film and tv language: INDEX

FILM POSTER ANALYSIS

• FILM POSTER ANALYSIS

MISE-EN-SCENE BLOG TASKS

• MISE-EN-SCENE BLOG TASKS

STAR PERSONA + FEEDBACK

• STAR PERSONA VIDEO WITH FEEDBACK
• MISE-EN-SCENE FEEDBACK

LIGHTING BLOG TASKS

• FILM NOIR RESEARCH
• STILL IMAGE ANALYSIS

SOUND BLOG TASKS

• SOUND ANALYSIS
• SOUND PRACTICAL WITH FEEDBACK

Sound; Analysis

Sound Analysis: Find a film clip that uses sound in an interesting way, analyse the use of sound

This clip is from Atonement (2007), Dir. Joe Wright

- This extract contains strong language -

This clip uses sound in an interesting way since this scene includes a cinematic transition of sound from diagetic to non-diagetic sound in the form of the typewriter. This excerpt begins with the character typing up her story on the typewriter, the rhythmic taps seamlessly blending into the film score as she leaves her room in pursuit of someone or something. This is a clear example of sound being used in a parallel context as both the typewriter sound effects and the film scores, quick pace and romantic tone fit the themes and conventions of the genre. The typewriter acts as a starting point and goes against the cliche opening sounds for Romance films whereas the soft film score acts as an ambassador for the conventional romance feel. The content of this scene is substantial to the plot and the diagetic sound supports the beginning of the story both metaphorically and physically and it's transition into non-diagetic sound could perhaps symbolise how the other characters become unaware of the story that is being written and its fictitious reality despite what they believe. The sound hints at both the genre and plot and perhaps acts as a character marker for Briony, who's 'stories' are a plot device within the narrative. 

Sound; PRACTICAL + LEARNERS RESPONSE

60 SECOND SOUND VIDEO; PARALLEL AND CONTRAPUNTAL

For this practical I partnered with Tamzin to create a montage that was 50:50 parallel and contrapuntal sound. Parallel sound is sound which fits the images on screen, we decided to go with a classic romantic ballad and images of many infamous romantic scenes from movies. Then for Contrapuntal we decided to go with a high intensity, mature scene and childish and upbeat music. The contrast creates a shock to the audience and is atypical to the conventions of crime movies.

LEARNERS RESPONSE + FEEDBACK

TEACHERS RESPONSE:

• Great selection of clips with a perfect track for parallel. Lovely pace to the editing and the clips fitted together extremely well.
• Contrapuntal is trickier - I can't decide if it works as contrapuntal or not... it's clearly not a normal action movie soundtrack but I'm not sure it takes the audience to a totally different place. One to reflect on!
• Not quite met the brief but extremely entertaining and well put together

STUDENT RESPONSE

• Parallel sound was perfectly placed - Really effective
• Good timing
• Met the brief really well
• Videos well selected
• Contrapuntal worked - gave comedic effect
• Clear switch between parallel and contrapuntal 
• Contrapuntal music timing and beat sort of fits with videos
• Contrapuntal seemed too comedic with video
• Needs to fit brief - with one soundtrack

SELF REFLECTION

WWW:

• The editing in the first half went really well and presented the understanding of parallel sound extremely well
• I really enjoyed the music choices for our scenes, there's a clear contrast in the images and sound
• We were really close to the brief time of 1 minute.

EBI:

• If we met the brief of one song, two sets of images
• Contrapuntal sound could have been more explicit and clear, it was much more ambiguous in our video
• Maybe if the second half was edited in the same way as the first, the transition would have been cleaner.

Personally, I would've liked to have had the same cinematic feel of the video as many of the others in the group had, i'd like to have also had the synergy of images to sound as Amber and Casey's parallel had and i think this could've been a more clean cut and well edited video to portray our understanding of sound. 

lighting: still image analysis

The numbers correlate to the images on the film powerpoint slides 33-37.

1.

• This picture demonstrates the use of high key lighting since you can see both sides of her face it suggests a filler light is being used although the lighting is ambiguous as it carries the film noir feel usually achieved by low key lighting
• The key light is coming from the actors left, the filler light is coming perhaps from the front/right in order to keep the shadows present but also add a realistic touch to the photo.
• This style of lighting allows the character within the still to be interpreted as a femme fatale type. The shadows suggest she's an anti-hero (a good side (side you can see) and a bad side (side that is shadowed))

2. 

• This picture demonstrates the use of low key lighting seen through the theatrical shadows and over exaggerated lighting of the actors face.
• The key light is coming from above the actresses face, and facing downwards accentuating her features and achieving a more glamorous countenance.
• This style of lighting allows the actors features to be exaggerated but also is a common technique used in movies to allow actors to appear more glamorous and 'picture perfect'. It also makes the actor appear as a dominant focus and gives her an essence of importance.

3. 

• This picture uses high key lighting since the photo is extremely realistic, and you can see all aspects of the actors face however there are some shadows under the eyes and chin but the natural lighting and realistic finish imply high key lighting.
• The key light is coming from straight ahead, however the filler light is coming from above near the right which would help create the deliberate shadows on the actors face.
• This lighting technique provides an austere and dominant personality to the character as well as having a regal subtext since the shadows highlight the strong features of the actors face but still keep the realism of a typical photograph.

4. 

• This still is an example of low key lighting seen through the exaggerated shadows on the actors face and ambiguity of the details on the costume excluding the gun.
• I think the key light is coming from the actors right which accentuates shadows on his left however there is obvious light on the gun hinting that a filler light was used however the ambiguity of detail and extremity of shadows supports the low key lighting conventions
• This technique creates a villainous and mysterious character for the actor, with the highlight of the gun suggesting violence or the guns importance for the narrative. The shadow suggests there's 'more to meet the eye' and highlights the actors lack of a sunny disposition. 

5. 

• This photo is an example of of high key lighting however the use of shadow is conventional to the horror genre.
• The key light is coming from straight on however the filler light is perhaps in the form of under lighting which allows the shadow created to be realistic but apparent.
• It creates an effect that the character is in danger but leaves the villain/cause in the 'shadows' so to speak. The face being brilliantly lit amplifies the countenance whilst the shadow creates a mystery about the situation.

6.

• This photograph is an example of high key lighting although it is rather ambiguous however the presence of a filler light suggests realism.
• The key lighting is coming from the window, with the filler light being the lamp from the background and light of the room contrasting the blind pattern on the characters.
• This creates a soft romantic feel to the scene which is parallel to the action in the scene. It also helps with characterisation of the actors due to the lighting accentuating contrasting charateristics of the actors.

7. 

• This is an example of low key lighting, due to the theatrical shadows and lack of discernible details visible.
• The technique used in this still is back-lighting, the key light is coming from behind them creating a silhouette of the characters.
• Due to the rather large and unidentifiable shadow, this creates a mysterious and ominous atmosphere to the photo and helps create an identifiable tension despite the lack of visible detail from the scene.

8.

• This demonstrates the use of low key lighting, specifically within the film noir cinematographic aspect.
• The key light is coming from the left of the actress creating a shadow on the wall, a filler light may be used to help exaggerate the shadows behind the actress as well.
• This creates the effect of mystery or tension and allows the actresses expressions to be caught even though what she's looking at is not visible, which adds to the use of conventional horror/mystery techniques used to create tension.

9.

• This still is an example of high key lighting although the shadows are extremely prominent. 
• The key light is coming from above [top lighting] highlighting the star, and a filler light may be used from the actresses left side to help exaggerate the natural shadows of her face.
• This creates an exaggeration of the models cheekbones and helps to amplify her facial expression, creating a melancholic tone to the image.

10. 

• This photo is an example of low key lighting, which has dramatic and ambiguous effects making it conventional to the horror genre.
• This photo is an example of back lighting, as you can clearly see the character however the key lighting is coming from the characters side, and is highlighting specific aspects such as the mask and weapon.
• The highlights of the knife and mask create a tense and ominous tone, it also caters to many horror conventions and creates tension due to the sci-fi colour palette and use of shadow.

11.

• This still is an example of high key lighting, which is conventional to the romantic genre due to it's realistic effect.
• The key light is coming from the top left, a technique used to make characters appear more glamorous or 'pretty' and provides a soft realistic image of the couple, however the shadows as well as highlight of the gun are unconventional to the typical uses of this lighting.
• This creates a romantic and idealistic impact on the picture however the highlight of the gun and solemn dispositions could prove to be a juxtaposition of the lighting and create a much more violent and distrusting tone. 

mise-en-scene feedback

Teachers feedback

• interesting choice of music! seems like a cl;ash in terms of the subject matter /objective
• Music does work well in terms of pace + time lapse form
• I really like the effects in terms of B+W/old film effect BUT it perhaps does take away from seeing the impact of the makeover
• Perhaps framing/shot needed to be closer up too.
• 1.25 is a little short and last bit of makeover seems very rushed - any reason for this?
• final effect is impressive but needed to show more of this at the end!

Student Feedback

• the time lapse was a good speed
• the music could be better
• fit the music to the brief instead of the genre
• consistent filming/closer shots of makeup

Own feedback

I believe that i could've spent more time editing and taken more time to carefully choose the audio and shots to consciously have a better look at the overall transformation. I'd also like to focus on the transformation and include more after shots however i enjoyed the pace of my time lapse but it could be a bit slower.

How my mood board impacted my star persona makeover

The mood board helped me collect ideas on the 50s era and narrow it down to specific concepts and attributes to the hollywood glamour star we were aiming for. From this, i took iconic aspects of famous 50 stars such as Marilyn Monroe's famous red lip and Elizabeth Taylor's flawless looks to come up with a look that incorporated all the conventions but didn't overwhelm the makeover.

Technical improvements

I would personally film on a white background and perhaps use artificial lighting to make the filming process more consistent and perhaps zoom in when doing the makeup to get more in depth shots and close up shots of the makeup since my video had seldom shots of the actual concepts and specific parts of the makeup.And maybe include better music or a voice over to give the time lapse more of a tutorial aspect and it might have helped me hit the timing brief. 

Mise-en-scene

Mise en scene allows complete transformations from actors into their characters. By accurately incorporating all aspects of CLAMPS, an actor can be transformed from a normal person into a horror villain or a 50s starlet. Makeup is something, i do everyday but to target makeup looks to specific eras is difficult just because of the different resources at the time, same with costume since fashion has changed so much finding clothing that fits the era was extremely difficult.

Film Noir [Research]

The phrase 'Film Noir' is defined as a style of cinematographic film that encapsulates a mood of pessimism, fatalism and menace. Film noir usually relates to old thrillers or detective films and utilise theatric lighting techniques in order to construct an enigmatic atmosphere. It has a low key black and white visual

History of Film Noir

Noir films circulated throughout America during the second world war and the 50s, heavily inspired by literature and added a realism to the detective genre. It had more grit as well as the role of the hero being far more anti-hero than they were in preceding movies, this encapsulated the more violent and cynical atmospheres of post war America. These movies incorporated dramatic low key lighting and fatalistic theatrics to portray a dark and enigmatic perspective on the world. Some key elements of film noir are the obvious black and white undertones, the use of smoking/smoke as a motif and urban settings which amplifies the grit and dark atmospheres the directors wanted from the amplification of shadows. The lighting implies that there's more to uncover within a film noir which again supports the mysterious and enigmatic feel to the movies that was desired in post ww2 America.

Film Noir in modern times; Neo Noir

Neo noir is a contemporary and modern take on the film noir genre of crime movies. The name translates to 'new film noir'.  It usually has the same sinister and cynical perspectives and also has a heavy reliance on shadow or theatrical low lit cinematography. The focus is on a modernised take of the nihilistic attributes to the protagonists and their moral decisions bleeding out of the lines of good/bad. Some believe the ambiguity and break of film noir into mainstream movies and television has lead to many crime films being categorised under this title despite the rather niche cinematography style most prevalent in cult classics such as Bonnie and Clyde or newer films such as Drive or Inception.  It uses the same shadowed lighting concepts and cinematographic style but in a more contemporary context as seen above. 

Example of the noir genre

This clip below is from 'Brick' [2006]  Dir. Rian Johnson.

This clip fits the noir genre - specifically neo noir sue to the high tension yet enigmatic circumstance of the chase scene. It begins with an emergence of an explicit antagonist from the shadows, an obvious allude to the classic noir concepts as well as the cinematography having a focus on the mystery and dark tones of the film - it begins with violence and ends in a fatality which isn't uncommon of the noir genre. The reason it is much more neo-noir is because of the unconventional settings and diversity of lighting techniques, despite lowkey lighting, shadows and emphasis on specific aspects of mise-en-scene the majority of this clip is in 'natural' lighting or high key lighting, which many don't associate with classic noir aspects.

mise-en-scene star persona task + moodboard

OLD HOLLYWOOD MAKEOVER TASK

The task given was to turn a 'normal' student into a 'star' using mainly the costume, hair and makeup aspects of mise-en-scene. We decided to try and turn our friend Avanitha into an old Hollywood glamour star circa the 1950s/60s. We wanted to incorporate all the key aspects of iconic stars such as the eye makeup of Audrey Hepburn and the famous red lip of Marilyn Monroe. Overall, I believe that we successfully tackled each aspect and formed a fierce feminist idol of the 50s within the comfort of a living room however i do wish we had more close up shots, genre specific lighting or a more adapted costume to truly en-capture the entire essence of a 50s star but that's not vital. We included an era specific fit and flare style dress, the classic red lip and the bandana alike that brought to the mainstream through the movemenets during the time.