Inception - Film Case Study

Downtown Abbey Class & Status clip review (Textual Analysis)

http://youtu.be/IscFlwFNB6I

Camera Shots
The clip begins with a panning shot that shows someone riding a bike towards the mansion. This combines with an extreme longshot to set the scene.There is a still shot when the the woman looks out of her window to see the man riding the bike. There are various shots used in the next scene as they are eating breakfast. A few examples are the over the shoulder shot, the point of view shot and the tracking shot. The photo below is a low angle shot which shows a sense of power from the man pointing. The tracking shot of the man walking down the stairs in a slow smooth motion shows how it is a very calm moment.

Editing
The editing emphasises the difference between rich and poor because it shows how the poor are always rushing around for the 'lordship'. By changing the amount of frames in the scene it can alter how rushed the people look. Many cross-cuts are used in the clip to show the increase in speed and tension of the servants as they hurry to get everything ready. The cutting rate increases also to increase the speed of the scene. At 1:05 there is a perfect example of a motivated cut as it shows the man reading the newspaper and then shows you his facial expression. Based on this expression, it makes the audience want to know what he has just read and therefore encourages them to continue watching to find out later on in the clip. At 1:47 a match cut is used as the man walks down the stairs. Usually this action would take around 30 seconds however due to the match cut, half of the stairs are cut out and this cuts the time of the clip down to around 15-20 seconds.

Sound
At the start, the music carries over to the next clip and when the piano is heard, the clip changes to the next scene, this is overlapping music and can show two things happening at the same time. This is shown because you hear the sound of the bell and she goes to the window. Throughout the whole clip, the digetic sound of the bells can be heard going off to show the constant work that is being done by the servants of the house. The introduction of sad music when the man reads the telegraph shows that the message is obviously bad news. The use of sound allows the audience to realise the emotions of the man without seeing the message that he has read.

Mise en scene
In the first scene of the clip a man is seen riding a bike towards the house. After watching the clip it is obvious through the lighting that it is very early morning and he is delivering newspapers for the people in the mansion. The man has a very straight and formal posture when he is riding the bike which suggests that he is trying to impress the men and higher class men and women. In the second scene, the woman is seen sitting down on the bed suggesting that she is upper class and therefore relaxed and well looked after by her servants who are already up and ready to prepare for her needs. In the scene where the man is ironing the newspaper, it is clear that he is of a lower class to the man that walks in on him. This is shown mixed in with a low angle shot when the man is pointing. Along with the fact that he is ironing a newspaper which is a very unusual thing to do unless you are of a high class.

Editing techniques

Cut
A simple cut from one scene to another, usually changing location. Cuts often happen every 8 seconds or more frequently so that the viewer is not bored by the current scene.

Jump Cut, Match Cut and Cutaway



Motivated Cut
Cut made just at the point where what has occurred makes the viewer immediately want to see something which is not currently visible.

Cutting rate
Frequent cuts may be used as deliberate interruptions to shock, surprise or emphasize. Builds tension in the scene.

Cutting rhythm
A cutting rhythm may be progressively shortened to increase tension. Can make the scene more exciting for the viewer.

Cross-cut
A cut from one line of action to another.

Reaction shot
Any shot, usually a cutaway, in which a participant reacts to action which has just occurred.

Insert shot
A bridging close-up shot inserted into the inform the audience of the context, showing an essential detail of the scene.

Buffer shot
A bridging shot to separate two shots which would have reversed the continuity of direction (usually taken with a separate camera).

Fade/Dissolve
A dissolve is a gradual transition from one image to another. The terms fade out and fade in are used to describe a transition to and from a blank image.

Super Impositions
The placement of an image or video on top of an already existing image or video.

Wipe
One shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to another or with a special shape.

Insert
Part of a scene as filmed from a different angle and/or focal length from the master shot. It covers the action from a master shot but emphasises different aspects of the action. 

Split Screen
The visible division of the screen, usually in half, but sometimes in several simultaneous images.

Stock Shot
A film clip usually kept in a film library for possible use in future pictures.

Mise en Scene - 8 areas (American Beauty)

Colour

Everything seems to be focused on the red roses in front of the girl in the middle. Most of the colour is simple which could suggest that the family is quite boring and plain. It is a very old fashioned table and the dining room in general is very retro. This shows that the family could be living in the past.

Costume

Their clothing is very smart and they have clearly dressed knowing that they will be eating at the dinner table. The two adults are wearing very plain coloured clothing and the girl is wearing red and also has the red flowers in front of her. This could indicate that she is possibly dangerous and rebellious compared to her parents.

Lighting

The candles are surrounding the girl which focuses the attention on her and can demonstrate that she is being selfish. The lighting highlights the colour red which represents danger.

Body Language/Posture

The Dad is sitting on the edge of his chair and he is clenching his fists which could suggest that he is angry or frustrated at the girl. He is facing her direction and it looks like he is the one talking so this could show that he is telling her off. The woman looks very agitated and scared. She has her hands out in front of her and looks as if she doesn't really know what to do with herself. In my opinion this shows that the Dad and the daughter are having an argument and the mother is in an awkward situation because she is caught in the middle. The girl looks as if she is being sarcastic with her Dad or even as if she isn't paying attention to what he is saying. This portrays the typical teenager who doesn't get along with her family.

Framing

The parents being pushed to the edge of the frame gives the idea that all the attention is on her especially as both parents are looking at her also. This is backed up by the lighting being focused on the girl and all the candles are surrounding her. The only things in the shot are the dining table and people around it which shows that they are trying to keep the scene simple.

Hair and makeup

Hair and makeup is very simple, they seem to be a family that don't try too hard but are very smart and sophisticated at the same time.

Setting and Props
The setting and props are very basic. The dining table and house furniture is very plain and boring which could represent the family. The house looks as if it could be quite old yet big and the vase, lamp and painting along with other things suggest that the family take pride over their possessions.

Facial Expression
The girl's facial expression could suggest that she is being sarcastic or is not happy with what her father is saying. Her father's face looks as if he is quite angry at the girl. As well as his fists being clenched he looks as if he is talking to her in a stern and meaningful way. The woman shows no real facial expression but she does look shocked or scared of the man because of what he might be saying.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Research

The Inbetweeners Frisbee Clip review

Why is the clip funny?

The clip is made to make people laugh at Will. He throws the Frisbee in the first place to try and impress Carly and the rest of the girls however it ends up hitting the girl in the wheelchair. The clip is funny because of how awkward the situation becomes. Everyone is watching Will as he tries to deal with what he’s done and it is made more awkward because the girl is disabled and therefore he handles the situation differently than he usually would.

How is the disabled girl being represented?

The disabled girl is viewed as the victim. It is made out that because of her disability, everyone should feel more sympathy for her. The girl is, unfortunately for Will, represented as the target of a trying to get the girls involved in the game. Because of the reaction of Donovan and the other lads playing football, the girl is represented.

Are we meant to laugh at the disabled person?

The disabled girl was unable to move out of the way of the Frisbee whereas a person who isn’t in a wheelchair may have moved. As the viewer of this comedy show we are obliged to laugh at the disabled person however some people would argue that you should laugh at the joke itself rather than the disabled woman. If we were not supposed to laugh at the woman, the scene wouldn't have been included because it is meant to be funny.

Are they the 'butt' of the joke?

Will is the main butt of the joke because it is supposed to be embarrassing for him rather than the disabled woman. It is obvious that Neil and Jay are embarrassed because they run off from Will. Simon being the kind person he is gets caught up in the joke and ends up getting chased by Donovan and the other lads. Will is the centre of the joke because he has made a fool out of himself in front of the girls.

How do you think disabled people will respond to this?

I think that disabled people shouldn’t take it to heart because they are not the main centre of the joke. You could say they were being used more as a prop to assist the joke as Will is the person who the audience should be laughing at. Obviously there will be some people who find this offensive but that will come with most comedy as somebody or something has to be the target of the joke.

Are we as a society cultivated to think we should pity the disabled?

As society we do tend to pity the disabled however this shouldn’t always be the case because they would want to be treated equally to everyone else. I think that disabled people are more bothered about them being treated differently rather than them being like everyone else.

Representation of Gender (Luther analysis) #1

Camera Shots – The scene begins outside with simple over the shoulder shots whilst Luther is talking to Alice. When they move inside, the over the shoulder shots slowly turn into mid shots and close up shots because the intensity of the scene is increasing. Zooming is used whilst Alice is talking and this highlights the serious tone of her voice. Also, an Arc shot is used to pan around the room to set the scene and show the two characters emotions towards each other. As the clip goes on, the camera shots turn into extreme close ups as Alice tries to seduce Luther. The tension is cut away as soon as Luther says “No” and this is shows the end of the intimate scene between them both.

Editing – Throughout the whole scene the camera often stays on the opposing person’s face who is not talking. This is done because it allows you to follow the action as well as seeing the facial expressions of each person.  An example of this is when Alice talks at the end about Luther’s wife and the camera stays on Luther’s face to show his face change.

Sound – Diegetic sound is used very well in this clip as Alice tries to use a very quiet, voice to seduce Luther. This shows gender very well because it is stereotypical that the woman is trying to trick and charm the man. Luther keeps a very calm voice throughout the clip and sticks to the point unlike Alice who brings his personal life into things. Non diegetic sound is used when Alice talks about the black hole and also when the intense moments in the scene begin.

Mise en scene – Luther’s strong shell is shown in this scene because he refrains from getting angry. Luther stays calm when Alice says “What happened to your marriage?” because he knows that if he were to get angry, she would get the better of him. Luther often gets the better of Alice and this is when she changes the conversation. Luther talks about her weakness of compulsion and again she tries to change the conversation back to his personal life.