Avengers Infinity War: Anthony Russo
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
One: Marvel Studios
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
The image of space and the ship that Thor, Loki, and Thanos are on is prioritized in the opening scene, as is the Tesseract.
What connotations do the images carry?
Space carries a neutral connotation-space is where a majority of the film takes place. Thor, Loki, and Thanos carry more of a negative connotation, as does the Tesseract. Loki ends up being killed by Thanos, the Tesseract was taken, and this marks the beginning of the war, and the conflict of the movie.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The action genre is reinforced right from the start, with fights, deaths, and loud noises and music. The setting in space with a chaotic spaceship, the bloody, and dirty makeup, and the dark lighting are all symbolic and technical codes that reinforce the action genre.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
From the start viewers are wondering why Thanos wants the Tesseract, and what he intends to do with it. This establishes an enigma from the outset.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
The directors included three very large characters in the opening scene, and killed off two important people from the start, drawing in the audience and already making them emotional. The fact that these big, well-known characters were included really appeals to the target audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
The movie opens with an establishing shot, showing the spaceship hovering in space. Low angle and high angle shots are used frequently when the action begins to show who has the power and who does not. For example, whenever Thanos is in the frame, there is a low angle shot being used, making him appear taller and more powerful than the others. The opposite goes for the other characters. When Thor is shown tied up in a chair, a high angle shot along with an eye level shot make Thor appear powerless and out of control.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
FILM OPENING RESEARCH #1: US
US: Jordan Peele
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
Two: Universal and Monkeypaw Productions
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
An image of a TV showing a promotion for "Hands Across America", and an image of a bunny, which slowly zooms out to reveal more bunnies.
What connotations do the images carry?
The promotion on the TV is symbolic, for it shows exactly what happens throughout the movie-which viewers discover at the end. The bunnies are a hint to an image viewers see later on in the movie as well. The promotion has more of a negative connotation, while the bunnies are rather neutral. It also shows (before stating the title of the film and giving credentials) a little girl wandering on the Santa Cruz pier, and getting lost in a house of mirrors, where she saw her clone.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The horror/thriller genre is reinforced throughout the movie. The entire movie is symbolic. Everything means something, for example everybody above has a clone that they are "tethered" to. These clones live underground and do everything that their person does, and looks like them except they act like animals. When the main character finds the underground place where the clones live, there are bunnies hopping around (a symbol from the opening scene). The music also reinforces the genre, for it is creepy, a bit out of tune, and staccato.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The very first questions viewers ask are "what do the bunnies mean" and "what does Hands Across America have to do with anything?". The movie does an amazing job of establishing mystery and a good story from the start.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
There isn't much dialogue or action in the opening scene, which builds suspense as it follows the girl down the pier onto the beach. By giving a story from the start, directors know that the audience's attention will be caught. This ensures that the film appeals to the audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
There are many follow shots and close-ups, which makes the movie personal, and gives the audience a sense of how the character acts. As the girl walks down the pier, there is either a follow shot of a POV. Then when she sees her clone, it is a close-up shot, then it cuts to the title and credentials.
How many titles are displayed during the opening sequences to the film?
Two: Universal and Monkeypaw Productions
What images are prioritized in the opening sequence?
An image of a TV showing a promotion for "Hands Across America", and an image of a bunny, which slowly zooms out to reveal more bunnies.
What connotations do the images carry?
The promotion on the TV is symbolic, for it shows exactly what happens throughout the movie-which viewers discover at the end. The bunnies are a hint to an image viewers see later on in the movie as well. The promotion has more of a negative connotation, while the bunnies are rather neutral. It also shows (before stating the title of the film and giving credentials) a little girl wandering on the Santa Cruz pier, and getting lost in a house of mirrors, where she saw her clone.
How is genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset?
The horror/thriller genre is reinforced throughout the movie. The entire movie is symbolic. Everything means something, for example everybody above has a clone that they are "tethered" to. These clones live underground and do everything that their person does, and looks like them except they act like animals. When the main character finds the underground place where the clones live, there are bunnies hopping around (a symbol from the opening scene). The music also reinforces the genre, for it is creepy, a bit out of tune, and staccato.
How does the film establish an enigma from the outset?
The very first questions viewers ask are "what do the bunnies mean" and "what does Hands Across America have to do with anything?". The movie does an amazing job of establishing mystery and a good story from the start.
What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience?
There isn't much dialogue or action in the opening scene, which builds suspense as it follows the girl down the pier onto the beach. By giving a story from the start, directors know that the audience's attention will be caught. This ensures that the film appeals to the audience.
How has technology been used effectively? You might want to consider camera angles, transitions and editing techniques.
There are many follow shots and close-ups, which makes the movie personal, and gives the audience a sense of how the character acts. As the girl walks down the pier, there is either a follow shot of a POV. Then when she sees her clone, it is a close-up shot, then it cuts to the title and credentials.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Friday, November 22, 2019
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Sunday, November 10, 2019
AGENT CARTER
Agent Carter is a film centered around Peggy Carter, a secret agent for the Strategic Scientific Reserve, dedicated to fighting new atomic threats that have emerged after World War II. However, she finds herself working with sexist men, and this restricts her-holding her back from using her full potential at times.
Camera shots, angles, movement and composition are all extremely important aspects of a film. They create the feel of the entire movie. In Marvel's "Agent Carter", there are several camera shots and angles that are used to depict a different feeling. For example, at the opening scene of the clip there is a close-up shot of Captain America's face, showing his fear as the plane goes down. Following this, there is an establishing shot of the control center that Agent Carter is in. This sets the scene for the audience, and kind of shows the contrast between the chaotic crash and the quiet ship. Another good camera shot that creates a sense of emotion is a cutaway shot. As Agent Carter looks down at something, the audience doesn't know what is it. It then cuts to a picture of Steve Rogers that she looks at with a sad expression. This evokes a feeling of sadness in the audience. There is another establishing shot soon after the men leave after asking Peg to close up. It zooms out, showing her all alone in the dark room. This creates a sense of isolation and loneliness, showing how alone and mistreated she felt.
Camera shots and angles are not the only important aspects of a film. Editing is also extremely important in creating a good flow and transition throughout. For example, the contrast being used at the beginning of the clip displays two completely different things happening at the same time. Agent Carter is in the control center talking to Steve Rogers. The scene cuts back and forth between Carter in the quiet control center to Rogers in the loud, chaotic plane. Another important edit would be simultaneity. In the scene where Agent Carter takes a call she's not technically supposed to, she confronts and gets in fight with these two men. The scene cuts between a security guard reading a magazine and listening to music, and Agent Carter fighting the two men. This happens several times before the scenes merge, building suspense.
Along with editing, sound adds a whole new level to a film; diegetic sound specifically, plays a big role. Diegetic sound is used throughout the clip, mainly to represent contrast. For example, regarding a few of the examples previously stated above, there is diegetic sound represented in both the scene with Peg talking to Steve Rogers and the fighting scene. Diegetic sound is sound that the characters on screen can hear. The sound helps to further enhance the contrast between the scenes. The best example would be the fight scene; the sound goes from the music that the security guard is blasting, to the grunts and hits of Agent Carter fighting the men.
Mise-en-scene is the final thing that really brings a movie together. A huge part of mise-en-scene that ties everything in Agent Carter together is setting. The setting takes place in New York City, in the 1940s, as can be seen by the costume (another element of mise-en-scene), and the staging and acting (the way people speak, and interact). The lighting throughout the clip is very low-key, bringing out the shadows and setting a dark tone for most of the clip, making everything eerie and mysterious, representing what an agent's job really entails-uncertainty and risk.
Camera shots, angles, movement and composition are all extremely important aspects of a film. They create the feel of the entire movie. In Marvel's "Agent Carter", there are several camera shots and angles that are used to depict a different feeling. For example, at the opening scene of the clip there is a close-up shot of Captain America's face, showing his fear as the plane goes down. Following this, there is an establishing shot of the control center that Agent Carter is in. This sets the scene for the audience, and kind of shows the contrast between the chaotic crash and the quiet ship. Another good camera shot that creates a sense of emotion is a cutaway shot. As Agent Carter looks down at something, the audience doesn't know what is it. It then cuts to a picture of Steve Rogers that she looks at with a sad expression. This evokes a feeling of sadness in the audience. There is another establishing shot soon after the men leave after asking Peg to close up. It zooms out, showing her all alone in the dark room. This creates a sense of isolation and loneliness, showing how alone and mistreated she felt.
Camera shots and angles are not the only important aspects of a film. Editing is also extremely important in creating a good flow and transition throughout. For example, the contrast being used at the beginning of the clip displays two completely different things happening at the same time. Agent Carter is in the control center talking to Steve Rogers. The scene cuts back and forth between Carter in the quiet control center to Rogers in the loud, chaotic plane. Another important edit would be simultaneity. In the scene where Agent Carter takes a call she's not technically supposed to, she confronts and gets in fight with these two men. The scene cuts between a security guard reading a magazine and listening to music, and Agent Carter fighting the two men. This happens several times before the scenes merge, building suspense.
Along with editing, sound adds a whole new level to a film; diegetic sound specifically, plays a big role. Diegetic sound is used throughout the clip, mainly to represent contrast. For example, regarding a few of the examples previously stated above, there is diegetic sound represented in both the scene with Peg talking to Steve Rogers and the fighting scene. Diegetic sound is sound that the characters on screen can hear. The sound helps to further enhance the contrast between the scenes. The best example would be the fight scene; the sound goes from the music that the security guard is blasting, to the grunts and hits of Agent Carter fighting the men.
Mise-en-scene is the final thing that really brings a movie together. A huge part of mise-en-scene that ties everything in Agent Carter together is setting. The setting takes place in New York City, in the 1940s, as can be seen by the costume (another element of mise-en-scene), and the staging and acting (the way people speak, and interact). The lighting throughout the clip is very low-key, bringing out the shadows and setting a dark tone for most of the clip, making everything eerie and mysterious, representing what an agent's job really entails-uncertainty and risk.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Sunday, October 27, 2019
MISE-EN-SCENE
I decided to make my post on the mise-en-scene in "Star Wars: A New Hope". I chose this movie because mise-en-scene makes the movie what it is.
One example of mise-en-scene in A New Hope is the setting. Of course, there is not only one setting, but some of the most memorable settings are the Cantina, and Luke and the twin suns. The cantina is messy, crowded, loud, and dark. This establishes the idea that it's a sort of "shady", or dangerous place to be. In the twin suns scene, there is a serene, beautiful setting while Luke overlooks the sunset, reflecting on his idea to leave the farm.
The lighting throughout the movie also plays a huge role. Referring to the cantina scene again, the lighting would be considered low-key lighting. The frame is cast with large shadows, and it's hard to distinguish many details. However, when the alien's hand it cut off after he harasses Luke, the lighting gets noticeably brighter, but returns back to dark immediately after, showing almost a climax of the scene, then the dying back down.
The costumes in Star Wars don't have the same effect on the movie as they do in most. In most movies, costumes set the time period. Here in star wars, they convey many thins such as economic status, good or evil, or personality. For example, darth vader wears all black and a mask. The fact that he is covered from head to toe completely gives off a mysterious vibe, seeing as the audience does not know what lies beneath the mask, and the black shows evil, in contrast to the white and tan colors that Luke Skywalker wears. Also the use of red and blue lightsabers (as seen in the fight scene between Darth Vader and Obi Wan) represent good (blue) and evil (red).
The spacing in Star Wars: A New Hope can be noticed in the fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader. When the scene begins, Obi-Wan enters a room, and his facial expression changes from slightly calm to concerned. However, you don't see what he's looking at until a few seconds afterwards. This is an example of offscreen space.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
SOUND EDITS
https://youtu.be/cjWXO0noea4
The first sound in our video was under the "contrast" master edit. This is an example of a non-diegetic sound. For the bird flying, we played the upbeat and suspenseful theme from Mission Impossible. For me sitting on the ground, we played Simon and Garfunkel's melancholy "The Sound of Silence". This represents the contrast between the bird flying freely in the air and me sitting bored on the ground.
The second sound in our video was under the "symbolism" master edit. This is an example of music. Over the video of the American flag in nations square, we put the star spangled banner. When we zoomed out from the map of the United States, we just edited the music to sound more intense, and much louder. It is the same music, just altered, which represents the relationship in the two scenes, and the symbolism.
The third sound was under the "simultaneity" master edit. This is an example of direct sound. The sound was not altered, there was no post synchronization dubbing and no non-diegetic sound. All of the sounds such as the quiet murmur from insider the classroom, and the loud buzz of the courtyard at lunch were left with the sounds that there were when it was recorded.
The fourth sound was under the "parallelism" master edit. This is an example of synchronous sound. We played a song called "How You Feel" and chose the part that transitions from one rapper to another. When Kelly turns around one rapper says "Danny, how you feel?" and when I turn around the other rapper says, "I feel great". This is a representation of the change in scene/character, but a similar situation, which is why we kept the same song, just with different rappers conversing. This represents synchronous sound because it matches with our movements and the transition well.
The fifth sound was under the "Leitmotif" master edit. This is an example of post synchronization dubbing. In the scene of my lizard standing there, we added the sound of crickets over it to emphasize the quiet thinking of the lizard. For the video of Kelly hitting and kicking the Trojan, we recorded the sound of us hitting metal hand rails in the school it make it sound like Kelly hitting the Trojan statue. There wasn't much sound coming from Kelly actually hitting it, which is why we hit the metal poles and added this over after to emphasize the sound it should be making to create the effect more.
The first sound in our video was under the "contrast" master edit. This is an example of a non-diegetic sound. For the bird flying, we played the upbeat and suspenseful theme from Mission Impossible. For me sitting on the ground, we played Simon and Garfunkel's melancholy "The Sound of Silence". This represents the contrast between the bird flying freely in the air and me sitting bored on the ground.
The second sound in our video was under the "symbolism" master edit. This is an example of music. Over the video of the American flag in nations square, we put the star spangled banner. When we zoomed out from the map of the United States, we just edited the music to sound more intense, and much louder. It is the same music, just altered, which represents the relationship in the two scenes, and the symbolism.
The third sound was under the "simultaneity" master edit. This is an example of direct sound. The sound was not altered, there was no post synchronization dubbing and no non-diegetic sound. All of the sounds such as the quiet murmur from insider the classroom, and the loud buzz of the courtyard at lunch were left with the sounds that there were when it was recorded.
The fourth sound was under the "parallelism" master edit. This is an example of synchronous sound. We played a song called "How You Feel" and chose the part that transitions from one rapper to another. When Kelly turns around one rapper says "Danny, how you feel?" and when I turn around the other rapper says, "I feel great". This is a representation of the change in scene/character, but a similar situation, which is why we kept the same song, just with different rappers conversing. This represents synchronous sound because it matches with our movements and the transition well.
The fifth sound was under the "Leitmotif" master edit. This is an example of post synchronization dubbing. In the scene of my lizard standing there, we added the sound of crickets over it to emphasize the quiet thinking of the lizard. For the video of Kelly hitting and kicking the Trojan, we recorded the sound of us hitting metal hand rails in the school it make it sound like Kelly hitting the Trojan statue. There wasn't much sound coming from Kelly actually hitting it, which is why we hit the metal poles and added this over after to emphasize the sound it should be making to create the effect more.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
MASTER EDITS IN VARIOUS FILMS
Sunday, September 22, 2019
FIVE MASTER EDITS VIDEO
The first master edit that kelly and I did was contrast. The first scene showed a bird flying quickly in the air, and the next one showed me sitting on the ground, bored. The first scene represents having fun and being free, while the other shows boredom, and confinement. This shows contrast because these are two completely different "feelings", or scenes.
The second master edit we recorded was symbolism. For the first scene I slowly walked down nation's square and recorded all of the flags on the ceiling. Then, I zoomed in on the American flag. For the next scene, we started out zoomed in, then zoomed out to reveal a huge map. We zoomed out from the United States. This shows symbolism because we went from the American flag in nation's square, to a map of the United States in a different building.
The third master edit we recorded was simultaneity. The scenes we alternated between were a decently quiet classroom where everybody was sitting down, and a loud courtyard where everybody was moving around. This shows two things going on at the same time in different places. Having a classroom and a courtyard emphasizes the difference between the two scenes.
The fourth master edit we focused on was parallelism. For this edit, I recorded Kelly putting the hood of her hoodie on and turning to face away from the camera. Then, I put on Kelly's hoodie, stood in the same place that she was standing, and put the hood up. Then Kelly recorded me turning around to face the audience and taking the hood off. This shows parallelism because similar, but not the same exact scenes are used to transition to one another. By using the hoodie we flowed from Kelly to me, and changed scenes completely by just using a similar object.
The fifth and final master edit we recorded was Leitmotif. The first scene was my pet lizard sitting there not moving. The second one was Kelly fighting the trojan statue in the courtyard. We alternated between these scenes a couples times. This is supposed to show what is going on in the lizards head.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
CAMERA TECHNIQUES USED IN THE HUNGER GAMES
The movie I chose to analyze was The Hunger Games. In the movie, the twelve districts of Panem each pick two tributes, a girl and a boy, who compete in the televised "Hunger Games". The tributes fight to the death, until one victor remains. Katniss Everdeen, the main character, has volunteered as a tribute to save her sister. The movie focuses on Katniss, and most of it takes place in the arena during the actual games. Many camera techniques are used throughout that are meant to express a feeling to the audience.
The first shot I noticed was a close-up. A close-up shot gives the audience a key focus to look at. It generally indicates that something important is about to happen regarding the object of focus. In this scene in The Hunger Games, that's exactly what it meant.
This shot was taken during the reaping, where Effie Trinket, the escort for the District 12 tributes, is drawing the female name for the annual Hunger Games. By using a close-up shot for this scene, the movie is telling the audience to pay attention and remember this object, because it will be important later on. It creates a sense of mystery, because it leaves the audience wondering what the significance of that object is. Sure enough, the card happened to be Primrose Everdeen's name, Katniss's sister
Another shot I noticed was a high angle shot. A high-angle shot makes the subject appear to be vulnerable, or powerless. It makes them seem as if they're insignificant in relation to something "greater".
This shot was taken during a scene where Katniss and her best friend/lover Gale were in the woods hunting, when suddenly, a Capitol blimp flew by, parting the trees to almost reveal the two characters in a "no trespassing" area. This shot establishes the idea that the citizens of Panem fear the Capitol, and shows that the capitol is considered to be above of, or holding more importance than the districts.
The next shot I noticed was a low-angle shot. A low angle shot makes the subject appear to be larger than, or more important than others.
This shot was taken when Effie was announcing the annual Hunger Games before she drew the names of the tributes. The low angle shot shows that Effie is part of the Capitol, emphasizing that the Capital is of higher power, and that the others are below it.
Another shot I chose was an establishing shot. This shot helps to set up, or establish the context for a scene by showing the setting. This was also a point of view shot, because it was from Katniss's point of view. The camera moved around frantically, mimicking Katniss's nervousness, and her looking around at her surroundings
This was the first look at the stadium for the 74th Hunger Games, showing the forest, the mountains, and the cornucopia. This gives the audience an idea of the surroundings, and helps to better understand the situation that the tributes are in. Also by looking through Katniss's eyes, the audience can understand the anxiety and fear that she's feeling in the arena.
Another shot I chose was an establishing shot. This shot helps to set up, or establish the context for a scene by showing the setting. This was also a point of view shot, because it was from Katniss's point of view. The camera moved around frantically, mimicking Katniss's nervousness, and her looking around at her surroundings
Sunday, September 1, 2019
REVIEW ON MY CLASSMATES' CAMERA SHOTS
The first camera shots I looked at were Zoe's. I chose to comment on her head-on shot, follow shot, establishing shot, and close-up shot. For the head-on shot, I love how Zoe used her dog as the subject of the shot, it was unique, and really gave me the sense that the dog was coming directly towards me. For the follow shot, Zoe did a great job of keeping the camera steady, so the shot wasn't just all a blur. I felt like i was trailing right behind the subject. The establishing shot in Cassadaga was well done because Zoe moved the camera slowly and steadily, and got a lot of the environment in her shot, which made me feel very familiar with where she was, and almost as if I had been there before. Finally, Zoe's close-up shot was another unique shot. I love how instead of using a person or an actual object as her subject, she used the shoreline and the waves. I really saw the details in the sand and water, and I really like how she took that shot.
The second camera shots I looked at were Sarah's. I chose to comment on her point of view shot, follow shot, high angle shot, and establishing shot. In Sarah's point of view shot, she mimicked a person walking by loosely holding the camera so it moved with her footsteps. This created a very realistic moment, and made me feel like I'm the one walking, not like I'm watching a video. For the follow shot, I love how steadily Sarah held the camera. I felt as if i was walking right behind the subjects, or moving in a car almost because of how steady the camera was. For the high angle shot, Sarah found a good angle to really make the viewer feel like they were standing above the subject, or much taller than her. Lastly, Sarah's establishing shot was very well done. Her use of her surroundings, and the lighting from the sunrise really established the setting and made me feel like I was sitting there watching the sunrise with her.
The second camera shots I looked at were Sarah's. I chose to comment on her point of view shot, follow shot, high angle shot, and establishing shot. In Sarah's point of view shot, she mimicked a person walking by loosely holding the camera so it moved with her footsteps. This created a very realistic moment, and made me feel like I'm the one walking, not like I'm watching a video. For the follow shot, I love how steadily Sarah held the camera. I felt as if i was walking right behind the subjects, or moving in a car almost because of how steady the camera was. For the high angle shot, Sarah found a good angle to really make the viewer feel like they were standing above the subject, or much taller than her. Lastly, Sarah's establishing shot was very well done. Her use of her surroundings, and the lighting from the sunrise really established the setting and made me feel like I was sitting there watching the sunrise with her.
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