The location of the shot is in a car park, this is a generic convention of a thriller. Cars are male orientated objects however in this shot the woman, Louise is dominating because she has a gun. The car park is also quite isolated which is another generic signifier that this is a thriller film.
Characters;
Thelma and Louise could both be considered as contemporary femme fatale/Archetypal characters as they both have that sort of appearance. Thelma is holding the gun to a man, this is a big juxtaposition from the norm as it is usually women who get treated badly.
Camera Angle;
For this particular shot the director uses a medium close up establishing shot to show the situation.
Lighting;
This shot uses non-ambient saturated lighting to create a dark and dingy feel which is another signifier that this is a thriller. Also the light is focused onto and reflected back off the gun, which represents its importance to the scene.
Props;
The lustrous gun is the only prop in this shot, it is almost in the centre of the shot which tells the audience abouts its importance to what is going to happen.
The representation of this shot is showing that America is corrupt with no feeling of safety or security. In the short clip we watched it showed Thelma getting raped and Louise shooting the man, called Harlem. Both Peter Wier's Witness and many of Quentin Tarantino's films such as Pulp Fiction also show the same, corrupt image of America.
The credits are the first thing that the audience see's at the start of Essex Boys, plain black and white connotes that the film could potentially be quite gritty, it also sets the mood to the audience. The white lines could be scratches, the use of non diagetic sound creates a tension that makes the audience aware.
The first shot is a medium establishing shot of the car in the confined garage which presents elements of claustrophobiaand is also a generic signifier that it is a thriller. The use of non-ambient, noir, chiaroscuro lighting creates a triangle shape, in the Third Man the light is used to do the same thing, it represents the thriller genre. The garage light is then turned on by the young man and as soon as the light switch flicks you can see the cobwebs and a lot of other
gritty things that again confirm that this film is a thriller.
This then cuts to a medium close up shot of the young man in the car, the inside is grimy again which represents that the film is gritty. It is also another confined space which reinforces the fact that this is a thriller film. There is then use of diagetic and non diagetic sounds when the young man does a voice over explaining his current situation. The man's accent is significant as it backs up the fact that this film is called Essex Boys. The young man then proceeds to clean his window.
This then cuts to a point of view shot from the car of a tall male, wearing a very flamboyant and colourful shirt with a big black leather jacket, these factors connote that he is a gangster, the slight use of low angle also backs this up and also implies that he is an important character in the film.
This then cuts to a sort of following shot as the car is driving down wet, bleak streets which yet again represents the thriller genre. This cuts to a point of view shot from the car as the men are entering the vanishing point, Dartford Tunnel. It is another confined space and from this shot you could also say that is was like looking down the barrel of a gun. In the first few minutes of the film it has been established that the film is very Essex and gritty, could this be the representation Terry Windsor wanted to create of Britain?
This then cuts to a close up of the gangster in the back of the car, you can tell he is confident and could lead to the thought that something was going to happen shortly. This then cuts to a close up of the young man, his facial expression says it all really, he looks confused and a little bit sad. The bars of light that were created in the foreground of the frame are a representation of a prison cell, this is showing that he could be heading somewhere potentially trouble or danger.
This then cuts to a low angle following shot of the car, the road is wet and the whole frame is dull and very bleak. The bridges and such sort of create a notion of confinement again, representing the thriller genre. The camera then pans to the right to show the Welcome to Essex sign, this is ironic as it backs up the audiences thoughts of what Essex is Like, the director uses this again to give a bad representation of Britain.
This then cuts to an extreme close up of Jason the gangster. His facial expression is angry and menacing, the use of a voice over again from the young boy explains what the situation is, but doesn't know entirely what is going to happen. He then gets out and walks confidently through the fishmongers holding something that looks like a bat. This cuts quickly to a close up of the young man still in the car, watching, again he looks puzzled and uncertain of what is about to happen. This then cuts to shot reverse shot of Jason and then his victim, this lets the audience know something is about to go down. Then Jason starts to beat up the guy, the camera angles in this part are varied but they all signify Jason's significance and confidence, he is a key character. The fight appears to seem natural to the people at the fishmongers and it suggests that it is just part of everyday life and reality for Jason.
This then cuts quickly to a close up of the young man's face, he is clearly in fear of Jason and this is shown by his facial expression. The lighting is still bleak and dull which could imply what the characters life is like, gritty all the time? This then cuts to a point of view shot of the young man looking out of his left wing mirror to see Jason with his victim, Jason then proceeds to throw acid in the man's face, this is a pretty dark thing to do and it again signifies the harshness of Jason, or the harshness of Britain on the whole? The enigma of this particular scene is focused on the man in the suit getting beaten, it makes the audience think what did he do to deserve that etc..
This then cuts to a close up of Jason putting the man in the suit into the back of the white van, white vans are often a signifier that the film is a thriller, Jason is still acting menacing and this imprints the fear into the young man's mind.
This cuts to a sort of low angle shot of the white van driving, the lighting has slightly changed, it is now brighter as you can see by the blue sky, this could represent Jason as he is in the process of revenge and he is happy with it?
It then cuts to a close up of the two men in the cab of the van, the young man driving is still clearly in some sort of fear and Jason is looking confident as he checks his knuckles for wounds. Screams are then heard from the man in the back of the van, not phased by this Jason his looking at his shirt from marks, he then finds a mark and says "shit," this is important because it tells the audience that Jason is used to doing this sort of thing and that he is not scared. Shot reverse shot is then used to capture both of the characters expressions, it seems kind of awkward as you can see the fear the young man has.
The young driver then gets out and a low angle shot of him opening the back is used, you can tell he is quite tense about opening it when he listens in, the back opens and out runs the man with acid all over his face.
This then cuts to wide angle shot of the Essex Marshes, you can see another vanishing point at the end of the marsh, which could signify the end for the man in the suit. The marsh is completely isolated, it is a predatory hunting ground for Jason. The lighting has gone back to being bleak and harsh, representing Jason's character. The marsh appears to be a wild, primeval landscape that has no morals. The shot on the right captures the meaning very well, you can just see the victim isolated, with no where to go, Jason then gets out and a medium shot is used to show Jason kicking him once more to the ground.
A medium shot of Jason is then used, he is in the foreground but the slight focus of the frame is the background, the marsh. Jason is looking relieved that he has got his revenge, again his importance stands out here.
This shot suggests that Jason has no moral
boundaries whatsoever, Terry Windsor portrays it to be a wasteland, one that Jason might know very well, it could also represent Jason's isolation from society. This setting is very much part of Essex as well as it being a no man's land. This long shot of the white van driving back along the dirt track captures the utter grittiness of the Marsh, however Jason is used to it. The non diagetic sounds used here amplifies the bleakness of reality, it also creates a slight suspense, what will Jason do next?
The opening shot is a low angle shot of a statue which is something to do with Greek mythology, the low angle shot signifies the statue as being something of great importance and power. This then cuts to slightly low angle close up of a little Amish boy called Samuel Lap capturing the boy's reaction to seeing the statue, as he his Amish he has never stepped out of his close knitted community until now so seeing things like this are completely new to him. The use of a low angle close up connotes that he could be an important character in the film.
The following shot is a high angle shot over the shoulder of the statue which is in the middle of a train station, a large open public space. The over the shoulder shot of the statue is used to imply the insignificance and also vulnerability of the young boy, it could also represent that he is a minor, meaning that he is part of such a small, outdated Amish community which is a minor religion...This then cuts to a medium shot with a vanishing point (the door) of an area of the train station, which contains two people, the Amish boy and Mother in complete isolation in the empty room, which could again represent being part of a minority and to connote a sense of fear or threat. The mother speaks with a German accent which is very much part of identity as this identifies the two characters as outcasts in the American city, again signifying vulnerability.
The boy then proceeds to wander off from his mother, which shows her nativity as they think they safe within their Amish community but they have ventured outside their community to a big city which is potentially very unsafe. The boy walks into the toilet, which is also a vanishing point in the shot. This cuts to a medium close up shot of a sort of 25 year old white male wearing a leather jacket looking into the mirror, he is the focus of the shot and it shows him for enough time to note that he is of some importance. Ambient lighting is used to create a subdued and murky tension.
This cuts to another close up of the leather jacket guy and you then hear the door close, 2 males walk in and the director uses diagetic sound to divert the audiences attention. Slightly low angle lose ups of the head and shoulders of the males are used but their faces are not shown as they are in shadow of the light, this creates an enigma around the characters, creating tension. All characters are in a slightly low wide angle shot, this then cuts to a close up of a knife being pulled out by one of the two men that walked in, this then suddenly cuts to an extreme close up of the boy through the slit of the toilet door the show his reaction, naturally he is scared. This reverses again to a point of view shot of the little boy showing the murder, during this a mixture of dialogue and soundtrack are used, creating suspense.
Then the dead man and one of the murders leave the shot and it cuts to a slightly low angle shot of the murderer cleaning the knife, shot reverse shot is then used between the boy and man to create tension. Then the murderer hears a noise from one of the cubicles, a simple medium shot is used to show the man pulling out a gun, the shot reverses again to show how scared the boy is. Following this the man then proceeds to open each one of the toilet doors, this the shot reverses again to show to boy trying to lock the lock, he is shaking which connotes his fear. The shot of the man getting closer is menacing and it adds to the tension of the action. The camera then focuses on the feet under the toilet cubicles which is threatening, there is still no change in the colour of the scene (colour saturation).
The Amish boy stands on the toilet as a last resort really, he stands in the form of a crucifix/ christ which represents his religion and also deliberately symbolizes the boy's innocence in the situation. This then cuts beautifully between the killer and the boy or potential victim, silence and footsteps are all you can hear which adds to the threat and fright of the situation.
Throughout the scene the lightly is mainly ambient to give a sense of realism and authenticity.
There are a few significant representations in the film and one is a representation of American Culture, within the first 20 minutes of the film there has been a relentless murder carried out, giving a negative feel to modern America.
The next is the representation of race, in particular the classic stereotype that black is bad and white is good because the shot where they are carrying out the murder shows the black man being ruthless and cruel.
There is also a representation of a mother as being virginal and good.
What Planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming? For planning of our preliminary task we created a shot list, which told us all the different types of camera shots we would need to use and where to use them, such as low angle or a long shot.Our plot was about smoking and I played the smoker and will was the person who disagreed with it. I also created 2 different storyboards because we had two different ideas for the task at first, but the storyboard was used to map out the different scenes of our film and a brief description of what was going to happen and the type of shot that was going to be used.
What is the 180 degree rule, and how is this rule important to the film task? Whilst filming our preliminary task we encountered a problem with the 180 degree rule and broke it slightly, as a result we had to film again, but basically the 180 degree rule means that all the action, a tennis match or a conversation has to be filmed on the same side, so the action doesn't cross over and confuse the audience. However we managed to overcome this problem whilst filming the conversation.
What shot types and camera angles did you use in filming your task and to what effect?
The opening to our film was a low angle shot of feet and somebody stubbing out a cigarette, this was effective as it established the situation but it didn't give away any information about the characters. Over the shoulder shots were then used to follow the character into the building, which showed the journey from a certain point of view. Close ups were used to show people opening doors, this was good as they were often from a low angle which turned out to be a nice shot. We used a bird's eye shot to show the characters walking into the room where the conversation took place, then shot reverse shot was used a little but during the conversation which had great effect because you could hear the dialogue and see the peoples expressions.
What editing skills did you develop, and how confident are you with using the editing software?
During editing I learnt many skills such as how to cut parts of recorded film, which was fairly easy to do. I also learnt how to insert titles, merge videos together and also how to mute some of the film. Before using the editing software I had only used Windows Movie Maker so Adobe Premiere was a step up and it is more complex to use but it is quite easy to use. I do need to improve my use of editing software more so that the cuts are smoother and it all fits together perfectly.
This alleway is quite a scary one, it is long and thin and some of it is in complete darkness, it is ideal as it creates a sense of fear.
This alleway is on Newmarket road and at night you can't see very far into it.
This is near eagle park and the cobbles would fit well with our film and it would look better in the dark.
This is the underpass under the st stephens roundabout and it could be good for a thriller film because although it isn't dark, at night the light is dim which creates a sense of fright.
Caught almost literally between a rock and a hard place, Ree Dolly’s (Jennifer Lawrence) life in the brutal yet sparsely beautiful Ozarks, an unyielding stretch of south-western Missouri, is one that would test the hardiest teenager. Her errant father’s only bankable skill is his ability to cook methamphetamine and he’s long gone, leaving her to care for her glassy-eyed, emotionally hollow mother and her younger brother and sister. His court date is due, and if he fails to make good on his bond and show up at court, they’ll be destitute — feral figures suddenly stalking the knotty landscape. Which leaves the distraught Ree tramping the backwoods of her home, moving from house to house, rapping on doors to indifference or vehemence from her outlaw neighbours and family. This is a community bound up in its own code of silence and proud of its lawlessness; police deputies approach these homes with fear. Stand-offs are common and justice meted out without recourse to the authorities; here it is blunt, bloody and all-consuming. Director Debra Granik brings this bleak place to quiet life, her unflinching eye capturing the landscape’s nuances as boldly as if it were a character’s features. Her desire to be hard among the details along with Lawrence’s turn as the bedraggled Ree is what should see Winter’s Bone leap the divide between art-house hit and commercial pay dirt. The cast, too, bring their grimy presence to bear through tough, unhinged performances that leave dirty fingerprints across the screen. They bring the horror of what passes for normal life alive.
Director: Debra Granik
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes and Garret Dillahunt
Cert 15- 100 min - Drama | Mystery | Thriller - 17 September 2010 (UK)
Geography A* English Language C English Literature B Maths B Philosophy and Ethics A Science A Additional Science B Resistant Materials A Physical Education A Information Technology A
Hobbies: In my spare time I listen to a lot of different types of music, watch a variety of film and documentaries and I have also been playing football for the past 9 years, I now play for Mulbarton Ladies.
Print Media: I read newspapers quite often, I read the independent, the guardian and BBC news. I read these newspapers to keep up with current affairs and I am particularly interested at properties and the latest information about the environment and global warming. I read these via the internet because I think it is just a lot more convenient and it is cheaper than going out and buying a newspaper. I only look at magazines when I'm browsing through a shop, sometimes NME magazine or something like a Film magazine.
Radio Media: I don't really listen to the radio often, only when i'm looking for some new music. I listen to radio 1 and 1xtra and sometimes kiss if i'm going to somewhere in the car.
Music Industry: I love music, I'm pretty much listening to it constantly whether I'm at home or I'm on the move walking about. I don't have one particular favourite genre of music but I do love acid techno, hardtrance, jungle, drum and bass, dubstep, grime, hip hop, rock and finally reggae. I enjoy all this music because I love all the variation of sounds and beats, I especially enjoy this music to be played very loudly. I don't belong to a band, but I did learn to play the guitar very briefly, it was quite difficult to get into it as it was a lot harder to learn than I first thought it would be. I access all of my music through the internet on sites such as youtube, MTV, and Facebook. I know and appreciate that illegally downloading is bad, but I do it anyway. The main reason for this is that because I have such a large music collection it would cost me so much to own all of my music, as it is usually 99p a song, and I have over 5,000 songs in my music collection. The music industry could influence people's dress because many bands have their own individual style, people would try to copy that. The music industry might also affect people's attitudes because some music sets a positive example but some sets a negative example which in turn could make people take the wrong choices, for example drugs are heavily associated with some kinds of music.
Video Games: I used to play video games quite frequently, games like call of duty and tekken are a couple of my favourites. I sometimes used to play games on the computer such as tetris and little arcade games to kill my boredom! I do however love playing grand theft auto on the PlayStation 2 because it is a great amount of fun running round with a little machine gun killing everyone, although it isn't the best example of a video game that is promoting good things as it incorporates stealing, drugs and murder. I'm not really sure how video games influence people's attitudes because at the end of the day it is the person consuming the game's decision as to what they act upon when they see/play a game.
New Technologies: Many different forms of technology have increased my understanding of the world, simply because due to the internet I have been able to access a lot of media from all around the world. New advances in TV technology have enabled users to access the latest information such as news all at the touch of a red button. The newest TV's out also allow users to access the internet and enjoy the viewing experience in 3 dimensions. Forms of gadgetry I own such as a laptop and a PlayStation 3 which are examples of technological convergence at it's finest. An LCD TV also allows me to view different forms of media, for example if I wanted to watch something on my laptop, with the help of a hdmi cable I can stream the media to my TV. Social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter can be held accountable for the mass socialising that happens around the world, this enables people to share information such as photos, emails and even video conversations via Skype. Having a laptop also enables me to access a vast range of media such as films, music and television programmes. Due to the internet I can view and download pretty much anything when I want, this is much better than television because I can see anything at any time. Due to laptops and computers developing their technological capabilities it is now very easy to create your own form of media, I can easily create a poster, video or even a song. The availabilities of new software applications have made it very easy for people to create media, examples such as Microsoft office, Photoshop and advanced movie editing software.
Television: Ooo, my favourite television channel would have to be e4 because it offers a very wide variety of genres, such as comedy, documentaries, reality TV shows and news. A documentary that made me watch channel 4 was one called graffiti wars, it showed an ongoing conflict between two of London's finest street artists, King Robbo and Bansky. Another one was how hip hop changed the world, it was about generations of hip hop, starting from the roots and working it's way up to the hip hop of the world today. e4 is my favourite channel because I can find Made in Chelsea, the inbetweeners and skins here, I enjoy these because they demonstrate typical teenage lifestyles from all around the UK, it is also quite funny some of the things people get up to. Finally my third favourite channel is the discovery one, I enjoy this because some of the programmes are interesting to watch and I usually learn something from them, my favourites are Bear Grylls and how it's made. I don't have a particular favourite of television genre but my all time favourite TV programme is grand designs, I just find the complexity of design when it comes to ordinary things such as houses is truly inspirational. My five favourite memorable TV programmes are Skins, 90210, Made in Chelsea, Grand Designs and finally shameless.
Feature Film: I would have to say my favourite genre of film is action, I just love the fast paced, violent and adrenaline fuelling actions. Films such as the Bourne series, kill bill, snatch and pulp fiction are just a handful of films which I really enjoy watching! A film which I find outstanding is fight club, this film is everything a weird action should be, it holds an element of mystery and it includes some of the world's best actors, particularly Brad Pitt. Another film which is outstanding to me is million dollar baby, I just love this film because it makes the viewer empathise with the characters and it feels like your emotions are being tested, because the film is very sad. It is also directed by one of the world's best, Quinton Tarintino. My final outstanding film is Man on Fire, it has one of the world's most praised actors, Denzel Washington playing a man trying to alter actions of the past, it also presents an emotional background which caused me quite a few tears! I prefer to consume films in the comfort of my own space, in my bed all nice and comfy watching it through my laptop onto my tele, this is pretty chilled. I don't really have a favourite cinema, because I find the seats are quite uncomfortable and awkward! If I had to pick a favourite cinema it would be vue in castle mall because it's reasonably cheap and they sell pretty tasty sweets. I prefer to watch films with a few of my friends, I do watch some on my own but definitely not horrors as they scare me quite a fair bit! It's just nice to chill out with everyone in a warm and cosy place.
Are you a media producer?: Sadly I have had a tiny amount of experience with producing media, but I am wanting to learn how to!
Conclusion: A film that has really offended me is Four lions, it shows a group of friends that turn out to have a plan to suicide bomb London, it's not the fact that they wanted to do it, it was the fact that the friends didn't value their own lives at all, it's quite sad actually to think that they would just throw their lives away. However a piece of media that has inspired me is Al gore's documentary on global warming, it outlines the major threats us as humans are having on the planet, and it also is a wake up call to us, as it projects global warming. A piece of media text that has altered my view on the things around me is Harry Potter, I just think it's quite trippy to think that there could be a world of wizards around me, doing fancy things with wands and it being part of the dynamic equilibrium.
If I was asked to construct a piece of media it would probably be a music video, one which I could incorporate my own thoughts and brain into, and put my own little style to it, I would look to convey a political message within this and add a bit of culture into it.
I have chosen media studies as an option for my AS levels because I am extremely interested in everything to do with technology, film, TV and the music industry. I also want to take the time and hard work to learn the foundations of such a large subject of media, I then want to hopefully develop on this throughout year 13 and really advance my understanding of media.
