Film Analysis

Deadpool

Audience -

This trailer has quite a specific demographic, it is apparent that it is more directed towards a more mature audience that is between the ages ranges of older teens to adults. Men are more likely to watch this sort of film due to its genre and theme. Ethnicity does not really play a part in these sorts of films, it doesn't offend any sort of group and never has an intention too. However this film is more directed to the superhero fans/comic book fans of the series. People who are quite creative and see the world in a different way to most people would enjoy this film very much because it is out of the ordinary. Superhero films are very easy going in that, they almost always have a happy ending or a well structured ending that makes the person feel like justice was served. People who like watching these sorts of films would be very interested in this film in particular because it follows those sorts of rules.

Genre -

The genre for this film is the same as any other type of film with a superhero included. It is more action based and superhero based, this will have a very big effect on the type of audience this appeals to. The male gaze is also used in this advert so that gives us a pretty clear idea on who they are directing this too. The colour scheme throughout the advert is very dark because of the different settings that the film will include. Men will find this less appealing than a women because women stereotypically like colour and peaceful things.

Plot -

Trailer provides the audience with the information, backstory about the new superhero. This is clearly shown in the first few seconds of the trailer, so people can clearly identify if this film is for them. The plot is also clearly shown and the audience get a clear idea on who the villain might be and the end result the main character is trying to accomplish.This is the first released trailer for the film, the film is meant to be released in February 2016 and the trailer was released in August 2015 so the plot isn't show in detail. This is probably because they still haven't finished post production and are focusing on just teasing the film itself.

Character -
Richard Dyer’s star theory tells us that characters have to be constructed to appeal to the audience, commodity is when a particular character is chosen to be played by well known actors that the audience will know well. Ryan Reynolds plays the main character and is quite widely known for his performance in other violent/superhero films. Ideology is another part of ‘star theory’ this is where a character follows a clear set of values and shows what they are trying to achieve. This isn't really shown clearly for all the characters in the trailer but the main character hints a little at his intentions.

Codes and conventions -

The codes and conventions of superhero films generically have a freak accident that happens to the main character. They usually are born with a power or have gained it through doing something. All superhero films always includes a supervillian, the supervillian usually disagrees with what the superhero believes and tries to stop the superhero. All superhero's have some kind of special power, set of skills or set of equipment, this is usually the selling point for any type of film. If a superhero film includes a set of new powers that have not been seen before people will be curious on what that has to offer. Also superhero's always have a theme that they stick to like their suit/appearance, this allows them to be easily identifiable to the audience this can also include there superhero name. Some superhero's also have a secret identity but have someone who knows their secret identity like there side kick or helper.

Sound

Sound is one of the most important parts of any film. Sound can influence how people interpret the film and if done wrong, can end up making your film look bad or end up making people feel confused. There are two types of sounds that make up films: Diegetic and Non-Diegetic. Diegetic sounds are any sorts of actions used on films. For example, when voicing the sounds of the characters or the sounds of the objects in the film. Non-Diegetic sounds are the opposite, and therefore are all the sounds that wouldn't be visible on the screen. Examples of these are: a narrators voice, sound effects (light bulb noise, when someone comes up with an idea) and mood music.

On Monday, we were set the task to edit our existing film that we made in last week's session and add our own sounds to them. In our groups we identified what sounds were needed and what we could use to portray the sounds in our film. Most of the sounds were easy to reproduce - when I sat on the sofa and it fell, we made the noise of one of the ends of the sofa hitting the floor. However, for the sounds that were down to timing, like when I dropped the wood in the film, we had to try and make that sound just like how it was shown. The microphone we used was very good at picking up the sounds but was too good at times, where it would pick up on Ed talking to the class in the other room! We had to make sure that only the sound we wanted was picked up on the recorder. One way we could have resolved this problem could have been by asking Ed to be a little more quiet, or by waiting for Ed to finish speaking with others.

Next, we had to edit the films on our own with the sounds we had recorded. I had noticed that some of the sounds were out of sync - this was very hard to try and put into sync again but by using the sound stretcher I managed to slow down the foot steps that were originally too fast for the film. Additionally, whenever we recorded a new sound, the recorder would make an annoying sound that I had to try and edit out without cutting out the sound that was needed. Other than that, all of the sounds we had recorded were very good and matched with the film perfectly, all I had to do was match them up with the film. After I had finished syncing up the sounds with the film, I realized that it sounded very bland because at times when I was just walking in the film, all I could hear were the footsteps and nothing else. So, I decided to add music to my piece and it gave it a bit more life.

Colours

Colour Wheel

This time last week we were set a task by Steve to design our own colour wheel using some of the coloured objects we had found around in Bath. This was a very simple task but it really made me think about how little colour there actually is in Bath, it is quite sad really. May colour wheel can be seen here.



















What do certain colours mean to me?

Red

Red has always come across as a quite harsh colour, to me red resembles blood, fire and pain. However some people feel differently when they see red. Red is a very emotionally intense colour. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure.

Orange

To me orange has always been quite a nice colour, when I see the colour orange I imagine sunsets, warmth and springiness. Others think of it as it being the colour of joy and creativity.

Yellow

Yellow has always been my favourite colour, I always see it as the colour of happiness and life. Others think of yellow as a colour that produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy.

Green

When I see green I think of dirt, mould and dulness. When it comes to picking colours for clothes I want to buy, green is always the last thing on my mind.  Never really found it appealing and nice to the eye. Green is widely thought of as the meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment.

Blue

Blue makes me feel calm and happy when I see it, it reminds me of the good times. Like when I was on holiday near the sea and the times after school where I would go out on really sunny days with my mates.

Purple

I believe purple can fit with almost any other colour and look nice. When I think of purple I never link it with any moment or object, because it is much more than a simple moment. It's a feeling. Online I found out that blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body and that it slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.

Pink

The right coloured pink can look very nice, dark pink has always made me feel totally different to a light pink. I think that is because it is closer to purple on the spectrum of things. Another post I found online about the meaning of the colour pink includes that the colour pink is the colour of universal love of oneself and of others.

Where I found the meaning of the colours!

------->Colour Harmory<-------

Silent Films

Today was the first time we used our timetables and had a schedule to stick to - meaning that we had a feel for what the usual days would be like. For our first lesson, we were taught some of the styles and conventions of silent films and how they are different to the films that come out today. I found this to be very enjoyable and I learned a lot about moving image from the work we did today.

We were shown some silent films and were told to identify some of the conventions.  One of these conventions were very obvious to spot when watching the silent films, this was the use of text. These were used to give the audience a clear idea of what the scene was about/ what the characters were saying. We also picked up on that there was very little camera movement in the films and there was usually only one or two cameras used throughout the whole film. These were used because cameras were relatively new, basic and very expensive so there was not a lot that the films could accomplish through equipment. The set design was very simple and all the clothes the characters worn were very similar to the other characters.

After we looked at the films, we were set a task to design our own silent film and were told to try and incorporate the conventions that we had noted down earlier.  When shooting our film, we tried to move the camera as little as possible and only used two shots throughout our whole film. Most of the silent film features were added while editing - I added a black and white filter to the film and cropped the film to try and give it the silent film style. I also added text to my film while editing, to introduce the film and add some dialog to my character so that the audience could understand what the film was about and how the character was feeling. 

My silent film can be seen here, maybe with some more time I could have finalised things but I am very proud of the end result and I feel like I have learned a lot from today's moving image lesson. Hopefully it will be this enjoyable all year round!

My First Post

Hello my name is Zach and this is my first blog post!