Research into Cinematography - Mrs Miller

Cinematography


In this essay I will be analysing different camera angles and shots used by directors to create tension, suspense, shock and surprise. This is called cinematography, cinematography is the art or science of motion picture photography. It is the technique of movie photography, including both the shooting and development of the film. I chose a clip from ‘Saw V’ because this clip has a lot of different shots and camera angles which show different emotions and creates lots of suspense and tension. 

The director first uses a point of view shot from the blond girls perspective, this shot is also a panorama. This is effective as it shows what the girl can see and allows the audience to feel what she is feeling. 

The director uses this shot effectively to create tension, shock and surprise. He uses the camera at the eye level of this man which allows the audience to look into his eyes and feel his emotion. This creates a relationship between the audience and the character as they can see the emotion on his face. This also creates tension as the audience as the camera is in his face we can see intimidation which the director did on purpose to set the vibe of the scene and create tension. We can also see that the character is shocked and surprised to as why he is chained up under a blade, we can see this as the expression on his face does so. This is conventional to a thriller film as we can see clear detail of what he is feeling  and what position he is in.

The director then uses an eye level shot on the unstable man who is unsure of his situation. We can see that the man is shocked and surprised to what is going on around him, this makes the audience sympathise with his situation. This shot also creates tension as you are looking into the characters eyes which show intimidation.

The director uses this shot effectively to create tension, shock and surprise. He uses the camera at the eye level of this man which allows the audience to look into his eyes and feel his emotion. This creates a relationship between the audience and the character as they can see the emotion on his face. This also creates tension as the audience as the camera is in his face we can see intimidation which the director did on purpose to set the vibe of the scene and create tension. We can also see that the character is shocked and surprised to as why he is chained up under a blade, we can see this as the expression on his face does so. This is conventional to a thriller film as we can see clear detail of what he is feeling  and what position he is in.

The director then uses a high angle shot to show the inferiority of the character’s, we can see the whole of the character’s body’s which means we can see how they are standing.

The director uses the cctv camera as a high angled shot to create a theme of which the characters are inferior to the person watching them. This is very effective as not only do we get a high angled shot we also get the point of view of saw. This shows that saw is looking down over them which implies he has loads of power of them and can do what he likes. This creates a relationship between the audience and jig saw as they can see what he can see and can see his superiority. Although it may be a negative relationship as people might frown at the fact he is looking down over them. This is conventional to a thriller film as many thriller use a high angle to show the inferiority of the character’s and how unstable they are.

The final camera angle the director uses a shallow focus shot which shows the importance of a certain object. This creates tension in the scene as the key is the most important thing and is difficult to retrieve. This makes the audience sympathise with their situation and feel empathy for them.

The director pans down to the box uses a crane shot, which allows the audience to conclude on the importance of the object in front of them. This shot is so effective at creating tension In the scene, this is because we can see that the keys are inside a glass box and are far away from the people, this creates tension as the audience don’t know whether the characters will retrieve the keys and therefore either die or survive. This shot is used to create a relationship between the character’s and the audience, this is because the audience can empathise with their situation and therefore like the character’s more. This is conventional to a thriller film as it is very effective at creating tension which most thriller films try and do.

Editing Styles - Mrs Georgiou

I am going to be analysing editing styles from the film Non Stop.

The first editing style that I have chosen to use is ‘slow editing’, this is when the scene playing is slow and calm. Slow editing was used when the camera was Panning the scene when Liam Neeso is trying to spot someone on their phone. by using this editing style then it makes you feel as though the man could be anywhere on the plane and its impossible to find him. Slow editing is conventional to a thriller film because it creates suspense. It also creates a relationship with the audience because if you are watching it you know that something bad can happen, and it keeps the audience on edge waiting for something to happen.

The second editing style is jump cut; this is when the camera focuses on a certain object/prop. Jump cut was used to focus on the gun when he puts it to the mans body. By doing this you know that the gun is the main source of danger. Jump cuts are conventional to a thriller film, because in thriller films there are a lot of weapons and dangerous objects used to harm people and by using a jump cut it helps the audience by telling them that the certain weapon will be used to hurt someone. 

The third editing style is shot reverse shot. this is when one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. This was used when Liam Neeson was asking the man who payed him the money and then as the man answered the shot then reversed to him. this can relate to the audience because you can get a feeling of what the actors are seeing in the eyes. Shot reverse shot is conventional to a thriller film because there are always aggressive encounters and by using this editing style you can get a feeling for there emotions and what positions they are in.

Research into age certificates and the BBFC - Mrs Georgiou

BBFC

The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.

The British Board of Film Censors was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationally. Statutory powers on film remain with the local councils, which may overrule any of the BBFC’s decisions, passing films we reject, banning films we have passed, and even waiving cuts, instituting new ones, or altering categories for films exhibited under their own licensing jurisdiction.

U films


The U symbol stands for Universal. A U film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. However, it is impossible to predict what might upset a particular child, especially at this lower end of the category range.

PG Films

PG stands for Parental Guidance. This means a film is suitable for general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for younger children. A PG film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. Parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children.



12a and 12 films

12A means that anyone aged 12 or over can go and see the film unaccompanied. The A stands for 'accompanied' and 'advisory'. Children younger than 12 may see the film if they are accompanied by an adult (eg someone over the age of 18), who must watch the film with them.



The 12 certificate is just for videos, DVDs and Blu-rays. 12A is for films at the cinema onl

15 films

No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 film at the cinema or buy/rent a ‘15’ rated DVD.  15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age.


18 films

Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy/rent an 18 rated DVD. No 18 rated works are suitable for children.



R18 films

The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ videos may not be supplied by mail order.

Research into mise-en-scene- Miss Georgiou

James Edwards - Scream 2

Mise en Scene

The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French term that means “placing on stage.” The frame and camerawork also constitute the mise-en-scène of a movie.

I am analysing a clip from the film Scream 2, the clip begins with a women at her home and the phone begins to ring. The first thing that happens is the close up camera angle on her, this is so the viewers can relate to the actors emotions and how they are feeling. The actor seems as though she’s nervous and worried about answering because she thinks it will be the scream killer on the phone.

The costume that was evident within my chosen film sequence was a long black cape and a ghost mask. This was used throughout the sequence, as the unknown killer had murdered a number of innocent people.  This is because it helps to hide the identify of the killer. Black has the connotations of death and mystery and this is conventional for this to be used within a thriller film and this is because it helps to hide the identity of the killer. Hidden identify is a thriller convention because  many of the killers are unknown and especially in the film scream it makes it more scary.

A prop that was evident within my chosen film sequence was a knife. This was used throughout the sequence, as this was the weapon that the killer used to murder his innocent targets. A knife is used because it is a very gruesome way to die and the killer wants you to suffer and not die peacefully. This is conventional to a thriller film and this is because it relates to death and pain. 

The clip is set a night which is related to a thriller because when you think of a murder or danger it is always more scary and edgy when it is at night. There are also lots of small backlights that are on this is to show shadows and make it feel a bit more spooky. There are rarely many bright lights in the short clip because when it is bright it feels more calm so when its darker you are more on the edge of your seat.