Crime Story Photos

Crime Narrative:

In groups we were given a narrative to follow and had to take photographs to convey that narrative. We then had to rearrange the photos to create a different narrative. We also had to portray a circular narrative and a forking path narrative. 

• Crime Committed
• Crime Discovered
• Crime Investigated
• Crime Solved
• Perpetrator caught, killed or escapes
  
  

• Someone steals a drink from the  college shop
• It is caught on CCTV
• A teacher try's to find the person who stole the drink
• The teacher finds them
• They give the drink to the teacher



 For the rearranged narrative I decided to put it in this order...

• Crime Investigated
• Crime Solved
• Perpetrator caught
• Crime Discovered
• Crime Committed

• A teacher try's to find the person who stole the drink
• The teacher finds them
• They give the drink to the teacher
• It is caught on CCTV
• Someone steals a drink from the  college shop

For the circular narrative the story we start and end at the beginning. It would show the person stealing the drink at begging and at the end when they get caught and have to give it back, they would go and steal another drink.

• Crime Committed
• Crime Discovered
• Crime Investigated
• Crime Solved
• Perpetrator caught, killed or escapes
• Crime Committed

• Someone steals a drink from the  college shop
• It is caught on CCTV
• A teacher try's to find the person who stole the drink
• The teacher finds them
• They give the drink to the teacher
• Someone steals a drink from the  college shop

For the forking path narrative the person would steal a drink and then get away with it. The next day they would steal again and be discovered on CCTV but still get away with it. Then the day after that they would steal another drink and get caught.

Across the Hall

Narrative events:

• Julian is in the bath
• Gets phone call
• Plot twist – he is with June
• Room service arrive
• He plans how to sneak out
• Goes to car to change top
• Car is locked
• Goes to hall
• Terry drags him into room 508
• Gives him gun
• Plot twist – Terry frames Julian for murdering the bellhop and June
• Aperture (open ending)
• Linear narrative (chronological order)

Todorov:

• Equilibrium – Julian is going to stop Terry from killing ‘cheater’
• Disruption – Julian is the ‘cheater’
• New equilibrium – Julian stops Terry from killing ‘cheater’ but he has already killed June and bellhop

How does the film build suspense?

• The viewer keeps finding out things that thicken the plot and change the viewers opinions of the characters (unfolds, small details)
• The use of sound and music
• Film from start is an enigma

Barthes Codes:

• Enigma Code
  • Beginning – will he use the gun?
  • End – what happens to both of them?
• Action Code
  • Middle – Julian needs to leave room 507
  • When June leaves bellhop note
  • When Julian tries to get inside his car
  • When Julian’s hiding in hall
  • Final scene – gun being pointed
• Semantic Code
  •  
• Symbolic Code
  • Red lighting symbolises danger
  • Green lighting symbolises jealously
• Cultural Code
  • The Bible? 10 commandments? Cheating? Killing? Stealing? Trespassing?

Comment on the style (cinematography and editing)

• Cinematography
  • Clever use of cinematography
    
    
  • Lighting
  • Green light symbolises jealousy (symbolism)
  • Red lighting symbolises danger (neon lights)
    Editing
  • Clever editing
  • Flashbacks – shows violent mood

Propp

• 8 Characters types
  • Villain - Terry
  • Dispatcher
  • Helper - Bellhop
  • Princess – June
  • Donor
  • Hero - Julian
  • False Hero
• Changes throughout the short film

Levi-Strauss

• Binary Opposites
  • Terry and Julian

Is there closure in the ending scene?

• No, the film ends with an open ending (aperture)
• Ending in context to film
• But don’t see the next step – partial closure

Task 4

Using the narrative below, we had to change it to create a storyline for the following three genres: Sci-Fi, Horror and Rom-Com.

• Outsider arrives in new town
• Ambushed by gangsters
• Take refuge and finds out about the rival gangs
• Offers himself as an assassin in the street
• Kills the gang who ambush him

Rom-Com

• New guy arrives at college

• He gets bullied because he’s new

• Starts dating popular girl

• Stops being bullied

• Gets own back on bullies

Sci-Fi

• Alien arrives to Earth

• Attacked by humans

• Takes shelter and plans revenge

• Acts vulnerable and kind

• Kills everyone

Horror

• Psychopath arrives in new town

• People make fun of him for being different

• He finds isolated house on outskirts of town and plans revenge

• Befriends victims

• Kills them

Levi Strauss Theory

Edward Scissorhands

Levi-Strauss Theory states that "To understand the good, the audience has to understand the evil - to understand black we have to understand white." In doing this we achieve a deeper understanding of the film and its characters connotations. The film Edward Scissorhands contains lots of binary opposites. The main binary opposite is between Edward and the rest of the village. He lives alone and is not part of the village community. His appearance is completely different to that of the villagers and his overall behaviour is different - he is very introverted and stays at home whereas the rest of the village are outgoing and extroverted.

There is a huge binary opposite present between two main characters: Edward and Jim. Edward has long, dark hair, scratches all over his face, dark, leather clothes and of course scissors for hands. Whereas, Jim has short, fair hair, casual clothes and overall looks like an average human being. However, one thing they have in common is that they are both in love with Kim. This consequently causes conflict between the two characters and separates them apart even more.
Because Edward is dressed in black and has an overall scary and different appearance, he is stereotypically assumed to be the antagonist from the start. However, as the film progresses the audience align themselves with Edward and realise that he is not evil after all. His quiet and shy attitude connotes to the audience that he is not there to harm anyone.
The same theory can be applied to Jim. From the start we assume he is a good guy. He is liked by the village and he is Kim's boyfriend. Because we know Kim as a protagonist we therefore assume Jim is as well. However, we find out as the film goes on that Jim is not such a good guy after all. The contrast between the two characters is shown in binary oppositions more so than the connotations of their appearances.

There are also binary opposites between Esmeralda and the rest of the village. Esmeralda, like Edward, isolates herself away from the village community. She too also wears dark colours and has an overall different appearance to the rest of the village- who are dressed in brightly coloured clothing. The Avon lady, Pam, even walks passed Esmeralda's house so as not to talk to her.

There are further binary opposites between the location of Edwards house and the rest of the village. Edwards house is dark, eery, isolated and full of highly decorated shrubbery. Compared to the rest of the village who have brightly coloured house that look almost identical with clean cut gardens and matching cars. The warm, bright colours of this community differ so much to those of Edwards home. However, at the end of the film it is the dark, abandoned house that comforts Edward the most, and those who live in the brightly coloured houses to pose a threat to him. The contrast between these two setting aid to the audiences understanding of how what appear to be good and evil at first glance, is not always the case.

Interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood

• Feminist – gender equality
• Socialist – inequalities in society
• Psychoanalyst – concerned with workings of the mind, especially sexuality

Feminist – Why are wolf and woodcutters males? Men are associated with being strong. Why is LRRH caring for her grandmother? Woman are associated with being caring. Why not Little Red Riding Boy? Why are there no female woodcutters? Why is it that when a female walks alone she ends up being followed by a man?
“Perrault makes it clear in his quaint little rhyme that certain wolves are mild and gentle, following pretty young ladies into their very homes and bedrooms; and these are the most dangerous wolves all. This is what the story is meant to convey – women should not stop to talk to strange men lest they get themselves into some kind of trouble.”
Socialist – Why is LRRH the carer? Why is LRRH commenting on grandma’s appearance? Why is she walking alone? In the past it was ok for children to walk the streets alone. Where are her parents? Why is she talking to a stranger? Why is the wolf disguised? Why do the woodcutters chop up the wolf? Why not jail? Animal cruelty? Justice? Does that mean the woodcutters are murderers?
Psychoanalyst – The wolf threatens LRRH and could relate to rape. The wolf is a paedophile (he’s a big man and she a little girl). Sexual objectification – ‘Red’ associated with love and lust. Bestiality?
“Animals, due to their lack of reason and baser instincts, are often seen as symbolizing the sexual drive. In a carnivorous beast such as a wolf this metaphor can be extended to that of a sexual predator. Even in contemporary times a lascivious way of calling attention to a woman’s – er, more desirable attributes – is known as a wolf-whistle.”

I'M HERE analysis

Film Genres

Day in the Life...

The Task:

Create a very short film whilst aiming to use all of the techniques listed below.
The narrative should suit the title "A Day in the Life of..."



This is a short video I edited to display different camera techniques.

The techniques I used were:

• An Arc Shot
• Cross Cutting
• An Eyeline Match
• Frame Within a Frame
• Graphic Match
• Handheld Camera
• High Angle Shot
• Match on Action
• Panning
• Extreme Close-up
• Shot Reverse Shot
• A Tilt Shot
• A Time Lapse
• Crabbing
• A Trombone Shot
• A Worms Eye Shot

Short Film Posters

Introduction to My Blog

This blog is to cover the process of making my A2 short film.

This is a questionnaire about short films:


Click here to see the results.

This is a Prezi on what makes a good short film: