The focus group involved each of us sitting in a circle and discussing film ideas which they had written down, for example, the plot, genre, title, locations, characters, target audience etc. We were then each given constructive criticism by people in other groups in order to improve their ideas.
Feedback
Good story line.
Improve logline
Consider the ending more, and where the film would go
Be careful when filming park scenes due to noise but also other children
Be careful when filming in the cafe
Consider extras - how you will get two people for the child and mother role
From this, we have learnt that we need to consider how we are going to get two people to play a child and mother because that will be extremely hard to do and get permission from them. On top of that, it would be extremely hard to film in a park, since it will most likely be filled with children, and the wind might cause disruption with the microphone. It would also be extremely hard to get permission to film in a Cafe, but also, it would be hard because of the other people in it, and we would most likely cause disruption for the other customers. Despite this, the storyline is compelling and strong, but at the same time, we will need to work on what direction the film would head in eventually and how it would end.
Target Audience
The target audience of our film will be 15 - 45 year old, due to the sensitive topic of mental health which is covered in the film. In particular, I'm also targeting the film at those who do not understand mental health, and are quite close-minded about it. The film is targeted at both males and females at a 50/50 split as it would appeal to both genders equally. In terms of psycho-graphics, I feel that reformers would be a key part of the target audience because they are very socially aware and intellectual. However, explorers would probably be the first to hear about the film and see it, especially since they are usually younger and young people are a key demographic for the film. The resigned are less likely to see it, however, due to their authoritarian values. Those targeted are more likely to have either A-level or University education, as they will be more intellectual and understand it more. However, those with just a high school education, having not gone to college or University, will also be a key demographic because they will most likely not understand the topic of the film, and therefore I want to inform them more about mental health. We have targeted all ethnicities due to the fact that the cast is of colour, and therefore people of colour will be able to relate to the characters. Despite the age range for the target audience being quite wide, I feel that it is important that all teenagers/youth watch it because it can be educational on the harassment received by people with mental health, and they need to be more understanding of it as there have been many horrific cases of bullying at school due to mental health. However, because of the urban elements of the film, colloquial language used, young adults/youths will enjoy the film due to this as it they find it relate-able. The main character, and supporting roles are all young, therefore young people will be able to relate to the film because of this too. Although, young adults will like this, adults will also like the film because they will be more mature when dealing with the sensitive topic of the film. Those under 15, will also be less mature when confronting the issues faced in the film. The elderly will most likely not like the film as much as those younger than them or understand the colloquial language in the film, and some may be quite close-minded. They educational elements of the film, however, may appeal to them. The film would appeal to a younger generation because, despite the fact it is educational, it is subtle and not boring. The film has important messages about the issues of mental health, and how people deal with it, as many people in today's society still fail to understand and accept those with mental health conditions, and therefore the film will help people understand mental health, and show that it isn't a joke and many people suffer from disorders and experience harassment due to it, like the main character. However, it also depicts the darker side of schizophrenia, and how it can change someone. The image of harassment is disturbing, and grows more so as the film progresses, and this disturbing image will unsettle people into becoming more accepting.
The BBFC is an independent, non-governmental body which has been responsible for classifying cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/DVDs since the Videos Recording Act was passed in 1984. It is a non-profit organisation, and its fees are adjusted only to cover its cost. In order to preserve its independence, the BBFC never receives subsidies from either the film or the government. Its income, instead, is solely from the fees it charges for its services, calculate by measuring the running time of films or DVDs submitted for classification. It consults the Department of Culture, Media and Sport before making any changes to its fees.
Films are rated in teams of two. With each work, the Examiners log details of what they watch, including - General context (plot), characters, an outline of individual scenes; timings of key moments, including camera angles, types of shots, on- and off-screen moments; and bad language, sex and drug references and so on.
When classifying a film, there are quite a few issues faced, meaning they have to consider whether the material is in conflict with the law, harmful to the viewer, unacceptable to appear to a wider audience, acceptably portraying the dominant issue, or problematic within its tone.
The Dark Knight was awarded a 12A rating by the BBFC, which resulted in much press coverage and complaints from members of the public, because they thought the violence was too strong to be contained in that category. I feel that it should have been awarded a 15 rating, due to the high levels of violence in it, however, I don't think that it is as much as an issue as everyone says, and personally, not something I would be outraged about. Especially, since there are worse cases of misrated films. Some would argue that the violence in the film was just below the guideline of a 15, therefore that is why they rated the film a 12a. At the same time, people of that age have seen much worse things that people don't complain about and sometimes at this age, they need to exposed more to violence in order to understand why it happens. If not, then they may not understands signs of aggression or violence, or see these things as wrong. Plus, the dark knight is a superhero film and therefore is not reality and people of this age should be able to or learn to understand this.
The guidelines for a 15 rated films, indicate that they may feature strong violence, frequent strong language, portrayals of sexual activity, strong verbal references to sex, sexual nudity, brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence, discriminatory language or behaviour and drug taking. However, this depends on the severity and extent of these features.
WWW: Overall, this is an impressive evaluation that
offers an honest and accurate assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the
production. You've confidently used media terminology and there’s an engagement
with the production and an awareness of audience that is crucial for the top
grades in Media.
EBI: There are, though, some key areas to work on.
Firstly, your written English could potentially hold you back. This does not
refer so much to spelling and grammar (though there are a couple of
typos/missing words etc.) but your organisation. The huge paragraph of
strengths and weaknesses shows a distinct lack of organisation. At the very,
very least surely you would have one paragraph for strengths and one for
weaknesses? It’s great to see reference to enigma codes and audience engagement
– the real evaluation in March needs more references like this as well as other
media theories applied and detailed analysis of the impact on a potential
audience.
LR: Copy and paste this feedback into a new blogspot and
write three specific aspects you will look to improve for the real MEST2
evaluation in March.
Three specific aspects you will look to improve for the real MEST2 evaluation in March:
Organisation - I will be looking to improve this in order for my evaluation to look clear and easier to understand. For example, by separating my evaluation into more paragraph so it isn't one giant bunched together paragraph that comes across as messy.
Key terminology- in the real evaluation in March, I will need to use more terminology like I have in this, but also apply theories as well, like Levi-Strauss etc.
Analysis - I will need to go into more detail in my analysis in my evaluation of my production in much, including the detailed analysis of the impact on a potential audience.
Produced by: Anonymous Content (Steve Golin) and This is That
Anonymous Content: Babel, The Revenant, The End of the Tour, Rendition, Spotlight, Winter's Bones This is That: The Door in the Floor, Thumbsucker, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Friends with Money, 21 Grams, The Savages, Adventureland
Donnie Darko:
Produced by: Flower Films
Flower Films: Whip It!, Never Been Kissed, Music and Lyrics
Juno:
Produced by: Mandate Pictures and Mr. Mudd Mandate Pictures: The Strangers, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Whip it!, 50/50, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, Youn Adult, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Hope Springs, This Is the End
Mr. Mudd: Ghost World, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, How to Draw a Bunny, Which Way Home.
It Follows:
Produced by: Northern Lights Films, Animal Kingdom, and Two Flints
Northen Lights films: The Brass Teapot, High Road, I'll See You in My Dreams
Animal Kingdom: Short Term 12, Louder Than Bombs, Trespass Against Us (Upcoming) Two Flints: I'll See You in My Dreams
Pan's Labyrinth:
Produced by: Telecinco Cinema, Esperanto Filmoj, Tequila Gang, and Sententia Entertainment
Esperanto Filmoj: Gravity, Duck Season, Chronicles, Rudo y Cursi, Year of the Nail, The Shock Doctrine
Telecinco Cinema: The Impossible, No Rest for the Wicked, The Orphanage, The King of the Mountain, Cell 211 Tequila Gang: The Devil's Back Bone, Rage, Chronicles, Don't be afraid of the Dark, Insignificant Things, Calle 54
Distribution: Independent film distributors
10 Steps of Film Distribution
1. The making of that film will become a labour of love. The stronger the labour of love to create a film, the greater the desire to ensure it finds exposure, therefore, the better a success it will be and the wider an audience it will attract. The films need to move away from the computer screen and in front of the largest audiences in order to inspire because they can't essentially find the words to. The cinema is the best opportunity to do so. This is the role that film distribution provides.
2. Films have a social and commercial impact, to the extent that they connect with their audience. Distributors identify and deliver the largest possible audience for the film, promoting in the title and competing distributors.
3. Distributor's bring each film to market by identifying it's audience, considering why they'd go and see it; estimating the revenue potential across all the formats of its release; persuading exhibitors (cinema operators) to play the film; developing plans and partnerships to build awareness of and interest in the film and aiming to convert as much interest as possible into cinema visits.
4. The UK has six major distributors, affiliated to Hollywood studios, and many smaller independent distributors, who handle films outside of the major studios.
5. UK distributors acquire the films they released from one of more various sources: a third-party sales agent, acting on behalf of a producer, a continuous flow of new content from a parent studio, a studio or production company with whom the distributor has negotiated an output deal covering a slate of titles, or a single title acquired at any stage before, during or after production. Particularly with big budget blockbusters, a studio will sell off the international rights to another major international distributor. On occasion, however, those rights might be sold off to a number of independent distributors, each handling a specific territory. Independent distributors will more frequently acquire their films from independent producers. When considering acquiring a new film, distributors normally look for distinguishable features in order for the film to sell and become a success. On top of that, they would also need to consider the target audience. They will need to put together a detailed marketing spend and organize film festivals to make a wider audience aware of the film's release.
6. Distributors will then sign a formal contract with the producer, sales agent or studio, specifying the rights they hold in respect of the title, including the right to release it in UK cinemas and promote it in all media platforms before and during its release.
7. Once a deal has been signed. the distribution plan needs to be prepared, in terms of what format it will be released in and which countries will get the film and when. This planning starts as soon as possible.
8. In order to decide how and when they release the film in order to optimise its chances, they need to consider a number of questions regarding what type of film it is, when it should go out, where it should go out, how it is going to be released and the audience. They need prepare a budget to release it once they estimate what the film may earn. They also need to consider the BBFC certification, which they must pay a fee in order to have classified.
9. The job of a distributor is to market the film in the correct way. They create a visibility that will raise awareness and interest in a film, enough to persuade potential audiences to buy tickets. This can be done through film artwork, trailers, interviews, exit polls and digital marketing such as social media. Film Artwork must be creative and eye-catching, the trailers must be engaging and intriguing, exit polls should be taken after screening in order to get feedback on the film and digital marketing needs to include online advertising and websites through the use of social media and user-generated content. Promotions through developing Merchandise such as posters and toys or holding competitions are also considered by the distributor. Premieres, festivals and awards are also great places to promote the film too. Media advertising campaigns are constructed using concepts of paid, owned and earned channels.
10. Everything that is associated with their film needs to be then properly licensed in order to prevent illegal copies being made.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Distributor:Focus Features
Budget: $20 million
Box Office: $72.3 million
Donnie Darko
Distributor(s): Pandora Cinema and Newmarket Films Budget: $3.6 million
Box Office: $7.6 million
Juno
Distributor:Fox Searchlight Pictures Budget: $6.5 - $7 million
Box Office: $231, 411, 584
It follows
Distributor:Dimension Films and RADiUS-TWC
Budget: $2 million
Box Office: $19.4 million
Pan's Labyrinth
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures (Spain) and Picturehouse Budget: $19 million
Box Office: $83 million
Curzon Artificial Eye
Curzon Artifical Eye is a British film distributor, specialising in independent, foreign-language and art house films for the cinema and home entertainment. It was founded in 1976 by Andi Engel, and his then wife, Pamela Balfry. Since 2006, Curzon Artificial Eye has been part of Curzon World, a group of companies in the film entertainment industry which also includes the Curzon Chain of 11 cinemas, plus eight joint venture cinemas, video on demand service Curzon Home Cinema, the retail DVD distributor Fusion Media Sales, and horror film distributor Chelsea Films, which launched in 2010. It releases some 20 new theatrical films and 30 DVD and Blu-ray titles in the UK each year, as well as digital releases via several platforms, such as iTunes and in-house Curzon Home Cinema.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
The trailer is bold and uses stylistic characteristics of film noir, which would be quite interesting to use in our production. In the trailer, the stereotypical femme fatale is portrayed and is iconic imagery in the genre and narrative. The low-key lighting would be something we could achieve in our production to attain this. Another aspect from the trailer that I noticed was the gradual change from the monochromic colour scheme to vibrant colour. I've hardly ever see this in films, and I think it would be interesting to use and play around with.
45 Years
A tender and serene atmosphere has been beautifully created in this trailer, which I would love to achieve in our production. This can be achieved through non-diegetic music, like in the trailer, which is parallel to the clips in it. What attracted me to this trailer was the use of cinematography, which is quite beautiful. The long shots are particularly stunning, which is why I will use a variety. The manipulation of focus is also very beautiful, which I would love to apply to our production.
Blue Is the Warmest Colour
What I found most intriguing was how it was shot in a naturalistic style, which is quite beautiful and I would love to include that in our production. The use of cinematography is extremely lovely and create different atmospheres throughout the trailer, particularly the past paced close-ups at the beginning of the trailer, which add a sense of confusion.
Exhibitions: Art-house Cinemas
Electric Cinema
The Electric Cinema is located at 191 Portobello Rd, London W11 2ED. After the renovation of the cinema, they have started to show more major production films as well as some independent arthouse films, which will most likely have been done to attract a wider audience. This weekend, the cinema will be showing:
Bridge of Spies
The Dress Maker
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict
Big Hero 6
The Hunger Games: MockingJay part 2
The Wolfpack
Carol
Black Mass
Sleeping with Other People
Brooklyn
Sunset
Since the renovation, a wider range of audiences have attended the arthouse cinema. Through the showings of Big Hero 6 and The Hunger Games: MockingJay part 2, it has attracted a much younger audience, as they would attend these films. Most of the films on show this weekend are 15, or 12A, suggesting that the cinema is targeting younger audiences in order to broaden their target audience, meaning that much younger audiences are attending these cinemas, but not to mentioned families. Their wider audience range is emphasised through all the events that go on at the cinema. For example, there is an Electric Scream! event for avid horror fans, typically for the older target audience whilst there is also a Kids club, for parents and children. The renovation of the cinema also indicates at the type of audience they are trying to attract, which are young upbeat urban and modern audiences. But the seating being in pairs, indicates that they are also trying to attract couples, specifically young couples as they have beds right in front of the screen. However, most of the individuals that attend will most likely be middle class, as suggested by the more expensive prices of tickets and savoury goods.
Case Study
Film London is London's film and media agency. It exists to sustain, promote and develop London as a major international film-making and film cultural Capital. This includes all screen industries based in London - film, television, video, commercials and new interactive media. It is one of nine regional screen agencies throughout the United Kingdom. The non-profit organisation is supported by the BFI and the Mayor of London.
The purpose of Film London Microwave is, a micro-budget feature film fund, launched in 2006. The scheme's purpose is to challenge film-makers to shoot a full length film for up to £100,000 with cash and in-kind support. It does more than fund films; it gives development and mentoring support to all of the short-listed projects, as well as production finance and distribution support to the final commissioned films.
The London calling project is a scheme that delivers a comprehensive programme of training and expert mentoring, helping nurture and champion the capital's most exciting new breakthrough talent. It is a continuation and expansion of the London Borough Film Fund Challenge, open to all new and emerging film-making teams resident in the capital. Run across nine months, the highlights of the scheme include: 15 short films are awarded a maximum of £4, training and mentoring is provided to all film-making teams and match funding can be sought for any film being produced by London Calling.
Lilting
This is a British drama, but the use of foreign language indicates that it is an arthouse film. The narrative heavily relies on the homosexual relationship between the lady's son and the main character, therefore wouldn't be targeted at elderly people, who are more traditional, conservative and religious making them quite close-minded. This means that the film would be targeted at younger people, perhaps, between the ages of 16 - 35, due to the fact the younger generation is more open to and accepting.
Borrowed Time
Borrowed time is a unique comedy, with a narrative that has never been done before, highlighting that the film is independent. The target audience of the film would be predominantly 15 - 25-year-olds, but it is possible for older demographics to enjoy it due to the character identifications such as youth and the elderly, which is why both young people and older people may enjoy it.
iLL Manors
iLL manors is an urban British crime drama set in Forest Gate, east London. The harsh reality the trailer depicts shows it to be educational in a way and hinting that the film is an arthouse film. However, the creative shots in the trailer also depict it to be an arthouse film. The target audience of the film would be between the ages of 15 - 25, and predominantly male, as they will probably be more sympathetic towards the characters whilst older people might find that they are just hooligans with no thought processes.
I need to make sure there is a clear narrative that my target audience can identify and relate to or, at least, relate to the characters the narrative focuses on and feel sympathy for them.
I need to know exactly who my target audience is and need to remind myself of this whilst making it, in order to make sure the film will appeal to them and fulfil their requirements.
I need to have an interesting plot, that doesn't dawdle or isn't too fast, in order to keep the audience intrigued and engage with them. I can do this through enigma codes, which keep the audience intrigued and guessing at the narrative, and want to know what is going to happen next. If it is too boring, then the audience will immediately turn off and lose interest.
This scene diverts from the key conventions of the fantasy genre, as usually, bright colours and high-key lighting is associated with Fantasy, but this film uses exactly the opposite. Instead, the film uses bluish dark colours and a combination of high light saturated colours to create this dark mystical place. The Low-key green tinted lighting in the scene, which comes from the moon, creates a mysterious, sinister and surreal atmosphere, hinting at the unsettling, and slightly depressing Gothic fairy-tale plot.
Extensive make-up has been applied to create Pan the faun from head to toe, having been designed after the god himself, and adds a sense of surrealism, adding the Gothic, mysterious and mythical element to the film, and emphasises the fact that the film is a Gothic fantasy. The director wants the creature to be immaculately designed in order to look real and believable to the audience. And from the simple poor clothing of the girl, we can estimate the time period she came from, and the fact that she wants perhaps, wants to escape to a world of fantasy or dream of one, because reality destroys her hope. Fairies can be seen fluttering around the young girl, shining.
The non-diegetic cinematic music is very stylized, built to make the fairy-tale element of the film even stronger. It is mysterious and full of dramatise, which is contrapuntal to the scene at hand. This music hints that the young protagonist is on a dark mysterious adventure. The diegetic flutter of magical fairy like creatures can be heard all around the young girl, which sounds almost mechanical, adding to the sense of surrealism. The deliberate use of having hardly any sounds, except for the main character speaking as she continues to walk builds up tension. From the diegetic speech from the Faun, we immediately understand that it is a foreign film with subtitles underneath. The Faun's diegetic speech is very interesting as it seems to have a had a lot of layers added to it, especially with being in the fairytale world, where there are lots of animalistic and crawling sounds and noises added to create an affect of the underworld.
This is a brilliant opening sequence. The pace of the scene is slow, yet unsettling, due to that fact that the first scene of the sequence uses one shot throughout. It allows the audience to feel like cold objective observers of the action ensuing in the film, almost as if we were there.
The camera movement and shots are particularly intriguing. Due to the fact that it only uses one shot, the camera is made to pan, following the female character, forcing the audience to do so too. As the scene cuts to the next, we are now on a beach. However, the character, at first, is hidden by the car door, but the camera then moves around it, leaving the girl in the frame as the camera pans towards her, giving the scene a sense of abnormality.
The establishing shot is of middle-class neighbourhood and follows a young woman running from her home in fear. This is a cliche in horror, films. The director has played nicely around with cliche's from 80's horror films, such as high-heel wearing females running in fear, which is unpractical but a common cliche in horror films. However, the film uses these cliche's in clever and creative ways, giving the scene a certain freshness to it. Driving away in her car, she has been hunted by the follower far, and the girl has now ended up on a beach in total isolation. We remain to observe the girl for almost half a minute, in an icily cold gaze, giving a sense of isolation to the character and scene.
At the beginning of the sequence, only diegetic sound can be heard, for example, the birds, cars and people, emphasising that the setting of the scene is a normal suburban middle-class neighbourhood. This contrasts with the frantic actions of the young women out of the house, and slowly non-diegetic music fades in, creating uneasiness in the audience and creating a tense and dangerous atmosphere. The music is particularly interesting since it replicates the cliche music from horror movie's in the 80's.
The establishing shot in Juno secures the primary character straight away, as a close-up of her face depicts her facial expression, and therefore, some of her personality as well. The shot then cuts to a dolly shot, which follows Juno as she walks.
As the dolly shot tracks her movement, non-diegetic country music begins to fade in, the only sound that the audience can actually hear. It is carefree and cheerful, contrasting with the expression on her face and her personality. Music in movies usually must be in sync with the genre and other components in the production, and therefore, the music in this opening is in sync with the genre of comedy, reinforcing to the audience that this is, in fact, a comedy.
From the positioning of the character, placing her at the start of the film, we immediately know that she is the protagonist in the film since they are usually the first to appear in the frame.
At the beginning of the clip, you can see that she is dressed down, with a slightly slicked back ponytail and drinking out of a 'Sunny D' jug. Her expression is laid-back and sluggish. These features combined together, portray her to be a carefree, low-key and low-maintenance individual. Her clothing indicates that she rejects the expectations of women in society or doesn't care how society views her, subverting from the stereotype of women in films. The setting in the first shot is outdoors, perhaps a park or front yard. However, the rest of the opening is set throughout the town she lives in as she wonders around, before entering a shop. The fact that she is wearing red, could symbolize love or perhaps, suggest that the movie focuses around the theme of love. Through mise-en-scene, hints at the storyline are slowly introduced. For example, her back is to the camera in one shot and she is slouching, showing her body language to be quite masculine. This masculinity is seen throughout the shots through the positioning of the character as she walks with her arms dropped down by her side and swinging carelessly as she carries the bottle of 'Sunny D'. This adds to the comedy of the film, and it shows what type of character she is as it reinforces the idea of her being a carefree individual, and doesn't feel the pressure of stress as much as other teenagers her age do.
The first shot has no special effects, and is more realistic, however as she walks, the scenery and character becomes animated, which hint that she is a daydreamer, who is trying to figure who she is as a person and wants to be somewhere or someone else. This may be due to the fact that she feels her life is boring and wants to change, which is suggested through how she is half-animated as well.
A classic feature of Donnie Darko's visual style is the liberal use of slow-motion, which is evident with the slow-motion shot of the characters jumping on the trampoline. Whilst the protagonist and damsel in distress are on the trampoline, the subtle non-diegetic music is yet suspenseful. The diegetic sound in the shot of the trampoline is the sound of birds and the gentle tap of the character's hitting the trampoline. The non-diegetic music gradually fades out after the transition, therefore only the diegetic sound of the conversation is heard. The dialogue from both characters indicates that the woman is a therapist, and Donnie is being treated by her and portrayed as slightly delusional and depressed. The protagonist's voice is heard over in this shot, meaning an L-cut is used, as you hear him before seeing him in the next shot. This allows what would have been a harsher cut, to feel like a softer, more subtle cut. The pace of the scene is due to the lack of cuts, which has been done in order to gradually build up tension and angst, making his descent into chaos even more unsettling for the audience.
The high angle shot of the characters jumping on the trampoline, to represent the trampoline as a symbol of being fragile and innocent, more significantly the fragility and mutability of the universe. During the medium-close up of Donnie and his therapist, the camera pans towards both characters extremely slowly in order to build up suspense. The medium-close up panning towards him allows the audience to build an emotional connection to the protagonist.
In terms of mise-en-scene, the setting of the first shot is in a garden, where a trampoline sits. On the trampoline, are the two characters, Donnie and Gretchen. It cuts to the setting of a room, where Donnie, the protagonist, is now sitting on a couch. The setting resembles a home or therapists room from the 80's due to the patterns and furniture, meaning the audience can presume the film is set during this period. On the other side of the room, an older female character is sitting in a therapist's chair, indicating to the audience that she is his therapist, therefore, that Donnie is slightly delusional and depressed. The clothing of the main character is casual and laid-back, that would typically be worn by a teenager. The outfit of the older women appears professional yet casual, indicating she is doing a job. The only light source appears to be coming from the two lamps in opposite corners of the room. The lighting is low-key, and it appears that a key light, back-light, but only a small amount of filler lights have been used; This hints at the darkness in the film's theme and in the protagonist's mind, making the audience feel on edge. The fact that the director chose not to have bright lights, and mainly darkness on the protagonist's face, portrays him as mysterious and shady. This use of lighting is effective since, it creates an unrealistic atmosphere, which matches the protagonist's mind descending into chaos and disillusionment.
The most beautiful thing about the scene is the camera work. It was shot beautifully. In media, if you don't have the best shots, then everything during editing will fall apart. In this scene, the establishing shot is an extreme close-up of the female character, Joel's love interest, which develops a sense of intimacy and allows the audience to develop an emotional connection to her, feeling sympathy for her and Joel's situation. As she throws the letter away, it cuts to a medium close-up of her. An over the shoulder shot is then used. The pleasant simplicity of the shots create a heartfelt atmosphere and extend the audience's attachment to the characters as they can relate to them. Some of the editing is choppy, disjointed and fast, which connotes surrealism, indicating it is not real or is in fact in his head.
In terms of mise-en-scene, the low-key lighting makes the scene appear quite beautiful. It also creates an unnatural atmosphere, indicating towards the surrealism in the film, which also suggests that it is taking place in his mind. However, it emphasises that his mind has descended into darkness and creates an atmosphere of confusion. Clementine's hair in this scene, is blue, which connotes sadness. This sadness may be, due to the fact, that Joel is erasing her memory of her. However, throughout the film, her hair changes colour and is quite symbolic. Her blue hair is referring to the time that comes after Joel and Clementine erase their memories, which could be the reason it appears sad.
The non-diegetic tender cinematic music determines that the movie is a romantic movie, or perhaps, a romantic comedy. It also allows the audience to connect with the characters. The diegetic speech of both characters is clear and soft, adding to the fact that it is a romantic film and adding to the serenity of the scene.
Brief
The brief was to produce a 30 second clip (though, a lot of the clips were longer than this) with the manipulation of basic film production techniques (lighting, sound, editing etc). You will need to exhibit the use of a match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule. The narrative will need to involve a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he will exchange a couple of lines of dialogue.
Planning
After discussing the location, sequences of events in the clip and actors in the clip, the planning consisted of creating a short script and shot list before devising a storyboard. The most essential part of planning was the script. It is a crucial part of pre-production as it establishes narrative. Before completing a storyboard, the shot list is a key thing to do as it allows you to understand what shots you will use before drawing them. The story board fulfils the role of assisting the director to achieve a particular visual look of the film, and gives an idea of the mise-en-scene to include in filming. Both the story board and shot list, determine how you will shape the narrative and make it interesting to the audience. In terms of what I could have done better, I think I could have added more shots to the storyboard, therefore it would have been easy to edit if one shot wasn't quite right. Also, in my story board, I would write more things in the boxes, therefore I would have a better idea about what was going to go on in the shot, like sound, camera movement and pace.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The most noteworthy qualities of the production were the selection of shots. This included the over-the-shoulder shot worked well because I had angled it to make sure that there wasn't that much dead space. However, during filming the over-the-shoulder shot, I broke the 180 degree rule. A prominent issue with a number of the shots, was the lack of focus in them, making some parts seem unprofessional, which in the real production I would not allow to happen and would re-shoot it. However, during filming for the preliminary task, I didn't have time to re-shoot it due to the availability of our actors. In terms of editing, for the POV shots, I used an eye-line match effectively to convey the fact that they know each other, attempting to create a dramatic atmosphere and develop enigma codes of why the main character looks so sullen and irritated. This is a form of continuity editing, as well, allowing the narrative to piece together and the audience to understand that she is angry at her friend, developing an enigma code of why she is this way towards her friend or what her friend did to provoke this attitude from her. The range of continuity editing shown in my production is good, as it creates narrative and allows it to flow continuously. There a few continuity errors, which actually make a lot of difference if you watch the production carefully. For example, glare and the reflective image of the camera are noticeable during the POV shot into and out of the classroom through the door window. In order to over come this, I would need to change the angles when filming reflective surfaces. Another continuity error, which many students have made over the years, was the camera's bag, that was left on the staircase railing, only a appearing for a few moments, before disappearing. This will confuse the audience and, fundamentally take away the flow of the production. Quite a number of things, however, fell short in the production. Specifically, how the over use of shots, threw the pace off and therefore the pace is constantly changing, meaning it is less effective. An example of this is where the main character's hand reaches for the door and opens it. It was a match-on-action shot, and I used different angles in three different shots for the same action, however, due to the over use of shots, it changes the pace. During filming, the 180 degree rule was broken, and therefore, the positioning of the characters, confused the audience and left them engaged. In my real production, I would need to make sure that it doesn't happen by changing the angles of the two characters in conjunction with the accuracy of filming and following the rule consistently. The establishing shot extends for too long, making the pace seem slower than I would have liked, and it leaves the audience unexcited and fails to engage them. The sound was clear for most of the production, having clear dialogue which answered the enigma codes of the audience clearly, making the narrative easy to follow and understand for the audience. To add to the tension between the friends, I could have used a dramatic soundtrack to build up to the climax. However, there is the faint feedback in the background, which is worse due to the humming of the computers in the room. In some shots, the dialogue exchanged between them appears forced and unnatural, which would be more down to acting. The lighting in the scene was made to be realistic, allowing it to accurately portray school life. Next time, I will use key lighting, back lighting and most likely a filler light, in order to add more depth to characters and make it seem even more realistic and bright. Another subtle weakness that lessens the effectiveness of the piece, was the long lines of dialogue the characters exchanged in the clip, which, essentially makes the piece drone on, and lose pace, making the audience lose interest.
Close up of her feet as she walks
Long shot of her as she reaches stop of stairs
Close up of hand opening door
Medium close up as enters
Long shot of her walking down corridor
Medium shot of her walking down corridor
Medium shot of back
Medium close up of face
Close up of face through window
Medium shot of Sagal through window (eyeline match)
Mid shot of her opening door from behind
Mid shot #2 of her opening door, close up and different angle (match on action)
Medium shot of her walking through door and closing it
POV Close up of Maya's face
POV Close up of Sagal's face (eyeline match)
POV Close up of Maya's face (shot/reverse shot)
Long/medium shot of her walking towards a chair
Medium close up of her pulling chair out
Mid shot of the two
Over the shoulder shot over Sagal's shoulder as Maya talks
Over the Shoulder shot over Maya's (180 degree rule) as Sagal looks up from her work (eyeline match)
Mid shot of sagal looking up
Close up of Sagal looking up as she speaks
Over the shoulder shot over Sagal's shoulder
Medium shot of the two of them, as sagal speaks
POV shot of Maya as she retaliates
Close up of Sagal, looking down at her work as she speaks
Medium shot of Maya, getting angry and goes to get up
High angle shot of Maya swiping papers off table
Close up of paper flying off table (slow motion)
POV (Sagal) Low angle shot of Maya getting up and walking away
Script:
INT. SCHOOL – STAIRCASE. DAY.
A girl walks up the staircase and corridor. The girl is Maya Shukla. Young, beautiful, rebellious.
Maya arrives outside classroom. She looks through the panel glass on the door and spots Sagal.
She opens the door and enters – crossing the room to sit down.
Maya
I thought you were going home.
Sagal
[She looks up from work] What?
Maya
You told me you couldn't hang out because you had to help your mum.
Sagal
I’m sorry. I just knew you wouldn't understand if I told you I was revising.
Maya
Are you kidding me?
Sagal
[Looking down] Look, I understand if you don’t care about your education…. but don’t ruin mine. I have to revise.
Maya
You know what. Forget this.
Maya Swipes papers off the table and gets up, walking away.
In Labrat, the mise-en-scene has been used effectively to create a well rounded production piece. Before we first get a glimpse of the protagonist, we see tree branches and blades of grass. The protagonist is a young teenager, who sets up his camera and begins to narrate his story in front of the camera. His normal everyday urban clothing, allows the audience to identify with the character. At the beginning, in the first few shots, it is hard to identify where it is set. But, as it continues, the audience will be able to identify the setting as a school, creating narrative, as they will be able to make the link that the boy is a struggling student at the school. He changes his clothes once throughout the production, where he changes into a lab-coat and enters one of the labs in the school. This highlights that his intelligence and science is significant to the narrative which is emphasised through the use of chemistry equipment and substances.
A wide range of cinematography has been used in the production, to make it a great finishing piece. The establishing shot in Labrat is unusual as it is a high angle medium close-up of a tree's branches, which doesn't reveal much about the main location, expect the fact that it is outdoors. Only a few of the branches are in focus. An extreme close up of blades of grass blowing in the wind is then used before cutting to a medium close-up of the protagonist's hand, holding a camera inside a room. The medium shot of the character cleverly indicates that he is recording himself and talking to a camera. This also allows the audience to clearly to depict the character's emotion without making the connection too deep. The angle is neither high nor low, which suggests that he is neither powerful nor vulnerable, and just a normal human being, allowing the audience to connect with him on an emotional level. Extreme close-ups of the chemistry equipment towards the end of the production indicates their importance to the narrative.
A range of transitions are used at the appropriate times in the piece, however, the most commonly used cut were straight cuts. These are simple and effective in showing the simplicity in pieces. A dissolve is used after the teenager first addresses the camera, emphasising the serious nature of the show's content and that the genre is a drama. However, the dissolve was specifically used to indicate the character's re-telling of the story, and that the scene after was a flashback as he narrated. Four more dissolves are used not shortly after this and not far between each other to indicate a passing of time yet, he is still narrating a flashback. It cuts to a scene of the character walking into a lab in the school. Match on action is used often during the production, to make the narrative and action flow easily. The use of continuity editing, between shots of the character and the setting of the school, allows the audience to make the narrative connection that he is a student at the school, which, essentially, makes the narrative flow better. At the beginning, the pace is slow and relaxed as the gaps between transitions are quite long. However, as it continues, the pace gradually begins to gain speed as transitions are used more often to emphasise the action and drama in scenes as it escalates. It then fades to black, adding tension to the character's dialogue. After this, a fast paced sequence of shots of chemical equipment props, which, in a way, is like a montage and shows a passing of time between his actions and his experimentation with chemical substances.
The Experiment
Review
The first thing that catches the audiences eye is the background information intro of the production, which depicts a dystopia. The figure of a teenage girl can be seen looking through a list of names, one of which is hers. Her face is not revealed in this shot, adding mystery and drama to her character. Pictures and papers are pinned with strings around the list of names, showing that someone is looking for her and her whereabouts are being traced. Low-key lighting is used here, and almost throughout most of the production, which creates tension and drama. The girl is then seen entering a train station, shown on CCTV. She then stands in front of a train, her hair blowing as it passes, creating a dramatic and almost sorrow atmosphere. The use of a deserted house at night, which we can assume was hers, emphasises how alone the protagonist is and how devastated the events leading up to the programme left her. The audience can assume that she is searching through the house with the hand held. This in a way, is trying to provoke an emotional response from the audience, as they will understand the character is faced with so many good memories she can never have back. In the next scene, the girl is seen running away from something and with a serious expression across her face, which indicates she is on the run and creates an atmosphere of action and drama. It cuts to a shot of the character looking through old photographs, provoking sympathy for the character as she wipes her eyes of tears. Old videos of friends depict happy memories they have shared together, indicating the fact that she is contemplating them which upsets her, allowing the audience to feel sad for the character. As the girl runs, the figure of a man in black stops in front of her. His black attire indicates that his intentions are sinister and is one of the people after her. The man eventually catches up with the girl after a short chase, and grabs her, before the production finishes, indicating that he caught her but it still leaves it at a cliff hanger.
The clip used was from the ending boss battle of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World by Edgar Wright. The pace at the beginning of the clip is slow, lulling the audience into a false sense of security through the relaxed pace. The juxtaposition of placing a shot of the hero, followed by a shot of his love interest, allows the audience to make a link that they care about each other, and she is the reason he is doing all of this for. As the conversation between the trio (constiting of Scott, Romona and Knives) continues and Gideon (the Villain) intervines, the slow cuts begin to build the tension. A split edit is used before you see the villain, as you hear his voice, before a shot of the character is placed. An eye line match is used at the beginning of the clip, as they have placed a shot of the villain, who suddenly makes an appearance after he was apparently defeated, glaring at someone (who the audience presume is the protagonist), followed by a shot of the hero and his friends, allowing the audience to make the connection between them and underastand that he is planning to fight the hero. As the villain explains that he would like to fight, the pace increases, foreshadowing the fight that is about to start. Cut on action shots (continuity editing technique) is used continuously throughout the beginning of the clip, to show the same action from the shot before, but from different angles in order to mask the cuts and make the action seem fluid and realistic as the audience can make the connection between shots, though they may not even know a cut as taken place.
The pace of the clip is slow to begin with due to slower cutting but as the scene continues the pace rapidly increases in speed due to fast cutting and Edgar Wright manages to create a swift and rapid pace. This has been done in order to build up the excitement of the fight and emphasise the action that occurs in the frame.Special effects have been cleverly used in the clip, such as animated effects (the numbers, words and swords etc.), use pixelization, focus drops and lighting effects to make it feel as though they are in a video game or the audience is watching one, almost as though there has been a collision with reality and the video gaming world. Focus drops are mainly used during the fighting scene to increase the drama and action and create excitement. A Cutaway shot which, in this case, is also a reaction cut, is used during the sword fighting scene, as it jumps to a shot of Ramona closing her eyes. A reaction shot is also used during the fighting scene, after Ramona is hit by Gideon to show the hero and his accomplices anger. Cut on action shots are used throughtout the rest of the clip, as not to disturb the fast pace and excitement of the scene and action, creating continuity.
When the hero is supposedly defeated, slow motion is used to emphasise the suspense and drama of his defeat and to slow the pace. Another eye line match is used directly after this, where a short of the villain has been placed, in which he is turning to face someone after he had supposedly defeated the protagonist, followed by a shot of the love interest of the hero, creating a confusion in not only the audiences mind but also the protagonist's mind as her chip had been deactivated and therefore shouldn't be in love with the villain. However, this confusion is fixed, as another eye line match is used to show that she was pretending. After this, the pace rapidly increases for a moment, before the action reaches a climax and the love interest is shown being kicked down the stairs. Yet again, another eye line match has been used but it is also a reverse shot, as they cut between shots of the two protagonists glaring at someone and the antagonist in a quickened pace, which depicts their facial expressions as that of aggravation. This shows that more action will follow and the villain is going to lose. The pace increases hastily in speed as they continue to endlessly punch the antagonist, using strangely composed cuts and spins to increase the excitement and pace of the action as the speed between cuts increases in speed. The pace at the end slows down dramatically, indicating the loss of the villain.
A medium close-up of a telephone opens the scene, implying it is the main subject and key aspect of the scene. The camera then tilts upwards and pans into a medium close-up shot of the young woman in the frame as she goes to pick it up. As the girl moves away from the phone, the camera pans towards her. Due to the fact it is a horror film, this suggests she is the most likely to die and one of the first to die as she is a key character in the scene. A sense of tension is built through the recurring pan between the telephone and character, leading the audience to ponder who could be on the other line and why he would be tormenting the girl. The shot cuts to outside as the camera tilts upwards the tree before panning towards her home and an empty swing that keeps swinging, which creates suspense as the audience doesn't know who is outside.
. A close-up of her stove is used as she turns it on and places food on it, whilst still on the phone. The recurring use of medium close-ups, long shots and pans following the girls movement around her home suggest that the director wants to tease the audience with a false sense of security. It could also suggest that the murder, as well as the audience, is following the young woman, placing us in the killer's mindset. Low-angleshots are used frequently to create vulnerability towards the female character, and focus on the killer. The slow pace of the start of the scene creates tension as well as the camera pans in her direction as she wonders her hallway with the telephone as the audience have no idea about who is behind the line and if he is actually following her. The slow pace is soon contradicted by the use of whippans as she starts to panic and it follows the woman's frantic attempt to escape, suggesting to the audience that someone is following her or she is paranoid, making it hard to distinguish between the two.
There is a mixture of Diegetic and Non-diegetic sounds in this clip from the opening battle in X-men: Days of Future Past. The most recognizable piece of Non-diegetic sound in it is the dramatic soundtrack in the background which plays above everything throughout the scene to suggest the clips intensity and importance in the movie.. The Non-diegetic music is parallel to the scene, as the fast-paced fighting and actions of the characters fits in well with the cinematic and intense piece of music. In the first part of the clip, the Diegeticsound effect of the sentinels being released can be heard, suggesting a fight will ensue and they have found the mutants.
The intensity of the music increases as the scene switches to the sentinel pods falling from the sky, with a screeching alarm music being heard. The first piece of dialogue is fast paced and alarming and comes from one of the main characters, who has, using his mutant ability, spotted the sentinels. There is then the Diegetic sound of the barrel in his hand collapsing to the floor. The sound effect of Blink's portal opening and closing as they jump between spaces allows the audience to understand that it is a sci-fi film. Blink's first piece of Dialogue indicates that they expected the sentiments to come, and that she is warning them that they need to get ready to fight. The increased intensity and panic of the dialogue from all characters in the scene, create a quick-paced atmosphere which fits in well with the Non-diegetic music, The fact that they are about to battle is reinforced as the sound effect of Bishop's powered gun reloading can be heard.
The crumbling of the walls is the next sound that the audience will immediately pick up on, showing that the enemies are reaching their base, closer and closer to destroying them. As one of the sentinels land on the ground with a crash, the soundtrack intensifies further and the sound effects of the mutants powering up and their muffled diegetic breaths can be overheard just before the fight ensues.
Music works well for this task - creates strong images and parallel collage fits perfectly.
Contrapuntal is powerful - domestic violence contrasts really well with the romance of the first one.
The poverty image doesn't quite fit for the contrapuntal. There's a powerful feel but that image doesn't sit with the other relationship-based pictures.
Learner Response
Compared to the three top presentations in the class, I feel I didn't do that badly. The top presentations would have to be Sabrina's and Sharife's and Aliza's. All of their images for the parallel worked well with the music, and all of their contrapuntal images contrasted the music well. Overall, I feel their theme of images were consitent compared to my contrapuntal images, because most of my contrapuntal images had a theme of domestic abuse, with only one poverty image in the corner. The effect of most of my images was quite effective, however. My parallel, on the other hand, worked well with the music, like the top three presentations did.
In Film Noir, Low-key lighting is used to create moody, dark and dramatic atmospheres. Film Noir has been described as a world of night and shadows, therefore, Low-key lighting captures this world perfectly, allowing directors to create a world of mystery, uncertainly and suspense. This has been done nicely in the clip below, from the film, Sin City.
Technically, this clip is from a neo-noir film, but neo-noir films use the same aspects of lighting as Film noir does because it is influenced by the genre, the only difference being, that it was made after the 1960's, the modernized storyline and the technology used to make it. In this clip, it shows one of the main protagonists, Marv, fighting Kevin, who killed Marv's sweetheart.
The use of Chiaroscuro lighting in the clip is significant to identify it as a form of film noir. This also creates a mysterious and tense atmosphere. Through this use of low-key lighting, a heightened sense of alienation which is felt by the audience. It is hard to depict whether it is day or night as Low-key lighting is used similarly throughout the film. They are able to create an ambiguous world through their use of Chiaroscuro lighting, portraying characters in the clip as morally ambiguous, specifically, the protagonist to show that even heroes are always flawed. In order to attain low-key lighting, less to no fillers are used, with one key light and a back light, which have been used here. A back light has been used for illumination and silhouettes, in order to depict the fast paced movement of the characters. Only a small amount of filler lights have been used in order to depict the aggressive (Marv) and absent (Kevin) expressions of the characters.
The image depicts an example of low-key lighting as the left side of her is over-exposed, dramatically contrasting with the darkness of the rest of her face. This implies that the key light is situated on the left. There is backlighting in the image and minimal use of filler light. The backlighting appears to lighten the background and the filler light is used to soften the shadows on her face and to lighten the background of the shot. The smoke consuming the woman in the image is lightened through the use of back or filler light.
In the shot, low-key and top lighting is used to glamorise the subject matter of the image. You can clearly notice the use of low-key lighting due to the extremely dramatic contrast of light and dark as she is literally surrounded by darkness. The top lighting is the key light and the light to the side of the character comes from a filler light. The use of top lighting allows the audience to depict her features and facial expression clearly. However this also allows the character to appear more glamorous, but also slightly angelic to the audience. It also creates dramatic shadows under certain features of her face, creating a mysterious and romantic atmosphere.
The high-key lighting in this shot is used to create a realistic image of the main character as it seems more natural, to make it appear as though he is outside in broad daylight. Especially, since the lighting is top lighting, to make it appear as though the light is beaming downwards, as if from the sun. Apart from the key, top lighting, there is quite a lot of back and filler lighting used. Shadows under the characters eyes are created to highlight his sinister features through the use of top lighting in order to affirm that he has power and authority. However, it could also be interpreted that he is villainous, wicked or perhaps, aggressive from the accentuation of his frown.
The low-key lighting depicts an unrealistic visual image of the main character. This is an example of lighting used in film noir. However, though some may feel that it is film noir due to the lighting, it appears to be neo-noir since it is quite modernised, it also seems to have comic book like aspects. Top lighting is used in the image from the right-hand side to create a mysterious atmosphere. There appears to be more than one light lighting up the main character and his props as a small amount of filler light used in it, mainly to highlight the rain and the features on the gun. Baclight is used to light the background of the shot. They feel the need to highlight his gun to portray the character as a protector.
The image uses low-key lighting, to portray that the movie is a horror, as they often play with low-key lighting to show the unrealistic nature of the scene. It is definitely low-key lighting due to the dramatic outcast of the main character, using Chiarocuro.The shadow could be the result of a doorway behind the lens, or perhaps it could be whatever she is running from. We can tell that she has been cornered by whatever is chasing her, as she is near a wall where her shadows are cast on and, therefore, has been caught, which is supported by her facial expression and demeanour. This shows to the audience that it is a horror. The backlighting with minimal filler lighting is used to softens her skin tones and the backgrounds, yet doesn't affect the shadows. Due to the positioning of the shadows, the key light would have to be situated to the left.
The shot uses high-key lighting. Despite the dim lighting in the image, it is high-key lighting due to the natural light coming from the open shutters of the window - most likely from the sunlight. The backlight and exposure of the image, on top of the natural light from the window, creates a realistic atmosphere. Not to mention, the fact that the main characters in the image are kissing, making it appear romantic and realistic as if they wanted you to believe that their love was real. The lighting is also quite ambiguous.
The stark silhouettes in the image are created through the use of low-key lighting. The overexposed background of the shot indicates that the backlight is the key light. This creates a mysterious atmosphere. The use of only one light from behind the characters means you don't know who they are, further emphasising the mysterious and uncertain nature of the film.
The shadow of the character on the wall shows that the image uses low-key lighting. We also know this because of the fact it filler or backlight isn't used in the shot. The one key light is on the left side of the shot and allows you depict some of her facial expressions which appear tense and petrified. This creates an unrealistic and mysterious atmosphere, suggesting that the horror she isn't facing is unrealistic.
The image has used high-key lighting with hardly any shadow in the shot. The lack of shadows is down to the multiple back, key and filler lights in it. This creates an angelic and realistic atmosphere, which is supported by the posture and facial expression of the character, allowing us to see that she is praying.
From the sinister low-key lighting, the movie is shown to be a horror to the audience. The dark and dim lighting in the image makes it hard for the audience to see clearly. The only thing they are able to make out is the figure at the top of the stairs, holding a giant kitchen knife. Due to the elevation of the character, and the shadow of the bannister on the right of the image, we can tell that there are stairs and that the victim of the serial killer may be at the bottom, looking up. The scene is portrayed as unrealistic due to the lighting. The audience will feel frightened at the use of the dim lighting because they can not see and most humans fear the unknown, and what lurks in the dark. However, it also allows the audience to focus on the exposed areas of the scene, such as the top of the stairs, where the figure waits. This is to keep them on the edge of their seat as well as keep them unaware, which will make it easier to achieve good jump scares.
High-key lighting is used in the image, however, it is quite dim. It is natural appearing. This use of lighting allows the audience to perceive the scene as dim yet realistic, suggesting a romantic tone to the image. However, the gun in the image contradicts this and suggests he is a protector instead, having saved the woman. and she is grateful. Nevertheless, the audience will be able to notice that it is an intimate moment.
The main character in this still is Scott Pilgrim, from Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim Vs the World. With him in the shot, is what appears to be one of the first several villains in the film while two of his band mates look on, holding guitars. The still was taken only a small amount of time into the movie, during the battle of the bands. The setting of the still is on a stage as there is equipment scattered around the room. This is also supported by the rigging in the back and the stage lights.
The characters appear to be wearing, everyday average costumes, that the audience would wear. This may be the director's attempt at allowing the audience to relate to the Protagonist, allowing you to feel sympathy for him throughout the rest of the film when facing difficulties.
Immediately we are drawn to the comic book illustration aspects of the movie. The bright white text is an electric and bold font, one of the key aspects of comic book text - it is used as an onomatopoeia. Here, the sound comes from the protagonist punching what appears to be one of the first of the seven villains of the film.
Around the protagonist's fist, are smoky circles, presenting the power, effect and movement of the punch, similar to that in comic books. The villain, appears to be flying backwards from the power of the punch. he radiates white light, which further impacts how powerful the punch comes across.
Despite the fact it features some aspects of low-key lighting, it is in fact high-key, using bold lights and colours. This creates a comic-book-esque scene as it boldness means it appears in your face and stands out, as well as through the use of light and dark contrasting. Perhaps, the director was trying to allude that the unrealistic could be real.
Film Extracts:
Guardians of the Galaxy clip
The advanced technology of the setting in the scene, suggest that they reside on a space ship, however, it does not suggest whether it is set in the future or present. The characters vary in the clip, most appearing extra-terrestrial-like. The only normal humanoid appears to be the main protagonist, who is garbed in a red ravager jacket, blue top and jeans - making it appear as though he is from earth. The other two, more peculiar humanoids are the green girl, with dark and purple hair, dressed in a tight futuristic assassin's clothing and the blue man with red carvings in his body, who is wearing just trousers. The other to beings in the scene, resemble a tree-like being (groot) and a racoon (rocket). Groot appears to be wearing nothing and rocket is wearing a small futuristic suit. This suggests that they are from space or at least have been bio-engineered. The characters are sitting in a circle, and their angry, frustrated and yet humourous facial expressions, dialogue and body language indicates that they are arguing about a plan to defeat the main villain of the film, Ronan the accuser. Their argument brings a humorous element to the clip, like it does to most of the film, which will appeal to comic book fanatics who enjoy that aspect of the guardians of the galaxy comics. The lighting is low-key, pointing towards the unrealistic nature of the film and it's storyline.The dim lighting causes the colouring in the scene to be mainly dark or appear to be so.
Mad Max: Fury Road
The scene starts at a quick pace and is located in a desolate desert filled with dunes. The main character is driving a vehicle which appears to be dystopian, as it is dirty and damaged, seemingly undesirable, like the setting. It shows that perhaps, the people who live in the world have lost hope and some have even lost their sanity. The characters are being chased by other people on similar looking bikes, trying to bomb the car, causing it to catch a light. Inside the main car, is a bunch of female sitting in the back of the vehicle, dressed in decrepit clothes that have worn away, and the main female in the front with a gun and prosthetic arm, and the main character driving. The use of the gun suggests that it is a thriller, not just a dystopian post-apocalyptic movie. The makeup on their faces suggest that they haven't cleaned themselves in ages as it is essentially dirt, which links back to the theme of the dystopian society, where nothing is the same and people are trying to kill you, so your main concern wouldn't be your hygiene. They also have added quite a lot of scars to their faces, showing the audience they have been through a lot. The lighting is high-key due to the natural light source from the sun, implying that it is realistic and therefore, the director wants the audience to believe that this could happen in real life and could be our future when oil runs out. Their facial expressions and body language vary. The girls in the back of the car appear apprehensive and scared, whilst the two in the front appear more serious, protective and aggressive. This implies they are protecting the girls.
Dreamgirls
By the style of clothes the characters in the scene are wearing, you would be able to infer that the movie is set during either the 1960's and 70's. The main focus is on the characters on stage, who are performing at a theatre, showing that they are R&B performers or want to be. This would make sense since the 1960's and 70's were key moments in the history of R&B, specifically for African-Americans as they started the genre. It is suggested that it is a talent contest since there are judges just in front of the stage, who seemed extremely impressed by the vocals and talent of the girls. All three girls have afros and are wearing classy clothing and make-up, supporting the fact they are performing. The man behind stage, has slicked back hair, and his dress code is very formal, suggesting he is a business man, and most business men who are at these types of shows are scouting talent, which the audience can imply he is doing. The lighting is quite dim through the rest of the setting, except for the stage to allow the audience to focus on them. The girls are putting a lot of effort into their performance due to the amount of dancing (body language) they are doing. The girl in the middle is the main focus of attention in the clip, because she appears to be the centre of the group and the main singer, which is emphasised by the arrangement of them.
