Prelim Task

Below is the video we made as part of the preliminary task in our media studies unit.



In the task, we had to include three different continuity, editing and shot types. The 180 degree rule states that when two characters are facing each other, the camera should always remain on one side of an imaginary line between them; crossing the line can disorientate the viewer. Match on action is a technique that joins two separate shots together by continuing an action begun in the first one; to the viewer it looks like on fluid continuous movement. Shot reverse shot is an old type of camera shot, when one character is shown, then the other character looking at the first character.

Brazil - Opening analysis

http://youtu.be/YeY1dxlC7Sg

The film opens with a basic, text on black background shot. These are common in a lot of films, usually to give an idea of the time or place a film may be set, and often come shortly after the opening credits.

The text is similar to a neon sign, which matches up to the next scene of a TV shop at night - analysis of the scene reveals that the shop is in fact a mix up of several different styles from time periods; the TV's are in fifties style cases, but they are in colour, with the advertisement being closer to what eighties audiences would be used to. The 'somewhere in the 20th century' gives us an idea of what to expect, but is vague enough that we cannot date the film.

The ominous, dramatic chords of the music signify that this is not going to be a cheerful film, and the viewer is on edge waiting for something dramatic to happen - which it does.
The patter of the salesman provides an interesting contrast with the scene, crossing the mundane with various horror tropes, the music, the night, and the figure who crosses the shot immediately prior to the explosion.
The main title comes up - the word Brazil in large neon lights, like a shop sign as the music reaches a crescendo - signifying a kind of sinister feeling that bad things are being covered up by bright, cheerful lights.

Immediately, the audience is asking questions, what kind of 20th century society is this, who or what was responsible for the cause of the explosion, and how will this fit in and set up the rest of the film.

My favourite film

My favourite film is Brazil (Terry Gilliam 1985).

Here is a trailer  http://youtu.be/EvBF3Lxla98

Brief

Preliminary exercise: 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.

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 candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.

The coursework is worth 50% of the AS (same at A2) and the marking (detailed later) is divided into 3 sections:


RESEARCH AND PLANNING: 20%



PRODUCTION: 60%



EVALUATION: 20%

Your work is marked partially on my observations of your approach and level of organisation, but fundamentally its a DVD and your blog that are marked.

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my blog! This blog is a record of the progress I have made over the past year in my media studies course. It includes research into multiple film examples, analysis into film openings specifically in four key areas, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing. You can see my initial attempts at creating a film of my own, and watch the gradual improvement in my understanding of semiotic theory and how media can be read.

Then you can see the development of our group film project, the behind-the-scenes work that went into making it and the numerous stages that we went through, including several different cuts, before we come to our final product. Lastly we have the Evaluation Questions that assess my own understanding, thoughts and opinions on the course.