James Bond Test Edit

This was the second quick test edit that I completed to improve my skills as an editor using Premiere Pro.

Representation

'The way in which people, events and ideas are presented.'

Representation in a Film Poster:

Examples of Representation:
-Gatsby is in the middle to show he is the main protagonist, he is also wearing a tuxedo to show that he is of high social class.
-Mary is below everyone else to show her helplessness, she is also wearing white to represent innocence and beauty.
-Nick Caraway is wearing a tweed suit to show he is of lower social class to Gatsby and the others.
-The women on the right wears a revealing red dress to show her social class and character. The red also represents evil or danger to the main protagonists.
-Tom Buchanan is located closer to the women in red showing he is closer to her than he wife, he is also wearing a hat which shows he has more to hide that the others.
-The women on the left is wearing black to symbolise her mysteriousness and her tone.
-There is a lot of gold on the poster to show wealth and greed that the main protagonists have.

Audience

What do we mean when we use the word film?
The word film to me means a piece of edited footage which can portray a story of any kind or a sequence in which here is no clear story and narrative to it. These can be of any length from about a 10minute short to a feature film.

Do you think it means the same as the word 'movie'?
The word 'movie' means a piece of footage where a story is broadcast through the movie. The word movie to me means 'visual storytelling'.

And what about the word 'cinema'?
Cinema to me means feature length films which show a story.

My Top 10 Films:
Inception
Jurassic Park
Wolf of Wall street
The Great Gatsby
Fight Club
Whiplash
The Social Network
Avengers
Captain America
The Lion King

What do they have in common?:
Each film contains at least some action and all have a gripping storyline. There are many more that I could have added to this list but these are the ones that first came to mind.

What films have stuck with you from your younger years?
The animated film 'The Lion King; has stuck with me through my life as it was a film that I grew up with and all of my friends watched the same film and enjoyed it. 

How do you find out about film?
I watch the trailers and I follow various film sites and magazines, but I also hear a lot about films through my friends and family.

What makes you want to see a film?
By watching the trailer on youtube and film reviews and thoughts from friends and online.

How do you know what to expect from the film?
By the tailer and the movie posters but alot of it is obviously unknown.

What are you paying for when you buy a DVD?
The production of the film and the marketing.

When do you watch films, at home? cinema?
I watch films at home and I try to go to the IMAX if I can, but I won't watch a film at home unless I'm completely immersed.

Premier Pro Test Edit Task

Here is my test edit using Premier Pro. To start with I searched the internet for a 'cinematic aspect ratio' overlay image to get the cinematic looking boarders. I added in basic titles at the beginning, I chose to have a simple font so that it blended in with the style of video. To show that I knew how to use transitions I used a 3d transition in the middle and a simple dip to black at the end. I also changed the volume of the track underneath and used an exponential fade to finish the piece.
On the plane flyover shot I demonstrated by skills of key framing and had the exposure change during the clip.
This was a very basic edit of city shots to music. The pacing slows down towards the end as the shots gradually get longer.
This was a task to practice my skills on Premier Pro skills as it is the program I will be using for my Prelim task and my film opening scene project.

Narrative Classwork

What is a Narrative?
A narrative is the retelling of a story often in words but can be mimed.

Roland Barthes- created the 5 narrative codes which are present in narratives.

The 5 Narrative Codes:
-Hermeneutic/ Enigma Code
-Proairetic/ Action Code
-Semantic Code
-Symbolic Code
-Referential Code

Broken down...

The Enigma Code
-This code refers to mystery within a text. Clues are dropped, but no clear answers are given.
-Enigma within the narrative makes the audience want to know more
-Unanswered enigmas tend to frustrate the audience

Semantic Code
-This code refers to parts within the text that suggests or refers to additional meanings
-Elements of the semantic code are called semes
-The seme has a connotative function in the text. It has an extra layer of meaning in addition to its literal meaning.

Symbolic Code
-This code is about symbolism within a text
-It exercises opposites to show contrast and create greater meaning, creating tension, drama and character development

Referential Code
-This code refers to anything in the text which refers to an external body of knowledge such as science and historical knowledge

Todorov- believes that there are 5 narrative stages to every story.

-Equilibrium, state of normality
-Disruption of Equilibrium,  a character or an action disrupt the equilibrium.
-Realisation, the main protagonist recognises the equilibrium has been disrupted.
-Restoration of Equilibrium, The protagonist attempts to restore the equilibrium.
-New Equilibrium, equilibrium is restored although it is slightly altered.

Opening Scene Genre Analysis

Harry Brown Opening Scene Analysis:
You can grasp from this opening that the genre is a Drama, you can understand this from the fast pace of the action right from the start of the film. As it is related to current topical issues, this further intensifies the drama of the scene. The setting is overcast and is quite clear that it is in London. The overcast weather and the dark hallway in which it is set really help to portray the mood and feel of the scene.

Clueless Opening Scene Analysis: The clip starts with some fast upbeat, light hearted music which immediately sets the tone of the clip. Within the first 40 seconds of the opening scene there are teenagers laughing which helps to portray the genre of the film immediately. In the opening scene you can immediately relate the title of the film to the attitude and feeling of the people you see in the clip as well as the overall tone of the scene. A direct contract to the opening scene in Harry Brown each shot is deliberate and professionally film which differs from the opening scene from Harry Brown where it is shot on what appears to be a film camera. The Clueless title sequence shows the genre of the film as it is in a bright colour and almost childish font.
There is very dramatic music at the start of this opening scene signalling the genre of the film. The music then stops when the man is washed up on the beach. The high key lightning gives the impression of a dream but no reality. The genre is depicted in many ways including the dramatic music and the serious subject matter of danger from being in the unknown and the emotional aspect of there being innocent children playing of the beach in full sight of danger. By seeing guns within the first minute of the film gives a firm indication of the style/ genre of film it is. This all adds to the drama and the understanding of what the film will be about.

Genres

Semiotics

Semiotics:

We have been analysing semiotics in different images and symbols in the class today. To continue this we will be studying the semiotics of a film poster by analysing the different meanings and symbols shown by the poster.

To start with, the entire tone of the poster is a dark colour symbolising the power and the mystery surrounding 'The Dark Knight' and the death that will occur thought out the film. The entire poster fades to black at the bottom foreshadowing the death, destruction and fear that is all part of the film.

The red and yellow of the fire can symbolise the heat and power of the fire. The red can also portray the fear and blood of the enemies that are fought in the film. The light shinning around the 'Batman' logo could show that the Dark Knight means well and is powerful as the light appears to shine brightly.

Powerpoint from the lesson explaining about semiotics:

Embedded Video Test