Homework 5 (BLK) Continuity Sequence Analysis

This project was a continuity sequence designed to help us work logically when working on our film opening. We were told to shoot 6 shots depicting an accident, by only pressing stop and start on the camera; we could not cut down in the edit room or use a master-shot etc.   We chose to portray a teenage girl falling down the stairs.

Shot 1: First of all we decided to shoot an establishing shot of the stairs, to set the scene and start off the action. However, this did not go as planned: as you can see in the first shot we started filming after out actress had walked through, and this creates confusion when she then appears in Shot 2, and does not help to create continuity. When filming our opening sequence we will not have this problem; we will be sure to film before and after any action so that we when editing we are not left short of footage. 

Shot 2: The second shot is a MS of the girl walking up the stairs, and the camera is still This is successful with regards to continuity because it makes sense and isn't confusing. It is a logical shot to follow the initial establishing shot and is an example of us trying to use shot orders by going in closer steadily rather than jumping into close ups. 

Shot 3: For this shot we tried to use a close up at a different angle to the majority of our shots. We chose a close up because it shows exactly how the accident happens, and doesn't confuse the viewer. Whilst this successfully portrayed the action, we did not consider the amount of space we jumped across, and this shot comes across as quite random and we also lose continuity in the sequence. 

Shot 4: We tried to make this shot more interesting by portraying the girl's perspective while falling, and to try and use a match on action. Whilst it is clear what the shot is of, the timing was bad and there are continuity errors e.g. if it is a match on action her scream would have to continue whilst falling in this shot. There are also two close ups in a row (Shots 3 & 4), however I quite like this because I think it portrays her confusion at slipping on the stairs, but also makes the fall fast paced, so it is more believable. 

Shot 5: This shot shows the girl having fallen on the stairs. Continuity-wise I think it works well because the events and actions are clear: she has fallen and is hurt but not badly. However it is not a particularly inventive shot, we could have shot this from another angle (like the top of the stairs) to make it less dull, and/or played with camera movement; in hindsight I think a tilt would have worked well. 

Shot 6: Again we used step order of shots well, we went from a CU to a MS to a LS which was helpful for continuity, but I think we focused too much on this. Whilst I am mostly satisfied with the continuity of this sequence, if I were to do this again I would take more risks to make a more interesting sequence. In terms of achieving a story though, I feel this shot is successful because it provides a conclusion. 

Homework 4 (DYM) Roland Barthes' Five Codes

I have used the 5 codes to analyse the opening scene of the 2009 feature film "The Time Traveler's Wife". This film is based on the book by Audrey Niffenegger; it is one of my favourite films because I think it is extremely emotive and has done the book justice. 

Enigma codes

• ·         Why is Henry disappearing?
• ·         How did he disappear/ get out of the car?
• ·         Why is he naked?
• ·         Who is the man and how does he know what happened?
• ·         Why has he turned up at this time/place?

Action codes

• ·         Snowing – icy roads
• ·         Icy roads (exaggerated in shots) – skidding cars and crashes
• ·         Car crash – death of mother
• ·         Time travel from car crash – Henry will time travel in the future

• ·  Disappear from car – reappear somewhere else

Semiotic Codes

• The time travel aspect suggests a science-fiction premise
• The mother's constant gaze in the mirror connotes love and caring for Henry

Cultural codes

• The presence of Santa Claus and snow and the general style tell us that it is Christmas eve

Symbolic codes 

• Young and old
• Self development and reflection
• Fragility of life

Homework 3 (BLK) Culture Codes and Film Making Conventions

This clip is from the movie Chalet Girl (2011) 

Culture codes

The first shot depicts Georgie, a pretty girl already preened sitting at her makeup desk. A young blonde girl talking about make-up is a stereotype the audience immediately recognise.   

Kim by contrast has not been glammed up; her uncombed hair is in a rough centre parting, she has no make-up and a London cockney accent. This also creates a character that the audience have seen before. The way she holds the make-up given to her shows that she is way out of her comfort zone. 

Johnny references a swan - an animal we immediately associate with grace and elegance.The Ugly Duckling is mentioned to draw on the audience's popular culture, and it summarises her transformation in a light-hearted manner. 

The "licence to kill" quotation is a James Bond reference, and this adds humour to the scene. 

Film Making conventions

The framing of the first short (MCU) is close enough to show Georgie looking glamorous, but long enough to show us the make-up table. 

The shot in the mirror allows us to watch Johnny watching Kim, and to see Johnny doing his bow-tie. We see Kim's transformation at the same time as Johnny, and our similar reactions make us feel connected to him.

The bright lighting depicts the happy rom-com genre, but not is too high key and so romance is able to be portrayed. This effect is enhanced by the slow music with piano and violin; this scene is full of flirting and potential romance.

Homework 2 (DYM) Film Still Analysis

This film still is from the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth. The shot is set from within the castle grounds of the labyrinth, and it is immediately evident from the setting that this is a fantasy film. The natural lighting makes it clear that they are outside and makes the abnormal setting seem more real, perhaps an alternate world or an unknown part of our world? The surreality of the smaller houses and unknown objects and materials are new and interesting to a viewer but are recognisable enough to be related to. The fountain is imagery to summarize this; it combines an otherwise ordinary object with the abnormality of the goblins, typical of the fantasy genre. The whole setting creates enigma, and keeps the viewer intrigued. There are goblins in the background and because Sarah and Hoggle are running in the opposite direction, we get the impression that they are villainous or hindering to S+H. 

This is a long or very long shot; you can see the full bodies of both characters, as well as the setting; a choice I believe deliberately made. The two main "good" characters are in the shot. We feel they are out of place because they are running through this city. The juxtaposition of Sarah's very normal teenage girl appearance (long hair, pretty face, normal clothing) and the fantasy setting exaggerates the opposition between them, and so viewers can assume conflict between the two.Contrastingly however, we also see her connection to this place by her obvious relationship to Hoggle. Hoggle is a dwarf, so is evidently part of the city and a fantasy character, and by following him on their run it is made clear that they are on the same side; Sarah trusts Hoggle. They both have determined yet somewhat confused expressions, again connotating that they are out of place in order to accomplish something. 

I have chosen this shot because I feel it can be effectively analysed. It creates a lot of enigma as with many fantasy films: where are they running to, what is the relationship between these characters, why are they here? I also like the mise-en-scene of the shot and the complimentary foreground and background, and the binary opposites it has managed to include. I feel the depth of this shot is representative of the whole film, and I am happy that any still I could have chosen would have been good for analysis, an excellent indicator of a good film that you should all see!

Homework 1 (BLK) Reflections on Shots

We chose to focus on the horror genre for the majority of our shots; this is because we felt that we would be able to portray this genre more easily than other genres under camera, lighting and setting constraints. In the foreground is a young man looking through a window, and his face can just be seen in the darkness. Not much can be seen in the background, but the lights which are below the subject, show that he is high up in the room. 

Representation of the genre
We tried to use extreme lighting in our shots to be reflective of the genre, so the majority of the shot is in black or brown darkness, targeting viewers fear of the dark and what may be in it; in this case the young man. It also plays on fears of the unknown and raises enigma in the viewers minds; we do not know much about this character, making him seem villainous and secretive. The shadowed face also helps to portray an evil side to the viewer, and together with the blank expression and under-lighting it is made clear that this character is the villain. The crosses on the window distance the viewer from the the subject, but do not look like protection from the villain; the viewer does not feel at ease or safe. The lights in the background can be seen, and the subject is above them, this connotes that the man may be watching something above. This generates enigma and fear. 

Achieving this effect

The natural lighting of a school setting is very high key, especially in the hall we were in which had many large windows. To try and darken the image the camera was set to sepia; we were unable to change ISO, aperture and shutter speed on our given camera. We also shot this in a reflective window neighboring a dark room. A pag-light shone under the subjects face so that he is only somewhat lit and can be seen partially. The crosses are from the window of which the reflection was shot.

What is successful?
I think overall the shot was successful. The genre is clear so it enables viewers to draw on pop culture of horror movies, creating expectations as well as enigma. I think the shot is reasonably  well framed: there are no blank spaces or gaps that could be otherwise filled. The shot is close enough to see the subjects expression, and the background can be seen as well. The lights of the hall can be seen and so the angle is clear. The soft focus also helps generates a mysterious tone. 

What can be improved?
The setting of the shot is unclear, and it is hard to work out what is in it. If this had been more obvious the viewer would have focused on this and the discovery of the figure in the foreground would be more shocking. Although I like how the face is partially lit, I would make the bits in light a bit brighter if possible, so the expression on the face is more obvious, and the viewer does not have to work to understand the image. I would also tilt the camera down further and zoom in; cutting off the black and the top of the image and enabling more background to be seen.