Representation of V for Vendetta and Children of Men:

Points:
- Male Gaze - objectifies women
- Hyper masculinity - over exaggerated
- Phallic imagery
- Yonic imagery
- Women naturally nurturing (motherly)
- National Identity

Male Gaze:
V for Vendetta - 
* Evey is sexualised throughout and seen to be vulnerable 
* Evey gains power when shaving her head and looses her femininity
* Evey is seen as a sex object by the pope
* Power = masculinity
* Women can act but they have to be masculine
* V for Vendetta conforms to the typical Hollywood idea

Children of Men -
* Women are not sexualised - even when Kee is either giving birth or naked in the barn she is not sexualised; the only thing that is focused on is the meaning behind the image not Kee herself
* Kee giving birth = a distraction from Kee being sexualised
* Women act without having to be masculine
* Does not conform to the typical Hollywood idea

Mother & Father:
V for Vendetta - 
* V is a mother figure to Evey - he takes her in when she is weak and vulnerable; he cooks, cleans, dances, cares for her, wears a pink apron and has feminine and mother like characteristics and features
* Sutler is a dominant father figure towards the nation looking down on everyone whilst he gives orders; we know he is dominant due to him being placed on a big screen central to the scene

Children of Men -
* Theo is a father figure to Kee and the baby; he cares for Kee and the baby helping them to escape to freedom and safety
* Theo uses the father figure towards Kee and the baby as a redemption from his past as he failed as a father to his own son
* Jasper is a father figure to Theo; sacrificing himself in order to help his 'son' Theo

V for Vendetta editing:
* Dominoes scene - shows cross cutting - V is important

Hyper Masculinity:
V for Vendetta - 
* Final fight scene - V is shown to have some form of super powers as he doesn't die no matter how many times he gets fired at - this shows strength

Children of Men -
* There is no hyper masculinity within Children of Men; this makes the story more realistic and gets the messages across
* We know that Theo is not a hyper masculine person due to him running away from the fishes
* Theo avoids conflict
* Theo has no influence on anyone apart from Kee as a father figure

Phallic Imagery:
V for Vendetta - 
* Knifes and Guns used represents power
* Fascism government

Children of Men -
* In Children of Men all phallic objects used are destructive - links to hyper masculinity 
* Men are dominant and women are only used for children
* Challenges stereotypes; men can be maternal

Yonic Imagery:
V for Vendetta - 
* Evey being re-birthed
* The rose V places on each victim's body - represents after birth
* Train going through the tunnel uses Yonic imagery

Children of Men -
* Theo wounded - this shows birth into after life
* Theo & Kee escaping through the tunnel - birthing their freedom
* Challenges stereotypes - the world would fail without women; they are not just for child bearing

National Identity:
V for Vendetta - 
* Set in a clean city, giving a positive view and representation of London

Children of Men - 
* Set within a polluted London giving off a negative representation and gives an insight of what the future could be like - a sense of realism
* The government are against immigrants - Fascism 

Props Character Narrative:

V for Vendetta:
V for Vendetta follows Props Character Narrative
Villain = Sutler
Dispatcher = V
Helper = Evey
Princess = Evey
Donor = V
Hero = V & Evey

Children of Men:
Children of Men follows Props Character Narrative but not fully
Villain = Luke/Fish & the government 
Hero = Theo

V for Vendetta Vs Children of Men

How do the 2 texts compare in terms of the classic Hollywood narrative?

V for Vendetta a Hollywood film and Children of Men an independent film both follow the same classic Hollywood narrative however Children of Men doesn't fully follow these rules due to it being an independent production but still uses them effectively. They each have aspects of cause & effects, equilibrium, disruption and resolution. These classic Hollywood narratives explore the realism in the films and explores the messages of hope and warning. Both films show signs of birth throughout and terrorism.

Children of Men Messages

This scene conveys that children give people hope and something to live for-they would stop the violence if it means having the joy of family once more. Juxtaposition is shown between war and peace - peace being the baby. This scene is a long take shot this shows realism and gives a realistic answer to a problem that is being caused in our generation.

This scene shows that in the eyes of society in 2027, young people were seen as a miracle and idiolised as it is the only special thing that the world had left. Also, this also shows that the youngest child in the world who died symbolises the death of hope; hope is re-born again through Kee who is not wealthy and possibly an immigrant. Therefore, it challenges the governments ideas. Also, the child came from a humble beginning which is Christ-like

.

Children of Men: style, theme, genre

Lesson 2.1 Notes:

Children of Men: Why is the film important in terms of?....
Themes:
- Life
- Peace 
- Re-Birth

Representation of gender:
- Theo is the fatherly figure to Kee and the baby.

Style (the way it is shot):
- Kee and the baby are always central and in shot.
- Realistic

MACRO: (narrative)
- Equilibrium (beginning): As things are, it sets the scene
- Distribution (middle)
- Resolution (climax - ending): Everything gets resolved - closure
*Children of men = open ended (Independent film)*

Independent films are challenging and makes you think, it doesn't give you the Classic Hollywood Narrative ending, it makes you interpretate and add your own ending.

If you take away children, women become redundant and everyone becomes masculine. The baby stops everyone and they all become maternal as they haven't seen a baby in 18 years. Men's hyper masculinity takes over. Children = hope.

Alfonso Cuarón:
Alfonso Cuarón is known for being the director, producer and screenwriter of Children of Men, Gravity, Harry Potter as well as many other films. He uses point of view throughout his films and compared his films to his ex wives: Grateful, wishes them well, but has no desire to go back and visit. He is also from Mexico which can have an affect on the type of films he makes for example conflict and immigration.

The difference in the meaning of war between Children of Men & V for Vendetta:
V for vendetta war = v (freedom fighter/terrorist) v's government (good/fascist) 

Children of men war = freedom fighters v's war 

V for vendetta war is a necessary way to get to the end of the film in children of men war is in the back 

Children of men war = war & peace (the baby causes peace) 

Baby ends human conflict - religious theme baby is a savior as it represents peace 

In children of men war is a bad things it's the backdrop whereas in children of men war is the main theme and in v for vendetta war is a resolution. 

Independent films - intellectual people, people who want a challenge
Hollywood films - people who want entertainment
Children of Men doesn't fit into a genre as it doesn't follow the genre conventions of the classic Hollywood narrative.

V for Vendetta and Children of Men comparative essay: Style and Themes

V for Vendetta (2009) a Hollywood movie production and Children of Men (2006) an independent movie production although are different both have the same or very similar themes and style shown throughout. They both follow the same 2 themes dystopia and totalitarianism and are both set within the near future to send out messages to the viewers of what may happen in the future – a warning sign.

V for Vendetta a political thriller set in Great Britain 2020 and Children of Men a science fiction action thriller set also in Great Britain of the year 2027 are both set in a dystopian near future.

V for Vendetta is a film based around terrorism, the government and freedom. V himself is a freedom fighter fighting for the nation’s freedom (so the public think) but really it’s for his own freedom as much as any other person living within London. The reason as to why it is set within a dystopian near future is to give out important messages/warning signs to us the current residents of the UK to tell us what could happen within our own future. It also shows a non-desirable future due to it being over rules by the government, technology is more powerful – speakers in the streets, there is a big divide between rich and poor and the city is also very dark and lifeless global warming and over population has come to a head.

Children of Men is a film based around Great Britain being the last functional government, women being infertile and immigration is much stronger and at police reinforcements to stop illegal immigrants entering the UK trying to flee the chaos and war in their own countries and coming over to the UK where it is safe and the last functional government. The film also sends out messages and warning signs as to what could happen in the future. Illegal immigrants are already at a high in the UK so for this film to be made having an aspect based around illegal immigrants and for it to be shown is a high security violent manor is a scare of what may happen to us in the future. Again, its dystopian future therefore we don’t have a desire to live the way it is shown, the whole world is practically at war, the city is lifeless and dull, no longer a pleasant place to live. Children of Man also touch on an aspect of terrorism – another link to V for Vendetta – it’s a film with a warning to change now otherwise things may happen.

Totalitarianism is another theme shown within both films. In V for Vendetta totalitarianism is a big aspect as the film is primarily based around the government and fighting for the freedom away from the government. The government disagrees with many things/people for example homosexuals, disabled, different religions ect if you are anything that the government disagrees with you will be taken and tortured and this is one aspect of which V himself as well as the public once they are behind V want to end.  Children of Men also express aspects of totalitarianism but not as highly as V for Vendetta; totalitarianism is again shown through the government but this time it’s based around illegal immigrants trying to get into the last functional government: the United Kingdom.

Terrorism is another theme that both films touch on V for Vendetta more so due to the main character V being a terrorist and for torturing Evey in a fake concentration camp that V had made to torture Evey to give her strength and to make her fearless. In Children of Men you also have terrorists shown slightly throughout but mostly towards the end in the 'war' atmosphere scene. This is a link between both films which show violence and the fight for survival and freedom.

Birth could also be seen as a theme within both films. Children of Men: Women within Great Britain are infertile however Kee is the only woman who is able to have a baby; so the story takes us through the journey of getting Kee to safety and the birth of her baby – the first child to be born in 18 years. V for Vendetta: Shows the re-birth of Evey after coming out of the concentration camp as a new fearless woman who is no longer vulnerable. V is also shown to be re-born in the scene showing himself coming out of the fire showing V’s identity coming to life.

Overall, V for Vendetta and Children of Men although at first glimpse may look and seem completely different they have certain aspects which are either the same, give off the same message or link to each other in a specific way. The themes and styles that link throughout the 2 films are dystopia: they are both set within a dystopian near future which is not a desirable place to be, totalitarianism: both films show government overtaking the country, they are the leaders, terrorism: terrorism is shown throughout but both in a slightly different way but they both show power and leadership and finally birth: the theme of birth is shown within both films fro, real birth to being re-birthed but they are both bringing a new leaf of light into the world. Both films also send out messages and warning signs as to what could happen int he future if we don't take action, they are both films that show and represent realism.

How does V represent typical gender roles to communicate messages?

Introduction:
V for Vendetta subverts the stereotypical aspects of gender within a Hollywood film. These, stereotypical gender roles are therefore subverted to portray the message of the film which is not to be passive (feminine) but to be active (masculine). The film is shown to be sexist against women and femininity as the film doesn't approve of these traits however, the deeper we go into the film the more we are wrong. After looking at V's gender traits it is clear that the film actually thrives of passiveness and femininity. The film also explores into many mother father figures expressed through many characters. In order for the film to express their feminine messages and traits it uses specific aspects of hyper-masculinity, phallic and yonic imagery, mother and father traits and roles, re-birthing, procreation, nurturer, the theory that men act women appear and also the oedipal complex. All these different aspects are crucial to delivering the messages of gender across within the film and through V himself.

Point 1: Men act women appear & Mother and Father roles.
Examples: Evey's parents being kidnapped & Dietrich and Evey.
Analysis 1: 
Evey's parents being kidnapped shows a mother, father role as she envies to find somebody just like them. Evey being scared within this scene makes her need and want a masculine father figure around her to protection that't why she connects well with Dietrich and V as they portray the mother and father figure she is looking for to guide her through life down the right paths. V is a very motherly figure to Evey; he cooks her breakfast, he dances and he guides her to become fearless and strong again; he re-births Evey back into the world strong again just like before her parents were taken.
Analysis 2:
Within the scene Dietrich and Evey it shows that men act women appear as well as the fatherly bond between himself and Evey. Dietrich is shown to be a strong fatherly figure towards Evey however it subverts that trait once they find out that in fact he is a homosexual. Dietrich therefore gets kidnapped, which shows he is weak and feminine and unfortunately gets killed. Therefore; Dietrich, was never that strong, masculine fatherly figure towards Evey that he was portrayed to be in fact he was also the feminine motherly figure.
Dietrich is a passive character as he is hiding his true identity - homosexuality - therefore he is not acting active which is why he gets taken to the concentration camp and killed.
Dietrich was also Evey's boss so she confides in him as if he was the fatherly/motherly figure she never had.

Point 2: Motherly figure & Re-birthing

Example: Evey's Torture 

Analysis:

Evey's torture scene shows a form of re-birthing as she is becoming a less fearful woman and V is the motherly figure throughout this scene as he guides her down the right path to become fearless and strong. He is acting the mother that Evey never had; although he does it in a painful, torture filled way it worked and allows Evey to be re-born again. She looses her identity and femininity when having her hair shaved off, as soon as he hair goes she becomes a more masculine, powerful and fearless woman which V the motherly figure to Evey has created in order to survive in life. It was all done in Evey's best interests and also partly to relive the torture that V himself had to go through within the concentration camp. Maybe that's why he is so fearless himself?

Point 3: Father & Son traits

Example: Sutler and Creedy

Analysis: 

This scene shows Sutler 'telling off' Creedy; this shows Sutler to be the father figure, this is due to the dominance he holds, the fact that he is the largest most central person in the room due to being on the large screen and he is also looking down to Creedy whilst telling him what to do. However, the roles reverse when Creedy takes on the power and kills his 'father' - Creedy. He does this to gain power - Oedipal - power is a male dominated scene and Creedy ends up taking over the public.

Point 4: The re-birth of Evey and V & the use of phallic and yonic objects/imagery

Example: Evey's awakening

Analysis:

This scene shows Evey being re-born into the world as a fearless women just after being released from the fake concentration camp V had put her through. It uses phallic and yonic objects (fire and rain) to represent a passive and active birth of both Evey and V. Fire which is associated with V's re-birth represents an active firey birth; whereas the rain which is associated with Evey's re-birth represents a purified re birth that brings life. This scene also uses juxtaposition showing V coming out of the fire and Evey herself coming out of the concentration camp V had put her through linking the two re-births together.

Conclusion:

Typical gender roles are not present, the only way of going forward is to not have these typical gender roles; being passive (feminine) results in problems and being active (masculine) also results in problems; there is no winning. No one person, individually has one full gender trait, they are made up of many. As shown in the revolution scene the dialogue that Evey is showing at the very end she talks about how V was her 'mother, father, brother friend, her and everyone'. Nobody has just one single gender trait, gender doesn't even matter in some sense its just a stereotypical thing that you have to be either masculine or feminine. This film is a great film to give that message across that gender doesn't matter.

Course Work Planning:

What type of film is this limited to?
- Contemporary (no more than 10 years old)
- Has to be in English language
- Can include no more than 1 Hollywood film
- Can include multiple independent films

How many films are we looking at?
- 2 Films

What are the 4 stages of coursework?
- Textual Analysis: 1500-2000 word essay
- Planning
- Creative Artefact: extract from a film script with images or a 2 minute filmed sequence (not the opening scene)
- Evaluation  

What stage has the most marks?
- The textual analysis (40 marks)

What are the aspects of 'MACRO'?
- Narrative
- Genre
- Style
- Authorship
- Themes
- Messages
- Values
- Representation

How does it involve MICRO & what is it?
MICRO = 
- Mise en Scene
- Cinematography
- Editing
- Sound
You have to link them and say how the micro/narrative is constructed.
* MICRO links to MACRO *

How does V for Vendetta get across its message and beliefs through its themes?

Introduction:
V for Vendetta is a near future based film which carries a series of messages and beliefs throughout showing Britain to be a dystopian based city. It is built up of a fascist government, terrorism and revenge. V for Vendetta gets across its messages and beliefs by exploring fascism, religion, role of rebellion, terrorism and gender traits. The messages the film give across are that one mans terrorism is another mans freedom - they are constantly fighting for freedom, freedom is their hope; and to never trust the government.

Theme 1: Revolution
Scene: V's Speech 
MICRO: The film shows V wanting everyone to rebel against the government due to his previous experience whilst being within their care; they treated him badly and tested on him therefore he is fighting for his own freedom and revenge and to prove a point and a message to the government. The public believe V is doing it all for their own freedom and for their own benefits but in reality he is only thinking of himself. V is the leader and the reason behind the divide between him and the government; everything is seen to revolve around V - he is always center. Near Future = Warning sign, 
Blocking: Whenever, V is shown on TV he is always in the centre, everything is turned to face V he is the leader.
Light within this scene represents hope and whenever the public are associated with V he is always in daylight therefore it gives the public hope and something to look towards.
Messages: It encourages people to stand up for their own freedom and what they believe in and to not allow the government to take full control.

Theme 2: Gender
Scene: Evey's torture & awakening
MICRO: Gender traits are shown to change throughout the film. V portrays very feminine characteristics throughout e.g mask that is shown to have make up on, long hair, gender less body shape due to the inability to see him. However, Evey's gender traits are shown to change throughout she started of very feminine dressing up and vulnerable until the end where she converts into a more masculine character with the shaved head, no longer vulnerable she is fearless.
Message: It shows that the characters that you may come across at the beginning of the film may not persist to be the character that you first thought they were. Not everyone is who they say they are. Everyone has fear and different aspects of gender.

Theme 3: Religion
Scene: The Bishop & Evey
MICRO: The government distorts religion for control, they corrupt religious figures, the bishop is a pedophile but is covered up by the government, the government discriminates homosexuals, disabled people, lesbians ect but they hide the bishop. 

Theme 4: Fascism
Scene: Larkill & Valerie's letter
MICRO: Fascism is a form of government where the the people are led by a dictator or small group of people - this is shown when the disctatorship (the government) take away Valerie and her girlfriend to the cell for torture because they are lesbians.

- red roses symbolises happiness and life 

Theme 5: Terrorism
Scene: Ending & Evey's role
MICRO: V's mask represents Guy Fawkes in this scene it shows the community coming together dressed as V all wearing the same Guy Fawkes mask. V associates the mask with Guy Fawkes being a freedom fighter; the community are wearing them to protect V, hide his identity and show that they see him as a freedom fighter.
Evey blows up parliament with V inside the train - freedom and justice.
Evey is no longer weak.
The public are there to make a stand and protect V.
Music gets more intense as the blowing up comes around and when the fireworks begin.
The public in the V/Guy Fawkes outfits march in a group, represents that they are all as one and all stick together - they're all in sync.
Message: Terrorism and violence makes you a freedom fighter. The cause of the terrorism is for freedom.

Conclusion:
Overall the film uses the themes of revolution, gender, religion, fascism and terrorism to express the values of a revolution and a message that calls the community to come together to stand up to their government. Although V is a terrorist, he is shown to be a freedom fighter that in the end everyone believes in; we know this by the ray of 'V's' that appear on the night of the houses of parliament being blown up - they are confiding and hiding V's true identity. One mans terrorism is another mans freedom; freedom is worth more than life to some people - they will even be willing to put their lives on the line for freedom (so they thought V done). V for Vendetta explores the fears and theories of 9/11, showing governments to use acts of terrorism to restrict civil rights and protests. It is a near future based film, it is a warning sign.

Cross Cutting

Cross Cutting: Shows events happening at the same time but uses cross cutting to 'cut' them into one another.
Here is an example of cross cutting we made to allow us to gain the knowledge of what it is and how it is put together.

Kuleshov Technique

Above is an example of how the Kuleshov Technique works and can be used to give across a different message just by changing one small section of a clip. 
Here is an example we made showing the Kuleshov Technique; it shows a girl/woman doing her school work and then changes to show the girl/woman taking part in a sporting PE activity. Just by changing the clip that goes in between the man/boy the whole message and purpose of the clip changes.
We re-created our own version showing the Kuleshov Technique in order for us to fully understand it.

The Classic Hollywood Narrative

The classic Hollywood narrative is made up of 6 different aspects:
- Cause & Effects
- Character driven resolving their problems based on their (motivation, desire, emotions)
- Opposition & Conflict (protagonist, antagonist)
- 3 act structure (equilibrium, distribution, resolution)
- Positive end/closure
- Believable 'realism' - genre

Justify to what extent V for Vendetta conforms to the Classic Hollywood Narrative?

V for vendetta conforms to the classic Hollywood narrative to some extent as 3 of the 6 rules apply; opposition & conflict however it isn't shown through colour, the 3 act scheme however it is complicated as V doesn't fully fit in within a stock character he jumps from bad to good and also the resolution is never resolved for example when a 'bad guy' dies the story doesn't end it carries on this happens a few times throughout and also it applies to a positive closure; it is positive because everyone is happy the public are out on the streets with v masks on to represent him however the not so positive side includes buildings being blown up and people dying. The 3 that it doesn't conform to are cause and effect which only applies to v in the film when he gets tested on (cause) and the effect to that is him killing people, blowing up Parliament ect, character driven resolving their problems again only slightly touched on when in the end v done everything to resolve his own personal problems and finally believable 'realism' this is slightly true as what is shown in the film can be seen as something that may or could happen in the future. 

As a whole I think that V for vendetta conforms to the classic Hollywood narrative; it is subverting the rules of this classic Hollywood narrative and they do this to ask questions of why? The structure of the narrative is to mirror what the film is saying.

Subversive: to undermine the power of the established system.

Stock characters

Stock character: a character who full fills the role - they all fit a specific category

Stock characters within V for Vendetta:

V:
- Action Hero: A film hero protagonist with unrealistic physical resistance and fighting capabilities.
- Anti Hero: A hero with good intentions but moral
- Black Knight: Evil fighter antagonist
- Hero: Whiling to sacrifice things in order to full fill the needs of others. 
- Hotshot: A reckless character known for taking risks.

- Lone Vigilante: Takes responsibility for justice.

- Secret Identity: A character who does not reveal its identity and acts in secrecy.

- Superhero: An unrealistically powerful hero dedicated to protecting the public. 

- Tragic Hero: A hero with a major flaw that leads to his/hers eventual death and downfall.
- Villain: An evil character within a story.

V doesn't necessarily conform to stock characters this makes it interesting, he doesn't conform in the film so he doesn't conform with the characters, it makes you ask questions, it creates mystery to make you think, it links to reality - no stock characters in real life. 

Evey Hammond:
- Bimbo: A dumb, pretty girl.
- Damsel in Distress: A noble lady in need of rescue.
- Femme Fetale: A beautiful, but mischievous and traitorous woman.
- Final Girl: A "last girl standing" in a horror film.

Genre, Style & Theme grid

1.5.1 exam prep

Themes: what the characters are doing and why they are doing it - the characters are not real people they are fictional 

Characters come from writers - they create a back story 

Characters symbolise things - they are a function they serve a purpose 

Dystopia: set in the future (bleak near future) - it gives you a warning message 

V for vendetta is warning you about the government 

Totalitarianism: dictatorship of the government 1 person in control of every aspect of your life - extremist 

- benefit: strength 

Revolution: the replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed (the public) 

Conspiracy theories: a belief of a person/group of people that is circulated on the Internet that believes the government theory is not true 

- lost trust in the government 

Democracy: good because it lets everybody have their own say - someone who represents us 

- can be used in a way to make you think that you have control but really you don't 

Fascism: nationalism drives fascism 

- when every aspect of life is working toward the same thing

Cinematography Clip Analysis Notes:

Goodfellas Analysis:

- Panning motion following the every movement of the main character

- It shows importance

- Following the man and woman / the man is the leader

- Point of view shot

- They go through the back entrance, having their own table brought to them and sat right at the front / shows that they are more important and better than anyone else

- As walking through everyone moves out of the way and kind of admires them in a way / Everyone knows who they are

- The man is more dominant

- Blocking

- Tracking

- Long take expressing realism

Saving Private Ryan Analysis:

- Shaking hand / extreme close up / panning to face / connects you with the character / next clip he still always stays in the center

- Close up shots to show the expression in the soldiers faces

- Frame rate slows down / creates a connection / makes you think / muted sound / makes you focus on whats happening instead of you getting distracted by noise

- When the characters are shot you loose sensation in the shot; it is weakened 

- Long shot to Close up

- Sea is red from the blood which is symbolic

- Connects with the character again from the front / no sound = more connection

- Shaky camera / expresses the point of view of the soldiers as you cant see or think straight

- Low angled shots / powerful / shot = loosing power / dramatic shot

- point of view / immediacy "in the scene"

- flashback / slows the shot down

Inglorious Bastards Analysis:

- Characters are sitting opposite each other showing conflict

- Close up of gun = symbolic as it is about man power pointing the gun towards the mans privates (phallic imagery)

- Dominant gestures from moving in 

- Importance / nobody in the background

- Extreme close up to show determination and tension when it is raised in the situation

- Shallow focus showing how the man isn't taking focus on him but he is still in control

- Both have guns / both now equal 

- Secrecy

Gone With The Wind Analysis:

- Tracking following the main character / medium shot / shallow focus

- Close up / emotional conflict

- Tracking / pan out into extreme long shot / still in focus on the bodies

- Shows lady is insignificant compared to the surroundings

- Medium long shot / flag / deep focus / tracking / adds to the narrative

- Lady stays central

- Blocking

- Extreme shallow focus 

Batman Analysis:

- Close ups

- Intensity

- Only seen when he wants to be seen

- Mysterious

- Batman hides in the shadows

- Point of view / motion blur

Cinematography:

Cinematography: The way it is shot; the relationship between the camera lens, the focal length, light source, and camera positions.

Definitions:

(Camera Lens)
- Deep Focus: depth of field applied to the area in focus within the frame.
- Shallow Focus: narrow depth of field - 1 thing in focus with the rest (background) out of focus.
- Racking Focus: to change the focus of the lens to the subject in the background to the foreground
- Zoom Shot: the change of focal length of the lens in the middle of a shot

(Film Speed)
- Rate: the standard rate for a film is 24 frames per second if you add more to the second the film will slow down if you add less frames to the second it will speed up.
- Angle Of Framing: filming from different angles is a way to show the relationship between the cameras view point and the subject of the frame.
- Level Of Framing: refers to the height at which the camera is positioned in point of view.
- Canted Framing: where the camera is not level but tilted.
- Following Shot/Re-frame: a following shot that shows pans, tilts and tracking. 
- Point Of View Shot: this shot places the camera where the viewer would imagine a characters gaze to be.
- Wide Angle Lens: distorts the edges of a frame to emphasise the amount of space in a shot.

(Shot Type or SCALE)
- Extreme Long Shot: when the scale of what is being seen is tiny.
- Long Shot: when the scale of what is being seen is small. (head to toe)
- Medium Long Shot: when what is being seen is being viewed takes up almost the entire height of the screen.
- Medium Close up: when what is being viewed is large and takes up most of the screen.
- Close up: when what is being seen is quite large and takes up the entire screen. (head to shoulders)
- Extreme Close Up: when what is being viewed is very large. (just the face eg eyes)
- Crane Shot: is achieved by mounting a camera on some type of crane.
- Steady Cam Shot: a harness that supports the camera on a persons body.
- Pan: camera movement following the action left to right.
- Tilt: a vertical pan where the camera moves up and down.
- Tracking Shot: follows action through space in a variety of directions.
- Whip Pan: same as normal pan but involves quicker movement.
  

Thursday 11th September 2014: Notes

White Balance: Blue & Yellow
Exposure: Light & Dark
Focus: Clear & Blurry

The usual suspects opening scene:

Enigma Codes:
- Who is the killer?
- Why is there a possible dead man on the floor?

Character Types:
- Bad guy 
- Person who got burnt/killed
- Both characters know each-other
- Villains 

Sub-Genre:
- Crime Thriller: ends in a police station & its located in an isolated place.

Camera:
Mystery: 
- obscures the face of the killer
- panned shot/tight shot not allowing the viewer to see the whole location
- the surrounding

How is the camera being used to create suspense and mystery?
- The exposure is very dark apart from from when everything blew up the exposure went very bright this creates mystery as you don't know fully what is going to happen in dull/dark situations.
- Different camera angles also add to the suspense and mystery.

Using a camera:

7 most common mistakes people make when filming:

- Back Lighting (not necessarily true all the time when it comes to thriller films)
- Head hunting (only head visible)
- Upstanding ( extreme up high angles)
- Jogging (shaky camera)
- Motor zooming (zooming when filming) No Zooming!
- Snap Shooting 
- Fire hosting/sweeping the scene (Jumpy camera movement)

V For Vendetta Trailer: Mise en Scene

V for Vendetta: 
- Looks like an independent Film
- Is an intelligent Hollywood film

Lighting:
- The lighting throughout was very dull and dark, hardly any bright light.

Performance:

Framing:
- The framing was very central the whole way through, it can be seen as everything revolves around them (the characters) and that they are free.

Props:
- Red Lipstick
- TV
- Knife 
- Mask

Setting & Decor:
- Set in the future.
- Also set in London, we know this from the British News being played on the TV in the background.

Colour:
- Again like the lighting the colours are all very dull and dim; no variety or brightness to colour.

Costume:
- News Reporter: 
Smartly Dressed
Very intelligent 
The type of person you should listen too
- Man In Mask:
He is hiding his identity by wearing a long black robe & Guy Fawkes mask.
Possibly a terrorist
Has a knife
Possibly fighting for a cause - fighting for freedom
- Woman
Dressed very smart and classy
Well off - has quite a bit of money
A potential hooker 
- Possible link between the man in mask and the woman as they are both wearing black; the black could have a meaning and symbolize something.

The Fault In Our Stars: Recreation LEGO Trailer

Children Of Men Film Analysis:

Children Of Men is filmed in a particular way, in which it gives off the vibe of the circumstances the characters are in and the time of year it is set around. The film is all shot in a single take, therefore it creates extra tension for the viewers and builds up suspense keeping their full attention around the scene.  The visual aspects of the film are very dull, the colours and lighting are very dim and dirty which fits in well with the location and atmosphere within the film. The costumes/clothing is not modern although being based in the future you wouldn’t expect the way of life and its image to downgrade; its very basic and again very dull and lifeless. The film itself looks and feels as though it was produced on a low budget, I think this due to the way it was shot, they may not have had enough time, hence why they shot the whole film in a single take. Although that played as an advantage to the film; it’s not got the story line and vibe about it to fit within a huge production company of well-known films.

Throughout the film you begin to watch and discover new relationships form between characters. You experience the father - son relationship between Theo and Jasper, the mother - daughter relationship that Kee and Mariam shared, you also experience the heart-breaking relationship between Jasper and his wife; and also the relationship that grows between Kee and Theo. These various characters come across variety dilemmas and confrontation whilst trying to complete their mission of getting Kee out of the country due to a miracle that the world could not know. These confrontations kept the viewer interested throughout, they consisted of fights, tragedy’s and in unfortunate cases death.

The main storyline/theme to the film was infertility; why are women infertile? What has caused this infertility? How comes Kee is able to have a baby? Why her? So many questions that run through your head whilst watching the film. Other themes expressed within the film include terrorism, there was a lot of terrorism shown within and throughout which also leads onto conflict. Everyone fought one another; everyone was against someone, it no longer made London look like a pleasant place.  

Overall, Children Of Men is a film with various meanings and beliefs. The fact that it expressed Britain to be the last refuge in the world, Kee being the only woman who is able to have a baby and also the fact that infertility is the main focused theme. It can either touch many people or allow many people to relate to specific aspects within.