Sunday, 30 September 2012
Shots and Angles
Camera Shots
This is an extra long shot. Any human is this shot is dwarfed by their surroundings. In this particular shot, the man on his bicycle is dwarfed by all of the vehicles. this draws the viewers attention on the fact that everyone is rushing to work on a typical New York working morning.
This is a medium long shot(Andrew). it shows mpost of the body, usually from the knees up. The man on the right next to the filing cabinet reflects a long shot. These are very similar shots, usually showing the body language of a person.
This is a mid shot. This includes the head,shoulders and a bot of the torso. In this shot it shows Andrew running to work, showing his facial expression that he is running extremely late for work and is panting.
This is a medium close up. This shows just the head and the shoulders on a human being. In this shot, it shows Andrew getting out of bed after realising he is very late for work.
This is a close up. It only shows the persons head in specific detail. Here, it shows Margaret, the strict boss, getting out of the shower. You can only see her head peering out of the shower. This can show an intimidating effect to a character or show great detail on their emotions.
Camera Angles
This is an aerial shot. It gives the viewer an idea of the area of the place that the movie is set thus setting the scene. In this shot, the massive surrounding of skyscrapers represents Andrew's surroundings in the morning of a typical New York working day, and it looks intimidating, suggesting that he is intimidated by his workplace. It looks like it has been taken from a plane or a helicopter. This could also be classed as an extreme wide shot, which has a similar effect but could be more common in a movie.
This is a low camera angle. It is where the subject of a camera is filmed from low down usually to show authority in a scene. in this particular shot it is filmed from low down because Margaret, the boss who no one likes is coming. this can also show the intimidating height of a building.
Here is a shot from above. This is where the subject is filmed from above showing inferiority or someone looking down on something/someone. In this particular shot it is showing Margaret looking down on Andrew, as she is his boss, showing his inferiority and her power.
The canted angle shows a disorientated angle of a person. It is used to show the disorientation of a person in a movie when they don't know whats going on. In this shot one of the colleagues is laughing out of confusion when he found out that Andrew had agreed to marry Margaret.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Sunday, 23 September 2012
American Beauty- Lester Burnham
Scene 1- the Pan over the neighbourhood and the family's typical morning.
Lester Burnham’s narrative is set in a very negative light. The most poignant phrase in the narrative is that he will be 'dead in a year' because it makes the viewer wonder why he will be dead in a year. When Lester is in his room, the mise en scene is very dull, with beige colours both on the walls and the furniture. This is a reflection of his life, dull and boring. The room is very empty as well which shows that he is a lonely sad man. The main camera angle in here is a bird’s eye view, which shows his inferiority as a human being. He was sleeping face down, which shows that he doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning as he doesn’t feel it's worth it. As the camera pans in on him, you see that his face is half shadowed. This shows that he wants to fade away and he is a shadow of his former self. The fact that he's 'Jerking off' in the shower shows that he has lost the romance in his marriage and you wouldn't expect a 42 year old man to do that. He lets out a sigh as he turns around in bed and his facial expression is lost and depressed, like he has lost something but can’t work out what it is.
The second part of the scene is him watching his wife interact with other people, whilst he is standing inside, trapped. The over the shoulder camera angle makes the viewer feel trapped in the house with Lester, and make him seem further away. The roses in the scene are a repetitive symbol of the love the family used to have which is lost, as symbolised by his wife, Carolyn, cutting the roses that she has in her garden. The colours of red, white and blue in the front garden symbolise the patriotism of America. His daughter, Jane whom he describes in his voiceover as 'angry, insecure and confused' is a reflection of himself and he thinks that this won't pass over for them both.
Carolyn is the head of the family and bullies her husband and daughter using extremely negative sarcastic language. She asks her daughter 'are you trying to look unattractive' to which Jane replies 'yes' and then her mother says 'congratulations you did a good job' which shows that they both know she has no self-esteem and her mother likes to have the last word. Lester then walks out and she says 'Could you make me a little later please?' which shows that he works to his own schedule and she gets frustrated with him. He then drops his things which shows that he is childish and clumsy. Both his wife and daughter look down on him and have no respect for him at all as a husband or father.
He is slumped in the back of the car with his wife driving and daughter in the front, which is against the usual family stereotype of the man driving, the wife next to him and the daughter in the back. This shows that he has no control in the family as he is being driven to work by his wife. The scene ends at work, where the reflection of his face in the computer seems to be behind bars, again reflecting the fact that he is trapped in his life. The final line of the narrative shows that it is not too late to change and ends on a positive note.
Scene 2 - at work and around the dinner table.
This scene starts with a typical office scene where everyone is on the phone and in smart clothing. His desk is again decorated in red, white and blue. When he is on the phone to a client, you see a change in his personality. He is happy and content and laughing. This shows that he would rather be at work than at home, as he is being paid. Towards the end of the call however, his voice becomes very sarcastic and appears to give out a fake phone number and the slams the phone down. That's when the camera pans up, showing that the boss, a figure of authority comes along to call Lester to his office. The camera then pans down at Lester, showing that he is not as important as the boss, making him look smaller. The same camera angles are used in the office, with the boss looking high up with a name badge, making him look professional, and he is wearing colour against a white background to make him stand out more. Lester is shown lower down, and he is sitting on a low chair like a child, showing that he is small and being quizzed. When the boss says that someone may get fired and he has to write a statement of his job description to see who was the most efficient, Lester’s voice goes low - pitched and defensive, jumping to conclusions as he has heard it all before. This rant continues in the car with his wife, to which she says that he is being over dramatic and to just write the statement anyway to save his job. This argument continues as they get out the car, showing that this couple can't communicate, just argue and shout at each other. The camera the pans at a number of photos of the family in happier times, including one of Lester with his hand on his wife’s shoulder and her hand on his, and he has his other arm round his daughter, showing that the family was united at one point, and he was in control of the family, and it has fallen apart. The family are sat at the table, and Lester and his wife are sitting on opposite ends of the table, with Jane being sat in the middle of them between the candles, therefore the light is shining on her showing that she is the family priority. The music here is very posh, depressing and mournful, showing that the family mourns the closeness they once had. This is elevator music, as Jane points out when she asks her mother if they have to have it playing at the table every day. Carolyn then replies very sarcastically with the fact that if she made the meal then she could choose the music. This shows that Carolyn is very much in control and she holds the dysfunctional family together. The family rarely talk, but when Lester talks to his daughter, she replies very sarcastically as he keeps questioning her. When Lester has yet another rant about his job, Jane replies with 'you can't all of a sudden be my best friend just because you've had a bad day... I mean hello? You've barely spoken to me for months' and walks out. This just shows the heavy strain on their relationship. He then mutters under his breath at the table to which his wife responds 'WHAT?!' like he is a child. The music then turns mournful as he asks what happened to their relationship, and their voices become muted as the cameras pan out, and Jane walks off like she's given up on their relationship. What they don't know is that a creepy, dishonest looking man is seen recording them with a camcorder. The final shot shows a picture of the family in black and white in happier times. There are a few splashes of colour in this final scene, which are probably added by Carolyn to make the house look presentable and bright against the dull colours which represent the family mood and atmosphere.
Lester Burnham’s narrative is set in a very negative light. The most poignant phrase in the narrative is that he will be 'dead in a year' because it makes the viewer wonder why he will be dead in a year. When Lester is in his room, the mise en scene is very dull, with beige colours both on the walls and the furniture. This is a reflection of his life, dull and boring. The room is very empty as well which shows that he is a lonely sad man. The main camera angle in here is a bird’s eye view, which shows his inferiority as a human being. He was sleeping face down, which shows that he doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning as he doesn’t feel it's worth it. As the camera pans in on him, you see that his face is half shadowed. This shows that he wants to fade away and he is a shadow of his former self. The fact that he's 'Jerking off' in the shower shows that he has lost the romance in his marriage and you wouldn't expect a 42 year old man to do that. He lets out a sigh as he turns around in bed and his facial expression is lost and depressed, like he has lost something but can’t work out what it is.
The second part of the scene is him watching his wife interact with other people, whilst he is standing inside, trapped. The over the shoulder camera angle makes the viewer feel trapped in the house with Lester, and make him seem further away. The roses in the scene are a repetitive symbol of the love the family used to have which is lost, as symbolised by his wife, Carolyn, cutting the roses that she has in her garden. The colours of red, white and blue in the front garden symbolise the patriotism of America. His daughter, Jane whom he describes in his voiceover as 'angry, insecure and confused' is a reflection of himself and he thinks that this won't pass over for them both.
Carolyn is the head of the family and bullies her husband and daughter using extremely negative sarcastic language. She asks her daughter 'are you trying to look unattractive' to which Jane replies 'yes' and then her mother says 'congratulations you did a good job' which shows that they both know she has no self-esteem and her mother likes to have the last word. Lester then walks out and she says 'Could you make me a little later please?' which shows that he works to his own schedule and she gets frustrated with him. He then drops his things which shows that he is childish and clumsy. Both his wife and daughter look down on him and have no respect for him at all as a husband or father.
He is slumped in the back of the car with his wife driving and daughter in the front, which is against the usual family stereotype of the man driving, the wife next to him and the daughter in the back. This shows that he has no control in the family as he is being driven to work by his wife. The scene ends at work, where the reflection of his face in the computer seems to be behind bars, again reflecting the fact that he is trapped in his life. The final line of the narrative shows that it is not too late to change and ends on a positive note.
Scene 2 - at work and around the dinner table.
This scene starts with a typical office scene where everyone is on the phone and in smart clothing. His desk is again decorated in red, white and blue. When he is on the phone to a client, you see a change in his personality. He is happy and content and laughing. This shows that he would rather be at work than at home, as he is being paid. Towards the end of the call however, his voice becomes very sarcastic and appears to give out a fake phone number and the slams the phone down. That's when the camera pans up, showing that the boss, a figure of authority comes along to call Lester to his office. The camera then pans down at Lester, showing that he is not as important as the boss, making him look smaller. The same camera angles are used in the office, with the boss looking high up with a name badge, making him look professional, and he is wearing colour against a white background to make him stand out more. Lester is shown lower down, and he is sitting on a low chair like a child, showing that he is small and being quizzed. When the boss says that someone may get fired and he has to write a statement of his job description to see who was the most efficient, Lester’s voice goes low - pitched and defensive, jumping to conclusions as he has heard it all before. This rant continues in the car with his wife, to which she says that he is being over dramatic and to just write the statement anyway to save his job. This argument continues as they get out the car, showing that this couple can't communicate, just argue and shout at each other. The camera the pans at a number of photos of the family in happier times, including one of Lester with his hand on his wife’s shoulder and her hand on his, and he has his other arm round his daughter, showing that the family was united at one point, and he was in control of the family, and it has fallen apart. The family are sat at the table, and Lester and his wife are sitting on opposite ends of the table, with Jane being sat in the middle of them between the candles, therefore the light is shining on her showing that she is the family priority. The music here is very posh, depressing and mournful, showing that the family mourns the closeness they once had. This is elevator music, as Jane points out when she asks her mother if they have to have it playing at the table every day. Carolyn then replies very sarcastically with the fact that if she made the meal then she could choose the music. This shows that Carolyn is very much in control and she holds the dysfunctional family together. The family rarely talk, but when Lester talks to his daughter, she replies very sarcastically as he keeps questioning her. When Lester has yet another rant about his job, Jane replies with 'you can't all of a sudden be my best friend just because you've had a bad day... I mean hello? You've barely spoken to me for months' and walks out. This just shows the heavy strain on their relationship. He then mutters under his breath at the table to which his wife responds 'WHAT?!' like he is a child. The music then turns mournful as he asks what happened to their relationship, and their voices become muted as the cameras pan out, and Jane walks off like she's given up on their relationship. What they don't know is that a creepy, dishonest looking man is seen recording them with a camcorder. The final shot shows a picture of the family in black and white in happier times. There are a few splashes of colour in this final scene, which are probably added by Carolyn to make the house look presentable and bright against the dull colours which represent the family mood and atmosphere.
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
5 by 5
These are in no particular order as I don't really have 'favourites', so I just picked the best ones.
Favourite films:
1.The Proposal
2. Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1
3. Mamma Mia!
4. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
5. Cool Runnings
Rocky Songs:
1. Muse - Starlight
2. Linkin Park - Numb
3. All Time Low - Weightless
4. Linkin Park - What I've Done
5. Linkin Park - New Divide
TV Shows:
1. Waterloo Road
2. Come Dine With Me
3. X Factor
4. TOWIE
5. Shooting Stars
Artists:
1. Linkin Park
2. Coldplay
3. All Time Low (some songs)
4. Italobrothers
5. Muse (2 songs)
Talent Shows:
1. X factor
2. Britains Got Talent
3. Dancing On Ice
4. Project Runway
5. So You Think You Can Dance
Favourite films:
1.The Proposal
2. Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1
3. Mamma Mia!
4. Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
5. Cool Runnings
Rocky Songs:
1. Muse - Starlight
2. Linkin Park - Numb
3. All Time Low - Weightless
4. Linkin Park - What I've Done
5. Linkin Park - New Divide
TV Shows:
1. Waterloo Road
2. Come Dine With Me
3. X Factor
4. TOWIE
5. Shooting Stars
Artists:
1. Linkin Park
2. Coldplay
3. All Time Low (some songs)
4. Italobrothers
5. Muse (2 songs)
Talent Shows:
1. X factor
2. Britains Got Talent
3. Dancing On Ice
4. Project Runway
5. So You Think You Can Dance
Sunday, 16 September 2012
The Male Gaze
Freddie Ljungberg
I think this man has a seductive look on his face, which sends out a message to men that this is how you seduce women. He is half naked so the attention is on the product advertised: the underpants. He is putting one hand on the product and one hand out the way so the viewer can see the underpants. this also shows his muscles which is what the target audience would find attractive. The product is advertised for men and the object of the image is for women and gay men. The man has a toned, close shaven body which means that he takes good care of himself. He is breaking the 4th wall by looking at the camera, and women would think that their men would look like that if they bought the underpants. His body is toned which means he 'exercises' a lot, as shown by the sweaty/oily body. The necklace shows a softer side to him.
Marjorie Furguson's Facial expressions (1980)
Chocolate Box- is a half or full smile with lips together or slightly parted. Teeth are not really shown in this facial expression. either full or 3/4 face to the camera.
The mood of this facial expression is warmth, pleasing, unique and individual.
Invitational- camera emphasising on eyes, so usually attractive eyes are used on the woman. the head is either to one side or looking at the camera. The mood here is mysterious and mischeivous and means business.
Super Smiler- Full face, Breaking the fourth wall by looking at the camera, large toothy smile, head thrust forward. Suggests a 'look at me' arrogant attitude.
Romantic or Sexual - Male and Female Couple, not smiling and dreamy and heavy lidded. The moodhere is overtly sexual or possibly 'available'.
Trevor Millum (1975)
Carefree- happy, smiling, active, healthy, outdoor person, outgoing.
Practical- concentrating, business-like, unsmiling, mouth closed, eyes breaking the fourth wall, hair either short or tied up.
Seductive- narrow eyes, shades, facial expression self sufficient and confident. may include a slight smile.
Comic- pulling faces, exaggerated, acting the fool
Catalogue- barbie- doll like, artificial, like a dummy, any position but mainly eyes wide open and large smile but no personality.
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Summary and the UK and USA film industry
One of the main issues with the film industry is that it has a 90% oligopoly of 6 main conglomerates (the Big 6, each a subsidiary of a conglomerate), which means that smaller companies don't really have a chance to make it big due to this massive domination. this means that the larger companies can take bigger risks in filmaking, as they have the money to make up for it if it goes wrong. The small companies can't take these risks because they don't have the budget for it. They can't use special effects in their films due to budget issues. They could have a co- production with a larger company, but they probably won't have much success unless they have a good film idea that they would want to invest in.
American film industry consists of 90% of the Big 6:
Warner Brothers- owned by Time Warner Media and has produced films such as Harry Potter, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Rock of Ages.
Paramount- owned by Viacom and has produced films such as Shrek, Paranormal Activity, Mission Impossible and The Dictator.
20th Century Fox- owned by News Corp and has produced films such as A-Team, Avatar, Ice Age and Promethus.
The Walt Disney Pictures- owned by The Walt Disney Company and has produced films such as Pirates of the Carribean, The Chronicles of Narnia and Toy Story.
Columbia - owned by Sony and has produced films such as Men in Black, Bad Teacher, Just Go With It and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Universal - owned by GE and has produced films such as Bourne Legacy, Ted, Safe House and Kickass
The UK film industry is dominated by 75% of the Big 6 and 18 out of 20 of the Top 10 Box Office Films in 2010 are of American Productions.
The Rest of the UK film industry is covered by independent companies such as Big Talk Pictures (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Working Title Films (Notting Hill, About a Boy), Film4 (Channel 4, produced films such as Trainspotting and This Is England), BBC Films (BBC, Nativity!, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Ecosse Films (Mrs Brown, Charlotte Grey) and Government Funding (The Kings Speech, Kidulthood and Adulthood)
Vertical Integration- a different company does each stage of the production.
Horizontal Integration- when a company owns several companies at the same stage in the supply process. This allows targeting at a specific audience or a range of audiences for a wider marketing campaign.
American film industry consists of 90% of the Big 6:
Warner Brothers- owned by Time Warner Media and has produced films such as Harry Potter, Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Rock of Ages.
Paramount- owned by Viacom and has produced films such as Shrek, Paranormal Activity, Mission Impossible and The Dictator.
20th Century Fox- owned by News Corp and has produced films such as A-Team, Avatar, Ice Age and Promethus.
The Walt Disney Pictures- owned by The Walt Disney Company and has produced films such as Pirates of the Carribean, The Chronicles of Narnia and Toy Story.
Columbia - owned by Sony and has produced films such as Men in Black, Bad Teacher, Just Go With It and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Universal - owned by GE and has produced films such as Bourne Legacy, Ted, Safe House and Kickass
The UK film industry is dominated by 75% of the Big 6 and 18 out of 20 of the Top 10 Box Office Films in 2010 are of American Productions.
The Rest of the UK film industry is covered by independent companies such as Big Talk Pictures (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Working Title Films (Notting Hill, About a Boy), Film4 (Channel 4, produced films such as Trainspotting and This Is England), BBC Films (BBC, Nativity!, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Ecosse Films (Mrs Brown, Charlotte Grey) and Government Funding (The Kings Speech, Kidulthood and Adulthood)
Vertical Integration- a different company does each stage of the production.
Horizontal Integration- when a company owns several companies at the same stage in the supply process. This allows targeting at a specific audience or a range of audiences for a wider marketing campaign.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
Representations
A representation is how a character is percieved, and the impression that is given by a character.
The Man
Judging from the picture, I think that this man is homeless because he looks like he doesn't really take care of himself. he looks in an unhealthy state as he is smoking, which is what is normally associated with homeless people. It looks like he does not own many clothes as his outfit is mismatched. People appear to be avoiding him due to the state of him. he looks like he could have had a job but became homeless.
The Man 2
This man is wearing smart clothes and holding paper, so I think he is a businessman who knows what he is doing. The stern expression on his face shows that he is a very intimidating man who looks down on people less important than himself. I see a sense of dishonesty in his eyes and body language, as there is a sense of evil in his eyes and he looks very shifty.
The Woman
I think this lady is very creative and eccentric due to her wacky, unusual dress sense. Her surruondings are very dull, isolated and dishevelled, and she is the complete opposite to her environment. This shows that she is a very out of touch, lonely woman who isnt very liked, and she looks very lost.
Myself
Judging by this picture of me, the representation of me is that I like rock music due to the fact that my t shirt looks like a rock concert T shirt. I have long hair and a choppy side fringe, which shows that I am not very girly. This also is shown by the lack of the colour pink on my clothes. I look very laid back and happy on this picture, with a casual dress sense of just jeans, T shirts and hoodies. I look like I am a little bit shy as well.
The Man
Judging from the picture, I think that this man is homeless because he looks like he doesn't really take care of himself. he looks in an unhealthy state as he is smoking, which is what is normally associated with homeless people. It looks like he does not own many clothes as his outfit is mismatched. People appear to be avoiding him due to the state of him. he looks like he could have had a job but became homeless.
The Man 2
This man is wearing smart clothes and holding paper, so I think he is a businessman who knows what he is doing. The stern expression on his face shows that he is a very intimidating man who looks down on people less important than himself. I see a sense of dishonesty in his eyes and body language, as there is a sense of evil in his eyes and he looks very shifty.
The Woman
I think this lady is very creative and eccentric due to her wacky, unusual dress sense. Her surruondings are very dull, isolated and dishevelled, and she is the complete opposite to her environment. This shows that she is a very out of touch, lonely woman who isnt very liked, and she looks very lost.
Myself
Judging by this picture of me, the representation of me is that I like rock music due to the fact that my t shirt looks like a rock concert T shirt. I have long hair and a choppy side fringe, which shows that I am not very girly. This also is shown by the lack of the colour pink on my clothes. I look very laid back and happy on this picture, with a casual dress sense of just jeans, T shirts and hoodies. I look like I am a little bit shy as well.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
About Me
Hey, I'm Rebecca Dickinson and here are my media interests:
One of my favourite bands is Linkin Park. I like the rocky sound of their music and I can relate to some of the lyrics of their songs. I can just listen to their music for ages and not get bored of it. an example of their songs above is 'What I've Done'. I really like the sound of this song as its captivating and you can just listen to the lyrics. Other good songs include 'Numb', 'Breaking The Habit', 'Papercut' and 'Faint'.
I really like Waterloo Road. It is a really dramatic soap and I enjoy watching it every week, and every episode has a major cliffhanger at the end which really makes me want to watch the next episode to see what happens. it is based in a school so I can relate to it massively. One of my favourite characters is Scout, as she seems a very down to earth character who has had to grow up very quickly as her mother neglects her and her younger brother. The teachers in the soap are very good at helping the pupils through their problems. Grantly Budgen is a very negative character but comes out with really funny one liners. It's not the most realistic of programmes as it prortays some of the children as really naughty and do what you normally wouldn't get away with in class, but thats what makes it entertaining.
I dont really listen to specific bands as my music taste is very versatile, but I have taken a like to Linkin Park's music, and I like rocky music with meaningful lyrics.
I dont really listen to specific bands as my music taste is very versatile, but I have taken a like to Linkin Park's music, and I like rocky music with meaningful lyrics.
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