BLK6 Continuity Sequence

CONTINUITY SEQUENCE

This scene is from 'Mean Girls'. This scene shows Katy's reaction as she properly gets introduced to the 'mean girls' when they invite her to eat lunch with them.

• Shot one- The first shot is an over the shoulder mid shot showing regina talking to Katy. The following shot is an example of the reverse shot where the camera is 'reversed' to focus on Katy. 
• In doing this the '180 degree rule' isn't broken as the camera still remains on Katy's left and Regina's right.
• The second shot that is used is a wide shot to show the relative space in between the characters at the table. However, it may not be classed as an 'establishing' shot or 'master' shot as it doesn't show the girls in relation to the space around them.
• As the camera goes to focus on Karen the '180 degree rule' is then broken as the camera has flipped angle.
• As the girls continue to talk there are more examples of 'shot reverse shot'. This is used by the director to show the person speaking, the reaction and the reply.

• As Katy jumps on Regina there is a 'match on action' shot. From one angle you see Katy as she is just about to jump on Regina. The following shot shows her at a different angle mid-jump. The final shot, a behind shot, shows the two as they are just about to fall on the fall. This match on action was successful as it shows the full jump without repeating any specific section.
• The wide shot during the fight scene, the master/establishing shot, is effective as it shows the characters in relation to the space surrounding them and the other characters.
• After the fight scene has taken place and we are back to reality the director continues to stick to the '180 degree rule' as he shows the conversation between Aaron and Katy.

BLK 3 Continuity Clip Analysis

Positives

• The very first shot, the establishing shot, was effective has it showed the space. It established the location and distance between the characters and the surroundings.
• The shot of the door creates a sense of expectation- that we know the door will open and someone will walk out of it. 
• The pan during shot to was effective during this task as it allowed the viewers to follow the girl and helped increase the pace of this scene.
• The in 3rd shot we needed to create a sense of danger as the girl is seen falling over. We did this by using a close up, low angle and a tilt to create disorientation for the audience.
• The final shot is good as it shows the connection between the two characters.
•  Our transition from shot to shot was good as it went from wide to medium to close instead of jumping from wide to extreme close up therefore confusing the audience.

Negatives

• Unfortunately on set we didn't achieve any 'match on actions'. For example in one scene you can see the girl stop walking at the end of the shot and then she is walking again in the second shot. 
• In addition our cutting of the shots wasn't very effective as we would stop recording too late. This meant that some of the scenes ended with shots of the sky which confused the viewers and broke the suspension of disbelief. 

BLK2 Film-making conventions and cultural codes

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9A1O8kD2PA

Film making conventions (technical codes and genre conventions)

• Blurred opening shot- creates more suspense when you see the girls' new image
• Wide angle/half shot- open and friendly set up- allows you to freely the whole transformation of the girls
• Slow motion walk- reinforcing the new status of the girls
• Men stopping to look at the girls + being pulled away by the girlfriend- stereotypical shot of men being attracted to a girl by just her physical appearance
• Perfect make and hair- how typically the girls always look flawless
• The classic 'dumb blonde'- a common genre convention where the character is clueless and only cares about looks
• Music- positive, upbeat- sets the tone of the scene

Cultural codes

• Wolf whistle- showing how men are physically attracted to them 
• Men stopping to look at them 
• The wardrobe- girly and provocative- a stereotypical view of teenage girls in America
• Emma Stone comments on the makeup of society
• Use of classic/modern technology (mobile phones)- reinforcing the image of a classic American teen.

BLK1 Reflection on film stills

HORROR

Original shot

Our chosen genre was horror. We chose this style as many of the locations within school had a historical feel which helped to further create the ambience needed in a horror films. Horror films use gloomy lighting and settings, in order to scare the audience. We tried to capture this in our shot as well as include other conventions associated with the horror/mystery genre such as an obscure centre point and an isolated subject. 

We chose to frame this image as a very long shot, coupled with a tilted angle. This made the main feature of the image mysterious as it was unfocused, building the suspense. The mis-en-scence of the chairs framing the passage to the girl, only reinforcers the viewer's focus on the image. We used a tilted angle which furthers add to the disorientating feel of the image. 

The angle and the framing is the most successful element of this image as the two together, with the out of focus girl, reinforces the horror element of this shot. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the lighting at the front of the image, contrasted with the lighting surrounding the subject at the back. 

In hindsight, the overall image should be darker to increase the horror aspect of the shot. I would also make the subject a bit more prominent, perhaps by going slightly closer to make it clear the subject of the shot is a person. 

After shooting I edited this picture to see the different atmosphere created with darker lighting. I think that the effect created is much scarier than the original shot and therefore fulfils the conventions of the horror genre better.