Camerawork

L/O: to explore the use of camerawork in film

STARTER: Can you work out the film from the close up from the poster?

1. Joker
2. 1917
3. Sonic the Hedgehog
4. Avengers: Endgame
5. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

CAMERAWORK

Medium Close Up

Extreme Close Up


Close Up

Mid Shot

Long Shot

Establishing Shot

Aerial Shot

Low Angle Shot

High Angle Shot

Canted Angle Shot

Point of View Shot

Over the Shoulder Shot

SCENE INSPECTION

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsyHgOgpTjA

Ego breaks the walkman

Peter comes to his senses

Ego turns into David Hasselhoff

You see close ups of both Ego and Peter in this scene when Peter is imprisoned by Ego. They share close ups and then Ego breaks the walkmen.

We see the story through Peter's eyes as it unravels before us where as Ego knows this information.

The camera's constantly switch between Ego and Peter in this scene.

When Ego breaks the walkman to camera doesn't cut to Peter's face but quickly moves to face him.

The camera helps to show us the struggle that builds as the scene progresses.

The first shots of this scene switch between showing Peter and Ego as they speak to establish that this is a two man scene.

Certain shots follow each other so the camera's make the scene naturally progress. For example, 2 over the shoulder shots are followed by a side shot of the characters.

A wide shot during the quote "we are beyond such things" helps to reinforce Ego's grandeur.

The shots tend to change whenever each character starts speaking. They change a bit more frequently as the tension builds.

Get Creative

As the man walks into the bar I would use a low angle to show that the bar is dark. As the people look at him I would use close ups of each of them followed by a wide shot of them all staring at him. As the barman stares I would use a mid shot. Then as the man asks the question I would use a wide shot showing them both. That would be followed by a close up when the man says that Tony isn't available. The last shot would be a close up of the man's fist. This is to create an effect of anger in the man as you see only his fist which implies violence.

Practical Number #1

L/O: to apply narrative theory to our own ideas

Task 1

Equilibrium
A man is in his house, chilling out.

Disruption
The man gets robbed in his home, the robbers steal a valuable possession

Recognition of Disruption
The man figures out where the robbers are.

Attempt to solve disruption
He confronts the robbers, he fights them and grabs his valuable possession.

New Equilibrium
He has his stuff back and the robbers are put in jail.

(I know this is terrible but I am creatively stifled)
Made with Storyboard That

Character

L/O: To explore the use of characterisation in a film

Case Study: Characters

Main character actors: Chris Pratt, Kurt Russell

Protagonist Outline: Name - Peter Quill, Age - 34, Personality - he's hot headed and doesn't always make the right decisions, Job - he gets hired for various jobs throughout the Galaxy

Antagonist Outline: Name - Ego, Age - Millions of years old, Personality - Manipulative and egotistical, Job - His goal is to make the entire galaxy him.

Characters

The main characters are Peter, Gamora, Groot, Drax and Rocket.

The story is mainly about Peter coming to terms with his heritage.

No one is really "telling" the story.

The main characters are of varying species and backgrounds.

The main characters are mostly comedic with the exception of Gamora.

They behave in a way that allows them to make fun of other characters in the story.

There are particular motifs for the group and individual characters.

Rocket interests me the most as he is the most detached from everything but deep down just wants people to care about him.

The story would be extremely different if Peter was taken away as he is integral to the story as it is about his Dad. It would probably have just been a typical kill the bad guy story.

Character Theory: Propp

Vladimir Propp stated that within any narrative, there would appear the following 8 broad character types: 

• The Hero
• The Villain
• The Donor
• The Helper
• The Princess
• The Dispatcher
• The Father
• The False Hero

The Hero - Generally leads the narrative; has a quest or has to solve something; wants to succeed; can be any gender.

The Villain - Struggles against the hero; seen as morally bad; attempts to stop the hero from achieving goal.

The Donor - Gives the hero something special (Power/Weapon/Wisdom etc); enables hero to complete the quest.

The Helper - Supports hero (sidekick); appears at critical moments; their limitations help define the hero.

The Princess - Can take two forms; the object sought by the hero or the reward/

The Dispatcher - Sends hero on the mission (can be combined with another role)

The Princess' Father - Gives task to the hero; authority figure; protective over princess (doesn't have to be her biological father)

The False Hero - Appears to act heroically and often mistaken for the real hero; gets credit for the work; gains respect from the father.

Propps Theory: Applied to your film

The Hero - Peter Quill, he wants to find his place in the universe and believes that it's with his father.

The Villain - Ego, he wants to use Peter to conquer the universe as Peter is part celestial

The Donor - Ego, teaches Peter the power that is eventually used to defeat him

The Helper - Gamora, supports Peter in his quest to find a family.

The Princess - Ego/Yondu, they have the familial bonds that Peter wants

The Dispatcher - Gamora, convinces Peter to go with Ego to his planet because he might be Peter's father.

The Princess' Father - N/A

The False Hero - N/A

Narrative

Tuesday 14th April 2020L/O: to explore the narrative structure of a film

STARTER: Can you work out the anagrams from these Disney films

1. Gal Dent = Tangled

2. Hatted Millimetre = The Little Mermaid

3. A Babysat Tuned Thee = Beauty and The Beast

4. A Nacho Pots = Pocahontos

5. Whites Won Handstands Fever We = Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs

6. Cleared Nil = Cinderella

7. Aid Land = Aladdin

8. An Tzar = Tarzan

9. A Bench Deck To The Fun Oh Mr A = The Hunchback of Notre Dame

10. Legion Think = The Lion King

Case Study Research

Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Director: James Gunn

Writer: James Gunn

Producer: Kevin Feige

Production Company: Marvel Studios

Distribution Company: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Date Released: May 28th 2017 (UK)

Genre:Superhero

Main Actors: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Baustista, Vin Diesel (Voice), Bradley Cooper (Voice), Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell

NARRATIVE

At the beginning of the story the Guardians have been hired to protect some batteries from an evil space monster (I can't be asked to find the name), In the middle of the story Peter's Dad shows up, tells him he has superpowers and whisks him away to his own planet. At the end of the story we find out Peter's Dad is evil and the Guardians kill him.

The most important things that happen are Ego (Peter's Dad) showing up, The Guardians killing Ego and Yondu (Peter's Father Figue) dying in the climax of the film.

If events happened in a different order the story probably wouldn't work.

The film tells us the names of the different locations using text on the screen.

The story is about the Guardians of the Galaxy, it also heavily features themes of family and loss.

The story happens over the course of a few days in the year 2014.

Before the story began, the Guardians were probably doing what they were doing in the beginning of the film. Regular jobs for them.

I think after it ends they return to some form of normality for them.

The story doesn't remind me of any other stories off the top of my head.

It continued a few years later in Avengers: Infinity War.

NARRATIVE THEORY: TODOROV

A film's narrative is the story of the film and is broken down into five stages by theorist Tzetan Todorov:
Equilibrium: Everything in the film world is normal (Not necessarily good, but it's normal)
Disruption: Something happens (usually caused by the film's main antagonist) to disrupt normal life
Recognition of Disruption: The protagonist/s realise that something is wrong in their world or discover the disruption

Attempt to solve: The main protagonist goes on a journer to the solve the disruption.
New Equilibrium: The disruption is solved and a new normality occurs (things can never be the same as they were before the disruption, but a new 'normal life' is created)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 in Todorov's structure

Equilibrium: The Guardians are out on a normal job goofing around. They finish and receive Nebula as a reward. They leave to head Xandar to turn in Nebula's bounty.

Disruption: Rocket stole some batteries and they are chased down by the people who hired them. The ship is heavily damaged but they are saved by Ego. 

Recognition of Disruption: They crash onto the planet and meet Ego who claims he is Peter's father. They also meet his servant Mantis. After much disagreement, Peter, Drax and Gamora go with Ego while Rocket and Groot stay with Nebula and the ship. When they get to Ego's planet they slowly unravel the fact that Ego wants to use Peter's newfound power to destroy the galaxy. Peter snaps and wants to kill Ego after he mentions that he killed Peter's mother.

Attempt to solve the disruption: Groot, Rocket and Yondu were captured but escaped and headed to Ego's planet. They all get together and kill Ego. Yondu dies to save Peter from the collapsing planet.

New Equilibrium: They have a funeral for Yondu. The Guardians watch as fireworks are set off in commemoration of him. Gamora and Peter become partners. Mantis joins the Guardians of the Galaxy at the end of the movie.