Film Extract - Analysis .x

Film: Step Up



The Opening Of The Extract Is Being Shown In A Medium Shot. The Audience Are Able To See The Character’s Facial Expressions And A Glimpse Of Their Costumers In Order To See What The Film May Be About. Also, Diegetic Sound Is Being Used As This Is The Dialogue Being Spoken By The Two Main Characters. The Audience Are Able To Recognise That The Two Characters Being Shown Are The Main Characters Since The Camera Has A Key Focus Upon Them. Therefore, They Are Able To Realise That The Camera Will Be Fixed On The Two Actors Throughout The Scene. The Main Prop Used Is The Microphone One Of The Characters Is Holding. This Enables The Audience To Identify That The Film Is Going To Be About Dancing And Singing Since The Title Of The Film Fits In With The Scene. The Film’s Name ‘Step Up’ Has An Effect On The Audience As It Goes Along With What Is Being Shown In The Specific Scene. Therefore, The Audience Are Able To Know Straight Away, That The Film Is Going To Be About Dance.

A Point Of View Shot Is Being Shown From Behind The Scene. With This, The Audience Are Able To Put Themselves In The Characters Position In Order To Feel As Part Of The Actors. Whilst The Point Of View Shot Is Being Shown, Non Diegetic Sound Is Also Being Played. As The Scene Is About The Characters Enjoying Themselves In The Club, The Music Sound Track Is Being Played To Go Along With The Extract. Moreover, A Long Shot Is Also Being Used To Show The Main Setting Of The Scene, To Then Have An Idea On What The Film Is Going To Be About. Therefore, This Creates An Enigma For The Audience As They Are Going To Question Themselves As To Why The Specific Setting Is Being Shown. As A Result, This Will Lead Them Into Watching The Movie. The Genre Can Mostly Be Shown As Romance, As The Extract Has A Key Focus On The Two Characters. The Lighting Used Throughout The Scene Is High Key Lighting. Therefore, This Connotes That The Film Is About Standard Life. A Hip Hop Sound Track Is Being Played To Draw The Attention Of The Target Audience, As Most Teenagers Tend To Listen To This Genre Of Music.

The Teenage Boys In The Movie Are Represented As The ‘Bad Boys’ Since The Costumes They Are Wearing Outlines Their Personality. For Example, They Are Shown To Be Wearing Shirts With Half Of Their Buttons Undone, Along With Jeans. The Females Are Shown To Be Wearing Casual, Attractive Clothing. The Representation Of The Girls Shows A Very Flirtatious Side Once Their Dancing. Therefore, This Can Be Targeted At The Male Audience As The Touching Of Her Body Is More To A Male Spectator Since They Would Find This Very Attractive. The Ideology Is Shown To Believe In Your Dreams, As Everyone In The Club Is Joining In With What They Do Best. The Genre Is Hybrid Consisting Of A Bit Of Comedy, Romance And Dance. Therefore, This Can Relate To A Wide Range Of The Audience.

Furthermore, Close Up Shots Are Being Used When The Characters Are Dancing Through Their Routine. Therefore, This Shows The Importance Of The Moves Which Indicates That It Is A Difficult Position For The Characters To Undertake. Also, The Shot Is Used To Show The Characters Facial Expressions. Therefore, The Audience Are Able To Catch A Glimpse On How The Characters Are Feeling’ Therefore They Are Able To See Their Personality And How They Cope With The Specific Dance Moves. Throughout The Extract, Quick Editing Is Used Which Adds To The Pace Of The Music. As A Result, This Keeps The Audience Entertained Throughout The Whole Scene. Continuity Editing Is Being Used As The Shots Are Being Placed Logically. For Example, When The Male Actor Is Dancing The Camera Slowly Moves On To The Female. Therefore, The Audience Are Able To Make Sense Of The Whole Scene And What Is Going On. Moreover, Jump Cuts Are Also Being Used When The Scene Is Focused On The Two Main Characters But Then The Camera Unexpectedly Changes To The Other Characters In The Film. Therefore, The Audience Attention Is Then Focused On Another Part Of The Extract.

As The Extract Is Set In A Club, The Characters Costumes, Hair And Make-Up Go Along With The Scenery. The Main Female Actor Is Wearing A Vest Top With A Skirt And Has Straight Hair. Therefore, This Shows That The Film Is Going Out To The Teenage Girls As They Are Able To Look At The Actor As Their Role Model. Moreover, The Film Is Also Going Out To The Girls Who See Dancing As Their Hobby. This Is Because; The Whole Extract Is Linked To Dance Since The Moves Are Very Unique. The Main Male Actor Is Wearing A Shirt And Jeans, With A Cap. Therefore, This Shows The Audience That The Film Is About Standard Life. As A Result, The Audience Are Able To Relate This Film Back To Them As They Will Be Focusing On All The Characters In The Extract. This Will Leave A Message As It May Be Suggesting That Everyone Is Capable Of Achieving Something, Once They Put Their Minds To It. Therefore, The Ideology States That You Should Believe In Yourself.

As The Main Characters Are Teenagers, The Target Audience Is Shown To Be Both Teenage Boys And Girls From The Age Of 13 To 21. This Is Because; The Film Is About Dance And Romance, Which Most Teenagers Tend To Be Interested In. The Audience Are Able To Relate Back To The Mise En Scene As Well As Catch A Glimpse On The Characters Expressions And Clothing To Therefore Link Back To The Narrative. With This, The Audience Are Able To Work Out What Will Happen Next To Then Create Their Own Storyline. As A Result, This Will Create An Enigma For Them To Go And Watch The Film In Order For Them To Find Out What Will Really Happen. The Characters In This Extract Are Featured As C Class As The Clothing They Wear And Their Personality Gives This Away To The Spectators.

How Film Trailers Are Used To Attract An Audience..? - Ms Holliday

Film: The Children
Genre: Horror (British)



The Sound Track Being Played And The Voice Over Emphasizes The Trailer. This Is Because; The Non Diegetic Sound Which Has Been Used Is Mainly Played On Contented Occasions Were The Children Are Able To Take Pleasure In Listening To. As The Sound Track Suddenly Turns Off And The Voice Over Is Being Heard, This Shows The More Dramatic Side To The Trailer Which Therefore Creates An Enigma, For The Audience To Go And Watch The Film. The Main Points Are Featured In The Trailer As It Enables The Audience To Figure Out What The Film Will Be About. As Each Clip Is Linked On To The Next, It Commences To Unfold The Narrative. Therefore, The Trailer Attracts The People Who Are Into The Horror Movies. As A Result, The Audience Will Be Given A Brief Idea About The Film, To Then See Whether They Would Like To Go And Watch The Film. For Example, By Featuring The Scene Which Shows Someone Lying On The Snow With A Trail Of Blood Gives Away The Genre, Which Is Horror. Therefore, It Attracts A Wide Range Of The Audience, As Many People Will Be Interested In Watching This Movie.

The Genre Of The Film Is Established In The Trailer By The Repulsion Being Shown. As A Result, This Indicates That The Film Will Be A Thriller As There Are Many Scenes Which Feature Death And Blood. Moreover, Dramatic Sound Has Also Been Added To The Trailer, To Give Away The Genre Straight Away. By Listening To The Non Diegetic Sound Being Played Such As The Actors Screams And Shouts Signifies That The Film Is A Horror. Therefore, The Trailer Makes It Easy For The Audience To Point Out What The Genre Of The Film Is. The Trailer Features Scenes Such As A Child Slapping Its Mother. Therefore, The Name Of The Film Can Connote That ‘The Children’ Will Be About Each Child’s Behaviour Changing Throughout The Film, Which Leads It Into Becoming Horror.

For The Information We See In The Trailer, The Primary Target Audience Appears To Be Teenagers From The Age Of 15 To 21. This Is Because; The Movie Is A Thriller, Which Suggests That It Will Not Be Suitable For The Younger Children As It May Lead To Nightmares. Therefore, People From The Age Of 15 And Over Are Able To Watch It. Moreover, The Secondary Audience Can Be Adults From The Age Of 21 And Over, Mainly Up Till The Parents In Their Late 30’s. This Is Because; The Film Features Young Adults Who Appear To Be The Children’s Parents/ Guardians. Therefore, This Shows That Parents May Also Be Interested In Watching The Movie. Also, Due To The Fact That The Film Is Called ‘The Children’, Again This May Interest The Parents Into Watching The Film As It May Create An Enigma.

The Trailer Shows The Audience That This Film Is Worth Coming To See As The Quick Edited Shots Create An Effect For The Audience, In Order For Them To Understand What Is Going On. From The Beginning Of The Trailer To The End, It Shows The Children’s Change In Behaviour As They Modify From Innocent Children To Frightening Kids. Therefore, This Creates An Enigma For The Audience, As They Try To Comprehend With The Shots Being Shown, What Is Going On Throughout The Trailer. As A Result, The Trailer Shows The Audience That This Film Is Worth Coming To See As It Creates A Dramatic Effect In The End, For The Audience To Question Themselves With What May Happen Next, Resulting In Them Coming To Watch The Film.

The Conventions Of Film Trailers:

Quick Edited Shots
Close Ups On The Characters
Soundtrack Being Played Along With The Dialogue Being Spoken By The Characters
Institution Being Shown - Vertigo Films
Diegetic Sound – Voiceover
Timing Of The Trailer
Release Date

Analysis Of Four Still Images . . xX

Sex And The City, Hide And Seek, Hancock And Prom Night . . x
x . . Different Camera Angles And Their Effects!!

The Still Image Of Both “Hide And Seek” And “Prom Night” Have Been Shown In A Close Up. This Is Because; The Audience Are Then Able To See The Characters Facial Expressions In Order To Feel Their Emotions. Both Movies Are Horror Movies Which Therefore Show The Similarities Between The Two. The “Hide And Seek” Image Shows A Little Girl With An Appearance To Show The Audience How She Is Frightened. Therefore, This Creates An Enigma For The Spectators As It Leads To Suspense Since They Would Like To Know What Has Caused The Little Girl To Be Frightened. Moreover, The Terrified Look On The Little Girls Face Can Connote That There Is Something Troubling Her, Which We As The Audience Do Not Know. Therefore, This Leaves The Audience Questioning What It May Be. By Using A Close Up, This Helps The Audience Suspect That Something May Be Wrong, Since The Audience Are Able To View The Whole Of Her Face.

Similarly, The Image Of “Prom Night” Also Shows A Teenage Girl With A Shocked Expression. Therefore, This Can Also Connote That There Is Something There Which We As The Audience Do Not Know. The Image Also Shows An Arm Coming From Behind, About To Grab Her. Therefore, This Can Be Interpreted In A Number Of Ways. Firstly, This Can Suggest That The Girl Is Looking In A Mirror Were She Is Able To See The Person Behind Her, Resulting In The Cause For Her Facial Expressions. However, This Can Also Suggest That She Has Sensed There Is Someone Behind Her. The Use Of Close Up For This Scene Creates Tension As The Shot Builds Up A Mystery For The Audience To Solve. Therefore, Resulting In Suspicion.

However, The Shot Used For The Still Image Of “Hancock” Differs From The Other Images As This Is A Long Shot. This Is Because; The Audience Are Able To View The Character In Full As Well As The Mise En Scene In The Back. The Audience Are Able To See The Main Character In The Middle Of The Setting, Surrounded By A Wild Atmosphere. This Has An Effect On The Spectators, As They Are Able To See What Is Going On In The Whole Of The Scene, Therefore Grabbing Their Attention Instantly. A Long Shot Affects The Audience, As They Are Able To View The Whole Prospect In Order To Take Part In What Is Actually Happening. The Still Image Of “Hancock” Has An Effect Of The Audience Since The Main Character Is The Key Focus.

Lastly, The Shot Used For The Still Image Of “Sex And The City” Is A Medium Shot. This Is Because; The Audience Are Able To See The Women Without It Being Too Close Or Too Far. As A Result, They Are Able To View Their Facial Expressions As Well As Catch A Glimpse On Their Costumes. Through The Medium Shot, The Audience Are Also To See A Bit Of The Scene Behind Them. The Effect This Has On The Audience Is That They Are Able To See Each Character Not Shot Too Close Or Too Far. This Enables The Audience To Catch A Sight Of Their Facial Expressions As Well As Their Personalities.

.x Cinematography x.

Extracts From Different Era's . .

Psycho (1960):


At The Beginning Of The Extract, The Audience Are Able To See A Women In A Car. The Shot Is Used As A Medium Shot To Be Able To Focus More On The Woman’s Facial Expressions. Both Low Key Lighting And Back Lighting Has Been Used To Create Dramatic Shadows. The Sound Track Being Played Is Classical To Therefore Create Suspense. As A Result, This Creates An Enigma For The Audience, To Keep Them Watching The Movie. There Is Sound Bridges Being Used As The Sound Appears Before The Actual Clip. Moreover, As You Keep Watching The Extract, There Is A Shot When The Whole Scene Is Pitch Black, Therefore Focusing More On The Genre Which Is A Thriller. There Is High Key Lighting Being Used When The Atmosphere Of The Film Changes. Therefore, The Audience Are Able To See That The Mood Of The Character Has Also Changed. Another Character Is Introduced In The Extract, When He Is Speaking To The Woman. Close Up Shots Are Being Used For The Audience To Focus On The Facial Expressions, In Order To See What They Are Feeling. There Is Also A Shot/Reverse Shot Being Used To Focus On The Main Character, As Well As The Man Who Keeps Appearing. Consequently, This Creates A Mystery For The Audience To Solve Considering Why The Woman Keeps Looking Back. Diegetic Sound Has Been Used As The Audience Are Able To Hear The Dialogue By The Characters. Lastly, A Point Of View Shot Is Also Shown When The Woman Is Driving Her Car. This Helps The Audience Imagine As If They Were Actually There.

Notorious (1946):


The Whole Extract Is Filmed In One Setting, Which Is A Bedroom. The Main Focus Is Upon The Characters Facial Expressions, Therefore There Is Only Medium Shots And Close Up Shots Used, For The Audience To Be Able To View The Characters Expressions And What There Feeling As Well As Catch A Glimpse On The Setting. Close Up Shots Are Used So The Audience Can View The Characters Emotions, For Them To Be Able To Know The Mood Of The Whole Scene And What The Characters Are Feeling. Mostly Low Key Lighting Has Been Used Throughout The Extract As Many Dramatic Shadows Have Been Shown. Moreover, A Lot Of Top Lighting Has Been Used So The Audience Are Able To Pick Up On The Characters Features. Throughout The Whole Scene There Is Only Diegetic Sound Used As It’s The Dialogue Being Spoken By The Characters. Moreover, There Have Been Both High And Low Angle Shots In The Extract, So The Audience Are Able To Focus On The Main Features. Therefore, This Enables Them To Feel What The Characters Are Feeling , And Position Themselves In That Situation.

The Key Differences Of Both Extracts Are That 'Psycho' Uses A Lot Of Different Shots In Order To Grab The Audience Attention In A Variety Of Different Ways. For Example, The Point Of View Shot Is Used So The Audience Can Imagine Themselves In The Characters Position. The Shot/ Reverse Shot Is Also Used As It Then Creates An Enigma For The Audience To Keep Questioning Themselves As To Why The Character Keeps Looking Back, Focusing On The Police Man In The Scene. However, 'Notorious' Just Uses Two Shots Which Are The Medium And Close Up Shot. This Is Because; This Scene Is The Particular Scene Which Focuses On The Characters Emotions. Therefore, They Haven't Used Many Different Shots But Just Two, To Then Get Their Point Across.