Loose Ends #3

i) Usually in an opening sequence there is an important incident. This could be a murder (Se7en), an escape (Mission: Impossible) or something being stolen. This incident will be the catalyst that sends the protagonist on their journey.There can also be the build up to an important event, such as in Legally Blonde.

Usually the protagonist or the villain are revealed to the audience in the opening sequence and so this will set the scene for the film ahead along with the event/s that take place.

ii) The opening sequence sets the scene for the film. This could be done by showing the main characters and through their actions and personality the audinece can see what will happen.

They also demonstrate to the audience what normal life (or equilibrium) is like before the disruption that happens in the film. This disruption may also take place in the opening sequence but doesn’t always. Often in films such as James Bond the event in the opening sequence is somehow linked to the main story, but this may not be revealed to the audience straight away. This helps build suspense.

iii) The audience is able to see the equilibrium in the film. By doing this they can see the contrast once the disruption occurs. Using Barthes’ theory (the enigma code), means that early mysteries are shown which will link to the ending of the film and so set up a surprise or twist for the audience.

iv) The makers of the film use opening sequences to show where and when the film will take place and therefore satisfying audience expectations of the film. They also use it so they can put in any extra information before the main plot begins that may be useful throughut the remainder of the fil and will probably tie in somehow.

Analysis of Rear Window using Barthes' Theory

Action/ Proairectic Code: He takes a phone call from his boss. This could lead to him doing a job and so the audience wonders what will happen.

The people around him are seemingly important as the director makes sure we see what they are doing e.g. there’s a man shaving across the road, a couple lying on a balcony, a woman doing exercise and school kids walking by. This gives the audience the impression something will happen involving one/ some of these people.

Semantic Code: The man is the main character. It is his view from which we see the film and so we know that the film will involve him and probably something that happens whilst he is in his wheelchair.

Enigma Code: Why did the man stand in front of a car and break his leg, is this important to the story? What is the job the editor wanted him to do that he mentioned over the phone? Why are the nearby people so important? Why does he have so many fashion magazines?

Referential Code: This is set in a city. This gives the audience an idea of the setting and the time period in which the story takes place. The director is Alfred Hitchcock so the audience can expect a film typical of him i.e. usually a crime and a storyline with twists and turns.

Symbolic Code: The cast and wheelchair represents broken leg, meaning he can’t walk. Since it is daytime and he is at home we know that he isn’t working, probably due to him being confined to a wheelchair. All the flats being together tells the audience that the film will most likely all take place here as it is possible to see everything form his position.

Levi-Strauss Theory: Analysis of "Pale Rider"

In “Pale Rider” there are many opposites between the cowboys attacking the settlement and the inhabitants that show they are against each other and furthermore, which side is evil:

Calmness of the mountains - The noisy urgency of the cowboys

Calmness of the settlement’s inhabitants - The noisy urgency of the cowboys

Fear of the inhabitants - Confidence and joy of the cowboys

Primitive tools of people e.g. bow and arrow - Guns of the cowboys

People’s disorientation - Cowboys’ composure

There are also the binary opposites of before and after the attack:

Organisation of the settlement - Disorder of the settlement afterwards

Noise of the attack - Silence afterwards

Sun before (positive connotations) - rain afterwards (bad connotations)

There are also differences between the town and the settlements that tell the audience that the town and the settlement are against each other (or the town is against the settlement):

Better quality buildings in town - shacks in the settlement

Culture in town - the settlement must pay in basic gold, nothing civilised like money

During the fight there are also clear opposites:

Peace of man - aggression of cowboys

Fists of man (loses) - Sticks (wins)

Saviour’s stick (wins) - Guns (loses)

Water - Fire

It is interesting that the sticks beat the man being attacked but once his saviour takes a stick he can still defeat the guns, even though they are better and more advanced.

Group 1C prelim

Group 1C Preliminary Sheets

Group 1C

Narrative Sequence Preliminary Evaluation

Preliminary Task Evaluation

1) I worked with Jess Ball, Winnie Cheung and Wanda Dunham.

During filming Wanda and Jess were actors, which meant that Winnie and I shared roles as camera operator and director or as sound technician (we would swap roles for each shot; we decided that one of us could double up as the assisant director which for our task would only involve holding up the board with the shot number). Since sometimes only one actor was needed in a shot, the other actor (Wanda or Jess) would instead take the camera operator and director (although we would all discuss how to frame the shot).

We all contributed to editing the film and came up with suggestions of how to fix or get around problems. However, Wanda was absent for the majority of editing, although she helped at the beginning.

Before the filming we decided that we should meet up during our free time in school and plan our script, storyboard and shot list.

2) In order to plan our sequence we first had to come up with an idea; one girl would walk into a classroom and ask the other if they could borrow some lip gloss, although she wouldn’t let her because she had a cold sore.

During our meeting we all contributed towards a script and then discussed the storyboard and how each shot was going to be framed and whether there should be any camera movement, for example a pan. Wanda drew this storyboard. To do this we used ideas such as match-on-action (when shooting Jess opening the door), action-reaction (during the conversation), eyeline matching (during the conversation) and used the 180 Degree rule as well as use of shot order (LS to MS to CU) throughout the filming. From our storyboard we were able to construct our shot list.

This task involved us using theories such as storyboarding, camera skills, sound effects and construction of a narrative and continuity sequence.

3) During filming we used a Canon HV video camera (which used a Mini DV tape format) to shoot the sequence and had a tripod on which to rest it. In order to get a high enough sound quality we used a shotgun microphone attached to the top of the camera and headphones, which we used to listen to the sound during filming so that we could tell whether their voices were audible enough or whether there was any background noise.

The software we used to edit the film was Adobe Premier Pro which was adequate for our needs. This involved source monitors and output monitors so we knew which clip we were using and what the finished sequence would look like. In order for us to tell where our clips were and their order we dragged the clips onto two video tracks so that we could place the clips alternately on different tracks so it was more visibly clear. We then cut the length of the clips using the razor tool (this was especially useful when arranging the conversation since we had to separate each characters lines from one clip. It also allowed us to import titles from the title software in Premier Pro which we used at the beginning which contained our names and the title of our sequence. The only effect we used was a Fade at the end of the sequence to signify the end.

4) When planning we mostly took into account the 180 Degree rule since we were filming in a classroom and so we had to think were to position the camera. During filming we came across problems such as where to put the furniture in the classroom so that we would have enough space to film a LS in the classroom, asking other groups to be quiet so that we could film without any background noise and also how to do a pan of Jess entering the room seeing as the camera would be too high when she sat down next to Wanda. We overcame these difficulties and during editing we had to decide which shots to use and when to cut each shot in order for the narrative to flow realistically.

5) I think our sequence was successful in the fact that we did lots of things right. We took into account the 180 Degree rule and the sound quality was very good; there was no background noise and very little camera shake (only during the pans). The conversation was well edited so that the narrative flowed well and the audience might well be watching a real conversation. Also, we executed the match-on-action well (when Jess opened the door) as the door was in the same place from both angles.

There were also bad points about our sequence. We didn’t have any CUs which meant that there wasn’t a wide range of camera shots and as a result the audience may not feel as if they are interacting with the story. If we were to do it again I would have a CU on Jess’ hand as she opens the door (we originally had a MS of this but the camera position was too similar to the shot before it and it looked as if the camera had jumped; this didn’t follow the 30 Degree rule). Also, at the beginning of the conversation between the two girls the sequence appears to jump between Jess sitting down and ask the conversation. To rectify this, we should have shot the whole sequence from over Wanda’s shoulder. This would mean that we would have an option to lengthen or shorten the LS pan and the OTS.

6) During this task I’ve learnt how to edit film to make a narrative sequence flow and how to master the action-reaction shots and the match-on-action. This will help me when editing a much longer narrative sequence later as i have more of an idea of when to cut the film and will probably be able to do it a lot faster than I could before.

From my mistakes, I now know to film the parts before and after the shot I want from the same angle as this will make it easier to edit and I will have more options when creating a match-on-action. Again, when filming a longer sequence this will be useful, especially during fast-paced scenes.

The Lion King

Our board game, based upon the narrative of The Lion King roughly follows Propp’s narrative structure. We tried our best to incorporate parts of his theory into the game and also contemplated why we couldn’t use others.

Propp says that the characters also serve the narrative and help it to move along. For example, the story begins when the hero, Simba, is born. His father’s death by Scar (the villain) can be thought of as the dispatcher that sends the hero on his way. Scar also features in the board game, his actions result in the players having to move back spaces as he is an obstacle. His other role may be interpreted as the anti-hero because he wants to be the lion king instead of Simba, the rightful heir. Rafiki can represent the donor; he donates his wisdom and advice instead of an item. Timon and Pumba are the helpers along the journey; in the game they take him over the bridge that allows the player to skip spaces on the board. The princess is Nala, Simba’s childhood love, who he marries at the end of the game. This means that we have put seven of the eight character types into our game, the missing one being the princess’ father who doesn’t really feature in the story.

Vladmir Propp’s functions (31 in total) were taken into consideration when making the borad game. Of course it was too dificult ro put them all in the game but we added as many as we could so tht the theory would fit into our board game. Since we had to do this it is clear that not all of his fundtions apply to The Lion King and so it is not entirely true. However, some feature in almost all stories. In particular, the fourth sphere doesn’t feature much seeing as Simba is already home and he has already defeated Scar (as mentioned in the third sphere). Only “True hero recognised” and “Hero marries and ascends throne” apply to The Lion King.

Dead Man's Chest Narrative Structure

In Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man’s Chest the equilibrium is carried over from the last film where William and Elizabeth have fallen in love and Jack Sparrow has escaped. The equilibrium should continue that Elizabeth and William get married and they live a normal life.

However, the disruption arrives in the form of their arrest on their wedding day for helping Jack to escape. This means they’re going to be put to death. It is also mentioned that Jack Sparrow is also wanted for arrest and so the rest of the film will probably involve them trying to escape the noose whilst Jack tries to evade the authorities.

This follows Todorov’s theory seeing as the equilibrium is disrupted at the start of the film. However, it’s slightly unconventional because the disruption is at the very beginning and the equilibrium was in fact a false equilibrium at the end of the previous film.

Dead Man's Chest Opening

Opening Sequences for Ms Dymioti

Sequence Deconstruction

Deconstruct the sequence, focusing your analysis particularly on the specific continuity techniques used to make the sequence flow and make sense.

There are 3 different camera shots used in this sequence: A Wide Shot, A MS of the door where Moss is standing and a MS of Roy and Jen standing together. The wide shot is the master/ establishing shot and has now shown us that Moss will be on the right of the screen and Roy and Jen will be on the left. This works as throughout the scene because Moss is looking towards the left of the screen, which symbolises that he is talking to the other two. This means that the director has taken into account the 180 degree rule. Even though the MS of them is straight on, Roy and Jen are speaking to somebody off-screen on the right. This makes the conversation flow well, the use of match-on-action working since the camera is always on the person talking, and they are facing the person off screen. At the end of the sequence when Moss walks out of the door the camera pans as if to follow him (even though he is on the other side of the wall). We can see Jen from behind now which adds to the audience’s knowledge of where everybody is.

The IT Crowd - Series 3 - Episode 6 - Back From Holiday

Evaluation on Accident video

1. What did you think was the point to the activity?

The point was mainly to learn how to construct a clear and understandable narrative flow, meaning that we had to use a variety of camera shot and signifiers in our sequence to show the audience what was happening. However, it also meant that we learnt new rules from this exercise, for example the 180 degree rule which will help us when we do work later on. This activity was the first step on the way to producing and narrative sequence.

2. In regard to your finished sequence, what worked well?

I think that the first few shots of our sequence were good. We began with an establishing (or master) shot that showed the setting and what was happening. The next few shots were also done well; however, the ending wasn’t produced so well. We used a variety of shots that would normally be used in a narrative flow. We also made things obvious to the audience, achieving this by making sure that they could see the action take place. We didn’t break any of the basic rules of filming.

3. What would you aim to improve about your sequence?

I think that the ending of our piece was ruined by us beginning and ending filming at the wrong time. This meant that the sequence was broken up and the last two shots were harder for the viewers to understand as a result of this. The final shot was supposed to be of me lying on the ground looking unconcious dead. However, this obviously became unclear because of the shot before. In future we must be more careful when filming and make sure that we all know what we are doing before we shoot (especially since we only had one chance at getting this right). Also, I think that we should have made each shot slightly longer. Our sequence was fast paced, something unnecessary for this type of sequence, and this could be rectified. By doing this we would be able to make sure that the audience have the time to see things on the screen and take everything in.

4. What did you learn from doing this activity?

Each shot must be done in order to fit in with the style we are trying to convey i.e. we shouldn’t use fast paced action shots when doing an activity like this. I think that we made use of the wide shot well. I’ve also learned about the 180 degree rule (only shoot a narrative from one side of the action or else it may disorientate the viewers) and the 30 degree rule (the camera must move at least 30 degrees between shots in order for the camera work not to look shaky or jumpy).

12C Group 1 Accident - My video

DYM HOMEWORK feedback

Well done Jacob. This is an excellent analysis of the two sequences. Your comparison is accurate, pertinent and thoughtfully composed.

Ms Dymioti homework - Comparison

A Comparison of Two Opening Sequences

The types of shots used in the two sequences are similar and are used in a similar way. At first, the main characters’ faces aren’t revealed. This builds suspense. The shots used a MCUs, often on their necks dow till their waists. In Legally Blonde, It begins with an out of focus CU on the back of her head that closely comes into focus to see her combing her hair. In Se7en, there is a LS of him in the kitchen but he has his back to us and is slightly out of focus. He only turns to the camera when he is close enough so his head is out of shot. Morgan Freeman is revealed a lot sooner though. A tilt shot is used so you can see from his feet until his head slowly comes into shot. However, in Legally Blonde there is two minutes of build-up until she shows her face to the camera.

The mood is completly different in thw two films however. In Legally Blonde you get the idea that it is going to be a happy feel-good film. This is because of the cheerful music in the background (including the words “Perfect Day” over and over again), as well as the courful mise-en scene and laughing people. The weather also has connotations of happiness - it is warm and sunny. In Se7en there is no background music. The setting is either at night or on a rainy day. The colours used are either a pale grey or darker coulours (especially in the crime scene).

We can learn a lot about the narrative and the difference between the main characters in each film from the opening scenes. In Se7en, Morgan Freeman plays a policeman who has been partnered with a new detective (played by Brad Pitt). In this film, they have seven days to catch a killer. I guess this because: the film title is Seven, in the dialogue Morgan Freeman says that he is leaving his job in seven days and just after the credit the wird “Monday” apperas on-screen as if it is a diary of the week. In Legally Blonde, she is preparing to go to her party to celebrate her (I guess this because she is preparing and in the card it mentions the words “Good luck”) but seeing as a film cannot be about perfection I’m sure there’ll be a disruption in the narrative. The characters are complete opposites: Morgan Freeman is a middle-aged man who likes things to be perfcet and so probably likes to solves his cases perfectly (we can tell this from the way he dresses and how his bedroom is laid out). In contrast, Reece Witherspoon is a young woman who has a very messy bedroom and takes alot longer to get dressed. He annoys others aorund him and colleagues whilst she appears to be loved by all.

BLK hwk feedback

An impressive evaluation Jacob, in all respects. Well written using a good standard of terminology, including some technical terms. Very thorough and reflective.

Don't forget to post your still to complete the task.

A great start!

media homework 16.9.09

1) The shot is a High Angle MS of a man sitting by a wall. He is wearing a black hooded jacket and has light shined upon him. His face is in half-darkness and he’s looking sternly at the camera. The brick wall behind curves.

The High Angle makes it seem as if he’s vulnerable and has just been caught/ arrested. This is supported by the torchlight shone upon him. The black hoodie has connotations of evil, not only because of it’s colour but also the hood makes it seem as if he (the killer) want to hide his face and adds an air of mystery to him. His face being in half-darkness often symbolises that he has secrets (this is enhanced by the hood) but also can make him look evil. The curved wall effect makes the shot seem more manic and crazy, which reflects the killer’s ideas and thoughts.

2) The lighting was the most difficult part of this composition. To do this we turned off all the lights in a corridor before using the pag light to shine across the actors face. The shadow of the hoodie made this shot look very sinister. The camera was positioned low down (dismounted from the tripod) since the subject was sitting on the ground.

3) I think this shot reflects the evil, madness and mystery of the killer. The evil is shown through his face, the dark hoodie and his shadow against the brick wall. The madness is shown through the curved brick wall that looks distorted and unreal. The mystery of who this killer is is reflected through the hood and his face half covered in shadow; you cant fully see his face.

4) Firstly, the brick wall wasn’t as intentional as it seems. I think if we were to do this we could rearrange his hood so we can see different parts of his face whilst also covering other parts with shadow (I take blame for this, this was part of my job). I also think this could have been improved if we were to show part of the ground as you can’t see it in this shot and so you are unaware of where his legs are and how high up he is.