DYM: Film Opening Analysis

The film I have chosen is 1971 musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Enigma Code: Questions
-Who is the main man?
-Where is Anatevka?
-What are their traditions?
-Who is the main man's family?
-Will there be conflict between the Jews and the Russian christians?

Action Code: Series of Events
-Teyve picks up the milk can=Puts the milk can down in a different place
-Teyve gets into cart= Cart moves off
-Tevye driving in cart- Cart stops to make a delivery
-Butcher gets meat down from hook= Starts chopping it
-Bread goes into oven= Bread comes out cooked
-Boy runs to school= boy arrives in classroom

Semiotic Code: Signs
-Grey Skys= Cold weather,
-Tin cans= Milkman
-Scruffy brown clothes= Poverty, thriftiness
-Cutting meat= butcher
-Pink headscarf= feminine, innocence
-Black clothes= Seriousness, sobriety
-White beard= Old age, wisdom, senility

Cultural Code: our Knowledge
-Rising sun= New day, new hope
-Star Of David= Judaism
-Menorah= Judaism
-Scrolls= Torah
-Books in their hands= learned men
-Cross on gate= church, christianity

Symbolic Code: Overarching connotations
-Importance of maintaining traditions
-Jewish faith
-Loyalty and friendship
-Family
-Tensions between different factions of society
-Community

BLK: Homework 2

The clip I have chosen is from the romantic comedy Clueless

 

 

Genre Conventions and Technical Codes

A typical young blonde pretty heroine is used

The film is set in an american High School

Heroine is popular/likeable

The heroine has a jealous rival

Girl is being checked out and flirted with- romance

MLS is the establishing shot- reveals the setting and types of characters in the film

Background chatter noise- public place

The panning shot introduces the audience to the whole setting and the students and gives a sense of space

The slow moving shot down the aisle connotes how bored the students are and how little they care about the intellectual debate, providing humour which is essential for the genre

The zoom into Cher's face matches the build up to the climax of her arguement

The CU of Cher's face shows her emotions and empathises her attractiveness as one of her main features

The MCU of the teacher shows not only his confused expression but also his posture, making his emotions clear to the audience

Cutting between the CUs of Cher and her opponent  helps the audience understand their relationship and see their emotions

Guite slow paced editing is used to that the debate is coherent and understandable, as well as reflecting the boring nature of the lesson

Outside natural lighting is used, lighting up Cher's hair and drawing attention to her

Inside high key lighting is used to give the setting a bright cheery look

 

Culture Codes

The main girl is blonde- Stupid blonde stereotype
Yellow outfit- happiness, White shirt- innocence, purity
Dull colours in schoolroom- boredom
Abundance of teenage extras- high school setting
The heroine's voice-Rich, priveleged
Fluffy white bag- Feminine
Teacher's brown suit-boring
Desks and blackboard- Classroom setting
American flag on the wall- American school
Hair, outfit and gum are all yellow- vain, puts a lot of effort into her outfits
'Like right now'- teenagers, stupidity
Boy with long hair and skateboard- deliquent
Girl with plaster on her nose- nose job, vanity, self obsession
Girl wearing black hat and fur- the heroine's nemesis

DYM; Film Still

The film still I have chosen is Scarlet O'hara surrounded by suitors in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

Why I chose this film still;
1.  This picture raises a lot of questions about who the girl is and why so many men are crowding around her.
2. The framing of the shot is quite interesting, as the men around the girl are forming a frame within a frame.
3. The girls bright clothes and lively countenance juxtapose with the dark clothes and tranquil facial expressions of the men surrounding her.
4. The girl's relationships with the people around her are interesting, as they all seem to be interested in her, shown by their facial expressions and posture.

BLK: Homework Film Stills + Evaluation

My Group experimented with film stills from a wide range of different genres (as you can see above) from horrow to romance, and we used costumes, props, lighting, models and framing to fit each of our different chosen genres.

The Shot
This shot is a high angle MCU of a man being pushed against a brick wall by someone who has grabbed him by his shirt.

In this shot we were trying to recreate a scene which could take place in an action film, and we used the actors clothing (which was dark) to fit with conventions, especailly as the main actor is wearing a hoodie, which characters often wear in action films. The characters postures also fit the genre, as this sort of scene frequently takes place in action films, and the man's hands are shown to be clenched, connoting anger and strength, whilst the main actor is cornered and looks powerless. The location also conforms to conventions, as action films usually take place in various urban locations, and the brick wall could connote that the scene is taking place in an alleyway, or another similarly secluded and dangerous setting. The shot also potrays themes of voilence and fear through the actor's postitions, whish are common themes in action films. Also the main actor is a man, and looks like he could be an informant or a villian, both of which are archetypal characters of the genre,

What We Did

It was quite a sunny day, so we took the shot in an area of shade, which also hepled to form a slight shadow on the actors face. By holding the camera above the actors head we managed to created a HA shot.

What Was Successful

I think that the colours in this shot work well together and connote action and danger, and the actor looks scared but unfazed, which could present him as either a villainous character (also suggested by his dark clothes), but the high angle of the shot connotes that he is a victim. I think that the close up was successful as it shows the actors emotions clearly, helping the audience to connect and identify with the character. Also, I think that the shot raises questions about the character and the narrative, such as 'Who is he?'.

What I Would Do Differently

If I could repeat the shoot, I would perhaps replace the actors clothing with something that strongly signals what role the actor is playing in the film, and use low key lighting to make the shot darker and moodier to fit into genre conventions more, as we shot outside and it was quite sunny. I would also try to remove some of the empty space in the shot, particurlarly the area above the subject's head by using tighter framing.