Cinematography

Stock Characters & VfV Links

Stock Charatcers: 

A character that fits a role 

V

-Black knight 

-Anti-hero 

-Hero 

-Lone vigilante 

-V doesn't conform to stock charatcers, because it keeps it interesting, makes it more mysterious, to make you think, understand a warning and message. Shows realism 

-Isn't a typical Hollywood film.

V for Vendetta Links -

Cause and effect: V gets powers from experimentations

Character driven: V has a 'prize' to claim which is the Parilament buildings destroyed 

Opposition and conflict: The symbol of Government and realism, there is no decisive villain 

3 Act Structure (E-D-R)

Positive End/Closure 

Believable 'Realism'

Summary: Why does V for Vendetta not fit/fit into a typical Holloywood film? 

There are ways that it does fall into a Hollywood film, ways such as cause and effects, something happens to someone and we know how it happened. In V's case it would be that he got powers from being experimented on and now wanting revenge. It doesn't fit into it due to it not being just a one character driven film. In others there would be one character that without them there would be no film, but in V for Vendetta, there's more than one character that drives the film. But still both of the characters that drive it forward are both relevant and without either there is no film. There's a lot of opposition and conflict that can make this a Hollywood film. The film is deliberately is doing this to show the different rules that need to be followed. The good the bad, the rules are very black and white. 

Exam Prep - The Messages of VfV

Themes:

What the characters are doing and why they're doing it.

Characters are symbolic. 

Messages:

-People should not fear Government.

-Sends warning. (Dystopian themed, there to send warnings) 

-Totalitarianism (Ruled by one dictator.) 

-Revolution is the replacement of the Government. 

-Freedom is worth dying for. 

-Democracy is a face. It makes people think they have a say and some control over the Government decisions.

-Conspiracy Theories is the belief by an individual/group that may be responsible for a particular event. 

-Fascism a dictator/party. Nationalism is a fascist theme; the idea that the countries people stick together. 

Why is V for Vendetta More than 1 Genre?

V for Vendetta - Question

Genre of VfV

Types of Genres it could be:

Drama

Horror 

Musical 

Action & adventure

Historical 

War

Science fiction 

Thriller

V for Vendetta 

Why is it more than one genre? 

- Appeal to wider audience 

- Keep it interesting 

- Mostly appealing to for males 

- Male Gaze 

- The person we follow is Evey

- Without her there's no film 

Why is it Sci-Fi?

- Realism 

- "near" future 

- Distopia 

- Doesn't show conventions 

- The way we set the film 

- Too show that certain things could happen

- Makes us look at reality in different ways 

What makes it a thriller? 

- Involves an exciting plot 

- Espionage 

- Crime 

- Detective investigation 

- Should make convosations about reality 

What is the mystery? 

- Whos behind the mask

- How did it get like that in the first place 

- Twist

- Conspiracy 

- Freedom vs Protection 

What makes/doesn't make it an action?

- Fights 

- Takes away the reality of fights

- Entertainment 

- Good or bad character isn't justified clearly 

- No high tech equipment 

- Partially good and bad

- Destroys Parliament who are hiding behind symbolism 

- Shows everyone is good à and bad 

- Experiment on the people with power

- Power meaning people who have a voice over the Government 

Camera Content

Voyeurism-

-Is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions usually considering to be of a private nature. 

-Voyeurism may involve the making of a secret photography or video of the subject during an intimate activity.

-In today's society the concept if voyeurism has evolved.

-Non-pornographic tv shows such as Survivor and The Real World as good examples of voyeurism.

The Male Gaze-

-Is the feminist theory that was first developed by Laura Mulvey in 1975.    -The Male Gaze occurs when the audience or viewer is put into perspective of a heterosexual male.

What can you recognise in this shot from the clip?

-high wide shots to show the setting

-low angle shot

-close up of apes to show more importance 

-still shots 

-throws bone up and camera follows it up to space, shows millions of years evolution from bone to space

-low angle when hitting bones (shows power) 

-idea that we evolved from apes, Darwin's theory 

-using tools for first time, that's why he was confused while doing it 

-graphic match 

-central framing 

-close ups 

-aliens helped us evolve

-as the sun goes up it shows where we should go and discover 

Narrative: the way the stories being told 

Sub-text: underlying ideas, messages/meaning

Unusual shots usually have most meaning

How is the camera giving deeper meaning to the sub-text?

-shallow focus 

-following shot

-close up in car

-point of view 

-view angle 

-shows fear of the people 

Director is trying to get across the fear of the actors when batman is running around. This happens by constantly using close ups and shallow focus shots. Shallow is used to show more fear than the other character, so the close up character has more fear. The point of view shot was used to show the audience what it's like to be in that position. The wide shot was used to give the location/setting away and the atomsphere of the setting.

Inglorious Basterds Pub Scene -

-opposing each other, wide angle 

-gain importance 

-gun under table, on the surface there's difference  

-close up 

-over the shoulder

-guns symbolize importance 

-shallow focus 

-holds gun by couch to show masculinity 

-battle for power

-all kicks off

Saving Private Ryan -

-extreme close ups, helps connect with character 

-hand shaking

-low angle shots of us looking at him

-shows power, but getting shot so losing power

-dramatic shot

-point of view

-immediacy 

-slow mo, no sound, focus's on facial expressions not surroundings 

Goodfellas -

-following shot, (tracking shot) 

-gets special treatment than other people 

-power

-long take 

-realism

-mafia gang 

-doing it to base on real life

Gone with the Wind -

-pans out 

-walk through dead/injured bodies 

-deeper the pan, shallow focus occurs

-close up to camera

-power over the doctor, then doctor stands and gains importance 

-central position in pan shot

MICRO - Limitless Analysis

"Micro"
- Cinematography
- Sound
- Mise-en-Scene
- Edit

'Citizen Kane' Camera Work:
Power?
Relationship?
Mother and son
Husband and wife
Lawyer
Mothers most important as she stays in the main shot
Tilted to show power
Man leaves shot
Silence falls
Emotional connection
Master shots
Main characters is centre shot
Man influences on mother
Boy is always visible
Steps in to scene to gain importance
Emotional connects to camera

Main Shots:
Low angle
Wide
Medium close up
Long shot

Say what you see:
Positioning in camera
Occupy more space
Relationship between people
Power can change, movement with characters

Analysis:
Woman's more important, has power
Blocking, whats being seen in the shot
Mum and dad, opposite sides of each other, oppose
Lawyer is between the parents,
Boy is always in middle of the shot, shows how he is stuck between

Limitless Bar Scene:
Setting: A bar

Characters: A dealer and a buyer

Costume: Dealer - Nice suit, drinking coffee
Buyer - Drinking beer, scruffy hair

The drug gives him more confidences, changes him completely, he starts working on something that would help him get a job, it's changed his personality, colour is bright to show he's starting again in life, everything's together it's neat, the setting changes, uses laptop to open a new chapter, costumes changed looks better, eyes are brighter

The term 'Blocking' is miss-en-scene

Analysis: 

At the start he was a loser, everything wasn't going for him. When he took a drug to open up more parts of the brain, his life changed and so did the film. The lighting was brighter to show him being confident, also his eyes brighten up to show different aspects in how the drug changed him. He's changed his appearance from scruffy homeless, to casual, somthing everyone does, he's taken off the look of a loser and now changed to someone who has meaning and more importance. His location in his home is now cleaner, it shows him changing for the better and helping him understand life more and starting a new. The framing is more focused on him as he is more opening in his performance. The way he stands shows how he's gained a lot, unlike when he was in the bar all hunched over and closed in.

MES & Cinematography

 Extreme Close-up

 Longshot

 Wide Angle Shot (Pan)

V for Vendetta MES

Mise-en-Scene: V for Vendetta

Characters -
News anchorman, smartly dress so intelligent and also loud for people to hear him.
Man in a mask, wearing Guy Faux mask with knives and dark robe.
Natalie Portman, wearing smart dress to show class, going to a show of some sorts/night out, different reasons for wearing dark.

Location/Setting -
Future London, anchorman said so on the news.
Dark scene, darker London, having a terrorist (man in mask) blowing stuff up making pollution higher and air thicker and darker.

Props -
Knives, not many guns, more knife fights.

Lighting -
Dark,

Framing and composition -
Both man in mask and Natalie Portman are in the centre of the shot when they are being in the scene.

Back to the Future Clip & Intro to MES

Back to the Future Clip:

Characters - Doc, Einstein, Marty
Genre - Sci-fi, comedy
Setting/time/place - House
Themes - Time

Setting/decor:
-messy location
-clocks
-time

Props:
-box of plutonium
-over filled dog bowl
-big speaker
-80's guitar



Mise-en-Scene Structure:
Location/Setting/Design
Costume
Props
Acting
Colours
Lighting
Space