Project 4: Film Opening Analysis (DYM)

I have chosen the 2003 fairytale film Peter Pan. It has always been one of my favourite movies growing up. (Just watch the first ten minutes of the link.)

Enigma Code:
♛Who is the voiceover?
♛Why has the story been changed?
♛Who is the person spying on them?
♛Who is the older voiceover?
♛What is going to be their adventure?
♛What is the boy doing in her room?

Action Code:
♛Sword is pointed at Wendy so we assume she will fight back
♛Chase scene with the dog
♛Someone is watching Wendy sleep and we expect her to wake up and confront whoever it is
♛When we see the flying boy we assume it is Peter Pan from what we know about the title
♛Wendy will get caught doing her drawing
♛Chase scene after the letter
♛Expect the dad to make a fool out of himself

Semiotic Code:
♛The night scenery of the town
♛Typical child's bedroom
♛A very fancy and rich looking home
♛Snow
♛Cobbled streets

Cultural Code:
♛Typical children behaviour
♛Stereotypical aristrocats
♛Old fashioned home and outfits
♛Background knowledge about the fairytale

Symbolic Code:
♛Society and class
♛The idea of never growing up
♛Behaviour

Project 3: Film Clip Analysis (BLK)

I have chosen a clip from the 2011 fantasy movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

Film Making Conventions (Genre Conventions & Technical Codes)

♛ Low angle shot of the Dementors to make them seem more threatening and us and the characters more vulnerable

♛ Mid shot of the characters in the elevator to give us a sense of space

♛ The camera surveys the whole area of the Ministry which in contrast to the elevator space, is huge

♛ Zooms in on the main characters to let the audience know to focus on them

♛ Tracking shots where we seem to be following the characters which makes us as the audience feel a lot more involved in the plot
♛ Wide shots to remind us of the amount of space that they are in
♛ Close ups on the characters' faces as they are running to show their emotions
♛ Some parts are in slow motion to create a sense of anticipation
♛ As it is a magical and fantasy film there are a lot of special effects (e.g. the spells)
♛ Dark and gloomy colouring which fits in with the dark theme of the story
♛ Fast paced music which compliments the action unfolding
♛ The Ministry of Magic is a fantasy place, hidden to normal Muggles (non-magical people), which is in the genre convention as most fantasy movies have a lot of hidden places
♛ There is usually a quest of sorts in this type of genre and Harry, Ron and Hermione happen to be on a quest at the time
♛ Another genre convention of fantasy is that there is always one main hero, in this case Harry Potter who has his loyal sidekick(s)- Ron and Hermione

Cultural Codes

♛ Typical awkward young hero who is in way too deep
♛ "The Golden Trio", there are three main people in which the story centres around
♛ Out of his two main friends, one is 'the smart one' and the other is 'the clown'
♛ Someone is trying to persecute the hero and whilst trying to 'save the world' they must avoid all officials
♛ Hero is seen as a trouble-maker and dangerous by most government-like people
♛ Fireplaces, they are seen as old fashioned furniture and ancient and those two things are often associated with magic
♛ Escaping from the clutches of whoever wants the hero dead just within the last minute, exhilarating for the audience
♛ The clothing of the wizards- long robes in dull colours, we often see this wizards and witches wearing these types of outfits in magic films
♛ A lot of the people in the background seem to look old and wise, this may not just be because they are in the ministry but from the many fantasy films we have seen we picture wizards as elderly and clever beyond their years
♛ Elegant statues of mythical creatures
♛ Black and white print newspapers

Project 2: Analysis of a Film Still (DYM)

The still I have chosen is from the 2008 superhero film, The Dark Knight.

♛ One of the reasons I have chosen this shot is because of the focusing used. The foreground of the still is more crisp and clear than the background. It focuses clearly on the character of The Joker (at the front, played by Heath Ledger). This allows to see his rather unconventional facial features in detail. Furthermore in the background we can make out two people almost as if they are standing guard, they obviously work for The Joker as they are dressed similarly to him (e.g. the clown mask). However it is easy to see that they are not as important as The Joker himself due to the fact that they have been pushed to the back of the still and are unclear. 

♛ Another reason I chose the still was because of the overall composition and technical codes used in the shot. The camera is at level with the main character[in the shot]'s face which makes it seem as if we are talking to him directly. The fact that the actor is bending over and leaning forwards a little shows that he is in control of the situation and has the upper hand of the conversation [if we were involved in it]. In addition to that the brutal nature of his face makes him seem even more threatening and it is clear to us that he is the villain of the film. The lighting in the shot is overall subdued but what stands out is the paleness of his face. It's almost sickening. This links back to the fact that he is the main point of interest in the still.

♛ The last point I want to make is about the general enigma created in the shot. It raises a lot of questions. In the background, there are guns in the henchmen's hands which connotes danger. The Joker himself has an angry, controlling and even violent look in his eyes which adds to that danger. It leaves us feeling unsafe. What makes it worse is that he is just a human man [especially if you look at how he is dressed] but his face tells us a completely different story. We just haven't put together the puzzle of the story. There is a door in the background, a closed door and in generally in such a circumstance we expect there to be something trapped or hidden behind the door. This adds to our anticipation and the suspense of the film.

Project 1: Film Stills (BLK)

Our group experimented with trying out a variety of different genres for our stills but we ended up settling for a horror/thriller genre. We discussed what conventions there were in shots used in thrillers and we decided on a shot with not too much lighting, to give an air of mystery. Then as we got around to taking the shot, we filmed it so there would be one strip of light across the face, this way the audience knows to focus on the character's face. Furthermore the use of only a part of light shining on the face, creates this sense of being closed in. It makes you feel closer to the action that is happening. The still also creates questions in the reader's mind like: who is she? why is she hiding in the bush? is she hiding from someone or is she going to attack? This induces enigma. The iconography was very important to us as a group because it had to clearly portray the genre by using the general conventions but not in a way that makes it seem as though we're mocking it. Using an extreme close up worked well for us as we were able to capture all of the mise en scene in all of it's glorious detail. Nature is often associated with calmness and tranquility when in contrast this scene hints at danger and tension. This juxtaposition works well as it takes something the audience is used to seeing (leaves, green etc.) and puts a more deadly spin on so it makes them feel uncomfortable and more a part of the movie, keeping them fully engaged. Furthermore the use of both lightness and darkness in the scene relates to horror movies as a whole because a lot of the time is a battle between light and dark, good and evil.

All in all I think our shot went well but if we were given another opportunity to retake it, I would have tried to experiment with different camera angles to see which one gives a better effect.