Index So Far: Film and TV Language :)

My Film and TV Language Index So Far

1) Film poster analysis

2) Mise-en-scene analysis blog tasks

3) Lighting analysis blog tasks

4) Sound analysis blog tasks

Sound Analysis: Blog Tasks :)

 Sound Analysis: Blog Task

This scene from 'Station 19' has always fascinated me because a captain that they all loved and respected sacrificed his own life to save the rest of the team. The song that is being played in the background as he is trying to break through the roof repeats the lines "Time's running out" and "You can keep running" which strongly suggests that it is inevitable that he is going to die because he is sacrificing himself for the rest of his team. However, once he falls through the roof, the music stops which successfully replicates the way his life stopped and it tells the audience that he has died. There is no music playing as the men discuss this death but a new song starts playing once the team he saved safely exit the burning building- which is a much slower and melancholy song to represent the mourning of the firefighters that lost their captain. There is repetition of the word "Love" throughout the second song which emphasises the love they all had for this captain which only accentuates the feelings of grief for the firefighters. The only non-diegetic sound we get from this scene is the music in the background but all the rest of the sound is diegetic: for example, the alarm sounds that were coming from the firefighters or the talking coming from the walkie-talkies between the firefighters. It could be said that there is contrapuntal sound in this scene because we wouldn't likely expect the song that was playing first to have many lyrics, we may expect a more slow and instrumental song to play to allow us to pay full attention to the scene instead of the lyrics of the music. The song plays as the scenes transition through all the different characters during the time of the scene: it plays while a doctor is helping a patient and while the captain was trying to break through the roof and while the firefighters were trapped inside the burning building to show that his actions were affecting everybody and everybody cared about him. There are no voice overs used in this scene and that is likely due to everyone being immersed in the captain's actions and nobody wanting to draw the attention away from the tragedy and loss they are experiencing. There isn't much dialogue in this scene but there still is a little bit- most of the communication in this scene is through facial expressions which reduces the need for dialogue (which may draw attention away from the tragedy). Even though there is only a small amount of dialogue in this scene, all of the dialogue is based around the captain's decision to sacrifice his life for the rest of the team which successfully emphasises the high significance of this moment and how their lives will revolve around him and his death for a while. Some of the sound effects in this scene could include the sound of the axe going through the roof or the fire truck sirens in the background. 

Lighting Blog Tasks :)

 Still Image Analysis

1) In this image, I am able to identify that there is a use of low-key lighting due to the key light and back light being used in order to create a shadow for dramatic effect. This can be recognised due to the chairoscuro at the bottom and top left of the image. The bottom portion of the image is completely dark while the top has some light to illuminate her facial features. 

2) The still image clearly uses top lighting as we are able to see the source of light is coming from directly above the subject. 

3) The use of low-key lighting in this photo creates a theme of darkness over a majority of the image which causes the audience to wonder what else could be hiding in the darkness- it gives the impression that this movie is likely to be a horror movie. The top lighting used in this photo accentuates her features which could indicate her significance in this movie compared to the darkness around her. Also, the contrast between lightness and darkness in the photo could represent the contrast between good and evil- which could be a theme in this movie. 

1) In this still image, it seems as though there is mainly the use of high-key lighting as there are hardly any noticeable shadows- this is likely due to the use of filler lights that remove the shadows that the key light and back light have created and create a more realistic look for the subject. Even though there are small shadows around his eyes and surrounding his face, I don't believe they are significant enough to say that low-key lighting is being used. 

2) This image very clearly uses back lighting as there are shadows on the man's face- there also seems to be a sky behind him which could indicate that the sun is coming up from behind him and this emphasises the fact that back lighting is mainly used in this image. 

3) The use of back lighting in this image creates shadows around the main subject's eyes which may be symbolic to represent that this man sees things for the worst or has a negative/dark outlook on life. The fact that we aren't able to see his eyes very well reinforces the mystery about this man, we are unable to see how he is feeling. The crown he is wearing is highlighted by the back-lighting and it can convey the fact that he holds a lot of power but due to his pessimistic views on life, we can make the assumption that him being in power will not end well. 

1) This image has evidently used low-key lighting to portray the contrast between light and dark- due to the lack of filler lights, a more dramatic and dark tone is adopted which leaves the audience frightened. 

2) The still image has used top lighting which can be determined through the light shining on the top of his head and no light coming from the other directions. 

3) The use of low-key lighting allows us to infer that this may be a neo-noir movie due to the dark colour scheme and little light being used. The angle of the camera is also significant as it suggests this character has a sense of power and dominance and is ready to take on whatever comes at him. The deliberate use of having a shadow over only half of his face acts as a symbol that he maybe conflicted throughout this movie and make tough choices that leaves him in two minds. 

1) This still image uses high-key lighting due to the brightness on a majority of the image. However, the shadow behind the woman leads me to believe there are aspects of low-key lighting incorporated into the image due to the chiaroscuro between the shadows and light which has definitely been done intentionally. 

2) This image uses top lighting which is clearly displayed through the fact that the only shadow in the picture is from behind the woman so the brightly coloured part is coming from the top of her head- which is what leads me to believe that top lighting has been used in this photo. 

3) The use of low-key lighting combined with the frightened look on the woman's face leads me to believe there is something that has taken the woman by surprise that the audience can't see in this picture. The lack of knowledge for the audience of what could be scaring her causes a sense of uneasiness which allows me to infer that this movie must be a thriller. The use of the top lighting here highlights the heavy make-up that she is wearing which gives the suggestion that she is likely to be a damsel in distress.

1) I believe that this image uses low-key lighting due to the reasonable amount of shadows that have been created despite the light that comes in through the gaps in the blinds. Although low-key lighting has been used, I believe that the intention was to create a sense of realism instead of a sense of drama. 

2) This still image uses back lighting that can be seen through the use of light coming from the blinds and although back light tends to be stronger, the blinds have reduced the strength of the lights. 

3) The effect of low-key lighting being used suggests that the relationship between these two people is meant to be hidden- which would explain the lack of filler lights and natural light because they don't want to be illuminated and exposed. The light shining through the blinds gives the illusion of cell bars which could also indicate that this relationship must be "kept in the shadows" and gives the suggestion of forbidden love. 

1) This image seems to use high-key lighting as we can see the use of filler lights to give these characters a more realistic and 3D look. Despite the use of high-key lighting, we can still see the use of chiaroscuro between the shadows on the floor compared to the light coming from behind the men which suggests that low-key lighting has also been incorporated into it. 

2) This still image uses back lighting as we can see the source of light is coming from behind the men. The use of back light here successfully conceals the appearance of each men but also casts clear shadows of the men on the floor which gives them a sense of mystery. 

3) The high-key lighting of the still image replicates daylight but the intensity of the back light makes it almost blinding. Instead of using light to help us see the characters, light has been used to do the opposite- to hide the identities of these characters. This gives them a sense of mystery as we don't know who they are or what they are doing but they seen to be holding weapons which makes them dangerous and likely to be part of some gang or group of people who cause crime. 

1) I believe that this image depicts low-key lighting due to the presence of key and back lights. We are clearly able to see the contrast between light and dark here which is a prime example of chiaroscuro. 

2) I think that this image uses top lighting as we can clearly see the woman's face from one side but we are not able to clearly see the other side of her face which gives us the impression that the light must be coming from above the subject. 

3) The use of low-key lighting in this image creates an ominous atmosphere which is further reinforced by the frightened facial expressions on the woman's face. The shadow that has been created by the top light can be interpreted to come from somebody else instead of the woman in the image. This creates a sense of mystery for the audience as we don't know what the woman has been faced with.  

1) This image clearly uses high-key lighting as there is the undeniable presence of filler lights that removes the shadows and gives the subject a more realistic and brighter appearance. 

2) This image uses top lighting and this is evident as we can see the light on top of the subject's head but there is still the presence of shadows around the neck due to light not being able to get there because of their head being in the way. 

3) The use of high-key lighting makes the image appear brighter and more realistic and the lighting combination paired with the character's hands being placed together, we are able to make the inference that they could be praying and the intensity of the light reflects the character's pure intentions. The use of top lighting also means that the audience can clearly see the character's face and that they have nothing to hide which allows us to feel trusting towards this character because they don't seem to have any darkness surrounding them. 

1) This image very clearly uses low-key lighting as we can't see any filler lights that try to illuminate the shadows created which creates a very dramatic and scary effect. 

2) This image uses back lighting that seems to be coming from behind the character and even though there is a use of back lighting, the intensity of the light is very low which makes this scene even darker, which creates an even more dramatic and scary effect. 

3) The use of low-key lighting with subtle blue hues gives off the impression that this movie is likely to fall into the science-fiction genre. Due to the back lighting coming through the door, we get a decent look at the character but it still is not clear enough to see what his intentions are. The darkness surrounding the rest of the room suggests that he brings darkness wherever he goes and this may cause the audience to feel tension as we don't know what he will do. 

1) This image has clearly used high-key lighting as we can see the use of filler lights that make the characters look more realistic and reduce the presence of shadows. 

2) The image uses top lighting as we can see the light on top of the couple's heads and the shadows underneath their heads where there seems to be a lack of access for the light which leads me to believe that the light is coming from above. 

3) The use of high-key lighting is used to make the people look more rounded and realistic and perhaps this has been done in order to successfully replicate the appearance of a real couple holding each other to try capture the relationship as accurately as possible. The high-key lighting here successfully reflects a positive mood because the bright colours suggest happy moods and this is able to capture the positive and happy feelings that come incorporated with love. 

Film Noir Research

• Film noir is a genre/style of film that is centred around themes of pessimism, fatalism, menace, cynicism and dystopia

• Film noir has a literal translation of 'black cinema' and it was a term that French critics used to refer to Hollywood movies with pessimism and darkness 

• Some common elements of noir films include: 

➡ Anti-hero protagonist 
➡ Femme Fatale 
➡ Tight, concise dialogue 
➡ High-contrast lighting 
➡ Post-war disillusionment 

• The most important element of film noir is lighting

• It makes use of low-key lighting to create extreme silhouettes and dark shadows

• Low-key lighting is created by using key and back lights 

• Film noir directors used chiaroscuro to reveal more about a character's intentions rather than words

Film Noir YouTube Clip Analysis

This clip is from 'The Maltese Falcon' and it illustrates the story of a private detective's partner being murdered after being shot with a gun. The beginning of the clip presents a woman giving a description of a 'dangerous man' with high-key lighting which is juxtaposes our expectations of the low-key lighting in a film noir which leads us to believe that this has been done intentionally. The bright coloured lighting may be used as a way to reflect the fact that there are no secrets in that room and that the room is a safe place in spite of the tragic event that just took place. However, after this scene, we are given a scene that uses low-key lighting to show an unknown person who has shot and murdered the detective's partner. The use of low-key lighting here successfully matches our expectations for a film noir genre that is about cynicism. 

Mise-en-scene Blog Tasks :)

 Still Image Mise-en-Scene Analysis

Each character of the Avengers in this still image is wearing their superhero outfit which gives the impression that they have a lot of power and gives them a sense of dominance. This sense of dominance is further amplified through the angle of the camera which is at a low angle looking up at the heroes of the movie. This successfully presents the idea that anything that the Avengers face are inferior and can be easily defeated- the Avengers seeming larger due to the angle in this scene gives them a sense of superiority and power. As an audience, we can't see what the Avengers are looking at in this scene which gives ambiguity to what they could be faced with but because we don't know who they are looking at, we can easily assume that they would have this empowerment over any enemy they are faced with. The lighting in this still image is interesting because the only source of light in this scene is coming from the sun shining through the window and this created a dull background but illuminates each character to show how they are the most significant part of this scene. There are also little lights that come off Iron Man's suit and off the sceptre that Black Widow is holding to show the importance of their suits and weapons because the illumination makes them stand out. The low angle paired with the serious facial expressions on each of the Avengers' faces emphasises that this scene is not lighthearted and they are faced with something that is actually a threat- this further elaborates on the idea that they have dominance over whatever they are faced with. The props in this scene are the weapons that each character is holding. The sceptre that Black Widow is holding is significant because people may have the belief that only men hold weapons but by her holding one, it gives her superiority and allows her to be on the same level as her male counterparts and set an example for young girls watching that women can be just as powerful as men. Captain America has his shield, Thor has his hammer and Hawkeye has his bow and arrow and these are all emphasise the sense of superiority that the Avengers have against whatever they are facing. This scene seems to have taken place in a large room yet all of the Avengers huddled together to corner an enemy to emphasise the strong teamwork they all have- which also successfully reinforces the superiority this group has, especially when they work together. 

Film Extract Comparisons

COSTUME

In Captain America: Civil War, each character is wearing their superhero outfit which gives them a duty to fulfil and gives them a sense of responsibility and reduces the lightheartedness of the scene because they need to fight. However, this is entirely juxtaposed in the scene of Mamma Mia where everyone is wearing bright coloured clothing. This creates a contrast between movies where one is lighthearted and fun and the other is full of action and fighting. 

LIGHTING

Both movies use sunlight as a source of lighting- in Mamma Mia, the sunlight could represent happiness due to the movie being a musical romantic-comedy. However, the sun being a source of light in Civil War could represent that their fighting has no bounds and had to take place outside. The colour scheme for both scenes is bright but that could represent different things in each movie. The bright colour scheme in Mamma Mia could suggest fun and enjoyment- especially because it took place in Summer. Whereas, the bright colour scheme in Civil War could represent the passion that each team has for winning and the passion illuminates their characters- especially as this is an action movie. 

ACTOR PLACEMENT/FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

In Civil War, nobody is smiling at each other and each team is glaring at the other- this emphasises the action and suspense of this movie because there is no true villain because they are fighting each other so the audience is torn as to who they want to win. Their facial expressions reveal how serious they are about fighting for what they believe is right. However, in Mamma Mia, everybody is smiling and laughing and singing which emphasises how this movie is a romcom. Alternatively, both scenes have long shots to capture a lot of characters at the same time. 

MAKE-UP

Nobody in Civil War seems to be wearing any heavy make-up and perhaps this suggests the urgency they have to fight and the lack of interest regarding their appearance because they are too caught up in the fight. However, in Mamma Mia, it seems as though most of the women are wearing make-up and taking pride in their appearance. This is likely because it is a romantic-comedy and everyone is looking for love or is in love. The make-up worn has bright coloured lipsticks and eye-shadows to give the characters a more "conventionally attractive" look. 

PROPS

In Civil War, the props used are weapons which adds onto the fact that this is an action movie and there is a lot of fighting involved. However, in the Mamma Mia scene, Donna is sad and her friends use props as a way to cheer her up which reinforces the fact that this is a romcom with a lighthearted nature. 

SETTING

In Civil War, the Avengers are fighting outside an airport and the significance of them fighting outside is that it suggests that their fight has no bounds and must be taken to an open place in order to protect civilians- which also reminds the audience that the Avengers are always going to protect civilians. The light colour scheme is unusual for a scene like this because of all the violence between them: a dark colour scheme would make more sense here but perhaps the bright colours are a suggestion that there will be a happy ending to the fight. The Mamma Mia scene also takes place outside but it is a much more positive environment because everyone is smiling and singing. There is lots of water around in the scene and this can represent refreshment and purity- which is reinforced by the smiles and laughter of everyone in the scene: making this an ideal example of a romantic-comedy. 

Film and TV Language: Poster Analysis

Blade Runner

1) The top right of this film poster has the line "man has made his match... now it's his problem" and this could allow the audience to make the assumption that the man positioned in the centre of the poster who is surrounded by light, is a hero- this is based on Propp's character theory. The character placement matched with the text at the top could indicate that the main character made a mistake that led to the creation of a new character that he must defeat: this new character is likely to be the villain of the film. There is only one other character on the poster which is a woman who is positioned at the centre right- in the shadow of the man. This could be in order to allow her to seem smaller but doesn't entirely diminish her presence as the darkness surrounding her is the opposite to the hero. She also has a cigarette in her hand which was unconventional for women to have done in that time. This character's ominous presence could lead the audience to believe that she is a villain/enemy which could explain the gun in his hand.

2) The colour scheme of the poster combined with the skyscrapers and guns (in the presumed hero's hand), the audience is lead to believe that the genre of the film is science-fiction. The woman surrounded by darkness with a cigarette in her hand may suggest an example of a film noir. The combination of a film noir matched with science-fiction is an ideal example of a hybrid genre.

3) I believe that the target audience for this film poster is likely towards a male audience- mainly above the age of 25 as science-fiction is generally enjoyed by men rather than women. The woman in this poster doesn't seem to be a damsel in distress so she is portrayed as a strong character which is opposed to what she is expected to be. This could also reinforce the idea that this film could be directed towards older males because they seem to have an image in their minds that women are supposed to be inferior to men so this could give a new perspective to the older generations of men. 

Scary Movie 2

1) I believe that this movie is likely to be about a group of friends who experience something frightening together but it has a comedic aspect to it. The font of the tagline and the title allows the audience to infer that this is more likely a funny and lighthearted movie than a truly scary one. This is further emphasised by the review shown on the poster that says "Absolutely Hilarious!". The clothing of the characters on the poster could lead to the assumption that they are young characters and their facial expressions suggest a more comedic reaction than true fear which would live up to the review shown on the poster. Despite the brightly coloured clothing they are wearing, they are surrounded by darkness which gives a direct contrast between horror and comedy: low-key lighting. 

2) The title of "Scary Movie 2" is given bluntly and blatantly in order to give away one of the genres of the movie (horror). However, when combined with the comedic facial expressions and clothing, the poster also reveals the comedic genre. This creates a hybrid genre between comedy and horror which is an interesting combination which could attract the attention of many people. 

3) I strongly believe that this movie is likely directed towards teenagers because of the young people shown on the poster. The hybrid genre of horror and comedy makes this movie enjoyable for a group of friends to enjoy, especially because of the lighthearted nature. The clothing and actors are likely to be relatable for teenagers which would attract them to the film more. Regarding gender, I believe it is not more attractive for a certain gender more than the order due to the combination of males and females in the poster- this movie is likely aimed for males and females. 

Uzak

1) I believe this movie is likely to be about a lonely man and his journey. In this poster, we are able to see him watching the sea and looking at boats while he is standing by himself- this suggests that he has a plan to leave where he is or he left somewhere behind and the boats are causing him to reminisce on his journey. The colour scheme of the poster is quite dull and grey which alludes to the fact that his story is sad and lonely and will have a reoccurring theme of sadness. However, there is a review calling the movie "a joy" which could indicate a happy ending for this man- perhaps he finds happiness in the place he is going/has travelled to. 

2) This movie is likely to be a drama- the emphasis on this lonely man in the poster surrounded by a dull and grey environment leads to the belief that this character has had to overcome something sad and he is alone now because of it. This movie will likely focus on the sad things that have happened to this one man and what else will happen to him.

3) The target audience for this movie is likely to be young adults who are seeking to gain more knowledge about the character in this poster. The audience of this movie is likely to be one that is sympathetic and able to understand what the protagonist is experiencing. 

I'm Not Scared

1) Through this poster, I am led to believe that the young boy in the centre of the poster is likely to be the protagonist of the story. The story line of this movie is likely to be about a boy learning to overcome his fears and learn to be courageous and determined no matter how scared he gets. The choice of the colour gold for the title and reviews leads to the idea of a victory and how the boy will be successful. The poster seems to show the protagonist climbing something high and the sky being visible in the background of this boy indicates his fearlessness despite how high up he seems to be. As an audience, we are able to see the focused and determined facial expressions on the boy which allows us to see how he overcame his fears.

2) I believe that the genre of this film could be a drama because we are anticipating whether or not this boy will be successful but it could also be thriller because the movie will depict things that are scary for the protagonist but could also be scary for the audience. This leads me to believe that this movie is a hybrid genre as well. 

3) I believe that this film could be targeted towards teenagers and children as it sets an example for children and teaches them a lesson about determination and anything is possible if you don't give up. The fact that the character on the poster is a young boy also leads to identification from the audience to the child and allows them to see themselves in the shoes of the protagonist and act like him and become more fearless.

Sin City

1) This film poster allows the audience to make the assumption that this is quite a dark story- this can be inferred from the facial expressions of the actors and the use of weapons as props as well as the dark clothing combined with the gloomy setting. The contrast that is made between the dark setting and the bright coloured title suggests that although this movie will be dark, there will still be the colour of red present due to blood shed- which is further emphasised by the use of weapons in the poster. Due to each character holding a weapon, the assumption that there will be lots of enemies present can be made. However, the use of "sin" in the title indicated that these aren't necessarily heroes but they could just be criminals.

2) I believe it is likely that this film will be mystery mixed with action- this is due to the low-key lighting combined with the use of weapons. This movie is likely to be a hybrid genre due to the use of a combination of two genres. 

3) I believe that a suitable target audience for this film would be young adults- males in particular. This is because there may be gory fight scenes that will scare teenagers and children. Males tend to be more interested in fight scenes than women so it may not appeal to a female audience to the extent that it will to a male audience. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

1) From the title of the movie alone, we are able to assume that this movie is about pirates- this is also further emphasised by the clothing of the characters and the use of weapons as props. The use of "chest" in the title is ambiguous and open to interpretation as it could be a literal dead man's chest or it could be a treasure chest that the pirates are seeking. However, there seems to be a tentacle of some sort of creature attacking their ship which allows us to infer that whatever the pirates are seeking will not be obtained easily and there will be obstacles that the pirates must face and overcome.

2) I believe that this movie will be a combination of action and adventure to make it a hybrid genre. The creature attacking their ship suggests that there will be a fight perhaps or some battle where the pirates attempt to defeat the creature but also there will be an adventure of the pirates before they encounter the creature and their journey afterwards. 

3) The target audience for this movie is likely to be teenagers because The Pirates of the Caribbean is a popular franchise which would likely be spoken about amongst friends and would cause younger people to watch it more. I don't believe there is a certain gender this movie is directed towards more. 

Bride & Prejudice

1) From the title and couple on the front of the poster, it looks like this movie could be about finding the right person to marry without being prejudiced and trying to keep an open mind. The man and woman on the centre of the poster seem to represent falling in love despite being from two different backgrounds. Perhaps this movie is based on trying to change stereotypes that older generations may have about love in certain cultures. However, due to the happy facial expressions of the couple, it is likely that they will have a happy ending.

2) I strongly believe that this movie is mainly a romance movie- the man and woman leaning against each other can represent the dependency they have on each other and the fact that they don't care about what everyone else thinks about their relationship. However, all the people in the background are much smaller than the main couple which allows us to assume that no one else in the movie is as significant as the couple and their relationship is the most significant part of the movie. 

3) I believe that this film is mainly targeted towards female adults because that is the main group of people that tend to enjoy romantic films. Adults in particular would enjoy this movie more because they can relate to the theme of marriage and love in a way that a younger audience wouldn't understand. 

Million Dollar Baby

1) The woman on the film poster is placed right at the centre and is the biggest character displayed which makes it very likely that she will be the protagonist of the film. However, due to the low-key lighting used, a dark and gloomy atmosphere is created and by having her back to us, there are connotations of death involved. The clothing and hair seem to fit in with the way a boxer or fighter would dress so it is likely that this protagonist will struggle in the boxing ring . There are two other characters on the poster facing her which could indicate that they are supporting her because they are looking out for her. There is a serious facial expression on each character on the poster which leads me to believe that this is not a lighthearted film and is likely to have a tragic end or have tragic events take part throughout the film.

2) The genre of this movie is most likely action due to the boxing and fighting but could also contain drama due to the other characters in the poster and our lack of knowledge of the relationship between the protagonist and these characters. 

3) I believe that this movie is likely targeted towards adults due to the dark themes that may not be suitable for a younger audience.