Definitions


Camera Shots


Extreme close up - can show the expression/emotion of the character.


Close up - where the subject fills the frame. Shows face.

Medium close up - chest upwards - more of their physique/costume.


Medium shot - waist upwards - see their costume and some emotions.

Medium long shot - where the subject and setting are in equal proportion. Normally knee upwards.

Long shot - see whole person and some setting.

Establishing shot - setting fills the frame - usually used to set the scene.

High angle shot - shows power of person.

Low angle shot - person is vulnerable - looking up at someone.

Aerial shot - birds eye view - usually a helicopter.

Crane shot - camera positioned on a crane - gives a sweeping movement to the shot.

Point of view shot - through subjects eyes.

Wide shot - show a subject within an environment.

Two shot - shot that shows two people within a proximity.

Pans - camera moving left to right or right to left.

Tilts - camera moving floor to sky or sky to floor.


Hand held - camera work gives a sense of uneasiness.

Forward tracking - moving forward

Reverse tracking - moving backwards




180 degree rule - this is a guideline used in film making that states two characters in the same scene shoulds always have the same right/left relationship to each other. An imaginery axis is drawn between the two characters that shouldn't be crossed.


Match on action - a technique used that is a cut that connects two different views of the same action at the same moment in the movement. By carefully matching the movement across the two shots, it seems that the motion continues uninterrupted. For a real match on action, the action should begin in the first shot and end in the second shot.

Personal analysis of my continuity piece


I am in a group of three, consisting of Tom, Ismail and myself. Our continuity piece of coursework was to produce a short clip showing we understood some basic rules of filming and using cameras. These were;

• Being able to set up the tripod and the camera.
• Use different types of camera angles including shot reverse shot.
• Not to break the 180 degree rule.
• To show a match on action in our clip.

Ismail worked as the director and was in charge of the camera as he has more experience than me and Tom as he has already completed a year of media. Me and Tom were the actors and concentrated on how we were going to show the rules of filming in our clip. We did this by producing a storyboard which can be seen on another post in this blog.

We made some mistakes at the start as when we were recording seperate clips we were pausing the camera to watch the clip back. This was affecting the recording as when we then started to record another scene, all the scenes were getting jumbled up and being lost. We came to realise this problem though and conquered it by recording our entire clip without playing anything back. This cost us valuable time though and next time we will learn from this mistake as we have deadlines and may be short on time. Our clip showed we have a good knowledge of a wide range of camera shots and they were used effectively in our short narrative. We also filmed our clip without breaking the 180 degree rule and constructed our match on action perfectly so we are pleased with our performance.

We did most of our filming in an empty classroom so there was no problem with people getting in the way of the camera. Overall we as a team are happy with our piece of coursework and are confident of getting positive feedback off our teacher and fellow classmates.

My groups questionnaire

1. How old are you?


2. What gender are you?


3. What is your favourite genre out of horror, thriller and romantic comedy?


4. What do you enjoy about this genre?


5. Do you enjoy horror movies?


6. What do you enjoy about horror movies?


7. What is your favourite horror sub genre?


8. Where do you usually watch horror movies, cinema or home?


9. What type of characters do you expect to see in a horror movie?

Textual analysis for a romantic comedy


Hitch


The opening scene of Hitch involves a narration from Will Smith who is "hitch" in the film. He is narrating, along with background music of the song Wonderful World by Sam Cooke.


The scene begins with a woman waking up in bed and Hitch saying "no woman wakes up saying... God I hope I don't get swept off my feet today". The music also kicks in which is very jolly, romantic music. This sets a happy tone to the film right from the start and makes the audience smile and think of happy thoughts. Hitch then goes on to say what women say and then what they actually mean; he is educating men and teaching them not to give up on women they love just because they think the woman is giving off different messages. At the start of the clip the audience are intrigued as to who the narrator is and why he is telling us these things. The audience naturally begin to think what this person could look like and then half way through the clip, Hitch is introduced to us as he carries on what he is saying. Most of the sound in the scene is non-diagetic, for example the music and the narration of Hitch; but there are also ambient sounds of cars in the street and the lift in the hotel and the dog barking.


The first shot we see is a close up of a woman waking up in bed, this shot fits in with the narrative. It then cuts to a close up of a woman talking with a smile on her face, this makes the audience wonder why she seems so happy. It then cuts to a long shot to show us she is talking to a man who both seem very happy, while what we presume is her daughter is picking sweets in the shop. These are just examples of what we naturally consider to be romantic meets and love at first sight scenarios. The next part shows a woman walking down the street and in a medium shot she turns round to smile at the hotel worker, this is also in slow motion. This is used to empathise the fact she turned around and smiled so the audience notice she is very interested and made the effort to attract the mans attention. Throughout the scene numerous close ups are shown, this is to show the emotions on their faces and the happiness. When Hitch is walking out of the hotel the camera is reverse tracking him, this is to once again reiterate the fact he is talking to us as an audience and no-one else.


The mise en scene in the clip is excellent in creating a sunny, happy atmosphere. All the costumes are very bright and colourful and give off no sign of dullness. The lighting is also very bright and the weather is nice. If it was raining outside it wouldn't give off the same effect of being a typical romantic comedy.


The editing is just an average paced editing. It's not too fast because it doesn't want to give off an exciting, thrilling theme but at the same time it's not slow because it doesn't want the audience to get bored.


In conclusion the opening scene of Hitch is very successful in creating a romantic comedy mood. It's bright, colourful and has used all the right techniques in getting the audience involved.

Thrillers


The thriller genre can be split up into various sub genres, for example there are;

• Action thrillers - often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence and guns and explosions. Examples are - James Bond and the Jason Bourne films.


• Crime thriller - film focused on crime, whether it be success or failure. The film often concentrates on the criminal rather than the policeman. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases and shootouts. Examples are - The Godfather, Seven and Reservoir Dogs.


• Disaster thriller - Main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes and volcanoes. Examples are - Stormy weather and The day after tomorrow.Thrillers are characterized by fast paced, exciting action. Quick editing and different ranges of camera shots put the audience on the edge of their seats and in suspense. Low angle shots are very effective in thrillers as the audience feel vulnerable and intimidated by the characters.
  

  The music used in thriller movies is always fast paced; often violins and pianos are used as they create tension for the audience. These sounds are put together with a montage to prepare the audience for something to happen and some excitement.

  Thriller movies provide the audience with a thrill by cliff-hanging the film - "keeping the audience on the edge of their seats" as it builds towards it climax. The film is usually evolved around a hero trying to save the world or their family and beating the villain in a fascinating finale.
  
  
  


• Drama thriller - The story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve character development and plot twists to a greater deal. Examples - The interpreter and the illusionist.


• Erotic thriller - Has become popular since the 1980's, examples are - Basic instinct and eyes wide shut.


• Spy thriller - The hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against terrorists. Examples are Mission Impossible and The Bourne Identity.
  

According to a poll on internetmoviedatabase.com the top 10 thriller films are;

1. The Godfather (1972)


2. The Godfather part 2 (1974)


3. Pulp fiction (1994)
   
4. The Dark Knight (2008)
   
5. Rear Window (1954)


6. Fight Club (1999)


7. Physcho (1960)


8. The Usual Suspects (1995)


9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)


10. The Matrix (1999)
    

Textual Analysis for 3 horror films


Halloween (2007 remake)

The opening scene of Halloween begins with an establishing shot of the Myers home. We then fade through the window to an extreme close up of Michael Myers holding a rat close to his face. It then cuts to an extreme close up of just the rat, this is empathising the rat so the audience know the rat could be incidental in the scene. It then cuts into the kitchen where the man and woman are arguing and the camera is shot reverse shot. It also keeps cutting to a close up of the baby while they argue, this is to show the audience that the children had no hope in this family and this is how they were bought up as the parents continually argue and swear showing no attention to the child. Then the eldest daughter walks in and the camera shoots shot reverse shot between the daughter and the mom and the daughter and the moms boyfriend. The main focus is now on the daughter for the few minutes she is in the room. When it cuts upstairs to Michaels room it shows a low angle shot of Michael, this shows the audience that already Michael is in a position of power over us. The camera then cuts to an extreme close up of the knife Michael is washing, this is so the audience see the blood that he is washing off it. The audience are made to think where the blood has come from, which is when the audience remember the rat from the beginning and realise it is no longer there. Right from the beginning the audience are made aware that young Michael Myers is a killer. At the end of the clip we are in a point of view shot of the stepdad as he tells Michael to take the mask off, Michael just moves his head and ignores him. This shows the audience the hate Michael has for his stepdad. It is then changed to a close up of Michaels face as the stepdad rips the mask of his face, this is to show us the anger in Michaels face as it happens.

The sound at the beginning of the scene is all diagetic. We hear the radio coming from downstairs in the kitchen when the camera is showing Michael stroking his rat. We can also hear the rat squeeling as the camera has an extreme close up of it. When the camera cuts to downstairs with the mom and stepdad, the radio becomes louder. This is so it is realistic because obviously the radio would be louder in the kitchen than upstairs in the bedroom. The camera then cuts to a close up of the eggs being poured into the pan, we can hear the sizzling of eggs hitting the pan, this is an ambient sound. As the mom and stepdad begin to have a conversation and argue the sound of the radio goes off; this is so the audiences attention is solely on the dialogue between the mom and stepdad. At the end of the scene as the stepdad grabs the mask off Michaels face and they argue, their voices are drowned out by the crying of the baby. This empathises to the audience of how the children are treated in this family and that even though the baby is crying so loudly it is just ignored.

The editing is a normal pace because in the opening of this film there are no horrific moments; Rob Zombie allows the audience to get to know Michael Myers and his reasons for becoming a murderer. This then allows Rob Zombie to make the editing quicker later on in the film when Michael Myers is about to kill.

The opening scene to this film is not common for a horror film. It uses no special effects, no non-diagetic music to build up to a tense scene and no fast movement or editing. It does though allow the audience to create a relationship with murderer Michael Myers and understanding his reasoning for the way he is.




Saw 2

The opening clip of Saw 2 begins with a point of view shot looking up at a bright light bulb. The bulb is almost too bright to look at which straight away gives the audience a sense of uneasiness. The camera then starts to move around looking in all different directions because the person is starting to panic, we as the audience start to question his whereabouts and what has happened to him. After a couple of suspenseful seconds the camera reverse tracks to reveal that he is trapped in a dark room, with a trap locked around his head. It suddenly hits the man that he is in extreme danger and he screams, we see a high angle shot looking straight down into the victims face. This high angle shot shows the mans weakness and that he has no control over this situation what so ever. Just before the victim dies when the trap shuts on his face, there is a 360 degree pan at a quick pace. This is showing the audience how he is desperately trying to escape from all angles and preparing us for a climax so the camera can then slow down again.

Throughout the scene we see numerous montages. A lot of clips fade in and out very quickly of the x-ray showing him where the key is in his eye and his actual face which looks extremely frightened. There is also non-diagetic sound which adds to the quick pace of the montage and creates tension. As the montage stops we hear the diagetic sound of the clock starting to tick; we know he is in a race against time and are scared for him and on the edge of our seats.

The editing throughout the clip is fast, especially when they show a montage where it is extremely fast. This prepares the audience for a fast paced film filled with tension and excitement.

The room is very dark except for the lightbulb above the mans head. This creates a spotlight over him so we know as the audience that the man is the only thing we need to be paying attention to in the clip.

The opening clip of Saw 2 uses many of the usual conventions of a horror film. It uses dark lighting to create tension and fast editing to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. It's use of montage is also very effective in creating a strong opening to the film. In conclusion I think Saw 2 has a strong and effective opening to the film. It keeps the audience in suspense and prepares them for what to expect from the rest of the film.





The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

As the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films are based on true events, this film begins with facts about the "cannible family". The information is not only shown on the screen but it is read out to make it more creepy and to make sure the audience pay attention. The man who is performing the narration has a very manly and intimidating voice; this prepares the audience to be shocked and amazed by what is seen in the film. When this narration ends it goes into the credits, the background is black and the credits are in red writing. These colours symbolise evil and danger; there is also non-diagetic music being played, the sound of a piano then a violin create an eerie beginning to the film.

The music is then changed but stays non-diagetic, a rock song is now being played but it could be coming from the car radio. We are then confused by the odd start to the film, it is broad daylight and a man is firing bullets at signs whilst driving down the road. He is also wearing very strange glasses. This makes the audience ask themselves, is this normal in Texas? The camera then goes to a 2 shot of the driver and the man with the gun, they are drinking beer which solves the audiences question about their behaviour. As the man is firing bullets out of the window we are at a slight low angle shot, this could symbolise that the man has more power than us and could be a threat throughout the rest of the film.

The editing is just of a normal pace throughout the scene, and cuts from the men in the car to the radio woman numerous times. This is to make the audience think there is some sort of connection between the two; because of the slow pace of the editing we do not think something horrific is going to happen.

When the men see the car coming in the opposite direction we know they are going to do something. The audience aren't expecting anything horrific though as no usual horror conventions are used. If something were to happen, usually in a horror it would be dark and eerie non-diagetic music would be played and the editing would become very fast. But this isn't the case as we have a point of view shot of the men in the car and then a point of view shot of the van coming in the opposite direction. The audience are then proved right when the van steers off road but nothing dangerous or horrifying occurs.

In conclusion The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 has an unusual opening for a horror film. It is set in the daytime and is very bright and colourful. There are no shocking moments or suspenseful moments. As this is based on true events it could have been done on purpose to show the audience that what happened isn't normal. It could be trying to prepare us for strange things to happen and things we wouldn't expect.