Editing - Kuleshov Effect

Kuleshov experimented with different pieces of footage which he cut up to see how it would achieve a different reaction from the audience depending on how the footage was edited and the sequence it was put in. It was used to see how the audience would react to the reaction of the male in the film that was shown to them and if the audience believed that the males expression had changed each time he was shown something different, when in a matter of fact, the same footage of the males expression was shown each time. This shows how powerful this technique is to influence the minds of the audience.
Political film makers used this technique for Propaganda purposes, to give a powerful influence on the public so it puts them at a higher advantage in the general election.





This can be an important aspect to be included in our Thriller Opening as we know how to use a cut away properly to cause an effect on the audience.

Representation of Disability

In film and television, you see many different types of characters that suffer from a disability and they can play a range of different roles, however only 2.5% of people that we see on our televisions are disabled. Disability is one of the least shown issues regarding television diversity next to things such as the role of women and age differences. In contrast, all three categories are still very under-represented. There is many differences when it comes to representing disability. For example, during the great war, newsreels were recorded of the rehabilitation of visually impaired and physically disabled servicemen on the front line that have been presented on the big screen.

 However, on the opposite hand, cinema's and film makers have failed to engage with genuine and experiences of individuals with such disabilities. Nevertheless, disability has provided us with the knowledge to positively develop our language and social attitudes towards disability. Many film and television programmes present disability in various different ways, under several stereotypes. They represent disabled individuals as pathetic or pitiable, sinister or evil, a burden, the super cripple, an object of curiosity or violence, an atmosphere, non-sexual, laughable, his or hers own worst enemy and unable to participate in daily life. These stereotypes come from a study, Paul Hunt conducted in 1991. The first disabled character was portrayed by a disabled actor on British television for the first time in 1992, in a BBC Soap. Amputee Donald Gray gained his successful acting career in the 1950's. In the 21st century, TV drama has made room for bold portraits of disabilities as diverse as motor neuron disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and multiple personality conditions. But with most parts still played by able-bodied actors, disabled actors and film-makers continue to fight to tell their own stories.

 Unlimited features work made for and by people with disabilities to ensure that diversity is maintained throughout the film and television industry. For example, young actor Grace plays Janet Mitchell in EastEnders as Billy and Honey Mitchell daughter and she has down's syndrome. Janet's character is represented and causes different emotions between her parents. Honey cannot come to terms with her condition and finds it very difficult to cope with her down's syndrome making her as a stereotypical 'burden' to her mother. However, Billy loves his daughter and wants to care for her and is also very protective over her due to her condition. This destroys the stereotype of an individual suffering with a disability.

     - Janet Mitchell

Textual Analysis of 'Se7en'

This is my textual analysis of the opening to 'Se7en'.
I initially wanted to use a Prezi presentation to document my ideas but due to having issues using the Prezi software, I had to use PowerPoint again to note down my ideas.

Barthes' Narrative Codes

Roland Barthes' Narrative Codes

 

Action Codes
The audience recognises action codes within media texts as it is used to predict what will happen next after following a logical step. It also advances the narrative (story). For example, when a character packs a suitcase, the logical step after this would be to leave or go somewhere else. In our preliminary task, the protagonist walked up to the door and using action code, the next typical action was him walking out of the door.

Mystery Code/Enigma Code
This code is used to explain the narrative of a film by having control over what information and how much information is exposed to the audience. It grabs the audience's attention by setting up conflicts between characters, but it is then restored during the course of the narrative. In our preliminary task, if you carry on watching, you would find out what the documents meant and what mistake the antagonist made.

The Semic Code
This code is all about signs and meanings in a text that explains to us about the narratives and the characters. In our preliminary task, we unfortunately didn't use the effects of the semic code.

The Cultural Code
This code is used in order for the narrative to make sense to a culturally and socially aware audience. It makes reference to aspects from reality that the audience can relate to. It helps you understand the background of a character. In our preliminary task, the setting was based in an office/meeting room environment and made to look like a formal matter so it gives the indication that the characters could be middle class.

Codes of Oppositions
This code refers to a narrative that relies on binary opposites. For example, black v white, hot v cold, war v peace. In our preliminary, we have shown the opposites of male v female and to change the stereotypical representation of gender, the antagonist was female and she over powered the protagonist which was male.

Conventions of a Thriller Movie

Conventions of a Thriller Film

A thriller film consists, typically, of conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist characters when the stability of the film is disrupted. The story's climax progresses through a sequence of events and when the story is resolved, the balance is restored. The direct focus of the protagonist is to create peace and to settle the situation but the focus of the antagonist is to disrupt and destroy the protagonists intentions. 

-Lighting

-Camera angles/shots

-Non-diegetic music to create tension

-Black and white shots

These are just a few of the conventions that are used in mind when making a thriller film.

Thriller film makers are very good at creating a storyline to their film to something that could happen in a real life situation, to make the audience feel like it could potentially happen to them, which makes them scared but always draws their attention.

In regard to the characters within a thriller, there is stereotypically a male playing the role of the protagonist, who is very brave and desperate to restore justice. The antagonist's identity is very often kept anonymous until towards the end of the film. This draws the audience in and makes them want to watch more to see what happens. The story behind the antagonist is that they are out to seek revenge on events that have happened in the past.

Having the right music is essential when creating a thriller. It is used so the audience can understand the mood of a scene, it can build up the climax and also add in tension and suspense. 

The camera shots in a thriller are very expected and stereotypical. They famously use a large number of close up and extreme close up shots to show the emotions of both the protagonist and the antagonist. Close up shots can also encourage the narrative of the story. However, shots of the antagonist will be short, over the shoulder, or just the shadow. This is to protect their identity and cause a sense of mystery. 

Mise-en-scene is very important and it sets the whole film up. It depends on having the correct type of location to help the audience establish the genre, it uses low lighting to cause effect and the make-up and hair styles are good for representing the characters. Thrillers are famous for using black and white or grainy effects for their movies and they also use costumes to distinguish between the protagonist and the antagonist characters.

Taken is a very popular thriller movie, as well as things such as Batman.

     
           

Preliminary Task Evaluation

This is my Preliminary Task Evaluation.

Our Preliminary Task Video

This is our final cut of our Preliminary Task after it went through post-production, it is available to watch on YouTube.