This is the new blog that I'm starting for my A-level Media Studies course work. I will be posting photos, polls, videos and link for to you to view and to contribute towards my course. Enjoy!
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Camera Angles in an Action Clip
After watching the torture scene of James Bond, Casino Royale without the sound on, my group listed the significant camera angles and shots and analysed what they showed up to 1:34.
The first significant camera angle in the scene was a medium close-up shot (MCU) of James Bond whilst he is being beaten. The shot portrays Bind feeling and shows the audience that he is feeling scared and in pain.
The second shot is a reverse angle shot (RA). This exaggerates the danger James Bond is in and informs the reader of why he is scared. His fear is then reinforced by a second CU shot of his face.
The third key shot is a Low angle shot (LA) of Le Chriffre. This represents the power he has over James Bond and helps to create his higher status.
There is a close-up shot of the rope Le Chriffre is using to torture James. This exaggerates its importance in the scene and shows that it has significance.
There is a rule of third during the scene. James Bond is to the left of the shot and Le Chriffre, holding the rope, is to the right. This shows that the focus of the scene is not the setting but the characters as they are in the characters eye-line. Le Chriffre is more zoomed in that James Bond, his hand and the rope he is holding in the main focus of his body, this suggests that the audience are influenced to focus on James and the rope.
The 6th significant camera shot is a MCU shot. This represents Bond’s pain in the scene and helps the audience to interpret his feelings.
Finally there is an eye level shot (EL). This gives the impression that the status of the two characters is shifting. It shows that, by not giving in, James Bond is starting to gain power over Le Chriffre.
Last Lesson Mr. Buckmaster showed us the title sequence for ‘The Orphanage’. First he got us to just watch the scene, he then replayed it again and asked us to make notes on different categories: Characters, relationships, location and genre. (See most of the opening scene below)
Characters
- The first character you see (Laura) is the focus of the scene for about 5 seconds. It is a young female wearing old clothes shouting out some words in Spanish and then looking behind her. The young girl looked innocent however; I felt that her being on her made her look like she was lost and maybe a bit unsafe to approach. After a few seconds a hand comes into view and grabs the shoulder of the little girl, this also makes the situation seem slightly unsafe.
- We then see some young children and the camera spans out and it becomes apparent that they are playing a game. They look like a group of happy friends, innocently playing together on the lawn.
- The final character in the scene (the caretaker) was an adult female. She is inside the dark house (which has a strong contrast to the light, summer day outside) creating a darkened and mysterious atmosphere. She answers the phone and her tone of voice makes her sound regretful and upset. She also sounds as though she is hiding her emotions which make her seem like she can’t let her emotions get in the way of whatever was said on her phone call. The woman steps outside and watches the children, she is given a state of authority and this point because she is stood on a step looking down on the children making her have a higher status, she is also the main feature in the shot with the children playing in the distance, making them look smaller.
Relationships
- In the scene we get the impression that the caretaker has a duty of care over the children. We get this from the way she answers the phone, as though she is in charge and the way she stands over the children, creating a higher and more important status compared to them.
- The children were playing as thought they were good friends. They looked close and gave the impression that they had known each other for a long time.
Location
- The characters speak in a Spanish accent, from this we can assume that the film is based in Spain. They are in a large garden that is surrounded by trees, this gives the impression that it is in a rural location. From the sunny day I assumed that it is set in spring/summer time. It was a summer day, however a screen shot of the clouds showed they were grey and slightly ‘gloomy’, this may be foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen later on. The trees surrounding the garden may have also been foreshadowing that something bad is going to happen as they were creating shadows in the distance. I could tell the film is set in a slightly historical time because of the old fashioned costumes the children we wearing, and some of the props, such as an old telephone. I knew that the film was a horror because the soundtrack at the beginning was dark and mysterious. There were also shadows and that sound of creaking doors when credits came up which also gave a mysterious feel and sense of ‘unease’.
- Finally the credits were presented on dark red, old fashioned wallpaper that was being ripped; it gave the impressions of the generic, old, ‘spooky’ house found in a stereo-typical horror film.
In today's lesson with Mr. Buckmakster we learnt about different camera shots.
- Extreme close-up (ECU) just the character's eyes and nose
- Big close-up (BCU) from the character's eyes to their mouth
- Close-up (CU) Just the character's head
- Medium close-up (MCU) the character's shoulders and head
- Medium shot (MS) (Two character shot) two character's upper body and head
- Medium Long Shot (MLS) Two character's whole body and the scene
- Long shot (LS) what's happening in the scene, not just the characters
- Establishing shot (ES) As far back as possible to show the scene and establish where you are
- High angle shot (HA) shoot from above - creates vulnerability
- Low angle shot (LA) shoot from below - creates power
- Birds eye view shot (BEV) From above
- Dutch angle (DA) when the shot is on a slight tilt - makes the audience unsure
- Eye level shot (EL) Camera is at exact eye level with character - creates intensity
- Reverse angle shot (RA) you see the character and then it flips to what the character can see/ is looking at
- Pan shot - moving from left to right (or right to left) around the character
- Crab shot - moving from left to right (or right to left) across the character
- Track shot - moving the camera in
- Zoom - moving the lens in
- Ped shot - moving the camera up and down
- Tilt shot - moving the camera up and down and tilting it as it's moved
For homework I have watched 3 different scenes from different scenes and analysed the camera angles/shots.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 First I analysed about a minute from the last scene of Harry Potter (Where they are trying to defeat Lord Voldermort)
The first significant camera angle was a medium close-up shot (MCU) of both Harry and Voldermort separately. This exaggerated their feelings and helped to portray their desperation.
It then goes into a long shot (LS), this shows what is happening in the scene and helps to represent the story line. It also helps to overstress the fight between voldermort and Harry as it is the main event on the screen and the colour attracts the eye.
A medium close-up shot (MCU)of voldermort helps to show his anger when fighting Daniel
The 4th significant camera angle was a low angle shot (LA)of Nagini, Voldermort's snake, this gives him a state of power, and shows that he belongs to Voldermort, thus having a higher status than others.
A medium close up shot (MCU) of Ron and Hermione running from Nagini also helps the audience to deduce their feeling and helps to convey their fear.
The 5th significant camera shot is an extreme close up (ECU) of voldermort, this helps to signify his anger and anxiety.
There is a reverse angle shot (RA) of Hermione and Ron, this shows what they are running from and are scared of.
A medium close-up shot (MCU) of Voldermort portrays his pain and sudden loss in power when his last horcrux was destroyed.
Finally, there is a medium close up shot (MCU) of Voldermort's wand as it flies out his hand to stress that it is a very important prop and part of the scene .
Grease, final scene Next, I analysed the musical grease. I also did the last scene of this, where Sandy and Danny are at the school's summer fate (up until 1:20)
At the beginning of the scene Doody, Sonny and Putzie are walking in the crowd, they then look up and see something and smile. The Camera Pans from left to right and we see Danny walking towards in them.
It then goes into a medium shot (MS) where they are talking to each other, this suggests portrays the friendly atmosphere and shows they are all friends
The camera then does a reverse angle shot (RS) to see what the boys are looking at and to see why they look surprised/shocked. When the camera focuses on what they are looking at (Sandy in her cat suit) is uses a ped shot, this helps to build suspense and emphasises that what they are looking at in strange/will be a shock.
There is then a medium close-up shot (MCU) of Danny when he sees Sandy, this helps to show and exaggerate his expression and feelings (shock).
The film uses the rule of third method to emphasise that Sandy (when she is smoking) is the main focus of that part if the scene. Because she is to the left of the screen, and not the centre, the audience's eye is drawn towards her and she becomes the focus of their viewing.
Finally, after Danny starts singing he falls to the floor, the camera then uses a high angle shot (HA) for a split second, this portrays the idea that Sandy has gained power over Danny because of the way she is dressed and acting. This idea is reinforced when Sandy stands over Danny and kicks him out of the way.
The scene starts with the sound of electronics, this is so that what they are doing seems more true to life. It then has some dialogue which helps to set the scene and inform the audience of what they are doing.
Soundtrack
At about 1:05 there is a high pitch 'screechy' noise that plays in the background for a few seconds, getting louder, this gives a sense of danger and mystery and helps to add tension to the scene. When the character starts to count down there is a note after every number, as he is counting down the note is getting louder and more dramatic, this also adds to the tension and emphasises the sense of danger. The sound of the light flickering also gets louder and faster which help build up suspense.
When the counting finishes there is an exaggerated sound of violins and then, as the woman opens her eyes, the music cuts out and there is a second of silence. This makes the woman seem vulnerable and helps build tension.
When the woman hears the children crying in the room the music gets louder and very intense, this adds to the effect of screaming and crying and gives the scene a powerful and extravagant effect.
Sound effects
- Sound of camera zooming in and out
- Foot steps
- Creaking floor boards
- Crisp sound of the pencil on paper
- 'Buzzing' and 'screeching' of the radio
- Light flicker
All these sound effects help to make the scene feel and sound as real as possible and many of them also help to add to the effect of tension and they are rich, strong sounds that build up tension and mystery.
Dialogue
The woman who was being put in the regression had a quiet and innocent voice, this helped to portray and emphasise her vulnerability.
You could hear the children crying and screaming. This had a better effect than if the woman was describing what she could hear because it made it seem more real and also created suspense.
Semiotics means the study of signs. It helps us to understand how humans 'read' or make meaning of the images, pictures and visual signs that they see.
A sign refers to a meaning other than itself; it works as a pointer, giving directions to think in a certain way. (Cultures may alter how signs are perceived)
Key Names of those who developed the discipline semiotics
On the 11th of September we learnt about the history of Media. There are 4 different theories as to why people watch television, these theories have been adapted and change over time to produce a new, more recent theory.
Theory 1 - The Hypodermic needle Model.
Dating from the 1920's, this theory was the first attempt to explain how mass audience might react to mass media. It suggests that audience passively receive whatever they are told without having to process it or question what they are being told. This theory was produced when media was still relatively new, things like cinema and radio were less than two decades old. The idea that the government could use advertising and propaganda to sway people to their way of thinking was still new.
The model suggests that the information from a text passes through the audiences consciousness unmediated. It also proposes that the audiences opinions and behaviour were easily changed by media-makers and that we are easily brain washed by media texts. It assumes that the audience are passive and heterogeneous. This theory is still brought up during moral panics by parents, politicians and pressure groups as it is still believed that media can brain wash certain groups on society. And there is still a fear that people will watch sexual or violent behaviour and try to repeat it.
e.g. comics in the 1950's and rap music in the 2000's
Theory 2 - Two-step flow
The hypodermic theory was soon proved wrong when researchers realised that the audience wasn't as passive as they first thought.
In the 1930's Paul Lazarsfeld, Bernard Berelson and Hazel Gaudet decided to interview people who voted in the presidential election to see why they voted for certain people. This will have helped them to see what methods of media and advertising worked best and why. They found that people only filtered what they liked .
They concluded that everyone is different and so we choose what we want to watch. This took power away from the media.
(This was also known as the 'Limited affects Paradign')
Theory 3 - Uses and Gratifications
In the 1970's Bulmer and Katz came up with the theory that people have a choice to watch what they want and came up with four main reasons why they would watch TV
Diversion - to escape from everyday problems and routines
Personal Relationships - for emotional support
Surveillance - finding out information (news and weather)
Personal Identity - Relating to what you find yourself with in the programme
In the future this list will multiply due to the media expanding (video games and technology)
Reception Theory
In the 1980's to 1990's Stuart Hall researched how the audience receive media.
They found that media was produced for certain genders, class and ethnicity. This was called preferred reading. The theory is that media texts were encoded by the producers and decoded by the audience.
They realised that media should be produced to give people what they want and to get a bigger audience.
With Miss Griffiths we are learning exam based stuff and doing work on TV dramas to prepare us for our exam. In our first lesson we learnt the basics of media and what it is: the different channels you use to communicate information in the everyday life. We also looked at different types of medium and the uses of the internet.
Finally we discussed our current favourite types of media and why we liked them:
TV programme - Rules of Engagement - it's funny
Film - Aquamarine - it's a feel good film
Magazine - Heat - you get all the celebrity gossip
Radio - Heart - it has all the old classics
Advert - Boots - it's funny
Pop Song - Fun, What do I stand for - it's a upbeat and catchy song
Newspaper - Daily Mirror - it has good stories and it's not political
Internet - Twitter/Facebook - it can keep you social and see what people are up to
This is my new blog for my As Media Studies course. On here I will be posting various things such as: video’s, website links, pictures, polls and general posts to help me with my Media Studies course work. On our first lesson Mr Buckmaster showed us how to set up our blog and gave us an outline of tasks we will be completing along the course. He also gave us Media related websites to look at including: his own blog www.marlboroughmediastudies.blogspot.co.uk and Pete Fraser’s blog, who does various Media Studies related topics and has previously been a media studies teacher, www.petesmediablog.blogspot.co.uk. Both of these blog sites will help me because they are specifically related to my course and will have useful post with information that can contribute to my personal blog. We were also given the OCR website: www.OCR.org.uk. This is a good website because it will help me revise because I can look up the specification and make sure I am doing all I can to get good marks. He also gave us two useful websites that will help with our blogging. These we’re www.guardian.co.uk. This has a media studies section and I will therefore benefit from reading the latest media news and www.artofthetitle.com.This is a website that has a number of opening sequences from different films, this will help me when I come to filming my own opening scene and will also help me blog. I have not studied Media before but chose to do it as an A-level because I thought it would be interesting and fun. I was also attracted towards Media Studies after taking part in a friend’s video documentary 2 years ago, the skills and tasks involved in making her video seemed enjoyable, thus making the subject appeal to me.
