Age Ratings

U

The letter U in the U symbol stands for 'universal'. A U film is suitable for any audience aged four and over. However, often, some content can upset a child as each child is different in what they find appropriate and what they don't.

PG

The letters PG in the PG symbol stand for 'Parental Guidance'. A PG is for general viewing and should be suitable for children aged around 8 years or older. The parents of the child should consider whether the content is liable to upset the child.

12A

12A rated films are not generally suitable for children under the age of 12 , but they may be allowed to see the film if accompanied by an adult. The 12 rating is put in place for retailers because it is simpler that only people above the age of 12 can buy the film. Our film is not going to be this rating either as we are sure it is not going to be suitable for anyone below the age of 15 and we are aiming for the older audience.

15

No-one under 15 is allowed to see a 15 rated film at the cinema or buy/rent a 15 rated video. 15 rated works are not suitable for children under 15 years of age

18

Films rated 18 are for adults. No-one under 18 is allowed to see an 18 film at the cinema or buy / rent an 18 rated video. No 18 rated works are suitable for children.

This information will give us an insight into the sort of features we can include in our thriller opening and what aspects of our thriller will be suitable for which age group and allow us to determine the age group at which our thriller film will be aimed at and suitable for. 

Lighting Practice

We used a desk lamp to experiment with the different effects that lighting can have on a scene, these are the photos we produced. We will use several of these effects and techniques in the production of our thriller film to create different effects and atmosphere.

In this shot, only half of the subjects face is shown in light
and the other half is shown in darkness. This makes the subject
look unrevealed and withdrawn as if he has something to hide



In this picture, very little light is shown and created a somewhat
eerie effect on the subject and also makes him look quite sinister.
this also creates a sense of mystery to the viewer. Also, the
blueish tint to the subject connotes a negative mood.






Again, in this shot, only half of the subjects
face is shown which creates a sense
of mystery to the viewer and makes the
subject looks somewhat sinister.



This shot creates light under the face and
blacks out some facial feature to create a
withdrawn and fairly sinister effect

Se7en Textual Analysis

This is my textual analysis of the film 'Se7en'

Group roles for thriller opening

For our main task we have been assigned to produce a 2.5 minute opening to a thriller film.
My role(s)

For the production of this task, each member of the group has been assigned a certain roll. My roll is to sort out and decide which camera shots angles and movements will be used throughout the opening. I will attempt to make my decisions to the best of my ability and refer to other thriller opens for inspiration and guidance to influence my decisions. I will attempt to include some of the key aspects of thriller films while doing this and also maintain the importance of flow throughout the entire opening and also my role in production. As well as this, I will also assist in the editing and refining of the production and clips.

Sam's role(s)

Towards this project we are creating a 2 and a half minute introduction to our own drama horror to the best of our ability in the allocated time. I have a veriety of locations accesable and of great use for filming locations and general settings of the whole drama, additionaly i reaserched premier pro software so i am fairly skilled in manipulating film clips for example altering sound at key point lowering saturation or adding my own personalised effect such as flashing or vibrateing and i have a firm grasp of being able to store and transfer data through different means. although i lack camera work skills as i am unable to figure out shots such as paning without poor results.

 

Tom's Role(s)

I am mainly going to be in the film as one of the characters as that is my strength , I will help as much as I possibly can with the editing and give input where possible but it is not my main strength

Barthes' Narrative Codes

 

Action Code

The first code is the action code. This is used to indicate the next logical step in a piece of media. It let's the audience know what is going to happen and implies that there will be some sort of action is the scene For example, our preliminary task showed an actor approaching a door, the next logical step to this sequence would be for him to open the door.

 

Mystery Code or Enigma Code

The next code is the mystery or enigma code. This is used by releasing only a small amount of information about the narrative at a time to engage the audience and have them wondering what will happen next. This grabs the audience's attention by creating an eerie atmosphere.

 

The Semic Code

This code is one that uses signs and symbols to tell the audience about the narrative and about the characters. it lets the audience know features about the narrative without directly telling the audience about it.

 

The Cultural Code

This code is used to let the audience know about the culture and social nature of the characters in the narrative. it makes references to the real world that audiences will recognise from experience. It lets the audience sometimes relate to what is happening in the narrative.

In our thriller opening, all of these codes will be used in an appropriate way to add density to the main plot line. 

 

 

Uses and gratifications

This theory suggests people use media texts for various reasons which are:

Diversion

To escape from everyday life

Personal identity

To create they’re own identities from characters in media texts

Personal relationships
Use media texts for emotion and other social values/interaction

Surveillance
To gain information or knowledge

Entertainment

As a means of relaxation, enjoyment, and emotional release.

Our thriller will be mainly focused on people that use television as a means of entertainment and will be primarily focussed on the enjoyment of the viewer. 

House Case Study

Here is a Slideshare link to the PowerPoint presentation I produced on the medical drama 'House'.

http://www.slideshare.net/BrantleySteer/house-case-study

Preliminary Evaluation

This is a Slideshare link to the PowerPoint presentation I produced for the evaluation of my preliminary task.


http://www.slideshare.net/BrantleySteer/media-evaluation-41706531

Final preliminary edit

Storyboards 

These are the story boards we have produced for our preliminary task.

List of Camera Angles & Shots

This is close up shot. a close up shot reveals only the person's head and shoulder and not much, if any, background details appear in the frame.

This is an extreme close up shot. An extreme close up is used to show and important detail within the scene.

This is a low angle shot. This is used to make someone appear larger and dominant, or it used used to make it look like we are seeing them from the point of view of someone much smaller.

This is an establishing shot. An establishing shot usually consists of a small sequence, frequently an exterior 'General view'. Used to set the scene.

This is a low angle shot. This is used to make an object appear much larger than it really is.

This is a long shot. a long shot shows a character at some distance. The character is often dominated by his/her surroundings.

Introduction to my Preliminary Task

My preliminary task is to produce a short film showing an actor walking into a room and exchanging dialogue with another. We will use several pieces of recording equipment and software as well as editing software to produce this piece to a good standard.

Introduction to my Blog Site

Hello,
My name is Brantley Steer, I am new to studying AS-Level Media Studies and I hope that throughout the course of me studying this subject, I will learn to use video editing software to edit short films and other projects effectively. I also hope to be able to use a video camera properly to film certain projects effectively. My main task will be to film and edit a 2.5 minute opening to a thriller film.