Juno Opening

Juno Opening

Movie pitch Feedback

Movie Pitch Feedback

Individual film pitch from Spagez

The movie we pitched was called 'The Zootastics' and received generally positive feedback with many comments praising the variation of characters and the ideas for marketing receiving an average score of 50 out of 70 and people generally edging towards purchasing the rights to the film.

On the other hand constructive criticism was still received and accepted well by the group as a collective because we too agreed that the parts commented on could have been improved. 

These included the fact that it was very similar to movies of the same genre and age range like 'The Incredibles' that we actually included in related films that inspired us. However as a brief counter-point to this creating a movie that involves action for under 5 year olds is very difficult without having it being relate-able to movies of the same type. However the same cannot be said for the similarities of the characters to that of 'Madagascar' which could have been prevented by further thinking of different tropes for the characters and more in-depth studies of the characters personalities. 

Further drawbacks of our movie pitch was the title as people found it confusing to the action genre as it did not show any kind of similarity to the selected genre. Instead better thought could have been made maybe to the background of the title and a removal of the more childish tropes within it. This could then make it appear more action orientated and show the actual content of the movie.

Contrary to the above praise, some people also found it difficult to follow the amount of characters and of which actor would voice which character. This could be remedied by better presenting the actors on individual terms which would also make explaining the characters better and allow us to make the characters different to similar movies and tropes.

Overall however the movie did need a brief look over to just scrape around the edges and polish it

Audience

Audience

Uses and Gratifications of Media

The main target for the film-going audience is 16-24 years old.

Uses and Gratification can be presented by the acronym PIES which stands for:

Personal Identification

Information

Entertainment

Social Interaction

These are reasons for why people view media and receive gratification from it. 

Personal Identification means when somebody watches media and can feel relevant to it and can feel the similarity to an event in their lives and the event on the form of media. This is commonly associated with most people but could be more focused based on the specification of the movie. It could be about teenage romances with the audience being more focused on young adults or teenagers or it could be about soldiers suffering after battles or wars and so is more focused on ex-servicemen.

Information is when people view media for non-other than information. Whether it be recent events in the form of news or past occurrences in history displayed by a documentary. This is commonly for learners like students or for an older target audience rather than directed at young adults or teenagers.

Entertainment is the most simple form of Uses and Gratifications as it is just the base reason for people viewing media. Many people just merely view media for the entertainment 'value' offered by the film and can be in many forms whether that be action from movies or video games or romance on Radio or television. This can cover any member of society as all people gain entertainment from something and most media is created to entertain.

Social Interaction however is the viewing of media for the mere purpose of talking or communicating about it afterwards with friends or family. This is associated with the main target for the film industry as they are the ones who are most socially active within communities and with friends.

Film Presentation

Film Presentation

This is our film idea and contains all the influences and the opening scene of the movie to be pitched to an audience of supposed producers to fund the film. 

Individual film pitch from Spagez

Institution

Institution

In today's lesson we went over the differences of mainstream films and independent films. 

Institutions from Spagez

Film Production Logo

Film Language

Film Language- Boyz n the Hood

In today's lesson we went over film language, specifically the 4 main aspects: Camera, Editing, Sound and Mise En Scene. 

Camera

Frame- Extreme close up/Close up/Midshot/ Mid-long shot/Long shot/Extreme long shot

Angle- Worms eye view (looking up)- low angle/ Birds eye- high angle/ level-POV

Movement- Pan (right or left)/ Tilt (up or down)/ Tracking shot/ Steadicam/ Handheld

Editing

Transitions- (Fade to black/white/ dissolve)

Order of Narrative- (Beginning, middle,end,flashbacks)

Pace- Slow mo (action scenes), slow editing in romance and horror scenes

Special effects (SFX)

Sound

Dialogue- What/How

Music- Tells us how to feel in a scenario- Parallel music- Music fits scene/ Contrapuntal music- Music does not fit scene

Diegetic sound- (Sound the actors hear)/Non diegetic- Narrative/ background music 

Mise En Scene

Costume

Lighting

Actors- Class, age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, body language, make up

Make up

Props

Setting

boyz n the hood Film Language

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=boyz+n+the+hood+dutch+subtitles&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=BCA98CE309ED50662AF4BCA98CE309ED50662AF4

Camera

The opening 2 minutes shows many different camera frames including the tracking shot to establish the scene and the setting of the movie. The tracking shot follows the children as they venture towards the murder scene and works very well to show the background that they live in and the roughness of their lives. Furthermore the upward tilt shots used with the 'STOP' sign are very effective at expressing the directors view on the status of the African American community in America. Also the angle of the shots are usually POV to put us on the same level of the children and make the audience feel equally vulnerable.  

Editing

Excellent editing is used when the mother is talking on the phone and Treys is walking down the street as the mother and teacher are almost narrating his day and how he acts in one opening scene. Also the transitions used to enter the establishing shot of the group of 4 walking to the murder scene are very effective to establish the brutality of the movie with sharp shot changes and colour differences. 

Sound

Diegetic sounds are very prevalent in the opening scene with the sound of sirens and people in a car talking. Furthermore the sound of gunfire reminiscent music with the sound of the car and men talking being the backing track. Non-Diegetic sound is also used when Treys is walking down the path with his mother talking on the phone. The Dialogue is also very African American 'focused' with a lot of slurs used to represent the violent nature of the neighborhood. 

Mise En Scene

The costumes of the characters are very varied throughout the opening with the main child Treys wearing much more formal and smart clothing while the other children are all wearing the representative clothes of youths. This reflects his difference to the rest of the community but yet his tone of speech shows his true upbringing. This all adds to make a very diverse protagonist with a complicated character type. Also the lighting of the scene is usually a light grey colour which could be interpreted as being a depressive colour and a tormenting one that is just in an oppressive loop. The setting of the movie is also an excellent representation of the life that the characters lead and helps the audience to understand the attitudes of the characters. 

Representation in an Opening Scene- Harry Brown

Representation in an Opening Scene- Harry Brown

In today's lesson we went over representation in media and how it affects peoples interpretations of groups and people and how it can be so easily changed. We were then asked to analyse the opening to a movie and see how representation is used in it. 

In Harry Brown the main focus of the clip is on inner city youths in London related to gang violence and drugs. The primary focus is on the teenagers and newer members of the group and shows them as being uncontrollable, violent and the delinquents of society.

The amateur film that is used makes it appear more true and natural to the audience. The foreground of the shot shows hooded teenagers and youths while the background shows either a dark and grey atmosphere of the tunnel and even the grey sky above the park. There is no bright colours on display as to lighten the mood of the scene and only adds to the depressive nature of the teenagers.

The representation is that of adults upon how inner city youths are viewed by them and creates justification to their stereotype. This is obvious as there is no other representation of teenagers other than that shown in the scene meaning that no other representation could be taken by the audience. People interpret it this way because of the obvious media attention that has already been directed at teenagers by the news and other movies which leaves a pre-determined image of what teenagers supposedly are.

The semiotics of the opening are obvious with it instantly denoting that the movie involves inner city youths but the connotations linking a sense of peer pressure to entering the gang and how many teenagers do not have a choice in how they live and enter they lives.

Adobe Premiere CS6 Practice

Adobe Premiere CS6 Practice 

James Bond Narrative Video

I began by selecting various clips and testing audio in the opening stages of the editing process to create a brief idea of the narrative that I would create. I then set about experimenting with placing the clips in various positions and testing transitions between the clips and how to fit the video to the audio.

This was my first example of editing using specific software and so it was a great learning experience for me and provided a good basis for learning the basic skills of editing. I learnt how to effectively use transitions and effects between the clips to make it smoother and better looking while helping me keep in time with the music used.

Furthermore this editing practice taught me how to just start creating a video by importing different components like audio and video and while it may sound basic is an excellent way to begin future projects as having many samples available at the very start offers the ability to pick and choose clips and decide the outcome of the edit.

However I did not only learn editing skills as I felt that my organisation skills and understanding of films increased as I edited as the placing of clips to fit the audio can be difficult and so improving my ability to organise helped this. Also as I edited, my understanding of films and what happens in scenes and the effects that are created also increased as I further understood what happens in editing.

Narrative

Narrative- Barthes Code

In today's lesson we went over the basics of the four theorists (Barthes, Levi-Strauss, Todorov, Propp) and they different theories that they created. As part of the lesson we were asked to pick our own movie opening and use Barthes Codes (Action, Enigma and Symbolism) to analyse it.

Barthes- Codes: Action (what people do)/ Symbolic (Connotations)/ Enigma(Mystery)
Levi-Strauss- Binary oppositions: Female-Male/ Good-Evil/ Black-White/ Rich-Poor
Todorov- Structure: What happens and the obstacles that have to be overcome, something disrupts normality and it must be returned to normal but character changes in some way.
Propp- Characters- supposed 8 types: 1. The Hero 2. The Villain 3. The Donor 4. The Dispatcher 5. False Hero 6. The Helper 7. The Princess 8. Her Father

The Prestige

Action
- Magic trick (Walking into electric field, falling into the glass cage, making the bird disappear)
-Magician dying in glass container
-Cage locking closed
-Taking bird out of cage
-Man talking to young female.
Enigma
-Why are there top hats strewn across the floor?
-Why did the cage lock?
-Did the stage hand murder the magician?
-What role does Nolan play in the plot?
Symbolism
-Top hats instantly represent magicians
-Top hats are representing a magicians graveyard
-Little girl represents the audience watching the movie as we get taught the basics of magic
-Suit makes the magician look rich and professional

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin on Heavens Door


Action
-Gang leader talking to cashier
-Fight scene
-Spike sleeping on sofa
-Spike eating doughnut
-Old women asking what the two protagonists are
Enigma
-Why is the gang robbing the store?
-Who are the two protagonists?
-Why did Spike say he did not care about the civilians but still saved them?
-What caused the gang leader to be laid off?
-Why are Spike and Jet bounty hunters?
Symbolism
-Who are the 'bad guys' in this scene
-Spike said that he did not care about the civilians but saved them anyway showing that there is still good in the world even if it is hidden.
-Convenience store in a Sci-Fi genre shows the unique blend of old vs new
-Spike does not kill anybody even though he is threatened showing mercy in what could be considered an unfair world as stores are being robbed.

Genre Opening Analysis

Genre Opening Analysis

In todays lesson we watched three movie openings and analysed them using DISTINCT. 

We were then asked to go and find 2 of our own movie openings and use DISTINCT to analyse them ourselves.

The first film opening I have chosen is Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels by Guy Ritchie.

Setting- British City, industrial area, alleyway
Theme- Comedy, Illegal distribution
Icons- Suitcase, Cigarettes, Stolen goods
Narrative- Illegal actions, gambling, violence
Characters- Ed, Bacon, Police officers, Civilians
Text Analysis -Shaky camera makes it exciting, Bright filter attract attention, Sellers personality is comedic, Slow motion scene with narration over it

The opening to the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels shows and sets the scene on the alleyway most likely situated in an industrial area of a city with the camera shots being almost Point of View based as an amateur film. This makes the scene more excitable and makes it appear that you are actually there. This adds to the atmosphere of the bidding of the illegal goods and makes you connect with Bacon and laugh alongside his witty remarks.

Furthermore the slow motion scene later in the opening helps to set almost the 'cool' atmosphere of the film as the two primary protagonists get presented with a an over narration. This again helps to build on the very British basis of the film and allows the scene to be set easily.



As part of the lesson we looked over three different movies. The first movie was Harry Brown.

Setting- London, Late night, Suburban, Early morning
Theme- Gang affairs, Murder, Delinquency
Icons- Drugs, Gun, Motorbike
Narrative- Gang affairs, Violence
Characters- Teenagers, Gang members, Mother
Text analysis-
Camera POV makes the audience feel like they experiencing the live action of the scene and works very well as part of the motorbike scene as it adds to the 'excitement'. The amateur film aspect also adds to this as it again makes you feel like you are actually there
The dark cinematography in the tunnel sets the scene of the atmosphere of the events occurring and also foreshadows the events that occur the morning afterwards.


The second movie we analysed was Guardians of the Galaxy.

Setting- Space age with contrasting 1970-80's technology blending with the Sci-Fi technologies
Theme- Comedy and Sci-Fi
Icons- Walkman, Blue globe light, Jet boots
Narrative- A blend of comedy, action and Sci-Fi elements in one story that has intertwined references throughout to old technology.
Characters- Currently non-introduced protagonist that appears to be cheerful yet equipped for action.
Text analysis-
The cinematography of the entire opening scene is that to make the protagonist appear to be dancing and enjoying himself to encapsulate the audience with the excitement of the scene. Furthermore the music being played is one that could be nostalgic and 'catchy' to people and so encourages audience activity and lets the audience feel more connected to the protagonist and care about his actions.
Lastly the text displayed on the screen for the opening title and credits is that that is reminiscent of past Sci-Fi movies with the neon light feel and so again shows the blend of old ideas and technology and new ideas and technology in the movie.

Semiotics

Semiotics

In today's lesson we learned amount semiotics and how people interpret things differently depending on the images. Some keywords we learnt were denotation (which means what an image actually is)and connotation (which means what you interpret an image to mean.)

As part of the lesson we were assigned a task to look at the semiotics of a movie poster. I chose the poster for the movie 'The Da Vinci Code' as shown above.

The semiotics of this poster are that the immediate denotation received by the audience is that the movie involves the Mona Lisa with ties to religion and maths as shown by the calculations above the title and the painting of 'The Last Supper' behind the main cast.

However there are many connotations within the poster as well immediately presented by the cast as it can already be told that the main characters in the story are in the foreground while more minor roles within the plot are situated behind these characters. Furthermore the two characters in the foreground have an obvious height advantage over the characters behind them showing a larger importance.

Also the protagonists are not looking directly at the audience but are almost instead observing the artwork or codes above they heads while two of the characters in the background are staring at the audience menacingly foreshadowing an almost evil intent against the protagonists.

Lastly the code being revealed beneath the Mona Lisa foreshadows its importance in cracking the code while its situation on the poster being above the painting of 'The Last Supper' makes it appear to be above religion and above God linking religion to the story and making it appear that the code will unravel its mysteries.

Genre examples

The theme of this image is action as shown by the obvious intensity and suspense of the image.

The theme of this image is documentary because the image shows the documentation and presentation of an object that could be interpreted as being informative

The theme of this image is comedy but could be misinterpreted simply by having the wrong context of the image as people may think it is representing a thriller. 

This image is trying to show the genre of horror as it is a very simple image with a set and large focus that will draw the attention of people and set the mystery of what is going on

The theme of this image is thriller as it shows an intense scene that may be shocking to the audience.

Cowboy Bebop Knockin on Heavens Door Opening Scene

Test Image