Camera Angles and Practicing Editing

High angled shot:

This high angles shot shows that Nena looks quite intimidated as I am looking down at her. It would make her feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

This shot is commonly used to make someone appear to have littler status than someone else.

Some more examples of high angled shots:

Worms view:

Looking at from the ground at the branches of a tree.

Black and White edits:

Black and white is a very commonly used thriller signifier, that I have spotted in a number of film thrillers. The black and white creates a lot more mystery compared to when just using colour. However, if used together, (a good example being in Sin City - the woman's red lipstick against her grey complexion and so forth), it emphasises certain things/objects.

Exploring the "Fill" tool and changing the opacity. The tools helped me show a contrast between the dull grey surroundings and then the bright yellow, and blue marks on the floors.

Further exploring... makes the edit look more as though it was taken at night. It is also a good example of a vanishing point.

Camera Shots

In one of our lessons, we looked at different camera shots and types and explored making our own examples. We went around the school and used a digital camera to take photos in our groups. Below are example of the shots we looked at:

An EXTREME CLOSE SHOT looks something similar to this:
The shot usually focuses on a part of and object, for instance, a characters face- similar to what I have done to the right...
Depending on what film the shot is used in, it can create different moods and atmospheres. For example, in a romantic film, you may find the shot is extremely close to the two peoples' mouth, to give sexual tension, maybe hinting that they will kiss. Or another completely different example, could be in a thriller, you are shown a paper document with a picture, which would make you wonder who it is of or what it is...added to a thriller signifier...mystery.
Going from the extreme close up is the CLOSE UP shot, which commonly shows just one character's whole face. This is helpful when trying to suggest the character's feelings and emotions, as you can clearly see their face expressions. The example below shows that the character is smiling, so she appears happy. If she were crying, we would probably feel sorry for her, empathise for her and wonder what was wrong.














This is a MID SHOT (MS):
You would use a mid shot to show something in more detail but also shows some of the background and the surroundings. They are helpful when trying to show movement too.

This picture is showing the camera shot, LONG SHOT, which is used commonly to show movement as there is plenty of room for the subject to move. Even more, it is helpful to the audience because it sets the scene.

This is an EXTREME LONG SHOT which is seem to be used to show:
*Vast open spaces or large amounts of landscape
*Isolation
*Establish the general setting/location.
It can also be known as an establishing shot in some cases.

Marc Jacobs, Daisy perfume advert

"Daisy" by Marc Jacobs is almost 'displayed' on a young woman who seems to be wearing underwear or a bikini. She is lying down on a grassy field which gives the advertisement a sense of nature. The young woman's pale skin looks very bright and this could be done by certain lighting to make her stand out against the duller, dry grass.

As the girl is very bare and revealing her body, it gives the advert a hint of sexual influence. However, the daisies on the actual perfume itself makes the advert and girl seem innocent and delicate. Her gentle hands rest and support the over-sized perfume, which adds to tenderness and perhaps naivety. Even more, the girl looks a bit vulnerable as she is in a very open position, with one of her legs bent and another lying down.
The impression the perfume has on the audience could be that if you wear the fragrance, you will feel naturally beautiful and happy. A daisy is a simple but delicate, pretty flower so it could be connoting, 'a simple squirt of this perfume and you will feel like the girl looks'. This is because, the model seems very relaxed and peaceful; untroubled. The advert could be on some level, encouraging natural, organic beauty.
The perfume advert is very radiant and charmingly sweet in contrast to my other perfume advert. The Armani advert is a lot more sexy and possibly for older audiences of women, whilst the Marc Jacobs one is a lot more pure and maybe targeting younger women. However, in both adverts, the women make you feel as though you want to be them. One feeling extremely confident, sexy and glamorous and the other feeling youthful (as she looks younger), cheerful and beautiful. The younger woman looks cheerful as her skin is quite luminous and she is smiling, in a relaxed position.
The perfume bottle looks quite out of place as it is an exaggerated size, but helps to draw the audience's attention and think it is an attractive bottle/design. I think it is a nice idea of taking the photograph in a field as it makes the daisy bottle look more as though it belongs there. I noticed that the colour of the perfume is similar to the tan colour of some of the grass, so it almost emerges into it's surroundings. Therefore the daisies are perceived as be striking and links all the things together, the name of the perfume and the whole idea.
The anchorage is very simple indeed. The creamy, white colour covering most of the advert makes it have a very unfussy and calm tone. Against this, the black writing (uppercase) font is plain and bold. It is very short and snappy so that adds to its' simplicity and makes it easy to remember. The font looks quite informal but makes a statement. "Daisy", "Marc Jacobs" and "The New Fragrance for women" are all in uppercase so it makes the impression that the labels/names are all important for you to read.

By looking at thirds, it is very similar to the Giorgio Armani advert,

(grid lines not very accurate but give a rough idea).

The young woman is laying down, and the first horizontal line goes through her, showing how she is one of the main focuses. The second top grid is another focus point, with the perfume sitting in that particular grid.

The brand and maker of the perfume appears to be another focus (as you'd expect) as it is in one of the centre grids, almost mirroring the perfume -to suggest a link perhaps. This is a very clever idea when trying to make specific focusing points.

Giorgio Armani perfume advert

The most striking of my three adverts has to be the "Armani Code" perfume by Giorgio Armani. The woman, in a very revealing, glamorous, black dress is the main focus point. Then comes the handsome, typical dark-haired-man who is obviously attracted to her, possibly due to the fact that she is apparently wearing the perfume. She is about to enter what looks like a club or party in which she is going to steal the spotlight and get attention.
(http://www.perfumewave.com/images/armani%20women_225x296_AD.jpg)

As her skin is lit up against the dark, gloomy background, where there is also quite ghostly figures, she stands out and all the attention goes on her. Her eyes are looking directly into the camera, as though she is looking at the audience. Her glance suggests that she knows she is sexy and feels very confident within herself. The woman looks very elegant and seductive; acting as an irresistible female, for men. The perfume is specifically for women and the advert could be suggesting that the other women can be like her, sexy and desirable. She appears in such a manner due to the fact that she is the main focus in the frame.

If looking at thirds, you notice how the advertiser has made up the advert, creating things to be more emphasised than others. For instance, the middle top grid, is the woman's face. This suggests that she is one of the main focuses. Another example, is the middle grid where the woman's body is slightly more to the right side, showing her naked back. A diagonal line is created as her left arm goes across the centre of the advert, perched on the brand's symbol. The invisible line made my attention follow her arm, down to the symbol, so it also makes it more noticeable. Another thing that has just come to my attention, is the fact that the symbol and her skin colour are quite similar, so this would make it more distinctive.

Grid:

1) Left hand corner - man's face
2) Middle top - her face
3) her hand is top right- gentle
4) His suit- sexiness
5) Her long toned arm - diagonal
6) Other arm - bent
7) Icon, brands symbol
8) Writing - all in middle bottom.
9) Perfume

Her tanned, toned skin, her bright blue eyes, sleek neat hair, no accessories (jewellery) making the phrase "less is more" seem true. The bareness of her skin and body adds to the sexual atmosphere. The way she is standing, she looks very open to the man, looking possibly vulnerable but her stern, straight face implies that she knows what she is doing. For instance, it seems she knows she has caught his eye and is drawn to her. Her hands are softly perched on the icon for Giorgio Armani and the door. The symbol is gold which gives the impression that the design is precious and expensive.
The camera shot is a mid shot as it shows her upper torso, head and some of the background. In the background, the 'background' people seem as though they are unimportant and just floating about. We think this due to the gloomy effect of lighting. The lighting is mainly on the female and reflecting off the man's face and suit. A suit can denote manliness, importance, smartness and sexiness. He has a loose shirt with a tie, which perhaps connotes sexiness. If a man undoes some buttons, it can suggest that he is feeling under pressure, hot or showing his body (chest etc).
The perfume itself is pretty and attractive, a bottle with different shades of blue. The different shades of blue could suggest how a woman can have different sides. Blue can be interpreted as a calm, pure colour (like water), but as it is dark nearer the top of the bottle, it could be suggesting how women are sexy and dark at times. The dark- detailed floral pattern makes it feminine. The shape of it too, is similar to how a woman has curves and a thin waist, so it could be a representation of a women's body.
The lighter shade of blue is used for one of the words on the anchorage, 'Armani'. The same similar colour is found as the women's eyes. An interpretation of the colouring could be that it is saying the link between her eyes and perfume and by wearing it, 'you will look (eyes) like me (the woman)'. The font and use of white makes the design name and label stand out. The white against the black dress and background show a contrast and could be linked with the clarity a female and her darker, sexier side. The font is close to 'Times New Roman' which is simple and usually used for important, formal reasons. The used of the font makes the advert look as if it is making a professional and sophisticated approach. I noticed that the perfume design name is in upper case whilst the name and label is in lower case. This shows the importance of the company and the less relevance of the name. On the other hand, it could be separating the names of the firm and the perfume because 'Code' is possibly larger in size than 'Armani'. The purpose the light colours against a very dark photograph is to emphasise the contrast and make the figures, perfume and writing more noticeable.

Film : Taken (narrative and thriller signifiers)

Last weekend, I went to the cinema to see a new film called, Taken. It was directed by Pierre Morel and has Liam Nesson (Bryan), Maggie Grace (Kim), Famke Janssen (Lenore), Katie Cassidy (Amanda) starring as the main characters.

The narrative is based on, following an ex- CIA "Preventer", Bryan, who has to find his daughter- Kim- after she is kidnapped by human trafficking/sex-traffickers in Paris. He uses his skills from his past job to find her and will and does kill anyone who gets in his way.

At the beginning, the film started off as a very calm and peaceful atmosphere for the exception of the divorce between him and his ex-wife, Lenore. I believe the reason behind the divorce was because, he was always working and was never home to see his wife and Kim. Between them it was awkward, as Bryan had wanted to spend more time with his daughter but Lenore was reluctant. Lenore was married to her new husband, Stuart who was very well off. I think Bryan saw him as Kim's new father figure, so he wanted to do anything just to be back in Kim's life, (as he had missed most of her childhood).

If looking at the usual narrative of a thriller, after the beginning there is usually an event. This could have been Kim's 17th birthday party where Bryan goes to give her her present. We are shown what it is, so when Stuart springs a surprise present (a horse), we feel sorry for Bryan as he expresses disappointment, perhaps jealousy and sadness through his face expressions. However, there is another event that I think is more important which is when Kim and her friend, Amanda plan a trip to go around Europe, the first place being Paris.

Following the event comes the climax which has to be when Amanda and Kim arrive at Amanda's cousins' flat in Paris. They are supposed to be staying actually with Amanda's cousins but they have gone on holiday too. Kim was not told about this, so this worries her and the fact that her parents thought she would be too. As they are there only by themselves, they are shown very vulnerable as they are just two girls in a place they do not know, and do not know anyone there. On the other hand, whilst arriving in Paris, they do meet a young 'gentleman' called Peter. He appears to be a new arrival to Paris too, so they naively share a cab with him to where they are staying. He then tells them there is a party later that evening, asks them whether they will go, (Amanda says "yes" rapidly without Kim saying anything), he asks which floor their staying on and says he will pick them up later. This is the part where as the audience we notice an obvious corruption has occurred. This is more of the climax...when Amanda receives a call from her father- she confesses that She and Amanda are staying alone and she was not aware of this- she goes around the opposite side of the flat and ends up in a bathroom. In the bathroom, there is a window where if you look through, you can see the opposite side of the flat. Suddenly, about 4 black figures enter the side where Amanda is. They grab Amanda and contain her movement, taking her out of the flat. Kim witnesses this and still being on the phone, screams to Bryan this. The black figures then start walking towards the way in which Kim walked. She tells Bryan this. He tells her to go into the nearest bedroom and hide.

A problem then occurs as Kim is also kidnapped by this random black-clothed men. Bryan, still having an extremely good knowledge of CIA skills, manages to tell Kim to shout to him across her mobile, as many descriptive words about the kidnappers appearances (hair, clothes, voice...). This therefore gives Bryan a starting point in where to find her...or along the lines of having any hope of recovering her.

Following the rest of the film, he finally manages to find her and save her (the resolution), from being exported to another country. They arrive back in the US to be reunited with Kim's mother. The ending was very sweet and happy as Kim had a chance to fulfil her dream of having a chance to be a pop star.

(I missed some of the films plot and narrative, so I didn't give it all away).

LINK TO TRAILER OF FILM:

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3488219417/

Thriller signifiers:

*Twists which could include, when Kim finds out that her and her friend are alone whilst staying in Paris and when we (as the audience) find out that something is up with the Peter guy.

*chasing- on foot and in car

*gun- gun shots

*plenty of violence

*drugs

*sexual tones and atmosphere ~ sex-trafficking.

*corruption

*classic claustrophobia and enclosed spaces~ lift and when he electrocutes a man who belongs to the sex- traffickers.

*Urban setting, in Paris, the flat- very high up so makes it harder to escape

*Night- when a car chase occurs