the female roles won't be generic and boring, this also stops sexism in the film as it shows the women as heroes, as in most horror films, women are rarely seen as the hero.
For the male characters, I wanted generic, but in no way boring characters. I wanted the male characters to be like real people, with confidence issues and underwhelming and overbearing personalities. For example, one character may be quiet and have low self esteem, while another might have a totally overbearing personality. Although this does conform to some genre conventions, I feel like a lot of characters in horror are very two dimension and written poorly, whereas I wanted three dimensional characters with actual layers of personality who were written well into their story.
Thursday, 16 October 2014
Conventions of Horror
Conventions: things we expect to find
Genre: the conventions that place a film into a category
Hybrid Genre: two genres for one film - romcom, etc.
Don't
Ignore
Setting
Technical Code
Iconography
Narrative
Characterisation
Themes
Creepy house, forest, somewhere dark, graveyards = dark, death, scary, bleak. Builds tension, more frightening, isolation builds an uneasy feeling with the audience.
SMEC - sound, mise en scene, editing, camera shots. Scary noises, wind blowing, cat screams, gory makeup, fast cuts, POV, handheld camera work, close ups.
Iconography - famous celebrities, religious symbols, weapons, knives, gore, demonic symbols. Visual things that symbolize genre, filters, colours, blue filters, etc.
Serial killers, asylums, new haunted houses - cliff hangers, psychological, sequel, etc. Never ending plot (Saw), Antagonist never dies.
Equilibrium
Event
Confusion
Resolve
New Equilibrium
Young people, people that appeal to demographic.
Genre: the conventions that place a film into a category
Hybrid Genre: two genres for one film - romcom, etc.
Don't
Ignore
Setting
Technical Code
Iconography
Narrative
Characterisation
Themes
Creepy house, forest, somewhere dark, graveyards = dark, death, scary, bleak. Builds tension, more frightening, isolation builds an uneasy feeling with the audience.
SMEC - sound, mise en scene, editing, camera shots. Scary noises, wind blowing, cat screams, gory makeup, fast cuts, POV, handheld camera work, close ups.
Iconography - famous celebrities, religious symbols, weapons, knives, gore, demonic symbols. Visual things that symbolize genre, filters, colours, blue filters, etc.
Serial killers, asylums, new haunted houses - cliff hangers, psychological, sequel, etc. Never ending plot (Saw), Antagonist never dies.
Equilibrium
Event
Confusion
Resolve
New Equilibrium
Young people, people that appeal to demographic.
- Protagonist
- Sex appeal
- Irritating guy
- Token black guy
- Comeuppance
- Unlikely hero
- Antagonist
Theme is a recurring element in the plot. Theme - mental illness, revenge, religious belief, etc. are always a theme in films.
Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Compulsion Opening Textual Analysis
In the opening of Compulsion (2013), the audience are shown extreme close ups of the fallen hero chopping vegetables and preparing a meal. The colours white and red are very prominent in this montage, which symbolises the clash of innocence, lust, and danger - which are also prominent themes in the film, such as Saffron's innocence and how she left behind her life as a child actress and is now trying to make her way doing writing. Lust and danger relates to Heather Graham's character, Amy, as she knows how to use her sexuality to her advantage, but also to get what she wants in terms of manipulation and violence, as she kills her husbands parrot when he cheats on her and supposedly kills Saffron, her new girlfriend, and feeds her to the detective at the end of the film.
In the opening, there are a wide variety of shots which display different types of cinematography, which makes the audience feel like they've been immersed in Amy's obsessive cooking, which is made to be something very intimate and attractive.
The voice over talks about how cooking is "supposed to make you feel something", which also relates back to the effect on the audience and how intimate and special cooking is to her. This also relates back to the lustful attitude Amy has with her husband at first and then later Saffron.
In the opening, there are a wide variety of shots which display different types of cinematography, which makes the audience feel like they've been immersed in Amy's obsessive cooking, which is made to be something very intimate and attractive.
The voice over talks about how cooking is "supposed to make you feel something", which also relates back to the effect on the audience and how intimate and special cooking is to her. This also relates back to the lustful attitude Amy has with her husband at first and then later Saffron.
Monday, 13 October 2014
The Call Opening Sequence Textual Analysis
In the opening sequence of The Call, we see a birds eye view of the city of Los Angeles, the camera pans over the city and establishes the shot, and we as an audience really get an idea of the sheer scale of the city, in context with the film, we are allowed to appreciate how many people and individuals there are in the city. The pans help to emphasise and truly highlight how much area the LAPD have to cover on a daily basic. The shots of the city are at night, perhaps foreshadowing the distress that is to come during the final sequences. The bright lights not only symbolise how many people are in the city, but also provide a flicker of hope in the bleak darkness of the city.
Over the top of the shots, we hear various 911 emergency phonecalls being made, this establishes the scene and gives us some context as to things like what our protagonist does as an occupation, what sort of things are going on in the city, and just how many 911 calls are made per evening. This helps us as an audience get to know and understand the protagonist even better, despite the fact that we haven't even
met them yet.
The opening titles are a green computer font, which also shows us the type of things a 911 emergency operator sees when doing their job. The font is also akin to films such as The Matrix, as the green colour and IT font really emphasises the technological features in the film.
In the end of the sequence, we realise that we have learned a lot about the protagonist, without even meeting them, and we are given clues as to what is to come in the film, and although these are very subtle, each small feature is effective in really showing the audience enough to entice them to watch further on.
Over the top of the shots, we hear various 911 emergency phonecalls being made, this establishes the scene and gives us some context as to things like what our protagonist does as an occupation, what sort of things are going on in the city, and just how many 911 calls are made per evening. This helps us as an audience get to know and understand the protagonist even better, despite the fact that we haven't even
met them yet.
 |
| Further on in the film, when we learn what our protagonist, Halle Berry, does as an occupation. |
In the end of the sequence, we realise that we have learned a lot about the protagonist, without even meeting them, and we are given clues as to what is to come in the film, and although these are very subtle, each small feature is effective in really showing the audience enough to entice them to watch further on.
Feedback - Miss Spencer
I can only see a little progress since my last feedback. I would like to see much more progress than this. Both of your analysis need the film opening to be embedded and screen shots that illustrate your points throughout. I am a little disappointed with your progress, and we will have a talk in the next lesson to discuss how we can ensure you don't fall behind in your work.
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Knocked Up Textual Analysis
Knocked Up Textual Analysis
Cathy Maddox
In the opening to Knocked Up, we see a group of young males
having what they would think is fun, taking drugs, fighting, and going on
rollercoasters. The shots use slow-motion and smooth tracking to really
emphasise how much fun they are having.
The audience can tell from just the opening of the film that
these young men are very reckless, and are not very mature for their age, and
in the context of the film, it shows they’re in no way mature enough to be
responsible for a child. Point of view shots (POV) are used to show that this
is the life they’re living and they’re subjecting it onto people around them.
 |
| The group on the rollercoaster. |
In one part of the opening, we have a POV shot of them in a
rollercoaster, reflecting their personalities and lifestyles. They’re having a
wild time and they’re not going to apologise for that, which we see when they
show no remorse for hurting their friends when they are fighting. Seth Rogen –
the main character – is a stoner, like in most of his movies, reflecting his
reckless attitude once again and showing that he’s not a serious person. This makes
the audience feel like he’s not able to be responsible for another human being,
as he’s barely responsible for himself.
These young men also look like they are quite arrogant,
which is reflected in the high angle shots particularly during the end of the
opening scene. This shows that they may believe they are on top of the world,
and are having so much fun that they don’t really want it to end. This also
could reflect that they think they’re powerful, also justified by the fact that
they’re fighting and taking drugs.
Throughout the scene, we are subjected to a group of young
men who believe they are quite powerful, but recklessly so. They’re obviously
not very serious or committed to anything like a job or a family since they’re
taking so many stupid risks. The opening establishes their characters as having
a very immature demeanour for men who should have jobs and be working towards
their future.
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Feedback - Miss Spencer
You have made a reasonable start Cathy - however I am disappointed that you didn't meet the deadline and get two analysis up on your blog. WHat you have written is of good quality, however it does heavily rely on camera movement, angles etc, with less on the other areas (editing? Mise en scene ? sound?) These areas are only mentioned occasionally. You have also not talked about the titles.
Because of this your work is in a level 2. In order to improve you should:
Because of this your work is in a level 2. In order to improve you should:
- Think about the questions below, ensure you are addressing all of them.
- Embed JPEG images throughout you analysis (stills from the film) and a video of the opening sequence in order to illustrate your analysis.
Study the opening sequences of any film from the Thriller, Horror, and Romantic comedy genre. E.g. Seven, The Dark Knight Rises, Halloween, Notting Hill, Love Actually etc. Analyse how the sequence has been constructed through its use of: Camera angles, shots, movement, Editing, Sound, Special effects and Mise-en-scene etc.
· In terms of editing how have the separate images been put together - Think in terms of frequency of cuts, fades in/out, jump cuts, dissolves etc.
- What visual images appear on screen throughout the sequence? And what do they mean?
- · Describe what narrative (story) is being displayed in the sequence from start to finish.
- · Describe what kind of music; diegetic/non-diegetic/incidental/ambient etc. is being played over the sequence.
- · How and what titles are being displayed during the sequence and in what order.
- · What kind of characterisation is evident? - Age, gender, relationships etc.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Textual Analysis of Mission Impossible 2
Textual Analysis of Mission Impossible 2
Cathy Maddox
In the opening sequence of ‘Mission Impossible 2’, we learn a lot about the type of character we are going to be watching within the film.
The film starts with secret agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) climbing up the face of a red cliff without safety equipment. This establishing shot lets the audience know that the man they are witnessing is a strong person, someone fearless, and perhaps someone who’s prepared to take a lot of risks.
The red cliffs could symbolise danger, not only because of the colour, but also because of the height. However, this further establishes Ethan Hunt as a strong person as it shows he’s not afraid of danger whatsoever.
During the scene, the aerial shot of Ethan could also symbolise an eagle, as various calls can be heard. This shows that he’s invading the eagle’s habitat and doesn’t belong there. Furthermore, it could also show that Ethan is an all-American and is a national symbol of America.
During the opening scene, Ethan jumps from one ledge to another, showing that he’s not afraid to take risks, despite knowing that he could fall a fatal drop and that he doesn’t have any safety equipment. After he slips, he assumes the position that Christ took on the cross. This religious symbolism could show that just like Jesus, Ethan is a saviour, as well as someone who can do the impossible.
Overlapping the scene is non-diegetic funk music, which contrasts a lot with the scene. The audience doesn’t really click onto the purpose of this until the end of the scene, when we’re then told that Ethan is on holiday. This makes the audience feel like Ethan is someone who takes risks for fun and to relax, as that’s what holidays are for.
When the helicopter comes into the scene, the audience hear it before they see it. This creates tension as we the audience aren’t sure if it’s a threat to Ethan or not. Tension is created even more when the man in the helicopter points some sort of a gun at Ethan, to the audience, this appears as a threat because the audience doesn’t know the person’s motive for pointing the gun at Ethan.
After we learn that the man in the helicopter is not a threat to Ethan, there is a close up the high-tech sunglasses, showing that Ethan is someone powerful enough to have access to such technology.
In the end, we learn that Ethan is a spy, which answers all of the audience’s questions regarding his strength, risk taking, and overall perseverance.
Cathy Maddox
In the opening sequence of ‘Mission Impossible 2’, we learn a lot about the type of character we are going to be watching within the film.
The film starts with secret agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) climbing up the face of a red cliff without safety equipment. This establishing shot lets the audience know that the man they are witnessing is a strong person, someone fearless, and perhaps someone who’s prepared to take a lot of risks.
The red cliffs could symbolise danger, not only because of the colour, but also because of the height. However, this further establishes Ethan Hunt as a strong person as it shows he’s not afraid of danger whatsoever.
 |
| Ethan (Tom Cruise), hanging from the rock like Jesus did on the cross. |
During the scene, the aerial shot of Ethan could also symbolise an eagle, as various calls can be heard. This shows that he’s invading the eagle’s habitat and doesn’t belong there. Furthermore, it could also show that Ethan is an all-American and is a national symbol of America.
During the opening scene, Ethan jumps from one ledge to another, showing that he’s not afraid to take risks, despite knowing that he could fall a fatal drop and that he doesn’t have any safety equipment. After he slips, he assumes the position that Christ took on the cross. This religious symbolism could show that just like Jesus, Ethan is a saviour, as well as someone who can do the impossible.
Overlapping the scene is non-diegetic funk music, which contrasts a lot with the scene. The audience doesn’t really click onto the purpose of this until the end of the scene, when we’re then told that Ethan is on holiday. This makes the audience feel like Ethan is someone who takes risks for fun and to relax, as that’s what holidays are for.
 |
| Ethan wearing the high-tech sunglasses. |
When the helicopter comes into the scene, the audience hear it before they see it. This creates tension as we the audience aren’t sure if it’s a threat to Ethan or not. Tension is created even more when the man in the helicopter points some sort of a gun at Ethan, to the audience, this appears as a threat because the audience doesn’t know the person’s motive for pointing the gun at Ethan.
After we learn that the man in the helicopter is not a threat to Ethan, there is a close up the high-tech sunglasses, showing that Ethan is someone powerful enough to have access to such technology.
In the end, we learn that Ethan is a spy, which answers all of the audience’s questions regarding his strength, risk taking, and overall perseverance.
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Feedback - Miss Spencer
This is a good evaluation Cathy, you have answered the questions in detail and thought about your film.
In order to finish this post you need to upload your film and add some images to illustrate your points.
You also need to divide the writing up by the questions in the evaluation.
In order to finish this post you need to upload your film and add some images to illustrate your points.
You also need to divide the writing up by the questions in the evaluation.
Friday, 12 September 2014
Media Preliminary Task Evaluation
In our prelim task, we were given a guide to help us and to follow so we could make the perfect cheesey action scene. However, our group decided to make our own piece. We decided to build tension with lots of cuts and shots that varied throughout. We wanted to include some typical action shots, such as the shot of Harvey's feet on the floor, the match on action, and the eyeline match. Ben, who was our director, went on to include some shots which I thought really benefitted the film, such as the pan ups and the cuts between the two. I think this is typical for most action films, and although it makes them a little cheesey, it was definitely effective in making the scene as tense as it could possibly be, as well as making it unique from everyone else's.
Once we were given our task, Ben got straight to making our storyboard. As he's an avid filmmaker, it didn't take him very long before he was finished. We liked what he had planned and decided to go straight out and film the piece. I think that we all trusted Ben to not do something too adventurous or out there, and as we are all quite good friends, I knew that Ben wouldn't get us to do anything that we didn't really want to do.
I found the filmmaking process pretty easy, which I think is mainly due to Ben's directing and Harvey and mine's willingness to perfom, despite however alien it may have been. I think that I would have preferred to direct, since I've had very little experience in it before, but I think that in the time it would have taken me to learn all the ins and outs of using the equipment, we would have ran out of time, so on the whole, I'm glad that Ben directed because we met the deadline of our film.
During the editing process, Harvey and I had little to do, aside from finding suitable music and sound effects. I tried to use After Effects to make some titles, but found it very difficult to get used to the software in such a small space of time. However, I plan to do some practice in my own time to get better for when we make our film. I did watch Ben sort out the greenscreen and special effects, and it looked quite difficult, I didn't really understand the tutorial Ben was trying to deliver to me, but I'm sure I'll learn.
In the process of filming, I did find out about some new camera shots and techniques used in film, which I think are vital parts of most genres, particularly thriller, action, and horror.
- 180 Degree Rule: the 180 degree rule is when two people are having a conversation, the camera must remain on the side that it has started on on the 180 degree line. This is so the audience does not get confused. The only way the camera can break the 180 degree rule is if the movement to the other side is shown on screen.
- Match on Action: the match on action is where in a normal shot, the camera will cut to a close up of the shot, before cutting back to the normal shot. This is used if things are picked up or items are exchanged, and puts an emphasis on the object or item being interacted with.
- Eyeline Match: an eyeline match is when a character on screen is looking at something off screen, and the camera cuts to whatever it is the character is looking at.
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