Tuesday 20 September 2011

Preliminary Task

The preliminary task makes up 10% of your final A Level Media grade.
There are three requirements:

1) Match on action (continuity editing) - This is how you make an action flow smoothly from one shot to another in the same sequence of events. Whilst some action is taking place, if you want more than one shot to show this, you use continuity editing, this is where you pick up the action in a different shot where you left off in the previous shot. For example you see someone going to open a fridge, they open it, then from a different fridge the camera is placed inside (to give a different perspective) but the audience are none the wiser to knowing it came from a different location, and the scene continues.

2) Obey the 180 degree rule - This rule means that only half of the scene can be shot, the camera's must all be positioned behind one imaginary line that divides the camera from the action. If not, apparently this disorientates the audience.

3) Shot/ Reverse shot convention (convention for dialogue) - This is where a shot is shown on one side and repeated on the other, it must be used in the preliminary task. It is usually used as an other the shoulder shot or a P.O.V shot. Commonly, it is used in a conversation to connect the audience with the conversation.

Sunday 18 September 2011

The shot type and camera movements effect on the audience


The scene begins with a shot showing the positions and environment that both characters are in, giving the audience a feel for what the scene is going to consist of. From this shot you can see the distance between either character and the anxiety in the room that the audience will pick up on. The two men are then only shown individually on the left side of the picture; being on the side is signifying that they should be standing side by side, but the obvious unease of the situation means there is now great distance between them. The camera always has one person in the shot, meaning their conversation is the most relevant and important aspect of the scene which has the effect of keeping the audience engulfed in the action to see what the outcome will be and what any problems there are between the two characters.

Thursday 15 September 2011

How is ethnicity represented in this scene of Spooks?


The scene begins with a crane shot showing the action happening in the opening sequence, at the moment you are unaware of any of their ethnic backgrounds because of the dark environment and lack of personal camera shots. The crane shot also shows the distance between each person, emphasising the lack of connection between each race. The first person the camera individually focuses on is the orchestrator of the capture, you can tell he's powerful from the camera shot on an axis near the bottom of him tilting upwards. The ethnicity and social class of the people can be seen from the position they're in. Being low down immediately gives the standing man more power, also the same camera shots are used all the time to show either person which gives them the same value and importance. Also whenever the camera is focussed on one of the hostages it is uneasily shaking, signifying their worried emotions and the unease they feel of being in that environment. The Asian man has stereotypically been shown as the person in danger, as the tracking shot follows him wherever he goes you find out that he is the dangerous person.