Friday, 4 November 2016

Suicide Squad opening scene analysis


Suicide Squad opening scene analysis

Suicide squad was released in 2016, and is an American superhero film based on DC Comics directed by David Ayer.  
The film starts off with the Warner Bros picture logo, however it is themed in suicide squad colors (pink, purple, green and blue) and the lights then suddenly turn off whilst the words flicker which will intrigue the audience as they have probably never seen this from the Warner bros company in any other film. In the background there is a non-diegetic sound played in the background which is quite fast and upbeat which is normally seen in action films giving the audience a sense of familiarity and an insight into what the film may contain. It also shows the DC Comics logo and at this point the audience will know for sure that it is a superhero film it then adds the effect of zooming into the logo in which it switches to the first scene as if we entered the world of DC Comics 

The first seen is introduced with non-diegetic upbeat yet mellow song, which however is slightly contrasted to the visual image as the camera shows a long shot of a lake with factory-looking buildings in the background with the sky filled with clouds causing the area to look dark and gloomy. Also in the bottom right corner the area is written in black to inform the viewer where it will be taken place, it is called the 'Black site', the color black connotes evil, power and mystery, from the gloomy scenery and the name 'black site' the audience is then fully aware the area is a bad place. With the camera in long shot as it's moving forward, it cuts too a large, rusty grey wall with barbed wire indicating that it is a prison. On this wall there is a picture of a skeleton, with a black behind bars and a skeleton symbolising mortality may imply that the actual people within the prison are not normal humans. A large vehicle then goes past the wall causing a diegetic sound of a moving lorry with guards walking past. It then cuts to a long shot of a dark office, with a desk and a men facing surveillance footage which informs the audience that whoever is in the prison is being watched. 
Then next cut is of Will Smith, who is sweating wearing no top, with a lot of sweat punching a grey punching bag in an old cell, showing the audience the first prisoner he is seen to be strong and powerful with his defined abs and muscles. With the guards coming in they are all wearing black which connotes that they are in power, whilst they go to his cell there is a point of view shot of a guard looking in as they proceed show dialogue. The guard gives Will Smith food which is clearly distasteful in which Will Smith's character threatens the guard. He is then pushed into a chair as all the guard stand around him emphasising how helpless he is within the prison, his aggression and anger is displayed when he kicks two guards down to the floor he is then hit with a large stick yelping out in agony. 


A sound bridge is then used where he is getting wacked, each hit sound shows a different location in the prison as he grunts going to the next scene of a large cage in a grey room with a woman dangling from the top doing a particular position and then to a close up of her face showing that she is a main character within the film. As she is shown a non-diegetic song is played upbeat, high tempo song she is seen wearing no makeup, with un-kept hair and a skimpy, ripped white dress. Normally white is meant to signify purity and goodness which is ironic as she is in a prison cell. The audience may be led into thinking she's the love interest within the film from her flirtatious smiling towards the guard, hair touching and suggestive moves such as sexually licking the baat the guard. She is then knocked back from an electric shock and as her head bangs on the floor it cuts to her on the floor crawled up wearing hardly any clothing with guards surrounding her, however the camera is filled with special effects adding the colors pink, purple and green there is then a close up of her as she laughs hysterically with the screen moving forward and backwards in single beats, it is then clear that this was a memory as she acts how she is feeling with her facial expression in distress and runs up to the bar hitting her head.  

She is then knocked back from an electric shock and as her head bangs on the floor it cuts to her on the floor crawled up wearing hardly any clothing with guards surrounding her, however the camera is filled with special effects adding the colors pink, purple and green there is then a close up of her as she laughs hysterically with the screen moving forward and backwards in single beats, it is then clear that this was a memory as she acts how she is feeling with her facial expression in distress and runs up to the bar hitting her head.  

The prison has low lighting with dark, dull colors reflecting on the negative atmosphere occurring within the prison. As she is seen lying on the floor on the surveillance camera a security guard is sat back in a relaxed manner eating a takeaway implying that he has no care for what happens to the prisoners. The next scene shows a road with cars going along within dark lighting as the camera zooms in on two identical black cars pulling in which is stereotypically the government in action films. With a man in a suit stepping out holding a gun, another door opens with a women stepping out then the man closes it for her, this insinuates that she is at a high level of importance as people are guarding her. A non-diegetic voice over is then played of her voice as she is walking past  man selling superman shirts just as she is talking about him, with a flashback of a funeral the audience is then aware that superman is dead and the women is going to do something about it as she said "And that it is why I'm here" in the voice over. This leave the audience intrigued to find out more, as they do not know who she is or how she will be connected to the prisoners.  


The Maze Runner opening scene analysis


The Maze Runner opening scene analysis

The maze runner was released in 2014, directed by Wes Ball. The film is an American dystopian science fiction thriller about a teenager who has no memory of his previous life and ends up in a labyrinth with other lost teenagers on a mission to get out.  
The first part to the opening scene is 20th century fox logo which informs the reader that the film is American. Non-diegetic sound is played of the theme song for the 20th century fox logo which the audience is very much familiar with. It then immediately switches to a black screen with no visual picture however there is sound in the background, which is not common in most films causing the viewer to become intrigued due to it's originality. The sound at first will be confusing to the audience as it sounds like chains, or something metal moving at the start with no non diegetic sounds, however it is a diegetic effect at the start as the opening scene plays. The first visual seen is a full screen showing bared wires and poles denoting that it is a security fence giving the viewer an impression that someone is trapped. As the scene develops the camera is now focused enough so the viewer can see the sound is coming from a moving elevator. The first character is then revealed to the audience as he rises whilst the camera is at a close up showing a small section of the elevator, this implies that he is the main character in the film as the scene is concentrated on him. The audience can immediately hear him spluttering, gasping for air as he rises to the top of the screen, which will leave the viewer wondering what exactly is happening. With a medium shot the viewer can clearly see he is looking at his surroundings in anticipationconfused on where he might be as he is breathing heavily with the diegetic sound of the elevator in the background moving upwards. 



 Throughout this scene there is low key lighting, which adds even more tension to the scene as he is panicking attempting to find out where he is. The elevator then goes up even faster and more shaky which gives the scene more tension as something may occur. A pig snort is heard in which the character acts on curiosity and slowly crawls towards the noise he then moves the material which was covering the cage to reveal a pig, it then snorts at him and he jumps back in panic he then becomes even more scared, also the viewer is left confused as to why there is a pig in the same cage as him. He then jumps up too the corner of the cage, in which the camera goes into a high angle shot which emphasises how weak and helpless he is in this current situation as he shouts for help. Suddenly the elevator stops and an alarm goes off with red lighting which indicates fear and danger. In then cuts to a black screen with only heavy breathing to hear. 


 With the sound of large, metal doors emerging and bugs he is then seen in the same cage however the lighting is high key and he appears to be outside with his arm covering the sun from eyesight. The character is then fully seen too the audience covered in sweat from his previous ordeal wearing a casual grey top. A shadow then slightly moves to indicate someone is above him and then a point of view shot sees him looking at a large amount of people surrounded by him. As they are all looking at him this low angle shot implies that they have power whilst some are heard chuckling as he is left with his facial expression still looking confused and scared. Everyone is seen wearing old, dull colored clothing implying that they are quite poor and as they get him out of the cage he is thrown to the floor and everyone is still surrounding him emphasising his helplessness until he breaks through and starts running. A high pitched noise is then heard as he runs fast which is seen clearly when the camera move to a close up of his feet moving at a fast pace he then falls to the ground and everyone starts laughing he then looks up in awe as he is introduced too large walls surrounding the entire place. After he gets thrown into what looks like a cave with bars, a man then comes, opens up the bars and starts introducing himself and questioning him. As the dialogue continues the viewer is then aware that there is memory loss as he does not remember anything when asks what his name was Alby then explains that the only thing everyone remembers is their name. People are the seen doing chores as Alby proceeds to show him around. The audience is left confused as too why they do not remember anything and where they might have came from. 




Roland Barthe said 'The text is like a tangled ball of threads' the thread needs to be unravelled in order to encounter wide range of potential meanings, The Maze runner supports the Hermeneutic code as the director avoided telling all the facts straight away and the audience was left intrigued throughout as the mystery was unravelling for example, the audience throughout most of the film had no idea where these people came from, why they were placed there and the reason behind their memory loss. 

The Hunger Games opening scene analysis

The Hunger Games opening scene analysis  

The hunger games catching fire was released in 2012 directed by Francis Lawrence,   
Main characters: Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair), Jena Malone (Johanna Mason)   
The film starts off with non-diegetic soft, slow music playing whilst white writing comes up on a black screen which is 'from the Treaty of treason' explaining how each district in the hunger games will offer up a male and female aged 11-18 at a public 'reaping' where the tributes will be lead to the custody of The capital and then taken to a public arena where they will fight to death until one remains, who will be the winner. As a viewer this gives them a brief overview on what the film is about making them understand from the very start of the film what will be occurring. Although they slight knowledge of what will happen, this insight into the film may leave them intrigued on finding out how this will all unfold.   

As 'The hunger Games' title comes up dialogue is then played with a male voice saying 'I think it's our tradition' and then it is cut too the first set of characters. The aspects of mise en scene give the audience an insight of the roles these characters play within the film. In this medium shot there a two men seated towards each other on what is seen to be a stage with bright blue dots of lights in the background. They are both wearing suits which is a connotation of power however Caser has bright blue hair and a sparkly suit and Seneca Crane has an elaborately crafted beard  which will leave the reader aware that this the extravagant style of the Capital with their futuristic attire.



With a lot of varied camera angles and a diegetic sound of clapping coming from the audience it is clear that they are in a studio and whilst their dialogue is of them explaining the hunger games openly the audience is aware that this is just entertainment to the capital and nothing is wrong with it. In the middle of the interview it then suddenly cuts too the next scene where it shows a location with a screen text informing the audience that it is 'District 12', which is a brief clip of wooden shacksbroken wooden-carriages with trees which denotes that the area is poor as well as the people living in it with it's dull surroundings. I believe the director made sure the scene suddenly cut too the district in the middle of the interview and it shows the audience a clear contrast in how the people in the capital live as opposed to the people in the district. Whilst the location is shown a sound bridge is introduced as a young girl screams 'No! No!' Whilst the diegetic sound is placed whilst showing the district I believe it emphasises how bad the area is compared to The Capital. The screams from the young girl will intrigue the audience, as they will be wondering why a young girl is screaming as if she is in danger. It is then cut too a clip with a close up of Katniss, showing the audience that she is a main character and she is seen consoling her sister after a nightmare which tells the audience she is maternal over her sister. Acting maternal connotes that she is a strong, independent person which is most likely how she will be portrayed within the film. Prim (Katniss's sisters) is introduced as quite young and very vulnerable as whilst she was overcoming her nightmare she needed to be comforted by her sister. 




The camera work in Katniss's house is handheld and very shaky which is another contrast, compared to The Capital showing how raw and real the district is. The mise en scene in costume is used effectively to portray Katniss and Prim, they are seen wearing dull, plain, over-worn clothing with Katniss wearing no makeup implying she put no effort into her appearance which implies that they are poor. Within this clip, there is low key lighting giving the house a dull effect which not only signifies poor living conditions but the lighting could reflect how the characters in the district may be feeling which is helpless, sad and confused as to why they are only seen as a form of entertainment to The Capital.  
 

As Katniss runs outside on her way to hunt a non-diegetic calm, slow song is played however it is not happy nor sad but more of a dull humming sound whilst it shows the pure poverty of the people living in the district. The sound is reflected on this when people are seen looking lost, thin and quite frail wearing old, dirty-looking clothing. People are seen carrying buckets, looking out of windows with blank facial expressions as if they are itching to be free which emphasises how badly people are living in the district causing the audience to feel sorry for them. A close up of a sign reading 'No access beyond this point' on the barbed fence is a clear indication that they are trapped in and have no way of escaping. However there is a long shot of Katniss going through the fence which indicates that she is fearless. 


Researching Horror genre

Researching Horror Genre

In order to analyse my chosen genre which was Horror, I had to investigate and use primary research in order too see what people think about my chosen Genre. I interviewed a selection of different people and asked them specific questions.







Friday, 7 October 2016

Filming/Preliminary Evaluation








Preliminary Evaluation

Planning
After being introduced with the task myself, Phoebe, Beth and Emma started the filming process by thinking of different ways to film by doing a mind map. This was so the characters within the film know exactly what to say and where it is held, a storyboard was also made so everything was a easier produce.

Filming

I believe that the film me and my group made was at a good standard, which was helped by the planning we did beforehand and the positivity within our group. In the film the 180 degree rule was included as well as the shot reverse shot and other camera angles. It started off with Emma walking through the door and the camera pans too the right along with her walking. She then starts dialogue with Beth and the camera moves from Beth too Emma and back too Beth whilst they each talk. This shows the audience the conversation going on and everyone who is involved. A close up was also used to emphasise their facial expressions.

Editing
Whilst editing I decided too cut at certain parts too show the shot reverse shot and the facial expression they may be feeling within the film.


Skills used
As a group I believe we worked effectively together as if any problem occurred it was handled straight away and resolved together. As well as this we all used our different skills and combined them into making a successful film. For example I used my creative skills by coming up with some of the dialogue and the location of the film.

WWW?
- We worked well together as a team by all equally contributing into making a good film.
- The editing worked well to ensure it was a shot reverse shot with the 180 degree rule.

 EBI?
- I believe that I could have been more creative with my editing by adding music to go along with what was happening within the scene.
- Too use more interesting angles.