Researching Your Documentary

Sebastian Black                     BTEC Media 60 Credit Subsidiary Diploma

Researching You Documentary

The social issue I will be investigating will be the British Debate Over Veils. The purpose of this documentary is to talk about the issues regarding the veils. I want to know how it effects the people in the college & what their views are. The impact this documentary will have on me is that I will become more educated & aware of what is going on. Veils have never been an issue in my family because nobody wears them unless they are praying however I want to know how it effects those who wear them. For the participants, I want them to feel free to have their voice heard because this subject is often swept under a rug. Regarding the audience, I want them to learn about why these women wear their veils & that it's not them being oppressed. The individuals I could interview would be female Muslim teachers & female Muslim students. The reason why I am choosing to interview them is because the issues effect them directly. 

(A) Secondary Research into the Existing Facts:

Jeremy Browne (Liberal Democrat) - Telegraph (15th September 2013)

This article talks about Mr. Browne suggesting that "there should be a national debate about whether the state should step in to protect young women for having the veil 'imposed' on them."

 He feels 'instinctively uneasy' about banning the behaviour however he feels that action should be taken to protect the freedom of young Muslim girls. Nick Clegg  (former Deputy Prime Minister) said he may support banning veils in classrooms. He said: “My own view, I don’t think we should end up like different countries where we tell people how they go about their business. I do think there is an issue with teachers in the classroom… that might be an area where a full veil might be inappropriate.”

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10311469/Britain-needs-national-debate-about-banning-Muslim-girls-from-wearing-veils-in-public.html

The Islamic Veil Across Europe - BBC (31st January 2017)

This article talks about the different issues that have happened in Europe regarding the veil. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that the full-faced veils should be prohibited in Germany "wherever it is legally possible". Half of Germany's 16 states went to ban teachers from wearing headscarves. In Hesse the ban includes civil servants too. 

In Austria, coalition agreed to ban full-faced veils (Niqabs & Burkas) in public spaces like courts & schools. They were also considering a general ban on state employees wearing the headscarf & other religious symbols. "Only an estimated 150 women wear the full Niqab in Austria but tourism officials expressed fears that the measures would also deter visitors from the Gulf as it would apply at ski resorts, as much as the capital, Vienna."

France became the first European country to ban the full-face veil in public places on April 11th 2011. Nicolas Sarkozy who brought the ban said that veils oppress women & were "not welcome"

The penalty for wearing a veil is 150 Euros (£133/$217). Anyone found forcing a woman to wear a veil will risk a fine of 30, 000 Euros. 

In December 2012, Belgium's Constitutional Court rejected appeals for the ban to be annulled stating that it did not violate human rights. 

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13038095

UK Government & Parliament Petition - "Ban the Wearing of a Burka, Any Full or Partial From Face Coverings in Public" 

This petition required 100, 000 signatures in order for it to be successful. It only received 19, 765 signatures. This source isn't as reliable as the others because it is not factual. The Government responded to this petition stating "Face covering can be worn in public places for a variety of legitimate reasons. The Government has no intention of making it a criminal offence to wear face covering. Where face coverings are used for the purpose of concealing identity, section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 provides police officers with the power to remove them. The police may also remove face coverings during a stop and search or following an arrest. The Government considers these powers to be both proportionate to citizens’ civil liberties and sufficient to allow the police to protect the public from harm." - Home Office. The petition is closed. 

Source: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131481

On the other hand of this petition:

David Cameron Supports Removal of Muslim Veils in Schools - Independent (19th January 2016)

'If you need to be able to see someone’s face at the border, then I will always back the authority and institution that have put in place proper and sensible rules'

This article talks about how David Cameron supports "proper & sensible rules" however he does not advocate the nation-wide ban on full-face coverings. Andy Burnham (Shadow Home Secretary) commented "His clumsy and simplistic approach to challenging extremism is unfairly stigmatising a whole community. There is a real danger that it could end up driving further radicalisation, rather than tackling it."

(B) Secondary Research into the Format & Possible Distribution of your Documentary:

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims  Really Think

This documentary is based in America. It talks about the religion itself. The documentary talks about the effect after 9/11 & how the Muslim didn't want to be associated with the terrorists. The Muslims were scared for their safety. Muslims finally speak out on how 9/11 effected them, not just with what people were doing to them but how they felt on the inside. 9/11 triggered these hate crimes worldwide. 

Source: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/inside-islam-what-billion-muslims-really-think/

Ask A Muslim (Doc Web Series) 1 - "Burqas & Beards" - Youtube

This web series is about American Muslims. They are asked questions why do Muslims have beards & why the women wear Burqas. They state that it's not an obligation to have beards or wear Burqas. The Burqas aren't a requirement to wear however it shows modesty. It depends on where you are from & what rules are implied on you however a lot of these women are not oppressed. The women talk about how they aren't forced to wear the headscarves because they feel God inside of them already however they do not want negative attention from men.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yc1QIO_RCk

Woman Wearing Niqab Dominates Uncovered Muslim in Ban the Burqa Debate - CNN (7th March 2012)

This debate talks about whether women are forced to wear Niqabs or not. The presenter states that the first amendment in the US is the right to practice any religion. The opposer states that it's not right because people will do what they want & say that it's part of their religion. 

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KabbzQXbZM

My documentary won't be an argument, it will be similar to What a Billion Muslims Think. It will just be Muslim women talking about why they wear the Burqas, how it effects them & what they think of the ban. The subjects will voice their views just like Ask a Muslim. 

In term of distribution, my documentary can be put on Youtube & Vimeo. To have it shown on TV, I could send a TV channel the link to my documentary & see their response. 

For funding, I could apply for documentary funding from the BFI. To apply for the fund, you need an account with the BFI. You can fill in an application online. After that there will be an assessment period. You will need to have a strong story & characters to be considered. Before pitching your idea, there will be a pitching workshop that the shortlisted people will attend, it is not mandatory however it is advised. 

Primary Research, Summary & Ethical Concerns

1) Are you aware of the ban of Niqabs (Full-faced veils) in France & other European countries? Y/N

2) "Full-faced veils should be banned in the UK" Do you agree with this statement?

3) Do you know anyone who has been a victim of racism because they wear a Hijab?

4) Do you believe that Britain supports religious freedom?

5) What is your opinion on women who wear full-faced veils?

6) Do you believe that women who wear full-faced veils are oppressed? Y/N

7) Would you feel content if your teacher wore a Niqab? Y/N

8) Do you think full-faced veils encourage terrorism? Please explain your answer. 

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HRRV9N3

Results:

Overall, more people were aware of the ban of Niqabs in France & other parts of Europe, over half of the people who completed the questionnaire believed that full-faced veils should not be banned in the UK, half of the people who took the questionnaire knew someone who had been a victim of racism & the other half didn't know anybody. Over half of the people thought that Britain supports religious freedom whereas a quarter & a bit believed that Britain doesn't support religious freedom. About 3/4's of the people who took the survey believed that women who wear full-face veils are not oppressed whereas the rest believed that they are. 82% would be content if their teacher wore a Niqab whereas the rest would not feel content. In terms of the written responses majority of the people who took the questionnaire responded positively towards muslim women who wear full faced veils & whether or not they believe that full-faced veils encourage terrorism however there are a small percentage of people who said that they are against women who wear Niqabs & they do believe that Niqabs encourage terrorism.

Ethical Considerations:

Because this is a very sensitive topic, I would have to go about the questions lightly to ensure the subjects of the documentary feel safe. Due to a number of people portraying Islam in a negative light, it is understandable for the subjects to feel like I am doing the same thing however I will have to ensure them that I won't be. I will have to use correct terminology to not offend anybody. The subjects of the documentary will be aware of the questions before I ask them just to make sure they are comfortable with the questions. I will also need to ensure that I have backed up my factual information with evidence to make sure I am not giving the audience the wrong information. 

Assignment Task One: Analysing the Purposes & Content of Other Documentaries

Sebastian Black                  BTEC Media 60 Credit Subsidiary Diploma     Monday 6th February 2017

The two documentaries I will be analysing are Undefeated & The Pedophile Next Door.

Undefeated was directed by Daniel Lindsay & T. J. Martin. The film was produced by Rich Middlemas, Glen Zipper, Daniel Lindsay, Seth Gordon & Ed Cunningham. The production companies involved in this film were Zipper Bros Films, Spitfire Pictures, Five Smooth Stones Productions & Level 22 Productions. The documentary was distributed by the Weinstein Company (USA) & Alliance Films (Canada) & Dogwoof. The film can be watched on iTunes, Google Play or be bough on DVD via the Dogwoof website.The film was released on March 2011 in the South by Southwest film festival.  Sean Combs joined as an executive producer in February 2012 with the intentions of working with the Weinstein Company on a remake. On February 26th 2012, Undefeated won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature which made T. J. Martin the first film director of African-American descent to win an Oscar for a feature length film. 

In terms of narrative, the subjects of the documentary inform us as the audience what is happening. Everything that happened in this documentary was not intentional, it naturally happened. This is what made the film a success. In my opinion the documentary is multistrand because we are following Bill Courtney, Montrail 'Money' Brown, O.C. Brown & Chavis Daniels. The main issue is that the coach (Bill Courtney) is trying to help the boys in his team on the field & out of the field. He's not only telling them to win, he's also giving them valuable life lessons, telling them to study hard in order to get into college so they can make a better life for themselves. 

Undefeated is an observational documentary. The filmmakers aren't seen as present in this documentary, they have no input on what goes on in the documentary, everything naturally happens. This documentary almost feels like a sports film because it follows certain conventions of a sports film. Observational documentaries tend to be rushed around which is what happens in this documentary. The documentary follows through the Manassa football team & their struggles with getting into college & winning football games because of their past. This documentary doesn't ask questions as if it were an interview. The cinematographer is there & he/she starts filming & let things happen as they normally would. There are found footages displayed in this film when relaying back to previous games. These found footages show us what the previous players were like. There's also found footage of O.C. Brown playing a football game which shows how he stands out against the other players. In terms of lighting, Undefeated used the natural light that is around the location. There are no additional lights used to enhance this documentary in any way. The most lighting there's been is during the football game where the stadium lights are on. The speed of cuts fluctuate. During the football games the cuts are very fast to represent an actual sports film whereas when Courtney is lecturing the team, the cuts are slow, sometimes there aren't even cuts, the cinematographer pans across the room to show the team collectively. When the cinematographer shows them collectively to me it shows that they are all being praised or they are all at fault. There are times when the cuts are on individual players & that is because whatever is going on is directly linked to them. 

The purpose of Undefeated is to change the attitudes of the audience & the people who are in the documentary, especially the players. The stereotypes of young black males in general are that they are in gangs, they are violent, they sell or do drugs however this documentary gives another perspective on these male's lives. Most of these male's live with their grandmothers because they've been abandoned by their parents. We are shown in the documentary that they help their family's out with the chores & they are no way involved with gangs or any crime. Their family want them to study & work hard to get to a better place. A lot of them struggle with their education because they haven't received enough help & support. Coach Courtney ensures that the players do well academically or else he won't let them play in the football games. This documentary is all about changing attitudes because we learn that we need to push young people, especially young people from poorer backgrounds. They may not feel like they want to go far in life because we as society have stereotyped them & put them down. We are the ones who have taken the American dream away from these young men & we are the ones who are going to give those dreams back.

The impact of the documentary allowed Money to get attention & receive a random scholarship. Chavis's attitude changed. We saw him as a young offender in the beginning but through the support from coach Courtney, he became a respectable young man. He originally had a problem with O.C. however towards the end he showed kindness & compassion towards O.C. O.C. received positive attention from colleges. He was originally working towards a scholarship & through the documentary he had the courage to continue working hard, even when he injured his leg on the field. Coach Courtney was very busy during the documentary, he stated that he didn't get to spend time with his family & once the documentary was over he returned back home to coach in his son's school. He regretted the fact that he couldn't spend time with his children. He was more of a dad to the football team than he was to his own children. In terms of society, we learned that a scholarship cannot be given if the student does not have high enough grades for it which is a problem for these young black children because they are always put down because of the colour of their skin or where they live.  We understand that the education system is not great, especially for young black people because they are seen as failures & there's no need to spend a lot of money on their education if they;'re not going to get anywhere with their lives. The school developed a lot of pride because of the documentary. Coach Courtney misses being the football coach in Manassa however he loves his current job.

The Pedophile Next Door (Dir. Rudolph Herzog & Steve Humphries) 2014 is a documentary currently on Netflix. Steve Humphries is a well know director, he has directed 9/11: The Lost Hero (2013), The 9/11 Surfer (2012), The Miracle of Carriage 346 (2008) & many more. This documentary has also aired on TV in the UK.

This documentary talks about about issues around pedophilia in the UK. It also touches upon whether or not pedophilia is a mental illness & how we as a society can prevent it or even help the people suffering with this illness. The documentary is multistrand, it gives insight of how the victims of this crime were effected, when they were effected & how they are doing now. It also gives us insight on the perpetrators. In terms of Todorv's theory of narrative, it does follow a non linear narrative. It's not obvious that it is a non linear narrative because there are reenactments of the past with Steve Humphries narrating so it does take us to the past which makes it non linear. There are factual information being given to the audience through the narrator. We see interviews of victims & it slowly goes towards the one suffering with the illness. At the end the narrative becomes lighter & there seems to be a solution & a message. The message is that we as society need to rethink our views of pedophiles & we get to know a pedophile who has not acted upon his wishes & he goes to get treatment for his illness.

Unlike Undefeated, The Pedophile Next Door has a presenter which is Steve Humphries. We know he is there, we see him, he asks the questions. We see Steve Humphries interviews a range of people. He also disappears off screen whilst the professionals are talking, he lets them talk however his narration is still there. The documentary uses found footage to relate to what is narrated. This creates an emotional response with the audience as pedophilia is a provocative subject. In terms of placements, the victims & the pedophile are filmed in the comfort of their own homes & in their surroundings whereas the professionals are filmed in their working environment.

The Pedophile Next Door was made to raise awareness & to change our attitudes using scientific research & testimonies from different people. Being a provocative subject it can be hard to change our attitudes. This documentary talks about how pedophila can develop in the womb or it can be due to past abuse. In the past research showed that pedophila was predominantly present in lower class families however it has changed overtime & this documentary tries to explain that anyone can be a pedophile, it doesn't matter who they are. The two victims give different perspectives on their abuse. One was a female, another was a male. The male states that he was 'beautifully groomed' & he didn't know it was wrong. The female however talks about her suffering & pain. This gives us two different perspectives. It could tell us that children are not educated enough on what is wrong & what is right.

When this documentary was released it received a lot of negative feedback especially on social media (twitter) because pedophila was compared to diabetes. A lot of people who have diabetes complained to channel for because of the comparison. The documentary however did not achieve its purpose. Because of how touchy the subject is I believe that no matter how many documentaries are made on this subject. they will never achieve their purpose because it is down to society to change their views. The documentary can only guide us as society but because we are hardwired to believe that pedophiles are monster's, it's hard to change that view.  The impact of the documentary caused a mass protest. People stated that they want the pedophiles dead even if they haven't committed a crime. It got to the point where these pedophiles had to move to a different part of the country. Authorities became worried because they felt that the stress would make them relapse into abusing children because they felt that there was an expectation on them to be the way that society thinks they are. The impact for the filmmakers was positive. They became more educated & open minded on the subject through interviews through different people. Steve Humphries started to understand that pedophiles aren't monster through interviewing a pedophile. We learn that we have to listen & understand pedophiles regardless of how hard it may be. Authorities are trying to talk to pedophiles before they are known offenders. They want to encourage pedophiles to come out & receive help in order to prevent them from committing crimes. The female victim of child sexual abuse became a social worker to help children safe because no one was there to protect her. Pedophile Eddie has been accepted into a treatment facility in Europe to help him with his illness. He thanks the documentary for helping him get to this stage.

Planning Your Film: Individual Film Idea

Sebastian Black               BTEC Media 60 Credit Subsidiary Diploma      Tuesday 1st November 2016

Planning Your Film: Individual Film Idea

Genre: Horror

Draft Title: Forever

Summary of Plot: Angel isn't over the death of her boyfriend Sam. She has flashbacks of their time together up until his death. After some intense research, Angel creates a Ouija board in order to contact Sam. Sam appears & wants to take Angel with him however Angel doesn't want to, making Sam furious so he leaves. Angel forgets to say goodbye & goes to sleep. She wakes up to the sound of banging in her house, she gets out of bed & walks around to see what the problem is. The record player suddenly starts playing "Tip Toe" by Tiny Tim. Angel goes into the living room & turns it off. She turns around & Sam suddenly pushes her against the wall, strangling her. Angel struggles to get him off. Angel dies, Sam leaves Angel on the floor. 

Opening: The film starts with a brief flashback outlining the relationship between Sam & Angel, it then cuts to Angel crying in her bed.

Ending: The Final scene is of Angel turning off the record player, she turns around & is attacked by Sam. 

Single or Multistrand narrative?: Single strand.

Influences:

• Halloween (Dir. John Carpenter) 
• James Wan
• Ouija

Halloween - This film is quite voyeuristic & I want my short film to seem like this too. 

James Wan - Wan is generally a horror movie director. I like his style & creativity & I want this to influence my short film.

Ouija - Ouija is a horror film that is about someone's experience with a Ouija board which is similar to my film.

Props:

• Ouiji Board
• Computer/Laptop
• Glass
• Record Player
• Record Player
• Record
• Printer
• Pizza Box
• Picnic blanket

Mise-en-scene:

Angel: Angel should be wearing all black to represent depression. She will also be wearing a necklace with a cross on it to represent her faith. In the flashback Angel will be wearing a colourful dress, in a park laying on a picnic blanket with Sam. 

Sam: Sam is also wearing all black to represent a demon. It also connects their relationship because they are both wearing black. 

Lighting:

The film will be filmed in low key lighting. The curtains will be drawn.

Assignment A: Analysing the Feature of a Single Camera Production

Sebastian Black                       BTEC 60 Credit Creative Media          Monday 26th September 2016

Assignment A: Analysing the Feature of a Single Camera Production

Children of Men:

I am going to be analysing the opening sequence from two films; the first film is Children of Men & the second film is The Usual Suspects. Children of Men does not stereotypically represent sci-fi films because of it's lack of change in the settings. Most sci-fi films drastically change the future by creating high tech objects however Children of Men doesn't do that. 

Children of Men is a British sci-fi thriller directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Children of Men is a linear film because the events that occur in the film are followed through in chronological order. It is also single strand because we are following one character's story throughout the film. In my opinion, Children of Men has a closed ending however, Theo dies & there is a brief moment where Kee is left on her own & she is approached by the ship. That can be an argument to say that it has an open ending because we don't know what happens to Kee afterwards.

Mise-en-scene:

All the characters in the opening sequence are wearing dark or dull colours this could represent a form of depression. For the audience that haven't seen the film before would subconsciously think that the character's are all feeling depressed which is shown well just by the costume. Theo is dressed in black, this represents evil & mystery. We assume that Theo is the bad guy in the film, he's an alcoholic & he isn't moved by the death of Diego. Another way of seeing the opening sequence as depressing is the colour of the film. The colour is grey & gritty & this makes the audience feel the depression that is going on in the film. The grey & gritty also makes the film look realistic despite it being a sci-fi film. On the monitor in the cafe, we see footage's of Diego, he seems to be the only one wearing a bright colour, that colour being white. The white represents innocence & hope & could represent youth which is relevant to this film because he was the youngest person on he planet. It could also represent an angel & that is really important in this film because the population cannot reproduce & Diego being the youngest person he is seen as God like. In the coffee shop you see an elderly lady holding a dog which is white & brown, again this could represent hope. The characters have pets because they are lonely. They are lonely because they don't have children & they can't do anything about it.

Outside we see that we are in the future because we have futuristic adverts however, the transport is still normal & not futuristic. You see black burnt looking rickshaws, this could tell us that many people aren't using it & it could foreshadow anarchy. There are police officers walking around in their full uniform which is black, this again represents evil or mystery, this tells us that the police officers in this film can be evil. Theo pours some alcohol in his black coffee, this tells us that he could have a drinking problem or that he wants to escape from the problems that are happening in the world. Mixing alcohol with a stimulant is unhealthy so this tells us that Theo has an unhealthy lifestyle & he just doesn't care. He's not exactly hiding the fact that he is pouring alcohol in his coffee.

Around the coffee shop there are loads of full bin bags around, this tells us that the society has given up with taking care of itself. Society has lost hope because they cannot reproduce.; all hope is gone.

Cinematography:

Where we see Theo entering the scene through a sea of people you can immediately tell that he is different from the others. This handheld long mid shot shows us that Theo is not bothered about what is going on because he's just sliding through these people who are seen to be static because of the news they are hearing. The news does not effect Theo. The handheld shot allows us as the audience to feel like we are there in the cafe looking at Theo. Instead of making the audience feel like they're just watching the film, it makes them feel like they're in the film, this is a good way of engaging the audience. Majority of the time we are looking from Theo's perspective or we are following Theo. The point of view shots are emphasised because it is handheld & this makes the audience feel like they're looking from Theo's eyes. The pan outside is used to show the audience where we are. It subtly shows us that we are in the future by looking at the adverts however it isn't made obvious that we are in future in this shot. The audience has to be carefully watching to see this. The reason why it isn't as obvious is because this film is trying to be realistic. As I mentioned before, this can cause a confusion in the genre. After the explosion, the camera tracks towards the cafe however it isn't a smooth track, it is handheld & it makes it feel like you as the audience is running towards the cafe to see if there are any survivors. This could also be seen as Theo running towards the cafe.

Lighting & Colour:

I mentioned the colour in the mise-en-scene section. Again, the colour is gritty & grey which makes the world in the film look depressing. Just by the colour of the film it tells us about the narrative & it gives us a hint about how the film is going to be.

There is low key lighting in this opening sequence which makes the scene look mysterious. Low key lighting is not a convention of a sci-fi however the director used this to make the opening sequence look unhappy. Even though there is a sunlight outside the cafe, the lighting is still low key & this shows the world as unhappy.

Sound:

In the cafe, we hear the news report which is diegetic sound because the characters can hear it. There is slow memorial music playing when the memories of Diego are shown on the tv, it could be argued that it is non diegetic music or it could be diegetic music. In my opinion, I think it is diegetic music because it could be played on the news report to make the viewers watching feel even more upset about the death of Diego.  The music slowly fades out as Theo walks out of the cafe & is immediately taken over by the sound of the vehicles. The sound of the vehicles shows us that the world is still continuing on despite the death of Diego.

Editing:

In this opening scene there are three cuts. Point of view, back to Theo & after the explosion. Before the explosion the pace was slow which represents realism. The pace becomes faster just after the explosion. This is because it's action & it entices the audience by being fast paced.

Script & Diaglogue:

In this opening sequence, we are only given information about Diego's death. We get the idea that there's a problem going on since he was the youngest person on the planet. Diego's name is the only name we know so far in the opening sequence. The amount of information we are given in the opening sequence is minimal because everything is revealed bit by bit as the film goes on.

The Usual Suspects:

The Usual Suspect is a mystery crime thriller. The Usual Suspect is nonlinear because the narrative is based off of flashbacks. The film is single strand because it follows the story that Verbal is telling the officers. This film has a closed ending for Verbal but possibly not for special agent Kujan.

Mise-en-scene:

The mise-en-scene in this opening sequence is very crucial because it gives us clues about the ending. Right in the beginning we see Keaton lighting all of his matches to light his cigarette, he does this because he knows that this will be the last time that he'll have a cigarette. The fact that Keaton is smoking shows that he's relaxed, he's not bothered about what's going to happen to him, this tells the audience what kind of character Keaton is. You can hardly see any costume between the two character which relates to the lighting but I will talk about that in the lighting section. The audience's attention is on the fire because it contrasts the scene. The flames are red & orange which tells the audience that it's dangerous & they are expecting something dangerous to happen. We see Keaton's face however we don't see Keyser's face, we know it's Keyser because Keaton says his name. Not being able to see Keyser's face adds to the mystery & it also makes him look God-like because nobody knows what God actually looks like & we see that Keyser has caused everything you see on the ship.

Cinematography:

The shots are between the two characters exchanging their dialogue. The shot sizes are medium close ups which lets the audience see the background & the detail of the character. It also allows us to see Keaton's expressions. As Keyser approaches Keaton, Keaton's facial expression changes, he sighs. It's almost a sigh of relief however it's not at the same time. There is a long shot which allows the audience to see where the setting is however because of the low key lighting you cannot see much so the audiences attention is on the fire because it represents danger. 40 seconds into the opening sequence there is a long shot to establish where we are, this helps the audience know & understand what is going on. Most of the time the camera is still however when Keyser urinates from above, the camera tilts upwards, this represents power. Keyser is higher up this shows the power he has over Keaton. The tilt shot also adds mystery because we cannot see Keyser at all. The camera slowly tilts back down as Keyser is walking down the stairs this builds up tension. The audience wonders what is going to happen to Keaton. After Keaton is shot we get these long shots around the ship to tell the audience where we are again & the fact that there's no one around. We then get this close up leaking petrol, this immediately tells the audience that something is going to blow up, in relation to that we have a close up of Keyser dropping the cigarette intentionally so the audience knows that the place will set on fire because of this. The camera zooms into the ropes which makes the audience feel like there is someone watching this happening, this is how the directors trick the audience into thinking that there is someone behind the ropes.

Lighting & Colour:

This opening sequence is low key & high in contrast which creates a dark atmosphere. This film is similar to film noir & the lighting represents this. You can hardly see much in this opening sequence which makes the audience feel confused however it does not put them off from the film, instead it attracts them to the film. Already by the lighting you can tell that this is going to be a mystery crime movie. You cannot see Keyser Soze however there are hints in this opening scene that relate to the end scene. You have to watch this film carefully & look at the detail to put two & two together. Not being able to see Verbal tells the audience that he's an important character.

Sound:

In the beginning of this scene we hear footsteps, water dripping & the fire, these are diegetic sounds building up the the tension. The non diegetic sound that comes in is the sound of the violin which is stereotypical for gangster movies, this could give the audience the idea that this film is a gangster film. The music gets louder which could indicate power to the audience. The music intensifies as Keyser drops the cigarette, this creates a dramatic effect on the scene.

Editing:

The cuts are quite slow in this opening sequence because there isn't much action going on. It is more focused on the dialogue between the two characters. There are no fades in this opening sequence & there are no jump cuts, the cuts are matching to allow the audience to understand what is going on.

Script & Dialogue:

Judging by the dialogue between the two characters, we know that they know each other because they known each other's names & they recognise each other. Keyser asks Keaton how he is & Keaton whispers Keyser's name. The conversation between the two are casual

About Me

Sebastian Black                                     BTEC 60 Credit Subsidiary       Monday 12th September 2016

Diploma Media Studies

About Me

Favourite Director:

• James Wan

James Wan usually directs horror movies. His films tend to have a lot of anticipation. All horror films have anticipation however James Wan does this really well. The horror film that Wan directs horror movies that tend to be better than other movies mades by other directors, in my opinion.

Example of James Wan films:

• The Conjuring
• The Conjuring 2
• Insidious 
• Lights Out
• Annabelle

Favourite Film(s):

• The Silence of the Lambs
• Jurassic Park

The Silence of the Lambs is one of my favourite films because it is based on prolific serial killers. The film shows the audience what the law enforcement team go through what they have to do in order to solve a case. It may not be a realistic representation however it is just a guideline. The film was based on real life serial killers & a real life situation where the FBI asked a serial killer for information about an unknown serial killer.

Jurassic Park is another one of my favourites because as a child I was always fond of dinosaurs & I watched different films about dinosaurs however I felt that Jurassic Park was a "realistic" representation.

Favourite Genre:

• Horror

The reason why horror is my favourite genre is because of imaginative stories & creatures that writers come up with. I have no interest in the characters in the film other than the antagonist. I want to know the back stories of the antagonist because I find them rather interesting.