Research and Planning

Jaws Analysis

Camera Shot, Movement and Angle

There are very limited shots in the opening sequence to jaws, only two are really featured, its starts off a dark screen with only credits appearing then a long point-of-view shot which is set under water travelling through the sea weed and coral is shown, this shot creates mystery because the shot is in the point of view of someone or something else, it leaves the audience in suspense as to what that thing could be giving the sequence a dark atmosphere, indicating clearly the genre of the film.  The next camera movement is a slow track along a beach, crowded with young adults playing harmonicas, smoking, kissing and just generally talking, easing off the suspense of the previous shot. The slow track allows the audience to focus on the things the teenagers are doing taking our mind off the dark atmosphere created beforehand although there still is a feeling that something could go wrong at any moment, a convention associated with the thriller genre. 

Sound 

There is a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in this sequence. To begin with there is only non-diegetic sound in the form of an erratic, jumpy piece of music, starting off slowly and speeding up, this makes the audience tense, because the way the music begins slow and starts to speed up coming to a climatic end with a bang creating the feeling of a pursuit, like one between predator and prey.  Later on in the sequence after the jumpy pursuit like music, there is just diegetic sound of things such as harmonicas, the crackling of fire and general chatter,  seeming too normal after the dramatic music before leaves the audience anxious. 

Editing

Locations

Half of the sequence is set in murky waters in the sea it’s possibly dark because it is set at night, the other half is set at night/ early hours of the morning, on a secluded beach. The clothes worn suggest that the film is set 20 to 30 years ago because the fashion was very different its easy to tell when it is set.

Narrative/Plot

The title ‘Jaws’ mixed with the opening scene underwater could suggest that the film is about a dangerous creature that lives in the water, possibly a shark or a strange monster that could possibly terrorise the set of teenagers that we see on the beach. 

Genre

Conventions such as the tension building music could suggest that the film could be in the thriller genre and again the title leaves you wondering what “jaws” could be.

The sequence starts off black with only credits rolling on the screen, then there is a sharp cut to the point-of- view shot not much editing feature during that only the names of the actors and director appearing on the screen then another sharp cut on the bang of the music switching to the beach scene with all the teenagers, one could assume the director has done this so that you can focus more on the things that are going on rather than getting confused by fact cutting or switching back and forward between shots. 

Mise-en-Scene

The scene generally is quite dark which gives the audience the feeling of something lurking the shadows, also the sequence in part is set in the evening/early hours of the morning with only the light of the fire illuminating the faces of the teenagers, but also this casts eerie shadows around on the faces of the teenagers and on the ground making the scene very dark even though the teenagers seem to be enjoying themselves.

Analysis of Dark Knight  

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement

Dark Knight opens with an establishing shot this gives the audience a view of where the film is going to be set. The film then goes into a forward panning shot, this pin points a certain part of the establishing shot allowing the audience to delve deeper into that specific part. The director’s intention was probably to make the audience feel like they were literally going deeper making it seem like they are in the film themselves.

There where a few shots of the characters from the back one could suggest the director show to film it this way to build suspense, not being able to see the faces of the characters makes it very sinister.

A couple of high shots are used in the opening; it allows the audience to see what the characters see. They are on top of a building looking down this also gives a sense of danger it builds tension.

This is a high angle shot, showing the thieves zip lining across a bridge in Chicago the director might have filmed it this way to show the audience the way the characters are truly risking their lives just for money. 

Sound

The most of sound in this opening is non- diegetic. The music is very fast and jumpy this builds suspense and tension causing the audience to be on the edge of seats curious to find out what will happen next. The diegetic sound of the gun shots and people screaming also shows conventions of a Thriller film this automatically grabs the audience’s attention is eager to find out more about the masked thieves so they continue to watch on.

Editing

The shots in the opening are medium length one could assume the directors intentions while doing this was to it give the audience time get familiar with the setting. When the masked thieves begin the robbery its self the shots get a little faster giving the audience an over view of the happenings in the different areas of the bank. The shots get shorter and the music gets faster which builds apprehension the audience is left feeling puzzled on how exactly the robbery will end up.

Mise en Scene

The tall building and sky crappers show the film is set in a city. The street signs and traffic lights show the film is definitely set somewhere in America.

Characters

The main characters are the masked thieved its clear that they are all men, just from watching the opening for 2.30 minutes it is obvious they have no loyalty to each other, their greed for the money causes them to go as far as killing each other. Their hidden identity sparks up a lot of curiosity. Who are the thieves? Why are they here? Why are they stealing? Why are they killing one another and innocent people? These are all questions that pop into the audience’s heads so they are eager to watch on and find out. 

Locations

The location of the opening is at a two places, one being the top of a sky scrapper and the other at the bank. The characters are talking about money so it’s clear that they are going to steal from the bank. The bank robbery could be seen as very cliché but not really a generic occurrence in a thriller film.

Narrative/Plot

The opening gives away a few clues; it seems as if the thieves don’t actually know the identities of each other which is very odd. Two thieves talk about the joker not knowing he was sitting right in the back seat this builds interest around this joker character, why is he so popular? This could suggest he will be a main character in the film. The title of the film is “Dark Knight” this title suggests evil to me, a knight is usually someone who is honorable and fights but just by putting the word dark in front of it completely changes views on what exactly the film could be about.

Themes

Themes of murder, deceit and disloyalty are definitely in this film. The themes of murder and disloyalty come from the way the thieves kill each other even though they are all supposed to be working together to get what they want the thieves that are still alive are very self centered. The theme of deceit comes from the other characters knowing of the joker but not knowing he is sitting right under their noses. Why doesn’t he want to be known? 

Genre

The genre of this film is quite ambiguous, the many elements throughout the opening such as the camera shots and sound makes it a mixed genre. I see conventions of action movies from the bank robbery and the way the thieves zip line across the city but the music and the masked characters are conventions of thriller movies. So in conclusion the film has a mixed genre of thriller and action.

Se7en Analysis 

As soon as the opening scene begins I have a feeling it might be a psychological thriller and the whole opening was filmed at a high camera level. Most generic thriller films are usually based around crime, for example a serial killer on the loose I noticed conventions that would usually be associated with thriller such as the non-diegetic sound in the background

Sound

There is not any diegetic sound at all featured in this sequence, only non-diegetic sound in the form of  a catchy but mismatched theme song, setting a dark, suspenseful atmosphere, bringing us back to the genre of thriller.

Camera shot, Movement and angle

The opening of Se7en consists mainly of close-ups or extreme close-ups of bandaged, callused hands preforming different activities like making things, turning of pages and writing could suggest that the person in the opening is very intellectual also the director could have intended for the audience to feel confused and disorientated because they can not see the whole picture.

From the strange behaviour of the person in the opening one could infer that this person could be antagonist of the film, like using a blade to peel off skin, this sort of gives us an idea that this film could be in the thriller genre. Most of these shots are shot from an aerial point of view but they do vary, some from a high angle and some from a low one which creates a eerie feel also adding to the feel of a thriller. 

There are very few movements of the camera, for the majority the camera is in a stationary position focusing on a fixed point or action its more the images on the screen distorting that gives the sequence its movement, but there is flashes of a track, towards the end of the sequence, of a bookshelf full of folders and files, the picture flickering and distorting.

 Editing 

In this sequence the person seems to be making or documenting something, but it is not edited chronologically, adding to the mystery of the scene. there is a mixture of slow and fast cutting, giving the scene an erratic and unstable feel to it making the viewer on edge. also for the titles it cuts back to a black screen with the titles on it, flickering occasionally like the picture does creating an empty atmosphere, giving the sequence an eerie feel. 

Mise-en-scene

The scene is very dully lit and located in a flat or a loft of some sort, featuring only one character which is assumed to be the murderer or deranged killer. The tasks this man is preforming, sticking down pictures of people (dead and alive) seem to suggest that there may be a string of murders also the crossing out of different words such as “transexual” could show the killers victims or who he aims to kill.

Themes 

I think the themes that with be running through this film are anger, death, insanity, jealousy and depression. The visual style of the movie is quite dark like the camera lenses were slightly dusty, I think this adds to the scary look of the film. I also noticed everything shown in the opening looked quite gritty very grumpy and unwelcoming.

Analysis of Panic Room

The opening to a film is an important part of  any film, it needs to give the audience a clear idea of the genre of the film i.e horror, thriller, sci-fi etc., in a short space of time, they do this by using generic conventions within those genres.

Camera Shot, Movement and Angle 

The opening of Panic Room consists of long shots of tall buildings, these shots could also be described as establishing shots as they are showing us where the film is going to be set there are also a lot of wide shots.                                                                                            

This is the first shot of the opening, it is an

 establishing shot of the landscape of new York City. Immediately the audience knows where the film is going to be set.

The high shots of busy New York could be a clue to the type of film it could be. The film could be based around  people living a busy city lifestyle or even a poor homeless person. the high shots could suggests the film could be from the point of view of someone in an elevated position looking down.

Pan shots are used to show the dominance and power of the many tall buildings and skyscrapers that make up the city. the pans are deliberately slow, which suggests the directors intention is to convey the audience a sense of being watched, this gives a dark twist to the images of buildings in New York City. 

Sound

There is some diegetic sound in this sequence but only towards the end when the camera pans to reveal the characters walking down a busy street, but before then there is mainly non-diegetic sound in the form of music, it is a dark orchestral piece that creates tension and suspense.

Editing 

 The editing is quite slow, focusing more on slow pans and camera movement to make the audience feel tense, another convention associated with the thriller genre, also the shots are slow to gain a better understanding of the setting. 

Mise-en-Scene

Behind the text there are long and establishing shots of, what one would assume was New York City. There is not a lot of mise-en-scene in this sequence as it only seems to be shots of the city and everyday life.

Characters

The only reference to the characters are the the names that appear to belong on the buildings displaying their names and the few seconds of the characters at the beginning. There is not much information on wether these characters will become crucial to the plot of the story, or wether they are protagonists or antagonists. The brief dialogue at the end of the sequence hears them talking a little, one can tell from the way they speak and what they speak of ( a big house) that they are possibly upper class. 

Locations

The sequence is set outdoors during the day. One can tell that it is set in the modern day, by looking at the skyscrapers and office buildings present suggesting that the city is very developed. 

Narrative/ Plot 

There is not much given away about the plot in the opening sequence but one could guess, from the title ‘Panic room’ that i could possibly be set in an enclosed space, and the word ‘Panic’ could suggest a small uncomfortable place to be. If this is the case then there is an element of irony because the first few minutes of the film is set in wide open space, in the big streets of New York. 

Genre

There is no real indication of what the genre of the film is from these couple of minutes of opening sequence, but again, the title gives one a slight indication of the genre ‘Panic Room’ one would normally associate with thriller because of the word ‘Panic’




Children Of Men Analysis  

REPRESENTATION

• WHERE is being represented 

• How is it being represented? 

The popular city London in the future

Is it a positive or negative representation?

London is being negatively represented the world is going to end because no woman can get pregnant and have children.

• How is this created?

The camera is very cloudy, dingy there are a lot of people with dismal faces and loads of women in tears

• WHO is being represented?

• Eg. Do we have a “hero”?  

There could be a hero but he does not have the generic hero characteristics. 

• How do we know he is the hero?  
• The camera follow him, we are seeing the movie from his point of view.

• Does he fit all of our established ideas of what a hero in a film should be?
• The potential hero does not fit the hero mould at all. 

• If yes, what are these: if no, what is there in the text which makes him unsatisfactory as a hero?

He is presented as very grubby and unshaven. He was even pouring alcohol into his coffee this suggests he is an uneasy person and not really a person you’d think could save the day.  

• How are women represented?

Woman are represented as very weak, they seem so frail and melancholy. Most women are in tears because they have been made redundant in the sense that they cannot fulfil their purpose which is to bear children.

• How is the future represented?
  The future is not bright human kind is dying out.

• Can you notice any other social groups or places which are represented? 

I noticed refugees in the opening, there was also a foreign woman talking and she was being completely ignored. This suggests a lack of respect for women and different social groups.

MEDIA LANGUAGE:  

Made up of lighting, camera work, editing, sound, mise-en-scene 

• Lighting: 
• What is the lighting like? 

The lightening is very dull this is to represent the dark events going on.

• What is the effect of this on the text?  

Foreshadows the upcoming events of the world might be ending. 

• What is the effect of this on the audience?

The audience senses what type of film it is and where it might lead to.

• Camera Work: 
• What do you notice about the camera work? 

  The opening scene consisted of tracking shots, follow      the potential hero. there are also a few establishing shots  setting the scene of where the film will be set.

              

     Tracking  ----------> 

  

Does it conform to your expectations of a major feature (fictional) film?  

• The opening is very well directed it is exactly what one would expect from a major feature film.
  
  
  
  • Is there anything you think is done differently?
  • More speech in the opening would have been better, it would have set the seen more and allow the audience to understand the potential hero and what kind of person he is.
    
  • Why have the camera shots been chosen?
  The camera shots are very well chosen, it gives the audience just enough information to keep them interested and keeping them watching. The establishing shots give an over view of the film and the way the expressions of the people is captured makes the audience eager to keep watching. The high shot of the television screen fixes the audiences attention on it and makes it stand out.
  • Editing: 
  • What kind of editing can you recognise?  
  • What does this do to the text?  
  • Does it change the pace at all through the clip?
  • Sound: 
  • What do you notice in particular about the way sound has been constructed in this clip?
  • The sounds in the text set the scene, you can hear the gentle diegetic sound of the screeching buses and rustling sound of jackets as people move past each other. Then nearing to the end of the opening there are harsh diegetic sounds of explosions and the sound of people running in horror. It is a very exciting opening.
      
  • Why do you think these choices have been made by the directors?
  • One could suggest the director chose to include these sounds because they add interest. The sound begins gentle but ends harsh and loud which captures the interest of the audience and keeps them    guessing.
  
  

• Mise-en-scene (everything you see in the scene): 


• How have the locations been created?  
• The surrounds resemble that of a fast pace city, there are vehicles racing down the streets and it is quite noisy. The are billboards and big buildings that makes it obvious it is a city. The streets are filled with people.
• What in them suggests time / location / situation to the audience?
• Its a city because it has busy streets and loud vehicles clogging up the streets. The billboard represent advanced technology which links to the future.

GENRE:  

• What type of film do you think this is, from the clip you’ve been shown?
• You may well think it falls under a number of types (genres)
• It seems as if it will be an action movie, one with a psychological sub-genre. One could suggest the film will take the potential hero on a journey to “save the day” and through that overcome his own psychologic issues.

• What is there in this text which you could use to support each of these assumptions of genre?
• ie. How are these genres created / communicated in this clip?
• The explosions symbolise death and disaster which gives one the presumption that their will be someone to bring peace; which might be the potential hero. Films with hero characters are usually action movies. 

NARRATIVE:

• What do you notice about the narrative structure of this clip? 

• What does it do which fulfils your expectations of what the opening of a film “should” be like / include in terms of narrative.

One could suggest this is a one of the best movie openings. The narrative side of the 

• Does it do anything different in terms of narrative structure?

The speech in the opening scene is not spoken by any of the characters, it is spoken by a news broadcaster. There are screams but not any conversations. 

AUDIENCE:

• Which audiences do you think are being targeted to watch this film?

• You might want to segment these audiences by:

• Age 
• This film would appeal to young and old
• Gender 
• Aimed at men
• Lifestyle / lifestage 
• This film is directed to people with a reasonabke amount of knowledge and understand.
• Financial situation 
• I think the audience would be middle and working class 
• From this clip, what is there to attract these different audiences?
• This film would appeal to majority of people seeing as the main focus of the film is the world ending and this theme would affect everyone. It seems as if it may be an action based film so it will appeal to men over women. The film may be dealing with real issues that need a mind of a reasonable amount of knowledge and understanding.

VALUES AND IDEOLOGIES:  

• What kind of messages does this text seem to be giving to its audiences?

• Eg. Do you think the film makers are trying to give the audiences messages about current issues?
• If so, which, and what is their message?

The directors might be trying to put ideas of the world ending into the audience heads making them think about the world we live in.

• How do you know this from this clip?

The news broadcaster gives the audience news on the tragedy that has occurred and the explosion at the end of the opening give the impression there will be more death and destruction. 

INSTITUTION:    

• This film was made by Universal Pictures.

• How might this affect the film content?

Seeing as it is a Universal Picture it will be a film of high quality.

• How might this affect audience appeal?

The audience would appeal to a huge range of people because “Universal Pictures” is very popular and they are known for big successful films so more people would be drawn to a film made for them.

Children of Men (2006) Film Posters

• What do these posters suggest about:

• Audience(s) for the film?
• The posters give the impression that the film is aimed at late teenagers and adults. It seems as if it will be a psychological action movie that will that the audience thinking.
• Genre(s) of the film?
• This movie is a psychological action movie.
• Possible narrative structure?
• Messages that the film may contain?
• The film may contain messages about how life is short and precious give the impression that life may be soon ending.
• How different social groups may be represented in the film?
• The whole of human life is represented, babies represent new life they are one of the social groups, women are another as they are the ones who bring new life into the world.

Questionnaire 

Circle your answer:

1.Age?

13 or younger

13-15

16-18

19-21

22-24

25+

2. Gender?

Male

Female

3.How often do you go to the cinema?

Never

Once a week

Every two weeks

One a month

Other

4.Is dialogue important in the first two minutes of the film ?

Yes

No

Don’t mind 

5.What do you expect the opening pace of a new film to be like  ?

Fast Paced

Slow Paced 

A mixture of fast and slow

I don’t mind 

6.Where do you prefer an opening to be set?

Indoors 

Outdoors 

Mix of the two 

Other 

7. What editing do you prefer in the opening of a film?

Fast paced

Slow

8. How much of the plot would you expect to see in the opening?

All of the plot

Half of the plot

None at all

9.how important is music in a film opening? 

Very important

Important

Not bothered 

Don’t mind 

10. How much information would you expect to see in the opening of a film?

Title, Company 

Title, Company, Actors starring

Title, Company, Actors starring, Director

Title, Company, Actors starring, Director, Producer