Monday 29 November 2010

miss wigely trailer conventions

Train spotting trailer
At the very beginning of the trailer, the pace is extremely quick, with a non-deigetic sound of quickly paced music. The scenes are flashing from the actor to the word "PolyGram", giving indication to the audience to PolyGram, which is a major label recording company. The protagonist seems to be running at a quick pace also, showing the audience that the film may be quick/action like, where the actor and the music relate both of the paces. There is a voice over of the narrator, text appears on the screen, "'#1 Renton" showing the name/ gang name of him. The quick pace is continued, which indicates to the audience that is may be a fun film, and would make the audience feel excited and happy.
There are 4 characters, where each time a close of the characters face is shown to introduce them, along with text at the, showing the audience who they are and their name, “#1 Renton, #2 spud, #3 sick boy, #3 begble” when each of them is shown the close up of the face is paused giving the audience the chance to identify with all 4 characters. It also goes into a black and white image as it pauses.
At the very end of the trailer, the title of the film appears, flashing as if there are train lights and it also repeats on the screen twice, so that the audience is more likely to remember it, also to enhance the title of the film, they have a non deigetic sound of a train.
These trailer conventions promote the trailer to the audience as it allows them to see who the actors are without giving away the main plot; the quick pace makes the audience feel excited and makes them want to watch the film. By repeating the film title with the flashing lights, it is more likely to stick in the audiences head, with the sound of the train at the end, the audience will be more likely to associate train sounds with the film train spotting.

Slum dog millionaire
At the beginning of the trailer there are reviews if the film, which is very colourful, connoting happiness and excitement. The non deigetic music also shows this, as it is quickly paced. The scenes at the beginning also flash into one another, similar to ‘train spotting’. There is a lot more text that appears on the screen in the slum dog trailer than the other trailer too, it is more informative and gives away some of the plot, “every question brings him closer”......”to his one true love”. The non deigetic music changes from exciting to a well known song often associated with inspiration. At the very end there are more reviews for example “the Wall Street Journal”. The title is then shown followed by the directors/ producers etc.
I think that the “train spotting” trailer is more successful because it doesn’t use many of the trailer conventions, the trailer didn’t give a lot about the film away, making the audience want to watch it more as they are intrigued about what the film is about.

Saturday 20 November 2010

miss VDS contemporary film trailer

The contemporary film trailer i am going to look at is:
The American

http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=7jxvkq_0dIo

What techniques does this trailer use to persuade an audience to see the film?
This film is a crime/drama, aimed at a very male audience, aged around 15-45+, it is a film starring George Clooney, who is an American assassin hiding out in Italy for a last mission.
The trailer for the movie uses George Clooney who is seen as a figure for males because he is so liked by many people including women, because he manages to attract so many. In the first scene George Clooney is in a car driving, which cars are extremely popular with males, this may make males think that a lot of cars may be used in the film and maybe racing, which draws the male audience because it is a hobby of males and they like to race cars etc. it seems that he is quite quiet, when a vicar/priest approaches him asking him a question, he seems to answer directly but keeps to himself and is quiet, this could persuade the audience because it may make them think that he has something to hide, indicating that violence may be involved, this would appeal to a male audience because violence is widely liked by males in films. The next scene then goes on to the protagonist exercising, which could appeal to women because they like the male figure George Clooney, there is the protagonist making a home-made gun, this would appeal and persuade males to watch the film greatly because he is ‘making’ gun, which can be seen as extremely ‘cool’, it can be very attractive for men because it is a weapon which connotes bravery and violence. Males like weapons because it makes them look more dominate and superior to other and also so that they are feared. So by including in the trailer the protagonist making a home-made gun makes the meaning even more exciting for them. Guns are shown throughout the trailer persuading the audience to watch the film because weapons appeal to a male audience and the violence also. The sound is a non-diegetic sound, using a fast paced music beat, this could connote that the film is also of a fast pace and enhances the meaning and superior view of the guns used. Throughout the whole trailer it is the props that are used to enhance and persuade the audience to watch the film The American.

How are men represented in this trailer?
Men in this film are represented as a criminals because the trailer shows that the protagonist is planning to kill someone, but also very smart and knowledgeable because he makes weapons such as the gun that is used in the film, showing that men are represented as talented but maybe for the wrong reasons. Men are also represented as maybe liars and very secretive, because in the trailer the protagonist seems to be quiet and doesn’t really socialise, showing that he may have something to keep to himself, also one of the other characters also tell him that he is keeping a secret. This is very stereotypical because men are really seen as secretive. The film shows that men are represented as ‘sinners’ because he is killing and also making weapons that kill people, in addition during the trailer the protagonist says that men are sinners.

On the basis of this trailer, what target audience would be attracted to this film?
Based on the film trailer, I think that the target audience would be aimed at a very male audience, because the protagonist is a male, and the film is very male dominated, with more males being featured then woman, also the voice over is always of a male, either George Clooney or the vicar/priest. It could also be aimed at women because George Clooney is seen exercising, and he is seen as a type of ‘hunk’ which would appeal to women. I think that an audience aged around 16-45 because it stars middle aged men mainly, as George Clooney 49 years old.
What Hollywood values and characteristics can you identify in this trailer?
The Hollywood values and characteristics that are identified in this trailer is through of violence, as the protagonist is extremely violent as he makes guns and the fact that he is a hired assassin makes him very violent and the fact that he doesn’t seem guilty or having a reason for doing the things he is doing.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Miss vds

Bebo
This article was about a woman who writes for the guardian and she wrote a review on someone who has introduced a new soap series on their Bebo account that is 3 minutes long each day. It is about a boy who is passionate about music and he goes round with a group 'bumping' into famous musicians. She gives her opinion and states that the target audience is obviously Bebo users and she says that she doesn't see the point because it has no plot and it is extremely short.

The Internet is not leading us into the dark age

The article is critisizing the Internet, it says they the Internet is making people look stupid, google for example it said it Is handy for people incapable of handling and information over load. That it is spoon feeding information and is stopping people from things like reading. It also gives some positive ideas such as it makes people smarter not dumber. Overall it is about someones view on the internet and the pros and cons of it.

Thursday 11 November 2010

miss wigley kill bill moment scenes

in the first scene, "the Bride", (Uma Thurman) is standing over a martial arts sword which is an extremely powerful martial arts sword, uma Thurman is out of focus and the focus is on the sword which emphasises the power of it, there is an extremely low camera angle, and shows that uma Thurman is powerful and dominant, she looks down at the sword and from this angle it looks as if she is looking down at the audience, again emphasising her dominance. it then goes out of focus and focuses on uma Thurman herself, as she picks up the sword from the floor. it is a long shot of her, as we can see the whole length of her body.
she is wearing a yellow tracksuit, which is extremely bright and very noticeable, the colour yellow is considered a imperial colour among Chinese. it sound is extremely quiet, there is almost no sound at all, this creates a very sinister feeling, it brings discomfort, as the audience doesn't know what is going to happen and may make them feel quite uncomfortable.
i chose this scene because scene because it sets up the rest of the film, because the audience sees that there is going to be some conflict because of the importance of the sword when it is in focus and uma Thurman.

when uma Thurman is being backed into the room, the scene automatically switches from black and white back to colour and there is a extreme close up of her eyes, which shows her shifting her own focus of the boys in front of her, the lights are then turned off to blue lighting, this lighting creates all of the characters in the scene silhouettes, and this also give a sinister feeling because the audience doesn't know who they are other from uma Thurman, who is more noticeable because she is fighting, there is a medium shot of uma Thurman, showing her silhouette, which is very dark, and connotes evil and power. the sound is  non-diegetic as there is music in the scene, but it is a contraputal sound because it is a sci fi music sound that is extremely unexpected because sci fi music is not associated with ancient martial arts that has been around for centuries and is a lot older than science fiction. when they all begin to fight the there is a slight low angle on all of them which shows that they are more dominant.
i chose this scene because it shows her dominance throughout and the lighting changes to an unusual blue used for the whole frame which is unexpected but shows great lighting and mystery.

the scene where uma Thurman has finished fighting the man, she stands on a ledge where she is extremely high up showing her dominance power over all of the people she has killed, the sound is diegetic, all of the people that have been wounded, there is a groaning coming from them, the scene then switches to uma Thurman still in the same position but the camera angle has changed to extremely low, making her look even more dominant not only over the characters but also us as the audience, and it creates a very powerful feel that she has over us. it is a extreme long shot because we can see her body and other parts other setting,  there is high lighting on top of her head, where we cant see her face, and this makes her seem secretive of who she is and powerful, as if we dont have the authority to see her face, it is like the heavens light shining above her, connoting how angelic she is, which contrasts dramatically because she has just killed dozens of people.

Wednesday 10 November 2010

miss VDS film genres

at present the most popular film genres are Sci-fi/Action and Animation from the domestic gross from the box office are:
Inception-$291,475,429
Avatar-$760,464,986
Shrek-$414,317,223  
Toy story 3-$414,317,223
Despicable me-$248,332,455
How to train your dragon-$217,581,231  

i think that sci fi and action is such a popular genre because it shows the audience the unexpected, something beyond human imagination, it allows them to see what could have been, people like to watch what could potentailly go on in peoples minds because they may nothave experianced it themselves. also there is a lot of video games that have a sci-fi genre, and video games are played widely especially through males. sci-fi films are depictions of the phenomena, it allows them to witness the unseen, and something that will never be seen.

i think that animation is a popular genre because it appeals to chlidren as it is easier for them to watch in a way, animation is like an imagination and young children have very big imaginations, they are usually funny which would appeal to a young audience.


popular genres in the 1930's and 1940's were:
gangter and musical (and the further development of film genres gangster films, musicals)http://www.filmsite.org/30sintro.html

Wednesday 3 November 2010

miss wigley

in the film kicks, in the first scene is of the girl laying down slowly stroking a picture, it is a close up of the girl as the camera pans down towards the picture that she is looking at. the lighting is a very dark pink and black colour, which makes the scene quite depressing from the start of the trailer. it then switches very quickly to her again walking, with a big building behind her where it seems that part of the building is moving, the camera is still and it is a long shot of the girl from a low angle as she walks towards the camera. the lighting is light as she is in daylight but the buildings around her are extremely dark, almost black which connotes evil and power, and this is still quite a depressing scene because of the dark lighting. the girl seems to be in her school uniform.
it then switches again quickly to a close up of her face, she is looking through a hole, to a man playing football, he is dressed in footballer clothes therefore informing us it is football, it is a medium shot the the man as we can see his face down to his chest, the lighting seems to be quite grey and muggy. text then appears on the screen with the word 'love' it is a red font on a black background, the red text connotes love or romance and the black background connotes maybe danger and power and also evil. the text decreases in size as it fades into the black background.
there is then a close up of the mans face where he is still playing football, but then switches back to the girls on a swing, it is a close up of her face, she seems to be swinging round which is the same as the footballer was doing, it then changes the scene to her feet, where she is wearing a bright yellow skirt, with bright pink shoes, these colours connote that she is happy and very girly.
the next scene is then both the man and the girl and the two scenes seem to be faded into each other showing the connection between them. the girl is then walking along slowly stroking the top of what seems to be the footballers car, she is wearing a shiny grey jacket, which is of similar colour to the car, the camera angle is straight forward but focuses on her hand on the top of the car. the lighting is grey and dark, this connotes a sinister feeling in the air and also that something bad may happen.
the next scene is at night where she is walking on a street, it is a close up of the girl where she quickly turns around, looking surprised and it then fades again into text which says 'obsession' in red with a black background, connoting again some sort of love with a sinister feeling about it. the text fades back into the background. there is then a loud smash and there is an extreme close up of the girls eye and then her face, the lighting is still dark but she is wearing an orange colour which connotes a feeling of fire, maybe a feeling towards the footballer as she is cutting a name into her wrist. the colour orange also can stimulate the appetite, therefore it seems she is stimulating her appetite for the man.

Tuesday 2 November 2010

miss van der sandans half term homework

50 cent reebok advert
This reebok advert advertises violence by using a town in the first scene that looks deserted and vandalised, making the town look like its been terrorised by violent vandals. the lighting is dark and grey connoting previous violence, evil and depression because the lighting is so dark. the camera angle is a long shot of the shop that seems derelict, the shot shows you the whole shop so that the audience can see how it has been treated but also you can see some of the surroundings and it seems dirty and it makes it look like it is like this because there has been violence int hat area. As the scene with the shoes thrown on the wires comes up it, the previous scene quickly dissolves into this one, the shoes hanging on the wires shows the audience that the people around there were maybe trouble makers and quite thuggish.
it then quickly dissolves again into the next bit where there is water dripping on the floor, it is extremely dark connoting power and intensity and also death too, it is an extreme close up of the water dripping and the camera angle is low. There is then an extreme close up of 50 cents face suggesting to the audience that he may have been involved and could be the face of the problem and it is then quickly followed by a  red light which could connote danger and blood, this interpretation is backed up by the sound of police sirens, which creates a dangerous and intense atmosphere as the audience begin to suspect that something bad has happened.
in the next scene there is a street sign, and it is a high angle shot, therefore showing that that was the place where it happened and also it has a sense of superiority. the lighting is still quite grayish and this connotes depression and sadness, there is a digetic sound where someone is screaming as a sort of voice over and this continues into the scene where 50 cent holds his head down, wearing a black top with a red hood, the colour
black connotes power and death and the red connotes danger, blood and anger. as his head is held down the camera angle is also looking down on him therefore suggesting that he has done something wrong and that the audience is more superior, the screaming carries on in the background along with the sirens and this tells the audience that something bad has happened. the lighting is still extremely dark and sinister, it then switches to text 'i am' and the camera is on the floor where it is evident it is raining and the floor is very dark and it seems to be night, there is a puddle on the floor and has a light in it suggesting that it is a street lamp situated in the street giving the audience a clue to where and when this bad event happened. the screaming is then followed by the sound of a policeman talking about the situation saying where it has happened calling for back up, this carries on into the next scene where 50 cent is in a big empty room which looks like a warehouse, the lighting is dark and has tints of blue in it connoting again power but also cold considering the surroundings as it is damp and looks extremely cold, this can connote the feeling that a person gets when they are hurt, in this case it is 50 cent that has been hurt because he was shot in Jamaica, and the police voice over informs the audience what has happened.
scenes then start to dissolve into one another and the voice over changes to 50 cents where he starts to explain that he was 'shot 9 times' in Jamaica and there is a medium shot of 50 cent showing his head and half his body, the camera then tracks in towards him sitting on a big box like object and it seems that his music is playing in the background along with the police sirens again. then it starts to go into a heartbeat and sounds like everything is rewinding showing again the street where it all happened and it is still deserted and dull, and looks as if it has been vandalised. throughout the ad he is counting up to the number nine indicating that that was how many times he was sot, at the end of this when he finally gets to 9 he starts to laugh and there is an extreme long shot of him and the a low camera angle therefore suggesting that he is Superior maybe because he survived and has power. text then appears as the camera tracks towards his face and stops at a close up view of him, his face slowly changes from a smile of laughter to seriousness and the screen begins to turn black and the rest of the text appears 'i am what i am', the black background connotes how much power he has. the lighting over all in the add is very dark.

i think that a global company like reebok can get away with glamourising violence because they are such well known company, that i think they think they can get away with anything because so many people buy their products, reebok may think that people will buy them regardless, and that they think they have that much power it wont matter what they advertise.
i think that their intention was to advertise their products using 50 cent but giving the products a human like quality, by using 50 cent and the shooting it makes him look immortal, therefore they think that the their consumers will think that they also are immortal and because 50 cent is a famous rapper amoung young people, and young people these days are more concerned about their appearence, that if they wear the same brand as 50 cent does, they will look better.
the target audiance for this advert i think is a young male audiance aged around 12-21+ because they are always concerened about how they look and want to look better then others, especially with brands. it may be aimed at a C2DE audiance because 50 cent was orginally from the 'ghetto' and their products are cheaper then most sport brands.
i do agree that the advert should be banned because it is like they are advertising 50 cent then their own products, you dont really see much of the brand logo, and the whole story revolves around him, also a lot of young people are more influenced now so i think that using 50 cents story that he was shot 9 times and survived sends out a bad message because it is like they are also promoting shooting, as 50 cent is wearing reebok and lived, he signifies immortailty almost, therefore making young people think that if they were reebok they will survive shootings as well.