Heat Shootout Scene - Camera Shots Timeline

Heat Shootout Scene Timeline (7:00-8:00 minutes)

1. Over the shoulder shot of showing the wide setting and the character himself shooting (7:00)
2. Close up of police car windscreen smashing. (7:02) 
3. Pan of the side of the police car close up showing bullet holes in the door. (7:03)
4. Cut to Robert De Niro shooting from face on at medium shot (7:04)
5. Cut to track of character running and then stops for another over the shoulder shot of De Niro shooting (7:06)
6. Cut to low angle shot of policeman shooting and his car taking up around 1/2 of the frame (7:08)
7. Cut to low angle shot of the police car smoking and a police officer hiding behind the bulleted car door (7:08)
8. Cut to medium shot of a camper van on the road which takes up the majority of the frame and shows someone getting in cover behind it. (7:09)
9. Cut to dirty/unclear shot of person running behind cover however, you can only see the top of their head therefore, the audience don't know who it is. (7:11)
10. Cut to longshot of bus and car door being closer to the camera on the left, also shows a man running across the shot. (7:13) 
11. Cut to Pan shot of De Niro running past a bus stop as the glass falls out of the advertising board (7:14) 
12. Cut to longshot of bus and car again however, the man is shooting back in the direction towards where the camera is (7:15)
13. Low angled shot of De Niro shooting from behind. He takes up about 30% of the frame as it shows the damaged bus stop on the left and right hand side of the frame (7:16)
14. Cut back to longshot of bus and close up of car door showing the gunman going back against the bus as he's just been shot. (7:17)
15. Cut to medium shot of De Niro appearing to start to run away from the bus stop. (7:18)
16. Cut to police officer in a medium shot face on to the camera hiding behind his car door for cover and attempting to shoot De Niro. (7:19)
17. Cut to another medium shot of De Niro shooting back at the police officer, lasting for less than a second. (7:19)
18. Cut to police officer appearing to be shot as the window smashes in a medium shot (7:20)
19. Cut to pan of De Niro running and shooting. It zooms on his face as it pans. (7:21)
20. Cut to medium shot of gunman on the left of the fame shooting back towards De Niro. (7:23)
21. Cut to dolly on De Niro as he covers behind the car, shooting back. (7:25)
22. Cut to canted framing (titled) of crashed police cars against each other smoking. Also shows a gun appearing in the right of the shot. (7:27)
23. Cut to another robber shooting towards the police officers, a medium shot with cars behind him and a car in front, nearer the camera. Shows it from a side on view of him. (7:28)
24. Cut to police officers dropping to the floor having been shot, a medium shot with the police car appearing to take up the whole frame. (7:29)
25. Cut to another police officer. a medium shot with him in the left of the frame and a wall covering almost 75% of the rest of the frame as he realises another robber is nearby him and aims to shoot. (7:32) 
26. Cut to long shot of robber, as he gets shot in the head it zooms in becoming a close up and the camera follows him as he drops to the floor. (7:34)
27. Cut to medium shot of De Niro realising his partner has been shot. The camera zooms on his face to show his emotions and reaction. (7:36)
28. Cut to wide shot of the robber laying on the floor in pain as he's just been shot with cars covering the rest of the scene. (7:37)
29. Cut to shot of police officer running from behind the wall as a medium shot as he tries to get towards the robbers (7:39)
30. Cut to medium shot of the enemy of De Niro shooting, he is placed slightly to the left, off centre to show the rest of the setting in the background. (7:41)
31. Cut to close up of De Niro as he starts to run towards his injured colleague. The camera tracks his head as he runs. (7:42)
32. Cut to medium shot of De Niro running towards his injured colleague. Showing him on the floor and the background as well. The camera shows the back of De Niro as he runs (7;43)
33. Cut to low angle shot of De Niro showing his body as he shoots towards the enemy, it shows the building also from a low angle in the background too, showing him as more powerful (7:44)
34. Cut to canted framing of police cars piled up and being shot. These take up the whole frame (7:46)
35. Cut to medium shot showing police car taking up the majority of the frame. The camera moves as the police officer taking cover behind the car moves out of cover to try and grab a gun (7:47)
36. Cut to a low angle shot of the police car with bullet holes in the side and smashed glass (7:50)
37. Cut to canted framing/slightly high angle of a police car with the door open and bullet holes covering it. (7:51)
38. Cut to shot, reverse shot of De Niro and his helper as he attempts to pick him up from the floor and escape even though he is injured. Also shows a over the shoulder shot to help show the frame from De Niro's point of view when assisting him. (7:52)
39. Fades in to close up of De Niro and his assistant as he picks him up over his shoulder. This shows the emotions and facial expressions the two are showing in this moment. (7:56)
40. Cut to a two shot of the robbers with arms hooked over each other from a low angle. This shows the significance of the characters and the power they have as well as how strong their relationship is. (7:57)
41. Cut to medium shot of the police officer as he is running after the robbers. The camera is looking back towards his face as he runs and is moving with him. This shows the emotion of him as he runs, a track shot. (7:59)

This film shows a lot of camera angles and shots within a very short space of time, making it so there is a fast paced tempo to the film and more intriguing for the audience to engage in.

Sound & Lighting: Definitions & Effects

The effects of sound and lighting in films is key for the directing company to have the biggest effect possible on the audience. There are different sub-sections to both sound and lighting in which they are all important to consider when planning or recording the film.
         One important part to consider in sound is the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. A non-diegetic sound would be sound that's used in the film however, over the top of it. An example of this would be a voice over. However, on the other hand diegetic sound is the sound within the film or story, something such as the characters voices would represent this.
         However, another part of the films sound to consider would be the use of contrapuntal sound, in which the sound contrasts the mood of the film. Eg. an upbeat song used for effect in a horror film. Whereas, the opposite is parallel sound in which the music/sound is stereotypical of the type of film/story.
        Ambient sound is crucial to make the scene/film as realistic and therefore, effective as possible. This includes background noises mainly, something such as the wind or birds etc. In contrast to this though there is incidental sound which is sound where it isn't primarily musical. Another section that is important to consider for effect is sound perspective where the music/sound perceives something to be either far away or near the camera. Eg. the width and depth of the sound.
     One of the final effects of sound to consider is the use of sound bridge, this is where the music/sound from the previous scene overlaps into the new scene for added effect. A voice over can also be used for affect and is a piece of narration over a film or broadcast and it doesn't give a image of the speaker. This could be used to speak about the characters feelings or help the audience understand the storyline and what's occurring during the film.

Lighting also is just as important as sound and has different sub-sections just like sound. High and low key lighting is the different levels of light that there are being shown. Low key lighting would be for effect of having a more dark/mysterious scene whereas, high key would be for a brighter more upbeat scenes.
     Another type of lighting is rim lighting which typically comes from behind or to the side of the subject used to show just the character and then have a darker setting around them, this could be used for more different reasons in a film. Soft/diffuse lighting can also be used for effect during a film, this is where the light is large relative to the subject and causes shadows with soft edges and doesn't cover the whole setting.
   The final key effect of lighting would be spot lighting, this is typically used in plays or on stage however, can be used in films for special effect. Its where the light focuses on just one person and enters from above the character. This makes the focus shift from the whole setting to just that one character.

Here is a few examples of lighting effects;

Rim Lighting

High Key Lighting

Spot Lighting

       

Low Key Lighting

Soft/diffused Lighting

Roles, Oppositions, Equilibrium & Gratification - Toy Story

Whilst focusing on these four major topics, I related them to toy story throughout:

• Propp's Character Roles 
• Levi-Strauss' Binary Oppositions 
• Todorov's Equilibrium Theory
• Uses and gratification theory

When analysing Propp's character roles in toy story i found that the main character throughout the series and the hero generally seems to be woody, the cowboy. Furthermore, the dispatcher is buzz and is the character who seems to send people onto their jobs throughout the film. Also in Propp's character roles he says that every film will have a father figure, who appears to be Andy in this film saga, looking after the toys even though he doesn't know they are alive. The princess of the film is Jesse, especially during the second film of toy story as well as the chicken man being the villain during the same film. This adds effect to the film and can therefore allow the director to go into different storylines throughout the film aswell, this is known as a multi-stranded film and vice-versa would be known as single-stranded. 

                Propps's Character Roles suggest that there should be eight different character roles during a film. These eight are; Hero, Villain, Donor (who assists the hero), the dispatcher (who sends the other characters away to do things), False Hero, Helper, Princess & a father figure. 

Furthermore, Levi-Strauss' Binary Oppostions means that there are two complete opposites in the film. This is to create added contrast and interest in it. An example of this in toy story would be Andy who looks after the toys, compared to Sid in Toy Story 1 who is punishing all the toys. Another way of looking at this is Good vs Evil. Moreover, another opposite would be the passive movement of the toys and the active movement, as they are acting as almost two different characters when humans aren't and are around. 

In addition, another one of the major topics I studied was Todorov's Equilibrium theory. This suggests that there are five major stages; The stage of equilibrium and balance, the disruption of equilibrium, the recognition of the disruption, attempting to repair it (restore order) and where the new equilibrium is created. This is particularly relatable in Toy Story 3 in which towards the end of the film the toys come together as one to resolve their problem and end up being stronger than they ever had after going through all the previous stages during the film whilst being weaker than they were at the beginning. 

Furthermore, Uses & Gratification theory is why we consume different forms of text. For example, the main reason we watch news and information would be to gain insight into current affairs. This is relatable for other things, such as documentaries to gain knowledge etc. Therefore, the main reason we watch films would be for a form of escapsion or to connect more with society. 

Other useful things such as Narrative Structure play a part in how the storyline is put together. A non-linear narrative structure means that the shots aren't put in chronological order and includes things such as flashbacks as it doesn't follow the normal pattern. On the other hand, a linear narrative structure is where the the storyline is in chronological order and follows the typical pattern of: Expostion - Conflict - Resolution.

In addition, the 180 degree rule takes place when filming, this means that you must stay on the same side of characters when they are speaking. This makes sure that the audience doesn't get disorientated and confused with the different camera shots. As well as that, there are two types of camera production, inlcluding single camera production which involves using one camera it all however, it means you have to re-film many times for each angle even though it does give the director more control over shots and the scenes don't have to be filmed in sequence. On the contrary, there is multi-camera production in which there is two or more cameras used for production which makes it quicker to film. 

In conclusion, when making a film such as Toy Story many things have to be taken into account when planning the storyline and filming. This includes important things such as effective use of binary opposites for example. 

Media Clip Presentation Evaluation

In my presentation of a media clip I did the film Run Fatboy Run and the hitting the wall scene (shown below). The film is about a man called Dennis who had split up with his fiancée five years earlier and has since found another man, however, Dennis wants to try and win her back. He's trying to do this by completing a marathon. Something she thinks he will never finish.    

        

Whilst creating this presentation I did a PowerPoint presentation explaining various screenshots from the scene, including various camera angles and why they are used in that particular way. 

Also when presenting the presentation I thought I put my points across well as my PowerPoint helped me put across points a lot easier and assisted in me to make my points flow well together. Although my presentation was quite short I think I covered all the points needed and in good detail in the time that was given towards the task. 

The thing I enjoyed most about the clip is the comedy aspect to it and the storyline behind the film. Also how the film uses the literal meaning of 'hitting a brick wall' during the scene for effect and meaning that the audience can relate a lot more to it. Furthermore, I like the camera angles that the scene uses and the variety it has. Eg. Long shots and aerial shots. Although long shots are normally used for setting a scene and showing the surroundings the long shot in this scene is to show Dennis' loneliness in the scene and the empty, still environment he has around him. 

 

      Moreover, the aerial shot when he hits the brick wall brings affect to the scene/film because it shows the challenge Dennis has to overcome and his reaction/expression to seeing what he's still got to complete. 

       Another good affect that is used during this scene is when there is a dirty shot used. This is when Dennis is looking through the wall and sees himself telling him to carry on. The use of the dirty shot means that the audience can feel as though they're in his shoes and are experiencing what he is. The shot shows part of the brick wall on both the top and the bottom of the screen blurry to have this added affect on the audience. In addition, the affect of having another Dennis motivating him during the scene is quite good. This is because it shows the audience a reason for getting this motivation and where he's getting it from. 

Also, during the scene they use a flashback of Dennis to his wedding day five years before. They have done this for effect and so the audience can link back to near the start of the film and relate to it. Furthermore, they use words of discouragement to Dennis during this flashback explaining that he's never completed anything in his life before and to show what Dennis is about to overcome in this scene. 

 

Overall, I feel this film scene from Run Fatboy Run is a really effective scene due to the camera shots, sounds and the use of flashbacks as well. These things added a unique feeling to the film as they are used in a different way to most other films. 

        

      

      

       

       

Summer Task 4 - Media Institutions

When referring and talking about media the 'big six' in media, it is six major companies that control 90% of the media outlet in America. 

    

 These six companies are; Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, Time Warner, Viacom and the CBS corporation. These companies are mostly responsible for what the American People read and listen to and watch and therefore, have a big effect on their views and opinions. There used to be fifty companies controlling the media outlet in America at the time of 1983, however, now it's just six. 

      

These companies also own many TV companies, for example Time Warner own CNN and The Walt Disney Company things such as ESPN, Disney Channel and Lifetime channels. Furthermore, 21st Century Fox owns things such as the New York Post, a major newspaper in America. 

      

By these six having the biggest control of media across the world, it means that they will have the biggest affect on people's opinions and views and have the biggest power to change them. Overall, the media in America has became more and more powerful over the years and is having a bigger and bigger affect on the people. These companies are very dominate to the media industry and therefore can't promote what they want and they will still have a very big audience listening or watching what they're doing. 

The media outlet in American future will continue to grow and societies opinions will continue to increasingly change more frequently. I also expect these six companies to become even more powerful and so it becomes even harder for other companies to get their media across to their intended target audience. 

Summer Task 3 - Representation

'Discuss the role the media plays in shaping our views and opinions on anyone in our society. Is this representation positive or negative?' 

The media equates and contributes towards a massive proportion of our views and opinions. These contributions by the media can be both positive and negative, varying with each different situation. The media has a big role in shaping our views on things such as ethnicity, sexuality and class/status. Everyone reads, listens or watches the media as part of there everyday life and therefore, is going to change/stronger people's opinion on the topic. 

The media can be things such as newspapers to social networking and magazines. Media plays a big part in everyone's day to day life and many people don't realise how much of an affect it has on them because they are so complacent on how much they use media. 

The media is used for many different reasons, the main purpose of things such as films, newspapers and magazines etc is to be attractive to their target audience and so they sell there product and make profit. However, the media also changes are opinions on many things, a good example of this would be a newspaper article which expresses extreme views as a way of trying to sell their paper. However, people take up these views without even necessarily noticing. 

       

In addition, through the use of media technology, anyone can now express their opinions through the Internet for people to see. Having an increased effect on others around them viewing it.

  

Overall, the media has a big effect on everyone's views and opinions in society mainly through the Internet and technology. Films, Newspapers, TV, magazines are just some of the things that effect people's views. 

     

       

       

Summer Task 2 - Media Language

Whilst completing this task of recreating a 30-60 second film scene I learnt how to try and adapt myself to the situation and how many different things need to be organised before filming even begins. Things such as how important the lighting is, the backdrop, the background noise and the facial expressions needed to play the part well. 

Furthermore, I picked this scene because it is a popular scene and many people know it and therefore, will be able to judge my recreation more critically. Also because it only has the one actor it meant that at this early time of my AS Media I didn't need to waste time trying to find the best actors for the part. 

The things I would improve on in this scene recreation next time would be too work on making a better/more realistic backdrop to the scene and having things such as background noise for added affect to the scene. Also I would hope to have improved my acting characteristics as this was one of the first times I've played a role such as this. To also stretch my ability I would get more people involved and so the editing part of my recreation becomes more of a challenge for me. For this scene recreation I used iMovie to edit which gives me quick and easy to use software. 

I recreated the famous scene from 'Heat' in the role of Robert De Niro. Below I have put my version of the scene and also the original version of the film scene: