Although I haven't seen the feature film of the silence of the lambs so this analysis is based on the extract alone:
The clip starts with a man who due to the costume is represented as a prisoner because of his clothing which is an all blue jump suit. In comparison to the women talking to him through the plastic wall which divides visitors from the people inside prison she is wearing fairly formal clothing which shows she is of no association to the man but may be a lawyer or something of that kind. He is located in an isolated cell which does not look pleasant, this tells us that he has most likely done something wrong and is not in there for anything good the fact he is isolated also tells us he may have something mentally wrong. The lighting is used to portray the importance of what the man his saying, as he begins speaking he turns his back to the women and we see a close-up of his face in the light as he speaks this creates the feeling that he is saying something of significance and to highlight this it is only his face which has been highlighted by the light.
At one point in the extract the women seems to nervously get up out of the seat this shows she is unsure and possibly scared, another reason maybe that what he's saying has come of shock to her and she is not sure how to react. The mans facial expressions seem to change throughout as at the beginning he begins by smiling whilst speaking he then looks into the light and his becomes emotionless then back to smiling. This creates confusion as no one is really sure how he feels.
The score used as the man is speaking creates tension and allows the viewer to become more hooked on the film. It also makes us think he is saying something important or tense and the music is used to help us understand this. The music doesn't seem to change throughout the extract I feel this is because he is always the one in control and that never changes.
As the man stands up the camera swiftly follows his movement and he is seen from a low angle this shows that he is beginning to take control of the situation. It allows the viewers to see who is in control as the women stays sitting down. A shot reverse shot which is used in this extract shows us the divide between the two both are mentally on two different levels and this is clear from facial expressions and also movement.
At the start of the OTS it is being shot using natural light as it is a sunny day, although having said this the lighting seems to change into what is possibly artificial lighting to create the mood and atmosphere.
Costume:
During the start of the trailer the father wears smart and sophisticated clothing, this may be to come across as intelligent or maybe due to self-respect and pride. His daughter Kim is seen to wear dresses and girly clothing this may show that to the father she is still their little girl. As the OTS progresses we see the kidnappers for a quick second shot they are seen to all be wearing black this shows us that they must be up to something or have something to hide. The fathers dress code changes throughout s he can be seen wearing more casual clothing. Same goes for his daughter Kim as you can see in one shot she is wearing something quite opposite to her usual girly clothing, this may show us how she has changed due to the kidnapping.
Facial expressions and body language:
Kim and her father can be seen hugging, this shows they are close, at the start the facial expressions are mostly smiles this shows they are looking forward to the trip and expect nothing bad to happen. Suddenly the facial expressions change as a shot of Kim shows her in shock as her friend Amanda is being kidnapped. Whilst her father seems to be in distraught. The facial expressions can help the audience become more involved and have abetter understanding of what is happening. Her fathers face is one of which he is determined to find his daughter. When we see a shot of Kim while she is being sold, she looks lost and defeated.
Makeup
Very little make-up is visible it is very bare and natural showing her innocence. Although having said this during her being sold she is seen to have make-up this shows the change in her as she went from being innocent and vulnerable to being in make-up about to be sold.
Location:
We know that Kim and her father are based in America due to their accents also we are shown an establishing shot of the Eiffel tower which shows they are in Paris.
Props:
The father begins with holding a present showing us it is his daughters birthday.. When he uses his phone to call his daughter in Paris and she tells him there are people in her apartment, He gets out a leather suitcase showing it is something important he gets out spy equipment showing he is more intelligent than maybe first perceived. He also has guns etc. which are all common factors of a thriller movie.
Shots:
To start sequence a medium long shot is used as the main characters are introduced., This enables the audience to view the setting as a whole and gage what sort of characters the two are. Close-ups are used to enable the audience to view the facial expressions of the characters to know how they are feeling. An establishing shot is also used to show the new location of Paris, it shows the Eiffel Tower . An over the shoulder shot used during conversation so the audience can see who's speaking. Low angle shot used when father is on phone to kidnapper shows his superiority. A wide shot is used when a man jumps off a bridge and a close up is used of a mans mouth when he is speaking on the phone. A point of view shot has also been used while looking through a spy hole on the door, this gives the audience a sense of being there.
Sound:
Diegetic sound is used through the form of dialogue and also non-diegetic sounds when the phone rings and the mans being electrocuted this sets a mood for the audience. Also there is a lot of hyperbolic sound used, The volume builds up to cause tension. Nearer the end of the sequence the sound fastens and images build up pace making it more direct.
Textual Analysis-is a methodology in film for studying the content of communication.
For TV Drama, which is section A of the exam, you will be expected watch a 4 minute extract of a TV Drama 4 times and then textually analyse it in terms of:
Camera Shots, Angle, Movement and Composition Shots: establishing shot, master shot, close-up, mid-shot, long shot, wide shot, two-shot, aerial shot, point of view shot, over the shoulder shot, and variations of these
Angle: high angle, low angle, canted angle
Movement: pan, tilt, track, dolly, crane, steadicam, hand-held, zoom, reverse zoom Composition: framing, rule of thirds, depth of field – deep and shallow focus, focus pulls.
Editing o Includes transition of image and sound – continuity and non-continuity systems. oCutting: shot/reverse shot, eye line match, graphic match, action match, jump cut, crosscutting, parallel editing, cutaway; insert. oOther transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.
Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.
Mise-en-SceÌne
Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties. Lighting; colour design.
You will then relate these technical and visual codes to one of the following aspects of representation:
·Age
·Ethnicity
·Sexuality
·Class and status – including star status
·Physical ability/disability
·Regional identity
· Gender
Camera - shot sizes Establishing shot: help to establish the scene by showing the audience the location they're in.
Master shot: the main shot of the scene that is often returned to. Directors often film these in a wide shots so the audience can get their bearings as to who is in the scene. The directors then uses other shot sizes, such as close ups or medium shots to cut into the master shot so that the audience can get a closer look at the actors.
Very long shot -a shot including the whole view of the person/object and including a large amount of the scene, can sometimes be used as an establishing shot. Long shot - a shot showing head to toe on a person for example, with less background than a very long shot, can be used to show the movement of a character. Medium long shot -showing only the knees and above, headroom is given above the shot so the person/object does not look boxed in. Medium shot -showing the belly button to the top of the head, can be used to show body language. Medium close up -a shot from the shoulders up, used to introduce actors. Close up -Shows all of the face, starting from the bottom of the neck the shot includes some background, can also be used to introduce characters the first time they are seen. Big close up -used to show facial expressions, the shot shows a persons face from the chin to forehead. Extreme close up-Used to show detail mainly, only includes
Angles- High angle shot- is a camera shot taken from above a character, or view or object. This angle shows the character to be weak, vulnerable and inferior, A female is often filmed from a high angle.
Low angle shot- is a camera shot taken from below a character view or object. This shows a character to be powerful. A male is often filmed with a low angle.
Canted angle- where the camera is at an angle to create a sense of something not quite right. The camera shot is slanted.
Movement
Pan- <----------> A pan is a camera move both left and right.
Tilt- This is when the camera tilts up and down.
Track and Dolly- Track is similar to a railway track. The dolly sits on the track. A camera man sits on the dolly in order to create smooth shots that move in or out from or to a subject and enables the camera to pan, tilt or rise up and down.
Steadicam- These shots are when the camera man wears body armour with the camera attached on the end of an arm steadicam. Shots are used for maximum freedom and movement as well as creating shots steady and flow nicely.
Handheld shot- Where the cameraman holds the camera for maximum flexibility of the type of shots he wants to use. This is a very specialised skill and is often used for documentaries and news items. If used in dramas and feature films often to create a feeling of rawness/of being present in the film, for making the film feel like a news or documentary film.
Zoom in and Out- Using the zoom facility on the camera to magnify or reduce the image size. Zooms are less popular now due tot he more sophisticated shots supplied by a track and dolly, but they are used on documentaries and for visual effects in music video's.
Depth of Field- This is about the depth of focus in any given shot. It is a focus pullers job to alter the camera lens (On a drama or feature film) tot he correct focal distance so the object or actor concerned is in focus. Sometimes shallow depth of field is used so that only important people or object are in focus to help the audience understand what is important to look at in each frame shot.
Camera
Framing- Framing is the presentation of visual elements in an image especially the placement of the subject compared to other objects.
Rule of thirds- is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section.
Shallow Depth of Field- Blurred background whilst subject is clear no distractions as background is not visible.
Deep Depth of Field- All background including subject is in focus.
Focus Pulls-Frequently used to shift the focal point from one scene to the other. For example, an actor may be in focus at a distance of 20ft from the camera at the far side of the room and the shot includes a telephone in the foreground which is out of focus. As the phone rings, the actor turns and the focus puller pulls focus so that the phone becomes sharp and the actor goes out of focus. This action is a focus pull.
Editing
Shot- Camera placement and angle.
Reverse Shot-
A film technique wherein one character is shown looking (often off-screen) at another character, and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer unconsciously assumes that they are looking at each other. Usually to perform this you will need a three camera set up.
Eye line match-An eye line match is a film editing technique associated with the continuity editing system. It is based on the premise that the audience will want to see what the character on-screen is seeing.
Jump cut: an abrupt transition from one scene to another.
Other transitions, dissolve, fade-in, fade-out, wipe, superimposition, long take, short take, slow motion, ellipsis and expansion of time, post-production, visual effects.
Parallel editing: is a technique whereby cutting occurs between two or more related actions occurring at the same time in two separate locations or different points in time. D. W. Griffith is often cited for his use of this technique
super imposition: is the placement of an image or video on top of an already-existing image or video, usually to add to the overall image effect, but also sometimes to conceal something (such as when a different face is superimposed over the original face in a photograph).
Insert:In film, an insert is a shot of part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot
Cutaway shot: In film and video, a cutaway shot is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. Cutaways often to get you out of jail if you don't have all the required footage.
long take: is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. Long takes are often accomplished through the use of a dolly shot or Steadicam shot.
short take: is a short recording of an event which in turn becomes a quick edit due to its length. Short takes if all used together create a fast pace are often used in thriller or action.
slow motion: the action of showing film or playing back video more slowly than it was made or recorded, so that the action appears much slower than in real life.
ellipsis:the shortening of the plot duration of a film achieved by deliberately omitting intervals or sections of the narrative story or action; an ellipsis is marked by an editing transition (a fade,dissolve, wipe, jump cut, or change of scene) to omit a period or gap of time from the film’s narrative.
expansion of time: you are making the duration of the video sequence longer than real-time. This is relatively rare — it's not often that you want your audience to see something more slowly than it actually happened. Slow motion is an example of expanding time.
post production: work done on a film or recording after filming or recording has taken place.
visual effects: are the processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shot.
Soundtrack: score, incidental music, themes and stings, ambient sound.
Mise-en-Scène
Production design: location, studio, set design, costume and make-up, properties. Lighting; colour design.
Location- A place or position where something is set.
Studio- A film or television production company.
Set design- is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery.
Lighting- The use of various light sources, both artificial and natural, to achieve some aesthetic or practical effect while illuminating a scene.
Body Language-
Facial Expressions-
Sound Track
Score- is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score forms part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects
Incidental music-Incidental music is often "background" music, and is intended to add atmosphere to the action
Themes- the main subject or idea in a piece of writing, speech, film.
Stings- A sting is a short musical phrase, primarily used in broadcasting and films as a form of punctuation. For example, a sting might be used to introduce a regular section of a show or at the end of a scene
Ambient- the background sounds which are present in a scene or location. Common ambient sounds include wind, water, birds, crowds, office noises, traffic, etc.
Preliminary task – in groups of no more than 4. Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.
Marks aren't gained for the preliminary task however they are lost is the task isn't completed.
Main task – The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes. All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidates, with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.
Research+Planning – 20 marks
Construction – 60 marks Evaluation – 20 marks
Purely consists of 7 questions which are:
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it tothe full product?
