Opening Credits for Our Main Task.

Our main task, as seen in an earlier post, is a thriller all about one man getting revenge on the man that has murdered his wife, child and framed HIM for the murder. The opening scene is actually the last scene of the film. It then travels back in time to the opening credits.

We want our credits to be somewhat tense, to create this we want to use the computer as it will not only make the film look professional, but most thriller/mystery films don't have big upbeat opening credits unless trying to subvert the audiences expectations. As we have shown the last scene, we want to continue down the same genre path.

The first film's credits to inspire us was 'The International' as it has a sense of calm, the titles appear next to Clive Owens face and around the scene, the sense of serenity creates an air of tension and suspense. Exactly the feeling we want top create through our opening scene.

Another film that has good opening credits is Quentin Tarantino's film - Reservoir Dogs. The fact the upbeat music lulls the audience into a false sense of fun, we then have the sounds of screaming creep over the top of the music. The screaming gets louder and louder as the music fades out, the black out then cuts to the end scene of the film. I like this because the audience are enjoying themselves unsure of  what is going to happen, they are then shocked and drawn into the sudden action on the screen. The fact they have the climax of the film at the beginning really captures audiences attention as they want to know how the plot ended up with this bleeding man in the back of a car.

Overall I like the idea of starting the film with the final scene to capture the audiences attention, although the upbeat music doesn't support our genre, so when composing the music we will be hoping to create something with more tension, which is why the slow, calm introduction of the credits in The International works.

Opening credit analysis.

Opening credit analysis. 

Hello Lonesome.

- What is the genre of the film?
The genre of the film is a drama. It's about six lonely souls who all find love.

- Explain the style, (CGI, drawn, film?)

Special effects. It takes the place of an ideal world, big white houses, open spaces, the nose of traffic quietened. The music offers something quite sinister.

- Explain how the style supports the genre of the film

The sinister music highlights the style of a drama genre as it always has a sinister undercoating which has been buried for a long time and finally comes to pass. 

- How does it introduce you to the film?

We are intrigued by the serenity of this playful world. They are toys therefore giving us an impression of innocence in the film.

- How does it draw you into the film?

We are interested in the alternate world of playfulness yet the stillness of everything gives us a sense of mystery. 

- How is the font used? What effect do they have? How does it link to the films genre?

Its white, block writing, very clear and simple, however they look as though they cast shadows making us feel as though they in this world. 

- What type of transitions are used by the editor? What effect do they have?
Normal shot to shot cuts. Nothing special, no editing effects used. It doesn't overwhelm the audience. We are eased into this film.

- How do the titles reflect the THEME of the film? 

The block writing amongst the still toys could show how the characters are searching for something amidst a world that has stood still for them. The titles are so obvious which gives the impression of hope. 

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

- What is the genre of the film
Action/Adventure.

- Explain the style, (CGI, drawn, film?)

GGI, the camera moves through a fiery cartoon of the events of Hansel and Gretel's lives. 

- Explain how the style supports the genre of the film

The fire and dark colours highlight the sinister atmosphere of the film. Also the constant movement of the camera highlights the fast pace of an action film. 

- How does it introduce you to the film?

We are excited by the flames and sinister colours. Our attention is immediately grabbed.

- How does it draw you into the film?

We are interested in the the newspaper titles as they are providing us with introductory information. We have to read it to understand. 

- How is the font used? What effect do they have? How does it link to the films genre?

The font appears around the action so it doesn't take away attention from the opening film. The white font means we see it but not too much. The old lettering highlights the setting of the film. 

- What type of transitions are used by the editor? What effect do they have?
Quick transitions to highlight the action element of the film. The film is constantly moving.

- How do the titles reflect the THEME of the film?

Burning, chaos, quick transitions. Highlight the excitement of the experience and the action element.

Evaluation of clips

Evaluation of clips

I took three clips from our main task and evaluated them to see whether they appeal to our target market or not. Its a helpful exercise as we can analyse where we are appealing to the target audience and what areas we need to work our to make our chosen genre more obvious to audiences. If any of these shots were to be used in a poster, I need to see whether people would understand what it is that we are trying to deliver to them. 

Clip one.

This clip shows a bloodied bat, a bloodied face and an Ace of Spade dropped on a beaten mans body. This clip clearly highlights the conventions of a thriller. The fact that we don't know who is holding the bat draws the audience in as we want to know who has inflicted the violence. As it is the beginning of the film we know that we will soon find out who he is, which recognises the convention of a mystery. The bloodied bat with the blood on the face makes the audience feel excited as we want to see blood and action, this is the reason people go to watch action/thrillers. It plays with our need for answers and our love of violence. The Ace of spades lying on the dead mans torso again highlights danger and mystery, usually associated with gambling it shows risk. We are excited by what could or couldn't happen. The dark colours around the man again adds to the element of uncertainty. Which excites the audience. It also means we see that something dark is going to happen later in the film which causes this attack. The element of foreshadowing means we are eager to know - what happens next?

Clip two.

This clip shows a blurred face dropping an ace of spades onto the camera which is a POV of the body thus making us feel part of the action.

The light behind the man could highlight how he has left a happy life behind in order to seek violence or revenge. This helps us empathise with the character as we want to know his backstory, why has he left his life and identity behind in his quest for violence?

The fact that the face is blurred highlights the mystery element again, however it teases the audience more than the first shot did as we can almost see who the character is however we struggle to make out his full identity.

The fact the character is wearing mostly black could symbolise the darkness that has surrounded this character due to an event in the film. He cannot escape the dark cloak of grief or anger. The white shirt underneath the black jumper again helps us to sympathise with the protagonist as we realise he isn't bad man, underneath he is good, however it is the grief he has felt which has left him with a cold exterior.

The red tie enforces the argument of danger and violence in the film which excites audiences who come to watch the film because of its danger element.

Clip three.

The third clip is of a slumped character with a bloodied face and shirt, he is still alive and in many shots which means the audience can assume the mystery character is here to get revenge on him.

The blood running down his cheek and shirt highlights the element of violence which the audience hope to see throughout the film.

It is the beginning scene of the action film and the audience's attention is grabbed by the obvious convention of blood and violence which makes the audience feel, not only drawn into the world of violence but they also think about the rest of the film and how inappropriate the content will be for young children, their is an element of importance for the audience, exclusivity.

The lights from outside dotted around highlights the element of mystery, what is going on here? Is it revenge or is it a sudden attack? The use of lighting in the first shot to highlight the happy life the protagonist has left behind could be used here. Is this man good or not? There seems to be elements of both. Everything is not as it seems.

Film Industry and you.

Film Industry and you.

Different types of editing.

Different types of editing:

There are many different types of editing used in film. However today I was looking at a 'match cut' which is the link between two different objects or two different spaces. This is done to 'link the scene' despite filming the two things separately. It helps to create match on action. This is an example from Alfred Hitchcock's film - 'The Birds' in which Tippi Hedran is simply walking to a shop, the match cut helps to create this match on action. Also - Watch out for  Hitchcock's cameo toward the end of the clip.

Editing Task

Editing.

We were all given the task of finding 10 random pictures on google. These are my results:

  I found a group of 'chavs,' a peaceful road, a sad old man, a war torn street, the furniture building which was set alight during the London riots, a car driving away, a group of men from the 1930's, the map of Alaska from the simpsons and an old man walking alone. 

We were then given the task of taking these images and changing their order to create a story. This was the end result:

Shot 1 is a representation of the London riots and the disaster and mayhem that young people caused. This then leads into an empty, ruined street, highlighting the after effects of what occured as a result of the actions of young people in today's society. We then introduce the protagonist, a lonely old man who is shunned by a teenage society. We then see the society that the main character grew up in and how happy he was. Shot 5 is his depressed facial expression and what today's society consists of which leads into the image of a bunch of chavs sitting on a fence.We, as an audience, stereotypically assume that they are up to no good. A gross generalisation, but as the first image highlights, we have created this image, only we are to blame for the stereotypes with which we are branded. Shot 7 is a clear road, we see in the rear view mirror, a dirty track, thus highlighting the road ahead is a bright one, thus leading into the image of this view of 'eternal bliss' in the future. The final shot highlights the end of the characters search for a state of eutopia.

The meaning of the pictures change when placed in a different order, which is something directors think about when creating their films. However the dialogue tells us everything we need to know.

The BAFTA's

The BAFTA's.

I recently watched the BAFTA's and found some of the award winners undeserving. However some awards were spot on.

I have a passion for acting and aspire to be an actor one day, hopefully winning a BAFTA. My role models are such brilliant actors like: Christoph Waltz, Daniel Day Lewis, Tom Hanks and many more.

This is why I am happy that Christoph Waltz won the award for his role in Django Unchained. He is a phenomenal actor who manages to take a sinister character and twist it to contain elements of humour and tension, which adds to the sinister characteristic.

The sheer volume to which Daniel Day Lewis prepares for a character is brilliant. He chooses his parts very carefully and will live as that part for a huge amount of time just so that he can feel as though he is that person, this leads to a superb performance in every film and I am happy he won the award for Best Actor.

However, when it comes to directors, I am disappointed that Ben Affleck won the award for Best Director. He went off the rails for such a long time and appeared in some terrible films, he even ruined one of my favourite films - 'Pearl Harbour.' However he makes one good film - Argo - and all of a sudden he is worthy of a BAFTA, when some of the other directors there such as Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee have gone on to make some magnificent films. Ang Lee directed the smash hit - Brokeback mountain. And while it isn't my kind of film, it has been classed as one of the best directorial displays in the world. Ang Lee won the Bafta for this film. Quentin Tarantino has directed so many classic films, (which he has also written), like Pulp Fiction and Inglorius Basterds. Yet Ben Affleck claims the accolade for a film that refuses to carry the same emotional depth as Django and French film - Amour - which, for its sheer emotional baggage, should have been nominated for Best Film.

Tom Hooper wasn't even nominated for the award. Although I haven't seen Les Miserables. I know people that have and they are calling it a triumph. The idea of having actors singing live makes the scene seem so real. And it is smart decisions like this which makes Tom Hooper one of the best Directors of our day. (The King's speech).

So the message of this is: Ben Affleck didn't deserve the award he was credited with, as there are so many other directors who have made better films in the last 8 months.

Case Study

Criminal Minds Case Study.

Myself and my group were asked to write a case study on the crime drama: Criminal minds.

We decided to split this into four categories and each of us would write about these categories.

Summary - Nasmin.

Representations - Nile.

Camera/Mise en scene - Mica.

Genre conventions - Charlie, (me).

Summary. (Nasmin)

For my case study it was based on Criminal Minds, this airs ever night at 9pm on Sky Living.

I watch this program every night however i will be basing this summary on the most recent episode. Within this episode briefly, it was about a convict whom had escaped from an ambulance after suffering from a bad allergic reaction. He continued killing people and stitched his victims mouth shut as his signature mark. 

Within this episode it had touched on many different things such as disability and communication.

On the bases of disability the convict found that although he had a hearing aid he preferred to use sign language as he had restricted himself for a long time from speaking. This was really well presented within this clip with the great use of flash backs, two-shots and fade in’ of white and black. These techniques made the transition very smooth. As the transitions took place to highlighting the reality and distinctively when he has gone back to remembering himself as a child what it was like for him growing up having to deal with the difficulty of not being able to hear properly, having a stutter which made him conscious of people’s views on him and even after he had the opportunity to hear he still used sign language to communicate with others.  

Communication on the other hand had been representing clearly, however they also highlighted the issues it may rise in the work place such as the office when dealing with criminals on a day to day basis. Good communication is key, when working as a team, as everyone should be able to understand each other and work effectively with one another. 

If there is a communication barrier, this would result in others having the wrong interpretation of something which may have been vital. However the over the shoulder shots, close ups, two-shots and medium shot of two characters illustrate this well as one confronts the other about the interruption which had happened, making it so that the point which was to be given to the entire team so they were aware of the case had gone a miss. This can cause conflict within the work place amongst workers – teammates. We can see the frustration in which one feels towards the situation through the close up shot of his face but also the medium shot which illustrates the tension in his neck and bluntness within his shoulders.

This was a great episode, but looking at it from a media student perspective you are able to pick apart a scene and read into each characters emotion using mis-en-scene something as simple as the natural lighting in the room, the diegetic/ non-diegetic sound and many camera techniques. And the pan which is used in the group discussion is a great technique used by the camera man to capture everyone and their body language; we can get the full feel of the entire room and not just one person. We get jump cuts also from the entire room to activates happening outside the briefing room- of the criminal back to a quick close up of one of the members of the team asking a probing question.    

Genre Conventions. (Charlie)

When looking at crime drama we have to establish the Conventions of this genre. Criminal Minds fits under the category of a ‘crime drama,’ as it conforms to the conventional Police Procedural drama. It contains a hierarchal relationship between officers and a fight to find the criminal. However the programme differs in its exploration of the criminal rather than the crime. The central characters of the piece are all highly trained, special agents who deal with high profile, exaggerated cases. For example – a psychiatrist serial killer who murders people using their deepest fears. This is an unrealistic storyline for a conventional crime drama; however it provides entertainment for viewers. As television progresses, the conventions of Crime Drama are also changing. We are no longer in a World of realism and sense ‘The Bill,’ we have now plunged into a state of unrealistic storylines, characters, etc. In order to entertain the public.

The narrative of the piece as we are taken on a journey through the minds of the criminals, we see flashbacks to their childhood for example and we see a clear correlation between the way they were treated and the way they now treat others. However realism is shunned again when looking at the characters, especially the law enforcement team. They are all special agents, they all carry guns in holsters and have intense debates about the case and what they believe the answer is. These are then followed by miraculous brainwaves which give them the solution to the whole investigation. A convention we now see in so many crime dramas, however sadly not in reality.

The use of props is also important. We going to a location where a crime has been committed, we often see the conventional objects we would expect to find, a line of tape to cordon off the area, a forensics team investigating the murder, etc.. However when the climax reaches and the officers finally find the criminals whereabouts, they often run in, wearing no armour and no reinforcements, thus glamorising the police giving them a brave, heroic status, which is again something we wouldn’t find in reality. 

The conventions of a Police Procedural drama would be investigations, which are often shown, meetings to discuss the evidence found, however these often break out into heated arguments and the excitement of the ‘chase’ without the responsibilities that the police have to face when solving a crime.

The audience are constantly made to feel a sense of tense excitement which is resolved at the end of the programme when the ‘killer is caught,’ which is a convention of all Crime Thrillers. Nevertheless, reality tells us something different, solving a crime can be an extensive task where police spend hours looking at evidence, dwelling over paperwork and waiting for a breakthrough, (The Wire) however crime dramas cut these moments out due to the lack of entertainment experienced, thus making it an hour long, action packed thriller, which may not resemble reality, but it provides the amusement we crave and means we continue watching.

Representation (Nile).

Criminal Mind's is a tv show in which an elite group of profilers analyse the nation's most dangerous criminal minds in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again.

Above are the key members of the Criminal Minds team, from left to right, we can see: Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), Shemar Moore (Derek Morgan), and A.J. Cook (Jennifer ‘JJ’ Jareau), Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss), Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia), Matthew Gray Gubler (Spencer Reid) and Thomas Gibson, who plays Aaron Hotchner.

Criminal Minds only slightly represents reality, in my opinion.  Most agents spend their time doing paper work and investigating things, they aren't sent out everyday to investigate such matters, there's usually a whole lot more paper work and thigns to sort out before they are.  Also, most crimes in the world don't involve serial killers, this is just used to make the show more interesting.  While the crimes that are dealt with on the show are loosely based on real cases, most crime shows are based on real cases.  Real agents usually work on things that don't involve serial killers.  Very rarely do serial killers come up in real life crime, they definitely don't come up as much as Criminal Minds makes them come up

The majority of key investigators in Criminal Minds are male and this is, in fact, still the case today.  You’ll find there are many more male investigators than female investigators.  Female characters in crime shows or crime films are usually used for “eye-candy” for men hence their looks.  The women, all three of them, have young, attractive faces which was obviously deliberately when casting.  Also, they could be there just to give males a helping hand.  As you can see, the men have more prevalence in this photo whereas the women have been put to the back.  They look smaller and less important.  In the photo, the men are shown to be smart and clever looking because of the fact they’re all wearing suits.  Smart clothing is usually used in detective shows to imply smartness and intelligence.  The women appear to be wearing casual clothing which could connote that maybe they aren't as smart as the men.

Also, the fact that in the picture above, the order, if you think about it, goes from older to youngest,  The two oldest, more intelligent looking men are at the at front of the picture and the youngest people are behind them.  This could maybe show their status in the show or their roles in this programme.  This could also show the representation of old people in society, how much intelligence and wisdom they have and how necessary they are in some situations 

The female characters in this programme are usually portrayed to be quite intelligent but quite stereotypically flirty and fun-loving people. The team specializes in the psychological profiling of criminals – basically, their job is to get inside the criminal’s head so they can catch their target.  The women may be used to maybe use seduction to get information out of the male criminals since the women in this show are all young, intelligent and portrayed as quite flirty characters.  Also, the fact that Jennifer has blonde hair could maybe conform to the "dumb blonde" stereotype.  She can sometimes get emotionally attached to suspects which could also conform to the stereotype that women are emotional.  Male roles in this programme are shown to be more physical and more intelligent than female characters, for example:  Spencer Reid.  Reid is a brilliant psychological profiler, he is the youngest member of the team and has the highest IQ.  He has a variety of other talents though and knows a high amount of chemistry and mathematics.  He has photographic memory and can read quite fast.  This reinforces male dominance in this programme.  Women are usually made to stay at the computers and away from the action unless they're specifically needed.  

 Penelope is dating another FBI analyst but has a joking; friendly relationship with Derek Morgan, Derek calls her “baby girl” and “sugar”.  She’s a computer nerd (which reinforces her intelligence) but she cares a lot about her appearance: changing her hair colour and style nearly every episode and she also wears quite unusual accessories.  This could reinforce how women are maybe represented in this show to be quite immature.  Male gaze is used in this programme too, not just for the male audience but because the woman is usually used to gain information from criminals through the use of seduction.  They'll flirt or maybe show interest in the criminal so the criminal opens up to them.

There are more male characters than female, but only by one.  The four males and three females make up a team of experts in the “Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).   

Camera/ Mise en scene/ Sound... (Mica)

Throughout the Christmas Holidays Criminal Minds is one of the main TV shows I've been engaged in. Its an  American crime drama, which premiered on the network CBS September 22nd 2005. One of the main reasons why I enjoy this show is because it differs from other crime dramas, by focusing on profiling the criminal (psychologically), rather than the crime itself. The series follows a team of profilers from the Behavioral Analysis Unit which is part of the FBI. The show was created by Jeff Davis and produced by The Mark Gordon Company in association with CBS Television Studios.

Criminal minds is shown here in  the UK on t 'Skyliving,' channel. The programme is aired at different times during the day which could be from 1pm- onwards where they play back-to-back episodes, or at night usually from 10pm.

Criminal Minds

Criminal minds did have a spin off; Criminal minds: suspect behaviour which debuted February 16th 2011, but due to low ratings the spin off was then cancelled after 13 episodes. However on March 14, 2012  CBS renewed the original Criminal Mind for an eighth season, which premiered September 26th, 2012.

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour

CAMERA SHOTS, EDITING, SOUND & MIS EN SCENE

Common shots used in Criminal Minds include, high angle, birds eye or mid shots these shots are usually used to introduce the location/setting. Even though the main set is based in Virginia USA, being a crime drama locations vary throughout each episode, from country to country. The movement of the camera over looks the location, as it does the opening credit which states the name of the location appears at the bottom of the screen, this usually takes place within the first 2mins of the show.

Sound is an important part of the narrative, as it helps tell the story; the use of non diegetic sound helps maintain the pace of the show it also helps the audience identify what's going on, for example when a crime is taking place, the pace & rhythm of the music may increase. However the diegetic/ambient sound used helps the audience understand the narrative and location, e.g city, (street sounds), as well as the dialogue. The dialogue and communication between the characters is vital as it's the key way for the viewer to get an understanding of what's going on and the relationship with characters within the team. 

The camera shots and editing used also helps the establish the relationship with others, and the intensity of certain situations that take place. Fast cutting, jump cuts and cross cutting are used to portray tension/danger or to create suspicion. A lot of continuity is used to help the flow of the show, the audience get a clear understanding of what's happening. Medium shots and Close ups are used usually with long shots which is done to show the emotion and actions of a particular character. To build apprehension and to position the audience into feeling uncomfortable steadicam is used a lot in Criminal Minds especially when a crime is taking place, this is done to avoid having to cut to another scene. However hand held cams is also used to maintain the realism within the show, which makes it's it more entertaining.

The lighting in Criminal Minds is used creatively colours such as, black, blue and brown are used to represent the police work force, also both high key and low key lighting are used. High key lighting is usually appears when a crime has been solved, whereas low key lighting is often used to encode suspense. Smart/casual clothing is usually worn by the BAU, usually the clothes are plain dark colours to emphasise the specialist nature of their work. Each of the characters carry around a F.B.I badge and gun; occasionally they'll wear F.B.I vest when going to catch a criminal. The props used in the show are considered important, as they represent the genre and gives the audience a clear understanding. Throughout the series of Criminal Minds there'll be objects/props such as; guns, badges, crime scene tape, police cars, flash lights, jail cell, computer technology which is mainly used to help profile suspects.