Super 8 is a film about the a group of kids who are making films when a train crashes and they discover something weird and try to figure out exactly what it is.
The scene shows different shots of both the youths acting and also of the kid filming it and shows his point of view of what he can see from behind the camera, giving the audience a good idea of everything that's going on. It also shows the audience that they are near a train track, due to the little shed thing and the rails near-by.
The main characters are all in this scene of the movie, making it quite an important scene, as it shows their friendship and teamwork and how the characters interact with one another. There doesn't really see to be the idea of a 'main character' as such in this scene as it mainly focussed on them as a whole and the relationships between them.
There are a lot of establishing and medium shots during this scene of the film, which is typical of the action/thriller genre as it gives the audience a good chance to both get to know the setting, whether it is a fantasy setting or somewhere realistic and also who the main characters are and what kind of people they are. The establishing shots in Super 8 show the viewer that it is set in a realistic world, in real places, however features unrealistic a few unrealistic events, such as the discovery of the weird cube things. Using normal, every day characters who are very naturalistic adds a more realistic element to the film though, as they are characters the audience can relate to better.
There is some cutting from one shot to the next in Super 8 to create the idea of chaos and disaster as the choppy shots give he idea of confusion and make it more disorientating for the audience to watch, however, the more calm bits before the chaos are much smoother to make the audience believe everything is going fine. Other shots flow from one to the next more smoothly and naturally, to contrast with the chaos and make an obvious distinction between the bits where bad things are happening and the parts where it is more calm and relaxed.
The lighting and setting throughout the film is quite realistic as it is set as though it is in real life cities featuring ordinary people and not in a made up place, however, a lot of fx and cg is used to create the train crash with the cubes, as this isn't exactly the kind of thing they could actually film properly, however, the unreal element being in a real setting makes it seem less questionable to the audience as it seems more natural and will be more relatable if it is in a setting that they are used to.
The narrative of the film is fairly straight forward with not really any flash backs or flash forwards and the story is mostly told as it is happening through use of dialogue and also through what is happening visually. However, there are some flashback scenes which give the viewer some insight into the characters past, making it more interesting as bits are revealed along the way.
A very naturalistic style of acting is used in Super 8 and all the characters seem to be relatively normal and average-person like. I think this is used to make it seem as real as possible to make it more relatable for the audience if the characters are just regular people with regular families.
There is a lot of diegetic sound in the film such as characters voices and the sounds that come from the train crash. Yet again, I believe is is used to continue the natural and real life like effect of the film. There is also some non-diegetic sound such as dramatic music, which is very typical of films of this genre as it helps to build tension and create drama, as well as potentially foreshadowing coming events.
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Film Analysis: Inception
Inception is an action/thriller film about a man who has the ability to enter peoples dreams and is trying to plant an idea in someone's mind.
The chosen scene shows mostly one continuous shot, rarely changing angle etc, of a cafe, which seems pretty normal at first. It shows a man and a woman sat outside at a table in the cafe having a conversation about dreams. Everything starts off normal, however, when he woman realises she is in a dream, crates of fruit and windows and other everyday street objects begin to explode around them, however they seem totally unaffected by the glass flying around them.
The main character is featured in this scene of the movie, as well as the woman he is sat with. The man is presented as quite a scheming character, as he is leaning forward on the table as if he is telling some secret and the medium close up of them both shows the difference between his attitude and her more innocent, relaxed one.
There is mostly just a few long establishing and medium close up shots in this scene of the film, which is typical of the action/thriller genre as it gives the audience a good chance to both get to know the setting, whether it is a fantasy setting or somewhere realistic and also who the main characters are and what kind of people they are. The establishing shots in Inception show the viewer that it is set in a realistic setting, in real places, however it also shows that some of the events that happen, such as things exploding and the fact they are in a dream to be fantasy and of a world that does not really exist. The main characters are presented as normal, average people until we are told that this part is actually set in a dream, which makes it a bit more fantasy-like. Using average people but with strange abilities makes the movie more relatable for the audience than if the characters were mythical-looking as their appearance makes the viewers think the characters are just like them.
There is some fairly smooth cutting from one shot to the next in Inception to create the idea of a flawless, flowing, dream-like state in which one thing seems to merge into the next, even if it doesn't make sense, which makes the audience feel more as though they themselves are in a dream and it is an easy thing for the audience to relate to as everyone has dreams and so they are used to the confusion of it. The smooth transitions contrast sharply with the violence of everything exploding everywhere, to continue to create the not-quite-making-sense effect of the dream.
The lighting and setting throughout the film is quite realistic in appearance as it is set as though it is in real life places featuring ordinary people, however, the weird camera angles and shots at times, as well as actually being told that they are in a dream makes the setting seem a little less realistic. This is typical of dreams as it seems as if we are somewhere we know, however, things happen which we know shouldn't, which confuses us.
The narrative of the film is a bit weird, as it is very confusing as to what is and isn't a dream and what time and place they are in, because everything switches around a lot. However, there are some fairly straightforward bits, it's more the changing between each scene that makes it confusing, not the narrative of the scene itself.
A very naturalistic style of acting is used in Inception and all the characters seem to be relatively normal and average-person like. I think this is used to make it seem as real as possible to make it more relatable for the audience if the characters are just regular people with regular families, apart from the main character's unusual ability.
There is a lot of diegetic sound in the film such as characters voices and explosions in the cafe scene. Yet again, I believe is is used to continue the natural and dream-like effect of the film. There is also some non-diegetic sound such as dramatic music, which is very typical of films of this genre as it helps to build tension and create drama, as well as potentially foreshadowing coming events.
The chosen scene shows mostly one continuous shot, rarely changing angle etc, of a cafe, which seems pretty normal at first. It shows a man and a woman sat outside at a table in the cafe having a conversation about dreams. Everything starts off normal, however, when he woman realises she is in a dream, crates of fruit and windows and other everyday street objects begin to explode around them, however they seem totally unaffected by the glass flying around them.
The main character is featured in this scene of the movie, as well as the woman he is sat with. The man is presented as quite a scheming character, as he is leaning forward on the table as if he is telling some secret and the medium close up of them both shows the difference between his attitude and her more innocent, relaxed one.
There is mostly just a few long establishing and medium close up shots in this scene of the film, which is typical of the action/thriller genre as it gives the audience a good chance to both get to know the setting, whether it is a fantasy setting or somewhere realistic and also who the main characters are and what kind of people they are. The establishing shots in Inception show the viewer that it is set in a realistic setting, in real places, however it also shows that some of the events that happen, such as things exploding and the fact they are in a dream to be fantasy and of a world that does not really exist. The main characters are presented as normal, average people until we are told that this part is actually set in a dream, which makes it a bit more fantasy-like. Using average people but with strange abilities makes the movie more relatable for the audience than if the characters were mythical-looking as their appearance makes the viewers think the characters are just like them.
There is some fairly smooth cutting from one shot to the next in Inception to create the idea of a flawless, flowing, dream-like state in which one thing seems to merge into the next, even if it doesn't make sense, which makes the audience feel more as though they themselves are in a dream and it is an easy thing for the audience to relate to as everyone has dreams and so they are used to the confusion of it. The smooth transitions contrast sharply with the violence of everything exploding everywhere, to continue to create the not-quite-making-sense effect of the dream.
The lighting and setting throughout the film is quite realistic in appearance as it is set as though it is in real life places featuring ordinary people, however, the weird camera angles and shots at times, as well as actually being told that they are in a dream makes the setting seem a little less realistic. This is typical of dreams as it seems as if we are somewhere we know, however, things happen which we know shouldn't, which confuses us.
The narrative of the film is a bit weird, as it is very confusing as to what is and isn't a dream and what time and place they are in, because everything switches around a lot. However, there are some fairly straightforward bits, it's more the changing between each scene that makes it confusing, not the narrative of the scene itself.
A very naturalistic style of acting is used in Inception and all the characters seem to be relatively normal and average-person like. I think this is used to make it seem as real as possible to make it more relatable for the audience if the characters are just regular people with regular families, apart from the main character's unusual ability.
There is a lot of diegetic sound in the film such as characters voices and explosions in the cafe scene. Yet again, I believe is is used to continue the natural and dream-like effect of the film. There is also some non-diegetic sound such as dramatic music, which is very typical of films of this genre as it helps to build tension and create drama, as well as potentially foreshadowing coming events.
Sunday, 4 October 2015
Film Analysis: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Kingsman: The Secret Service is a spy/thriller/action film about a young man's initiation into the Kingsman and about how he goes on to save the world.
In the opening of the film, it seems to be set in a country which is not England (where the rest if the film is set). This is evident by the warm, dry weather and old crumbling buildings that would look out of place in the Uk. This tells the audience that perhaps they are out on a mission in another country and that they are not entirely England based.
There are helicopters and a lot of gun fire and explosions used, which suggests that action could be one of the films genres, as explosions and shooting is often conventional of an action/adventure film. Although Kingsman is partially an action film, it could also fit into the categories of thriller and comedy.
A lot of the camera angles are pretty basic and there aren't really that many low or high angled shots, and the same can be said for the type of shot. There are mostly establishing/long shots at the start to introduce the viewer to the scene, for example when there is gunfire at the start, or when the woman murders everyone in the room. This is done so that there is no vagueness about it, making it easy for the audience to follow.
It is quite naturally lit, as it is set either outside, or in a room where light can come in from the outside, and so it is quite a soft, white colour with the slightest hint of yellow, which makes it more believable for the audience that they are where they are. The natural, soft lighting makes quite a bold contrast to the violence taking place on scene, when makes it slightly more comedic and seem less violent than it really is, as because it is in a nicer place, the audience are less likely to be as shocked by it than they would if it were in a dark old building or an alley.
As well as some continuity, there is also a fair bit of cutting from one shot to the next, as this sudden jumping from one shot to the next makes it harder for the audience's eyes to keep track of what's going on, giving it more of a fast-paced action/thriller feel to it.
The colour, set and lighting are all very natural, leading the viewer to believe it is set in a natural, real-world environment rather than a fantasy one, however, some of the weapons such as bullet proof, stun gun umbrellas and metal legs with a blade in the centre which can slice a person with ease, are a little less realistic, however, because they are unnatural twists on existing objects, it still remains pretty believable.
The narrative of the story is pretty straightforward, as it starts with an issue, then there is rising action, then the climax, then the issue is resolved, however, there is some circular shaping, as the movie ends with the same scene it has near the beginning, except this time, it is done by another character, which is used to show the progression of the main character and how he has become the person he aspired to be.
The style of acting is rather naturalistic, as they are acting as fairly ordinary human beings, however, some characters are a but more out of the ordinary, and so have to be portrayed in a more extravagant and bold way, but still as if they are human. As there is a lot of action in the film, a lot of the acting is movement based, rather than based more on tone of voice or facial responses (although that is all very important too). This meant that the actors either had to train really hard and/or have a body double.
A lot of the camera angles are pretty basic and there aren't really that many low or high angled shots, and the same can be said for the type of shot. There are mostly establishing/long shots at the start to introduce the viewer to the scene, for example when there is gunfire at the start, or when the woman murders everyone in the room. This is done so that there is no vagueness about it, making it easy for the audience to follow.
It is quite naturally lit, as it is set either outside, or in a room where light can come in from the outside, and so it is quite a soft, white colour with the slightest hint of yellow, which makes it more believable for the audience that they are where they are. The natural, soft lighting makes quite a bold contrast to the violence taking place on scene, when makes it slightly more comedic and seem less violent than it really is, as because it is in a nicer place, the audience are less likely to be as shocked by it than they would if it were in a dark old building or an alley.
As well as some continuity, there is also a fair bit of cutting from one shot to the next, as this sudden jumping from one shot to the next makes it harder for the audience's eyes to keep track of what's going on, giving it more of a fast-paced action/thriller feel to it.
The colour, set and lighting are all very natural, leading the viewer to believe it is set in a natural, real-world environment rather than a fantasy one, however, some of the weapons such as bullet proof, stun gun umbrellas and metal legs with a blade in the centre which can slice a person with ease, are a little less realistic, however, because they are unnatural twists on existing objects, it still remains pretty believable.
The narrative of the story is pretty straightforward, as it starts with an issue, then there is rising action, then the climax, then the issue is resolved, however, there is some circular shaping, as the movie ends with the same scene it has near the beginning, except this time, it is done by another character, which is used to show the progression of the main character and how he has become the person he aspired to be.
The style of acting is rather naturalistic, as they are acting as fairly ordinary human beings, however, some characters are a but more out of the ordinary, and so have to be portrayed in a more extravagant and bold way, but still as if they are human. As there is a lot of action in the film, a lot of the acting is movement based, rather than based more on tone of voice or facial responses (although that is all very important too). This meant that the actors either had to train really hard and/or have a body double.
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