Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task we had to film a short conversation and simple transaction between two characters. We had to obey the 180 degrees rule, this is that the camera needs to view the two people in the shot from the same side. This is important especially in shot-reverse shot as it can confuse the audience, it will make the two people switch sides which wouldn't make sense to anyone watching it.


We also needed to have match on action. This is when the camera films the same shot viewed from different angels, this makes it more dramatic and can give the impression of urgency.
It was part of the task that we included shot-reverse shot. This is a technique that has two different ways of doing it, they both are used for a two way conversation. The camera switches between the points of view of both characters as the other one is speaking, you see from As' point of view while B is talking and you see from B's point of view while A is talking. Or when B is talking you see over the shoulder of A and when A is talking the audience sees over B's shoulder. When we did our preliminary task we used the latter because this way it involves both characters at the same time in each shot.

There were four people in our group, 2 actors, 1 cameraman and a director. Everyone contributed to the idea and helped with shots.


We started with close up of feet walking up the stairs, this was showing the movement of the character and wasn't meant to fully introduce the character. From that we had a zoomed shot of a door handle which obviously signifies someone entering a room. Then we finally see our first character enter the room, greeting someone behind the camera then she sits down. This is when our audience gets a shock which they may not recover from easily, with the rules of shot reverse shot the camera switched between over the shoulder shots. A man dressed in womans clothing and wearing a very blond wig, this was mainly for the comedy effect but also gained our audiences attention.


As the female and the female impersonator are having their conversation the camera switches between the two in shot-reverse shot, making sure to always shoot on their left hand side this keeps in the 180 degrees rule. This created a problem, our location was a small toilet, it was hard getting the camera in the right position. Once he got the hang of it it was alright, especially as we had to do in camera editing so we couldn't film all one side of the conversation then the next as we didnt have access to the editing suit. We had to film one line, move the camera then film the next. This was not very productive filming as it wasted alot of time that could have been spend making the piece better or longer.

After the conversation section the male character dressed as a female needed to get something out of his purse. This seemed a good moment for our match on action. Unzipping the purse was filmed from different angels and at the end the product being handed over was zoomed in on.
Then there was close up of the product passing from one hand to the next, then the girl who first entered the rooms happy face and her thanking the dressed up male.

This task was alot harder than first interpreted, this was mainly because of the in camera editing. It was to make the task very basic but insted made it alot more complicated and come out with less than satisfactory results. As we couldnt rewatch our footage as it possibley would mess up the order, also if we didnt film it perfect first time then we would have to redo teh whole thing, if on the editing suits we could edit the bad bits out.

Analysis of a horror

In media we analysed the horror Scream2. This is a slasher horror that does not need to follow convention as already has a reputation for being scary.

This is clear in the opening, the music alone stands out as it is not the typical suspense building music with violins. The music is loud and contemporary. Also the opening scene is a very public place, audiences are use to remote places much like in the first Scream film the victim was isolated. The place is very everyday so it brings a sense of reality to the film, it is set in a cinema. In this cinema a film called "Stab" is being shown, this is intertextuality as the film being shown is the story of the prequel.

The film "Stab" is important to the chaos as the cinema seems to be busy and the murderer in the first film wore a mask, this same mask is being given out in the cinema. If the murderer is around there is no way of telling the difference between them or an audience to the film "Stab". This brings a sense of irony to the opening as no chance of finding the killer.

The film "Stab" is shown in clips every so often, it appears that this pretend film is more conventional that the actual film being watched. It follows the convention of nudity, of shocking and jumpy moments.

Whist the girlfriend is watching the film "Stab" and her boyfriend gets stabbed in the head, the murderer takes his clothes and goes sits next to her. The closeness is also a convention of horror films, it happened in the first film Billy Loomis is the murderer who was Sidney Prescott's boyfriend at the time. There is an obvious like there as the murderer standing in the boyfriends clothing and place suddenly stabs the girlfriend.

Again there is a horrible sense of irony, as the cinema is still in total chaos everyone things she is playing along with the "Stab" film the character origonally played by Drew Barrymore is killed. She has an extremely public death and it is not noticed for quite a while, compare this to teh typical horror deaths. For example in the first Scream film, when Drew Barrymore is murdered it is in a very isolated area but her body is imidately found by her parents.

On 7th of November in Media Studies we analysed Leon

Leon is a thriller staring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and a young Natalie Portman. Released on 14th September 1994.

This film starts with moody atmospheric musics, mainly based around violins. This is typical of thriller films as violins can sound sinister and scratchy.
The music is accompanied by establishing shots high up from a crane. These shots start in a forest and then the camera tilts slowly into urban areas, this could symbolise the un-purification that happens later in the plot to Mathilda. It becomes clear that the setting is New York and the forest is central park. The camera continues along many entwining busy roads until it tilts up and "Welcolm to Little Italy" is seen on screen. This again is just seeting the scene.
The audience find themselves inside an italian shop, two men sitting across teh table fromon another. The first spoken words in the films are in italian, this shows the characters social backgrounds.
During thing conversation between these two italians at no point do you see their full faces. This is a technical device often used in thiller films, it keeps suspense which is teh whole aim of a thriller. This keeps mystery, this goes along with Leons glasses thathe wears, tehy black out alot of his face, these glasses become a motif of the film.
When we get to the people that Leon is going to kill, the audience see shots from CCTV which represents someone watching them. The music starts slow and gets faster and teh tension builds, as the mans gang get killed no violence is shown, just suggested. This again keeps teh mystery in the film.
As the tension builds it is seen clearly in the characters' fumbling and his falling over objects, as the music has gotten quicker there is an atmosphere of haste and panic.
The music stops and Leons hand comes out from teh darkness, this hows the climax of the chase and that Leon came out on top.

Analysis of a romantic comedy

On 7th of November in Media Studies we analysed
Notting Hill

Notting Hill is a romantic comedy staring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Released on 21 May 1999.

The film starts with a blank screen and the audience can hear a cheering crowd, this is non diagetic sound but seems to be diagetic as it fits in with the pictures on screen. Anna Scotts’ (Julia Roberts) face shows on screen in many media situations, along the red carpet etc. This gives the audience an impression that her character is famous and that the media is almost obsessed with her. This amplifies Anna Scotts’ characters glamorous lifestyle.
The backing along with the sound of the crowd there is Elvis Costello singing “she”, this is a typical romantic song about a man loving a woman. This song goes perfectly tone of the film, it introduces the audience to love situations.

There is a monologue introducing the leading male actor, Hugh Grant. William Thacker, as the character is known, starts on the theme of Anna Scott then digresses mentioning his surroundings. Then he goes one with a string of one liner jokes which starts the comedy element of the film. Along with these jokes there are a lot of establishing shots of William Thackers’ local area, these establishing shots get the audience use to the surround areas that they will need to be aware of in the film.

Once William Thacker is introduced we find ourselves in his apartment with his half naked flatmate. There is a massive contrast between two characters, William Thacker is charming, very english and appears very intelligent. Spike has a very strong welsh accent, thoroughly uncharming and is described as "the stupidest person in the world". Again Spike adds humour to this romantic comedy, but he does also play a useful role in the characterisation of William Thacker. He helps make William Thacker look like a better male to be with, as Spike cant choose appropriate T-shirts for a date where as William Thacker appears rather good with his appearance and sophistication.

William Thacker, our protagonist, is in a failing business which seems to mirror his failing love life. Then Anna Scott comes to buy a book from his travel book shop. This is interrupted by a drunken thief stealing a book by putting it in his underwear, this is again typical of a romantic comedy. The potential couple get distracted by a usually slapstick and comedic moment.

xXx