Representation

Mean girls:
Throughout the whole film there has been a clear use of stereotypes, this is automatically visible by the way they have typical stereotyped teenagers. The teenagers have been set up into cliques in the school such as "nerds, jocks, the popular's and plastics etc", although these groups have been overly exaggerated by the costumes, props and the overall mentality of the characters. 
From analyzing the main character's and their group (the popular's) we can see a clear divide between males and females. For example the women are represented as stuck up, rude, ignorant, bitchy and vain. They are glamorous, skinny (of the perfect size) and seem to be dressed in the correct attire. They are viewed as dumb, judgmental, spoilt and slutty by others but also superior and popular as everyone wants to be liked by them.The clothes they wear in mean girls is very revealing, short, pink and shows a lot of skin in all places. In the picture below you can see they are all wearing very short skirts, high heels, all have their hair down. This shows that they are all the same they wear the same things and there all doing a 'sexy' pose. This message shown through the way these girls dress is that your only going to be pretty and popular if you dress less.


On the other hand the Males are portrayed differently  The popular males known as "The jocks" are all attractive characters, they are athletic, fit, muscular and charming to any girl. The jocks seem to be able to get any girl they want and are always the center of attention between the women. The males don't seem to be so judgmental although they can be seen to use the women for sex and only to get rateings from their friends not for and actual relationship. The males seem to always dress in tight fitting tops to enhance their muscular physique, which is though as appealing to the females. Their hair is always styled neatly and they seem to have perfect facial features. The summary representation of males shows that if they are handsome, charming and sweet talking to girls they will be seen as popular which will be attractive to girls.

Narrative

Todorov: Legally Blonde

Equilibrium =
Elle Woods is a college student who is deeply in love with her boyfriends Warner Huntington, they are both happy with their lives and he is expected to go on to Harvard University next year.

Disruption=
Elle thinks that Warner is deeply in love with her and is going to propose to her although he decides to break up with her.

Recognition=
Elle is extremely upset and sad for a while as she believed that they were perfect for each-other.

Repair=
Desperate to win Warner back Elle decides to study for the law entrance exam into Harvard uni, she passes this. She realizes that Warner i not interested in her any more as he has moved on. This gives her the motivation to succeed.

New equilibrium =
Elle makes a friend through work known as Emmett, they both become attracted to each other and start a relationship.Finally he proposes to her and they are happy.

Propp: Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets

Characters:
Hero= Harry Potter
Villan=Voldermort
Helper=Ron and Hermione
Mentor= Hagrid and other teachers
Blocker= Ron and Hermoine
Prize= Harry Potter
Dispatcher= Professor Quirell

Preparation =
Harry lives with his Auntie, Uncle and cousin. He has an average life.

Complication=
Harry's family start to receive mysterious letters as they are being harassed  they move to a safe location in the middle of no-where.

Transference=
Hagrid finds Harry and explains to him that he is a wizard.

Struggle=
Hagrid takes Harry away and brings him to Hogwarts school. His family begin to hate him even more than before. Harry faces some problems with Voldemort and other villains, who want to kill him.

Return=
Harry along with two of his friends (Ron and Hermione) defeat Voldemort.

Recognition=
Harry is recognized as a hero, he makes some best friends and finally feels a sense of belonging in his world as valued wizard.

Straus:Twilight 



Binary opposites= 
-Vampires VS werewolves are used as an opposite although they are both portrayed as negative characters in real life.
-Good VS evil is used between some of the characters.
-Most of the film is set in a dark location which matches the binary of being scary, dark and haunting.
-Super power Vs strength between the characters is used.
-Innocence Vs corrupted between Edward and Jacob.

The Phantom of the Opera.

The film begins with an old sepia image of Paris, as the camera moves in we are greeted with weary, menacing music. The photo then becomes alive and reveals and old city, shown with huge grand buildings, old cars and smartly dressed people, the colours used are browns, blacks and greys to portray the mood of the area. As the camera pans in we can clearly see the city, it looks dismal, dirty and messy. The ground is littered and there are pigeons flying around. We can now see the detail on the buildings and it looks very worn out and dusty. Old fashioned cars and shown as well as little children dressed smartly running around playing, this clearly sets the scene and we are able to recognise what century we are in.

The camera zooms into a royal car, and we are shown only the bottom of a wheelchair, it is made from wood, the sound begins to fade and we greeted with the noise of men moving around. We can still only see the feet of the man but it portrays he may be a rich man as he shoes are formal looking and polished well. As the man is wheeled into a grand building the mood changes and the air begins to blow leaves around, this creates tension as we know something is not right. Furthermore we have still not seen the faces of any of the characters, this could portray that there is a mystery with this as we are not too sure who anyone is or what they are up to.

The scene change to reveal the insides of an auction house, the camera does a 360 pan to set the scene. We can clearly see the building is ancient looking, it is run down, full of dust and cob webs and does not contain much light, there are statues placed around the area like in a grand castle. This detail makes the audience feel like the building is haunted and full of dark (hence the light) secrets.

The only section of lighting in this opening scene is on the seller, here is shown to be the centre of attention in this part so the lighting use is used to portray this. The other characters are light only from one side and the other is in darkness explaining that there is a dark side to them, we are just not sure yet what it is. The rest of the huge building is in complete darkness around the edges as no one dares to enter there.

The music begins to build up as a man buys an item; we sense that something is going to happen. Before the next item is sold the atmosphere is calm and quiet and we can only hear the man speak. Then as he announces it every character turns to face the chandelier. Music begins to play, opera sounds are heard and the atmosphere is left only build up the suspense. As the item is revealed the camera angle changes on the seller and we are now looking up at him as if he knows something that we don’t, his tone of voice changes and becomes more powerful.

Suddenly as the item’s cloth is taken off the sound lifts right up and becoming deep and low pitched. Bright lights are shown as the area begins to lighten up, the mood changes as the colours become modern and every prop is given life. The room becomes instantly cleaner and royal as the use of red is portrayed with rich colours like deep purples and gold’s. The camera moves around quickly trying to show everything change, the piano music begins to play in repetitious motif and speeds up with a backing sound added. We begin to hear organs, as the lights are lifted like a sign of commemoration.

Genre:Thriller

A typical thriller will include:
-Suspense and tension throughout the film with a build up to the main plot
-Sometimes an unanswered ending
-Uses excitement as one of the main elements
-Keeps audiences alert and on the edge of their seats
-A twist in the middle of the film which changes your view on a character
-Dark, greys and blues are used along with simple colours
-Common methods include ransom, captivities, hostages, kidnapping and revenge
-Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces
-creepy or menacing atmosphere
-sometimes little music is used, there is usually a big suspense that has a twist to it
-Provides a sense of exhilaration
-Serious atmosphere with a man as the main character
-Women as the weaker character
-Shown from a protagonists point of view, following events that the hero must overcome
-Heroes in thrillers are often men that are accustomed to danger because of their jobs or lifestyle eg. policeman, spy etc. or are just ordinary people that have been pulled into danger by accident.


Example of typical thriller films:

Genre:Horror

A typical horror film will consist of:
-The killer being almost immortal
-Drinking, drugs, violence and sex-leading into death
-The killer is always one step ahead
-The villan is usually a male and the victim is usually a female
-The person who survives (final girl) is usually a women (virgin) who was shown from the beginning
-Most deaths occur at night or around some type of holiday or anniversary
-Victims are usually teenagers or college students
-Everything is usually over dramatised
-Victims are always drawn in to the danger
-Boyfriends of the victim are usually involved and eventually killed
-The wanted person is always a women, generally blonde, young, naive, popular and attractive
-There is always a suspense and build up to a horror scene
-There is always blood and gore in horrors
-Location is always in a derelict house or environment that is run down or haunted
-Children are used a lot of the time as possessed characters
-The use of the colours red, black, blue and other dark colours are very dominant.

Examples of stereotypical horror films include:

Distribution comapnies

A distributor is an individual or organisation who will represent your film at festivals and markets around the world and who will attempt to sell it to television, distributors generally handle the theatre release of the made film in the chosen country, in addition they also help with the marketing and circulation of films for home viewing on DVD or blue ray.

Soda pictures:

Started in 2002, they are home to some world cinema and independent films and work alongside upcoming directors. Some successes over the last few years include Head-On by Fatih Akin; the Oscar nominated After the Wedding by Danish director Susanne Bier and Heading South by renowned French director Laurent Cantet starring Charlotte Rampling.

Momentum Pictures:

It is one of the leading independent motion picture distributors in the UK, releasing approx 20 theatrical films a year. Some of the most successful releases include The kings speech ( an Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA winning), Amelie and P.S i love you.

Pathe

Pathé UK has a major presence within the UK film industry, in production, development, international sales and distribution. Its productions range from Stephen Frears' "The Queen" to Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire".

Spooks, Questions

Sequence order for ACTION A-in the office.

What is happening?

We are shown some characters inside an important office type building who are encrypting files on the computer.We are also shown a group of males and females in a warehouse who are putting valuable items into a box. lastly one of the men leave the warehouse with a briefcase.

What information are you given?

Some of the characters may not be good as they are encrypting files, the lighting is dimmed and the camera is  hidden behind the door sometimes implying that they are doing something suspicious. 

What information is withheld?

We don't understand why the characters are encrypting the files.

Why is the sequence important?

It creates tensions and allows the audience to wonder why the characters are doing what is shown. It also flits between the two scenes at the same time implying these things are happening together and that the characters are going to meet.

Why do we need to see the other scenes in between these scenes?

Being able to see the other scenes between this keeps the audience hooked on to what is going on, audiences want situations to happen quickly otherwise they loose interest. Likewise it also creates tension and makes the film look like it is moving in real time. Audiences then feel in control of the scenario's are they are able to see what is happening from all of the characters points of view enabling them to pick a side or to feel a bond with a particular character. 

Sequence order for ACTION B-The thieves get ready.

why do you think we cut to see this action in-between the scenes at MI5?

It keeps the audience hooked on to what is going on, it also keeps viewers drawn in to the action to see what is going to happen next and allows them not to be bored and only focus on one scene. It builds up suspense and creates questions as we change between the scenes. 

What did you/do you think they are doing when we saw them firstly?

I thought the characters had broken in to the warehouse and where discussing a plan. I also thought that the items shown in the box were valuables that they had stolen, and that the briefcase had something important inside which was also valuable. 

What clues do you use to make sense of their inclusion?

The dark room and lighting in the warehouse gives a sense of being trapped (screen shot H,J,K,O) likewise door is shown to be shut in the warehouse (screen shot H)

Why do we see less of the thieves?

It creates a sense of mystery and wonder as when we are shown a shot of the thieves we wonder what they are up to and what may happen next. It allows the audience to question what is going on keeping them interested to watch more.

How soon do we know what they are doing?Why does it take so long?

We can clearly see they are up to mischief when the lighting darkens and the camera angle begins to look down on what is going on. In addition the emptying of items into the box highlights suspicions on what they are doing and lastly when the man checks out with the brief case and the uses a finger scanner it creates the idea that some information is locked and hidden. It takes a while to realize this on purpose as a build up to the action is important, it creates uncertainty in what is going on and then finally to reveal what happens.

Feed the fish

Feed the fish By, Kiah, Rianna and Omed.

Self Evaluation:
The film was successful, the shots were good such as match on action when Manhal opened the door. The camera was kept still as we used a tripod, were used a variety of camera angles and shots to capture what was going and allow the viewers to have a sense of what was going on. The music we used was put in place to add humour to the film, it fitted in well as we cut it off at the correct spot. Editing also worked well as the shots matched together although we needed to improve of a few areas where we had included a jump cut. Overall it was a success and looked good as it was clear what was going on when and where, it also fitted the criteria of a funny opening sequence.