Film Language test learner response

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WWW- Some seriously impressive answers, well done! Your use of multiple paragraphs in Q1 + Q4 give you the depth to reach the higher levels.

EBI- Sound is weaker: not enough covered so revise this area. Also, make sure you stay focused on the question at all times.

LR- Re-write sound Q on your blog.

Learner Response

Sound

How does sound contribute to the atmosphere created in the opening scene?

Throughout the clip non-diegetic music is playing. The music playing is orchestral and atmospheric, this is parallel to the scene as it is it creates a sense of mystery and drama because it is eerie. In relation to this diegetic sound in the scene are louder and more exaggerated, this creates tense atmosphere as the man's death approaches. There are many sound effects that are exaggerated in this scene and an example of this is the man's shoes on the metal stairs. 

The dialogue in this scene also contributes to the atmosphere created in the opening scene. The both use whispering voices despite the fact that someone is about to be killed. The voices they used also matched the scene so this furthered the atmosphere that was created by using other media techniques. Finally at the end of the clip when the ship goes up in flames the non-diegetic music playing reaches crescendo. This is when music gradually increase in volume. The fact that the music reaches crescendo at the same time as the explosion tells us that the end of something has been signified.

Media Awards - Homework

Labrat

Labrat was one of my favorite media productions as it has an interesting story line and was well executed. When it comes to cinematography this clip uses many different types of shots to convey certain thoughts and ideas to the audience. The clip mainly uses close ups, medium close ups and  extreme close ups when filming the protagonist so that a connection is built between him and the audience. Also towards the end of clip there are quite a few extreme close ups of the science equipment the protagonist is using, this tells us that the experiments are a large part of the story and in addition to this the title of the clip adds to this theory. 

In terms of editing mainly two different types of transitions are used in this clip. As to be expected the main type of transition used is a straight cut however a fast pace fade to white is used multiple times. An example of this is when the protagonist is punched a fade to white is used to show that the character was knocked out. The pace of editing also speeds up towards the end of the clip when the protagonist is setting up the chemistry equipment. The majority of the clip, up until this point, has a very slow pace of transitions. This change of pace tells the audience not only that the experiments are a important part of the story but also that that point in time signifies the start of something big.

I also found the protagonist documenting what was happening by recording himself to be very creative and unique in comparison to other productions I saw. The mise-en-scene in the lab was also intriguing. The creators of this clips put a lot of effort into getting the chemistry equipment, a lab coat and colorful liquids which I believe was done well.

Tribulations

I also enjoyed Tribulations as it was also unique and was also edited really well. In reference to mise-en-scene the clip is shot in a sub-urban area, a park and inside a house. Almost all locations seemed secluded which I think was good as it needed to be to pull off a kidnapping. All the characters were also dressed to match their role, specially the man on the phone as he appeared to be the most important and therefore wore what seemed to be the most expensive clothing. 

The non-diagetic sound used throughout the clip was also creative and unique as it was parallel with almost every scene. However the diagetic sound of the man in the park sounded a bit unusual for some reason. There were very few diagetic sounds used in this clip, such as the phone ringing and putting keys down, most sound was either turned down to a low volume or was not heard over the non-diagetic beat that was used throughout the clip.

Once again this clip mainly consists of straight cuts. I believe that a fade was only used to fade to the title 'Tribulations' then used once again to fade back into the scene where the kidnapping occurred. 

A wide variety of shots was also used. I noticed many different ones such as long shots and close ups. As expected close ups are used for the victims brother while he is on the phone so a emotional connection is made between him and the audience. While long shots were used for the kidnappers so if something were to happen them then there would not be a large emotional impact.

Editing

Gladiator

The pace of editing at the beginning of this clip is very slow paced. The clip starts with a close up of Maximus however the camera spends fifteen seconds just on Maximus, despite another character speaking. This is done to emphasise the importance of the protagonist. This is then followed by two shots of gladiators Maximus is working with, they are both close ups. From this we can infer that these two characters, along with the protagonist, play a slightly larger role in the plot and from the use of close ups we can infer that an emotional connection is trying to be made with these characters specifically. A straight cut is then used to move the shot from Maximus to Cassius. The shot of Cassius is a low-angle shot, this shows the audience that he has more power in comparison to the gladiators below.

An eyeline match is then used when the chariot comes out from beyond the gate. First there is a shot of the gladiators looking to the left then there is a shot of where there are looking. From here the pace of the transitions begin to speed up. There are a lot of transitions now that they have started fighting. A dolly shot is also used, the camera moves around the Coliseum from the perspective of multiple audience members from what seems to be the second row. 

Straight cuts are used at a fast pace during the fighting. The transitions are moving from the gladiators to who they are fighting and the shots are mostly close ups. There is also juxtaposition used at one point where a man was just killed then a shot of the emperor smiling and laughing is shown. The shot of the emperor is after the man that was killed, this allows the audience to make the link that he his enjoying the thrill of gladiators killing. The majority of the clip is fast paced straight cuts during the fighting scene to help heighten the feel of the scene, creating more action. As the battle dies down the number and pace of transitions slow down dramatically so that the audience knows the battle is almost over. 

 

Cinematography

The clip I have chosen is the opening scene to the first movie of the Lord of the rings trilogy, The fellowship of the ring. There are a lot of interesting shots, angles and movements used in this clip, some standing out more then others. Firstly when the three elves inspect their rings a wide range shot of all three of them is taken. When it shows the seven dwarves receiving their rings the shot starts with an birds eye view of the rings which then slowly zooms out, as they reach in. Then it shows a close up of a dwarf holding a ring. It then pans to another shot of another dwarf holding the ring in the same way, also in a close up. When all seven dwarves hold up their rings a crane shot is used to move away from that scene. 

Slightly further along the clip there is a shot of Sauron forging the one ring of power. The shot of him is a low-angle shot, this creates a psychological effect that makes him look strong and powerful. Soon after this shot there is a zoom in on the ring of power as the inscription in Black speech appears. The extreme close up on the ring adds emphasis to its power and also tells the viewer that this ring will play an important role in the story. The next few shots are done in a unique way. To begin with there is a map of Middle Earth, which then becomes semi-transparent. The camera moves along the map while there are visible scenes of fighting behind the map. From this we are able to infer that different areas shown on the map have been under attack, over time.

During the battle scene there are very fast paced camera movements, this shows that the current scene is full of action. When Sauron appears a powerful shot is taken. Sauron is currently wearing the one ring of power so a high-angle shot is taken from almost the point of view of Sauron, while he is looking down on the Elf and Human soldiers. Next there is a extreme close up on the ring of power, while Sauron is wearing it, right before he takes down multiple soldiers with ease, from this we can easily infer that the source of his power is the ring. 

Towards the end of the clip Saurons fingers are chopped off by the kings son, using a broken sword. This shot is a low-angle shot from the point of view from the kings son to show that Sauron is more powerful. The camera is partially focused on the ring and the colour of the ring against everything else in this shot makes the ring really stand out. This almost forces the audience to focus on the ring as it clearly tells them that Sauron has lost his source of power.

Sound Task

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The clip I have chosen is from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, in this specific scene a dementor intercepts the train Harry is on. The scene opens with non-diegetic sound in the form of what sounds like violins. The use of the eerie high pitch violins connotes a feeling of fear within the viewer. Later on in the clip Ron places his hand on the trains window, it then starts freezing. The sound effect of the glass freezing is diegetic, this is made clear by the fact Ron looks at the window before the visual effect is within his peripheral vision. Next the train jerks and non-diegetic sound plays to break the silence for a few seconds. It then almost immediately comes to stop and what seems to be diegetic wind blows as the dementor emerges from around the corner. Similarly to the violins it is very eerie and creepy. When the dementor begins to open the train compartment, non-diegetic music starts playing and as the door to the compartment opens further the volume starts to escalate. The sound of the dementors hand on the door of the train compartment may also cause the viewer to feel anxious as the dementor has a bony hand which is similar to how most people view "the grim reaper", so the sound connotes fear based on this.

The fear of the characters in this scene is conveyed to the viewer in several ways, one being sound. When the dementor enters the train compartment Hermione takes a gasp, then her cat hisses at the dementor and then finally Rons rat squeaks at the dementor. As Harry passes out the sound of a train whistle is heard. There is one short whistle which is followed by a long whistle. The one short, one long whistle pattern has a code which means inspect the train. However to most viewers who do not know the code for train whistles their initial thought would be a journey has come to a end, which also leaves them anxious. Finally near the end of the clip a sound bridge is used. While the screen is still black from Harry passing out Hermione calls out his name before he regains consciousnesses. 

Film Poster Analysis

1) This movie looks as if it involves some sort of war, I came to this decision based mainly on the quote in the top right corner of the poster which reads; "Man has made his match... Now it's his problem". Based on this it is fair to assume that some sort of AI is involved, which is man-made. So I believe this movie is based on humans fighting off some sort of AI in a futuristic themed war. 

2) Based on the movie poster we can assume it belongs so the sci-fi genre. This is based off of a few factors such as the colour scheme used, the iconic white lights usually associated with UFOs as well as the shades of orange and yellow. However the female on the poster is fairly contradictory to the theme of the rest of the poster, this is because she has a hairstyle which was very popular in the 1960s, additionally she is smoking a cigarette which was also very popular in the 1960s.

3) I think the target audience for a film like this would be teens aged around the age of 16 to adults around the age of 40.

1) Based on the poster it is fair to assume that this film is about college students with a horror element however the quote at the top of the poster; "Absolutely Hilarious", tells us there is an element of comedy involved. The women next to the priest resembles the women from "The Exorcist". From this we can infer that this film is most likely a parody of one or more horror movies.

2) This movie gives us several signs that it is a horror, for example the name of the movie and the women next to the priest. However there are other signs which imply it has an element of comedy, for example the quote at the top of the poster and the priest's facial expression. 

3) The target audience for a movie like will mainly appeal to 15 year old boys however I believe that people aged 15 to around 28 may enjoy it.

1) Based on the poster I think this film is about a romance. The man is standing alone and isolated which could suggest that there maybe some kind of problem within the romance. The quote on the poster "Profoundly Beautiful" would further suggest the movie involves some kind of emotional distress to which the protagonist needs to overcome.

2) I think this is a romance film based on several factors. Mainly on the positioning of the character and the gloomy scene.

3) This movie would be very appealing to couples however I feel like it may also appeal to slightly more mature adults.

1) This poster does not give a lot away when it comes to trying to depict the plot or even genre. However I believe that it involves the boy shown in the poster seeing something terrifying, possibly in the hole from which the shot is taken. The name of the movie is "I'm Not Scared" and the boy on the poster is very young which could mean he is going to go on some kind of journey involving fear.2) I believe this film will have a thriller element to it as well as a sense of mystery. The title "I'm Not Scared" suggests that there will be a scary element to it but the rest of the poster does not give any signals it is a horror so that is why I thought thriller. The chose of camera angle also creates a sense of mystery as we as the people watching the film can merely see the boys reaction, not what he can see.3) With all things taken into consideration I believe the target audience is teens to adults around the age of 40.

1) The title of the film gives a large clue to what is involved. The title "Sin City" tells us there is crime involved to which we can then assume there is either a police officer, a vigilante or some sort of gang war involved in this movie. Also the dark colour scheme could mean that this is a dark movie which involves death and/or fighting. The fact that the females on this poster do not have weapons tells us this movie may label women as lesser.

2) Based on the poster I would guess that there are multiple genres. The men holding the guns would suggest this is an action film, the colour scheme and costumes would suggest this is the neo-noir genre and the title would suggest crime is also involved.

3) The target audience for this film will be 16-30 year olds. Due to the way women are portrayed it is more likely the target audience is male and the level of action would be aimed towards that age range.

1) The use of the Flintlock pistol and pirate ships tells us this is about pirates. However the real giveaway is the title "Pirates of the Caribbean". I think the plot is about the three pirates on the poster going on some sort of adventure most likely to find the "Dead man's chest". The male character on the left seems to be the dominant character as he is positioned in front of the other male character, additionally he is placed on the left and this is where the audience tends to look first. There is also some sort of sea monster on the poster and from my knowledge I would guess that it is the "Kraken".

2) This film is an action, adventure, swashbuckling and fantasy film. The monster on the poster tells us fantasy is involved while the title and gun tells us it is a swashbuckling film.

3) I believe the target audience for this film is teens to adults in their late 20s. 

1) Based on the poster I think this film is about a couple that was set up for an arranged marriage. This reasoning is furthered by the title "Bride & Prejudice" as prejudice involves preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Furthermore based on the characters and location I believe this is an Indian film and arranged marriages are a large part of their culture. So I think that the two main characters positioned at the front of the poster were set up for an arranged marriage but were very reluctant until they get to know each other. Also there two sides to the poster, on the left hand side the people in the background are wearing jeans and a top while the people on the right are wearing clothes from a different culture, this may lead to a catastrophe which could be humorous.

2) The quote at the top of the poster tells us romance is involved and the use of the word "funny" indicates humor is involved so this leads me to believe this film is a romantic comedy.

3) The target audience of this film would mainly be women in their mid 20s to late 40s as marriage and settling down is more likely to appeal to women of that age.

1) Based on the position of the female in this poster she appears to be the protagonist. She is also wearing what seems to be a sports bra. Also the man on the left is wearing boxing gloves so from this we are able to infer that the female is on some kind of journey involving boxing. The colour scheme and low key lighting tells us this is a very serious movie with a possibility of something dark occurring. Furthermore all the characters on the poster have very serious facial expressions which adds to this theory.

2) From the poster I would say this is a sport, adventure and thriller film. I believe that there would be a thriller element while the protagonist is fighting in the ring as boxing is a very dangerous sport which often results in injury.

3) Based on my theory of the plot and the poster I think that the target audience for the movie "Million Dollar Baby" would be both males and females aged around 23-40.