Unit 10A

Mise-en-Scene

Wallows- These Days ( music video)

Lighting/colour

• bright natural lighting suggests a light hearted tone, as the music video has no serious meaning 
• bright colours such as yellow and orange are used as they create a fun, lively tone which reflect the indie genre

Costume/makeup

• the characters in the music video wear 80s style clothes, which matches the style of the music, as its influenced by the 80s. The audience would prefer this as they may like bands from the 80s such as U2 or Wham! They also may like the costume the characters wear
• the hairstyles the characters have are also 80s themed as they're similar to how people would wear theirs at that time 

Props/setting 

•  the music video is set on an American street, and inside a house, which could be realistic for the audience and could be a fantasy 
•  the props used are the instruments 
• there are also vinyls and posters in the bedroom, which a lot of teenagers in the 80s, and now have, so it makes it realistic

Facial expression

• even though the music video is very fun and light hearted, the characters have serious facial expressions as the music video is similar to a teen movie where a boy performs to a girl outside her room 

Film text and context
Mise-en-Scene: the term is borrowed from a French theatrica expression, roughly meaning 'put into the scene'. In other words, it describes the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a frame.

Elements: production design, location, studio, set design, costume and makeup, properties, colour design and casting

Analysis of shots 

Shot 2:

• the lighting is very dark in the foreground, but in the background it's quite bright. This emphasises the dark shadow in the background and immediately catches the audience's attention, which causes suspense as the audience knows there's something behind the girl but she doesn't.
• the colours in the scene are quite dull as the scene is dark, which adds to the eerie atmosphere that makes the audience on edge. This is typical of horror movies, as a dark dull scene creates mystery and suspense as not everything in the scene is revealed. The main colour in the scene is red, which could suggest the violence which is common in horror films.
• the costume and makeup of the main character in this scene is quite basic, because the attention is on the dark figure in the background, so the audience is drawn to that instead.
• the positioning of the characters is also important in this scene. the woman is in the foreground because she is the known character and the audience needs to see her facial expressions, and the unknown future is in the background because the audience doesn't know much about them, so they're a mystery which makes the character seem scary.

Camerawork:

       Shots

• extreme close up
• big close up
• close up
• mid shot
• medium long shot
• long shot
• extreme long shot/establishing shot 
• over the shoulder shot
• canted angle

       Angles

• high angle- used to make characters appear smaller or more innocent
• low angle- used to make characters appear bigger or more powerful
• neutral angle- shows how the characters are equal

        Movement

• pan left/right
• crab left/right
• track in/out
• zoom in/out 
• ped up/down
• tilt up/down

How are Beyoncé and Jay Z presented in the 'Crazy In Love' music video?

For Jay Z, mostly close ups and big close ups are used in this video. This could imply his power and dominance, as he doesn't have to show off to the camera. Mostly mid long shots, mid shots and close up are used for Beyonce as she dances in the music video which shows body off to he audience. Low angles are used are used when she walks up the stairs, and when she dances, which further shows of her body and objectifies her, as she is  dancing in a seductive way.

The costumes Beyoncé wears in this music video are quite revealing, such as short shorts and low tops, which matches the dance she's doing, which is like a 'stripper' dance. This could be so Beyonce is sexualised in the video and is seen as attractive. Jay Z is wearing a cap in the video, which hides his face, and this implies he can still cover his face and be recognised so it shows his power. Jay Z is not being objectified like Beyoncé in this music video because the camera only sees a section of his face, part of which is covered, and this is used to show his dominance how he can do nothing and still be seen.

Representation of gender:
Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory (1975)- this theory suggests that in film, the audience view characters from a heterosexual male's perspective, and this is why woman are objectified in film. This is because usually, it was the men behind the camera and creating the film, so they would want the women to look appealing. However, seeing as more women are becoming producers and directors in film, so women's roles in films are heroes instead of being sexualised. 
Bechdel test (1985)- a test created by Alison Bechtel, which measures the gender bias against women in movies
To pass the test the movie must have 3 things:

• two female characters (preferably named)

• who talk to each other 

• about something other than a man

Sound 
Examples of movies that fail the Bechdel test:
The Avengers, Ratatouille, Avatar, La La Land, Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

• provides depth and emotional response 

• establishes character and environment 

• can be used to introduce a new scene 

• cues the audience to important information

• audio for movie 

Non-Diegetic sound- sound that is not within the world of the film that the characters can't hear
Diegetic sound- sound that is within the world of the film that characters can hear

Synchronous- on screen- sound that is matched with the actions and movement on screen
Asynchronous-  off screen- sound that is assumed to be in the space of a scene yet remains off screen while the action is taking place simultaneously
Contrapuntal- sound and music that contradicts the images on screen
Parallel- sound and music that suits the images on screen
Sound bridge- when sound carries over a visual transition in a film, usually to connect the town of multiple scenes
Sound effects- sounds edited on a film
Voice over- narration used to explain thoughts of a character, important information or to develop the narrative

Babadook Trailer- sound
This trailer uses many aspects of sound that create it's gene. For example, at the exposition of the trailer, parallel sound is used when the book is read to the little boy, because its appearance is dark red and black which creates an uneasy tone that matches the background music, which is sinister and creepy. The appearance of the scene aisles adds to their as the colour scheme used is dull greys which make the scene dark. The sound effects used for the Babadook are scary and electronic, which makes it frightening, so fitting in with the genre. This is successful because its scary for the audience, and seeing as the Babadook isn't shown in the trailer, creates a sense of mystery as to what it could be.
Another element of sound effectively used for the Babadook is asynchronous sound where the audience knows the sound edicts are coming from the monster but can't see it, which adds to the fact the trailer is successful in making the audience question what the Babadook is.



Editing 

• how you get from shot A to shot B 
• assembling film shots in desired order
• speed of editing 
• style of editing 
• juxtaposition- the meaning created through juxtaposed frames
• pace- how quickly we move from shot A to shot B- creates meaning for the audience- long and short frame
• style- the way in which film moves from shot A to shot B- creates meaning- most common editing transition is a cut- cuts add continuity and to allow the narrative to flow and uninterrupted 
• continuity editing- the purpose is to create a sense of logic and coherence between shots- a sense of reality- shots flow together and make sense to the audience- creates realism- uses cuts

Shot reverse shot- where one character is shown looking at another character, and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. It is assumed they're looking at each other and are usually in conversation

In this scene of spiderman, the shot reverse shot is at the end, where the character is talking to himself in the mirror, acting like two different characters.

Match on action- a shot cuts to another shot, portraying the action in the first shot, creating continuity.
180 degree rule- follows the use of staying on one side of the imaginary line when taking over the shoulder shots of characters. This makes certain that there is continuity in the scene, so that the audience only see one side of the line YouTube video

Evaluating the blind task:
In our video, we included shot reverse shot when the interviewer was talking to the student, but we did not follow the 180 degree rule, as we took shots from different angles. We used match on action when the student walked down the stairs, using different angles and slowed down some of the shots to create a dramatic tone.



Jump cut- a sudden often jarring cut from one shot or scene to another without intervening devices
Graphic match- an editing technique use to continuously transition two successive shots. A graphic match creates a cut between two shots that juxtapose their graphically similar images. They are not the same item.
Fade to black- to change gradually until its completely black, e.g. as the hero rides into the sunset, the screen fades to black
Dissolve- gradual transition from one image to another
Pace- the speed at which shot transitions take place. Rapid pacing suggests intensity and excitement, whereas slower pacing is more relaxed and thoughtful 
Cross cutting- two or more separate scenes woven together. Links the narrative and adds excitement and tension to a scene 


How a sense of horror is created:
Mise-en-Scene- a lot of horror movies are set in forests or cabins, mostly secluded places that have a fearful and tense atmosphere. They are usually secluded so they're cut of from civilization and help, as the idea of being alone with no help is scary.
Props used can be weapons, or spiritual artifacts, depending on the storyline.
The lighting in horror films is usually dark to create a scary atmosphere, as no one can see much. The colours depend on the sub genre of the film, for example a slasher film will use reds as there's a lot of blood, but other horror films use mainly black and white. This can be to contrast between good and evil.    
Certain costumes are used as tropes in horror films, such as little girls have long hair and wear white dresses


Editing- City of God

• fast pace cuts- creates a continuous scene, and the cuts from the chickens to the knife to the people dancing is quite chaotic well as creating a claustrophobic feel. The cuts from the chicken to the knife could also suggest the danger the chicken is in, and this is also present when the chicken is being chased
• The frequency of the pace of shots also increases as the audience gages what's going on, and at the end of the scene when the chicken is being chased, cuts are the fastest.
• only cuts are used so the scene is continuous 
• rhythmic editing- relations between shots function to control film pace- this is shown when the camera cuts to the chicken, the knife and then the barbecue. It hints at what's going to happen to the chicken.
• the slow motion used on the ones chasing the chickens and the one who catches it implies the metaphor that the chicken represent the kids of the town. This is when it is clear, as the cuts are from the chicken running to the boy, then they link together at the end 
• match on action is used when the chicken is being chased, this creates continuity of the scene, which shows the chaos and tension of both the chicken and the ones chasing it
• when the camera circles the boy, there's graphic match which shows a flashback of him as a child. This links the two scenes together, as it gives context to the boys life.

The Romantic Comedy genre- Macro analysis into Clueless 

Conventions:

• Romantic comedies are usually aimed at teenage females
• the setting tends to be places teenagers can relate to, for example school, at parties or at home, typically in bedrooms 
• the costume each character wears shows off their role in the film so it is easy to identify who is who e.g. the jock will wear sports clothes and the nerd will wear smart clothes
• the non diegetic music in rom coms is usually songs in the charts, which teenage girls would like and therefore attracting its target audience. The music can also reflect the character's mood, such as if they're happy the music will be more upbeat.
• voiceovers are sometimes used to explain a story from one characters point of view. The film may start with a voiceover of the main female character.
• there is usually a 'boy meets girl' scenario. there is a happy ending in which these two characters go out or get married
• to keep to the comedy genre, most of the time there is some sexual innuendos included in the script 
• the lighting is usually natural because romantic comedies are less serious than other genres of film, so it keeps a light-hearted tone

Clueless 

Clueless is a romantic comedy film

Context:

• 1995
• Race, sexuality and multiculturalism were hotly debated at the start of the decade. Homosexuality was more accepted in society, with 64% of Americans saying this in 1998
• Music was a major part of the 90s with artists such as Spice Girls and Oasis gaining popularity
• The Uk was lead by a conservative government from 1990 to 1997, the prime ministers being Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Bill Clinton was the president of America in 1995.
• Films such as Pulp Fiction, Titanic, Forrest Gump and Jurassic park came out in the 90s, and the TV shows Friends and The Fresh Prince of Bell Air were popular.
• News such as Princess Diana's death in 1997 caused big controversy 
• The first Harry Potter book was released in 1997  

Intertextuality:

• Allusion is an intertextual technique which references an already existent text when the author assumes the reader has already been a part of a previously shared experience. The allusion with Clueless and Emma, a book by Jane Austen, is a demonstration of a modern female coming of age stories. The producer's intention was to modernise Emma by keeping the story  but modernising the setting of society, culture and time.
• Cher, the main character of Clueless clearly resembles that of Emma, in that both characters are privileged, superficial and immature teenage girls.  Emma is very stubborn and thinks that she knows it all when it comes to romance and match making. Clueless' plot is influenced through this as Cher, like Emma is convinced that she is the ultimate match maker and in the end, like Emma, her 'match made in heaven' ends up to be a complete bust
• intertextuality also stemmed from the film Clueless, as Iggy Azalea's music video for her hit 'fancy' was inspired by this film. This is seen through appropriation, through adaption and re-interpretation of an already existing text to produce a new text, a music video

Todorov's narrative theory

• this theory suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure where they begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt the equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibrium is restored.
• equilibrium
• disruption
• recognition of disruption 
• attempts to repair disruption
• return to equilibrium
• an example of Todorov's narrative theory is the film 'Would You Rather'. At the start, the equilibrium is that the main character and her brother have been left in debt because their parents have dies, and the brother needs medical help that they can't afford. The disruption is when the main character is offered a chance to win some money and get a donor for her brother, but in order to do this she has to join the game with other patients. The recognition of the disruption is when the characters realise there's something wrong with the game. The characters try to work together to if a way to escape the games bur fail, this is the attempt to repair disruption. The return to equilibrium is when the game ends. The main character wins the game but returns home to find that her brother has killed himself and the whole game was pointless

Propp's Role

Evaluation

• there is a false hero and not a false villain
• the hero doesn't have to be male 
• the princess isn't always the one who needs rescuing
• these types of characters are usually in action or adventure films, so this theory doesn't apply to all genres of film
• it forms a structure for storylines 

The film Clueless partially conforms to Propp's role, for example Cher could be the hero, because she tries to help people by giving them makeovers and setting them up. However the hero is said to be male and wins 'the love of a good woman', and this isn't the case in Clueless so it shows how the theory is outdated. She also fits the role of the heroine as she could be seen as the 'princess'.

Narrative enigma- codes that limit the audience to information, it lets them figure out what is going on in the story
In Clueless the narrative enigma at the beginning is the audience is not sure how Cher is going to react to the new girl, Tai. The audience can tell she is not up to her standards so it raises the question as to whether she is going to befriend her or not. 

Themes

• Social class- from the beginning of the film, it is clear that Cher has huge amounts of wealth and privilege, and she is unaware of how spoiled she is. Class can be tied with popularity in their school, since when the new girl Tai expresses interest for Travis, who is less popular and less wealthy, Cher attempts to steer her towards the more popular, richer boy Elton in order to raise Tai's status.
• Love- romance is a major theme as Cher's talent is setting people up. She first match-makes her teachers in order to raise her grades. At the end of the film, the main characters are all in happy relationships at the teacher's wedding that Cher paired together. This could imply that love is the driving force of the film and is a major theme.
• miscommunication 
• outwards appearance- it is apparent from the beginning of the film that Cher is invested in her looks and presentation of herself. One of the first scenes is her going through her huge wardrobe and picking out her outfit which signifies the importance of what she wears and her appearance. Even when held at gunpoint, Cher does not want to give up her designer bad and get on the floor because she does'nt want to get her clothes dirty. She also helps Tai change her appearance in order for her to be more popular.
• Negotiation and control- Cher is quick to negotiate to get her own way, for example when she gets a bad grade in her debate class she argues her way into getting a better one. This is majorly influenced by her father who is a lawyer. Control is also important to Cher as Dionne says makeovers give her a sense of control in the world, and she tries to control her environment and the people that are in her life, for example giving Tai a makeover. 

Preferred reading
The preferred reading of Clueless is that Cher is a selfless character who is admired by her peers for giving people 'makeovers' so they gain popularity, as she does to Tai. She also uses matchmaking as a way to be idolised by her friends, as she couples up multiple people in the film. However she does have a more vulnerable side to her and she is more naive about certain things, such as the fact she is unaware of how her wealth puts her at an advantage compared to other people who don't have as much as she does.

Oppositional reading
The oppositional reading of Clueless is that Cher is an entitled character who judges people purely based on looks and wealth, and in order for them to be socially accepted, she has a 'duty' to change their appearance, for example she gives Tai a makeover and judges her for taking an interest in a boy who wasn't of her standards, as he wasn't as wealthy as her and his appearance was slightly scruffy. She is a selfish and spoilt character who always has to take control over situations to remain popular and negotiates her way into getting what she wants.

Negotiated reading
The negotiated reading of Clueless is that Cher is kind and thoughtful in the way that she thinks she's being selfless because she believes that appearance is important and giving people makeovers is a way of helping them, but really she is shallow for thinking that popularity is based on what you look like. She also has an innocence about her that makes her more vulnerable because at certain points in the film and she is unaware of how privileged she is, so when she believes she's doing the right thing by making people look how she wants them to look, she isn't, as Tai ends up with the boy who liked her before Cher changed her appearance.

History of Horror

• Horror films play with the fears at the time and engage with our nightmares. Over time, there has been many different fears in society that horror films are based off of.
• 1925- The Phantom of the Opera is a silent horror which is about a Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House which in turn causes murder in attempt to secretly coach an aspiring opera singer. Chaney, who plays the phantom, was known for his makeup for this character  
• 1931- Dracula was the first horror movie with sound, and was based on the play about vampires
• 1931- Frankenstein engaged with fear of the dead, as its about  scientist who digs up a corpse and brings it back to life, however he is given a murderers brain.  This film was also known for the monsters impressive makeup, giving it a big forehead with electrodes to signify how the scientist brought it back to life. This film reflects the fears at the time, as the monster is supposed to reflect the working class that have been abandoned by the people that were supposed to take care of him (the bourgeoisie or ruling class) in the 1930s.
• 1931- Jekyll and Hyde introduced the theme of a character transforming into something horrific , as Dr Jekyll transforms into Mr Hyde in order to explore the two sides to men that were believed to be true at the time.
• during the 1960s, fears started to be more about human monsters that supernatural monsters such as psychopaths, when films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were made.
• 1964- The Night of the Living Dead was the first low budget independent film about zombies, which encouraged other films to be made, as it was shown that horror films don't have to be expensive to make
• 1968- Rosmary's Baby is a psychological and supernatural horror about a pregnant woman who  suspects that an evil cult wants to take her baby to use for their rituals 
• 1970s- political disruption between the government and young people inspired horror, and it was a trend for films to be about demonic children, seeing as adults created films, and they shared these beliefs. An example of this is The Exorcist.
• 1973- The Exorcist is a supernatural horror film about the possession of an innocent girl who had to have an exorcism to rid her of the demonic spirits.
• 1974- Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a psychological horror and slasher film about the psychopath Leatherface and his family. The film took ideas from news rather than traditional gothic conventions as it was more feared and embedded in society
• 1975- Shivers is a science fiction body horror about a physician that discovers a an ongoing medical experiment trying to develop a parasite that would remove the need for an organ transplant. However, the doctor actually wants to release a sex plague, using the parasite to cause violent sexual assaults that residents try to run from
• 1976- The Omen is a supernatural horror film about a child who's replaced at birth after their own son was murdered at the hospital, enabling the son of Satan to grow up with wealth and power. The parents are then surrounded with mysterious and ominous deaths, unaware that it their son is the antichrist and is causing them.
• 1978- Halloween follows the story of the man Michael Myers who is imprisoned for 15 years for murdering his sister, when he escapes on the night before Halloween to continue killing. This film encouraged more slasher films to be made. The idea that the killer is omnipresent and is unstoppable soon became popular in the film industry in the 70s and 80s.
• conventions of horror films are aspects such as music, which is usually dramatic or sound effects which is used after silence intensify the actions on screen. Props are typically weapons associated with death, sometimes those of which will cause a slow and torturous death such as knives and chainsaws. Secluded locations are another horror convention. This creates a sense of helplessness for the victim as there is no way of getting help.

How are the audience's expectations of Rom Com and Horror different?
Rom coms and horror films differ greatly when it comes down to their genre, however the structure of the films can be similar. Todorov's Narrative theory can be applied to both genres and is the basis of what happens in them. Clueless is an example of a romantic comedy film that follows this theory, ad the Babadook is a horror film that does the same. The plots of these are the complete opposite, because of the conventions of each genre, but as previously mentioned, the structure is similar.
Todorov's narrative theory consists of 5 parts of a film. The first is a state of equilibrium, where all as it should be, for example the Babadook starts with a mother looking after her son, and she reads him a book to get him to sleep. Clueless begins with the main character Cher getting ready for school. She gets picked up by her friend and then they go to school. The second stage is disruption, which in the Babadook is when the mother reads the book to her son and realises its not a normal children's book, and in Clueless is where a new girl, Tai, moves to the school. This shows how both of the films have followed the same theory but the disruption of them are completely different because of their genre. They both include an addition of something, the Babadook being the book which causes the monster to appear, and in Clueless when Tai is introduced it effects Cher's life, and she wants to make her popular by changing her appearance. The theory then continues with the recognition of the disruption, an attempt to repair it, and then a return or restoration of equilibrium, which in the Babadook is the mother and the son continuing a somewhat normal life with the Babadook 
 hidden away but controlled, so this shows a restoration of a new equilibrium. In Clueless there is also a new equilibrium where all characters are content, as Cher and Tai both have boyfriends and are at their teachers wedding, the two teachers Cher matched together. These are similar because the person or thing that fist caused the disruption of equilibrium has been controlled, and the main characters are able to deal with it.
This shows how even though the plots of these films are completely different because of the genre of them, which is what the audience expects from the film, for example rom coms are usually set in schools or typical places teenagers would be, and horror films are usually set in dark secluded places where there aren't many people around. Yet both films follow Todorov's narrative theory which makes them similar.