Written notes on The Lovely Bones clip

Scene - "I'm not gonna hurt you Susie"

- No sound except dialogue at the start
- Cabin under the ground (low key lighting, lots of shadows)
- Lit up by candles
- Starts with close up of Susie's face, her face is lit up but all of the background is black
- Camera is looking down on her (high angle)
- Switches to mid shot of killer
- Most of his face is lit up with some shadowing (could be to show the trickery of him seeming to be a friendly man but then turning out to be a killer)
- His face seems very relaxed, whereas hers looks worried and scared
-  Board games
- Antiques on the walls
- Candles
- Reaches over her for drink (close up and slow camera movement)
- Knocks against toy dog (close up)
- Short, fast play of non diegetic sound (builds tension)
- Asks to leave (shows her fear)
- He refuses (constantly smiling)
- Close up of him opening drink (emphasised sound)
- Extreme close up of her eyes (shows clear panic)
- Close up of moving toy dog again (quite slow paced)
- Very clear high and low camera angles between the two characters to show power
- Rule of thirds and framing used to show underground cabin
- Takes off jacket, asks her if she wants to take hers off also
- Quickly caresses the side of her face and she immediately flinches
- Half of his face is shadowed (could be to show his darker side is now becoming clearer)
- She doesn't look him in the eye (always looking at the ground)
- Close up of picture hanging from wall (shows the detail, thought and effort put into the making of this underground room)
- He tells her she is pretty (she thanks him, still looking at the ground)
- Editing cuts between each of them (rarely in the same frame)
- Camera shoots close up of both of their faces, lingering on him
- Her facial expressions seem to become a lot more tense and frightened
- Tells her this is a special place. She agrees, stammering as she talks
- Still no non diegetic sound
- Shot of children's toys in shelves in the background
- Long silence between both characters in the scene, shows emotion through facial expressions, contrasts between them
- "I have to go" "I'm not gonna hurt you Susie"
- Another long pause
- As soon as she tries to escape, killer jumps from his seat with his facial expression changing from smug to anger
- Non diegetic music is finally introduced into the scene, fast paced and tense
- He grabs her, shows her struggle through handheld camera movement
- He is wearing dark clothes and she is wearing colour (shows difference in character roles)
- Suddenly cuts to wide shot if field above cabin, shows everything is not what it seems. (rule of thirds and low key lighting)

Analysis of The Shining

In this essay I am going to analyse two scenes from the film, The Shining. I will be focusing on the camera and sound elements in these scenes and will briefly discuss the mise en scene. I will be discussing how these techniques relate to the horror genre. I will also discuss possible meanings and my personal response to these chosen scenes.

The first scene I will be analysing is the opening scene. This begins with an establishing shot of a wide and isolated environment of mountains and hills. This still environment is then disturbed by a passing car. The camera uses a crane shot to follow the car along the roads, which almost gives the feeling of a bird flying over the car looking down on it, like it's hunting it's prey which is which could be foreshadowing the future character roles in the film. This shot makes the car look very small and almost insignificant in this vast scenery. Although this is quite a peaceful scene, the non diegetic sound drastically changes the mood of the scene and definitely sets the film into it's genre of horror, as this is common convention in horror films. The use of strings causes tension and as they are increased the feeling of discomfort and worry also increases in the viewer. As the strings get louder and fast paced, percussion is also introduced and put the viewer even more on edge. This shows that although nothing scary is actually happening in the scene, the sound plays a major role in the audience's emotion and personal response. The calm scene could be showing that at this moment in time there is an equilibrium in the storyline, however the tense non diegetic sound and ominous atmosphere could be to foreshadow that this will soon change and that a disequilibrium is going to occur.
In another scene the conventions are also similar, proving that this is a film of the horror genre. Danny, the young child, is innocently playing in the hotel he lives in with his mother and father. Riding his tricycle through the symmetrical corridors, a common occurrence in Stanley Kubrick films. The visual elements in this scene are quite comfortable and do not seem to put the audience on edge, apart from the camera movement as it follows Danny down the corridor and seems to hold back as it goes round corners, portraying a feeling of danger and making the audience feel tense. Adding to this tension is the non diegetic sound that is played over the top. There is quite a sharp high pitched sound as the scene begins and a beating continues as he is quickly riding around the hotel. As he turns a final corner the sequence is interrupted by two young girls standing before danny at the end of the corridor. As this happens, another sharp pitched sound is played which shocks the audience and jolts them as the fast paced sequence suddenly stops. The camera switches from a tracking shot of Danny's back, to a still close up of his face showing is reaction to the two young girls disturbing and frightening him as he is enjoying himself. It is also a high angle shot, making Danny look vulnerable and weak. The camera takes a while to look towards the two girls, building curiosity within the audience. The camera does soon after, turn to the girls standing strangely still at the far end of the corridor. It is known by the audience that these girls are ghosts and are previous residents of this hotel, who were killed by their father, similarly to how Jack tries to kill Danny later in the film. This knowledge creates a narrative within this scene and captures the audiences attention. The non diegetic sound, like in many  of the scenes in this film, plays a major role in how the audience feel emotionally towards this film. The contrast between quiet high pitched sounds and loud deep sounds create a large feeling of danger and tension, making the audience feel involved and almost making them want to help in certain situations that occur in this film.
To me, the sound in this film is one of the most influential cinematic techniques, along with camera work, and they are responsible for the emotional connection the audience have towards this film and make this film a part of the horror genre.

Analysis of Control

Camera Work:

-The very beginning of the clip, starts with the shot being divided by the wall of a house. It is also a low angle shot, as the camera shows the roofs of houses yet the camera is at ‘head height’. Shallow focus
-The shot used in this scene is a tracking shot. The scene starts with the camera focused on his face, following him down the street.
-Mainly close ups, mid shot near the end as camera stops moving and he walks off, flicking his cigarette in a casual, arrogant manner and he walks into the employment office, which is also in the shot
-Camera moves to the back of him. Handheld camera movement, makes the viewer feel as if they are walking on the street behind him. Also shows a clear shot of the back of his jacket quoting ‘hate’ on the back. This is significant of his personality, portraying him as perhaps a self destructive or rebellious character.
-Camera only shows the top half of his body, stays close to him until he walks away from the camera at the end of the clip.
-With the camera focusing on his face throughout the majority of the clip, it shows his facial expressions as quite determined and focused. He seems to look through the camera, not worrying about his surroundings, maintaining a mysterious persona, seems like he’s trying to block out anything happening in his own personal life.


Mise en Scene:

-Costumes clearly show the pop punk era that this film was set in. e.g. leather jacket
-The shirt and tie he is wearing connects to the fact that he is going to a job interview. He perhaps wouldn’t wear this on a day to day basis.
-Car that drives past clearly shows the era of this film, also the clothes other people captured in the clip are wearing.
-The way he walks down the street shows he walks with authority and purpose. However he is also walking quite casually and the way he discards his cigarette and then strolls into the employment office could also show he is quite care free which is symbolic of his age and lifestyle.


Lighting:

-The entire scene, in fact, the entire film, is in black and white.
-Low key lighting
-Almost symbolic of Ian Curtis himself and his dark personality.

The Great Gatsby

Personal response to my favourite film this summer.

Although I do not go to the cinema often, this summer I did go and watch a film I had been really looking forward to, The Great Gatsby. The reason I wanted to see this film so much was mainly due to the fact I adore the 20’s culture, style and music. I also loved the book, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

          The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.

          The film also attracted me as I liked a lot of the actors and actresses cast in the film, especially Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan and feel they portrayed their characters very well.

          The story is based on Nick Carraway, a Yale University graduate and World War I veteran who is staying in a sanatorium to treat his alcoholism. He talks about a man named Gatsby, describing him as the most hopeful man he had ever met. When he struggles to articulate his thoughts, his doctor, Walter Perkins, suggests writing it down, since writing is Nick's true passion. He talks of meeting ‘The Great Gatsby’ and of how he formed an unlikely friendship with his billionaire neighbour, attending all of his extravagant parties and learning of the mysterious man.

          Through all the partying and glamour, Nick learns that Gatsby also has a darker side, and a broken heart, which has more to do with Nick than he may have thought.

          To me, the way this film is visually presented was very good and gave me an exceptional picture of what this story may actually have looked like.

          Although there have been several film and opera adaptations of the book, this version appealed to me most and it was a lot more modernised than others, attracting a younger audience, as well as keeping the traditional 1920’s style and image, which is what fascinated me in the first place.

          On paper The Great Gatsby also did very well, making over $331 million worldwide, with an overall budget of $105 million. This was also director Baz Luhrmann’s highest grossing movie, although he was criticised by certain critics saying ‘Luhrmann is exactly the wrong person to adapt such a delicately rendered story’.

          The film did receive mixed reviews, mainly for not being an ‘accurate’ adaptation of the novel and being too ‘modernised’.

          However I feel that although some of the films criticisms may have truth in them, this adaptation of the film may appeal to a wider, younger and different audience.

          I really enjoyed this film and do not regret paying to watch. I would definitely watch it again, mainly for the style, culture, music and lifestyle portrayed in this movie.

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger is a 2013 remake of the American Western action films. It marks the first theatrical film featuring the Lone Ranger and Tonto characters in more than 30 years.

          Filming suffered with budget and production problems, which at one point, led to a premature cancellation of the film. The film was released in the United States on the 4^th of July 2013. the film received mixed reviews, however negative reviews dominated.

          It was seen as a huge disappointment, grossing 243 million dollars, despite an estimated 225 million dollar budget.

          On the 12^th August 2011, Disney announced that production on The Lone Ranger would be delayed due to budget concerns. After addressing the project’s production problems in October 2011, Disney confirmed that the film was back on track after the budget was reworked to give the studio a chance to recoup its costs. Initially, filming was reported to begin on the 6^th February 2012 and the film was given a release date of the 31^st may 2013 which subsequently was moved to the 4^th of July.

          As a result of the production setbacks, The Lone Ranger faced numerous changes in release dates. After underperforming during its opening weekend, the film was characterised by numerous media sources as a box office flop.

          Compared to Despicable Me 2, a film that opened the same weekend to 142 million dollars on a 76 million dollar budget, The Lone Ranger made just under a third of that, 48.9 million dollars, and had more than three times the budget, 215 million dollars.

          Along with the production and budgeting problems, the film also received generally unfavourable reviews.

Called “a jumbled botch that is so confused in its purpose and so charmless in its effect that it must be seen to be believed, but better yet, no. Don’t see it. Don’t believe it” and also described as a “bloated, misshapen mess. A stillborn franchise loaded with metaphors for its feeble attempts to amuse, excite and entertain.”

          The specific reason for the flop of The Lone Ranger cannot be determined, however the production, planning, timing, budgeting and critics opinions all factor in to why this film is considered by many, a box office failure.

In my opinion, the costs of the film are the largest factor as to why this film was not as successful as planned. Although the film made a large turnover, the costs of the production outweighed the cost made. If, like other films released at a similar time, The Lone Ranger had budgeted better then perhaps it wouldn’t have been as scrutinised by not only the critics, but the public as well.

Although the majority of people consider this film to be a ‘flop’ and ‘failure’, The Lone Ranger has definitely not been a disappointment to all, which is clear by the amount the film made, regardless of the overall costs.