Homework 3 (BLK): Conventions and Cultural Codes

Film Making Conventions (technical codes and genre conventions):

·         Set in a teenage girl’s bedroom; wardrobe filled with clothes, girly furniture, etc – typical for a teenage rom-com.

·         Also partly set in a clustered school corridor, near the lockers (iconography always seen in teen rom-coms)

·         Voice over

·         Feisty soundtrack

·         CU of Olive’s smug expression – protagonist’s victory in a rom-com

·         ‘Oh rats’ and ‘ohh buurrn’; typical high school, funny language

·         Stereotypical rom-com father character; quite young, attractive, wears glasses, very ‘hip’ and ‘down with the kids’

·         Pan up from the ‘A’, past the pearl necklace, to her smug face and Ray Bans (the big reveal of the transformed protagonist in a rom-com)

·         Her appearance causes heads to turn

Cultural Codes:

·         Ray Bans; fashionable, rich, etc

·         Stereotypical rom-com protatognist

·         Pearl necklace – classy and sophisticated

·         ‘A’ sewn onto clothing – branded an ‘Adulterer’

·         Olive kisses the air – queen B?

·         Shopping bags – ‘Guillaume’s Fine Lingerie’ – rich, girly

·         Cutting up red clothes; red is a colour of love or anger

·         Olive chews on the end of her glasses; a sexy gesture

Homework 2 (DYM): Film Still Analysis

This is a film still from the futuristic, action/adventure film ‘The Hunger Games’. This still is from the end of the film, however, and focuses less on the action/adventure themes, and more on some previously underlying themes in the film.

• This shot contains a lot of iconography; for example, the crown on Katniss’s (the girl’s) head, and the white rose on President Snow’s lapel. The crown suggests that the girl has achieved something, but her fearful facial expression suggests otherwise. White roses are usually a symbol of innocence and purity, but having watched the film, we know that Snow isn’t all that innocent and pure, so the rose actually juxtaposes his character.
• Interesting technical codes have been used; for example, the shot has Katniss and President Snow in focus, but Peeta out of focus. This creates a sense of distance between Katniss and Peeta, suggesting that she is quite alone and vulnerable at this moment in time.
• The lighting in the shot is mostly high-key, but the light is shining more on Katniss’s face, rather than President Snow’s. This implies that Katniss is the hero, or the protagonist in the narrative, whereas Snow might be the villain.

Homework 1 (BLK): Horror/Mystery Film Stills

Conventions of the genre

Before we set out on our shoot, our group decided that we’d take shots that would represent the Mystery/Horror genre. We decided this because we knew that there are some locations within the school that look quite rustic and historic, which is a key element of the genre. Mystery/horror film stills usually use low-key lighting, and the framing is often manipulated such that the subject looks like the victim.

My Shot

My shot is a high angle, close up with a tilted frame. The fact that the shot is high angle makes the subject look smaller and weaker, implying that he is a victim. The close up allows us to see his features and expression, which in this case is fear. Having the tilted frame also adds an edge of mystery. The subject is placed in the frame so that there is a space in front of him, which creates an idea that someone or something is in front of him, but the audience cannot see what or who it is (creating enigma).

As the shot is a close up, not much of the setting is seen, however the wood panelling behind the subject implies that he is in an older building; old, historic buildings are often seen in mystery films, and are usually home to ghosts and ghouls.

If we were to re-shoot

Unfortunately, as it was a very sunny day, the lighting was very high-key both in and outside. I think that the lighting in my shot is a little too bright for a mystery/horror film still, so in hindsight, I should have tried to find a darker corner within the grounds. The shot would have also looked better if the subject’s face was half in shadow, which could have been achieved in a darker space.