DYM Homework Feedback

Well done, Jess. Some very good points made and a good attempt at discussing the differences between the two. However, for "narrative expectation" you needed to have had more points about the the type of story we were going to be shown and how you thought the story was going to be told.

DYM Opening Sequences Analysis

Legally Blonde..

Narrative Expectations

• The film starts with extreme close-ups of a girl brushing her blonde hair, doing her make-up painting her manicured nails and taking a lot of pride in her appearance, but the camera doesn’t show her face building up to what she looks like.
• This is in slow motion forcing us to focus on her showing she is the main character.
• A letter with the name ‘Elle’ is passed around the sorority suggesting the girl we keep seeing is Elle and this is also building up to seeing Elle.
• We are shown her perfect hair, perfect nails, perfect jewellery, pink clothes and a little dog suggesting she is very materialistic and gives the image of typical ditsy blonde, it also seems like a very girly fun film.
• We are also shown lots of labels eg. Tiffany and Prada and a Mercedes Benz showing she is rich.
• It’s set in a college showing different groups of teenagers socializing.
• Elle is shown to have a perfect life, she’s obviously very popular, everyone is signing a card wishing her luck for ‘homecoming queen’, she has great friends, a boyfriend and is extremely wealthy.
• All the girls are shown looking pretty and taking pride in their appearance showing looking good is a priority in this film.
• She blows a kiss to a picture of her boyfriend at the end implying their will be romance in the film, so the genre may be romantic comedy.
• Girls climb the stairs to give the card to Elle showing she is at the top and everyone looks up to her, when Elle gets the card is when we first see her face.
• The song ‘perfect day’ is playing in the background, it’s very upbeat, living and exciting which is signifying Elle’s life, everything seems a bit too perfect suggesting something may go wrong.

Shot Types 

• 
  
  A lot of ECU’s on Elle to show detail on her getting ready building up to seeing her face so we’re forced to focus on her.
• CU’s over all her belongings eg. nail polishes, perfumes, designer labels to add to the image of her being a rich materialistic girl.
• LS’s of the college, campus and surroundings to set this upbeat scene.
• Tracking shot following the journey of giving the card Elle showing her significance.

Character Information 

• 
  
  The main character, Elle, is made to look like a girly ditsy blonde who only cares about her appearance, shopping, and boyfriends, but who has the perfect life.
• We see that Elle was homecoming queen showing she is very popular and has a lot of friends.
• All the girls at the sorority are similar to each other and Elle, they seem perfect doing their hair and make-up and care a lot about their appearance. They’re very conventional.
• The boys are also very similar, they’re conventional, masculine and obsessed with the girls.
• All the characters seem very stereotypical.

Se7en..

Narrative Expectations

• The film starts with a middle-aged man getting ready for work, he is very smartly immaculately dressed. There is no music, low lighting, dull colours and dark clothes which suggest a serious and dark film.
• We see clips of the man in his home and then the camera following him to work showing us he is the main character.
• Morgan Freeman’s character is very immaculate, everything is neat and lined up, nothing is out of place. For example, his suit is pristine and his belongings are very carefully lined up on his bedside table as if this is a daily routine for him. This suggests he is very precise and accurate, always in control of the situation.
• The main character comes across dull, serious and almost boring. He also seems very isolated, he lives alone and seems very independent.
• The setting is a crime scene implying that Morgan Freeman is probably a detective in an investigation. The rain, thunder and dark surroundings suggesting the film is a thriller.
• Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman’s character’s are a complete contrast, they clash and don’t seem to get along. Brad Pitt’s character is loud and spontaneous, whereas Morgan Freeman’s character is quiet and methodical.
• In the credits, we see blood and the font used is quite chilling connoting the film will be chilling.

Shot Types 

• 
  
  ECU’s of his belongings, not him, forcing us to pick up on how immaculate he is.
• LS’s of him in his home showing us his loneliness and isolation.
• LS’s tracking the two character’s as they walk along the street, as if we’re following them and listening in on something.
• Low angles used to make the characters seem superior and more important.

Character Information 

• 
  
  Morgan Freeman’s character seems very quiet and lonely, he keeps to himself.
• He seems to have OCD as he is obsessed with everything being neat and perfect and he uses a metronome to help him sleep.
• Brad Pitt is very relaxed etc. and is portrayed as the complete opposite to Morgan Freeman.

BLK Shot Evaluation

1. Describe your shot and identify in what way it could be seen as representing ‘horror’

This is a medium long shot that focuses on a young teenage girl, she is hiding in a small cupboard full of clothes, the door is open and looks as if she has just been discovered by someone. She is white with long blonde hair and blue eyes which is the stereo-typical description of a victim in a horror movie so we get the impression she is the innocent vulnerable victim, we can also see this vulnerability in her facial expression as she looks terrified and nervous. Half of her face is covered by clothes which suggest she is hiding from someone, but also suggests mystery as if she has a dark secret or there is something we don’t know as half her face is in darkness. You can only see one of her eyes and she is directly addressing the camera which I think is really effective, hiding in a cupboard is also a common theme in horror movies. She is clutching a weapon in her right hand which shows she is brave and will try to defend herself but will not be enough as she is probably facing her killer. In this shot, the flood of lights suggests the killer has been sneaking up on her, has opened the door and found her. I think the lightness of the shot also represents her innocence and naivety, as if she wouldn’t even imagine what is about to happen. This shot represents the genre of horror as it shows the theme of the unknown as we cannot see the killer which creates suspense and fear for the audience and it shows the theme of isolation as the young girl is all alone and has no-one to save her.

2. What did you actually do to achieve the effect?

To achieve this effect we used padlights and had them half open to create the effect of the cupboard having just been opened. We also closed the door slightly so this would create a flood of light to create the effect the killer had just found his victim. To make the high angle as if the shot were from the killer’s view, we put the camera on the tripod and tilted it down, this makes the girl look even more terrified and exposed.

3. What is successful about your shot?

I think the most successful part of the shot was the fact it was from the killer’s view. As the killer is looking down of her, this shot shows the killer has control of the situation and has a lot more strength and power than the girl, the high angle makes her look helpless and defenceless. Also, I think the distance is very effective, if it had been a close-up shot we wouldn’t have created an atmosphere of isolation, being alone and fear. I like the fact she is hidden in a cupboard aswell, it shows her privacy and safety has been invaded and has been forced to hide in her own home, this is a common theme in horror movies as your home is the place where you’re meant to feel safe.

4. What would you do in hindsight?

If I were to do this shot again, I would darken the lighting a lot and create a lot more shadows to add fear and horror. I would also clear the cupboard as all the clothes distract attention away from the victim and I would make all the clothes that were visible dark colours to create a darker atmosphere.