Reaserch - Mise En Scene:Costume, hair and makeup, body language and facial expressions- Miss Begum

What are costumes, hair and makeup, body language and facial expressions and why is it an important convention? How can it help with character representation and understanding?

 

Costumes- costume helps the audience understand more about the character, as it can guide the audience attention to particular personalities or traits, different costumes have different representations, for example if you see a girl wearing  jeans and a casual top you will instantly portrait her as the victim.

Hair and makeup- Hair and makeup is used to represent the persona of a character, it can help the characters representation as the hair and makeup will give the character the physical look that’s expected from the audience.

Body language- A characters action their movement and the way they present their selves, the body language of a character can help the audience understand what the intentions of the character really are.

Facial expression- How a characters emotion is portrayed to the audience. The look on their face and the meaning this creates to the audience.

All these aspects of Mise en scene are all an important convention because they allow the character to be understood by the viewers; also they add mystery and life to the character.

Costume, Hair and makeup: connotation and stereotypes of characters and clothing

Many characters are stereotyped due to what they are wearing and also the hair and makeup. When thinking of an innocent person you will associate them with a child or a female who dresses in a casual manner and has natural makeup and tidy hair, but then when thinking of someone bad you will think of someone who wears dark colours and has dark makeup and messy kind of hair.

Stereotypical Victim/protagonist

This character is the character of Lucy who is played by the actress Scarlett Johansson, the costumes of Lucy is very casual as she's wearing a simple white tee and jeans, the colour white represent the innocence.  Her hair is in a messy state and her makeup Is very natural which shows that she's an ordinary girl.

Stereotypical antagonist

The Joker is a very well knows antagonist, his costume is not as dark as people would expect, but the colours in his costume have a contrast, purple and green are not usually put together, but the joker seems to be wearing those colours, the green represents envy whilst the purple represents the mystery. Also the joker seems to have makeup that will not be taken very seriously amongst the audience as he has the look of a clown on his face with the white face the red lips and the black outlined eyes.

Body language: representation and meaning to the audience and expectations

The body language of a character can be very easy to identify at the start of the movie because you can see the antagonist as big, confident and pride, but then when looking at the protagonist you can sometimes see the opposite you can see them as fragile, petite over all less confident than the antagonist.

Stereotypical protagonist-

you can see in the body language of Lucy her confidence and can tell that she is she is sleek and fast.

Stereotypical antagonist-

from looking at the joker you can see the confidence in his body language the way he hold the gun with such assurance and relaxation like nothing can beat him.

Facial expressions: representation and meaning to the audience and expectations

Normally the facial expressions of a character allows you to judge the character as they are able to tell from the emotion the character is portraying at the start of the film, what kind of persona he or she has got. When the audience is expecting a protagonist they expect someone with delicate facial expressions and always genuinely happy but when thinking of an antagonist they think of someone with a forced smile, and the look of mischief in their eyes.

Stereotypical protagonist -

the facial expressions of Lucy shows the calmness but when looking in her eyes you can see her determination to get what she wants

Stereotypical antagonist-

The jokers facial expression is very serious you can see the determination and the mischief.

Thriller scene analysis of SE7EN

 In this clip you can tell who the protagonist and who the antagonist is the costumer, hair and makeup of the protagonist who is this case is brad pitt make it clear that he is the victim, as he is dressed in a smart way but also he is wearing black which shows importance, but he has a white shirt on which shows innocence. his hair and make up is very settle and natural, his body language throughout the clip shows his nervousness as he keeps fidgeting, which will portrait him as vulnerable and apprehensive.

 

 

 

Conclusion: what type of costume, hair and makeup, body language and facial expressions are you planning to use and why?

When doing my movie I am planning to use a simple casual costume for my protagonist because I want the audience to feel like the events that are going to occur in my film really do happen to innocent people, I’m also going to make sure that the makeup is not too much so the innocence of the protagonist is really portrayed, but instead of going with the stereotypical body language for my protagonist I want to go for a different approach and give my protagonist a confident look when it comes to body language so that it will make the audience think.

 

Reaserch - Sound - Mr Smith

                                        SOUND

What is sound and why is it an important micro-element?

Sound is film is used to recreate understanding for the audience and to create more meaning about the character and about their emotions. Sound is also used to create a response from the audience.

Sound definitions

Diegetic sound- Sound which is part of the film world e.g. dialogue music from a radio or a jukebox. The source can be on or off screen.

Non-diegetic sound- Sound which is not part of the film world e.g. soundtrack, sound effects, voice overs.

On screen sound – You can see where the sound is coming from (radio, car)

Off screen sound- You can hear sound but cannot see where it’s coming from, but it makes sense to the film world (traffic sounds, coughing)

Parallel sound- Is when the sound you hear in a film is what is expected e.g. a scene with children playing on a beach the parallel sound would laughter, talking and the sea.

Contrapuntal sound- Is when the sound does not match the expectations of what you are viewing an example of this is jaws. The scene of the beach are accompanied by the contrapuntal sound of the theme tune.

Thriller scene analysis

At the beginning of this video you can hear the voice over of James Gordon reading the letter, and also a slow soundtrack in the background which would be both known as non-diegetic sound which means it’s not part of the film. 33 seconds into the clip you can hear the scrunching of the paper that was being read which would be a diegetic sound, as you know where it’s coming from but you are not able to see it.  At 1:45 of the clip you can hear the sound of people clapping, which would be known as onscreen sound as you can physically see where the sound is coming from.  All these different types of sounds are used to attract the audience attention and keep them interested and also try and make them feel a physical connection with the movie and characters in the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What types of sounds are you planning to use and why?

In my film I am planning to use most of the sounds that we have learned and researched about, because each one of these different types of sound will bring something to my film, my main type of sound will be diegetic sound because I want the viewers to follow the film and be engaged with the film, but to add a bit of mystery I will add a bit of an off-screen sounds so that it can leave my viewers wondering.

Reaserch- Editing- Miss Begum

What is edit and why is it important to use in films?

Editing is when you prepare some type of material for publication by correcting any mistakes or modifying it, in other words called editing. It is important to use editing in films because it allows mistakes taken during a shooting to be removed and also it allows new shots to be added into the film, also when editing you are able to add effects which will make the film more exciting and keep the viewers interested, it allows the film when it’s done to look polished and right in the eyes of the viewers.

Provide all the terms that were used in today’s lessons.

Trailers

Film trailers are an excellent  way to attract audience and allow them to connect with the film, film trailers use a mix of editing styles such as speed editing and also use a mixture of techniques, trailers have a lot of speed going on to appeal to the audience . Trailers are used to advertise, an example of trailers would be the trailer of Divergent.  

 

   Straight cuts

  Straight cuts is when one shot moves into another shot without confusing the audience

Fade to black

 Fade to black is very similar to straight cuts but in between the two shots there’s a black filter. in the divergent trailer you are able to notice a lot of fade to black action going on.

 

 

Dissolve

Dissolve is when one shot disintegrates into another, can show the passing of time.  

            

Reaction shot

A reaction shot is when the camera is zooming in the characters face to see the reaction of the character from the previous shot.

 

 

180 degree

180 are imagining there’s a hypothetical line drawn between two or more actors.  It keeps the camera on one side of the action .The camera must not shoot on the other side of the line, because it will confuse the audience, and also the shooting will not be consistent 180 degree rule.

 

Jump cut

Jump cut is a drastic camera movement that is noticeable to the eye. Can create suspence and uncertainty.  

 

 

  Montage

Montage is where speed editing is used where shots are quickly juxtaposed together to create excitement, Montage is used mostly on trailers.

 

Speed editing

Speed editing is when films are put together all at a specific point, the length of the shots makes it able to determine the pace of the film and also helps determine the mood. This is different to slow motion when things are slowed down to highlight certain things.


Editing that I will use:
A fade to black: at the start of my opening to introduce the characters and the credits
Jump cuts: to dramatise the key moments of what is going on in my scene
Straight cuts: to show fluent movement of one shot to the next to create continuity amongst my audience
Reaction shot: if something bad happens in my narrative, a reaction show will be used to capture this so it highlights it to the audience.

 Conclusion

In conclusion the research has helped me because now that I have more knowledge of the difference between the edits I’m able to choose what kind of edit I want and I will be able to attract my audience with. I now have a good idea of the edits I will use in my production.

Research - Cinematography- Miss Begum

What is Cinematography?

Cinematography means the way that the shot is framed, the angle that it is taken in and how the camera moves, thanks to cinematography, the audience is able to see a different representation on the character which allows the audience to respond in different ways.

 These are the shots that we have learned about in lesson

1. Extreme long shot (XLS)-  From the picture above we can see an example of extreme long shot is when you are able to see the character what the character is wearing and the surroundings of the character, this allows the audience to understand what is going on.
2. Long shot (LS)- long shot allows you to see the character the costume of the character, but unlike extreme long shot does not allow the audience to see much of the surrounding 
3. Medium shot - medium shot only allows the audience to see the character from the chest and above it allows the audience to read closely into the characters body language and facial expression.
4. Medium close up-  Medium close up is when the shot allows the audience to see the character from the shoulders above, its very similar to medium shot as it allows the audience to read the characters facial expressions. for example from this shot we can see David from Se7en has all his senses alert as he's got a straight posture and his facial expression is serious showing the audience that he is in a very serious situation.
5. Close up- close up shot is when the audience only see the characters face only. This allows the audience to see the characters facial expression and see if they are feeling negative or positive. For example the above shot allows us to see the distraught look on David. That would lead the viewers to not only feel sympathy for him but also it would lead them to wander what would happen next.
6. Extreme close up- Extreme close up is when the camera is focused on one specific part of the body, it allows the viewer to see the importance of that moment. In thrillers extreme close ups are mostly used in the eye because, when looking at the eye it allows the viewer to interpret the characters feelings
7. Establishing shot- establishing shot is when the viewer is allowed to see the whole location, the whole location is mostly shown at the beginning or sometimes at the end of a thriller. This shot allows the viewer to have insight on.

   
This an extreme long shot taken from The dark knight rises. This shows the entire location of the scene so it establishes where the film will be set. I will look to use an establishing show as one of my opening shots to set the location within my thriller.











This is a Medium long shot from the film golden age. Here it is clear to see the antagonists facial expression which creates fear and intimidation for the audience. When we want to show emotions from our maim characters, I will look to use this size.





Camera Angles

One example of shots is a High Angle shot which has been used to demonstrate the emotion of the protagonist who appears to be fearful and panic-stricken by what he sees  this shot allow the audience to see a bit of the background which looks like in someone's home. This will make the audience feel some sympathy for the character as they see the character in a petrified state in an as the character is on the floor trying to crawl up the stairs for some safety. When we want to show one of characters as vulnerable, I will use a high angle.

 Another example of a shot would be the opposite to the low angle shot , the camera has been set in a low angle to make the character appear powerful and in charge as he's saying something, the shot that has been used also shows the audience the outfit of the character as hes' dressed in a presentable office type wear making him look important. This would make the audience feel aware of his movement and his superiority. This is another angle I will use when I want to show power relations between my characters or my antagonist so it creates fear around them.

 

 Camera Movements

 Tilt shot- is when the camera moves down and up starting from the feet, the movement allows the character to appear mysterious, and will make the audience want to know more about the character.

Panning shot is another camera movement that allows the audience to engage with the film and the character as it will make the audience feel like they are also in the situation that the character is in. Panning shot is when the camera moves across with the character.


Zoom: when the camera goes in or out or a subject or person. This is to emphasize something in detail.


Handheld: this is when the camera is shakey and not stable. This highlights instability within the narrative.


Point of View: This is when the perspective is shown from the character. This can be effective as it puts the audience in the characters shoes.


Crane: flexible free movement of the camera.

Conclusion

In conclusion the research of cinematography has helped me develop ideas for my thriller movie as it has taught me lots of different shots that I am able to choose from at different areas in the movie that will help the audience engage and also help the audience feel what that character is going through.


Some of the cinematography techniques I will use are:
Sizes: CU for fear, MCU to show more of the character and ES to show my locations
Angels: high and low to represent my victim and antagonist in different ways.
Movements: A handheld as I think it will add suspense to my narrative and zoom in's to highlight key emotions.  

Reaserch- Genre- Miss Begum

What is a genre? Why is it important to know this?

Genre is different types of films for example Thriller, comedy, romance and action movies. There are many types of genres , it is important to know what a genre is because it allows you to be able to know what type of movie you are planning to watch and also it enables you to mentally prepare you for whatever you are going to watch.

The thriller genre- definition

Thriller is one of the many types of genres that there is, many people might think thriller as a scary movie but thrillers come in many different ways, thriller provides a rush of excitement and also everything that is to happen next is most of the times not expected. Thriller can affect the viewer’s way of thinking and the persons emotions, in other words thriller is a genre that when put into movies can keep the viewer interested and sitting at the edge of their seats.

Examples of Thrillers, state why/brief description of narratives
 

Lucy (2014)

One example of thriller that I can think of is the recently released film Lucy. Lucy is about a young woman who got caught in the middle of a drug deal with a mob boss, who plants illegal substances in her body in order that she will be able to travel to travel to a country and make it popular there, whilst on her journey to the country she was assigned to she gets violently beaten up by some of the mob boss's employees which then causes the bag of drugs to leak inside her body, the illegal drugs then cause her to develop skills than an ordinary would not be able to obtain, such as telepathy, time travel, the ability to choose where to fell pain, she's able to stop time, enhanced physical and mental capabilities. Her physical state allow her to fight her way through her captives and free herself, after doing some research she comes to find  professor  Norman who is able to help her with her condition. After finding out more and being able to tell the professor everything she knows she disintegrates into a computer.

Black Swan (2010)

Another example of a thriller would be the black swan the black swan is a movie about a ballet dancer who wins the lead  part in the performance of "swan lake" her teachers believe that she is perfect for the role of the white swan who is named princess Odette, but overtime she turns into the enemy Odile who is known as the black swan. In this movie you see the protagonist battle have a battle against her self. This movie would be best described as a psychological thriller because even though it wouldn't scare the viewer it would trigger their mind due to some of the disturbing scenes in the movie.



The Spirit (2008)

Murdered policeman Denny Colt returns as the Spirit, dedicated to protecting Central City from crime. His archenemy, the Octopus,
 is a ruthless killer who will destroy the Spirit's well-loved city to find the secret of immortality.  Moreuarry meets many beautiful women who would be happy to either kiss or kill him.

Sub-genres of thrillers- example

Sub-genres are a genre that accompanies the main genre in the movie, the genre will also be in the film but it will not be as obvious as the main

Examples of sub-genres are...

 

Romantic Thriller 

Ghost (1990)

Ghost is an example of a romantic thriller, the narrative in ghost gives the viewers a rush of excitement, and the love narrative would add more to the excitement as it would attract the viewers attention more.

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Taken (2008)

Action thriller

Over the years the film industry have been producing multiple action thrillers, one very known action thriller would be Taken. Taken is known for its approach to the scandal that is going around known as human trafficking. This gives the movie an ounce of reality, as it would make the audience connect with the movie. Action thrillers have that mix of adrenaline due to the action, and also that suspension due to the thriller.



Psychological Thrillers

One of the many other movies that are included in thriller would be psychological thrillers which would be known as to be traumatizing for some people and would prompt the mind, not just because of the scare but because of the disturbing scenes that are mostly shown in psychological thrillers.  Memento is one psychological thriller film which involves the protagonist having a loss of memory.



There's different sub-genres in the movie world at these are some of the many, there's also sci-fi and crime thrillers.

Common themes in thriller

Thrillers even though they may differ in many ways they always all have common themes between them such as they all have:

• Death
• Killing
• Crime
• Obsession
• Money
• Greed
• Family
• Relationships
• Love

The audience response to Thrillers

viewers can also tend to become frustrated with the movie
 which will often cause them to touch their face

When there is thriller it always gets people (no matter whether they are scared or not) intrigued in what’s happening and what’s going to happen next, also thriller tends to get people physically, mentally and verbally acting as the audience could be sweating, or in a mental state of mind thinking that they are somehow involved with the film and also it will get viewers shrieking If anything that they did not expect happens.

 


Conclusion; how has it helped my understand of thrillers and the coursework requirements

In conclusion I believe that my understanding of thrillers has in a away grown as before I was not really able to tell the difference between horror and thrillers, as I thought they were the same, the knowledge that I have gained will help me when I’m making my movie because it will allow me to make my movie in a way that will gain the audience attention and also effect the audience in a way that will get their mind working. I think many of the things that I have learned whilst researching about thriller will be used in my movie and also I will experiment with the subgenres and choose one that will stand out.

 

Miss Begum