Editing: Blog Task :)

 Your final analytical blog task is to find a film or television clip on YouTube that you feel has been edited in a distinctive way and write a 750 word analysis of the clip

Spider-man

In the first 30 seconds of this clip, we can see the evident demonstration of straight cut transitions which allows the audience to easily follow the narrative due to the logically placed shots. These logically placed shots allow the audience to automatically make sense of the shots and the order in which they occur which leaves no opportunity for confusion for the audience to attempt to figure out what is happening. After Peter Parker sees Mary Jane walk away, there is a wipe transition which has been done in a very clever way by presenting the image that is wiping across the scene as the newspaper that Peter Parker is looking through in the next scene. The specific use of this image for the wipe emphasises the significance of this newspaper on this character- this is soon after confirmed by the fact that it was the newspaper that inspired the Spider-man costume. As he is flicking through the newspaper, the pace of the editing becomes faster and perhaps this is to replicate quickening of pace of Peter’s heart as he becomes increasingly excited about buying a car to impress the girl that he likes. However, the most distinct editing technique in this scene is the montage of Peter Parker sketching costume ideas for Spider-man’s suit. This montage has a fast pace, and this perhaps reflects the rush of ideas going through Peter’s head and how he is rushing to get them all down so that he doesn’t forget anything. We are able to successfully determine that this is a montage because of the dissolve transitions between shots that signify that time is passing but we can also see that a message is trying to be conveyed- perhaps in this scene, the message trying to be conveyed is that Peter is trying to sketch ideas for his suit. After Peter has looked through the newspaper, we get a shot of Mary Jane (his crush) dissolving into the scene as well as the car that he wants to buy to impress her. This is relatively significant because it shows that Peter was thinking about her when he got inspired to create the suit. Again, this has been intentionally done in order to emphasise the significance of this girl on Peter’s life as she is the reason that he created the suit in the first place. 

In regard to other aspects of film and language, we are able to see the deliberate use of different camera shots- for example, as Peter Parker is looking through the newspaper, we can see several extreme close-ups which successfully emphasises the idea that the audiences’ attention is being brought to the prices of the cars. There is one specific extreme close-up that is very important for this movie which is the one of the advert that says “AMATURE WRESTLERS $3000!”. The extreme close-up on this particular advert strongly emphasises the importance of it (we see later in the film that this advert is very significant in the movie because it is the advert for the event that Spider-man’s name and costume is revealed). There is also a zoom into a different part of the same advert and perhaps this zoom in signifies the increasing significance of this event as the movie goes on. As Peter is trying to sketch ideas for his suit, there is a zoom on his face as the scene is getting closer to the end and perhaps this increasing close-up of his face replicates how he is getting closer to the final and perfect idea for the suit. Throughout the entire scene, there are only ever close-ups or medium close-ups on Peter Parker, so this is able to strongly indicate the fact that he is the protagonist of the movie and there is a constant significance and responsibility placed on him because he is a hero (referring to Propp's character theory)- this could also suggest the fact that there is always an eye on him (whether that is the antagonist of the movie keeping an eye on him so that he can try defeat the hero or the civilians that depend on Spider-man to help keep them safe). The parallel sound that is playing throughout the montage is upbeat music and perhaps this signifies the excitement that Peter is feeling as he is creating his suit because once he became satisfied with the product, the music carried on but was not as upbeat as it was throughout the montage which may signify a sense of relief that he feels that he created the perfect suit. 

Cinematography Video Feedback and Learner Response :)

Cinematography video task here

 1) Type up your feedback/comments from your teacher.

WWW: 

• Good, simple narrative well communicated with a nice selection of shots 
• Dutch tilt is superb- perfectly used to communicate the unease that the student is feeling 

EBI: 

• A couple of issues in terms of labelling the panning shots (it was more handheld/dolly shot moving around the character)
• Main issue was audio- not sure if the soundtrack worked (more mystery/fantasy genre rather than the exam stress). Also audio levels- music faded out suddenly twice which felt a bit chunky

2) Type up your feedback from fellow students.

WWW: 

• Great angle and movement shots to add intensity to the scene 
• Music added tension
• Nicely demonstrated various camera shots and angles were amazing 
• Nicely used Dutch tilt 

EBI: 

• The music cuts off too abruptly- a fade out of the music would have been better 

3) Now reflect on your work and write your own summary of the comments and feedback you have received. Write three WWWs and three EBIs.

WWW: 

• The use of the Dutch tilt was very effective in showing the student's disorientation
• A range of shots and angles were used as well as a range of camera movement 
• The narrative was simple and easy to follow- it wasn't confusing or complicated to understand

EBI: 

• Work on fading out the audio instead of abruptly stopping it 
• Work on finding a more appropriate soundtrack to match my video 
• Make sure all of my shots/camera movements are labelled correctly 

4) Learner response: think about what you learned about cinematography making the video and also watching others. What will you do differently when you start the coursework in the summer? What tips or tricks have you learned from others that you can use next time? Are there any specific aspects of camerawork that you need to revise or practice?

In the summer, I will work on finding appropriate music for my video so that the meaning of the video isn't lost due to the inappropriate music in the background. I also learned that the background sound doesn't have to be music- it can be as simple as a clock ticking to create anticipation of time running out. I also learned how to smoothly replicate a dolly shot without expensive equipment which may help be create some shots in my work in the summer. I am going to carry on practising the types of shots so that I can ensure that they are labelled correctly and then analyse the effects those shots have on an audience 

Blog Feedback and Learner Response :)

WWW: Wow – I think it’s fair to say that we made the right decision in switching to Media! The depth and insight to your analysis is phenomenal and that’s simply catching up with work from last half-term. I think as the course continues and we start studying exam products you’ll get even more out of it. I particularly like the texts you have selected for the various tasks – the sound analysis scene is a great exploration of using music/songs to create and change atmosphere within a scene. Similarly, the detail of the shot analysis of Grey’s Anatomy really explores the way film language is used to communicate a lot of information to the audience very quickly. I love the Marvel/Mamma Mia contrast too – you’ve certainly succeeded in picking two very different films there! Again, your detailed analysis of the mise-en-scene is impressive and it’s producing this depth of analysis, exploring the different possible meanings within a text, that will open up the very top grades in the subject. Finally, your lighting and film poster blogposts are a lot more detailed than I usually see at this stage of the course which reinforces my feeling that we should be aiming for A* in Media despite the late start to the course. Keep up this brilliant work! 

EBI: As you’ll see from your tracker, I’ve put an X on the work that I haven’t asked you to catch up on. This may mean that your practical experience is a little down on other students so this is something we should keep in mind as we move towards the coursework in Year 13. It’s nothing to worry about and hopefully your cinematography and editing videos will give you a good introduction to Adobe Premiere Pro and the technical construction of film and TV work. Let’s reflect again at the end of this term but I’m confident you’ll be in a good place on both sides of the course. 

LR: Reflect on your first few weeks of Film & TV Language in Media (the coursework side of the course). Which piece of work did you most enjoy? Were there any areas that you were less confident on? What specific skills or knowledge do you think you need to develop before we start coursework at the end of Year 12? 

I most enjoyed the 'Sound Analysis' when I was catching up with the Film & TV Language topic- this is because it made a lot of sense to me how the type of music (or lack of) can influence a scene and the effect it has on an audience. However, I would say that I was less confident with 'Lighting' and I think this is because I was having trouble identifying the types of lighting used in some scenes which made it harder to analyse it and determine what effect it would have on an audience. I think I have to develop my understanding of lighting and the connotations they present and what effect this may have on an audience. 

Cinematography Video Task Plan :)

 Plan

• Establishing shot: high angle to establish the classroom setting as a whole 
• Medium shot: from the side of the student's face in order to introduce the character 
• Pan: camera pans from the side of the student to the front 
• Close-up: camera focuses on empty test paper 
• Medium close-up: of the teacher to introduce a second character 
• Low angle: shot of the student after time is almost up 
• Extreme close-up: of the clock to show that time is running out 
• Dutch tilt: of the student to show disorientation 
• POV shot: of the test paper from the student's perspective 
• High angle: of the teacher taking the test paper 

Link to video: here 

100 word description of product:

Our product uses different angles and camera movements in order to depict the story of a student who was supposed to complete a test and by the time there was one minute left, the student hadn't written anything on their test. The use of angles should create a sense of inferiority that she has compared to the teacher who is telling her how much time she has left. Some of the shots have intentionally been done via a handheld camera in order to depict the feelings of anxiety and unease that the student feels because this could not be conveyed if the camera was completely still. 

Cinematography Blog Tasks :)

Cinematography Blog Tasks

1) This is the opening sequence to the first episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' and there has been a variety of cinematography techniques used to convey different messages. The scene starts off with an over-the-shoulder shot which takes place over the main character's shoulder. This successfully presents the idea that she is the most significant character in this show and the show will take place from her perspective and mainly focus on her. In that shot, we are also able to see the use of a middle close-up on the main character in order to show her significance. When the door to the operating room opens up, we can see the use of a POV shot in order to present what it looks like from the eyes of the new interns who have never seen the room before- the first time they see the inside of the operating room is also the first time we see it and we both see it from a first-hand perspective and allows us to stand in their shoes. Once the interns walk into the operating room and start looking around, we can see an example of a high angle wide shot. The use of the high shot here is highly significant because it's the intern's first day working at a hospital so it is likely they are feeling nervous and small compared to the whole hospital and its experienced doctors so this is reflected through the angle that successfully replicates the insignificance and inferiority that they feel. The fact that this is a wide shot is also significant because it allows us to see how many news things all of the interns are having to process and this is reflected by the wide shot and the fact that the scene gives us a lot to process as well. As the scene goes on, we get an over-the-shoulder shot for each of the main interns to show that they will all have significant roles in the show and they are the interns that we should place our attention on because they will have significant storylines throughout the show. Towards the end of the scene, we can see there is a closeup on the man who has been giving the speech which successfully signifies the fact that he is likely to have a significant role in the show too. 

2) The camerawork used in this scene gives the audience proof that this show is based in a hospital and most of the show's scenes will occur in a hospital- this is because it was the first location that is shown in the opening sequence of the whole show. There is also a closeup on each main intern that will be focused on the most throughout the show so this shows that all the characters in the opening sequence that get a closeup will be significant throughout the show and each get a storyline. 

3)

In this still image from 'The Avengers', we can see a prime example of a high angle shot and in this scene they are being faced with an enemy that is much larger and more superior than them and the angle reflects this sense of inferiority that they have compared to the enemy. The feeling of inferiority that they have compared to the enemy is further emphasised by the scared/worried facial expressions on their faces. This still has also used a long shot in order to show their entire bodies and perhaps this has been used to reflect the way in which the enemy can see their entire bodies- meaning that their entire bodies are in danger and they have no protection from this enemy.