Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Preliminary Task
This is our Preliminary task. This was the first piece of filming we had to do. We were left to film a person walking into a room, sitting down and having a conversation. After editing it this is what we came up with.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Textual Analysis: Primeval
The people in this clip are conforms of stereotypical and none stereotypical of the male and female gender. There are two gender groups in this clip which are shown in different ways to which the viewers would and wouldn’t expect. The first male we see in the clip is Stephen Hart who is being shouted at by a woman. The way this plays out makes the woman seem more powerful then him because after she is done shouting at him she climb into a huge Jeep, and slams the door aggressively which also isn’t feminine but a more masculine thing to do but it does show that this woman has an aggressive tone in her which is not associated with the female gender.. He is told by the series main character Nick Cutter to let her go. Stephens costume is often smart casual which reflects his character as the smart, calm member of the team. His quick thinking is often benefits the group. His hair cut is neat but manly, slightly jelled to make him look even manlier. The close up on his face shows the disappointment on Stephens face before walks back to his team who are sitting on a small table with a large umbrella over it, despite the cosy looking seating the team does not look very comfortable due to the current situation. The scene then changes and introduces you to an establishing shot of dark pine forest, this is where the team wish to find the Smilodon (sabre-toothed tiger) they have been after. This forest is dark, dense and moody, setting the scene very well along with the orchestral music which has played throughout the clip. The female character seen driving the JCB is Abby Mitland who, despite her tomboy appearance and attitude, seems to attract the eyes of males on her team such as Conner Temple who is desperate to have her as a girl friend. Abby’s costume in this scene is masculine, a dark brown leather jacket, a short white hair cut and some loose fitting black trousers and a small amount of make up which is the only feminine thing about her. Her masculine costume reflects her tomboy attitude. She is a strong and dependable character who doesn’t often show fear in most life threatening situations. As Abby is driving the JCB Cutter walks past with a large pile of twigs in his arms, this makes him look weaker then Abby in the JCB as she has a huge powerful machine and he just has a pile of twigs. Cutter is a professional palaeontologist and the head of the team. He has vast knowledge on dinosaurs and is an expert at identifying them. He is a strong character but is vulnerable to his wife who went missing threw one of the time anomalies prior to the series. His costume for this mission is simply as Cutter knows that wearing expensive cloths during missions like this is pointless as his job often involves him getting dirty and almost killed. He wears a dull blue t-shirt and some brown loose trousers. His hair is messy as he obviously isn’t trying to attract any feminine attention. This hair makes him look like a busy working male, which in a way is stereotypical of the male gender. The scene changes and Abby is digging in the ground quite messily with her JCB’s front scoop, this shows how impatient and carefree Abby can be. But as she unearths a human hand which is a few feet buried in the soil she is told to stop by Cutter. Once the JCB Ceases function all goes quite, but this is soon broken by the sound of roaring. There is a very quick pan over to the dense forest around the team but the cat cannot be seen until the next shot of it running towards Cutter who is vulnerable in the open. To escape from the huge prehistoric beast he jumps into the hole Abby was digging, I assume these holes were going to be used as pitfalls for the Smilodon as just before the digging scene there was a small scene of Conner Temple placing meat very delicately on some bed of leaves, clearly a pitfall for the Smilodon. Conner’s costume is not as masculine as Cutters, Stephen’s or even Abby’s as he is usually seen wearing a red scarf around his neck, in this scene is wearing a pink shirt, a black leather Trilby, red fingerless gloves to match his scarf, a black armless jacket, and some baggy brown trousers. Although Conner tries to be manly he often fails and looks more feminine then Abby, even with small amounts of facial hair around his jaw and top lip. He is the Geeky member of the team, he is slow, weak and not very smart when it comes to women and is also often saved by Abby or another member of the team but shows large amounts of interest in science fiction, technology and Dinosaurs, without his knowledge of dinosaurs the team wouldn’t know what to expect from the creatures they are hunting. Cutter is forced to seek shelter in the hole as the Smilodon swipes at him, the low angle camera makes cutter look weak compared to the huge muscular beast and compared to Abby who swing the JCB Scoop at it in order to save Cutter, this breaks the stereotypical view of Damsel in distress as it is usually a woman who needs saving. When the cat picks a fight with the JCB The camera movement tracks the movement of the Smilodon as it tried to beat the diggers scoop with its paws, during this a piece of mud hit the camera. This is editing to show that the surroundings are wet and muddy, not nice ground for a girl to walk on which is why Abby is in the JBC, this is a stereotypical view of women and hating getting dirty. Once Cutter climbs free from the hole he leads the creature away as part of the plan to take the animal down, he is seen as prey by the Smilodon which makes him look weak compared to the huge cat he is trying to save. Somehow he manages to run to a rope ladder and climb it faster than the cat can climb the tree next to him. Using his belt he attaches himself to a zip wire and races down it. This is a masculine thing as he has to hang on for dear life to his belt. There are loads of camera shots here which track his journey down the wire. There are POV’s to show the speed of which he is moving, tracking shots from below him at a low angle to show how high up he is. And view from him front of him to show him hitting into bushes below him which looks painful. These are all edited together quickly to make it look like he’s moving faster then the cat below him. At the end of the wire is a platform which he jumps, during this jump the camera cuts to a shot of Abby loading a dart gun and firing it. The dart hits the cat as it leaps over Cutter and off the platform. Abby has the gun to show that she is not a weak female, and it also shows how powerful and masculine she, this makes her fit into her team better as the whole team is composed of men. The music during this scene is fast and intense, but dies out as the Smilodon leaps over Cutter, which suggests that the danger has passed. The next scene is of everyone regrouping in an open pasture. The camera shows them all in the same shot, this connotes that they are all equal. Ever they regroup there are many two shots as everyone except Cutter is standing in a pair, this makes Cutter look more independent then the others. During the talk they discus a new danger and the music begins to build again leading onto the next scene with the real antagonist Jenny Lewis. She may look innocent but in this scene she is trying to black maim someone into saying that the Smilodon or ‘lion’ was actually his, and if he didn’t she would tell the police that he is breeding dogs for fighting. Her costume consisted of a cream coat, a black dress, and bright red lipstick. Her black dress suggests she is villainous and her red lipstick was a representation of blood or danger. The way she stands and the way she talks is a big give away to how twisting she is trying to be. She knows she has the upper hand against him. The camera flicks back and forth between the pair in a shot reverse shot, the male clearly not happy with the way she is trying to black mail him. When Jenny mentions that he is breeding the dogs for breeding there is a shot of the dogs laying behind him in the hay, meaning these are the dogs he is breeding. Jenny tries to walk away, convinced she has the cover story for the Smilodon, but as she turns back the male picks up a shotgun and points it at her. The music peeks and intensifies, the shots reverse shots and editing becomes quicker. When he fires a shot at the ground the dogs behind him start barking. Jenny is pulled back into the barn and is pushed onto the nay, a high angle shot showing how defenceless she with a man pointing a shotgun in her face. The edit in this shot turned to slow motion, the how scene paying out a lot slower to suggest these are Jenny’s last moments. There is a cut away to the dogs barking and trying to pull on their chain’s which increases the violence the audience see’s in the male with the shotgun. Their barks are none diagetic sounds added in when the scene was edited. The next shot is of the Protagonists, Stephen Abby and Conner. During this shot Abby and Stephen have handguns and Conner is unarmed, so he quickly grabs up a shovel. The fact that Conner is unarmed makes him look even more pathetic and suggests that maybe the group doesn’t trust him with a firearm.
This was one of my most resent textual analysis's where i had to talk about the stereotypical wayts in which gender was prtraited in a clip of primeval [The episode with the sabertoothed tiger in)
Textual Analysis: The Usual suspect
The director has used a range of techniques to create a dark atmosphere. The opening of the film is set at night at a dock and on a boat; this is a shady setting which clearly screams crime. It could be a private boat belonging any of the characters in the opening scene. It begins with an un-introduced character smoking on the floor, near him is a body; most likely suggesting that he killed the man. This character then lights a trail of petrol or another flammable liquid, from the matches he lit to light his cigarette, which has spilt onto the ground.
Behind him there are also flames meaning this is possibly the end of a fight. The music during this is slow violins meaning the scene is calm but not safe, this adds tension. As the flames run along the trail of petrol the Antagonist puts it out with his own urine from a higher level. The camera tilts up so you can see the male but the lighting is set so that you can’t see his face of any other feathers but you can see the male is wearing a long overcoat and hat. The male smoking below him is unable to move while the antagonist walks down the stairs towards him but he doesn’t attempt to move or escape meaning the two know each other
The character on the ground has to look up at the other male making him look more powerful. The antagonist has a dark calm powerful voice. You never see the antagonist face which makes the character completely unknown. As the pair talk, the flames behind the sitting character flicker, making it look almost like hell. The antagonist warns the sitting character before he shoots him, this makes him seem in control of the situation. As the dark character walks away he relights the trail of flammable fuel and the dock blows up, maybe this is to get rid of any evidence that the murder ever happened. The music intensifies as soon as the fuel trail is lit. During the scene the camera focuses on several pieces of rope which are in the dock, the reason for this is to make the audience think that maybe there’s something hidden in the rope or that the antagonist will use the rope as a weapon.
At the end of the scene it cuts away to a man bathed in white light, this effect makes him look heavenly or like an angel meaning he has good intentions, but sometimes characters are pacifically dressed in white to make the impression that they are good when they are in fact evil.
This is my textual analysis of the usual suspect. i don't have the original print out with the markings on. This was the second textual analysis i was forced to do
Textual Analysis: Silence of the Lambs
This was the first Textual analysis. As you can see i did not know what i was explaining because i had missed the previous lesson. There was a lot o could of done to improve it but a the time i didn't know this, only after learning more about the micro elements did i start to understand everything i had to look out for in opening clips such as this one. By simply using technical language like Connotes i could of boosted my grade.
Deciding in the Name for our Thriller
but clearly Dark Secrets was best.
The KKTS Logo
This is the KKTS Logo for our group. As you can guess it stands for all our names. Teresa, Sophie, Keri, Kelly. It was drawn out by Keri who wanted to have a logo for our group. I tried to make a digital version of the logo but the software i was using kept crashing on me and deleting all the work had done on it.
Questionnaire
Story board.
This is the initial drawing for are story board. As you can see we originally planned to have Keri jump out of a window to escape, but we faced some problems with this idea and decide d to have her escape from her room via the door instead. Most of this story board is correct, but after major edits and improvements are film is very different from how we planned it
Final Product
http://vimeo.com/23368818
This is the link to the final outcome. Dark secrets took us months to make and months to plan and we are all pleased with the outcome
This is the link to the final outcome. Dark secrets took us months to make and months to plan and we are all pleased with the outcome
Friday, 6 May 2011
Long term planning sheet
Week one
Begin to plot initial ideas. Everyone in the group will put forwards an idea that they think would make a good thriller story, they also have to come up with the shot types and camera movements.
Week two
A questionnaire will be created to decide on which film idea we use. A questionnaire will be created to decide on a suitable name, also a
Week three
The props list will be made and the price of the props will have to be calculated. The group will discuss the script before helping to put it together.
Week four
Research will be done about the fashion during the time period set for the film, Costumes will be discussed and the shots list will be plotted..
Week five
A decision will be made about costume and the location will be confirmed, a suitable time period will of already been selected to suit the finally film idea.
Week six
Take photos of location and props.
Week seven
Test shots will be taken.
Week eight
Get props, costume and equipment together and begin to film. The film will not be filmed in real order, the inside shots will be shot first to avoid continuity errors.
Week nine
The footage will be watched and mistakes re filmed. Experiment with the editing techniques on the apple Mac’s.
Costume and Make up
Teresa (Powerful woman in the arm chair):
Black dressing robe. Pale make-up.
Bird ring. Black trousers.
Teresa is dressed in a dressing robe because she has only just woken up. This is why she is sitting down in the armchair enjoying a glass of wine. The bird ring is the symbol of her power and a symbol of the organization she controls. The way she treats her servants gives you the impression that she does not have any true connection with them at all, they are simply there to serve her
Sophie (Antagonist/Assassin who pursuits the protagonist):
Black hoodie. White theatrical mask.
Black trousers. Black cloak. Black shoes.
I am dressed like this because am meant to be nothing more then a servant to Teresa who is free to dress as she likes. My identity is to stay a mystery. My role in the organization is to act as an assassin when Teresa needs someone killed.
Keri (Protagonist running away):
Flowery knee length thin strapped dress
Worn make up.
Slightly messed up hair. Pumps
Keri is the victim which is why she is not dressed liked the rest of the organization. She is wearing summer clothing to portrait her innocence. She has her own identity unlike the servants.
Kelly (Servant also in a white mask):
Black suit. Black hoodie. Masked.
Black trousers.
Kelly is also a servant to Teresa and is only meant to act like a mindless puppet, therefore showing the power Teresa has over her organization. Kelly's identity is also to stay a mystery.
Equipment
We will be using a camcorder for our filming with a buff microphone on the end.
We will also need a tape to store our work and actually take the film.
And lastly we need a tripod to have the camera at any height, angle and movement we want. It also reduces camera wobble which means we can get professional shots.
Props List
Candle stick with red candles
The use of ‘red’ suggests danger, blood or death which would be good for our thriller because it involves murder.
Elegant glass for the leader/boss of the organisation
This glass will contain red wine in the filming which also symbolises danger, blood and death. When they drink it, it will look as though he is drinking blood which makes the audience feel disturbed.
An armchair for the leader/boss to sit in
This chair looks mighty and very posh think reflects the leader’s personality.
Table
A table to place the wine, wine bottle and candle sticks on.
Wine bottle
The leader has a whole wine bottle to himself which shows that he is a greedy and selfish person.
A knife
Note: The knife in are film is real
A knife is a menacing and dangerous weapon used in the scene in the woods to show how the organisation member kills the girl. This
creates tension.
Location for our Thriller Film
This is the house that we are using to film for the inside scene, as well as having an establishing shot at the beginning to show where the film is based. This house is also very old and was around in the 1950’s, so this is a reliable location to match our time period. The house is over 300 years old, this shot of the house gives it a dark and uninviting look because of the dark clouds around it. We never meant to take the photo of the house during wether like this.
This is the room we are using in the house for the scene where the leader of the organisation is told the bad news that one of the prisoners has escaped by one of his workers. As you can see, it has an old design and old-fashioned interior which will also fit with out 1950’s time period.
The main part of our film however, is in the woods bordering the estate.
This is where most of the action happens in the film, and as you can see it looks quite busy and gloomy which is what we want to create a tense atmosphere for the part in the film where the girl is killed by an organization member. When we have filmed in the woods, we will take the footage and edit the lighting to make it a bit darker which will increase the dark mood, but allow the audience to still be able to see all the detail in the film.
Font Types
We needed to ask our audience which font they liked the best, keeping in mind this is for a thriller film. We let then choose out of a list of font types found on microsoft word, but unfortunently you cant see what the real font types look like on here.
Dark Secrets (Algerian).
This font has a shadow effect with the use of fine lines used to make a good thriller (shadows is a code and convention to make a good thriller) and create the common fear of darkness. It also looks fancy to reflect the rich and secret mafia our plot is based on.
Dark Secrets (Blackadder ITC).
This font is also fancy to reflect the plot, but it has wobbly letters and swirly capitals (the letter ‘D’ and ‘S’) to almost looks like plants or weeds. This also helps the plot or setting because most of our opening is set in the woods.
DARK SECRETS (Chiller).
This font looks creepy and eerie because of the ink-like written font that has a splattered effect (like paint) that almost looks like dripping blood. This would be good for our thriller because the opening involves a murder.
Dark Secrets (Magneto).
This looks like a fancy and 50’s like font which would benefit the mafia in our play because mafias were around mainly in that time period. However, it does not have a creepy feel to it which a thriller mainly has.
Dark Secrets (Vladimir Script). This is also an old and fancy font which reflects the mafia in our film, but it also does not have a scary side to it, therefore it does not have the code and convention of a thriller we need.
Dark Secrets (Edwardian Script ITC).
This is also posh and Victorian which shows that the mafia or organisation is old. However, this font is graceful which is not what we want the audience to feel when watching our thriller.
DARK SECRETS (Mistral).
This reminds me of rough handwriting which looks rushed and rapid which is a code and convention of a thriller. However, is not posh or fancy so it does not reflect the old mafia. On the other hand, it almost looks like branches to contribute the scene in the woods.
Dark Secrets (Forte).
This is a bubbly, but dark font which may correspond with the common fear of darkness, but we do not want a uplifting feeling towards our film.
DARK SECRETS (Footlight MT Light). This is bold and creepy font that also has a fancy or royal side to it which suits the idea of the mafia well. It is also got fine lines and sharp points (like the line between the letter ‘E’ which reminds us of a knife or weaponry which is danger) which corresponds well with the murder idea.
Dark Secrets (Gigi).
This is a rough and fancy font which is good to show the old and rich mafia, with the rough side of it to show they are evil. On the other hand, the swirly shapes of the letters are elegant and the font has a girly feel to it.
Dark Secrets (old English text Mt).
This is a bold and gothic font which has a medieval side to it. It is dark and almost religious which helps support the idea of the time period we were basing our film on (1950s) and shows the audience that this mafia are evil and believe in their doings of their organisation (murder).
From these 11 fonts, the one our audience thinks is best for our thriller film is Footlight Mt Light (DARK SECRETS). We also agree with them at because the font connotes all the ideas we have to include in our film such as the set period (1950’s) because the font looks old fashioned and the bold, dark letters are used to bring up the common fear of darkness. This font creates tension because of the fears brought up and the capitals used to almost yell the name in the audience’s face (since capitals are used to exaggerate shouting).
Initial Ideas
Our initial ideas were created by each individual in the group. Everyone came up with an idea before we read each others to decide on which idea sounded the best. We decided to go for idea 1 which was thought up by Teresa!
1). An Organisation or Mafia who was holding a person hostage because they know too much about them or are threatening him/her to give them an object they want. If they try to escape or if they do not give them the object, they will be killed by the organisation. The hostage decides to make an escape anyway - not aware of the consequences - to get out of being a prisoner from this organisation and a chase scene begins. Unfortunately, the boss or guard finds out about it and contacts the other members to inform them about the escape. In the end, the prisoner is spotted and killed.
2). A girl is walking home or she is running away from a bad experience (argument, etc). If she is running away, she has tears down her face and someone is behind her. She turns around and sees dark figures. She starts running or power walking until she is knocked down and captured. She wakes up tied to a chair where there is a table beside her with drugs, needles and knives laid out. The same men who chased her down the street are standing around her and one goes for the knife and raises it above her head. She starts panicking in the chair and as he slashes down with the knife and it catches the ropes where she breaks free. She punches and shoves the men out the way to the exit and runs for her life. She gets out of the building and heads for a area of forest. While she is running, she has flash-backs of images or voices and trips over something. She then looks up to find feet at her face. It is the same men from before and they laugh. The girl screams.
3). A girl or boy is walking home who is upset. They approach woodland because they want to be alone or their hat gets blown in the wind towards the wood (if it is windy for filming). When they reach the entrance into the woodland, they see a shiny object on the floor and are intrigues to what it is so they go to pick it up. He/she examines the object, but are disturbed by something strange or supernatural. They look panicky turn around and find a dark creature behind a tree, showing its teeth. He/she are terrified by this creature and run off out of the woods. He/she runs a great distance from the wood until they trip on something along the way and is slashed along her arm, until she wakes up. She sits up in her bed, breathing heavily and feels her arm to find red on her hand. He/she looks at her wound on her right arm and hears a growl in their room to realise that this may not be a dream after all.
4). It’s getting late and the protagonist is walking home from the grocery store with some shopping bags and he is about to walk past some stairs. As he does, a knife with blood on it bounces down the stairs towards the protagonist’s feet. He looks up from the knife to find a man in a white coat standing at the top of the stairs with a body slashed through the throat at his feet. The antagonist stares at the protagonist and starts to make his way towards him in a slow menacing walk. The protagonist stares at the antagonist and drops his shopping from shock and is nearly paralysed until the antagonist gets too close to him that he runs off. The protagonist runs and runs while the antagonist is right behind him. He hits a dead end and is cornered by the murderous serial killer. The antagonist walks into the camera and it ends with a cliff-hanger, making us wonder what has happened to this man.
1950’s Costume Research
For our thriller film idea, we are basing the time period in the 1950’s since mafias like we have in our storyline were around that time than they are today. In order to make the time period as realistic as possible, we are researching into the 1950’s fashion which we will use in our film.
In the 1950’s, poodle skirts, petticoats, pump and saddle shoes (plimsoles) were a fashion craze with many women of different ages, especially the younger ones. Many of the dresses in the 1950’s were knee-length and emphasised the waist and the shoulders. Dresses with full skirts (like in the picture on the right) were made to stick out wider by wire, rope or often nylon netting. Also, floral dresses were very popular in the summer.
Big hair or high ponytails were also a popular trend with the girls back then.
For men, jackets with broad shoulders, tight trousers and shirts (with long collars sticking out) with floral ties were popular in Europe. Some styles like this (picture on the left) were inspired by the Edwardian style suits which many young men wore in the Fifties. This was known as the British Teddy Boy subculture and this trend rapidly spread across the UK in the 1950’s, associating with American Rock and roll music. Some groups who were ‘Teddy Boys’ formed their own gangs who had violent clashes with rival gangs and
threatened other people.
The rocker jacket with gelled back hair and jeans also was popular among young men to get a rocker look which most young men wanted to be considered as. This look was used a lot in films and television back then which is how it was inspired in the first place.
In our film we are also using hoods and we found out that they were invented in the 1930’s which means we are able to use them for our film. It also told us that the style and form of the hood dates back to the Middle Ages.
Introduction
Hello I am Sophie Munro, an AS Media Student at Samuel ward Arts and Technology Academy.
At the begining of the year i chose to do film Analysis instead of Texual Analysis with three of my best friends, Teresa Munsterkotter, Keri Meadows, and Kelly Alexander.
At the begining of the year i chose to do film Analysis instead of Texual Analysis with three of my best friends, Teresa Munsterkotter, Keri Meadows, and Kelly Alexander.
What’s the difference? Film media involves analysing film clips, breaking them down into their micro elements and discussing what effects they have based on what the film is representing (Age, Gender, Sexuality, Regional identity, Disability, Race)
The genre for are media film is Supernatural Thriller. Sounds easy doesnt it?
The amount of effot and thinking means that this project was no easy task and took truck loads of hours to prepare
Print media involves analysing magazines, newspaper’s ect,, to break it down into its own elements E.G: Header, footer, Tag line. And to discuss how the text aimed at a certain target audience. This is what i produced for a print media peice.
This is the final outcome of my print media work.It is a magazine cover for teenaged girls. The name of the magazine is in the largest font and points out the gender group for the mag. Right under the title is the tag line, "Girlie-Gossip-Glam". A small symbol which is a crown draws eyes to the tag line and the name. Main header is a quoat from someone about gossip, and since girls love to gossip and read about other peoples relationships this header should be irrisistable. The exclusive is there to again try to convince the target audience to buy the magazine: "David Becham in the buff?" A famous footballer with muscles is all to iresistable.
The striking yellow stars are to illuminate tempting offers like the "Win a grand" and "picture perfect posters" of Juston Beiber and Lady GaGa. The love heart is another of the girly sybols i wanted to add to the page and was also added to add another artical about true stories like "my mum had sex with my boyfriend!" Shocking right? it makes you want to read the magazene to find out the whole story.
One thing girls love more then the latest gossip is cloths, shoes and make up. So i added this small text box to the bottom right indicate about the latest Fashions.
Vogue, aimed at good looking women with lots of money to spend on the latest vashion. Look at the main picture, the focus of the magazine is a sexy woman in a nice dress. The colour sceme is red, the red dress, red lipstick and red curtains. Red conotes love and lust, but also makes soemone look vibrant and sexy since its such a high value colour. On this magazine there is only a colour sceme of two colours, red and white. The red makes the white stand out even more
Kerrange, a popular music magazine for a more masculin audience. The main focus is on my favour band, Panic! At The disco. Kerrange is more appealing to me then the Vogue magazine. The name of the magazine os hidden behind the band, just like how Vogue is hidden behind there main image. The band name is in huge font, grabbing the attention of the readers. The name of the magzine itself has its own image, shattered like glass. There is a footer at the bottom of the image and even images of more bangs like Paramore and Metalica. Any metal, punk, or emo music loving fans would love this magazine as it even has posters of live shots (shots taken while at one of there concerts)
Now for film Media it isnt as easy as studying magazine covers. We have had to watch many clips and break them down in order to talk about there elements. Watching clips from programs we had to discuss everything we see and explain what the clips were representing, for instance Age, Gender, Race, Disability and Social economic groups.
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