What I do when analysing an extract!!

CAMERA-


Camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot or frame. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different aspects of a film's setting, characters and themes. As a result, camera shots are very important in shaping meaning in a film. Reviewing the examples on the right hand side of this page should make the different camera shots clearer.

Shot Types:

• An extreme long shot contains a large amount of landscape. It is often used at the beginning of a scene or a film to establish general location (setting). This is also known as an establishing shot.
• A long shot contains landscape but gives the viewer a more specific idea of setting. A long shot may show the viewers the building where the action will take place.
• A full shot contains a complete view of the characters. From this shot, viewers can take in the costumes of characters and may also help to demonstrate the relationships between characters. For more information on costumes and acting refer to Chapter 4.
• A mid contains the characters or a character from the waist up. From this shot, viewers can see the characters' faces more clearly as well as their interaction with other characters. This is also known as a social shot
• A close-up contains just one character's face. This enables viewers to understand the actor's emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. This is also known as a personal shot.
• An extreme close-up contains one part of a character's face or other object. This technique is quite common in horror films, particularly the example above. This type of shot creates an intense mood and provides interaction between the audience and the viewer

Angles:

• A bird's eye angle is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene. This angle is often used as an establishing angle, along with an extreme long shot, to establish setting.
• A high angle is a camera angle that looks down upon a subject. A character shot with a high angle will look vulnerable or small. These angles are often used to demonstrate to the audience a perspective of a particular character. The example above demonstrates to us the perspective or point of view of a vampire. As a viewer we can understand that the vampire feels powerful.
• An eye-level puts the audience on an equal footing with the character/s. This is the most commonly used angle in most films as it allows the viewers to feel comfortable with the characters.
• A low angle is a camera angle that looks up at a character. This is the opposite of a high angle and makes a character look more powerful. This can make the audience feel vulnerable and small by looking up at the character. This can help the responder feel empathy if they are viewing the frame from another character's point of view.

Movements:

• A crane is often used by composers of films to signify the end of a film or scene. The effect is achieved by the camera being put on a crane that can move upwards.
• A tracking shot and a dolly shot have the same effect. A tracking shot moves on tracks and a dolly shot is mounted on a trolley to achieve the effect in the example above. This camera movement is used in a number of ways but is most commonly used to explore a room such as a restaurant. By using a tracking shot or a dolly shot the composer of a film gives the viewer a detailed tour of a situation. It can also be used to follow a character.
• Panning is used to give the viewer a panoramic view of a set or setting. This can be used to establish a scene

EDITING-

• A Straight cut break from one shot to the next. Cuts carry the
  continuity of action forward in a straightforward manner, from action to action or place to place.
• Jump cuts are confusing cuts from one shot to the next that do not
  follow the obvious rules of cause and effect. These cuts are usually used to disrupt the
  audience’s attention in order to create shock.
• Fade outs show the screen fade from an image to a black screen.
• Fade ins show the screen fade from black to an image. Both fade-ups
  and fade-downs are used to suggest the passage of time and generally work to give
  the audience a chance to take a breath in preparation for the next scene.
• Dissolves edits show one image slowly disappear as a new image is
  introduced. Dissolves are used to indicate the end of one event and the beginning of
  a new event or scene.
• A Wipe edit is used to show one part of the screen literally wipe over the rest of the
  screen. One image disappears as it is replaced by a new image. This kind of edit
  is not often seen in movies, largely because it looks comic-bookish.
  

SOUND-


Diegetic Sound- Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film:

• voices of characters
• sounds made by objects in the story
• music represented as coming from instruments in the story space ( = source music)

Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world


Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame.


Non-Diegetic- Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen and has not been implied to be present in the action:

• narrator's commentary
• sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect
• mood music

Non-diegetic sound is represented as coming from the a source outside story space.

MISE EN SCENE-

French for - PUT IN THE FRAME'
Lighting-

The intensity, direction, and quality of lighting have an effect on the way an image is perceived. Light and shade can emphasise texture, shape, distance, mood, time of day or night, season, glamour and it affects the way colors are rendered.

Types of lighting:

• Low Key
• High Key
• Under lighting
• Top lighting
• Back lighting

Colour and Connotations-

• Red - Energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.
• Pink - Signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
• Brown - Suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.
• Orange - Combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics.
• Gold - Evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth.
• Yellow - Is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.
• Green - Is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility.
• Blue - Is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.
• Purple - Combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty.
• White - Is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity.
• Black - Is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.

Props-
Objects make up the scene, and when creating a set the director must decide on the Props, as each prop can hold a connotation.

For example:

• A gun- Suggests Violence, Anger and Pain.
• A rose- Suggest Love, Passion and Romance.
• A Football- Suggests Fair play, Respect and activeness.
• A Baseball bat- Suggest Protection, Anger and Violence.
  

Hair and Make-up-
The style and Colour of hair builds a personality of a Character.

Men- Style:

• Short= A clean, professional and well looked after person.
• Long= Lazy and Doesn't pay attention to looks.

Woman- Style:

• Short= Masculine and Modern.
• Long= Traditional and feminine.
• Straight= Pure and innocence.
• Curly= Complicated and Busy.

Clothing-

This factor is important because it can build a strong suggestion of the character personality. Types of clothing can carry out different connotations. Sub-Cultures, Social class, Regional Identity, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality can create a characters representation, which can create an opinion for the audience, and can create an individual identity for each character.

• Sub-Cultures- Chavs wear baggy and sporting clothes, Goths wear dark style clothing.
• Social Class- Depends on the exspense of clothes. higher wear designer, middle wear casual clothes bought in regualar high street stores, and working wear second hand, damaged and old clothes.
• Regonal Identity- People tend to wear clothes that are suitable for their living environment. People who live in the country and are into agreculture wear thick sway clothes, whereas in london and city's clothes can vary in style because there tends to be split of sub-cultures, and so clothes vary.
• Ethnicity can be represented through traditional clothing that can be recognised easily, for example and Turban symbolises religion and a eastern descent.

Position within Frame

Selecting where to place the character is the directors job. Each character has a level of importance, and selecting where to put them in the cameras frame gives them a sense of identity, and makes things clear to the audience who are the main characters they are meant to focus on.