Film Opening - Final Product

Our final film opening with the final changes to contrast and brightness.

Film Opening - Pre-Contrast/Brightness Changes

Our final film opening without the final changes to contrast and brightness made as I  decided after this was uploaded that I needed to make final changes to contrast and brightness levels to brighten up some of the more boring scenes.

Analysis - Iron Man 2 (Poster)

TA - Avengers (Timeline)

Click the image below to view 'The Avengers' opening credits

TA - Iron Man Opening (Timeline)

TA - Cool Unicorn Bruv

Now that we're moving our focus more towards openings as it is our topic and looking less at short films i'm not going to do a textual analysis of this clip, I'm merely blogging this because it's funny

"You know what I mean; Ping?"

Preliminary Task - Textual Analysis

Mise En Scene

• Right at the begining when Kirby is pacing we can tell that this is set in a school as there are displays on the walls which is typical for a classroom to have
• When Kirby is pacing up and down we see that the classroom is empty which hints to us that she's plotting world domination in her spare time eg. Lunch time or Break time
• The stuffed toy that Kirby is talking to is clearly her best friend. This makes us feel sorry for her as she has no other friends and spends her spare time talking to toys
• She's wearing thick rimmed glasses which are often associated with 'geeks'
• I have a smart suit on (looking fly as f*ck) along with a staff badge which shows that my character is a member of staff and has a greater authority than Kirby's character
• High key lighting makes us feel asthough this is just another average school day and it's normal for Kirby's character to be spending her time in this way
• My bodylanguage, ie dragging my feet shows that my character, like most teachers, is not too fond of his job

Sound

• The dialogue of "I have a plan," makes the audience question her thought track and wonder what it is she's planning about
• after revealing the topic of the plan the non-diegetic, empasizing noise adds to the comic affect
• the repeating of "hmm" and "What to do?" as she paces shows she does in fact not have a plan and makes the audience feel asthough she may be a bit dimwitted
• Kirby's mode of address to the toy is as thought she is having a conversation with it.
• She after saying something to it the responds as if the toy is talking back to her
• The addition of the non-diegetic cricket noise emphasizes the lack of repsonse from the toy
• The diegetic door handle squeak empashizes the quietness of the environment
• The confused, suprised tone in my voice shows that my character isn't accustomed to this type of weird occurence perhaps connoting that my character leads quite a boring, uneventful life
• Kirby's shocked, embaressed tone as she repsonds to the teacher having walked in and questioned her makes the audience feel sorry for her having just been found out as being weird and lonely

Camera

• The clip opens with a close of Kirby's face from side profile as she is looking out of the window
• The shot remains the same but she turns so that her face is big in the center of the frame as she says something dramatic
• A long shot is used to show the room is empty and Kirby being in the distance implies her character's emotional distance from everyone
• A mid shot is used to show Kirby's character at the table with her toy this has been done to easily show her talking to the toy as if it is sentient
• Close ups on the faces have been used to indicate that to Kirby's character this is a normal conversation and the toy is in fact alive which makes the toy seem like a character rather than a prop
• a tracking shot of my feet was used to show my character's importance

Editing

• The moderately short takes of Kirby's character being weird increases tension showing she only has a limited amount of time before being discovered as a loser
• A match on action has been used as Kirby sits down in her chair showing that to her the conversation with this toy is important which again makes the audience sympathise with her as she sees this plush toy as a friend
• The match on action as i open the door creates tension as it shows that my character is going to catch kirby's being weird



TA - Papá Wrestling

Best song ever

TA - Report Card

TA - Still Life

 

I really like this short as it is quite a simple concept that the mannequins are people, but what i like most is it never really sums up why or how he saw the people as mannequins to begin with.

Mise en Scene

• At the beginning of the film we see a plain snowy landscape with a few dark trees with no leaves this sets the initial scene and works as an establishing shot this snowy landscape may also indicate the time of year (winter) and setting of the video (canada)
• Man appears tired, then takes pills possibly to remedy his fatigue or perhaps he get hallucinations for which he needs medication (this would explain later events) 
• The village appears empty of people
• He sees a very still, unanimated woman on a bench, this is our first hint of what the short is about

Camera Angles and Movement

• Straight away we see an establishing shot of a snowy landscape with trees
• Close-ups used to show the character's reactions to the events taking place around him
•  close up of the fuel gauge indicates us that he has to get some gas

Sound

• Straight away we hear a fuzzy static noise, this maybe coming from cars on the road however i doubt it because it seems like quite an empty desolate place
• The character is listening to the radio in his car, possibly to keep him from falling asleep
• The "diegetic" quiet bleep indicates the character (and with help from a close up of the fuel gauge - indicates us) that he has to get some gas
• The non-diegetic noise of a bird emphasizes the silence of the village
• Loud diegetic bang as he hits a "man" with his car

Editing

• A fade transition is used (from black) right at the begining of the short
• @1:15 a dissolve transition is used, going from a shot of the road to one of the chracter's face

TA - The Black Hole

TA - Doodlebug

Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception) is now a major Hollywood director and this 1997 short short film, Doodlebug, displays the darker tone that would serve him so well in his later, feature film career. The story consists of a somewhat ratty man, in a much rattier flat. There, he seems intent - and possibly even driven to insanity -with catching the doodlebug of the film's title. However, after over two minutes of cat-and-mouse chasing, it is revealed that the bug resembles a miniature version of himself. He squashes the bug with his shoe. The audience comes to realise that every move that the doodlebug makes the man reciprocates a second later. Into this Kafkaesque situation enters a large face, that of the man; thereby making the man the doodlebug, and he proceeds to get squashed by this newer being.

Mise en Scene

• The whole short film is in grayscale rather than full colour possibly to show how the character's life is dull and uninteresting
• Ratty, disgusting apartment

Camera Angle and Movement

• Numerous extreme and big close-up shots of objects in his apartment mainly ticking clocks implying he's in a hurry or that he is anxious about something which is also hinted at through his actions and general mannerisms
• Low angle shot as we see something run across the floor which is matched when he, too realizes it
• Close-up on the phone as it rings, disrupting his 'mission'
• The camera is shaking slightly throughout to indicate he is not of a sound mind

Sound

• Hyper diegetic clock ticking and phone ringing show his senses are heightened
• Ominous, surreal music which establishes the character's feeling
• Diegetic noise of the phone being put in the pitcher of water
• No dialogue to emphasise the man's loneliness

Editing

• Image is blurred maybe to indicate how crazy this bug thing being in this apartment is making him but it may be to show that this guy is in a weird dream-like state
• Short-takes to show the character's craziness

TA - How They Get There

How They Get There

Short film directed and filmed by Spike Jonze 

Narrative 

• A guy and a girl play copycat with each other from opposite sides of the street, that is, until a slightly abrupt & uncopyable event occurs.

Mise en scene

• Set in a friendly looking place in America
• At the end the scene reverts back to how it was at the start

Sound

• No dialogue although the simple narrative makes it unneeded and unnecessary 
• Upbeat music used to make the scenario seem more fun which carries on throughout the short
• Diegetic noises such as a wrapper landing on the floor and a milk carton being opened add to the 'real life' affect
• Diegetic car collision noise emphasises the seriousness of the situation whereas the upbeat, funny music does the opposite
• As the scene reverts back the the way it did at the beginning so does the music

Camera angles and Movement

• Panning shot when a man comes out and shouts at the other guy for leaning on his car
• Over the shoulder shot when the woman is first shown, to show that he is seeing the woman
• Rolling camera used when either of the characters are shown (filmed from the other side of the road) from each other's perspective

Editing

• Short takes when the two characters are mimicking each other
• Sligtly slowed down as car ramps into the air
• The car ramps up another car despite having not nearly enough speed to do so
• The car clearly collides with the guy, smashing the windshield although a few shots later we see the car's windshield is undamaged (probably due to the order in which it was filmed)
• Short takes during the car crash sequence
• Slow motion as the shoe falls from the sky

TA - About a Girl

Warning! this is a tad gruesome

I had a good time analyzing this short as it was interesting and shocking (not to mention horrifying), the acting of Ashley Thewlis (main character) was astounding and I thoroughly enjoyed the attention to detail in her flippant/naive expression when talking about such serious matters.

TA - 3x3

I feel this clip was good as it was funny and interesting, I especially liked how there is no dialogue an yet the story is conveyed so effectively, this is down to the effective use of shot types and editing along with the simplicity of the story

TA - Splitscreen: A Love Story

Can two people who live on opposite sides of the world have anything in common? This is the story of two parallel lives, one in New York and one in Paris and the journey that will lead them together. Told simultaneously through the eyes of both characters.

-J.W. Griffiths

Mise en Scene

• The same scene is shot at different time so the lighting is different as most of it is outdoors
• The woman at the end of the  scene is dressed nicely, looking both casual and smart whereas the man has pretty much chosen to wear quite smart clothes
• Nothing particularly extravagant is shown in the clip just normal everyday stuff

Sound

• The music throughout the clip is parallel to the sound as it is mysterious to begin with and gets less mysterious as the clip itself starts to make more sense
• Alarm sound at the beginning of the clip shows us what time of day it is
• The music is slow and calm when all we can see is clouds to show the beauty of the world
• Diegetic noises such as the curtains at the beginning and the sounds of the planes and the trains have been used to make it seem more realistic

Camera Angles & Movement

• Close ups used on things such as shower head and boiling eggs etc. this gives us a deeper look into them as people and their lives
• Long shots used to show the scenery and nature
• Tilt shot used as they both look up from their own maps to see each other stood there

Editing

• The two sides of the clip are shot at eye height so that it looks like we're seeing the world directly from their perspective
• The shots have been matched up so that for example the train comes in on the right side of the screen and goes out to the left when in fact these are different trains, different occasions and different times entirely