Katie Tallis - A Level Film

During this task, we chose to create a horror film about a college student who becomes so overwhelmed with work and life in general, he goes on a killing spree. We showed this by having the first minute of the short film full of repetitive shots, such as the card being scanned to get into the college, the work piling up as the film progresses to show how much work he has to do and a shot of a tree blowing in the wind with the grey sky in the background. We thought this would be evident to the audience that life has become repetitive and boring for the main character, and thus he wants a dramatic change.  We then showed the 'snap' of the main character by the use of a firework clip. This emphasises the idea that something inside his mind has 'snapped' and therefore both relates to the song perfectly and the title of the short film, 'Before You Snap'. The rest of the short film was dedicated to showing the killing spree that the main character went on.

(Note: the scene where the main character 'snaps' has been replaced from a plate smashing to a firework going off - along with non diegetic sound of the firework and screaming. The scene which featured the shot of the arm covered in blood has also been replaced with just blood on the wall, or paper since we couldn't put the blood on the wall itself, so we improvised.)

Shot 1: (repetitive montage) scanning the ID card at the gates Shot 2: ( repetitive montage) work piling up on the desk as the repetitive scene continues Shot 3: ( repetitive montage) scene of the trees outside (plus possibly tilt of the camera looking from the ground to the sky?) Shot 4: the character 'snap': "before you snap" song lyric: firework going off in the sky to represent something went off in the character's mind Shot 5: camera positioned behind the main character walking down a hallway - main character walks into the classroom - camera follows him in and zooms in while he stabs the victim - doesn't show anyone's face once the back of the main character Shot 6: shot of the blood splatter on the wall Shot 7:   shadows on the wall of the victim and the main character Shot 8: the ending - mask lying on the table - spotlight above it increases in brightness as the camera gets closer to the mask - bloody knife layin

Create a list of cinematic ideas for a key sequence: this must include extreme close up, medium shot, two shot, zoom-in, high angles, low angles, low-key lighting, editing, sound, etc. Beginning: The short film will start off with a repetitive montage of shots. These shots will be of: walking into college, scanning the card, walking to class, getting notes and books out, taking notes, packing away, walking out of college (?); regular things that happen on a day to day basis within the college. These will then be repeated through the use of editing to emphasise the repetition of a day-to-day life. The shots will slowly get faster and faster, until the character 'snaps'.  Middle:  The main character, Michael, will then go on a murderous killing spree, much in the style of Michael Myers in terms of the weapon, but Jason Voorhees in terms of the mask. There will a use of middle shots from behind, not showing the main character's face but will show him going into rooms

(Before You Snap) Michael lives a seemingly normal life, he's a college student who has high hopes of becoming a successful businessman in the future. His parents are kind and generous, always wanting to help their son in whichever ways they can. However, when work starts to pile up and Michael falls behind on all his deadlines, something snaps inside of him. The overwhelming feeling has been kept inside for too long, and now it wants out. Using an old hockey mask he used to use when he was a child, he begins his murderous killing spree, killing anyone and everyone near him. His anger, his rage and his anxieties have all been waiting and building up to this very moment, the moment where he strikes.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6mXuZGP0uI)

With close reference to two scenes from Pan's Labyrinth, explore how cinematography and mise-en-scene create meaning. (1,487 words) Obedience is an extremely important scene in the film. After the Spanish Civil War, Spain became a very fascist country in which everything within it was controlled to the maximum, including what people did and spoke about. Set in 1944, 5 years into General Franco's regime, the movie interprets the strict rules and orders and personifies them, of which one of the most noticeable ones is the scene of the Pale Man. Even at the beginning of the scene, the audience hears Ofelia go back over the Faun's orders. The faun, albeit a grotesque and gnarled character, shows himself as kind, caring and understanding of Ofelia's current position within the world. He presents himself as only trying to help her, but there could be a darker side to him that the audience doesn't wish to see. Society in 1944 was patriarchal, men were always to be

What was the Poll Tax? Finished Margret Thatcher's government - she resigned. Happened in 31st March 1990. It was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of domestic rates in Scotland from 1989 to 1990. A fixed tax for every adult that ignored what their income was. 4 million people refused to pay. "Can't Pay! Won't Pay!" On the 31st March 1990, a week before the implementation of the tax, 20,000 people demonstrated against the tax. This demonstration in London left 113 people injured and 340 arrested, with over 100 police officers needing treatment. Rich people were paying the same amount of tax as poor people - unfair tax. Why was it introduced in Scotland first? Scotland were used first as the 'poll tax guinea pig'. Margret Thatcher eventually lost all the Conservative Party seats in Scotland. Scottish Conservatives persuaded Mrs Thatcher to introduce the poll tax rather than an alternative levy based on property.  Intr

What are the conventions of Social Realism? Location Shooting - not in a studio - real life places (Council Estates, Parks, etc) Wide shots (So that the audience gets a good understanding of the setting) Non-professional actors that the audience will not recognise (More real) Semi-improvised scripts - to make it seem more realistic (Realistic dialogue) Humour and seriousness combined (To see both sides of life) Wider social issues explored via emotional and dramatic individual stories (Example: unemployment, gang culture, homelessness) What kind of political ideologies are most associated with this style of film making? Social Realism draws attention to the everyday conditions of the working class and to voice the authors' critique of the social structures behind those conditions. It brings attention to very real problems that many people choose to ignore. What is Hyperrealism? "Trainspotting is hyperreal, it goes beyond simple photorealism in its s

'Prisoners' Clip Analysis The clip begins with a long shot; it establishes where the following scenes are going to take place. It hints at a diner, which is then proven true in the following scene, where the audience sees a young man sitting in the middle of the diner. The very first scene is important though, as it not only sets the location, it also shows the audience that it is night time, and that it is also raining; this could link in with pathetic fallacy as when it cuts to the main sitting down, he looks mysterious and almost lost. It's interesting as the time of the day shows the reader that he is still awake, for one reason or another, as it's an unusual time for someone to be sitting in a diner.  It then shows a medium-close up of the main character. The audience can instantly tell this as he stands out immediately - not only does he look interesting and mysterious, he doesn't blend in with the background with his slick hair or his black long

Sound - music on car radio; diegetic sound; sets the scene of 60's time period (audience knows it is from the car as it cuts to the woman sitting in the car, waiting for a man) - "how can people have no fears"; lyrics anchor with the narrative of the film - jump scare; firecrackers; false sense of security for the audience (combined with the actors laughing and joking around about them) - silence, possibly just one or two words from the actors: then loud gun shots that shock the audience - music on the radio is emphasized now; non-diegetic music; same song from the radio but now much louder (as the couple are being killed) - diegetic sounds from the cars; ambient sounds coming from the neighbourhood when the woman is driving around

Analysis of the 'Crimson Peak' Clip At the beginning of the clip the audience is met with a medium shot of a young girl lying down. The low-key lighting and the dark green atmosphere immediately indicates that this movie is of the horror genre. For the most part, the first couple of seconds is quiet, apart from the abrupt gasp that may catch the audience off guard; this could show that she may have had a nightmare. As she slowly wakes up and looks around at her surroundings, the camera zooms out, revealing more of the mies-en-scene to the audience. In the background, the non-diegetic sound is that of a choir, creating an eerie atmosphere, almost like the voices are travelling through the halls of this apposed large house; accompanied with this is the diegetic sound of a dog barking, which is actually a common horror convention. It relates to the theory that animals have a sixth-sense, so they are able to see something that humans cannot. This relates to the mystery and the