The Conversation poster

Analysis of The Conversation poster

This poster for the film The Conversation has a large establishing shot of San Francisco, California showing us this is where the film is based. We can instantly see that the man on the left is the main character as he takes up most of the poster space. At first he looks like he might be the villain as we get the impression that he is stalking the couple on the right however the white light lit around him showing his innocence and purity. The couple at first look vulnerable as they are being watched, indicated by the camera lens symbol around them, showing their privacy is being invaded. However they are lit in red with dark black shadows around them. This suggests that they are evil as red represents blood, death and evil. 

It looks like an action, thriller movie, aimed more towards men as the colour scheme is very masculine; red, black and white. 

Hanna - Sound

How is sound used to reveal narrative and character information?

It is very clear from the start where Hanna is from the sounds around her. The echoed foot steps and heavy doors shows she is in a high security room. Despite the woman telling her she is in a 'safe place' it is clear she is not, as the woman is impersonating, pretending she knew Hanna's father. When the security start coming, the music picks up, increasing tension, hinting the action scene that is about to start. 

The audience think Hanna is a young, vulnerable girl who needs comforting however we are all proved naive as she snaps the woman's neck; this diegetic sound is amplified to enhance this unexpected action. 

The non-diegetic music increases as the chase begins. Hanna's diegetic, enhanced breathing suggests she is nervous and scared; however the techno music has a heavy, fast beat making her seem able and capable. 

Affliction AS thriller

Analysis of Affliction AS thriller
The silence at the beginning builds up tension and suspense. The slow eerie music that slowly increases is effective and dramatic. 
There were some extreme close ups that drew attention to objects, for example the man;s tied up hands and bounded mouth. There is also a shot, reverse shot to show the dad's emotion. The dark lighting makes the room seem unsafe and scary; with a tiny window showing it is impossible to escape. Instantly we know he is captured by his hands and mouth, and he is being interrogated. The camera and screen show he is being watched. The phone call suggests he is being told something he does not like. This is backed up by the live stream of his daughter in a similar situation in another interrogation room. 
I really liked the ending as it leaves us on a cliff hanger wondering if/how he will escape and save his daughter. The one think I think could be improved is maybe the pace of it as it is quite slow so we are still unaware of anything other than he has been captured.  

Filming lesson

Filming Lesson 
On Tuesday we learnt how to operate the cameras we will use for filming. First we learnt how to set up and use the tripod and how to slide the camera securely onto it. When the camera was on we bubbled the tripod, making sure the air bubble was in the middle of the yellow circle, this makes sure that the camera is not wonky and your shot will be straight. 
We learned how to operate the camera and about white balance which is a key step in filming. We will always need something white at the beginning of filming to hold up to the camera so it can adjust to the light. 
Then we learned about how to adjust the exposure which effected the lighting of the shot. We also looked at framing and how to frame a shot well by filling up space and not having anything unneeded in the shot.
We looked at the different shutter speeds and how they made a difference, when filming normally it should be on 50 which looks like real life but if filming for action you need a low shutter speed to make the shots more crisp, you need a high shutter speed for things like slow motion. 
We played around with the zoom and focus too, making sure that every shot we zoomed in on the key point making sure it was in focus. 
We also learned about the rule of thirds and 180 degree rule which is where for example two people talking opposite each other and the camera travels 180 degrees from one persons shoulder to the others. This makes sense to us when we watch it cut together as it is from their point of view. If the camera suddenly swapped to the persons other shoulder it would not look right. 
We then had a go at filming our own quick sequences, consisting of a wide shot, medium close up and a close up. I found this fairly easy but had to make sure that every time we zoomed in or adjusted the tripod we had to make sure it was still in focus and bubbled correctly. We also had to make sure the sequence would go together when edited so that all three different shots looked like they happened at the same time. 

Children of Men

Analysis of Children of men poster
The poster for Children of men is very detailed and hints a lot to what the film will be like. The writing 'THE YEAR 2027' instantly shows the film is set in the future. However it is written in red symbolising death and blood. This is also suggested from the red eye shape symbol; inside the eye is the Earth which is also red and dripping. It is also in the darkest part of the poster, however the light gradients into white around the man's face showing there is hope and good. 
The man looks concerned and saddened as he stares through the broken glass. He is dirty and unshaven suggesting he has been fighting to protect the world. The shattered glass shows destruction and there is a lot of black shadows showing evil and darkness in the world. It is clear this is an action film, I think it is also more aimed at men.  

The Shining Poster

The Shining Poster

 We looked at this poster of the film The Shining and analysed what it connotes and denotes. We can instantly tell the man is evil as he has a dark shadow over him and a possessed look about him. He is sweating suggesting he has been chasing the woman and his smile shows he is enjoying it. He is destroying the wall with an axe which makes him seem very dangerous and scary as he makes his way towards the woman. 
The woman is surrounded by white showing her innocence and vulnerability. Her facial expression is shocked and horrified as she hides in the corner. She is holding a knife but it is not portrayed as a weapon like the man's axe; it is clear her knife is for protection and she is the one in danger. 

About myself

Hi, my name is Alicia but I like to be called Lissy and I am 17. I did media GCSE and really enjoyed it, so am doing it for A level! I am also doing textiles, psychology and sociology. I like fashion, music and shopping at places like Topshop, Forever21 and Urban Outfitters. I am intrested in designers such as Alexander Mcqueen and Mark Jacobs. I like watching films and my favourite genres are rom-coms and psychosocial thrillers. I also find documentaries interesting and watch TV series such as Skins, 90210 and Made in Chelsea.