Focused analysis 4:Locations

For my analysis of location i chose eden lake. An arch of trees is the first ever shoot, this creates miss en scene, it then goes into a tracking shot of trees, this gives an indication that the location is in the woods in a remote place. The next shot shows an establishing shot o a lake surrounded by trees, this connotes to the viewer that it is a deserted place, this makes more tension and the trailer more scary. Then there are shots of a lake,the surrounding are dark and there is a misty reflection which makes the trailer more daunting and eerie. I like how there are techniques of reflections and dark shadows in the trailer, this makes the trailer overall scary and daunting. This makes the audience feel scared and on edge.

Focused analysis 3: Mise-en scene

The first few shots show an island, this creates suspense for the audience as they want to know whats going to happen on the island. It then moves on to the two actors in a boat, the miss en scene is created hear as well as this is the only thing the viewers can see, and the audience will be wondering why the two actors are traveling towards the island, this creates mystery and suspense and the audience will want to find out why they are going to the remote island. The mise en scene continues when barbed wire is used, this makes it feel more like a prison like their is no escape, this further adds to the suspence. The camera zooms in the next shoot, this gains authority figures in police outfits holding guns. Also the way other characters are dressed in long coats and hats emphasize their significance again as authority figures. An old lady appears and the mise en scene indicates she is from a mental aslyum by her wardrobe and eerie looking, this gives the viewer a clue that the mysterious island is a mental aslyum. More clues continue that this island is a mental aslyum as there are quick flashes on actors in white coats and needles in white rooms. There are some typical horror scenes, for example a woman covered in blood which also adds to the mise en scene, also when a mysterious looking woman gives the protagonist character a small old looking book with the letters run, this also heightens the drama and suspense.

Focused analysis 2: Sound/Music

The opening scene begins with the sound of cars, there is no background music playing, this makes the audience interested as its unique and loud. A few seconds later into the trailer the beat of the music starts and you can start to see the main characters face change, indicating something is wrong. The music starts to become tense as the music become louder and faster which is common in most horror trailers, and emphasises the action which is very effective. The music becomes more intense and faster when the editing is quicker as well, this works well as it adds to the inpact it gives to the audience. Some of the sound in the trailer is the characters talking about what is happening, this is a good ideas and would like to use this in my groups trailer. When the captions fade out the music becomes softer, this works well.

Focused analysis 1: Characters

At the beginning of the trailer it is unclear what genre the film belongs to, as the young woman laying blissfully on the grass seems content. The next sequence of shots are in black and white and show a flashback of the boy at a Valentines dance as he gets shamefully turned down by a group of girls. The dialogue, 'will you dance with me?', is repeated as if it were an echo - this emphasises its importance, also signifying how prominant this memory must be. The comentry throughout this sequence is what first suggests to the viewer that the boy may be seeking revenge due to this event. There are then three shots of the girls (the ones that rejected/tormented the boy) as grown women, wondering what ever happened to the boy that they treated so badly. Following this there is a crash in music and a montage of action shots (the falling action), many showing fear and violence. There are also three captions that appear, all ofwhich reinforce the story..

Detailed analysis of Pan's Labyrinth

The company name is the first piece of film to be shown in the trailer of Pan's Labyrinth, it fades in and out of the scene. This is to show the audience who created the film and if it's well know they are more likely to view the complete film. Music is played over the caption right from the beginning of the trailer this is the rising action (refer to Fretags pyramid). After this Four to five shots lasting around a second creating an atmosphere. The trailer is not telling us the story as it doesn't need to give out detailed information. The second caption in the trailer is very small which shoes the film is about action and creates a ery feeling. The background of the captions very much suits the atmosphere created, the captions also fade out to the next shot slowing the editing down. The next two shots are shown and again another caption is shown with the same background as previous captions. This is all building up to the long shot which lasts around 10 seconds and the music becomes quiet, the scene then becomes scary and loud music is played building a dramatic ending with everything speeding up including the editing and the music. Four lasts shots are shown with quick editing and then a shot where it fades out, this is so the audience can take everything in. There is a long fade from the final shot to the final caption of the films name, website address, release date and quotes from magazines and finally the music fades gently away.

detailed storyboard

initial storyboard

film poster and film magazine cover design

General analysis of music video 3

Song - The Scientist.
Artist - Coldplay.
Year - 2002.
Story :In this video there is a clear story line told in a narrative style by Chris Martin. This is done because it allows Chris Martin to be the 'Hero' of the video and also slow and sad songs needs to have an interesting style of video to keep the audience interested.
Setting:There is outdoor multiply locations, which follow the story line. This is also again to keep the audience interested in the song.
Characters:Christ Martin is the main attraction of this music video to sell the band Coldplay.There is also other characters including the girlfriend, this attracts the audience because the audience likes a love interest story.
Costume:Standard clothing for Chris Martin, this shows the typical style of Coldplay, and the bands image.
Lyrics:The lyrics of The Scientist fit in with the video to a certain extent but not perfectly to the video, but enough for the audience to know the story line and what is happening. The lyrics of this video set the mood and pace of which the video would go, so the audience get a clear feeling from the vibe of the video.
Special effects:This video was filmed once then put into reverse as the final video to show Chris Martin backtracking his day, but he sung backwards while it was filmed first time round so the lip sync would work perfectly when reversed. By doing this it adds interest and makes it more memorable as it is a slow paced song.
Camera Angles:Close ups are important in this video as it is an emotional slow song, so the audience needs to see the emotion of the characters. The long shots were important when the car is falling, to show the damage, and because the car tumble did not work first time around.

General analysis of music video 2

Song: Smack my bitch up
Artist: The Prodigy
Story: Unlike many dance videos this has a very clear narrative building up to the big twist at the end. The twist makes it more memorable.
Setting: Set in the clubs of Soho London also in her (the characters) flat and bathroom. This fits in with the title of the song as it makes it some what acceptable that its a woman smacking a woman up. This type of music would also be heard in the clubs of Soho meaning the setting fits the plot.
Characters: We don't see the band in the video like many dance videos you don't see the DJ or band however prodigy often appear in their music videos. The audience assume that the charater is a man hitting a woman but we find out that the twist is it's a woman hitting a woman.
Costumes: Sexy club outfitsLyrics:
Lyrics are minimal but has some reference to what happens in the video i.e. "Smack my bitch up".
Special effects: Mimimal special effects are used, there used to show that the charater is drunk because were not allowed to see the character only through her eyes.
Camera Angles: Point of view shot to hide the twist until the end, Looks fast as though time is in fast forward which matches the song/genre/club scene.

General analysis of music video 1

Buddy Holly by Weezer
Story: It is a simple story because the target audiencee is more focused on that Weezer are appearing in and episode of 'Happy Days'. There is no need for a complex story.
Setting: There is only one setting used which is Arnolds bar featured in Happy Days. This reflects the simple story and it is easy and time-saving to produce. This relates to the technical aspect of finding it much easier to combine old and new footage.
Characters: The main characters are the band, Weezer. They are the selling point and the audience expects to see them. We also see familiar characters from Happy Days to make it clear that it is an episode from happy days. There are extras including people dancing and watching the performance, representing the fans. This also makes the sitaution seem more realistic.
Costume: The characters are wearing old 70s clothing which resembles Happy Days and the period. Again the relationship between too makes everything seem realistic.
Lyrics: The plot does not follow the lyrics at all. However, this does not matter because the Happy Days episode is selling the band's image. The audience does not focus on the lyrics, instead interest is aimed towards the actual band and Happy Days episode.
Special effects: The video shows a current band, Weezer appearing in an episode of 'Happy Days' which was a 70's series. This is a skillful process of combining new and old footage so you cannot tell that Weezer actually didn't appear in Happy Days. Again the music video appears very realistic.
Camera angles: Close ups show members of the band which the audience is interested in. It shows their facial expressions, emotions and ofcourse they are very attractive to look at. There are a lot of close ups of characters from Happy Days which the audience will be familiar with. Wide shots show the band, happy days characters and crowd which establishes the setting and atmosphere.

intoduction

For my A2 Level Media i will either have to plan and design a film trailer or a music video. I think i will be doing a film trailer as it appeals to me more than a music video, and i have more knowledge on film trailers than music videos. I am also more confident in making it and will enjoy making a film trailer more, as it has the element of surprise as the audience would not know what would be coming their way. The only thing that would make me want to make a music video would be that there is more of a story for a music video.