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.