Certificate research

We have decided to make our movie a 12A for the reason of we could get more profits from younger and older audiences and our movie is very kid friendly. Having a more generalized audience means that our audience is larger and more opening which then equals to higher revenue and profit. Examples of successful 12A's are Avatar, Fast and Furious 7 and Titanic.We wanted to use a 12a as from our filming we feel it is appropriate for kids and we wanted a wider range of audience.

Props and Costume Research

This is what the protagonist Vicky will be wearing for our film just the black cape not the dress. This is effective because it shows shes trying to be hidden and away from everyone else. We wanted her wearing the black cloak because capes conforms to a superhero and we wanted her to be immediately shown as the good guy. We also wanted to cloak because we wanted to make it feel as if she can fly as most superheroes with capes and fly4

This is the mask the antagonist shall be wearing, we chose this mask because it had a villain feel to it and we could see our antagonist wearing this. We wanted something dark and like a skull to make us feel scared of this character the dark connotes to a villain and we wanted the skull because we wanted our own villain compared to Darth Vader or bane as those mask are typically seen in other movies just with a different look to it.

Location Research

We are thinking about using ashtead common for our sci fi movie. It would be a great location as it could show a good area for a spaceship crash and a unknown person confused on where she is. We feel the area can make it look like a deserted area and we feel that if we film here then we can add to the effect of no civilization. Ashtead Common is a very big and quiet area we feel that this could be used to our advantage. 

We are also thinking about doing our film at leatherhead park this is most likely not going to be used as it is not what were looking for but its a good plan B. We decided that this area could be a good plan B as it does have an empty area but there are a few disadvantages and we obviously prefer Ashtead Common. The reasons we don't feel this is the best area is because it has a lot of civilization and even a park, there is usually dog walking happening at the back where we thinking about doing where all the trees are. Also we feel that the area doesn't seem empty and filled with trees and that is what we are looking for. 

The 3rd and final location is my school Therfield School. This is not third choice we did use this location for 2 reasons. We used it for the drama studio to film one of the scenes with the villain in it we wanted a dark feel to it and a technical feel to it and the drama studio has these things it was perfect for its uses and the drama studio was perfect for the scene although we could have improved on some bits as it did not really look like the inside of a spaceship. The other reason we used therfield school was for the dark room for our first scene, we wanted the dark room because we wanted to focus on Vicky face and show technical sci fi stuff and it was perfect for what we wanted as it ended up looking really good. 

Questionnaire

We did the questionnaire and found the answers. We found that "Strangers" would be the best titled suited for our movie, we also found that Ashtead Common would be the best place suited to our movie. I also asked what opening scene would be best for our film we ended up with a iron man scene crashing down with spaceship noises turning to a black screen and a dramatic quote for our opening.We also asked what cliche should we used and battery dying and pulse weapons. People also said they want to see dramatic quotes and they liked "i don't wear a mask to hide my identity... but to release it".We used a questionnaire to find out what the audience wants as we want to appeal to the audience as much as possible.  From our answers we know what the audience is looking for when they see our movie so we will be aiming for this things to happen. So typically you will see our soon to be famous one liner and see some cliches like twigs snapping when walking over it. When making the questionnaire it was to help us decide which was the best one but for some we did have favorites for example the title of our movie, we wanted "Another World" but the audience preferred "Strangers" which was unexpected and of course the audience want we give so our title is now Strangers.  

Research and Planning Targets

A promising and confident start - but much more of your planning needs to be evidenced in order for you to achieve your target grade or above for this stage of your portfolio.  Keep pushing yourself to complete the task list provided and work collaboratively with your group in order to make sure your road to production is well evidenced and leads to success.

Preliminary Evaluation

This is my preliminary task where we had to film scenes with certain things in that scene. We had to use match on action, the 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot. The match on action is where we had to film actor 1 being kieran opening the door and it going onto a close up on his hand opening the door, We had to film kieran twice but editing showed as if it was one shot and you don't see the camera but we did film it in 2 shots. The first one showed kieran opening the door and turning right the next one was kieran's hand opening the door and him walking through. When we edited we put them together cut down the time and made it look smooth. The next was the 180 degree rule for this all we had to do was a one on one interview that was filmed twice and stayed 180 degrees away from the scene. The interview looked as if we were talking to each other with no camera not you should of been able to see but because it was filmed twice and editing and putting it together made it look as if it was normal. The third and the final was the shot reverse shot that was just the same where it would show actor 1 talking to actor 2 with the camera going back and forth showing each other talking. 

How we filmed the shots were quite difficult the first shot we had to get perfect to show kieran walking up to the door and we didn't want to show the classroom next door we ended up getting it perfect. The next scene was kieran's hand opening the door this was pretty easy all we had to do was get kieran to open the door again. The next scene we just put in the corner of the room ad got kieran to walk through the door and later we would cut him walking through and have him half in the door while it closes. The only hard part was the editing we had to get kieran perfectly walking through. Another shot was the same place but we moved it to the right a bit to then show kieran sitting down opposite me. The shot reverse shot i had to put 3 scissors to where the stand was to make sure i could put it back in the same spot to make it perfect. 

What could of we done better was the last shot we could of done much better and a longer shot reverse shot as we only did two scenes of it. If we had more scenes it would have been more effective. The last shot could of been done done again as the we filmed it once and you can see some mistakes for example my hands in the last scene were above the table but then they were below. You can also see that we save the table from falling. The last was that kieran had goggles on his head when walking through the door but in the next he was wearing them. To improve we could have watched it back and filmed the scene again. 

Furious 7 Opening Scene Analysis

This the opening scene to Fast and Furious 7. The genre is thriller/action and there are many conventions to it being this. For example in the first scene we see many dead bodies and they seem to be wearing police uniforms showing that there has been a villain there killing all the good guys. Another convention is the explosion towards the end this is usually in action movies to add a dramatic effect. The last convention is we see the villain looking cool this is mainly seen in action films as we get to know the villain and hes made to look cool so he is not easily defeated by the good guys. The effective camera shots are the when were looking at a close up of the villain with blurred nurses in the background while he is talking to them its effective because it shows the villain being bad and showing his evil side. Another effective camera angle is the one where the villain looks away from the explosion this is effective because it shows superiority for the villain.

We find out some information in the opening scene of furious 7 for example if you know fast and furious series through and through you know that the guy in the hospital bed was his brother who was also a villain in a old movie. So we find out that this new guy wants to avenge his brother. Mise-en-scene is used well in the opening scene as the villain is wearing a dark suit this shows that he is evil and going to be the bad guy.

The sound is used well in the scene as the main villain is the only one talking with no music showing were suppose to listen as he is giving as a back story to them both for us to learn. Another effective is sound is the non diegetic sound is the music being played its quite rock and loud showing the villain looking good. 

Jeepers Creepers Analysis

This is the chase scene of the Jeepers Creepers. This is in the horror genre there are many conventions to it being a horror movie for example one of them being the mysterious murderer, we see a creepy guy getting rid of dead bodies this is common in horror movies because the villain needs to look really scary. The next convention we see is that the phone does not work this is common in horror movies as they need to make it more intense and keep us into the movie. The last is the chase scene this is commonly seen in action movies but in this case its scary as there is a chance of them dying. The effective camera angles are ones where the camera shows them in the care and shows the truck behind them a mid shot showing them all and how there being chased. Another effective shot is the aerial long shot showing the chase happening and showing that there vulnerable right now. 

We find out some information about the characters in the chase scene for example we know that the bad guy is creepy and a murderer. We also find out that these main characters are mid teens. We do not find out much so we are left asking a few questions like who is this creepy villain? Who are these characters? and Will we find out who this creepy villain is? We ask these question to keep us hooked. 

Some sounds we hear are the intense music playing to make it more scary and put us in the edge of our seat this is commonly seen in horror movies and is a non diegetic sound. Some other sounds we hear are the diegetic screaming of the kids this is effective because we feel how terrified they are right now.

50 First Dates Analysis

This is the trailer to popular romantic/comedy movie 50 first dates. This is a rom/com movie and there are many conventions to show it for example the seeing the girl across the room cliche in the trailer we see the main guy and girl in a restaurant and the guy sees the love interest across a crowded room this is mainly seen in romantic movies as its meant to be desirable. Another convention we see is the funny foolish friend, we see that the friend is attacking him to get the girls attention and he ends up getting hurt himself we usually see this is rom/com movies as we need the funny character for the comedy side to these movies. The last convention we see is the problem that then leads to a happy ending the problem being she never remembers him and has to win her back everyday. The camera shots in the scenes we see make some peoples heart melt as the scene where he sees the love interest across the room and the camera getting it perfectly to make people love this scene that much more.

The sound being used is happy upbeat music making us feel peace and has the romantic effect to the movie. We find out some information about the characters and the movie for example we now know who the love interest is and the guy going for it. We also see that the main guy loves his job and was not planning on committing to a relationship as the narrator says so. Another thing we find out is that the girl has been in a car crash and now has short term memory loss meaning she will not remember him everyday.

The Woman in Black Opening Analysis

This is the opening scene to popular horror film The Woman in Black. As said before this movie is a horror movie, there are many conventions to it being a horror movie for example we see creepy objects like the dolls and tea set these are generally seen in horror movies to make the viewers not only scared but totally creeped out! The next convention we see is the creepy children not saying anything throughout the scene we see this in most horror movies to also creep us out and it makes a horror movie that bit more terrifying just recently saw the movie Ouija and the little girl was the main scare. The third and final is the dropping of the tea cup and other objects braking this connotes to horror genre because we usually see things brake to show something has happened or will happen. The camera is used well as when the objects are breaking we see the use of match in action shot because we see the girl walking in shot A and then the cut to shot B when her foot steps on the doll. That is also using cutting well as the cut to shot B is smooth and not noticeable to make the viewers get mad at poor camera and editing work. 

We also find out some information in the first few minutes for example we know that there is some type of bad influencing ghost as such because the girls all look at one place then the window and jump out to add to the scare the only explanation is a ghost. We also find out something about the opening characters for example we know there a family because when they jump out of the window the mother shouts no my babies meaning they were all her daughters. This also suggests they were living in a haunted house as there is no other explanation for them jumping out especially in movies as there always has to be some paranormal activity going on. 

Some sounds used in the opening scene of The Woman in Black is the non-diegetic music being played while the girls walk to the window. This music makes the scene much more intense and scary as it sounds like bells and these also connote to horror as they have a creepy effect when played correctly. Some diegetic sounds we hear as well as the actors/actress is the dropping of the glass and the crunching of the dolls these are effective as it makes this go more on the edge of our seat as its making the walk from where they were sitting to the window like a long journey making the viewers feel much more tense. This movie very much conforms to the general stereotype of horror movies as it has many conventions the genre.   

Continuity In Filming

The 180 Rule

The 180 degree rule is where there is two people standing at point A and B opposite each other and there is axis of action in the middle that is invisible and you can go 180 degrees on one side of the scene. You cannot go on the other side or break the 180 degree or it will look like you are talking to yourself.  

Shot Reverse Shot

The shot reverse shot is where character A is shown talking or interacting with character B and then character B is shown talking or interacting with character A looking back, this shot would usually be filmed twice with each character not with each other and edited together to make it seem like there interacting with each other switching camera angles with no cameras behind them. For example the scene in the first Hunger Games.

The 30 Degree Rule

The 30 degree rule is a simple but very important rule where camera should move at most 30 degrees between shots in the same scene if the rule is broken the viewers will be very confused and will be more focused on the camera angles then the story being shown. For example:

Match on Action

Match on Action is to do with film editing its where the first shot shows whats happening and the second shot showing a closer version of whats happening cutting for shot 1 to shot 2. In  this example it shows two characters shaking hands in shot one then cuts to shot 2 showing the hands making contact in the hand shake. For example in TV Sitcom Friends.

Expendables 2 Opening Analysis

This is the opening 3 minutes to the Expendables 2. The movie Expendables 2 is an action movie, there are many conventions to it being an action movie for example the guns. The guns connote action movies as the good guys and bad guys would usually have guns to fight each other, the bad guys usually miss the shots against the good guy as its suppose to make him/her/look better and they would not die as there suppose to have a boss fight at the end of the movie. Another convention to show that it is an action movie is the explosions, the explosions connote to action movie as we usually see explosions in action movies to add to the excitement. At the end we see the bike go into the helicopter this connotes to the action genre as we usually see big vehicles and some explode. Another convention to the action genre is big vehicles. The Expendables enter with guns blazing and massive vehicles to protect them. The massive vehicles add to the excitement and it thrills the target audience. The target audience for this movie would mainly be male aged 16 to mid 20s. The reason for these ages is because it is a movie with violence and the female gender do not seem to enjoy violence in movies the age is mainly because younger people it is not suitable and older prefer action movies with not a lot of violence and more of a story.

From these opening 3 minutes we are left asking a few key questions for example who are they attacking? Who is the main hero? Who is the villain? Were left asking these questions to get us caught into the film and continue watching till the end and find out the answer to these questions. Some of these questions connote to the action genre for example the who is the villain question is mainly asked in action movies because we don't find out the villain till the middle of the movie for example in action movies like Spy, James Bond and Captain America. The camera shots are effective because when they crash into the enemy base the camera is at a low angle and shakes when they come in. This makes the scene more effective because it is shows the powerful destruction more clearly. Other camera angles include the establishing shot when the massive cars are turning up showing where they are heading and how much destruction there could be. Another is the camera panning round the car and up and down the driver to the gunner showing how powerful this car is, it also shows how they are going to be used and it should be a thrilling next through scenes.

The music is used well in the opening 3 minutes for example the non-diegetic music playing makes these scenes louder and more thrilling and keeps the target audience entertained throughout the scenes. A diegetic sound is the guns blazing this is an effective sound as we know how many bad guys there are shooting at them and the bigger guns coming into play are effective as well as we can hear how powerful they are. We don't find out much in the first 3 minutes but there is some information for example the characters a gang of heroes, army men defeating an enemy base for some unkown reason. We also find out it must be important as they have brought big guns and a helicopter turns up to defend to base. The representation of this movie conforms to the general stereotype of action movies as it has everything that is expected for example the guns, the explosions, the massive vehicles and the unknown villain.

The Software: Adobe Premier Elements

We used Adobe Premier Elements 10 to edit our 10 second 3 shot film. I found it quite easy to use to the software putting the clips in the section they needed to be was simple and pretty straight forward. All the other effects were basic and easy to use which was very helpful as it made the 3 shot film look much better. There were not many difficulties using this software however there were some parts that were quite challenging for example the cutting the clip down to the appropriate length as we had to get it perfect and not too much it had to be exact. Cutting had to be perfect to be effective in the movie for example cross cutting and if we cut to much it would have been much worse.

My 3 Shot Film

The strengths of our film was the good location. The good location made the movie more effective and the first shot, the establishing shot showed where we were and made this more of an intense short film. Another thing we did well in our film was the cross cutting from one scene to the other. It made the scenes attach and make it better than original. Another strength was the  fading at the end it made it seem like a cliff hanger and much more intense. The 3 shots we used went very well as the establishing shot set the scene, the mid/ two shot showed who was in the scene and the over the shoulder made showed the intensity between the two characters.

The weaknesses were that we didn't use all 3 cameras and in the establishing shot is it a bit joggy. Our targets would be to use and camera stand so the camera stays perfectly still and i think if we used all 3 characters this film would be better.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Analysis

This is the opening 4 minutes to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This movie is genre is an action movie, there are many conventions to show its a action movie in these 4 minutes. For example we see the superhero beating all these bad guys. This is mainly in the superhero versions of action movies for example Iron Man, Spider-Man and Thor. Another convention is all the guns the bad guys have, we tend to see the bad guys using guns more than the hero but we also see how there all terrible at aiming there guns as they mainly miss the hero, they do this to make the hero look cooler and obviously there not going to die because they have to fight a big villain at the end. The last convention is the foreign bad guys, when the hero is pinned down and the villain speaks he is speaking a different language. We usually see foreign bad guys in action movies as this is one of the general stereotypes for action. At the beginning we find out some information about the main characters for example: This hero is called Captain America and he has been around for years also he is the main hero. We also see another heroine being the Black Widow we learn she isn't the main hero but will be helping him throughout the movie. We also find out some things about the actual story. For example we see that the villain is someone the hero knows making this a much more dramatic movie. We also hear that people are going to die something big is being planned and the heroes have to stop it from happening. 

We are left asking some key questions in the opening 4 minutes for example what is the villain planning? Why is this villain so important to the hero? Who is the villain? Were left asking these questions so we watch the rest of the movie and answer the questions. These questions also link to the conventions of action movies for example the who is the villain question is asked many times in action movies as it is usually left a secret till the middle of the movie and its a big reveal. 

Sound is used well in the trailer as notice that there is no music being played while the hero fights these bad guys whereas when the heroine fights bad guys there is loud bangs everytime she hits them in a bad way. This is used well because when the hero does it, it is expected but when the heroine fights its one of the first fight scenes we see with her. Some diegetic sounds we hear that are effective are the helicopter sounds and waves clashing this is effective as we know there on a helicopter following a boat this shows it is probably a top secret mission. Camera effects are used well for example when the hero is jumping out of the plane we see how big the boat is showing how many bad guys the hero would have to fight showing how this will be cool scene with the hero and villain. The camera adds effect as well in another scene when it is at a low angle looking up at the hero defeating all the bad guys this shows he is big, tough and bigger than the bad guys. The fast paced cutting is used well as in each cut we see the hero beating the bad guys it makes it more effect as we can see how fast and much stronger the hero is. 

Notting Hill Analysis

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This is the trailer to Notting Hill. It is a romantic comedy movie aiming at the target audience of 16 to 30 year old women. This appeals to that target audience because its quite heart and happy and it adheres to romance in real life. For some people watching they admire the romance in a film and want it in real life. It shows the classical romance conventions: a wealthy women and a poor man we know this because we learn that the women character is an actress and the poor man is a library shopkeeper. We also know this because of the way they dress, we see the women wearing fancy clothes and dresses while the man wears cheap clothes like jeans a polo shirts. The clothing they wear tries to show how different  they both are, they try show this because there trying to say love can happen even if you think its not possible. This movie is similar to the movie Titanic as they both share the poor man and wealthy women. This movie connotes a lot to the rom/com movie genre for example they find love against all possibility and the clumsy best friend but it also subverts to the conventions of rom/com genre for example  the father is usually clumsy and doesn't interfere where as in the trailer it shows him interfering with the relationship. 

Romantic Comedy Analysis

Conjuring 2 Analysis

This is the opening few minutes to Conjuring 2. In the first 2 minutes there are many conventions to it being a horror film. The first convention we see is that the place is very dark to add the scary feel to it. It makes us feel more intense and head in hands scary because you know a jump scare will happen. The next convention is the jump scare a jump scare is always in horror movies and 99% of the time scares us. In this horror movie there is murder this is mostly in horror movies just to make it that more scary.

Some key questions we ask from the opening scene are who is this family that have been killed? Why are they trying to imagine this? Who will be the scary villain? We ask these questions to watch the rest of the movie and know what happens. We also find out some information for example we now know that there was a family that lived there and were murdered. Another thing we find out is this woman must be the main character so who is she? This connotes to the horror genre as we usually don't get the back story of the main character straight away its usually spread throughout the movie. The mise-en-scene is used really well as we see a scary house this connotes to scary genre as there is usually a scary place. Another mise-en-scene used well is how in her eyes shes not doing anything with a pretend shotgun in her hand but when she looks in the mirror shes a man with an actual gun, this adds effect as it makes it much more scary and makes us feel really intense about her. 

The sound is used really well as there is scary non-diegetic sound while she walks up the stairs and when she goes to a room the sound goes high pitch and ends. This adds effect because it makes it much more scary when the jump scare happens. 

Mad Max Fury Road Analysis

This is the opening few minutes to Mad Max: Fury Road. This movie is an action movie and there are many conventions to show this. For example we see a car chase scene which is seen many times in action movies for example Amazing Spider-Man, Spectre, Ride Along etc. Another convention to it being an action movie is the fast cars usually the hero has a cool vehicle in this being a fast car in a apocalyptic world. The last convention we see is alien villains this is usually in the sci fi/action genre we usually see aliens or zombies mainly as the villains. Camera usage adds effect to all these scenes for example in the first one we see is the chase they use a aerial shot to show the distance and how many cars there are chasing the good guys. 

Some key questions were left asking is why is the hero being chased? What happened to the world? Who is the villain? We ask these question to watch the rest of the movie just watching the first few minutes gets you intrigued. These questions link to the conventions of action movies because we are usually asking who is the villain till the middle of the movie when he/she is revealed. We also find out some information like he says he is being chased by the dead and alive showing that zombies are in this movie. Another thing we find out that this is an apocalyptic world this is shown as there is no cities or anything it looks like  wasteland. The mise-en-scene is used well in the scene as there are long hall way chase scenes which is effective because when its in a hall way it makes it that more intense. Another mise-en-scene in this scene is the cars, the cars are used as loud and fast this adds effect as it makes the teenage audience think its cool. 

The sound is used well as while the chase happens no sound is playing this adds effect because the chase seems more intense it keeps us on the edge of our seat. The next is in the chase scene in the hall way it plays intense fast paced music showing how quick this chase is.  

The Amazing Spider-Man Analysis

This is the opening 10 minutes to Amazing Spider-Man 2. This movie is an action movie and there are many conventions to show it is a action movie for example we see a chase scene which is mainly scene in action movies. Its also a police chase which is a strong indicator to it being an action movie. Another convention to it being an action movie is the guns towards the end. We see the villain shooting at the hero this is a convention to a action movie as we always see a fight between the hero and the villain. Another convention to an action movie we see is a foreign villain this is a big indicator to it being an action movie because when the villain is foreign some audiences would hate the villain more. Camera usage adds effect to all these scenes as while the chase is happening were always following the hero and how he is swinging the camera swings with him. The camera also adds effect while the chase is happening as it goes behind all the police cars and the villains car showing how many police there are and the camera movies with them showing how fast the chase is. The movie is also a comedy this is also shown in the first 10 minutes when the final scene happens and the hero embarrasses the villain making the viewers laugh. This is a big indicator to comedy/action movies as there is usually and hero and villain confrontation and the hero usually does or says something funny. 

Some key questions were left asking are who is this villain? Why was the person who got saved so important? Who will be the main villain? As he got arrested at the end. We ask these questions to watch the rest of the movie and answer these questions. These questions link to the conventions of an action movie as were are usually left asking who the villain actually is because he/she won't be revealed till towards the end of the movie. We also find out some information for example its the heroes graduation, the villain steals a bad chemical and the hero is a hero to everyone as we see him swing in and everyone cheering. The mise-en-scene is used well as we see a news helicopter this is effective as it makes it feel more realistic as this would be real reported news. We also see the use of cop cars and a massive truck for the villain this is effective because cops connote action and violence, the big truck for the villain shows he/she is hard to take down and is a tank. 

The sound is used because at first we hear the Spider-Man theme tune this is an effective non diegetic sound as we know the hero being Spider-Man will be in the next scene. It also indicates to something happening in this case we see a chase scene. Another effective diegetic sound is when the truck is running through all the other cars this makes it more effective as it makes it more realistic and shows destruction which also connotes to an action movie. 

This is an effective camera shot from the opening scene. It is effective because it shows how big and superior the villain truck is and how vulnerable the police cars are. They try and show the police as vulnerable so they can make the hero seem better and stronger because then he/she looks more like the hero. It also shows destruction which connotes to action as destruction is usually in action movies. 

This is an effective aerial shot showing the hero being higher than everyone else showing superiority for the hero. It also shows the cop chase and how the hero is on the way to save the day. This connotes to action as the hero will always be better then police and will always save the day. 

Horror Genre Analysis

Horror genre is extremely popular these days especially for the target audience of teenagers its mainly for teenagers looking for a thrill which is mainly all of them. These movies have more tense scenes to try keep us on the edge of our seats. Inmost of these movies were found hiding in our pillows or our hands because we do not want to be jump scared but we still watch these movies anyway for the thrill.

Spectre Action Analysis

This is the opening action scene to popular series James Bond 007 this one being Spectre. There a few indicators to it being an action movie an obvious would be the guns being used in the scene. In the scene we see a gun being aimed at a building, guns are a huge indicator to action movies as they are used the most. The next big indicator is explosions, this one is almost always used in action 

movies the camera usage adds effect to this scene as when the explosion happens the camera shakes this adds effect to the diameter of the explosion and how big it was. The sound also adds effect as its diegetic sound of ringing after the explosion we hear this as we have a feel of what James Bond would be hearing after being so close to the explosion. The last indicator to it being an action would be the chase scene, the chase scene shows action as it is usually in action movie and it adds to the tense effect of will he catch him or not its usually on foot but can be in a car. The camera adds effect as it cuts every now and then to show how far they are going most of the cuts from the camera show how James Bond is walking quite slow and shows how serious and powerful he is against the bad guy who is vulnerable and weak. 

Some key questions were left asking is why is James Bond chasing him? Why is he so important? What is this social event? We ask these questions to find out what happens it the rest of the movie. These questions link to the conventions of action movies as were left asking who is the villain? In most action films the villain is left unknown till a big reveal towards the end of the movie. We also find out little information for example we know that James Bond will most likely be trying to track down a villain who is the leader of this gang on the ring. The mise-en-scene is used well in the opening scene as we see a huge social gathering perfect for chase scenes as people get in the way which adds to the effect of the villain being vulnerable. We also see the use of a helicopter this is very effective as the helicopter adds to the action convention because we usually see big vehicles being used mainly in the James Bond franchise. 

The sound is used very well because at first we hear the James Bond theme a non diegetic sound indicating to something happening whether that be a chase scene or a fight scene in this situation it would be a chase scene. Another sound that we spoke about earlier is the ringing after the explosion this would be diegetic sound as we imagine this is what James Bond is hearing.  

The Mechanic Analysis

This is the opening 2 minutes to The Mechanic. In these opening two minutes we already see loads of conventions to the Action genre for example we see a foreign villain which is usually in Action films it makes it more effective as some people may feel like they hate the villain more. Another convention we see is bodyguards with big guns in a huge house this shows that the villain is rich which makes some  viewers hate the villain even more as all they aim for is to hate the villain. Another convention we see is the big muscle man as the main character on the hero. The reason why they get big muscle men is to be attractive to the audience it makes woman love him and men want to be him especially the target audience of teenagers would like to be as big as him.  

Some key questions were left asking are who is this villain? Why did he deserve to be killed? Who is this main character? And why does he get the authority to kill someone? How does the camera add effect to when the good guy is killing the bad guy? We ask these questions to watch the rest of the movie and find out what happens. These questions link to the conventions of an Action movie for example were asking who is this main character? In most action movies the main character is left a mystery for example the James Bond franchise. We also learn some key information for example we sort of know that this main character must be some sort of spy to be able to sneakily kill the guy in the water and escape quite easily. We also find out it will be an action movie as we do see guns, a foreign villain, a rich villain and a muscle main character which are all conventions to action genre. 

Some sounds we hear are the non diegetic music meaning we can hear it but the people in the movie cannot. Some examples of diegetic sounds we and the actors can hear are the woman's screams when she finds the dead body this is effective because it adds the shock and how long it took for them to  realize showing it was stealthy. The camera is used 

Action Genre Analysis

Action genre are probably one of the most popular genres there target audience being teenagers maybe people in collage, this is popular for these ages because these ages are thrill seekers hence why they like Horrors as well. These ages like intense and upbeat movies. The target audience would probably be in college and there favourite genre would be something intense or scary so action and horrors. There interests would probably be going to the movies every now and then or playing football, tennis or netball into some sort of sport. The reoccurring themes that keep the interest going throughout the movie are the big guns or in some stealthy scenes just guns that make the movie that much more intense, those parts of the movie where we are on the edge of our seat.

Zombieland Opening Analysis

This is the opening 40 seconds to Horror movie Zombieland. The movie is about a zombie apocalypse and in the first 40 seconds it is shown very clearly. The first thing we see is Washington destroyed with fire and tipped cars. We don't see any living people but we see one zombie attack a person and the camera view we see is from his point of view meaning its a POV shot. The first indicator of it being a Horror is zombies, zombies tend to only be in Horror movies so we can already guess its in the Horror genre. The second indicator being fire and tipped cars showing destruction which indicates to Horror or Action. Another indicator is the camera effect we only see everything from his point of view we see it at an angle and on the floor seeing fire and destruction then we see a jump scare of a surprising zombie that attacks this person and we see him attack the camera, from our point of view that meant to scare us. 

Some key questions we are left asking is who will be the main character? will there be more then one? is it about surviving or helping? the genre is also comedy so how is that going to fit into the movie? we ask these questions so we watch the rest of the movie and answer these questions. We also find out some key information like there isn't very many people in the world left as we see no one other then a POV of one person there is obviously more zombies than people. Other information we find out what the zombies look like as well as this is sometimes hidden from the viewers. 

Some effective camera angles in the scene are just the one with the POV shot. It is effective because we feel it from his view and what it would be like at a zombie apocalypse also how scary it is when the world is completely dead and empty. Some effective sounds are the fire crackling and zombie noises. These are effective because the zombie noises make it sounds more realistic. 

Paranormal Activity 4 Opening Scene Analysis

This is the opening 2 minutes to popular Horror movie series Paranormal Activity this being the 4th in the series. From this opening 2 minutes there is many indicators to it being a Horror movie for example the first one we see is the date pop up on screen, it reads October 31st 2011 and everyone should know this date means its Halloween. This is the perfect time for Horror movies as it is meant to be a scary time. Another indicator is the camera effect it isn't a normal movie with different cameras placed on a scene, its different were placed in there hands it is a hand held camera to add the effect of us being there I think the scenes would be much different if we were just watching it from the camera shots.The last indicator would be when we see the guy holding the camera walking up to the scarecrow the music starts to make the scary feel and he walks slowly, now this may not be the scariest of scenes but it gives a image of things to come in this movie and shows that this movie will have jump scares. 

Some key questions we ask from these first 2 minutes are what makes this Horror movie different? Because recently viewers say Horror movies are getting repetitive so how do they make this one different? Another question we ask is what will the paranormal activity be? Could it be the house? themselves? there new neighbors? We ask these questions to watch the movie so we answer these questions.We also find out quite a bit of information in the 2 minutes for example we find out that there is a family and the daughter and son go trick or treating with the girls best friend who has the camera. We find all that out as she says at the end hes her best friend and we know the other 2 are a family because they went to there house with there parents. We also find out it is Halloween in the first 30 seconds as it says October 31st 2011. 

Some sounds we hear in the 2 minutes are we hear all the other people trick or treating, we hear the scarecrow scare the guy with the camera, the sweet being pored on the counter, the house has a sort of echo this could be more effective with screams later on in the movie and finally we hear the typically noises of the dark later on whilst there walking to a party like owl noises etc. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone Analyse

This is the opening two minutes to Harry Potter. Straight away we find out the genre of Harry Potter being fantasy, mystery and magic we know this because we see Dumbledore who we do not know so we see a guy in robes with a little button that sucks the lights into it showing abnormal or magic so we know it will be different and fantasy. We also know that it is magic because we see a cat turn into a person, this is a classic magician trick shown in movies as its not possible in real life and shows magic strongly. We also see a flying motorbike which obviously isn't in real life so we assume that is not going to based in real life and will be fantasy. 

Some key questions were left asking are who are these people? Why do they look so out of place? Why is the little boy Harry Potter going to be famous? We ask these questions so we feel the need to watch the movie to answer these questions. We also find out a few things in these opening 2 minutes for example we find out that this baby is going to be the main character when he is older as his name is Harry Potter. We also find out that there teachers of some sort as they call each other professor and there surname. We also find out that where ever there dropping Harry Potter at the only family he has suggesting that his actually family is gone or maybe dead. The final thing we find out is the woman says " there won't be a child in our world that doesn't know his name" notice how she says our world meaning that they have a totally different world to normal people or muggles as we also hear them say. 

The non diegetic music we hear straight away sounds very magical and mysterious fitting with the genre and really stands out the genre perfectly. The diegetic sounds we hear are the swooshing from the light being absorbed this adds effect because it makes it feel more real. We also hear the motorbike noises coming from the flying motorbike this adds effect as it shows its still a motorbike but they have added some sort of magical ability to the bike so it can fly. Some camera shots that are effective to me are the close up of baby Harry Potter revealing the scar on his forehead showing this could be of some significance. Another effective camera shot is the long shot of Hagrid landing the bike i think this is effective as it shows true magic and we now know for certain that this is a fantasy magic genre.   

Worlds End Analyse

This is the opening 2 minutes to World's End. We immediately know it is a action and a fantasy. The reason behind this is because of the movies before this and the actors in the movie. Hot Fuzz was a action fantasy movie with the same stars in the movie this is sort of a follow up and the stars have been a few fantasy movies so we could guess it is going to be a fantasy as it is about the world ending. The music is quite upbeat and loud showing this movie will be fast and exciting its also non diegetic as only we can hear this music and the narrative of Simon Pegg. Some of the diegetic sounds in this opening two minutes we can hear glass clashing and smashed down on the bar from drinking in a pub, we also hear the fire alarm bell in there school when they set it off also one other sound is the sliding of the car there driving in. 

Some key questions were left asking are why is he narrating this is if he stars in it? Has something happened to him? Or has something happened to his friends and hes telling the story now? We ask these questions so we watch the rest of the film and answer these questions, some questions are more anticipated then others, viewers probably are really wanting know what happened to them? We also find out a lot of information about the characters mainly as this introduction is focused on them. In the first 2 minutes we find out all there names and what the main guy thinks about them so we know what to expect from them. We also find out there task throughout the movie is to go to every bar all the way to Worlds End where we can expect for something to go wrong as the bar shares the title with the movie. We also find out there all best friends who just finished school. 

Some camera angles and shots that are effective to me as the viewer are a master shot of all the main characters, this is effective because it shows who the characters and how many there are. Another camera shot we see is close up and we see multiple of these when the narrator is saying all of there names, this is effective because we see there faces and know who is who for the rest of the movie.  Another effect camera shot we see is a two shot of two of the characters sitting together, this is effective because we see two characters instead of just meeting one also we now know they will be best friends. Another camera angle we see is an establishing shot of the area where they will be based and where the pubs are based, it is effective because we can see what there area is like and what to expect from the characters as where a person lives can say a lot about what someone is like. The last effective camera shot we see is a over the shoulder shot/long shot what we see is them on the fields looking over at the place they live in a peaceful setting this is effective s we feel at peace as he feels. 

Ride Along 2 Opening Scene Analysis

This is an effective opening 2 minutes to Ride Along 2. In just these 2 minutes we find out it is an action/comedy, we know this because there are two police detectives and they are chasing a car also guns are involved. The action part is shown as a police chase and intense music, guns are involved as well as this is a big indicator to a action movie as most action movies have guns. For example we see gun fire towards this green car and the green car crashing out of the car park. The comedy part is shown because of the actors and we know they have a past of comedy movies. Kevin Hart is shown as the funnier one making silly comments to make the viewers laugh whereas Ice Cube was seen as the serious one which makes this movie just that more funny. For example we see Kevin Harts character nearly get run over and him say a funny comment " Oh he did not just do that" this little comment is trying to make us laugh and it works quite well. 

Some key questions we are left asking ourselves about those opening 2 minutes are: who are they chasing? why are they chasing them? and about the characters we ask why are they undercover? and do they know more than the viewers do? We ask these questions so we get drawn in we want these questions to  be answered and to do that we must watch the rest of the movie... Terrible I know. Seriously these questions are of the most important reasons to continue watching this movie so we answer these questions. We also do find out quite a bit of information anyway in these two minutes as we find out that they are chasing them for more information about drugs because Ice Cubes character says at the end " This looks like more than just drugs". We also find out these two detectives are the main characters throughout the movie. 

The music in this opening 2 minutes its quite upbeat and fast pace showing this scene is meant to be an exciting scene and a fast pace introduction, the first scene sets the mood throughout the movie and the mood this scene sets is exciting and upbeat so were quite focused on the movie. Some ambient sounds are a badge drop, screams and some car brakes. At the beginning we see Kevin Harts character drop his badge showing he was meant to be undercover this sound is effective because it tells us he was suppose to be undercover. Next we hear car screeches from brakes turning in the park its quite enhanced because the car is in a car park which means it creates an echo so were going to hear it quite load. It is effective because we know how fast the car is going and how intense the chase is. The last thing we hear is some screaming from both detectives, Kevin Harts character screams about nearly being run over and Ice Cubes character screams about the chase and is trying to get the car to stop. It is effective because we feel how intense this chase is. 

Camera Angles and Shots of World War Z

This is a 2 minute clip from popular zombie apocalyptic movie World War Z. In these two minutes wee see a chaotic New York City running everywhere trying to escape from zombies.We see a family in car: a husband, a wife and two daughters. The husband seems to be focused on driving behind the garbage truck and getting out of there, however this does not go well and he crashes into another car and the clip ends there. The wife looks very worried all of the time and is trying to keep the kids safe this conforms with the role of the mother. The daughters seem very scared and upset, one of the daughters demands for her blanket to comfort her in this hard time. It is a strong scene as you can feel all four of these characters emotions. You feel how scared they all are, how focused the husband is, how worried the wife is and how upset the kids are and we worry about all of them and makes us go to the edge of our seats to see what happens next. The camera angles are all amazing throughout these two minutes with a range from close ups to high angles and some mid shots, even a canted angle. 

This certain camera angle is very effective as it is a high angle/mid shot showing perfectly the destruction and panic that is happening in the city. In this shot we see a garbage truck destroying all the cars in the way trying to escape. We see the garbage truck flipping all the cars and this mid shot shows this perfectly as we can see the complete destruction and the wonderful effect of the car flipping. The high angle makes this perfect as well as we also see people running as they are not only scared from the zombies but also scared of the flying cars everywhere we can see that this camera angle is trying to make them look vulnerable and it works very well. The high angle shows the situation perfectly we are now informed about the panic and the destruction happening down the city and we also know that the people of the city are vulnerable. 

This camera angle is a close up mix with mid shot as we see Brad Pitt on the left of the cameras sight with people in a state of panic behind him. His facial expression in shot is very strong as we now know he is the main character as he is the first thing we see after the crash, the facial expression shows shock of the city as this is the first time he sees the main area of panic and he doesn't seem to know what to do in this moment. The reason hes on the left is you don't see the character in the middle as we don't need him to be the center of attention and we wouldn't have the effect of the panicking people behind him. 

This final scene is the most effective as it is a aerial shot. These shots tend to be the most effective as it usually shows the chaos around, everything that is happening, whats happening and sometimes a shocking dead city. This one is effective because it shows complete chaos, it shows the state of panic on how its not just a few people it is literally the whole city terrified of the zombies. We see people running around not knowing where to go, we also see cars and buses abandoned in middle of the road. This camera angle would be most likely used by a drone or a helicopter or even set up on a high building. Aerial shots are rare but always used effectively as seen here we can also see this being used in other effective scenes in movies like: Skyfall, Wolf of Wall Street, Spectre and Captain America Civil War. 

Camera Angles and Shots in 28 Weeks Later

This is the opening 2 minutes to 28 Weeks Later. It is a horror about a zombie apocalypse. In these first 2 minutes there is a lot going on it is a very strong opening. We see married couple with a child who has been chased and led them to the house. In this we see a very shocking to all of us every man for himself scene as Dom (the married guy) leaves his wife to die with this child. It is a very strong scene because you can feel her emotions of him leaving her and you can also feel his emotions of desperation. The music throughout the whole 2 minutes is perfect for the scene as it makes the situation more intense and shows it to be very dark scene. Later we see him running along the field this is also a powerful scene because the camera angles are perfect and you feel really intense if he gets away or not. His facial expressions make it so much more impressing. 

This close up is really effective because we feel her emotions in this scene. We know shes shocked and cannot believe that her husband would save himself but not her. In this she really makes us feel as if she is more bothered that her husband left then she is about to die. She is so shocked that her own husband would do this to her and the camera angle is perfect for this feeling. The scene would not be the same if it was not a close up the close up shows the feeling like no other camera shot she is so emotional which makes this scene so effective to us watching. 

This camera angle is a high angle shot. It is effective because its trying to make him look vulnerable and if we are bigger than him. It is true as he is panicking and trying everything to escape even leaving his family. He is vulnerable because zombies are attacking and there better than him so he can't do much against them so he has to try and escape. We know he is very scared as he is panicking and trying his hardest to open this window as the only thing he was focused on was leaving. 

This is a close up and it is very effective. It is effective because we are feeling what she is, we as the viewers feel very shocked and scared as should she because her loyal husband has left her to die and she knows she will die but still calls his name to try and give us more of a emotional scene. In this scene we also see the camera going from a close up to becoming a mid shot because the camera is zooming out as if we are running with Don, the husband. Its also a little bit of a lower angle and this is trying to show the effect of Don being quite low down and running away showing his point of view making this much more shocking.

About Me

I'm currently a sixth form student studying media studies who is working on coursework which is actually this blog. I have always been interested in films my friends say I watch them too much, I think I haven't seen enough! I love movies and whats behind them I've always been interested in what goes on behind the curtain that's why I think this media course is perfect for me. When it comes to what movies I am interested in, its mainly action and comedy. These two genres have been my favourite since I can remember. This blog will be me just being me and getting on with my coursework, it is mainly for my media teacher but everyone is welcome, I hope you enjoy :)

Dark Knight Opening Two Minutes Analyse

This is the opening 2 minutes to my favourite action movie Batman The Dark Knight. It shows me that it is in the action genre because there is fighting, guns and crime. The fighting in this opening 2 minutes is between the bank robbers, security guards and the civilians. This shows it is an action movie because it includes violence and a series of close combat for example in the scene they enter the bank and the gang are killing each other till the ring leader is the only one left and one civilian tries to shoot the ring leader but ends up getting gassed, this shows violence which proves it as a action movie. The guns in the opening 2 minutes is between the bank robbers, the ring leader, the security guard and the civilians. In this scene the ring leader is shown as one of the bank robbers and he ends up killing all of his team to keep the money for himself, this shows it is an action movie as it includes violence, crime and combat. The crime in the opening 2 minutes is a bank robbery, this shows it is an action movie because most action movies like 007 Skyfall and Kingsman, have crime involved. Most, if not all, action movies have a good guy and a bad guy. In this clip we are shown the bad guy called The Joker, in some movies we already know the good guy because of the title or the movie before, it tends to be a squeal. This opening 2 minutes adheres to conventions of a action with different uses the camera does close ups and long shots of the gang members and them doing warning shots and uses guns and violence. The director made this scene as realistic as possible and has done very well as this could happen in a real situation as bank robbery's are common.

This is the opening 2 minutes to my favourite comedy Step Brothers. In this opening scene we see the 4 main characters, we see the first being one of the Step Brothers (Will Ferrell) melting some cheese on nachos, he also grabs some soda and cereal whilst watching TV. In the same scene we see another main character who is the mother, this shows him still living with his mother and showing he is childish. This shows it is a comedy because you can tell he is on the older side and acting more like a teenager, we can tell he is going to be childish and hilarious. In the next scene we see the other Step Brother (John C. Reilly), around the same age, playing a video game also showing that he is childish. In the same scene we see the last main character the father and this shows he is also just as childish as the other brother. We know from the opening two minutes it will be a comedy because of the scenario. The scenario being a mother and a father of 40 year olds living with them getting together and having to get along as a family, as we find out later in the movie they cause chaos instead. We also know it is a comedy because of the actors, Will Ferrell is popular because of his comedy movies for example Get Hard and Anchorman and John C. Reilly is known for his comedic moments for example Wreck it Ralph and The Promotion. 

Genre	Conventions	Film Titles
Action	Explosions, fight scenes, chase sequence, hero and villain.	Casino Royale Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Die Hard Mission Impossible
Comedy	Funny, Funny people, Jokes, Happy and Laughing	Step Brothers Ride Along Ted Deadpool
Sci-Fi	Futuristic, CGI, Aliens, Heroes, Villains, Space, UFO	Avatar Star Wars The Matrix Jurassic Park

My Influences and Interests in Film

I have watched many films so it is hard to pick a favorite, but I have chosen 1 that went above the rest, I thought this movie was the perfect combination of comedy, action and superhero. My favorite film is Deadpool. Deadpool is my favorite movie because I have always been a fan of superhero movies and this one stands out because it was by far the funniest and had some outstanding CGI to make Deadpool come to life. I liked all the action in the movie and I like how they made all the fight scenes funny there was not one I didn't laugh at. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when he has 12 bullets and he is counting them down when killing all of the bad guys, the action scene was amazing and so funny. I also loved the actors they got to play in the movie especially Ryan Reynolds, he is the perfect Deadpool and I have seen most of his movies and thought he was great in all of them. Ryan did well as Deadpool and Wade Wilson, Wade was the guy behind Deadpool and he was great by himself, he was funny and romantic with Morena Baccarin who played Wades girlfriend. She was great as she was the supporting role and was the perfect damsel in distress for Deadpool to save. The whole movie was perfect and the actors and actress' were brilliant I can't wait till the second one.



My favorite director is George Lucas. He is known for the Star Wars films and I have watched every single one. The movies are always perfect George Lucas got it right everytime. I really enjoyed all the actors and actress' he got to play all the roles they were always perfect and the most recent showed that. George Lucas struggled to get Harrison Ford to play the role of Han Solo but he got him and how amazing he was throughout all 4 movies he was in. The prequel movies are not my favorite but they are still decent and he made up for it in the next 4 which were outstanding. The Star Wars franchise is huge and it all goes back to George Lucas awesome directing.



My favorite genre is comedy. I like this genre because I like to have a laugh and most comedy movies I have watched i have enjoyed. Here are some examples of comedy movies I enjoyed: Deadpool, The Hangover, 22 jump Street, Central Intelligence, Bad Neighbors, Ride Along, Get Hard and Ted. All these movies I enjoyed they all made me laugh and all the comedic actors in them. The funnier ones are: Kevin Hart, Seth Rogan, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Ryan Reynolds. These actors are perfect for comedy movies, I really enjoyed there films.

I have 2 Films I cannot wait for I've seen all the trailers for both and it just gets me more and more excited. The movies are Doctor Strange and the new Star Wars movie. I love Marvel movies i'd say I've seen most of them, they are all brilliant so i know Doctor Strange will be too. The most recent Star Wars movie showed us they have still got it because that movie is brilliant so this is why I can't wait for the next one. The last movie i saw was Step Brothers and i have seen it twice before it is that good. I think Step Brothers is brilliant every scene will make you laugh I guarantee it. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are a perfect team they are hilarious. I thought the movie is at least a 7/10 the movie is brilliant I highly suggest it.