1.tzvetan todorov
2.enigma
3.action code
Friday, 24 October 2014
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Monday, 20 October 2014
Unit 1 Task 2 Peer Feedback
The positives of this script are that it appears to use lists of terminology, apart from Iconography. An improvement is that you need to write about camera angles and editing.
Friday, 17 October 2014
Unit 1 vlog 2 script
The film I have been looking at is Die Hard. Die Hard is a action film that was made for people to watch on Christmas eve. Die Hard is one of the most renowned films in the action genre.
The purpose for Die Hard is to entertain the audience, we know this because throughout the film the character uses comedy to evoke laughter from the audience.
The main genre for Die Hard is action, I know this because the film is filmed with lots of action (Guns, Violence, Explosions). The sub genre for this film is comedy, this I know because the main character uses comedy to lighten the mood of the film.
The form of this film is that it is a feature film, this film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and shown in cinema across the globe. It made $140.7 million in box office from cinemas.
The style for this film is that it is made to represent venerability to terror attacks in America, it is also supposed to show motive behind terror attacks. The films plot and the idea of an attack of terrorism on Christmas eve, shows to people that anything could happen at anytime.
The story for Die Hard. Die hard is about a man called John McLane that go’s to see his wife Holly McLane at her companies Christmas party. During that Christmas party terrorists arrive lead by Hans Gruber, they go on to lock-down the building and take the businesses employees hostage. This presents an enigma. They plan to take $640 million in bearer bonds from the company safe, when John McLane (the only person at the party not taken hostage) takes the law into his own hands and hatches a plan to rescue the hostages This is an example of binary opposition( Claude Levi-Strauss 1958) where John McLane is the protagonist . He then go’s on to kill most of the terrorist group but is unable to stop them from blowing the roof off of the building and killing two FBI agents, It is at this time when John finds Hans and kills him to stop the attack. He rescues most of the hostages and lives on with his wife.
The storyline for this film is a prime example for Tzvetan Todorovs narrative structure theory that there are five steps to a films narrative. Firstly there is Equilibrium, this is where everything is calm and everyone is happy, when John go's to the Christmas party (11:21). Then there is a disruption, this is an event that disrupts the equilibrium, when the terrorists arrive and lock the building down (22:58). Thirdly is a realism that the disruption has happened When John hatches a plan to rescue the hostages . Then there is an attempt to repair the damage of the disruption, John starts killing the terrorists. Finally there is a happy ending where the equilibrium is restored, John saves the hostages by killing Hans(2:01:57). There is also a lot of action codes throughout this film, an example of one is when John reaches for his gun , we know then that there is going to be a shoot out between two parties.
Content
I will now talk about the mise-en-scene of Die Hard, location, characters, gestures, props, lighting and colouring.
The main location for this film is the Nakatomi tower, a 50 floor plaza tower. A lot of the scenes that take place with in this building are iconic of the action genre.
The main characters in this film are John McLane (portrayed by Bruce Willis) the most important character, he is the hero and protagonist of the film. Then there is Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman), he is the leader of the terrorist group and the main antagonist of the film. Sgt Al Powell (Reginald Vel Johnson), the police sergeant in charge and helping John throughout the film. Holly McLane (Bonnie Bedelia), Johns wife and a protagonist. Karl (Alexandra Gundonov), a terrorist and antagonist.
There are a lot of gestures within the film. An example of a acting gesture would the fight scene with John McLane and Karl, where Karl fights John for revenge and John defeats him (1:52:11). Another example of an acting gesture is when John leaps from the exploding rooftop with only a fire hose tied around him(1:56:26). The costumes mostly consist of suits and evening dresses for the business employees, and all black clothes for the terrorists however the main hero John McLane wears only a vest, some trousers and a gun strapped around him (this is typical stereotype of a action hero) and the main villain Hans wears a business suit ( this is another typical stereotype for villains).
The props in this film mostly consist of guns, explosives, alcohol, and bags. An example of props only used once would be a microphone or a fire-hose. These props are used to create a dramatic effects throughout the film.
The lighting in this film is mostly low key, this denotes to it being night time and the building having the power cut out, the connotation of this is that the lighting represents the dark nature of the film and when there is explosions the contrast in light makes the scenes memorable and iconic. The colours in this film are mostly neutral or primary colours ( reds, blues, greens) but colours such as yellow and orange make a lot of entrances with explosions.
Meaning
I will now talk about the meaning of different aspects of the film
This film was filmed inside of the Nakatomi tower building, this denotes to the building being very large. When the rooftop of the Nakatomi tower is blown up (1:56:35) it symbolises how unimportant the building is in the scale of life or death. This makes the audience react with anticipation, this is exactly what the producer wanted for his preferred meaning.
Both the main villain Hans Gruber and main hero John McLane act in a way that is exactly what you would expect for an action stereotype, very bold and straight to the point, this denotes to the film following in the action genre, the connotation of this is that its genre is very specific to its needs when it comes down to the acting.
The costumes of the business employees denote to them having a party but it connotes to the employees getting surprised and not getting chance to do anything. The costumes for the terrorists denote to the fact they don't want to be seen within the darkness but the connotation of this is that they came prepared and that black clothes are stereotypically seen as clothes a bad villain would wear. John McLane's costume denotes urgency but connotes to him being an action hero so he only needs bare minimum to succeed. Hans Gruber's costume denotes to him blending in with the business people, but the connotation of this is that he may see himself as more of a businessmen that a terrorist.
The characters use guns and explosives the most. This denotes to the characters being inpatient and non merciful, but the connotation of this is that they are willing to go to extremes to live or get what they want.
The film is mostly lit up by the explosions that happen a lot of the time. This denotes to the explosions being bright, the connotation of this is that the explosion is illuminating of the characters personalities. This is supposed to make the audience react in suspense because the audience aren't expecting them to happen. This is what the producer wanted the audience to react like, so it is exactly the meant reaction for scene.
Production Process
I will now talk about the production process of the film and when the decisions were made for the locations, costumes and lighting.
The mise-en-scene for the location of this film was most likely considered during the pre-production of the scene, this is because the team needs to understand what connotations they are conveying to the audience before they start recording. We know this because the film has several strong meanings to it and the producers would have wanted to get them exactly correct. This helps give the audience a more in depth understanding of the film.
The mise-en-scene for the costumes was decided during the production because the costumes are the same throughout the whole film and doesn't require much before hand planning. We know this because we see the characters wearing the same clothes in the scenes before for example we see John wearing the same vest and trousers for the whole film.
Lighting must have been decided during the post production of the film because it would have been hard to estimate what kind of light they would get from the explosion effects. This I know because the lighting from the explosion seems to too look exact for the explosions . This is important to the viewers understanding because without the lighting the viewer wouldn't count the film as realistic or enjoyable. The colour filters are to added post-production this is so that the editors are able to re-correct the colours that are off and add colours to the scenes to add atmosphere. I know this because the camera used to film isn't likely to get the right colour tones that are needed. The colours in a film sequence are very important to the understanding of the audience because the audience needs to see the realistic side of the film and if the colours are wrong then it may lower the production value of the film.
Camera Work
In this film there is a variety of camera angles. An example of one is the tilt shot that shows John McLane jumping off the building from below. This camera angle denotes to the character being above as-if he's falling towards the audience. The idea that he is above the watcher connotes to him being more powerful or more important than the audience. Another angle is the high angle that shows the police car from above as if the viewers are looking down at it this denotes to the police being down below the characters but it connotes that the law is less of a problem that John McLane because it is smaller in the scene. Die Hard also has a lot of shot movement, this is due to it being and action film in which the main character is always on the move. One example of shot movement is the whip pan that is used when john is running through the offices and Karl is shooting at him, this shot movement is a great way to show action scenes because it evokes surprise from the audience. Another example of shot movement is the tracking shot, this happens when the camera follows the helicopter that is flying in-between the skyscrapers.
Editing
There is a lot of editing in this film. This is so that the film can have a realistic effect without endangering the actors of the stunt crew. An example of one editing technique, is in the scene where John Jumps from the rooftop it is in slow motion, this technique is designed to slow the scene down, it denotes to the scene being slowed so it lasts longer, the connotation of this is that the slow motion makes it seem as if we are the character and builds suspense. Another editing technique is the special effects that are edited into the film at various points. An example of this is when John throw's a explosive down the elevator shaft and we see a huge wall of fire coming up the shaft into John, the editors used this special effect explosion over a real one because there is no health and safety issues with adding special effects and it wouldn't endanger the actors life. The denotation of this is that it adds explosions to the film without any real destruction , the connotation of this is that it adds action to the film so that it keeps with the action film stereotype , these aspects of the film are very important so that it adds verisimilitude to the film.
Sound
The sound in this film mostly consists of sound effects and music, these sounds are used to add realism to the diegesis. Some of the most used sound effects used in Die Hard are effects such as gun shots sounds and explosions. These effects are used to create realism and atmosphere within the film. There is also a lot of non-diegetic music played within the film, this is to create the connection between the real world and the digital world. An example of the non-diegetic sounds is the music that plays through Johns gun fights. This film also contains a great deal of diegetic sounds, this means that the sounds are clearly coming from within the narrative. For example the gun shot sounds that are clearly coming from the film, another example of diegetic sound in this film is the dialogue. These are used to connect timelines within scenes this helps the audience get an understanding of the story and when its set.
The purpose for Die Hard is to entertain the audience, we know this because throughout the film the character uses comedy to evoke laughter from the audience.
The main genre for Die Hard is action, I know this because the film is filmed with lots of action (Guns, Violence, Explosions). The sub genre for this film is comedy, this I know because the main character uses comedy to lighten the mood of the film.
The form of this film is that it is a feature film, this film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and shown in cinema across the globe. It made $140.7 million in box office from cinemas.
The style for this film is that it is made to represent venerability to terror attacks in America, it is also supposed to show motive behind terror attacks. The films plot and the idea of an attack of terrorism on Christmas eve, shows to people that anything could happen at anytime.
The story for Die Hard. Die hard is about a man called John McLane that go’s to see his wife Holly McLane at her companies Christmas party. During that Christmas party terrorists arrive lead by Hans Gruber, they go on to lock-down the building and take the businesses employees hostage. This presents an enigma. They plan to take $640 million in bearer bonds from the company safe, when John McLane (the only person at the party not taken hostage) takes the law into his own hands and hatches a plan to rescue the hostages This is an example of binary opposition( Claude Levi-Strauss 1958) where John McLane is the protagonist . He then go’s on to kill most of the terrorist group but is unable to stop them from blowing the roof off of the building and killing two FBI agents, It is at this time when John finds Hans and kills him to stop the attack. He rescues most of the hostages and lives on with his wife.
The storyline for this film is a prime example for Tzvetan Todorovs narrative structure theory that there are five steps to a films narrative. Firstly there is Equilibrium, this is where everything is calm and everyone is happy, when John go's to the Christmas party (11:21). Then there is a disruption, this is an event that disrupts the equilibrium, when the terrorists arrive and lock the building down (22:58). Thirdly is a realism that the disruption has happened When John hatches a plan to rescue the hostages . Then there is an attempt to repair the damage of the disruption, John starts killing the terrorists. Finally there is a happy ending where the equilibrium is restored, John saves the hostages by killing Hans(2:01:57). There is also a lot of action codes throughout this film, an example of one is when John reaches for his gun , we know then that there is going to be a shoot out between two parties.
Content
I will now talk about the mise-en-scene of Die Hard, location, characters, gestures, props, lighting and colouring.
The main location for this film is the Nakatomi tower, a 50 floor plaza tower. A lot of the scenes that take place with in this building are iconic of the action genre.
The main characters in this film are John McLane (portrayed by Bruce Willis) the most important character, he is the hero and protagonist of the film. Then there is Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman), he is the leader of the terrorist group and the main antagonist of the film. Sgt Al Powell (Reginald Vel Johnson), the police sergeant in charge and helping John throughout the film. Holly McLane (Bonnie Bedelia), Johns wife and a protagonist. Karl (Alexandra Gundonov), a terrorist and antagonist.
There are a lot of gestures within the film. An example of a acting gesture would the fight scene with John McLane and Karl, where Karl fights John for revenge and John defeats him (1:52:11). Another example of an acting gesture is when John leaps from the exploding rooftop with only a fire hose tied around him(1:56:26). The costumes mostly consist of suits and evening dresses for the business employees, and all black clothes for the terrorists however the main hero John McLane wears only a vest, some trousers and a gun strapped around him (this is typical stereotype of a action hero) and the main villain Hans wears a business suit ( this is another typical stereotype for villains).
The props in this film mostly consist of guns, explosives, alcohol, and bags. An example of props only used once would be a microphone or a fire-hose. These props are used to create a dramatic effects throughout the film.
The lighting in this film is mostly low key, this denotes to it being night time and the building having the power cut out, the connotation of this is that the lighting represents the dark nature of the film and when there is explosions the contrast in light makes the scenes memorable and iconic. The colours in this film are mostly neutral or primary colours ( reds, blues, greens) but colours such as yellow and orange make a lot of entrances with explosions.
Meaning
I will now talk about the meaning of different aspects of the film
This film was filmed inside of the Nakatomi tower building, this denotes to the building being very large. When the rooftop of the Nakatomi tower is blown up (1:56:35) it symbolises how unimportant the building is in the scale of life or death. This makes the audience react with anticipation, this is exactly what the producer wanted for his preferred meaning.
Both the main villain Hans Gruber and main hero John McLane act in a way that is exactly what you would expect for an action stereotype, very bold and straight to the point, this denotes to the film following in the action genre, the connotation of this is that its genre is very specific to its needs when it comes down to the acting.
The costumes of the business employees denote to them having a party but it connotes to the employees getting surprised and not getting chance to do anything. The costumes for the terrorists denote to the fact they don't want to be seen within the darkness but the connotation of this is that they came prepared and that black clothes are stereotypically seen as clothes a bad villain would wear. John McLane's costume denotes urgency but connotes to him being an action hero so he only needs bare minimum to succeed. Hans Gruber's costume denotes to him blending in with the business people, but the connotation of this is that he may see himself as more of a businessmen that a terrorist.
The characters use guns and explosives the most. This denotes to the characters being inpatient and non merciful, but the connotation of this is that they are willing to go to extremes to live or get what they want.
The film is mostly lit up by the explosions that happen a lot of the time. This denotes to the explosions being bright, the connotation of this is that the explosion is illuminating of the characters personalities. This is supposed to make the audience react in suspense because the audience aren't expecting them to happen. This is what the producer wanted the audience to react like, so it is exactly the meant reaction for scene.
Production Process
I will now talk about the production process of the film and when the decisions were made for the locations, costumes and lighting.
The mise-en-scene for the location of this film was most likely considered during the pre-production of the scene, this is because the team needs to understand what connotations they are conveying to the audience before they start recording. We know this because the film has several strong meanings to it and the producers would have wanted to get them exactly correct. This helps give the audience a more in depth understanding of the film.
The mise-en-scene for the costumes was decided during the production because the costumes are the same throughout the whole film and doesn't require much before hand planning. We know this because we see the characters wearing the same clothes in the scenes before for example we see John wearing the same vest and trousers for the whole film.
Lighting must have been decided during the post production of the film because it would have been hard to estimate what kind of light they would get from the explosion effects. This I know because the lighting from the explosion seems to too look exact for the explosions . This is important to the viewers understanding because without the lighting the viewer wouldn't count the film as realistic or enjoyable. The colour filters are to added post-production this is so that the editors are able to re-correct the colours that are off and add colours to the scenes to add atmosphere. I know this because the camera used to film isn't likely to get the right colour tones that are needed. The colours in a film sequence are very important to the understanding of the audience because the audience needs to see the realistic side of the film and if the colours are wrong then it may lower the production value of the film.
Camera Work
In this film there is a variety of camera angles. An example of one is the tilt shot that shows John McLane jumping off the building from below. This camera angle denotes to the character being above as-if he's falling towards the audience. The idea that he is above the watcher connotes to him being more powerful or more important than the audience. Another angle is the high angle that shows the police car from above as if the viewers are looking down at it this denotes to the police being down below the characters but it connotes that the law is less of a problem that John McLane because it is smaller in the scene. Die Hard also has a lot of shot movement, this is due to it being and action film in which the main character is always on the move. One example of shot movement is the whip pan that is used when john is running through the offices and Karl is shooting at him, this shot movement is a great way to show action scenes because it evokes surprise from the audience. Another example of shot movement is the tracking shot, this happens when the camera follows the helicopter that is flying in-between the skyscrapers.
Editing
There is a lot of editing in this film. This is so that the film can have a realistic effect without endangering the actors of the stunt crew. An example of one editing technique, is in the scene where John Jumps from the rooftop it is in slow motion, this technique is designed to slow the scene down, it denotes to the scene being slowed so it lasts longer, the connotation of this is that the slow motion makes it seem as if we are the character and builds suspense. Another editing technique is the special effects that are edited into the film at various points. An example of this is when John throw's a explosive down the elevator shaft and we see a huge wall of fire coming up the shaft into John, the editors used this special effect explosion over a real one because there is no health and safety issues with adding special effects and it wouldn't endanger the actors life. The denotation of this is that it adds explosions to the film without any real destruction , the connotation of this is that it adds action to the film so that it keeps with the action film stereotype , these aspects of the film are very important so that it adds verisimilitude to the film.
Sound
The sound in this film mostly consists of sound effects and music, these sounds are used to add realism to the diegesis. Some of the most used sound effects used in Die Hard are effects such as gun shots sounds and explosions. These effects are used to create realism and atmosphere within the film. There is also a lot of non-diegetic music played within the film, this is to create the connection between the real world and the digital world. An example of the non-diegetic sounds is the music that plays through Johns gun fights. This film also contains a great deal of diegetic sounds, this means that the sounds are clearly coming from within the narrative. For example the gun shot sounds that are clearly coming from the film, another example of diegetic sound in this film is the dialogue. These are used to connect timelines within scenes this helps the audience get an understanding of the story and when its set.
mise-en-scene for diehard
Die Hard contains lots of mise-en-scene.
Location- The main acting location for the film in set inside Nakotomi tower, this denotes to the building being important, the connotation of this is that the building looks like a business building making it important to many different people. The secondary acting locations are all inside of the towers different floors of the tower. this denotes to the building being tall, the connotation of this is that because its a business building it is very tall and has many floors making each individual floor a separate location.
Characters- John McLane, Hans Gruber, Karl, Holly McLane, Sgt.Al Powel
Costumes/makeup- The costumes in this film are all made to look like they are normal everyday clothes for working people (Job uniforms, Suits and dresses), these denote to everyday life, the connotation of this is that it symbolises dedication to there jobs. The main character is the only one in this film not wearing normal everyday clothes, he isn't wearing much just a vest and a pair of trousers. This denotes to the main character being different. The connotation of him being different is that it symbolises that he's on another level to everyone else.
props- guns, explosives, radios, pictures, drills, Bearer bonds, bags, helicopters, cars, computers,
Lighting and colour- the lighting is mostly low key, colours are mostly neutrals and primary colours( Blue, reds, yellows,
Location- The main acting location for the film in set inside Nakotomi tower, this denotes to the building being important, the connotation of this is that the building looks like a business building making it important to many different people. The secondary acting locations are all inside of the towers different floors of the tower. this denotes to the building being tall, the connotation of this is that because its a business building it is very tall and has many floors making each individual floor a separate location.
Characters- John McLane, Hans Gruber, Karl, Holly McLane, Sgt.Al Powel
Costumes/makeup- The costumes in this film are all made to look like they are normal everyday clothes for working people (Job uniforms, Suits and dresses), these denote to everyday life, the connotation of this is that it symbolises dedication to there jobs. The main character is the only one in this film not wearing normal everyday clothes, he isn't wearing much just a vest and a pair of trousers. This denotes to the main character being different. The connotation of him being different is that it symbolises that he's on another level to everyone else.
props- guns, explosives, radios, pictures, drills, Bearer bonds, bags, helicopters, cars, computers,
Lighting and colour- the lighting is mostly low key, colours are mostly neutrals and primary colours( Blue, reds, yellows,
Friday, 10 October 2014
Monday, 6 October 2014
Sunday, 5 October 2014
Analysis of 20th Century Fox Film (Die hard)
The film I have chosen to do my analysis on Die Hard .
The purpose of this film is to entertain the viewer. The genre for Die Hard is action and thriller. Die hard takes the form as a feature film that is distributed in DVD, television and was featured in the cinema. Its style of this film is modern.It contains lots of action, drama and has a strong narrative throughout the film which caters for its genre. The meaning of this film is to entertain and thrill, it also keep the viewers interest. The films production budget was $28 million and was created by 20th century fox starring various actors such as Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman. The film was distributed to cinemas on July 15th 1988 and generated $140.7.
The purpose of this film is to entertain the viewer. The genre for Die Hard is action and thriller. Die hard takes the form as a feature film that is distributed in DVD, television and was featured in the cinema. Its style of this film is modern.It contains lots of action, drama and has a strong narrative throughout the film which caters for its genre. The meaning of this film is to entertain and thrill, it also keep the viewers interest. The films production budget was $28 million and was created by 20th century fox starring various actors such as Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman. The film was distributed to cinemas on July 15th 1988 and generated $140.7.
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