Alice in wonderland -> Alien

The homework for this week was to turn the MES aspects of the growing/shrinking scene in AIW to be like Alien.

This was my attempt. I got pictures from the Internet from the set of Alien and stuck them down to be in a similar set to AIW.

I have included a small circle room, we can see the table in the middle of room and I took parts from ceilings to be different sized doors.

From doing this I realised that the mise-en-scene is so important to a film because even though I have kept the important aspects of this room, it doesn't look like AIW at all and looks like a completely different film!

What I picked up about cinematography in film clips

.................:
Dark shots, close ups, high angles of man hanging making him seem week and powerless, mid-shots, low angles of the doctor - shows point of view of him looking at them and makes her look strong and intelligent, character on the right hand side of the shot, 2 faces close together - face to face- closes the space and increases tension built up

Inglorious Bastards:
The bar man is in shot but not totally focused > we can see its set in a bar (normality) but that he isn't important
Close up of the gun > shows different stories
Pan > shows a new person getting involved
Shallow focus > audience focusing on these people
Over the shoulder shot > we are sided with one person but we see that there are people behind the nazi giving him power and back up
Close ups of faces make tension
Close up to a mid shot > weaker, accepting what is going to happen
Levels - male dominance and power - guns and male crutch area symbolising male power and is a phallic symbol
We have the conversation above the table and underneath we have the guns

Voyeurism - the idea of looking
Male gaze- satisfies the male

Cinematography Terminology

Cinematography - The use of camera shots, angles, movement, depth of focus, composition
Deep Focus - Depth of field is the measure that can be applied to the area in focus within the frame
Shallow Focus - Shallow focus is a function of a narrow depth of field + it implies that only one plane of the frame will remain sharp + clear
Racking focus - The change of focus of the lens to a subject in the background to the foreground
Zoom shot - Changes the focal length of the lens in the middle of the shot
Film Speed - Rate - Standard rate = 24 frames per sec

Angle of framing:
Low angle - Filming from below
High angle - Filming from above
Level of framing - refers to height at which camera is positioned in a given shot

Canted framing - Where the camera is not level but tilted
Following shot/reframing - Follows the character
POW Shot - Where the viewer would image a characters gaze to be
Wide Angle Lens - distort the edges of a frame to emphaize amount of space in shot

Extreme Long Shot - What being seen is tiny
Long Shot - What being seen is small
MLS - what being seen takes up almost entire height of screen
MCU - Large screen shot, takes up most of screen
CU - large, entire screen
ECU - very large, usually part of a face
Crane shot - mounting a camera on a type of crane device
Steadi Cam shot - used for motion tracking shot
Pan - Follows action
Tilt - camera moves up and down
Tracking shot - follows action through space in variety of direction

What we are going to be doing!

Analysis of film > reading > messages and meaning (subliminal)

Coursework (50%) - Synthesise (create)
1. Screenplay + photos - short 2 min - sequel/prequel
2. 1500 word analysis comparing 2 films (within 10 years) of my choice
3. Planning
4. Evaluation

Exam (50%)
Dystopia - V for Vendetta, Walle E, Children of Men
> Will study all 3 of these but only write about two

Mise-en-scene, visual elements (techniques), language, genre, character, narrative, themes

Setting = Location, Props, Set (decor)

Things I picked up on from watching certain clips of films:

Metropolis:
- theme = control
- corrupt/busy
- technology taking over
- dehumanised (workers)
- mechanical
- workers are brainwashed
- seem mental
- there's no women workers
- it may show our future but with a reflection of our past
- the buildings are very close together  but the roads are on different levels and have distance between
- workers walk really close together
- black and white
- the humans are like robots
- the workers are unified and synchronised

Blade runner:
- America = multicultural > everything is Japanese
- dystopian thriller
- everything is squashed and in a tightly packed area
- rain
- light saber
- run down area
- main character is an outsider
- busy and congested
- future : corrupt and busy
- media comes over religion
- costume= long cloaks
- smoky area
- supernatural
- nature
- dirty and poor
- advanced in technology
- scifi

Alice in wonderland:
- trapped
- she is very naive
- doors represent options in her life but she only has the key for one door
- growing and shrinking represents changes within herself
- circle room = never ending > will she get out?
- key only unlocks one door > she has one choice
- costume, hair and make up show her innocence and the era
- world has been turned upside down for her (she is on the ceiling upside down at beginning)
- bright, unnatural lighting

Terminator 2:
- robots
- props: skulls
- 90s costume
- everything is burnt out
- set in the future
- lasers show war
- destruction

Terminator:
- Red smoke=evil
- Shock
- Man= hurt,warn down, weakness - this is shown by him sinking to the floor
- Fire = destruction
- Terminator is very strong
- Hope - when the characters meet
- Terminator rises from the ground representing hell
- Cold, metal environment
- Red eyes = devil, evil
- Robot dominates human - he walks through the fire
- Woman takes over - shown as masculine

Overview

Unit F631: film text and context
50% AS, 25%A2
Section A: contemporary English language film - 40 marks
Section B: cinema in context - 2 x 30 marks
Total: 100 marks              2 hour exam

Unit F632: foundation portfolio
50% AS, 25% A2
Students produce a portfolio consisting of:
*a textual analysis of 2 contemporary English language film texts - this should not include more than one film produced in Hollywood - 40 marks
*evidence of planning for a creative artefact, which should be related to the textual analysis - 10 marks
*a creative artefact - 30 marks
* an evaluation of work produced - 20 marks
Total: 100 marks