Representation of Gender- Grid notes

These are my notes from watching the clip from Doctor Who, which OCR has used to show how gender is being presented. This clip I felt was particularly effective in displaying the different genders, through the use of camera angles, sound, editing and Mise en scene. A very clear example of the way the clip showed how the man has more power is when he was shot from a low angle, to make him feel more powerful and big, whilst the girl was shot from a high angle to make her appear small and weak.  This was the first time we looked at an element of society and had to analyse a video clip, but I feel the task went well as I understood what was asked of us exactly.

Representation of Age- Grid notes

These are my notes from the 5 minute clip we watched in class from 'Monarch of the Glen', which was used to represent age. On every representation type, we need to take into account how the specific society element has been presented due to camera angles, sound, editing and the Mise en scene. The image shows my notes for the representation of age in the clip. I feel that this clip represented age well, as the conventions of young people was clear and fairly easy to pick out, along with older people and adults. This came down to things such as style of clothing, what they said, and how they reacted to situations, as shown on my grid of notes.

Group Discussion- Our initial and final idea(s) for our project

This is the discussion we had to talk about all of the current ideas we have thought of, and also to finalise our idea that we will carry forward and film for our project video. We talked about each idea, what was good with it, what was bad about it, and ultimately if we can make this in real life. We found out that our Heist idea was too unrealistic and would be very difficult to produce. Then we spoke about the crime film we thought of. But we said that us as teenagers, wouldn't make convincing criminals and also we would film it in black and white; however on screen this would not look right as gangsters are primarily associated with adults and older men, such as The Godfather. Then we spoke about our idea of the terrorist film. This is our final idea; because we believe we can actually film the things required for this idea and that is is realistic, and achievable. We have all got a good image of what we want to film, and how we will edit it to achieve our desired look.

Title sequences

A film can open in different ways. One way a film can open is using a title sequence. This will include a series of clips from the film, which have text overlaying the clips to showcase the people involved in the film. This is less common within Thriller films. They are more commonly opened with engaging shots and mise-en-scene to draw the viewers in, and make then intrigued as to what they are seeing.

The film Seven is a great example of title sequences that use a series of clips along with titles showcasing the credits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEq-4fua3lM

As you can see from the clip, director David Fincher has used a montage of seemingly disturbing images and content, along with well edited titles that are shaky and unstable. The use of these disturbing images and effective text gets the audience in an uncomfortable, chilling mindset. The tone of the title sequence furthermore establishes the tone for the whole film; the audience recognise these disturbing images and then can only assume the rest of the film will showcase similar things as such. This is primarily due to the intensity of the raw images; we can only expect the rest of the film to have the same elements as in the title sequence.


 




The other way films can open is by using engaging shots and settings, using establishing shots to give information to the viewer. There is no text in this opening; just engaging shots and footage of the characters involved in the film. An example of this is from 'The Dark Knight' and the opening scene is very effective and really does draw the audience in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYBEquZ_j0

As you can see from the clip, the opening to the film features a wide shot of a zoom in towards a building. The music playing behind this clip, and the whole scene, is very effective and provides tension and unease for the clip. The sound is escalating throughout the clip, which adds to the tension. There are a range of shots, including fast paced shots and editing, to give an overall fast paced opening that truly engages the audience. No text is needed in this sense, just an opening bank robbery scene that sets the tone for the film and to tell the viewers to be expecting a lot of crime elements in this film. The image from the opening is particularly effective as the prop of a clown mask the person is holding. This is a symbolical sign for fear, and just by the use of this mask the audience can expect to see something bad happen in the scene to come. Also the way the person is standing on his own at the street; it connotes that he's an outsider ready to do something bad.

The Mark scheme

We have been given a mark scheme for our coursework project. The mark scheme has all of the information and guidelines in it, so we know what we should be doing. There are specific guidelines for each sector of our coursework, such as the actual video and audio, the research and planning, and the evaluation.

Here are some of the guidelines given for the video section: 

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills: 

• holding a shot steady, where appropriate; 

• framing a shot, including and excluding elements as appropriate; 

• using a variety of shot distances as appropriate; 

• shooting material appropriate to the task set; 

• selecting mise-en-scène including colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting; 

• editing so that meaning is apparent to the viewer; 

• using varied shot transitions and other effects selectively and appropriately for the task set; 

• using sound with images and editing appropriately for the task set; 

• using titles appropriately. 

As you can see here, these are the level 3 requirements for the video. We will need to be able to hold a shot steady, using equipment such as tripods. This will make the video automatically look more professional as there is no shaky footage unless intended. We will also need to look our for our framing; deciding carefully what to include in the shot and what not to include in the shot. Also we are marked on our variety of shot distances; to make sure we don't only use close up shots for example, we need a wider array of shot types. Our mise-en-scène also needs to be considered, taking the colour, figure, lighting, objects and setting into account. We can't just film in any setting or area without justifying why; it needs to fit our specific genre. Editing will also be taken into account, meaning needs to be conveyed to the viewer. This means that we can't edit our video so that it doesn't make sense and seems erratic, it needs to be edited in a way that it makes sense and the viewer can understand and comprehend what's happening.We will also need to use varied shot transitions to engage the audience, and when it comes down tot titles, this will also need to be done. 

Here are some of the guidelines for the audio section:

There is evidence of proficiency in the creative use of many of the following technical skills: 

• recording voice(s) clearly in studio/confined setting; 
• recording voice(s) clearly in location/outdoor interviews/presentations; 
• accurately using language and register; 
• integrating recorded material, as appropriate; 
• editing and mixing sounds appropriately; 
• editing to create continuity and meaning; 
• integrating jingles, music, location sounds and sound effects, where appropriate. 

Audio is also very important in our video. We will need to produce and record professional audio to make our video more respectable; if we used in-audio sound on the camera the audio will be a lower quality and sound unprofessional. We will also need to take into account where we record the audio, such as indoors or outdoors. The language we say for our audio needs to be respectable; it's not good if we talk slang when it does not fit the film. The way we edit and mix the sound will have to be in time with the footage, also will have to match the correct footage, we will definitely loose marks if we have video that doesn't match the audio. 'intergrating jingles, music, location sounds and sound effects, where appropriate'. This will test us on our ability to mix different types of sound to achieve an effect. Using sound effects is important as they can either work or not work. So we must make sure any external sounds are appropriate and fit in with the video.

Here are the guidelines for the research and planning section:

• There is excellent research into similar products and a potential target audience. 
• There is excellent organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props. 
• There is excellent work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding. 
• Time management is excellent. 
• There is excellent use of digital technology or ICT in the presentation. 

The main thing with the research is to research into similar products and content, and then to utilise this research with our own planning and ideas. We will have to take into account the audience and their expectations of the Thriller genre, we will gain this knowledge using our research such as surveys. It will not be good if we make a 2 minute Thriller opening that doesn't include typical conventions and styles of thriller films, things which we can easily determine using our research.

What is a Thriller film?

As our coursework is to create a two minute opening to a thriller film, it's probably best to actually know what a thriller is.

Thriller films can be defined as films that create suspense, tension, excitement as the primary elements. These attributes work together to really draw the audience in, and make them glued to the screen with amazement; the tension doesn't allow them to turn their attention elsewhere. Thriller films particularly play with the audience's mood; such as making them feel anticipation, uncertainty, terror, anxiety and so on.

The main certain conventions of the thriller genre is things like quick camera cuts, tense and/or eerie music, complex characters, low levels of lighting, plot twists and an overall gritty, or unsettling tone. Thrillers can be seperated into sub-genres such as: crime thrillers, action thrillers, psychological thrillers, political thrillers and so on. These are all your typical thriller films but with a different overall direction; the substance of each sub-genre is different.

A prime example of a thriller film is Shutter Island. This films includes all of the conventions I have mentioned above,along with a clever plot twist. Thriller films also are made to challenge the viewers intellectually; and not spoon feeding them all the information. This film also just does that; it challenges as to how well they're paying attention and doesn't spoon feed them with information. As well as lots of eerie and tense music in the film, the tone of the film is very unsettling and impacts the audiences mood to make them feel anxious.