REPRESENTATION
• Where is being represented? London is being represented in the year 2027.
•How is it being represented?
London is being represented as a technologically advanced community you can see this when the bus passes by there is a TV also London is being represented as a chaotic city.
• Is it a positive or negative representation?
How is this created?
London is being represented in a negative way an example of would be that its created as dark and gloomy and bland not much colour also everyone looks sad and unhappy the mis-en-scene creates a negative representation.
• Who is being represented?
Woman are being represented as a dying breed they are not really shown in this extract, also men are being represented as the strong breed who are hardworking and strong. Immigrants are being represented as an evil group of people who are hated and not welcome into London.
• Eg. Do we have a “hero”?
We don't really have a hero at the beginning of the film because nothing really happens. But the young boy who has just died is seen as a hero that everybody looked up to and loved because he was the youngest boy alive. The opening scene focuses on a man in his mid-30s who enters a shop to buy some coffee, because the camera focuses on him, it strongly suggests that he is an important main character, but his position as protagonist or anti-hero has yet to be established.
• How do we know he is the hero?
We don't know exactly but we get some clues, for example when he leaves the shop with his coffee the camera tracks his movements up until the point when the bomb explodes it also continuous shot which suggests he is important.
Does he fit all of our established ideas of what a hero in a film should be?
No the man does not fit our established idea of what a hero is.
If yes, what are these: if no, what is there in the text which makes him unsatisfactory as a hero?
He doesn't look active and looks lazy because he looks unshaven and unkempt also he doesn’t look interested and backs away from explosion.
How are women represented?
Woman are represented as a dying breed they are not really
Shown only a few women are shown. They also represented as being emotional people this is seen by the woman in the café crying and showing emotion towards the death of baby Diego. They are also seen as main victims of the events unfolding this is seen by the woman who comes out of the explosion with one hand fallen off.
How is the future represented?
The future is being represented as a dystopian world a dying world in which the country i being represented a dying place in which it is negative and degraded. This is the opposite of utopian which is a positive world in which society is going better. Also it is represented as polluted and non-progressive era in time.
Can you notice any other social groups or places which are represented?
Another social group being represented is the working class you can see a lot of people doing work especially in the centre of London where a lot of people are working in businesses. Also other countries like Germany and other countries are seen as evil and not allowed into the country this is seen by the German women in the cage like an animal. Illegal immigrants are seen as evil and alien and are not welcome into the country.
How are these representations constructed?
These representations are constructed by having police officers there to show they are serious about not allowing illegal immigrants into the country also there a woman at the front with a petrified face maybe being scared of being deported back to her country. Also making London seem like a bad place with pollution and bombings happen and groups being segregated from each other.
MEDIA LANGUAGE:
Made up of lighting, camera work, editing, sound, mise-en-scene
Lighting:
What is the lighting like?
The lighting is general but is really dark and gloomy this is when it is outside and also inside is well. There is artificial inside the coffee shop and outside there is natural light.
What is the effect of this on the text?
The effect is has on the film is that the London is grimy, gloomy and polluted area and it gives a negative impression of London.
What is the effect of this on the audience?
On the audience the effect is that it’s not a happy place to be they would feel sorry for the people involved and sympathize with them and feel anxious about what is too come.
Camera Work:
What do you notice about the camera work?
What i notice about the camera work is that some of it uses track, while others use camera movement like Dolly.
Does it conform to your expectations of a major feature (fictional) film?
No it doesn’t conform to my expectations of a major feature because you would not normally see explosions at the beginning of a film not the beginning. Also you would not expect to see that much emotion at the beginning especially when you see the people crying maybe you would expect that at the end but not the first 5 minutes.
Is there anything you think is done differently?
The thing I think is done differently is the movement of the cameras and how they are being held. The camera movements are all different.
Why have the camera shots been chosen?
The camera shots have been chosen to show the emotions that each character displays also to show how the story builds and the tension and suspense how it is created.
Editing:
What kind of editing can you recognize?
Two types of editing I can recognize is a continuous shot and a jump cut, a continuous shot is used when the man enters the shop and takes his coffee the camera follows him throughout even when he goes out this is a continuous shot. A jump cut is used when the man is entering the building we see him go through one end and we see him leaving the other end we do not see him go straight through the camera does not follow him.
What does this do to the text?
It gives the film a more realistic look and natural because there isn’t too many of one shot and it appeals to the viewer as too many of a certain shot will distract from the storyline of the film.
Does it change the pace at all through the clip?
Yes the pace does change it a more naturalistic feel and it appeals to the viewer.
Sound:
What do you notice in particular about the way sound has been constructed in this clip?
The sound used is diegetic for things like the cars, the people walking also the explosion and what is being watched on the television in the shop.
Why do you think these choices have been made by the directors?
The directors have made these choices to make the film more realistic because having too many sound effects or soundtracks would distract from the storytelling of the film.
Mise-en-scene (everything you see in the scene):
How have the locations been created?
The locations have been created to look dark and gloomy and also polluted is well. Also the cars and bikes and buses on the roads making all the exhaust fumes into the atmosphere make it look and feel polluted.
What in them suggests time / location / situation to the audience?
The bikes’ being rode through London seem quite modern and new and goes into the category of the future because you don’t see them in London in today’s life. Also there is a lot of technology in London this is shown by the televisions that are there and also the moving images on the bus and the building this how London has upgraded and is now technologically advanced in London 2027.
GENRE:
What type of film do you think this is, from the clip you’ve been shown?
From this clip we get the sense of it being a hybrid of adventure, action, drama and thriller.You may well think it falls under a number of types (genres)
It may fall under the genre of Adventure, thriller and also Mystery.
What is there in this text which you could use to support each of these assumptions of genre?
The assumptions in the film that it is a thriller is the quick camera shots and also the dark lighting that is used throughout the beginning especially of the film.
i.e.. How are these genres created / communicated in this clip?
Through the lighting used which is dark and gloomy and miserable and also through the shots used like the continuous shot which create tension and suspense.
NARRATIVE:
What do you notice about the narrative structure of this clip?
The story doesn’t go in chronological order at the beginning we already know about the youngest person alive because we are told, after that we learn about the story and why it has come to this it is not a normal piece of storytelling.
This is the opening of the film.
What does it do which fulfills your expectations of what the opening of a film “should” be like / include in terms of narrative.
It doesn’t conform to the normal narrative but it does grab the attention of the viewer because we are already aware of what is happening as we feel sorry for the youngest person alive. It grabs the attention of the viewer by doing something we are unexpected to happening this is done by the bomb explosion.Does it do anything different in terms of narrative structure?
The type of narrative structure used is non-linear narrative it does not go in order or chronologically either.
AUDIENCE:
Which audiences do you think are being targeted to watch this film?
This film is targeted for teenagers mostly from aged of 15 to 19 years if age.
You might want to segment these audiences by:
Age: 15-19 years of age also people in their 20s and above.
Gender: 60% Male and 40% Female
Lifestyle / life-stage: Teenagers who like to go to the cinemas and enjoy socializing with their friends. Also people in their 20s who need a break from all their work they are doing.
Financial situation: Some of the teenagers may work others may ask pants for money or use their EMA money that they get weekly from going to college.
From this clip, what is there to attract these different audiences?
In the clip there are many things to attract the different audiences for the more emotional audiences there is the beginning where the death of baby Diego is mentioned. For the audiences that like big surprises there is the big explosion right at the beginning.
VALUES AND IDEOLOGIES:
What kind of messages does this text seem to be giving to its audiences?
The message this film giving the audience is that if you keep on doing wrong things the environment will go bad and London will not be a really good place to live in. Also its saying in the future things will not get better but will get worse.
Eg. Do you think the film makers are trying to give the audiences messages about current issues?
If so, which, and what is their message?
Yes issues like immigration its saying that soon too many people will disagree and they will not be allowed into the country because they will be seen as corrupt and bad to the world. Another message is we need to think about the world we live in for the future because it’s not about tomorrow it about what will happen in 20 or 50 years from now.
How do you know this from this clip?
The issue of the world we live in like pollution is brought up most of the time the look of the picture especially as it looks unattractive and not a nice place to live. So this is known by the clip.
This was the third movie we compared as it has some conventions used in our thriller. Mostly females watched Panic Room. 15-24 and 25-34 were the ages that this film attracted. A business occupation or and students could be the suggested audience's lifestyle. This could be explained from the age of the protagonist actor in the film and her situation. Females were possibly intrigued by this movie due to the 'Girl power' and use of a female lead. The use of the male actors and the dominance they had in this film could attract males to this text.
The opening scene of Saw starts with many extreme close up shots of things, these things include ticking clock, a wall, another clock and a TV. There are also close up shots used these shots include numbers, newspaper articles and other images of some streets and roads, that may link to the film in the end. The camera angles used are high angle this is used when looking at the clock it is as we are looking up facing upwards. This gives us the sense of realism as if we were there. The camera movement seems as though it is dolly zoom because the camera is moving closer to the subject in this case it’s the newspaper articles which seem as though they are on a table of some sort. The sounds used are diegetic and non-diegetic, the diegetic sound is the sound of the man screaming in pain right at the beginning as it starts. The non-diegetic sound is the soundtrack used this music is quite slow but has a sinister beat to it. The music adds suspense to the film before it’s even started and also it gives a creepy and eerie feel to it iswell.
The sounds used are diegetic and non-diegetic. The diegetic sound in the opening scene is the sounds of the cars and birds, even though we cannot see these things we know what they are associated with. The non-diegetic sound which is the sound put afterwards is the soundtrack in the background is quite slow and calm at the beginning then it goes fast paced and quite intense. Maybe this is a clue about what the movie will be about is quite unknown what kind of genre it is at this point. At the end of the credits and music there is another piece of diegetic sound this is dialogue between two woman characters in the background of them talking there is a ticking clue maybe this is a clue to the film maybe it will be used later on. 
However there are some editing techniques used like simple cuts which are breaks in cuts and shots which happen from one shot to another. This carries the Cuts carry the continuity of action forward in a straightforward manner. This is used throughout the opening scene. This is good because it’s building the tension about what the film is about and also when it will start. The lighting used in the opening is natural light from the outside it doesn’t really do much as it only shows the buildings and the clouds and not really anything else, this is until we see the two characters that start talking at the end. The graphics used are the opening credits the most important person starring in the film is put first in this case it is, Jodie Foster. The writing is plain and white this is so it doesn’t distract from the buildings behind it, this may also be symbolic.
Characters involved are seen at the end, they are two women who look well dressed and quite wealthy from the looks of what they are wearing which is a heavy material coat with some kind of fur. Their conversation seems as though it’s about money as the woman says “Forty two hundred square feet, four floors perfect, courtyard and back facing garden.” This tells us that they are two well the location of the play seems as though it’s in New York in the busy street from where they are walking through and also from the skyscrapers from before. The visual style of the opening scene looks modern and up to date and as though it was made in recent years, maybe because it is about today’s times. The theme of this film is unknown because it doesn’t give anything away at all or any obvious clues either. The genre of this film could be thriller due to the music used which is full of suspense and tension. 
Hints are placed in the sequence to do with characterisation of what would seem to be the antagonist. An extreme close-up is used to show the cutting out of the word ‘God’ from a dollar bill, its suggests that this antagonist may believe that he is God or be somewhat religious, this also coincides with the song lyrics used during the end voicing ‘closer to God’.
Various objects are laden out in the cuts of the scene. Books are shown with disturbing pictures propping up when the pages are turned. The distressing pictures that boldly show dead people symbolise the film’s themes, genre and highlight the sick and twisted mind of the ‘antagonist’. 
• Where is being represented?
We don't really have a hero at the beginning of the film because nothing really happens. But the young boy who has just died is seen as a hero that everybody looked up to and loved because he was the youngest boy alive. The opening scene focuses on a man in his mid-30s who enters a shop to buy some coffee, because the camera focuses on him, it strongly suggests that he is an important main character, but his position as protagonist or anti-hero has yet to be established. 
From this clip we get the sense of it being a hybrid of adventure, action, drama and thriller.
It doesn’t conform to the normal narrative but it does grab the attention of the viewer because we are already aware of what is happening as we feel sorry for the youngest person alive. It grabs the attention of the viewer by doing something we are unexpected to happening this is done by the bomb explosion.
Age: 15-19 years of age also people in their 20s and above.
Yes issues like immigration its saying that soon too many people will disagree and they will not be allowed into the country because they will be seen as corrupt and bad to the world. Another message is we need to think about the world we live in for the future because it’s not about tomorrow it about what will happen in 20 or 50 years from now.
