Preliminary Task Evaluation

Brief:  This exercise involves filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. 

Planning process and pre-production: We first completed a storyboard,  is a shot by shot of a graphic representation of how our video would unfold, to have a foundation for the task. Then a full log of all the shots we would use ,called a shot list, was created from the storyboard for our clip to show which direction our video would be going. The script was made for the dialogue that would be spoken in the video. The script consisted of movement, facial expressions and action for which would be acted for the video. We are able to exhibit our understanding of script writing for this task and able to enable our ability to showcase our abilities in these areas of the task. 

Strengths: We wanted the short clip to be humours and for a factor of parody to be used in the clip. Our use of the 180 degree rule and using this skill to show our understanding of the rule, also, our match on action and shot reverse shot was very well done. Our use of mise-en-scene was equal to what was shown on the screen. We were able , I think, to immerse the audience with these abilities infused into the short clip and the enigma codes really built the tension we were aiming for. 

Weakness: The bad sound quality due to a lot of background sounds, specifically in the beginning for the exterior scene. We may have also failed to use media editing skills such as adding diegetic sounds which may have added to the tension building in the clip. Another weakness for our clip was the lack of steady tension built as I think we threw the audience into a face-paced, no detail into how characters got in and out of scenes and aspects of not needed low-key lighting(which wasn't favourable to us) may of faulted our video also. The editing of the scenes were quite lagged and also not quick to transition into other scenes of the clip too. 

Conclusion: There is a sense of wittiness to our clip but because of lack of august cinematography led to the clip being bog-standard. Learning through our mistakes will lead us to make a more successful and packed with a use of robust cinematography to really gear in audiences and making ourselves more distinct form others.

Preliminary Tasks

Short List- Infatuation




https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxWVJvePKrETc1VwbUJXOWVZblE

SCRIPT: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxWVJvePKrETc1VwbUJXOWVZblE

1.EXTERIOR SHOT
Very dark setting in the middle of the road. 

MORGUE
‘APRIL!’
APRIL
[walking with Stephanie laughing and unintentionally ignoring Morgue]
MORGUE
[gives the impression of jealousy]
‘Stephanie’

[MORGUE: VOICE OVER]
It was an obsession I hated anyone who got in my way. We had always been best friends.] (SOUND BRIDGE OVER TO ACT 2)


2.INTERIOR SHOT 
sitting in the living room at the dining table. April and Morgue engaging in discussing due dates for homework.

APRIL
I’m just going to use the toilet [gets up from the table]
MORGUE
shit. [comedically collapses and runs after April]



7.INTERIOR SHOT 
[April
sees the out of order sign on the toilet door and heads upstairs to find the toilet there]

APRIL
[jiggles the doorknob and enters the wrong room. She looks concerned and fearful]
MORGUE
[Barges into the room ungracefully] ‘you weren't supposed to see this’
APRIL
Why is this room identical to mine…?
MORGUE
YOU WERENT SUPPOSED TO KNOW

MORGUE
[awkward, comedic facial expression]
‘IT’s always been you April, always.’
APRIL
‘I have to go..’
MORGUE
‘I want you, nobody else can have you’
KILLS APRIL WITH SEASHELL, DEATH BY SEASHELL.

A JUMPCUT: APRIL ON THE FLOOR

MORGUE
smiles and takes sip from her tea ‘ah finally a real mannequin to fit the room’ [picks up the mannequin and throws it in the bin, close up of mannequin in the bin]


STORYBOARD:

SHOT LIST: 

Shot no	Shot list	check
1	Close up on morgue’s face “Stephanie”
2	Medium close up on morgue face
3	Long shot/establishing shot of April and Stephanie
4	Medium long shot of April and Stephanie with morgue in the back
5	Medium shot of April and Stephanie with morgue in the back
6	Over the shoulder shot of morgue calling April. (180)
7	Over the shoulder Medium shot of morgue sitting at table (180)
8	over the shoulder medium shot of April sitting at table (180)
9	Medium close up on Aprils face
10	Medium close up on morgues face
11	Long shot of April getting up and leaving for the toilet
12	Medium long shot of April looking at out of order door sign
13	Medium shot of April looking at out of order door sign
14	Close up on door sign “out of order”
15	Medium shot of April going up stairs
16	Long shot of April going up stairs.
17	Medium close up on April at the top of stairs
18	Close up on April opening door handle
19	Extreme close up on door handle jiggle from inside.
20	Medium close up on the door opening.
21	Long shot of April entering wrong room
22	Medium shot of April entering wrong room
23	Long shot of April looking around room
24	Medium long shot of April looking around room
25	Long shot of morgue sitting at table working
26	Long shot of morgue realising what’s upstairs and stumbling out of chair.
27	Long shot of morgue stumbling on stairs
28	Medium shot of morgue stumbling on stairs
29	Medium close up on April distressed
30	Medium shot of April distressed
31	Long shot of Morgue stumbling in room out of breathe
32	Medium shot of April standing up in horror
33	Long shot of April standing up in horror
34	Close up of April shocked
35	Long shot of April backing away
36	Long shot of Morgue trying to explain herself
37	Medium shot of Morgue getting closer
38	Medium shot of April going over bed to protect herself
39	Medium shot of April arguing with Morgue (180)
40	Medium shot of morgue arguing with April (180)
41	Medium shot of April opening the wardrobe
42	Close up on dead body – Stephanie
43	Medium shot of dead body – Stephanie
44	Medium close up on dead body - Stephanie
45	Medium close up on April being dragged back
46	Medium shot of April being dragged back by Morgue
47	Medium shot of April being stabbed with giant pencil
48	Medium shot of April being hit with other objects by Morgue
49	Close up on April’s legs
50	Medium shot pan on the mannequin and desk
51	Close up shot pan on the mannequin and desk
52	Medium shot of Morgue touching mannequin
53	Long shot of Morgue touching mannequin
54	Medium close up pan down of Morgue dropping cloth on April’s face
55	Long shot pan down of Morgue dropping cloth on April’s face

'Boyz N the Hood' review

'Boyz N the Hood' is a torrid coming of age, set in poverty-ravaged Los Angeles overrun with gangs, drugs and automatic weapons. the core of the film's narrative was the interactions between three young Black males: Tre Styles, Darrin 'Doughboy' Baker and Ricky Baker. The audience is thrown into the racism, indifference, rampant violence and exposed to the some disunion of the family in the film. Also, the film presents how the variables hinder the the coming of age of the young males. Something which struck me, in the film, was the significance to exhibit how current economic structure, capitalism in America (and globally) is harmful to everyone, especially Black people living in low-income conditions. These typical stereotypes of a broken family and characters turning to crime immersed me immensely. To think, on its 25th anniversary, we have to look now, have we moved on from these negative stereotypes, discourage racial profiling or cease the damaging impacts of gentrification on some of the poorest people. The state of engrossment by the viewing in the Everyman cinema, with the surround sound system, encased me with sounds of the constant helicopter above our heads, the light chatter of the children outside and also the deafening noise of bullets coursing next to us. 'Boyz N the Hood' is really an almighty look back at 1990's black film renaissance.

Film Language test learner response

LEARNER RESPONSE

WWW: Close textual analysis; quite detailed answers 

EBI: Re-do Sound paragraph

There is an eerie ominous atmosphere when the character comes down the stairs. There is a mild humming sound and helps create a form of tension whining the scene. The atmosphere is also made more quick and exciting through the light orchestral non-diegetic music which goes from quiet to a crescendo.  A use of parallel sound is created as when the explosion occurs the sound is loud and exaggerated to match the explosion contributing to the chaotic scene and of it. Contrastingly, the music goes quiet after the explosion crating a silencing effect before entering another scene.  Also, the loud sounds of the gunshot before the protagonist, a loud diegetic sound, helps to create the suspenseful scene the producer was aiming for a noir film.  The dynamics of the sounds when the explosion happens, making the audience feel uneasy, is a feature of the neo-noir genre creating light sounds creating suspense and so gripping the audience. The dialogue of the scene is quiet, gritty and gravelly which suits the genre of noir filming of the time. 

Mise-en-scene

The director has used a place of minimalism and added home like details to it. However, the costume of the two protagonists highlights to the audience that this place is not there home. This is done through the use of everyday clothing; the father is still in work clothes and the child is still in day clothes. This evokes emotion in audience as they can see the struggle that these two individuals are facing; however, the use of the actors lying down huddled together also shows to the audience that even in their time of struggle they have each other. The use of one central source of light, which is the bulb, creates a dull atmosphere in the scene. The director has done this not only to set the mood but to also allow the audience to feel what the characters are going through. The most important element of mis-en-scene that is utilised in this scene is the setting. The scene being set in a public toilet and the actors using it as a bedroom creates a theme of desperation and hard times which is conveyed to the audience, through the use of tissues on the floor. The use of the camera angle to capture the whole environment is even more effective as it further emphasises on what they are going through and highlights how small a place there in that they can catch it all on camera.




The costumes used by the characters and actors help to reinforce to the audience the fact that they are all superheroes and that the movie is a Marvel superhero comic based movie. Each costume is unique to each individual based on their comic counterpart. The location of the scene displays the carnage and destruction of New York city with fires and destroyed cars everywhere. This helped to create sense of planetary invasion that our heroes were fighting against. There is a very grand scene where the team takes out the biggest alien ship, there is an overture in the soundtrack and a circular pan shot shows how they all stand together to fight against the surrounding enemies, which creates an over all heroic feeling. The scene also uses iconic one liners such as "Hulk Smash" to relate to it's audience.




This is from the adventure movie Tomb Raider. In the beginning of the clip, you see a group of people with guns and also a stoned sculpture coming to life in this ancient Greek museum. This just shows that the whole movie is abnormal because no stone sculpture would ever come to life. Fast forwarding a little further, you would see the some stone sculpture picking up these gigantic swords to stop the main protagonist from shooting it. For some reason, the swords just went to him without him even picking it up which just shows how abnormal it is. All, at the end of the clip you see the protagonist jumping over another stone and jumping out of the building and then the other stone sculpture followed it out until it when into pieces.



The setting for this film is 1940s America, in the south. This is important for the set as it justifies the cotton and sugarcane fields that the slaves worked in. The opening shot of the film is notable not only for it's make up and length of time but also for its set. We are instantly placed into a sugarcane field with the slaves looking into the camera, at us. The tightness of the medium long shot is emphasised by the sugarcane surrounding the slaves who are bunched together. This reflects the crushing claustrophobia that is present throughout the film. We constantly see shots of Soloman trapped by the set; the small shared hut he sleeps in, the cotton fields. Even when Soloman finds himself in the ‘space’ outside the plantation, and we hope that he might escape, the set closes in around him, the tress towering over him and grabbing at him as he flees.

Lighting

 
The image depicts low key lighting and top lighting. The top lighting comes from above and it creates emphasis on the woman's features. Through this, the woman appears more glamorous. The low key lighting also creates a strong contrast of light and dark and easily helps to create dramatic shadows. Alternatively, the light coming from the top makes it look as if the light is coming from the sky and makes the scenario look almost angelic as if she is looking for aid. This could create religious allusions to her intentions.

The image uses high key lighting and top lighting. The use of the high key lighting depicts that the man is standing outside in a sunny day. The effect of this is that shadow is still created to highlight the man's sinister features but it also looks much more realistic rather than dramatic. The use of the top lighting also links into this as the lighting mainly comes from above, like the sun in the sky above. The usage of these lighting choices creates shadows under the man's eyes and chin which helps to accentuate his frown. This easily helps to give the man a villainous and scary look

The image shows the usage of under lighting and the use of high key lighting. The under lighting is evident as the lighting comes from below the subject and creates a sense of distortion and unrealism. This seems un-natural to the eye and easily helps to exaggerate the shock on the woman's face, this type of lighting is most commonly used in horror films which could be the reason for her apparent fright. The usage of the high key lighting is clear as there is the depiction of clear shadows behind the woman however there is not a huge contrast in light and dark so it is a very dimly lit scene which creates a sense of realism rather than drama.

The lighting used in this image is low key lighting and under lighting. The low key lighting helps to create strong contrasts of dark and light which creates dramatic shadows and in turn makes the stars look glamorous. However, the use of the under lighting is unusual as the lighting is normally used to create a distorted effect which is start contrast to the scenario present as they are both hugging each other romantically. This could make the audience question the intentions and thoughts of the man who looks confused and is holding a gun.

The use of lighting in this image is high key lighting and back lighting. The back lighting is when the light comes from behind the subject and creates a silhouette, this creates a sense of fear and mystery as the shadows help to hide the person and makes the audience ask questions as to the identity and intention of the character. Also the high key lighting is present as it is a very dimly lit scene which also means that it creates a sense of realism and makes the audience think that they are actually in danger.

The image depicts high key lighting and top lighting. The top lighting comes from above and it creates emphasis on the woman's features. Through this, there are shadows created below her face rather than actually on her face. The high key lighting also creates realism as it is used for dimly lit scenes, although shadows are created there are much else shadows presented. Alternatively, the light coming from the top makes it look as if the light is coming from the sky and makes the scenario look almost angelic as if she is looking for aid. This could create religious allusions to her intentions, especially considering she is holding her hands together and closing her eyes in prayer.

There is a use of under lighting and low key lighting. This means that the low key lighting creates an effect of chiaroscuro which means that there is a very big contrast of light and dark through the use of back and key lights. This creates a sense of unrealism and drama to the mise en scene. The use of the under lighting means creates a distorted effect as the light comes from underneath the object and creates shadows which creates an unsettling feeling which can be linked to the star's facial expressions.

In the image, there is a use of low key lighting and back lighting. The usage of the back lighting means that the source is behind the object or in this case the stars. This helps to create a silhouette and shadows in front of the stars or characters which very obviously helps to create mystery and leaves the audience asking questions. The use of the low key lighting will create very strong contrasts of the light and dark to create dramatic shadows which might suggest to the audience that the characters are hiding something and may not be trusted.

In this image, the lighting used is low key and top lighting. The use of the top lighting from above creates an emphasis on the man's determined features and facial expression. The low key lighting creates a very strong and dramatic contrast of light and dark to create intense shadows. The chiaroscuro makes the man look extremely heroic and determined, even slightly angelic as the lighting is very soft on his face and makes him glow. This easily helps to establish the fact that he is the protagonist.

In this scene, the lighting used is high key lighting. The use of the high key lighting makes the mise en scene very dimly lit and with a lot less contrast between light and dark. Through this, the scene is much more romantic and realistic which can appeal to the audience as it feels like a romance story that can happen to anyone. The lack of lighting also creates the moment much more intimate and private to the two characters.