Intertextuality

This is our intertextuality vodcast 

Final Cut Part 2

Since my last blog post on final cut I feel like I have improved a lot.
I feel more confident with the software and more willing to press a few buttons and review the outcome. 


I prefer to stick with what I know, and then edit to my best ability and then from there, being able to experiment by pressing a few buttons and coming up with a better, more improved piece. 

Being able to experiment has meant that i can become more familiar with the software and use things we haven't or wouldn't use in class. 
However my favourite points are the recording device - i find this very useful and better than recording at home or on a device where the sound can become crackly and distorted. 


And i also like the addition of adding a wide range of effects or layering a piece over the top of one another. as seen below but we also learnt how to import our clips and pictures from the internet or a memory stick. 

CW: Opening EG 4: The Truman Show

The Truman Show

Peter Wier, 1998 (Sci-Fi/Drama, PG)

Produced by: Paramount Pictures

Distributed by: United International Pictures

Budget: $60M

Box Office:$240M (worldwide) £9M (UK)

Trailer, Wikipedia

Rotten Tomatoes: Scored 94%

Opening Length: Approx. 5 mins

Opening Shot:

The fake credits

The opening shot shows the creator of the Truman show, christof, in an interview. It is solely him on screen. This shot is very basic, designed to set up the movie as a documentary of sorts. The next shot is of Truman talking to himself, this shot has been edited to appear as though it is on a TV. The shot has clutter, such as perfume and other toiletries, along the bottom of the shot. This is atypical to the types of shots often found in reality shows and has been made to show the way in which the camera's are placed on the show. We then see some fake opening credits, they introduce the characters and the character's characters. Clearly this has been set up like this so that the people watching the movie feel like their watching the TV show instead. 

The cluttered shot

Later Shots:
When the light falls the camera is at a slight high angle, this shows truman's worry and powerlessness over the situation. As he goes to examine the light the angle moves to ground level, showing that Truman has now realised the light poses no threat. The next shot is of truman in his car, this shot has been edited to show numbers infront, highlighting the hidden camera style of the show. The shot is now low angle, this shows that truman is calm and seems to be back in control. By gradually changing the camera shot (going from high to middle to low) it demonstrates that truman isn't instantly in control but is instead slowly regaining control, in a tentative manner.  

The slight high angle

CW Opening EG 4: Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz

Edgar Wright, 2007 (Comedy/Action, 15)

Produced by: Universal Pictures

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Budget: $8M

Box Office: £20M

Trailer, Wikipedia

Rotten Tomatoes: Scored 91%

Opening Length: Approx. 5 mins

Idents and Titles:

The Idents are linked together by an audio bridge of some sirens and a jail door, these both link to police and so prepare the audience for the setting

Opening Shot:

Opening Shot.

The opening shot shows the main character walking towards a desk. It is an extreme long shot. The yellow light connotes an action film or a sci-fi. The light is polysemic, as we do not have any Anchorage, we can see on the desk files and other office items. From this Mise en scene we know that this is a busy office as, opposed to having just a few files, there are many files, one of which is open and there is also a paper tray filled with paper. This indicates that the office is actually in use, even though we do not see any receptionist.

Note the people in the background.

Later Shots:
The next shot is cut up by clips from a montage. This was done in order to make the scene feel busy and well populated. This is also shown by having people cross in front and behind of the character. All of the people on screen for this shot are facing the opposite way to the main character, this emphasizes the mission that he is on and also reinforces the busy feeling of the scene. 

Screenshot 3

The character is also shown, throughout the montage as being brave and a good policeman however, (particularly in screenshot 3) he is also shown to be looking stupid. this highlights both the action genre and the comedy genre. There are other shots within the montages, such as a shot where the camera is seemingly running towards the door, that presents the busy nature of the main character's life.

We then cut to an almost complete contrast of this to a meeting between the Sargent and the protagonist. The scene has been slowed down completely. The background music has stopped and been replaced with standard office sounds (ie telephones, typing and paper). This scene shows a dialouge between two characters about nicholas' (the main character's) transfer. This scene sticks to the 180° rule. The camera always stays on the right of nicholas and the left of the Sargent, even during a track shot.

OpeningEG3: Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee

Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee

Shane Meadows,2009

Film Poster

Production:
Big Arty Productions Warp Films Budget: £48K; US box office: $3.5m

RottenTomatoes.com 86%

IMDB 6.2

SUMMARY/IDEAS I MIGHT USE:

using 'creative' idents or the use of the directors name going twice once at the start of the titles and once at the end. And maybe using the same theme with the idents as with the titles

Idents/Titles:

Idents:

Idents

the idents used have been adapted around the genre of the film - that being cartoon - jokes - and not serious giving it a 'silly' tone. Everything looks like it has been drawn with a black fine liner. This signifies artist and a creative person which we see when the film starts as they have shown a person who likes music and appears to like living on the road.

Titles:

same applies to the titles in connection with the idents however the director - Shane Meadows has been mentioned twice once at the start of the titles and once at the end of the titles. 
In order of apperance:
Starring Paddy Considine
Scor-zay-zee
Olivia Colman
Featuring Richard Graham
              Seamus O'Neil
With Arctic Monkeys
Set Designer Alex Collins
Sound Danny Crowley
Camera Dean Rogers
           Shane Meadows
Editor Richard Graham 
Line Producer Clare Slessor
Excecutive Producer Steve Beckett
Original Music By  Scor-zay-zee
Devised by Paddy Considine
                Shane Meadows 
Producer Mark Herbert
Director Shane Meadows
 
 

Sound:

Elements of the Sound Mix:

Opening Scene

Analysis:

Opening Scene: 

• The crowd is cheering - diegetic sound
• battered caravan - rubbish on the floor 
• Le D.I.P above the door of the caravan - duct tape with paper stuck above the door
• 'star' gets out - wearing trackies - baseball cap - which reads the slogan 'kids need pugs not drugs' - not typical or stereotypical celebrity
• the caravan is situated in the back of an industrial estate connoting its not 'hyped' 'classy' or 'upmarket' - lorries visible



Industrial park

• camera men shown like theyre being filmed - home video? - Band video?

Opening Scenes: 

Home video theme again 
outside one of the band members houses on his street 
not typical celebrity style home/area 

Walking on stage

the street has been shown as - rubbish on floor - working class - red bricked terrace housing - this being associated with cheaper housing and terrace housing being cheaper too - old cars not your stereotypical rich person with expensive cars outside - run down area maybe with abit of poverty - general weather appearance of dark clouds and grey sky and stance showing its not the wealthiest of areas because in typical britain especially in american films it is always shown as either pouring it down with thunder or sunny weather.
door gets jammed showing its not in the best quality showing its age
the paint on the door is shabby and chipping 
not a standard door handle - cheaper 
door opens - holds puppet scares audience - laughs - this showing a comical side to the film - comedy emerging 
talks about how he thought the film would be a big movie set - and therefore proving this film isnt worth millions - background noise created through passing lorries - not typical in a film - stating it is more documentary style than a film showing it is made on a cheaper budget

Mise-en-scene: 

house is messy - jackets slung over coat dummies - cardboard shoe boxes containing trainers probably due to the Adidas logo on one of them showing theyre not the typical celebrity with the louboutins and the jimmy choos on show. 
simple living area no fancy 'trinkets' - just the basics 
smoking in the house is a general trade of people who are not very well off and live in poor areas 
kitchen is a mess - food and drinks everywhere - rubbish everywhere - knives on the worktops 

the clothes are simplistic - t shirt - beanie - washing machine broken - dirty clothes shown - at one point one isnt wearing trousers 

scor - acts like a typical teenager - headphones on - unmade bed - stuff on the floor - hat on inside - wearing a tracksuit

Soundtrack:

Showing the musical talent of the singers in the band. showing the comical side as it contains humour within the rap - this is during the idents and titles using audio-bridge this all relates to the film and genre

OpeningEG2: The Warriors

The Warriors

Walter Hill, 1979

Production: Paramount Pictures

Budget: $7m; US box office: $3.5m

RottenTomatoes.com 81%

IMDB 7.6/10

SUMMARY/IDEAS I MIGHT USE:

I like the idea of using the font to connote the strong and the violence however I more into girly chick flicks so may adapt this idea to a more girly format but I like the direct links. 

Ident

Idents/Titles:

Idents:

Paramount Pictures

Titles:

text for titles

the titles are shown in a bold red colour and the font that has been used is specifically chosen for the genre of the film which has a a graffiti style that looks like it has been painted across the screen. This signifies the bold red being violent and could connote blood also red is a strong colour so it could signify someone or something being mentally or physically strong. 

Sound:

Elements of the Sound Mix:

Analysis:

Opening Scene: 

wonder wheel - pink lit up ferris wheel - nighttime

Opening Scenes: 

leader of gang

dark - night - train pulls in lights on - no other light source 
coloured man appears - head dress - traditional african necklace 
group are seen to be getting on an 'old' even for the time period train - full of graffiti - men all wearing leather waistcoats which all have the word warriors on the back along with a skull in between 2 angel wings the edges of the angel wings covered in blood connoting violence

gang 

another group walking under a tunnel in red hats that have a blue strip around them wearing black shirts with a black with a white dotted design tie with cream chinos and a shiny pink waistcoat 
another group - graffiti can be seen - metal bars - black trousers black braces with red and black striped top with a black bowler hat and have white face make up

another gang

point of view of the train - shot to show direction speed and movement 
aother group white trainers baggy jeans navy blue top walk under a tunnel containing grafffiti - scare a woman standing along underneath it
various other small groups shown

Mise-en-scene: 

graffiti showing areas wealth - showing poor area - poverty 
clothes - leather waistcoat shows power and strength 

another gang 

another gang

another gang

Narrative, Genre, Expostition:

Action, Thriller

Soundtrack:

eery music sound with steady beat to the rhythm of the train over the top.

Opening EG1: Bridget Jones's Diary, 2001

Movie Poster

Bridget Jones's Diary 

Sharon Maguire, 2001

Production: Miramax Films; Universal Pictures; StudioCanal; Working Title Films; Little Bird.

Budget: $26m; UK box office:£ 41m

RottenTomatoes.com 81%; IMDB 6.7

 
SUMMARY/IDEAS I MIGHT USE:

main character starting with a monologue

Idents/Titles:

Universal Studios 

Studio Canal

Miramax Films 

Working Title - audio bridge - flute plays - non-diegetic sound 

first title - main character  

In order of apperance:
Renee Zellweger 
Collin Firth
Hugh Grant
Jim Broadbent
Gemma Jones
Casting by Michelle Guish
Line Producer Peter McAlleese
Music Supervisor Nick Angel
Co Producers Debra Hayward
                   Lisa Chasin

Same style of writing used 'girly handwriting'

Original Score by Patrick Doyle
Costume Designer Rachel Fleming
Production Designer Gemma Jackson
Editor Martin Walsh
Director of Photography Stuart Dryburgh
Excecutive Producer Helen Fielding 
Based on the Novel by Helen Fielding 
Screenplay by Helen Fielding 
                    Andrew Davies 
                    Richard Curtis
Produced by Tim Bevan
                  Eric Fellner
                  Jonathan Cavendish
Directed by Sharon Maguire

Synopsis:

starting the diary

Bridget Jones is a Rom-Com about an unattached 30-something who realizes she's got to change her life. After a New Year's Eve, she vows that this new year is the one in which she'll get her act together. She'll lose weight, she'll smoke and drink less, and she'll document it all in a diary.

Sound:

Elements of the Sound Mix:

• womans voices starts - middle aged - narrator - sarcasm and slightly fed up tone  
• dialogue continues throughout opening between herself narrating with the occasional dialogue from mother christmas music starts - upbeat jolly tunes - non diegetic sound   
• then fades and becomes diegetic sound door closes - diegetic sound older woman starts to talk to middle aged woman - her mum background music and inaudiable chatter

Analysis:

Opening Scene: 

opens on MS of Bridget as she walks past in the snow - blonde middle aged naive woman quite shy - lost - no purpose? 

Opening Scenes: 

binary opposites 

man - woman - bridget and mr darcy 

urban - hometown - london - countryside - parents live - rurual 

dominant - mum bossing her around trying to find her a boyfriend - sparking tension between her and mr darcy 

submissibe - bridget - on her own no one to sympathise with but her dad - actually likes mr darcy and isnt like all the others her mum usually picks out for her or chooses

Mise-en-scene: 

Opening scene - cold wintery snowy weather - pathetic fallacy - miserable - fed up
Bridget - Thick coat and scarf on - not glamourous - no make up and hair is not perfect - made to wear plumper clothes to make her look more overweight.
mum in shot - typical wear of a woman of upper middle class - clothing worn is usually worn by a woman of her age - accent is southern english showing class and this being stereotypical of an english represented in a Rom-Com - the dutch angle used at the beginning signifies alienation and intimidation. 

Bridget 2nd Scene - wearing pjs - red - room is a mess - watching tv - reflecting what she is thinking and feeling within the programmes used - drinking wine A LOT - 

After drinking the wine diegetic sound turns non diegetic as she mouths the words to the song


Representations:

Daniel Cleaver

Mark Darcy - Important job - a lot of money - dresses according to the job - suit, tie, briefcase etc - shows the townhouse as a sign of his wealth.


Daniel Cleaver - Important job - a lot of money - dresses not according to the job - suit, but no tie and top button undone creating a more relaxed approach - shows the townhouse as a sign of his wealth.

flirtatious remarks from daniel with bridgets bad fashion sense

Bridget Jones - Single - overweight - good job - woman being more dominant - no fashion sense as such - big knickers - and doesn't dress according to her job with low tops and short skirts.


Soundtrack:

All by myself by celine dion - relates back to the monologue that she is going to be 'living by her self and been eaten when dead by alsatians' if she doesnt do something about it. The song is also sad so reinforces the narrative.