Task 1.1 Prelims
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This was our first attempt at re-creating a Western to explore the different shot types which can be used when filming a preliminary video.
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This was our preliminary video of us filming an exchange of an object or commodity while exploring different shot types at the same time.
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This was our first attempt at exploring and applying the 180 degree rule while filming a preliminary video.
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Task 1.2 Vlogs
Vlog 1- Western Prelim
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Vlog 2- Exchange Prelim
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Vlog 3- 180 Degree Rule Prelim
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Task 1.3 Genre Research
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Annabelle- Trailer
In this task I will be researching the film trailer Annabelle and exploring the ways in which genre is constructed. The film itself is a supernatural horror which is portrayed through ways such as mise-en-scen, cinematography, editing and sound. I will be using the trailer to analyse ways in which they present this to show how it is constructed as a horror. One way in which this is presented is through the acting and characters within the trailer. When the husband brings his wife the doll home it instantly tells the audience that this is a horror film, this is known as a code. The use of a doll can be seen as archetype in the trailer as dolls are particularly associated with horror movies and is a type of a character which re-occurs within them. The incongruity of a child’s toy and horror can make it unnerving, as dolls normally represent happiness, innocence, and nurturing. Yet their distorted human qualities, such as over sized heads, unblinking eyes or exaggerated features, can make them especially eerie. It also gives the audience a cue that something bad is going to happen when the doll is given to the women due to the music stopping abruptly and the shot fading into a dark shot with eerie music. The use of the somewhat romantic and poetic music with the vinyl crackling in the beginning of the trailer also helps constructed the genre. The vinyl crackling is the first thing the audience hear which can be seen as something that is breaking up the romantic atmosphere and something in the past is going to upset the future. Th use of the setting of a baby's bedroom in the opening scene also creates this contradicting atmosphere as it creates a contrast between ecstasy and fear, this can be seen as juxtaposition as babies are usually associated with innocence and happiness. Another way in which the genre is constructed is through the use of darkness and light within the trailer. The use of darkness and lighting is constantly used in every film to show the contrast between the two. Darkness is consistently present throughout and is most often associated with murder, death and evil which is obviously present throughout this trailer to give the audience the indication that this film is a horror. The murder which we see early on in the trailer takes place during the night, this is a convention as murders usually occur during the night and is something as an audience we expect to see when watching this particular genre. The use of a window also intensifies this eerie mood as the window is open and a slight breeze is coming through could be seen as a code as its giving us a cue that something bad is about to happen. This is also is supported by the camera zooming in 3 different shot types to help build the suspense and add to how the genre is constructed. How the female protagonist also wakes up after the murder and then wakes up her husband to go and check it out is another way in which the genre is put together. This is a classic ritual in horror films and is used in many to keep the audience on the edge of their seat and engaged in what is happening in the film. It also shows how the male characters are also seen as those who investigate the location or disturbance empathizing their masculinity and bravery. |
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James Bond- Quantum of Solace
Opening Sequence For task 1.3 I will be analysing the opening sequence of James Bond- Quantum of Solace and how cinematography, mise-en-scen, sound and editing are used to help create the films genre. The film itself is an action genre and begins with a number of quick shot cuts edited together of the Aston Martin. The car itself is a classic visual convention of actions films as fast cars are usually associated with action films, but the quick shot cuts also give the audience an indication that the film is going to be very fast paced which stereotypically is associated with an action packed film. The diegetic sound of the car's engine also helps construct the genre as it represents the pace at which the film will be watched and adds to the generic representation that the film is an action movie as stereotypically action films are watched at a very fast pace. The wide shot with the track forward movement of the tunnel at 59 seconds also contributes to the idea of the pace of the film as it quicken even more so as the track forward movement increase in pace towards the tunnel, this also leads to an increase in suspense and tension which are emotions usually associated with the action genre. The upbeat non-diegetic music also becomes apparent after the wide shot track forward movement and continues throughout the car chase. This creates a sinister atmosphere as the audience expect something harmful or bad to happen to the main protagonist but some how he manages to escape unscathed. This also helps consolidate the fact that the film is a action movie as the upbeat music coheres with the pace of the film which in turn helps construct the genre. The gun fire is also another a visual convention which helps constructs the genre as it links to themes within the action genre including violence and fighting which the audience expect to see in the film and also helps reinstate already existing reoccurring themes and make it clear to the audience what they are watching. The costume of the main male protagonist (James Bond) also gives an indication that this an action film as it is an example of a stereotypical iconography as a male protagonist usually dresses in smart or dark clothing to represent a high status or spy-like image. |
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Screenr: Women in Black - Opening Sequence
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Task 1.4 Genre Mapping
Horror Genre
Top 5 Best-Grossing Horror Films:
1. The Sixth Sense (1999): $293.5 million
2. Jaws (1975): $260 million
3. The Exorcist (1973): $232.9 million
4. What Lies Beneath (2000): $155.5 million
5. The Blair Witch Project (1999): $140.5 million
2. Jaws (1975): $260 million
3. The Exorcist (1973): $232.9 million
4. What Lies Beneath (2000): $155.5 million
5. The Blair Witch Project (1999): $140.5 million
Ritual of a horror film:
Revenge
Virgin girl killed
Moving house
Haunted house
Party
Creaking doors, floorboards, stairs
Rocking Chair
Dolls and Children's toys
Supernatural behaviour
Possession
Archetypes of a horror film:
Jock
Cheerleader
Possessed child
Nerd
Minority
Nice Guy
Virgin Girl
Themes of a horror film:
Death
Darkness
Revenge
Psychotic behaviour
Horror Conventions
Horror Spectatorship
Action Genre
Top 5 Best-Grossing Action Films:
1. Transformers Dark of the Moon (2010): $1,123,794,07
2. Skyfall (2012): $1,108,694,081
3. Transformers Age of Extinction (2014): $1,081,139,076
4. Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest (2006:) $1,060,615,812
5. Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011): $1,043,663,875
Rituals of an action film:
Hidden powers
Mortal danger
Exotic location
Equilibrium
Disruption
Recognition
Protagonist comes from the brink of death
Honour
Protagonist defeats the antagonist
Archetypes of a action film:
Bad boy
The best friend
Charmer
Lost soul
Lost loved one
American hot head
Highly trained male protagonist
Women with a sexual appeal
Themes of an action film:
Always a motive
Reach an objective
Violence
Big cities
Fighting
Weapons
Cat and mouse chase
Killing of a loved one
Revenge
American Imperialism
British patriotism
1. Transformers Dark of the Moon (2010): $1,123,794,07
2. Skyfall (2012): $1,108,694,081
3. Transformers Age of Extinction (2014): $1,081,139,076
4. Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest (2006:) $1,060,615,812
5. Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011): $1,043,663,875
Rituals of an action film:
Hidden powers
Mortal danger
Exotic location
Equilibrium
Disruption
Recognition
Protagonist comes from the brink of death
Honour
Protagonist defeats the antagonist
Archetypes of a action film:
Bad boy
The best friend
Charmer
Lost soul
Lost loved one
American hot head
Highly trained male protagonist
Women with a sexual appeal
Themes of an action film:
Always a motive
Reach an objective
Violence
Big cities
Fighting
Weapons
Cat and mouse chase
Killing of a loved one
Revenge
American Imperialism
British patriotism
Action Conventions
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QbLo8jYT4UQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=mythologies+of+violence+in+postmodern+media&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kUHsVLHGCMP3UJPMg5AD&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=mythologies%20of%20violence%20in%20postmodern%20media&f=false
I have chosen this book because it discusses the conventions of action films. |
Action Spectatorship
Sci-fi Genre
Top 5 Sci-fi films:
1. Avatar (2009): $696.00 million
2. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (2009): $460,99 million
3. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial: (1982): $435,11 million
4. Star Wars: Episode I:The Phantom Menace (1999): $431,08 million
5. Spider-Man (2002): $403,70 million
Rituals of a Sci-fi film:
Utopia visions
Apocalyptic plot
Alien encounter
Evolutionary patterns
Inter-galactic
Time travel
Futuristic setting
Archetypes of a Sci-fi film:
Magician
Mad professor
Destroyer
Innocent male on a quest
Aliens
Astronaut
Themes of a sci-fi film:
Anti establishment
New technologies
Futuristic elements
Dystopian future/ utopian future
New scientific principles
1. Avatar (2009): $696.00 million
2. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (2009): $460,99 million
3. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial: (1982): $435,11 million
4. Star Wars: Episode I:The Phantom Menace (1999): $431,08 million
5. Spider-Man (2002): $403,70 million
Rituals of a Sci-fi film:
Utopia visions
Apocalyptic plot
Alien encounter
Evolutionary patterns
Inter-galactic
Time travel
Futuristic setting
Archetypes of a Sci-fi film:
Magician
Mad professor
Destroyer
Innocent male on a quest
Aliens
Astronaut
Themes of a sci-fi film:
Anti establishment
New technologies
Futuristic elements
Dystopian future/ utopian future
New scientific principles
Sci-fi Conventions
Sci-fi Spectatorship
Comedy Genre
Highest Grossing Comedy Films :
1. Home Alone (1990): $281,493,907
2. Beverly Hills Cop ( 1984): $234,760,478
3. Tootsie (1982): $177,200,000
4. Blazing Saddles (1974): $119,500,000
5. National Lampoon's Animal House ( 1978): $141,600,000
Rituals of a comedy film:
Mockery
Immature behaviour
Self humiliation
Archetypes of a comedy film:
The logical thinker
The loveable loser
The neurotic
The dumb/Idiotic one
Themes of a comedy film
Happiness
Stupidity
Laziness
Friendship
Family
1. Home Alone (1990): $281,493,907
2. Beverly Hills Cop ( 1984): $234,760,478
3. Tootsie (1982): $177,200,000
4. Blazing Saddles (1974): $119,500,000
5. National Lampoon's Animal House ( 1978): $141,600,000
Rituals of a comedy film:
Mockery
Immature behaviour
Self humiliation
Archetypes of a comedy film:
The logical thinker
The loveable loser
The neurotic
The dumb/Idiotic one
Themes of a comedy film
Happiness
Stupidity
Laziness
Friendship
Family
Comedy Conventions
Comedy Spectatorship
Task 1.5 Explore Alternatives to Genre
Vlog 1- Kids 1995
Director- Larry Clark |
Vlog 2- Thirteen 2003
Director- Catherine Hardwicke |
Vlog 3- Lost in Translation 2003
Director- Sofia Coppola |
Kids
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The scene in which I have chosen to show that this film is a contrast to mainstream genre is the opening scene. The opening scene of kids places the audience in a situation in which they would not expect to be placed in when watching a mainstream film. The film's first scene begins with Telly and a 12 year old virgin kissing with an extreme emphasise on the nature of the kissing and the sound it creates. This in turn creates a sense of realism with the film as it seems as if they are not actors and are in fact just teenagers experimenting with their sexual behaviours and desires. The duration of the shots are also quite long with very few cuts, this keeps the sense of realism within the scene as with a mainstream film the audience would expect the shot to cut without seeing the two people actually have sex. This scene is also very contrasting to a mainstream film as it explores topics such as under age sex and teenage relationships. These topics can be seen as controversial by many people as
they find under age sex either uncomfortable or inappropriate to watch in films. This why kids is so different
to a mainstream film as it is not afraid to challenge these controversial issues and
show them in a sense of realism in order to give a very power message. Which is
the way sexually transmitted diseases can spread to quickly if people
do not communicate with people who they have had sexual relationships with.
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Thirteen
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The scene which I have chosen to show how this film is contrasting to mainstream genre is the self harming scene roughly three quarters of the way through the film. I have chosen this scene to show the contrast due to the scenes graphic nature, its extreme sense of realism and the distress it causes for the audience. When watching a mainstream film seeing this graphic viewing like in Thirteen is something the audience may not expect to see, unless it is a gory horror such as one of the Saw films. This makes it very different from any mainstream film as it actually shows Tracey self harming which in mainstream films would usually be cut to another scene as many viewers would find it distressing and uncomfortable. to watch However the fact is focus solely on the point at which the scissors pierce the skin makes this scene ,and the whole film, very different to any mainstream movie. This is because the director Catherine Hardwicke isn't disheartened to show a controversial issue which many may find inappropriate and show it in a realistic nature in which it occurs in the real world to give a message to the audience. This is what gives the scene the sense of realism as it seems as if we are actually watching a troubled teenager self harm instead of an actress performing in front of cameras for the shooting of a film. The fact that the scene also occurs in the bathroom of her own home and she uses scissors to inflict the pain also adds to this sense of realism and makes the topic even more sensitive as it becomes even more relatable to the viewers. This is why this scene specifically makes the film Thirteen completely contrasting to mainstream film.
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Lost in Translation
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The scene I have chosen to depict how this film is different to mainstream genre is the final scene. I have chosen this scene because it is the first real time where both characters express any sort of feeling or emotions towards each other in the whole entire film. Throughout the film we as the audience are waiting for the relationship between Bob and Charlotte to develop and grow, however we never see this occur until the very end. The kiss and the emotional goodbye is the only time they show any meaningful feelings towards each other. This is something you do not expect to see in a mainstream romantic film as there is usually an ending in which both lovers end up together and follow the clique of 'living happily ever after'. This film however shows that in fact love can end in heart break giving it more of sense of realism in relation to real world situations. The film suggests that although both Bob and Charlotte want to perhaps be together, the harsh reality of an unhappy marriage prevents them from doing so, something you do not expect to see in a mainstream film. The final scene also finally reveals to the audience that in fact Bob and Charlotte do have feelings for each other more than just a friendship of heartfelt and meaning. This is unusual to see in a mainstream romantic as the feelings between the two characters are usually clear for all to see and the storyline then develops around the feelings between the characters. However this does not happen in the Lost in Translation.
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Task 1.6 Final Vlog
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Final vlog on research stage
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