This was our first attempt of filming using a tripod. We went to different areas around the school, and by using different shots and angles, we filmed a few 5-10 second clips of us saying "what are you doing here", which was the subject we had been set. We edited and put together the short clips using the Adobe Premiere Elements software which allowed us to add animations and different sound effects.
Throughout the shot clip, we tried to use different shots such as a low angle shot panning upwards and also a medium shot and tracking the movement. Lastly, we tried to do something different by filming in a mirror so that we are not getting the direct view of the person however we are seeing there reflection which also showed facial expressions.
Write from the start of these opening two minutes we can see that the film is going to be sad because of the non-diegetic music in the background which is of a women humming. The sound is quite calm and peaceful. Also the long/establishing shot shows a large ship which also shows how something big is happening as, what looks like, thousands of people are waving it of. This could suggest the idea of separation which yet again denotes the idea of emotion and sadness. The sepia affect is quite significant as it shows that it is possibly quite old and how colour wasn't even potential to use during the time this was set. We know it was filmed in 1997, which yet again is evident through the camera quality and the colour them which obviously denotes how it was filmed in the past.
Following on from this is, as shot is used showing the sea and the waves which show calmness and peace. We are able to here non diegetic sound of the humming continue whilst also hearing the diegetic sound of the wave which are important as it gives the audience a real feel of the setting and makes it feel more realistic. As well as this being realistic, there is an introduced, diegetic sound of the engine of the ship under water or alternatively movement under the sea. This sound gradually builds up until the point where the bright lights appear which is an aerial shot of the ship lights. This continues with a panning movement downwards until the point where they reach the sea top and the sound gradually gets louder as they then rotate to being under water, using a reverse aerial shot.
Although its not shown in these opening two minutes, we know that there are two well known actors in the film named Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet who are star-crossed lovers. These two characters are the romance in the film. Star-crossed lovers are those who are together yet are destined to fail at the relationship further down the line. This is significant as it is a typical convention of a romance film, both being the well known actors and the failing relationship. None of the characters are really shown in the opening two minutes which is partially good as it allows the audience to focus on the setting of the film. By showing only the setting, it makes the audience more intrigued as they would want to find out more and actually be introduced to the characters as well as making sense of the film as a whole.
The opening two minutes to this film immediately conform the conventions of romantic films with the non-diegetic sound of a slow song. This flaunts the genre as it is calm and peaceful. We are thrown into the opening scene with a bright red sky with the sun arising across a large lake along a dark countryside. At this point a long/establishing shot is used to firstly set the scene and establish where the action will be taking place. The setting is established for long period of time to allow us to tranquil setting along with the synchronous sound of music which denotes the idea of peace and romance. Although the opening scene is very vague we are able to identify the setting and perhaps the main character, yet we are unsure of this meaning the audience could be intrigued to find out what is going to happen next. We are shown a boat sailing across the lake which creates romance as it is yet again calm and peaceful and it partially gives the imagery of beauty and happiness which could relate to the plot of the film. We know that Ryan Gosling is in the film who is a well known male actor and is seen to be quite attractive to the female audience. This is a convention of romance films as you would typically expect a famous, well known male or female character.
Once the scene had been said, we see some birds flying in a crowd towards some large white mansion, the camera follows them by using a tracking movement as they approach the house. They then use an over the shoulder shot of a women looking out her window into the distance as if shes in a world of her own. At this point we are unsure of who this women is and whether or not she is the main character, we are yet to find out. In reverse, we are then shown her from the other side of the window looking out. The birds continue to fly past her, possibly symbolizing freedom which could be something she doesn't have or alternatively it could denote her hopes for the future or even memories of what she has lost. As the audience are unable to identify or see the character rowing in the lake, there is a sense of mystery as we are clearly unsure if he is a main character and are intrigued to find out when he is revealed. The fact that the old woman was looking out across the lake suggests that the two characters could be linked or we could later on find out that they have had something in the past.
The target audience for this film would possibly be for women aged 16 to 20-30 for the reason that they would be more likely to relate to the situation. There is also a well known, attractive actor which would engage the audience even more.
The typical conventions of a romantic film are things like happy endings, love/hate relationships, boy meets girl, sexual scenes, emotional scenes, etc. The setting of romantic films would usually be in a big city or well know romantic place such as New York. They are usually set here as it just makes it seem realistic as a place like New York has got everything a typical romance fanatic would want. Alternatively, it could be set in the countryside or an isolated area in a house. This is a possibility as it seems to be more romantic when they are alone with no one around. Yet again, mis-en-scene is very important within a film as it gives us a clear understanding of the character as well as fitting the genre of the film. For example in a romantic film you would see natural lighting coming in from the outside and soft sound and romantic music. The sound being diegetic or non-diegetic would always be soft and calm as we do not usually expect anything major to happen. However often there could be one of those love/hate relationships which involve arguing therefore could possibly require some more dramatic sound although this is very unlikely.
The rating for these kind of films vary quite alot as they are often just those inevitable 'happily ever after' films which would be acceptable for the younger audience however it could reach the stage where there are explicit sexual scenes and swearing which would obviously be available to adults. The gender for this would be females as they are more likely to be interested in the romantic stories and the 'happily ever after' scene. You typically wouldn't expect males to be interested in this kind of thing.
The scene begins with them driving though a field towards a plane. The main focus is of the three men in the back seat. The dark colours connote darkness and evil as well as it being quite threatening. To the audience they look like some kind of hostages however this is undermined as later on in the scene we find out that one of the men has a bit more power than that and may arise to be one of the villains in the film. The fact that they are in a confined space suggests being trapped and held together with no choice. Although being trapped doesn't seem like they area threat, we could be surprised by future events. Also at this point the diegetic sound of the car engine and noise of the ground on the car builds up and gets louder whilst building up tension and suspense for the audience.
The scene them moves on with a long shot of a plane flying through mountains, with the diegetic sound of the planes engine as well as the non-diegetic tune of music in the background. The diegetic sound is very loud as it is the only noise being made in the isolated setting. The non-diegetic tune in the background is fast pace and gradually builds up tension and keeps the audience engaged throughout.When they are on the plane, they use a close up shot when Bane is being uncovered. At this point we are seeing the character for the first time which is intense as we are unsure of what to expect. We can easily assume that the character is Bane because of his deep, mysterious voice and how he is speaking with confidence despite the fact that the CIA are in possession of a gun.When he is uncovered, he is shown wearing a mask, this is partially typical for a character to have in an action/thriller. They are hiding there identity, however in this film it seems to be different as he says "no one cared who I was til I put on the mask". This shows how he could possibly of been someone completely different before without any recognition however now with the mask on he is more powerful. They have then used an aerial/long shot of the other plane above, firstly at a high angle showing how it is above the other and possibly denoting how it now has dominance over the other plane. At this point we are unsure of what the plane is or why its there. However in the plane, Bane says how he's had this planned all along then says to crash this plain with no survivors. This is where the action begins.
The non diegetic sound beating in the background makes it feel intense and give the audience a feel of fear and suspense. Following on the diegetic sound of gun shots are dramatic and put the audience on the edge of there seats. The fighting begins when the windows are smashed, with some of the characters looking unsure of what to do. The fighting and gun shots are slightly typical of an action film as they build up tension as well as properly engaging the audience. The plane with all the action is now attached to the one above and no one can take control. The plane above now has power and dominance over the other forcing it to crash. When the others break inside the crashing plane the non-diegetic sound continuously gets louder and speeds up building up tension up until the point where the plane drops and Bane and one of the other characters are left hanging on. At this point they used a high angle to show the two characters remaining and also to show the plain dropping and breaking a part. The diegetic sound of the character screaming is intense and when this all happens, it makes the audience want to watch on as it has been made very eventful and dramatic and they have kind of left it as a cliff hanger whilst the plane carries on as if nothing has happened.
The first shot which is used is a fast paced establishing shot showing the setting of a large empty land full of high rocky land and cliffs. This signifies the idea of danger and isolation. The fast paced camera movement continues when they pan inwards to Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who is the main character, climbing up the rocks. As the audience,when we see this we feel as if he in danger and the mission that is commencing is rather impossible. We are able to see how this denotation links in with the title of the film and how it is significant as this point of the scene foresees future events. The beginning sound is non-diegetic and gradually speeds up building up tension. It is a quite sound for the reason that we are able to here how quite the setting is, additionally, it could be so that we are able to here the deep breathing of Tom Cruise as he is climbing the rocks. They then use a medium shot showing him barricading his knees/legs into the rocks and leaning back with no hands holding on. This shot was used to show body language as well as showing the confidence that he has whilst on this mission. Quietly in the distance, we can here the diegetic sound of a hawk. This could possibly suggest how he is in danger or alternatively, how he is so heigh up that they are in his surrounding. As well as this the non-diegetic sound of the fast beat continues yet again building up tension for the audience and keeping us intrigued.
Soon after, close ups have been used showing the positioning of both his feet and hands. The first one was a close up of his hand as he slowly placed it on the rock, this was used to show struggle as well as determination as he is carrying on despite it being difficult. Following on from this was a high angle/ariel shot, possibly showing how high up he is or alternatively showing how he is superior and now has power over everyone else. After this they used another high angle shot but this time it was showing him about to jump from one part of the rock to another. They filmed this part of the scene in slow motion to show the danger and also builds up tension and makes the audience thinks about if he will make it or not. When he lands the slow motion stops and he slips of the rock, this yet again builds up tension as he ends up hanging with one arm. At this point the non-diegetic sound got louder and was a fast beat. He was holding on with both hands, but then let go and was hanging on again. He done this so that he could turn around and the large landscape behind him. This could of been seen as the start of his mission as they have used a close up showing the emotion on his face as well as the relief that he still alive. The music becomes more fast paced and he begins to start climbing again with more confidence.
They then use a partial Ariel shot showing the top of all of the rocks and in the distance we can see the main character, Tom Cruise, reaching the top. This could denote that his mission has now begun as he has reached the top. The non-diegetic sound continues but now sounds more positive.They then used a medium shots showing Cruise standing there with his hands on his hip with a look of happiness. The medium shot has been used for effect and to establish the body language of the character. A high angle, long shot was used after this showing him looking over, across the empty landscape. This could have been used clearly to show the setting as well as the main character or alternatively that he is now superior and has dominance over everyone else.
Following on from before, the diegetic sound of a helicopter was heard and was then shown using a low angle shot of him looking up on it. The man in the helicopter was in possession of a gun and was looking down on Tom Cruise, this could suggest how he is in danger. The man was wearing a suit which shows formality and because the film is an action it could signify that he is possibly a spy. This two points that I have just stated are the mis-en-scene, this is the costume, props and sound in the film. Mis-en-scene is very important as it signifies the kind of people the characters are and what things they are involved in. The man in the helicopter then points to Cruise as the diegetic sound of the helicopter gets louder. They then point he gun towards him and shoot out a bullet like package. When the helicopter flies away into the distance, the audience would feel confused and clueless as to what just happened as it first looked like they were against him however we now know they are on his side. Tom Cruise then walks over and takes out a pair of ordinary looking sunglasses. Once he puts them on we notice they are more than that as they use a point of view shot of him looking out through them. The dialogue on the screen shows us that Cruise is an agent which then changes the whole perspective of the storyline. The fact that he is an agent conforms the conventions and the sort of things we expect of a action film. The idea of an agent suggests secrecy and undercover work or missions. They are then asking for his confirmation of doing a mission which we now though begins now. They used a medium shot showing body language which was panning left and right showing the view from different angles as well as establishing the setting behind him. The scene ends with him throwing his missionary glasses into the distance whilst they seem to explode and the non-diegetic sound continues being loud and fast paced.
An action film essentially consists of a long mission, either being dangerous or considerably impossible. The idea of action films are to build up tension up until the point of action. The setting is typically in a city, this is so that we are able to get a better feel of the action genre. Things such as car chases and robberies tend to be more successfully done in cities rather than derelict land. However any setting that keeps the audience engaged and are able to build up tension are successful, for example climbing up mountains (Mission Impossible 2). This kind of mission keeps the audience intrigued and make them want to carry one watching. The age certificate for action films would normally be 12 or 15 depending on how explicit the action in the specific film is.
The kind of shots that would be used tend to be fast paced which immediately keeps the audience on the edge of there seats and more engaged throughout. Establishing shots would typically be used to establish the setting/landscape where the action will be taking place. As well as this close up shots would be used quite a lot to show the emotion and expression on the characters face. Tracking shots are also used a lot as they follow the action (typical in a car chase) which yet again keeps the audience more engaged.
