Creative Project Reflective Analysis

For this project I worked within a group including myself, Isabelle Laidlaw and Jamie Collins, creating a film sequence of a scene/clip from a longer film. Members held their own role within the group so that the creation process can progress smoothly and efficiently. These rolls included; Filming and directing, which Isabelle was responsible of as she contributed most to the storyboards; Production Assistant and camera, which Jamie took charge of as she was acting within the scene, and I had the role of Editor as I wanted to focus on the features additional to filming such as music and sound.

We planed for our extract to be a horror/thriller aimed at older teens to young adults. This was because we found it simpler to re-create the typical, generic horror genre that is becoming increasingly popular within young people. This was also the genre that we found had clear conventions and plots that we knew well. We originally planed a grittier, crime/thriller, but found ourselves leaning more towards the horror genre, as it is easier to interpret. A problem we encountered with this was making the scene appear realistic, we were only equipped with basic tools and was not able to make impressive special effects. We attempted to overcome this but using a series of camera angles and cuts that would suggest something to the viewer, for example, when Jamie’s character is murdered we could not add dramatic makeup or fake blood without it looking amateur or tacky, so we only filmed her legs along with Phoebe’s shocked reaction to suggest that she has been killed.

Our stylistic influences for our production were the 1996 horror ‘scream’ and ‘sinister’, released in 2012. We had studied the ‘call’ scene from scream, where the female character is talking to a mysterious man whilst home alone. Her confident, cheerful manor instantly changes when the man says ‘I want to know who I’m looking at’, she then becomes nervous and venerable which is shown by her worried expression and cautious body language. There is also a close-up of her as she freezes, along with tense music that fades in. This is a key scene that we focused on in our extract, from this we developed a sequence where the lead character is seen to be upbeat until she receives a call from an unknown number. This then cuts on to a close-up of her as slow, deep music fades in which hints danger and adds mystery, as the audience are unaware of who’s calling.  The overall use of sound and editing in ‘Sinister’ inspired our group and especially myself as editor, the music used in the ‘home videos’ is both disturbing and intense, and the scenes are very dark. I added this to the end of the scene to show the contrast between the innocent, happy teenagers to the gruesome murder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWxSBbBX4fs

Our focus for our extract was editing, as the member in charge of editing I added and changed certain aspects of the scene to enhance it. I first did this by taking the rough, shaky clips of the road and trees and combining them to create a hand-held, chaotic sequence that introduces our extract. This, along with the added sound of sirens and a crowd creates a serious atmosphere and provokes the audience to question what is happening. There are many clips like this that rely on editing, such as the mobile laying on the bed, the use of dark music suggest something threatening about the phone call and without this music would seem unusual and confusing. To expand, the montage of the two girls talking in a bedroom reflects their normal, teenage characters and a standard afternoon of two friends, which many teenagers can understand and relate to.

To conclude, I believe that our film extract both conforms to the horror/thriller genre and appeals to our target audience. The extract shows two average teenage characters victimised by an escaped murderer which before hand shows them participating in typical daytime activities such as watching the television, going on the computer and using their mobile phones, which all subconsciously connect a young audience to these characters. The extract also gets the viewers thinking about the mysterious criminal shown at the beginning and gets them to think about who he is, why he’s shown and if he is responsible for the girls murder at the end of the scene.

Presentation 4/12/13

Our film clip is going to be within the genres of crime and thriller. This is due to both the setting and style of the film, as the location is in an urban area which is shown by shots of a flat and alleyway. Use of two lines of action between the suspicious, hooded man and the two teen girls builds suspense, along with the quite tense moments that add drama. In the film we see the effects of the main character being attacked, implying that they live in a gritty, tough area were crime is regular occurrence.

Our group chose this combination of genres as there is opportunity to create a simple, realistic piece without having to use special effects or complicated editing that could ruin the film. We discussed how a genre such a horror would be difficult as it requires certain aspects that may be hard to for fill.

I believe that our film should be aimed towards teens and young adults around age 15 - 20 as the actors involved will be teens (16-17) and the film does not contain extreme material such as swearing or violence, but does imply violence and mature themes such as a murder on the streets. I feel that our film is aimed towards both genders as the female characters are not portrayed to be feminine due to their costumes (Tracksuits, t-shirts, hair back) which makes them relatable to both genders as they display general characteristic's and are not aimed at one particular gender.

This clip from 'Adulthood' is relevant to our film as I feel the characters Becky and Alisa represent the two girls in our film, for example; Becky is quite loud and comes across as confident, in our movie one of the girls shares these traits and decides to investigate what is happening as she feels invincible. Becky's harsh, rude persona is bred by her surroundings and upbringing in a tough London estate, this should be projected within a character in our film. On the other hand, Alisa appears more sensible and cautious, she shows a worried, venerable nature in this scene and gives a different approach to the situation.

Creative project Proposal

Group: Isabelle, Jamie & Chloe.

We discussed pro's and con's of genres. It was decided that genres such as RomComs, Comedy and Horror would be hard to portray as they often only appeal to specific audiences and are hard to show in a short clip. Our group agreed that a crime/thriller would be best to use for our scene as it could be made to look realistic.

We sketched a simple idea about a chase scene set in an urban area.

'Fish Tank' and 'Sket' analysis

'What are the similarities between 'Fish Tank' and the first part of 'Sket'?'

A visual similarity in both films occurs within many of the shots. For example, Sket consistently shows a wide angle of the Flats Kay and her sister live in. These shots, both day and night, reveal the conjested, enclosed, urban area that these characters live in. They also show Kay walking through to her home, use of a wide angle in particular makes Kay appear small and trapped with the flats that surround her, displaying her as vulnerable and lonely. Fish Tank uses wide angles of Flats to illustrate the poverty stricken, substandard area in which Mia and her family are living in. This introduces the setting of the film to the audience and gives us the expectations for the film, implying that it is going to be gritty and realistic. These shots also appear very drab and depressing in both films, reflecting the general tone of the area and mood of the characters. 

The main characters in each film hold similarities both apparence and personality wise. Although Mia is aggressive and intense, she often shows a quiet side that seems to expose her natural self. Kay is also quiet and timid until she is with the gang of girls, expressing that they both truly are innocent young women. This is further shown by their appearance, Kay and Mia are both natural with simple hair styles and are dressed in casual clothes throughout. This gives them a normalised image, further contributing to the realistic style of each film. To expand, both main characters are relatable and believable as teenage girls, in Kay's room there are close ups of objects such a collage of pictures, reminding the audience that dispite her tough persona, she is still a young girl.

 

Django Essay

Chloe laws – film Studies AS

How does Mise-en-scene and Performance construct meaning and provoke response in the extract?

I have chosen to analyse ‘Django Unchained’ released December 2012. This film falls within the genres of Action, Western and drama and was directed by Quentin Tarantino. The story follows German Bounty Hunter Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz) who buys the freedom of a slave, Django (Jamie Foxx) in order to help him hunt Wanted men. Instead he finds himself assisting Django in finding his wife, Broomhilda von Shaft (Kerry Washington) and freeing her also.

The extract I chose from the scene ‘Old Ben’ Shows plantation owner Calvin Candie (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) confronting Django and Schultz about their plan to buy Broomhilda who is enslaved on the forth biggest plantation in Mississippi, ‘Candie Land’. I believe that this scene is suitable as it clearly represents a main theme, power, which is interpreted through the use of Mise-En-Scene and Performance.

The scene is set in a dining room, as indicated by the large table set with napkins, glasses and light candles. It is immediately clear that Candie is extremely wealthy; this is shown by a number of features of Mise-en-scene. For example, the room is decorated with dark, burgundy wallpaper and contains carved, wooden furniture. This gives the idea that Candie likes to be extravagant and show his wealth, which enables him to look superior over others. Also, he is dressed in a dark suit which is buttoned and his tie done up tightly, expressing his professional, serious manor and again reflecting his wealth and position as Plantation owner. To expand, I believe that Quentin Tarantino had decided that this character should wear multiple large rings as DiCaprio constantly uses hand actions in his performance to exaggerate what he’s saying and show his confidence. This not only projects Candie’s fortune to the characters in the scene, but also to the audience, which gives him a pretentious, egotistical Bravado.

In contrast, Django is dressed in a brown coat and black shirt, which appears more casual and neutral in comparison to Candies layered, fitted costume. Schultz, who is posing as an affluent Businessman, is dressed smartly in a grey suit but does not compare to Candies accessorized costume. The three men fit the historical context of pre-civil war, which is communicated by their slicked-back hair, beards and suits. There is also use of makeup to make Candie’s teeth look stained and dirty, which is appropriate for the time period as dental hygiene was poor.

Interestingly, there is a large, marble statue of two fighters displayed behind Candie. Earlier in the film we learn that Candie is an enthusiast for the sport Mandingo Fighting. We see the true brutality of this when Candie is first introduced, as he is engrossed in a fight between two men who fight to the death. I believe that this statue is a representation of Candies violent, cruel nature as it glorifies him as a ‘trainer’; it is an exhibit of his bestiality used to intimidate others.

In this scene, Leonardo DiCaprio uses numerous props to give a memorable and theatrical performance. He begins by slowly taking out a saw and waving it as he talks, his quiet, calm tone of voice juxtaposes his actions and appears sinister. This also builds suspense as the audience are expecting DiCaprio to suddenly do something with this prop. He continues by sawing the ‘skull of old Ben’ to which Schultz is shown looking uncomfortable as he turns to Django for reassurance. In this moment the room is quiet as the sound of crickets can be heard in the distance, this amplifies the clanging of Candies instruments and cracking of the skull, putting the audience in to this tense, intimate moment as if they are there.

A key moment is when Candie addresses Django only, referring to him as ‘bright boy’; he explains that his skull would have ‘the same three dimples as Old Ben’. He does this dramatically as he often pauses to point at objects such as the Hammer and skull to exaggerate what he’s saying. He uses this tool as if he is educating Django and belittles him by speaking slowly as if he doesn’t understand.  The camera follows this prop validating Candies control of the conversation and highlighting the gruesome imagery of the Hammer and skull.  He also makes a violent remark by saying “if I took this Hammer here…and I bashed in your skull with, you would have the same three dimples, in the same place, as Old Ben”. Candies casual, calm attitude towards this threat reveals the true barbaric nature of his character as it is said with true intention and purpose.

I believe that Candies charade is to subdue Django, as he is now aware that he posses Django’s wife Broomhilda, who he has travelled far to find. He also holds full authority as Django and Schultz are in his plantation and want his ‘property’ Broomhilda. Candie uses this to his advantage, knowing that Django and Schultz will obey him in fear of loosing Broomhilda. Overall, Candie believes that he overpowers Django purely due to race. Although his brutal punishments on slaves are shown before, I feel that what he talks about in this scene truly portrays his incurable, deluded attitude towards slaves. For example, he talks about how the skull of old Ben, a slave, has three dimples in the skull that all Africans would have. He continues to say that “these three dimples exist in the area of the skull most associated with, civility” implying that slaves were made to politely obey others and trying to excuse what himself and generations of his family have been doing by owning plantations run by slaves.  I feel that Quentin Tarantino has created this character as a reflection of some people and their attitudes today as a harsh reality of what some people still believe.

presentation notes

Notes for extract - 'DJango unchained' 

Themes - Violence & Slavery 

. Plantation owner 'Mr Candy' sells brohinder 

. Shows slave being sold 

.Candy slams table 

.Candy grabs brohinders face & arms - pushes her head down on table 

.uses hamer to threaten 

.Smears blood on her face 

Emotions/Response 

. Candy uses offensive language to anger 

.Violent towards woman 

.Fear for Brohinder 

.Relief when brohinder is sold 

Analysis - 

I would like to Analyse Mise-en-scene & performance. 

I think that this would be appropriate as there is a lot of use of props.

I would like to focus on Leonardo DiCaprio's performance 

Camera angles Analysis - 10/10/13

Analysing Camera Angles
The way that everything is shot in a film is decided for a purpose, some angles/movements of a camera is more important than others. From these two film clips I will analyse the Camera angle, movement and position and what effect they give.
The first clip is from 'The Twilight Saga'

This scene shows characters Edward, Victoria and Riley fighting and is a tense, dramatic sequence. We can see that the situation is dangerous as there is a closeup of the character Bella cowering behind Edward. The shot shows part of his shoulder with Bella behind where her expression is clear and the audience can see her fear. There is then a cut to an interesting shot, where the camera is at an high angle  and captures Riley walking, this is seen through the trees and gives the impression that something/someone is there. Doing this brings the audience in and makes them feel as if they are watching from above.

Soon after this, a camera movement is used that slowly moves up from the trees to in the air. This is done by using a Crain to bring the camera from low to high and begins to build the suspense as it slowly reveals Riley walking towards Bella and Edward. It also surprises and shocks the audience as the next shot suddenly cuts to a medium closeup of Victoria which clearly attempts to startle people and give the impression that this character is negative.

An over the shoulder shot is used as Edward and Victoria are each trying to persuade and manipulate Riley. Doing this puts the audience in Riley's head and makes them think about who they would believe, or who the character is most likely to listen to. It shows the direct contact between Edward and Riley as they are opposite one another.

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Second clip - Silence of the lambs 

This scene uses mainly over the shoulder shots to show the conversation between Agent Starling and Doctor lector. It continuously switches between the two as they are talking to one another and responding to each question/point. At one moment the camera stays on Starling as lector says 'closer', capturing her fear and reluctance to move.

 There is also a lot of extreme close-ups of both characters throughout that shows the contrast between their expressions, clearly Lector is confident and intelligent has he tries to intimidate Starling. He smirks  to illustrate his sinister nature whereas starling tries to hide her nervousness by not moving her mouth. These closeup also put emphasis on Lectors eyes that stare straight at starling and give a frightening look/

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'We need to talk about Kevin' scene

I feel that this scene is important for camera angles as it uses limited dialogue and focuses mainly on shots. The scene uses a lot of closeups and extreme closeups to show the changing and contrasting emotions between both characters. This also gives a personal, intimate feel