The ring analysis

The opening from the ring is very dark and gloomy with very little lighting and suggests the film is set at night time which would make the audience very scared if there watching the film at night. There is also use of close ups of the girls face to show the audience her reactions to things and to show were she is looking there is also a first person shots. The movie is made scarier by the use of the TV in both the living room and bedroom as something to be scared of this is in-line with the features of many horror films as they use things that aren't meant to be scary and make them scary. There is a relatively slow pace to editing as shots are very long this could be used to build up tension in the audience and to build them up to a fast paced action scene. There is also the use of digetic sound in the scene which is used effectively as the TV crackling would make the audience think something bad was going to happen, while the women in the clip hasn't got any idea what it is and begins to blame her friend, also the TV turns itself back on after she turns it off which adds to the tension and gives us the idea that something supernatural is occurring. Near the end of the scene the pace of editing is very quick with lots of images appearing on screen and makes the audience confused as they aren't sure what just happened.

Dawn of the dead analysis

The opening is uses very fast paced editing which could have been used to show a number of things such as the fast spread of the virus and how quickly things are escalating in the world and it also raises the tension in the film and sets the audience up with what has happened in the world, as at the start it begins with not much concern but quickly escalates to panic, also the use of news clips and interviews makes the audience feel its realistic as they would watch the news everyday. Also the credits are in a blood red colour and is sprayed across the screen which suggests this could be a bloody movie, and is very suggestive of zombies as they are known for blood and being covered in it, also some the scenes have close ups of zombies but these aren't fully scene as the pace of editing denies the audience a good look at them, this makes the audience fearful as they are only teased with zombie but aren't shown anything. The upbeat music over the screaming and footage of the outbreak makes the film if anything more scarier as its eerie to see people dying but have upbeat music playing.

Black Hawk Down analysis

This opening starts with a long shot which sets the scene, in what appears to be a desert or some other exotic location, at first the pace of cuts is relatively slow with not much going on, but the music theme in the background is very threatening and suggests something bad is going to happen. The mass of people on the ground appear to be wearing very poor clothing and suggests to a location in Africa, as most people in Africa have donated clothing from charities, the soldiers appear to be well trained, with full gear on and military hair cuts, it is very common in action films for the good guy to be American and the bad guy as a foreigner. The gunfire used to kill the crowd is very common in this action film and adds to the excitement and adrenaline of the film. The film uses a lot of long shots to help establish what is going on in such a large area and it helps show what the soldiers in the helicopter are seeing, there is a medium shot of what looks like the main antagonist pretending to shoot down the american helicopter, this could show the audience his intentions and it suggests that the helicopters are under threat and they are a main piece of this film. The helicopters and soldiers in this clip suggest that this is a war film, some of conventions of these films include heroes, gunfights, ruined city streets and something to protect or capture, they can also end up with a character making the ultimate sacrifice. The arid area suggests that there could be a lot of crime in the area , which there is. The scene of desperate people trying to grab the food could help show the audience the desperate situation there in and make them feel sorry for the people who live there, the sudden massacre of these people would also make them feel scared as they were attacked so suddenly, it is used to help differentiate the Americans and the antagonists in the film, but it could be seen that the Americans are simply overseeing the massacre making them look like the antagonists, but the audience already has an idea of who the antagonists are, probably from trailers and advertising.

The other guys analysis

In this opening sequence the movie immediately conforms with what we expect in a action movie, a car chase, guns and explosions, this is a very basic thing for an action movie to have, this is quickly shown by the two cops chasing bad guys in a fast paced car chase through New York, the pace of editing from one shot to the next helps build excitement, while the non-digetic music in the background is more relaxing and suggests this is a routine for the cops, this is also shown by the joking around they do while there chasing the bad guys. The cops are dressed in very macho clothing designed to show they are very tough and there the cool guys, even there guns are not mainstream as they use revolvers which are thought of as very cool and retro. The bad guys on the other hand are seen as Caribbean black and wear clothes that relates to that culture, this would fight with the stereotype that black people are more likely to commit a crime then a white person. the camera with the flight path of the bullet shows the intricate detail in the camera and adds to the excitement of the car battle, the explosion at the end is very random but it makes an audience want to continue watching the film. The lighting in this is very bright, making it very easy to see the faces of the characters, it could also suggest this film has a more action theme, as most action films take place during daylight (Die hard 4.0).

The Rock analysis

 

In this opening the music in the background is very military like and very formal, this is then swiftly interrupted by non-digetic sound made by what appears to be a flashback of some kind of fight, in the past, this would suggest to the audience that this film could be about getting revenge on someone and it suggests that the main antagonist on screen is doing this in memory of them. The costume the man and soldiers are wearing are very formal military uniforms meant for special ceremonies, this would suggest that it is very important and they are showing there respect to fallen comrades, also the main antagonist seems to be more important then the other soldiers because he has more medals placed on his uniform and suggests he is very experienced. The rain in the background adds to the idea of a funeral and a grave yard as in most movies it is mostly raining when there is a graveyard, it also creates a sad atmosphere that makes the audience want to like the antagonist. On the grave the name shows the audience that it is his wife that is dead, and adds to the idea of revenge being a common theme in the movie. General Hummel believes that he needs forgiveness form his wife for him to continue with his plan. The fact that it is raining also suggests that there has been some kind of tragic lose, it can also suggest that there is a sense of revenge in the film, this could make the audience feel sad with the lose of a life and make them feel sorry for the General, despite the fact that he is a antagonist.

Continuity editing

Match on Action

 

Match on action or cutting on action is used to continue a scene, it is where one shot cuts to another shot while showing the same action that was in the first shot, so if a ball is thrown by a person the first shot would show the ball being thrwon and the second shot would be showing the ball continue being thrown the moment the first shot ended, to show continuity between the two shots. This draws the audience attention away from continuity errors, it isn't similar to graphic match as it provides the same sense of the same action.

 

180 degree rule 

 

The 180 degree rule is a guideline that camera editers use to show the sense of relationship between two characters, an imaginary line called the axis connects two characters and keeps the camera on one side of the conversation,it can also give the audience a greater idea of what is in the surroundings. If a camera passes over this line it is called jumping the line or crossing the line, this enables the audience to the movement happening around the character, this for example could be used in important narration of battle scenes.

 



Shot Reverse Shot

 

Is a technique commonly used in conversations, or when two characters are looking at each other, for example one shot would show a character talking to another using either over the shoulder or point of view shot, this would then be followed by a reverse angle shot to show the other characters perspective looking back at them. This type of shot would often tie in with the 180 degree rule, by its continuity of shot, it also provides the audience with little change of location so they aren't disorientated.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









Research and Planning Targets

Well done Tom - a very nice start to your research and planning. You need to evidence your initial ideas and you need to blog regularly. You need to embed some tutorials for the basics and comment on them. Have a look at what students in your class have done to see where you should be by now, but don't copy and paste their words! For your analysis of opening two minutes make sure you comment on the following things to show a broad understanding and appreciation: Target Audience Narrative Characters Use of titles Pace of editing Mise en Scene Camera Composition Use of sound Genre conventions A really good start - you now need to begin to evidence detailed planning for your production, which needs to be detailed and thorough.