Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
My Opinions
Changes from original plan
After practice shots in the dark room we figured we definitely needed extra lighting. We brought in a desk side lamp to increase the brightness. We found that we were not getting that same red effect with the white light so we used red paper over the front of the light. This worked really well and kept the same effect that we wanted.
Our storyline did change a little bit as we didn't focus on the character appearing in each photo as we found it hard to film. It was hard to get good quality close ups of the photos, especially due to the lack of light. I think this may have affected the understanding of the thriller more but it however then creates more mystery to the film.The casting also changed after the disaster of a group member leaving the school. We were originally going to use her sister's boyfriend.We added in extra scenes which were ideas thought of during the filming. For example we used a picture of the girl on the man's mobile phone which made the storyline more clear. We also added in a clip of the man disappearing behind a van which has a great reference to 'The Third Man'.We originally were struggling for names and we were going to call it 'DarkRoom' but after selecting 'Requiem' as the soundtrack, we decided on calling it 'Requiem' as the word is meant as a memorial of a death. This predicts the future and you know a death is going to happen. This adds to the tension of the opening.
Negative Points
Certain bits of the filming didn't quite work out when we came to view them on the computer. For example, the image on the mobile isn't as clear as we would have liked which could mislead the audience.
When the shadow is cast over the back of the girl, the recording was cut a little too short. This could have made better by keeping the shadow of the hand for a few more seconds.
The lighting in the dark room could have been better in places.
Positive Points
The filming was steady and there was a good selection of shots.
The music fits really well with the film creating tension.
It fits well to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre.
After practice shots in the dark room we figured we definitely needed extra lighting. We brought in a desk side lamp to increase the brightness. We found that we were not getting that same red effect with the white light so we used red paper over the front of the light. This worked really well and kept the same effect that we wanted.
Our storyline did change a little bit as we didn't focus on the character appearing in each photo as we found it hard to film. It was hard to get good quality close ups of the photos, especially due to the lack of light. I think this may have affected the understanding of the thriller more but it however then creates more mystery to the film.The casting also changed after the disaster of a group member leaving the school. We were originally going to use her sister's boyfriend.We added in extra scenes which were ideas thought of during the filming. For example we used a picture of the girl on the man's mobile phone which made the storyline more clear. We also added in a clip of the man disappearing behind a van which has a great reference to 'The Third Man'.We originally were struggling for names and we were going to call it 'DarkRoom' but after selecting 'Requiem' as the soundtrack, we decided on calling it 'Requiem' as the word is meant as a memorial of a death. This predicts the future and you know a death is going to happen. This adds to the tension of the opening.
Negative Points
Certain bits of the filming didn't quite work out when we came to view them on the computer. For example, the image on the mobile isn't as clear as we would have liked which could mislead the audience.
When the shadow is cast over the back of the girl, the recording was cut a little too short. This could have made better by keeping the shadow of the hand for a few more seconds.
The lighting in the dark room could have been better in places.
Positive Points
The filming was steady and there was a good selection of shots.
The music fits really well with the film creating tension.
It fits well to the codes and conventions of the thriller genre.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Evaluation of Thriller
Evaluation: Unit G321 Jacob Mardell 12.2.2
In what ways does the media product use , develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our media project uses the forms and conventions of real media products well. Setting the film in a darkroom created a generically claustrophobic and dark atmosphere. This together with the soundtrack, creates tension and the piece builds up the film well. We also filmed at Elm Hill and used a huge variety of different angles such as high and low angle shots, over the shoulder and close ups. We made reference to 'The Third Man' by using low angle, canted shots. The costumes used reflect the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. For example, the innocent clothing of the victim makes her seem vulnerable in comparison to the dark clothing of her pursuer. The dark clothes represent 'the dark side' and makes the audience aware immediately. The girl's vulnerability is made greater by the fact she is in the dark room with one small exit. We knew we wanted a classical piece in our thriller and we wanted it to build up the film. Searching through classical compilations we came across 'Requiem'. The piece built up slowly fitting well with a film. It has a meaning because the word requiem means 'a song composed in memorial of a dead person, this could anticipate the audience. After researching into films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and The Third Man I realised they used a lot of unglamorous locations.
Overall, Our project succeeded in using the codes and conventions of a real media product such as 'The Third Man'. Our film uses generic conventions of a thriller such as unglamorous locations and claustrophobic spaces.
How does the media product represent particular social groups?
Our project features an 'innocent girl' and a 'spooky man'. The girl is immediately represented as an innocent and vulnerable girl which is added to by the spooky location. Having a female rather than a male does create more vulnerability and scares the audience more. The man is represented as an suspicious character who is possibly a serial killer.
The man is shot slowly walking up the stairs and along the street and the low angle shots represent his power and control he has over the situation. Stereotypically men are represented as the stronger sex and this can create a scarier atmosphere. If it had been done the other way round I don't think it would have created quite the same affect.
Many Thrillers use all male casts or just use males as main characters only such as ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and ‘Layer Cake’ this is because of the drugs and violence in these crime-thrillers. This is because women are portrayed as weak and feeble. Our thriller would not be as affective using an all male cast and it could also narrow our target audience.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
This type of film should definitely feature in the cinemas to make it much more thrilling with surround sound and a big dark room. I think our project would be shown in an arts house, such as Cinema City in Norwich. Our film has no reputation whatsoever, for directors or actors. The film 'Phone Booth' had a box office appeal because of Colin Farrell and director Joel Schumacher. This makes the product more easy to market and can immediately be released as a 'Blockbuster'. Realistically our film is a small low budget film which would be better off in smaller cinemas. It would definitely been shown on TV. It could be a classic to watch in years to come and develop a cult following. The TV showing would have to be during late evening because it would have an age rating of 15 because of the violence.
With the latest expansion of Youtube and social networking sites. Everyone all over the world can see. This way trailers can be displayed and also shared around social networking sites to add to advertisement of the film. Itunes is also another great use technology development because films can be downloaded from them and put onto people Ipods where they can watch it when and wherever they want. This renovates money to the film because the distributors will sell the film to companies like Apple to sell the film in this way.
How did you attract/address your audience ?
From research I found that mystery thrillers such as 'Phone Booth' were popular amongst the age group 16-20 years. Our film features a young cast of around this age and audiences can relate to this. We aimed the film at both genders to widen our audience. The title of our thriller is Requiem and I feel this is quite a complex title which may attract an older audience of 20-30 years. I also feel that the title of our film makes it quite sophisticated and possibly intriguing. We thought of calling it 'Leyla's Requiem' but agreed in our group that just Requiem was stronger. We also consulted our classmates to see what they preferred. Everyone said they preferred just 'Requiem' which helped us to decide.
Using a classic track which is well known across the world of classical music. Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48 - 1. Could catch people attention when watching the film. From the feedback I have had people have said the soundtrack is a great piece which goes very well with the film.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I know quite a bit about digital cameras and how they work but I didn't know so much about tape cameras. The camera sometimes went out of focus due to changes in light or when zooming. These shots had to be taken again until they were right. I have used 'Windows Movie Maker' a lot and find it really easy to use but the editing software we used, 'Adobe Premier Elements', I had only used once before on the preliminary task but just for basic needs. However it was easy to pick up and add effects. For example, cross dissolve was a new transition effect I learnt to use effectively. As our project doesn't involve diegetic sound there is no problem with a buzzing sound of muffled speech. As we found in our preliminary task, speech on the camera isn't very clear unless you use the external microphone. Looking at films like 'Layer Cake' with an external monologue we immediately knew that a monologue wouldn't fit well to our piece. It fits very well in films like Layer Cake to help describe what is going on. In a Mystery Thriller the audience sometimes isn't clear on the story, but that is the mystery. We wanted our audience to work hard and to keep guessing.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Doing the preliminary task helped with our thriller project because it gave us some experience with the camera and the editing software. Especially looking specifically into the 180 rule and shot reverse shot which we did use in our project. This then gave us more time which could be spent usefully rather trying to find out how things worked. We have progressed well from the task to the full product because the ideas we have are stronger. We were stuck for a while on what to do for a very simple task. When the thriller came along I felt we wrote quite a complex storyline which is very effective. Practically, I feel it’s not a huge improvement but I am still happy, Our preliminary task was well shot with a good variety of angles and was hard to make a big improvement on. My filming has improved since I have used the camera for the thriller learning from experience. I also realised that your end product is always better with a lot of planning behind it. Planning is the key to great film making and time was wasted on ideas during the filming for the preliminary. Whereas with our thriller we knew what shots we wanted and what we wanted to shoot.
Overall, the project went very well. I learnt that planning well for each session and small details resulted in us using time more profitably. I enjoyed making the film and I know for next time small improvements such as when filming, not cutting the recordings too early because it can be edited at a later stage.
‘Requiem’
In what ways does the media product use , develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Our media project uses the forms and conventions of real media products well. Setting the film in a darkroom created a generically claustrophobic and dark atmosphere. This together with the soundtrack, creates tension and the piece builds up the film well. We also filmed at Elm Hill and used a huge variety of different angles such as high and low angle shots, over the shoulder and close ups. We made reference to 'The Third Man' by using low angle, canted shots. The costumes used reflect the codes and conventions of the thriller genre. For example, the innocent clothing of the victim makes her seem vulnerable in comparison to the dark clothing of her pursuer. The dark clothes represent 'the dark side' and makes the audience aware immediately. The girl's vulnerability is made greater by the fact she is in the dark room with one small exit. We knew we wanted a classical piece in our thriller and we wanted it to build up the film. Searching through classical compilations we came across 'Requiem'. The piece built up slowly fitting well with a film. It has a meaning because the word requiem means 'a song composed in memorial of a dead person, this could anticipate the audience. After researching into films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and The Third Man I realised they used a lot of unglamorous locations.
Using unglamorous locations in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie gives the film realism which fits well with the background of violence and drugs.
The graffiti and broken brickwork shows how unglamorous and run down the area is.
We chose the names ‘Simon Moore’ for the pursuer and ‘Leyla Kismet’ for the victim. The name Simon means ‘to be heard’ which means he wants attention and wants to be known. Doing something like murder may get him known or he could also be depressed by the lack of attention so he is angry. We chose his surname to be Moore simply because he wants ‘more’ attention. The name Leyla means born at night which is reference to the Dark room and how she is developing photos. Kismet means fortune in Leyla’s case bad fortune.
The graffiti and broken brickwork shows how unglamorous and run down the area is.
We chose the names ‘Simon Moore’ for the pursuer and ‘Leyla Kismet’ for the victim. The name Simon means ‘to be heard’ which means he wants attention and wants to be known. Doing something like murder may get him known or he could also be depressed by the lack of attention so he is angry. We chose his surname to be Moore simply because he wants ‘more’ attention. The name Leyla means born at night which is reference to the Dark room and how she is developing photos. Kismet means fortune in Leyla’s case bad fortune.
Overall, Our project succeeded in using the codes and conventions of a real media product such as 'The Third Man'. Our film uses generic conventions of a thriller such as unglamorous locations and claustrophobic spaces.
How does the media product represent particular social groups?
Our project features an 'innocent girl' and a 'spooky man'. The girl is immediately represented as an innocent and vulnerable girl which is added to by the spooky location. Having a female rather than a male does create more vulnerability and scares the audience more. The man is represented as an suspicious character who is possibly a serial killer.
The man is shot slowly walking up the stairs and along the street and the low angle shots represent his power and control he has over the situation. Stereotypically men are represented as the stronger sex and this can create a scarier atmosphere. If it had been done the other way round I don't think it would have created quite the same affect.
Many Thrillers use all male casts or just use males as main characters only such as ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ and ‘Layer Cake’ this is because of the drugs and violence in these crime-thrillers. This is because women are portrayed as weak and feeble. Our thriller would not be as affective using an all male cast and it could also narrow our target audience.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
This type of film should definitely feature in the cinemas to make it much more thrilling with surround sound and a big dark room. I think our project would be shown in an arts house, such as Cinema City in Norwich. Our film has no reputation whatsoever, for directors or actors. The film 'Phone Booth' had a box office appeal because of Colin Farrell and director Joel Schumacher. This makes the product more easy to market and can immediately be released as a 'Blockbuster'. Realistically our film is a small low budget film which would be better off in smaller cinemas. It would definitely been shown on TV. It could be a classic to watch in years to come and develop a cult following. The TV showing would have to be during late evening because it would have an age rating of 15 because of the violence.
With the latest expansion of Youtube and social networking sites. Everyone all over the world can see. This way trailers can be displayed and also shared around social networking sites to add to advertisement of the film. Itunes is also another great use technology development because films can be downloaded from them and put onto people Ipods where they can watch it when and wherever they want. This renovates money to the film because the distributors will sell the film to companies like Apple to sell the film in this way.
How did you attract/address your audience ?
From research I found that mystery thrillers such as 'Phone Booth' were popular amongst the age group 16-20 years. Our film features a young cast of around this age and audiences can relate to this. We aimed the film at both genders to widen our audience. The title of our thriller is Requiem and I feel this is quite a complex title which may attract an older audience of 20-30 years. I also feel that the title of our film makes it quite sophisticated and possibly intriguing. We thought of calling it 'Leyla's Requiem' but agreed in our group that just Requiem was stronger. We also consulted our classmates to see what they preferred. Everyone said they preferred just 'Requiem' which helped us to decide.
Using a classic track which is well known across the world of classical music. Fauré: Requiem, Op. 48 - 1. Could catch people attention when watching the film. From the feedback I have had people have said the soundtrack is a great piece which goes very well with the film.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I know quite a bit about digital cameras and how they work but I didn't know so much about tape cameras. The camera sometimes went out of focus due to changes in light or when zooming. These shots had to be taken again until they were right. I have used 'Windows Movie Maker' a lot and find it really easy to use but the editing software we used, 'Adobe Premier Elements', I had only used once before on the preliminary task but just for basic needs. However it was easy to pick up and add effects. For example, cross dissolve was a new transition effect I learnt to use effectively. As our project doesn't involve diegetic sound there is no problem with a buzzing sound of muffled speech. As we found in our preliminary task, speech on the camera isn't very clear unless you use the external microphone. Looking at films like 'Layer Cake' with an external monologue we immediately knew that a monologue wouldn't fit well to our piece. It fits very well in films like Layer Cake to help describe what is going on. In a Mystery Thriller the audience sometimes isn't clear on the story, but that is the mystery. We wanted our audience to work hard and to keep guessing.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Doing the preliminary task helped with our thriller project because it gave us some experience with the camera and the editing software. Especially looking specifically into the 180 rule and shot reverse shot which we did use in our project. This then gave us more time which could be spent usefully rather trying to find out how things worked. We have progressed well from the task to the full product because the ideas we have are stronger. We were stuck for a while on what to do for a very simple task. When the thriller came along I felt we wrote quite a complex storyline which is very effective. Practically, I feel it’s not a huge improvement but I am still happy, Our preliminary task was well shot with a good variety of angles and was hard to make a big improvement on. My filming has improved since I have used the camera for the thriller learning from experience. I also realised that your end product is always better with a lot of planning behind it. Planning is the key to great film making and time was wasted on ideas during the filming for the preliminary. Whereas with our thriller we knew what shots we wanted and what we wanted to shoot.
Overall, the project went very well. I learnt that planning well for each session and small details resulted in us using time more profitably. I enjoyed making the film and I know for next time small improvements such as when filming, not cutting the recordings too early because it can be edited at a later stage.
Audience Research
Our film was rated highly by other students; comments on the filming were especially good. Overall, I was pleased with the response we got from our fellow students. The only negative comments were made on the lighting because people found it a little too dark. We knew after filming that this issue might come up but knew it wouldn’t have a major effect. Our chosen location of a dark room made it hard to create good natural lighting but we did as best as we could.
Using the ‘Blog’
Using the ‘blog’ to replace traditional coursework being submitted in hard copies had a lot of strong points but also featured a few negatives. We also used the blog to post all aspects of the course.
Using the blog allowed us to put up videos this helped to give the reader easy access to the video that was possibly being analysed. Your whole blog can also be accessed on any computer that has the Internet which saved you also carrying round a big folder of hard copies.
The only weaknesses the blog had was that a piece you submitted could not be properly marked. Specific points could not be pointed out like you could on a hardcopy for example highlighting a word.
[1787 words]
Our film was rated highly by other students; comments on the filming were especially good. Overall, I was pleased with the response we got from our fellow students. The only negative comments were made on the lighting because people found it a little too dark. We knew after filming that this issue might come up but knew it wouldn’t have a major effect. Our chosen location of a dark room made it hard to create good natural lighting but we did as best as we could.
Using the ‘Blog’
Using the ‘blog’ to replace traditional coursework being submitted in hard copies had a lot of strong points but also featured a few negatives. We also used the blog to post all aspects of the course.
Using the blog allowed us to put up videos this helped to give the reader easy access to the video that was possibly being analysed. Your whole blog can also be accessed on any computer that has the Internet which saved you also carrying round a big folder of hard copies.
The only weaknesses the blog had was that a piece you submitted could not be properly marked. Specific points could not be pointed out like you could on a hardcopy for example highlighting a word.
[1787 words]
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Teen Drama Character profiles
'Nerdy Guy'
Stereotypes of a Nerd
Sid
Sid's appearance allows the audience to immediately seen his character as being 'nerdy'. The glasses and the hat and the stereotypes of a 'nerd'. Throughout the clip his role as the nerd is enforced by the audience finding out he is a virgin. This is also frowned upon by his friends. Normally nerds are associated with being clever and focused on the work. Sid however is completely the opposite and sleeps in regularly and hands in poor work. This adds to Sid's negatives and is felt sorry for by audiences. Sid being a virgin makes outcasts him from the group at times especially from Tony. The clip also shows his messy room which shows he is not an organised person reversing the geek stereotype. Throughout the show you can see that he matches the stereotype to being socially awkward with girls. However it is reversed by the fact he has a big group of close friends.
Popular Guy
Stereo Types of Popular Guy
Tony
Tony immediately seems like the leader of the group and is the first one up in the morning to call everyone. Calling each character while trying to arrange help for Sid. this adds to his role as a leader in the group. Throughout the opening clip he is the main focus and the camera follows him wherever he goes connoting his importance. He also tries lots of different things to get Sid 'laid', asking his own girlfriend to help out. He matches well to the stereotypes as you can see his confidence. Throughout the show he is also popular with girls which and his confidence makes people idolise him. This is what the show wants and works effectively
The images I have selected enforce the stereotypes even more. Sid has his glasses and his hat on and doesn't have a good pose for a photo. Whereas Tony seems confident with his arms folded and well groomed. This is how the show emphasises the audiencences opinons on the characters.
Stereotypes of a Nerd
- Clever
- Glasses
- Computers
- Virgin
- Socially awkward
Sid
Sid's appearance allows the audience to immediately seen his character as being 'nerdy'. The glasses and the hat and the stereotypes of a 'nerd'. Throughout the clip his role as the nerd is enforced by the audience finding out he is a virgin. This is also frowned upon by his friends. Normally nerds are associated with being clever and focused on the work. Sid however is completely the opposite and sleeps in regularly and hands in poor work. This adds to Sid's negatives and is felt sorry for by audiences. Sid being a virgin makes outcasts him from the group at times especially from Tony. The clip also shows his messy room which shows he is not an organised person reversing the geek stereotype. Throughout the show you can see that he matches the stereotype to being socially awkward with girls. However it is reversed by the fact he has a big group of close friends.
Popular Guy
Stereo Types of Popular Guy
- Good Looking
- 'Know All'
- Clever
- Popular
- Confident
Tony
Tony immediately seems like the leader of the group and is the first one up in the morning to call everyone. Calling each character while trying to arrange help for Sid. this adds to his role as a leader in the group. Throughout the opening clip he is the main focus and the camera follows him wherever he goes connoting his importance. He also tries lots of different things to get Sid 'laid', asking his own girlfriend to help out. He matches well to the stereotypes as you can see his confidence. Throughout the show he is also popular with girls which and his confidence makes people idolise him. This is what the show wants and works effectively
The images I have selected enforce the stereotypes even more. Sid has his glasses and his hat on and doesn't have a good pose for a photo. Whereas Tony seems confident with his arms folded and well groomed. This is how the show emphasises the audiencences opinons on the characters.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Comparision of Opening titles
'Hollyoaks and Coronation Street'
CS = Coronation Street (just in case you didn't know :D)
The opening tittles to Hollyoaks have small clips of all the characters that feature in the show. This gives you no introduction to where it is based but just focusing on the characters. Different characters have longer sections and you can immediately judge them on there poses and clothing. Completely the opposite is Coronation Street which is showing you all of the location and no characters. It Shows different angles of an old Town which the audience knows the action will happen. The Old Town with cobbled streets and terraced housing is an iconic location because you know it will be based up north.
Hollyoaks has quite fast pace music which goes with the quick transitions between all the characters. Which fits with the show as it is mainly made for the younger generation featuring a young cast who are all fit and active. CS however has a slow pace theme which goes well with the shots of the set with slow transitions. This goes with the show because it is mainly an older cast and is a much slower pace show.
Special effects in the Hollyoaks start are used in many of the transitions of differ net colours flashing across and the screen sliding to the side. This shows the variety of the show and how there are lots of different story lines. In CS there are no special effects used just simple transitions between each one. This shows that there may not be great special effects used in the actual show as it is based on real life and they want to keep it as real as possible.
Coronation street however uses lots of different shot types and every shot in the opening sequence has a different type of movement. Panning across and up, zooming in and out feature in each shot to keep the credits interesting. Hollyoaks also uses different shot types that move around and towards the characters to create close ups of the faces and help with creating interesting transitions. CS shots are all long shots from low and high angles.
Hollyoaks have a special transition from the titles to the show through the to O's in the word Hollyoaks. There is also the male and female simple on the O which shows the audience that the show could be heavily about relationships and sexuality. The colours of pink and blue are used on each which are stereotypical colours for male and female. Where again CS just keep it simple and just fade to the action.
Overall Hollyoaks has a faster pace opening titles and uses much more effects where as CS uses simple but effective shots with no effects, using smooth transitions into the show. The music pace is much different but they booth fit well with the pace of the actual show. Hollyoaks also uses just characters and shows no set or any clip of location and CS shows you the location and places but has no characters. They booth are very different pieces but unlike many opening titles don't use any clips from original shows in the titles. They both have filmed separate clips to use in the titles. This keeps the surprise of what is in the show.
CS = Coronation Street (just in case you didn't know :D)
The opening tittles to Hollyoaks have small clips of all the characters that feature in the show. This gives you no introduction to where it is based but just focusing on the characters. Different characters have longer sections and you can immediately judge them on there poses and clothing. Completely the opposite is Coronation Street which is showing you all of the location and no characters. It Shows different angles of an old Town which the audience knows the action will happen. The Old Town with cobbled streets and terraced housing is an iconic location because you know it will be based up north.
Hollyoaks has quite fast pace music which goes with the quick transitions between all the characters. Which fits with the show as it is mainly made for the younger generation featuring a young cast who are all fit and active. CS however has a slow pace theme which goes well with the shots of the set with slow transitions. This goes with the show because it is mainly an older cast and is a much slower pace show.
Special effects in the Hollyoaks start are used in many of the transitions of differ net colours flashing across and the screen sliding to the side. This shows the variety of the show and how there are lots of different story lines. In CS there are no special effects used just simple transitions between each one. This shows that there may not be great special effects used in the actual show as it is based on real life and they want to keep it as real as possible.
Coronation street however uses lots of different shot types and every shot in the opening sequence has a different type of movement. Panning across and up, zooming in and out feature in each shot to keep the credits interesting. Hollyoaks also uses different shot types that move around and towards the characters to create close ups of the faces and help with creating interesting transitions. CS shots are all long shots from low and high angles.
Hollyoaks have a special transition from the titles to the show through the to O's in the word Hollyoaks. There is also the male and female simple on the O which shows the audience that the show could be heavily about relationships and sexuality. The colours of pink and blue are used on each which are stereotypical colours for male and female. Where again CS just keep it simple and just fade to the action.
Overall Hollyoaks has a faster pace opening titles and uses much more effects where as CS uses simple but effective shots with no effects, using smooth transitions into the show. The music pace is much different but they booth fit well with the pace of the actual show. Hollyoaks also uses just characters and shows no set or any clip of location and CS shows you the location and places but has no characters. They booth are very different pieces but unlike many opening titles don't use any clips from original shows in the titles. They both have filmed separate clips to use in the titles. This keeps the surprise of what is in the show.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Max's Death Analysis
Analysis for a scene from 'Hollyoaks' where a character max dies just after his marriage.
The clip starts with a toy figure with a parachute flying across the screen with Tom (the boy) running after it. It cuts to Max looking at a car and Tom in the road. (Max knows that the driver (Nile)This makes the audience aware of the drama about to happen. The soundtrack over the top is similar to something from 'Casualty' or 'Holby City' which make sounds that simulate machines used in hospitals. This then suggests a hospital before the drama even happens.
Quick shots between Tom, Max and Niall links the 3 well and creates panic and makes the audience expect something big to happen. Max runs into the road to push Tom onto the curb before he gets run over. By pushing Tom out of the road you see Max stumble back into the road and get hit by the speeding car. This is the huge drama that the audience has been waiting for. Just after the crash you see the toy figure land on the ground hitting his head on the curb which relates to whats happened to Max.
The next few shots are in slow motion as if everything has slowed down. OB his friend runs over towards him and Niall slowly stumbles out of the car with the camera from a birds eye view slowly spinning round as if he is disorientated as you would be after a crash. This creates a more involved feeling for the audience. He then runs towards Max who is being clutched by the road side by his 'best mate' OB again this is in slow motion as if no one knows what to do, until OB shouts 'Phone an ambulance now' and everything is back to normal speed. This shows OB is taking control of the situation and is determined to save his best friend.
He holds him on the road side and the use of the 180 rule in the conversation between the two. OB is calm and optimistic as you have to be in these situation especially with a small child around but Max starts to his last words as if he knows he is going to die. Saying 'tell Steph it was the best day of his life' the irony is that he ended up dying on the best day of his life. He also says how he loves him (OB) to the response of 'What, listen don't be gay' as if he can't believe that this is happening and doesn't want to believe it. Trying to joke of the situation as if its not happening. The true male response to if a friend said that. Tom's crying adds to the sadness and makes the audience feel sorry for the boy who is confused and scared.
The music then changes to nice calming music when Steph enters. At first she isn't sure it is Max but then runs in shouting 'No he's not' and then the next few clips are in slow motion again but also muted. This is a good effect and increases the slowness and devastation that people are feeling. The music is playing but you can see Steph screaming and OB, Steph and Tom are all crying. Max's head is left resting on Steph's white dress and shows peace and innocence as it is perfectly aligned around him. In the background is Niall on the floor with his head in his hands wearing black which is a dark colour of crime
It then zooms out and pans up towards the sky, as if his soul is going up to heaven after he dies. There is also a little short recorded clip from the wedding in remembrance showing you the sweet and Innocent character he is. this then fades to black which creates the ending and the ending of his life.
The clip starts with a toy figure with a parachute flying across the screen with Tom (the boy) running after it. It cuts to Max looking at a car and Tom in the road. (Max knows that the driver (Nile)This makes the audience aware of the drama about to happen. The soundtrack over the top is similar to something from 'Casualty' or 'Holby City' which make sounds that simulate machines used in hospitals. This then suggests a hospital before the drama even happens.
Quick shots between Tom, Max and Niall links the 3 well and creates panic and makes the audience expect something big to happen. Max runs into the road to push Tom onto the curb before he gets run over. By pushing Tom out of the road you see Max stumble back into the road and get hit by the speeding car. This is the huge drama that the audience has been waiting for. Just after the crash you see the toy figure land on the ground hitting his head on the curb which relates to whats happened to Max.
The next few shots are in slow motion as if everything has slowed down. OB his friend runs over towards him and Niall slowly stumbles out of the car with the camera from a birds eye view slowly spinning round as if he is disorientated as you would be after a crash. This creates a more involved feeling for the audience. He then runs towards Max who is being clutched by the road side by his 'best mate' OB again this is in slow motion as if no one knows what to do, until OB shouts 'Phone an ambulance now' and everything is back to normal speed. This shows OB is taking control of the situation and is determined to save his best friend.
He holds him on the road side and the use of the 180 rule in the conversation between the two. OB is calm and optimistic as you have to be in these situation especially with a small child around but Max starts to his last words as if he knows he is going to die. Saying 'tell Steph it was the best day of his life' the irony is that he ended up dying on the best day of his life. He also says how he loves him (OB) to the response of 'What, listen don't be gay' as if he can't believe that this is happening and doesn't want to believe it. Trying to joke of the situation as if its not happening. The true male response to if a friend said that. Tom's crying adds to the sadness and makes the audience feel sorry for the boy who is confused and scared.
The music then changes to nice calming music when Steph enters. At first she isn't sure it is Max but then runs in shouting 'No he's not' and then the next few clips are in slow motion again but also muted. This is a good effect and increases the slowness and devastation that people are feeling. The music is playing but you can see Steph screaming and OB, Steph and Tom are all crying. Max's head is left resting on Steph's white dress and shows peace and innocence as it is perfectly aligned around him. In the background is Niall on the floor with his head in his hands wearing black which is a dark colour of crime
It then zooms out and pans up towards the sky, as if his soul is going up to heaven after he dies. There is also a little short recorded clip from the wedding in remembrance showing you the sweet and Innocent character he is. this then fades to black which creates the ending and the ending of his life.
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