Cutting It Essay

In the opening scene the characters are in the back of a London taxi, this highlights that they are middle class people who have some money. Also the way they are dressed helps portray the characters to be wealthy, as they are wearing smart clothing and look well groomed. They are both wearing gold wedding rings which indicates they are both married to each other, the dialogue also implies that they are married and deep in love. The woman in this clip is portrayed as the one who is in control as the male is questioning the female about where they are going, this keeps the audience enticed and thinking. Also when the woman gets out of the cab she pay for it, this highlights that the female in this clip is taking the controlling role. This is unusual as the stereotypical male usually is the one who is in control. Also the fact that she wants to go to see the consultant by herself, again symbolizes that she is strong enough emotionally to deal with the news she is about to hear, good or bad, the audience still don’t know. The low key lighting in the consultants room connotates with the mood of the characters which is nervous and fright. The final scene with the woman lying on the floor with flowers all ruined on the floor indicates the mans life and how it is also ruined.

The camera shots in this clip help portray the couples relationship and how in love they are. Firstly, the camera shot of the couple in the back of the cab emphasizes how in love they are as the camera keeps showing them touching and linking with each other. The medium close-up of couple also helps to indicate to the audience that the conversation is serious, the dialogue also suggests that the conversation is serious. The extreme close-up of the couple holding hands with their wedding rings on show draws the audience’s attention and indicates that they are married. in the background of the shot of the woman getting out of the taxi there is an ambulance, highlighting that they are at a hospital, this allows the audience to understand what is going on and that the woman is actually ill. The over the shoulder shot of the woman hearing the news from the consultant focuses on the womans face and emotion, the woman is crying which is surprising to the audience as at the beginning of the clip she was portrayed as a strong minded female. This indicates to the audience that even though she seemed to be strong and independent, she still shows her emotion like stereotypical females. The camera shot of the man stirring his coffee, then the camera cuts to his point of view of the woman emerging, which builds tension as the audience still doesn’t know if she is okay. The medium shot of the man’s face when he realizes she has been hit by a car, highlights his emotion and then the jump out closer to his face expresses the feeling of shock. The final close-up shot of his face symbolizes he is distraught, it also highlights his tears which is unusual for a stereotypical male to show emotion.

The editing in this clip is very effective in the way it helps build tension and keeps the audience interested. The editing at the beginning of the clip is very relaxed and show from the man to woman, this allows the audience to see the love and caring I the relationship. When the couple get out of the cab the cuts become more frequent and quicker as the conversation gets more serious as she wants to go to the consultant by herself. This helps the viewer see the expressions and emotion on the characters face.  The cuts between the woman and man whilst she is in the consultant is slow and cuts happen a lot, this builds up tension and makes the audience enticed in the clip as they want to know if she will be okay. There were slow motion shots also to help build up tension in the scene and make it more dramatic. When the woman comes out of the hospital and the man is waiting to hear the news, he suddenly hears a crash, however a bus is in the way. The man immediately thinks its his wife involved with the incident, the camera does a jump shot from a medium shot to a close up shot to emphasize his shock. The slow motion shot after the bus passes also helps indicate that the man is stunned and surprised and conotates with his feelings as he feels like part of his life has stopped.

The sound in the clip has a mixture of non-diegetic and diegetic sound which helps the viewer understand the characters emotions and how the clip is very feminine. Firstly, the non-diegetic sound of the couple speaking with the noise of the street in the background and the taxi helps the scene seem real and like a normal day for the characters. When the diegetic music starts whilst he is waiting it emphasizes the emotion of the characters which is worry and stress. The music is quite feminine which connotates with the man in this clip as he is not the stereotypical male as he shows a lot of emotion throughout the clip, he also never seems to be in charge and it usually is the woman. The echo sound of the car crash and then the silence of the clip creates an effect as it again indicates that the mans life has stopped as his wife is going to die. Then the non-diegetic sound enters the clip again with a car horn it makes the audience come back to reality. The final scene when the woman is on the floor with the slow depressing diegetic music playing creates a sad scene and has connotations of the characters emotions.

Mini Analyse 3 - Cranford

Cranford (class)

Mise en scene

The settling and the costumes in this clip really helps to emphasis the differences in class between two families and how in the late 19^th century to early 20^th century there was a big split in society with the poor and the rich.

The clip starts of with a young boy in ragged clothes that looks dirty and old, which instantly gives the impression that he does not come from a wealthy background. He is walking through the woods with a bag and vegetables which implies again that he is a from a non wealthy family as in these times families with money often has servants and people to gather their food for them. The boy get given a pair of shoes for his birthday, which he makes a rather big deal out of which suggests to the viewer that he is grateful for every little thing he gets as he doesn’t often get given a lot from his parents. However suddenly when the boy signifies to his parents that he can read a little bit suddenly changes the mood of the scene and his dad does not seem happy with him, as he believes that ‘learning’s not for everyone’. The lighting is low key, which highlights the mood of the characters in the scene, as the boy looks sad that his dad is un-happy with him.

However when the boy finds a mansion house he enters a green house on the land and gets caught. It gives the viewer a chance to see how the other side of society lived in this era. The scene with the lady in full white dress instantly signifies to the audience that she is wealthy as she is the owner of the property and she speaks very well and correctly. The bright white flowers highlights and conotates the lives of the people living at the mansion as happy, easy and enjoyable.

The next scene with the large family getting into horse carriages signifies that they are the opposite to the young boys family and are wealthy people as only the people with money in these eras had horse and carriages. Also the costumes of the characters are all very elegant pieces that look expensive and well made, this again indicates to the audience that this family is wealthy; also the fact that it is a rather large family again suggests to the viewer that they have a lot of money as, wealthy families in the early 20^th century had large families. 

Star Trek Case Study

http://prezi.com/dywhxjsa476m/edit/?follow=0xo2oi4rmltc&auth_key=0donuq4

Re-written Mock

This clip highlights the difference and the split between the disabled and the people with ability; in this clip they convey this through the two characters David, who is the normal teenager, and Ben, the disabled one. They are brothers who are roughly the same age as each other and through out the clip there is a clear difference between Ben and David.

Firstly the use of the camera helped display the differences between the two brothers from the very start of the clip through the use of a bird’s eye view. The view captured the difference between Ben and David as the disabled brother, Ben has a very colorful, child like room which automatically suggests to the reader that he is not the average teenager. Then on the other side David has a rather plain, dull room with black and grey, which could highlight his emotions as in the dialogue he is speaking about a depressing subject. The next close up shot of Ben indicates to the viewer that Ben is disabled as the audience can see his facial features which makes it clear that Ben has down syndrome, this makes the viewer feel a sense of sympathy towards Ben already before they even know his personality. In the following scene in the kitchen the mum says ‘bye’ to Ben and gives him a kiss on his head, the camera then does a reverse shot to David who is looking at his mum who is showing Ben affection; this indicated to the audience that the child with no disability is ‘under-loved’ and care is not shown towards him unlike the child with a disability. In the following scene there is an extreme long shot of Ben and David at the bus stop, again this implies a tremendous difference in the way the two brothers act. Whist David is sitting at the bus stop patiently and silently, Ben is playing around with toys and is being very fidgety; this displays to the viewer that Ben’s mental age is un developed, this again shows the difference between the people with disability and the ‘normal’ person. The over the shoulder shot of David drawing a horse indicates that he is not concentrating in class, however when the reverse shot of the teacher questioning him on what they are discussing in class he can answer the question, this indicated to the audience that David is an intelligent boy; this also highlights his ability and tries to get the viewer to compare him to Ben and how he wouldn’t have been able to have done just what David did. Finally the medium shot of Ben on the bus indicates to the audience that he is worried as he keeps looking round and acting very cautious.

The sound in this extract helps portray the emotions and differences between the two characters. Firstly the dialogue in the opening scene explains to the viewer that David is not enjoying his life and how he has to look after his brother, he even let the viewer know that he tried to kill him once; this creates a sense of connection between David and the audience as he lets them know his ‘secrets’. When the house appears and the non-diegetic music enters the scene however it only highlights one of the characters emotions, this is Bens as he is happy whilst eating breakfast. On the other hand the music contrasts with David’s mood, as he is miserable and unenthusiastic about his life. This is unusual as the audience start to feel a sympathy for not only Ben, however for David as well as his character is conveyed as brother who is always looking after his disabled brother; this is shown by David having to look after his brother whilst he goes toilet. Generally programs cause the audience to feel sympathy for the people with disabilities. Later on in the clip when David starts narrating again he keeps refereeing to Ben as ‘they’, this represents not only David’s opinion but also the whole of society’s opinion on disabled people as something else; they almost apply to them as not human. Finally, when Ben is on the bus the non-diegetic music is slow and depressing, this reflects Ben’s mood and emotions, which implies that even though it looks like he doesn’t get along with his brother he misses him. It portrays to the reader that even disabled people have emotions and care for people.

The use of mise en scene helped foreshadow something bad is going to happen which again naturally causes the audience to feel sorry for Ben. When David is talking to his friend and is about to leave Ben on his own an explosion happens in the reflection of a window, this foreshadows something bad is going to happen to Ben as he is making his own way home. It makes it clear to the viewer that people with disabilities cannot do what the average person/teenager can do. They help emphasis the fact that the disabled can’t live a normal life through David, as David is going out with his friends on the weekend. The sky is also grey and dull in the scene when Ben finds out he is going home alone, all of these foreshadow something bad is going to happen to Ben.  

Finally the use of editing helps portray the difference between the disabled and the ‘normal’ people. In the first scene it displays animal and creatures that highlights that David looks at Ben as non-human and more like an animal; supposedly so does society n a whole, this again causes the audience to feel sympathetic for Ben. The sharp cuttings of David talking to his friend also indicates that David can have an actual conversation with someone, in comparison to Ben who can’t have a conversation with many people, which leads to him having no friends; this again makes the audience emotional and feel sorry for Ben. When Ben is on the bus and there are people arguing and fighting, this highlights Ben’s disability, as he is worried that he could get someone picking on him or starting an argument. Finally the slow motion shot of Ben on the bus at the end displays to the audience that he is thinking about things and even though he has a disability he should be treated normally. 

Mini Analysis 2

Camera

In the first camera shots is through some metal bars that indicates from the start that the man who the camera is on has some sort of disability as the bars connote that the man is locked up and is some ways treated like an animal as he doesn’t get given his job back. The close up shot of the mans face is the first time the audience sees what is actually wrong with him, this automatically makes the viewer feel sympathetic for the man as it looks like his face as been burnt. The quick shots of the three of the men’s faces highlights their expressions and how they feel about re-hiring this man, the expressions on the two faces indicates that they don’t want to re hire him; it suggests to the viewer that because this man has a disability they do not want to employ him again. This clip from the start represents society as a whole as the citizens with disabilities are often treated differently and find it hard to get jobs. The final shot in this scene is a close up shot of the mans expressions when he finally realizes that they are making excuses so they don’t re-hire him; the dialogue then suggests that he is very annoyed and up set by their attitude towards him.

In the next scene he tries to help a woman pick up her shopping as she drops it on the floor, there is an extreme close up of the side of his face that is burnt and scared which is then followed by a quick reverse shot of the woman’s shocked face when she sees him. This again makes it clear to the audience that due to his scared face he is not looked at as ‘normal’ by not only society however even people he knows. The further the clip goes on the more the viewer understands that the man is upset about his appearance.

In the following scene when the man is walking down a busy high street there are many quick medium shots of random people looking at the mans disfigured face; the shots helps express the publics shock when they see a un-normal face. Again this make the audience feel sad and sorry for the man as they can see that he is getting agitated that people are looking at him. The disability of the man in this clip is presented in a way to make the audience realize that society not only treats people with disabilities harshly such as not giving them a job, however the disabled are also treated differently by society when they do normal every day things, such as walk down a high street. 

Mini Analysis 1

Mise en scene

In the opening scene there was a sense of mysteriousness, as it seemed that Merlin was in a room that he was not supposed to be in, this has something to do with the golden book he was looking at and then quickly covered up. This also makes the audience enticed, as they want to know what Merlin is doing. The set out of the scene and the style of the room/clothes indicates to the viewer that this clip is set in the med-evil times. When the woman enters the room she is immediately portrayed as an upper class lady as she is wearing a very elegant dress and has the power to address Merlin and ask her why he is there. Merlin however is dressed in common clothes of the time, which implies that he is just an average citizen who hasn’t got a high status. When Merlin exits the building there is high key lighting which highlights his feelings as he feels happy and relieved that he has escaped with out being caught. When Merlin sees the a member of the royal family, perhaps the prince, there is a clear difference in class/status between Merlin and the man; the man was wearing fighting amour and also had guards with him which represents a clear difference in class. When the man says “there is something about you Merlin” and then when the camera displays Merlin the light is shining on him which indicates that there is something special about Merlin, which we know he can do magical things. This is unusual, as generally the upper class people do not respect the lower class citizens, especially males. 

Hotel Babylon Clip Analysis

The uniform of the police officers show authority and that they are high up in society and the hierarchy, this also indicates to the viewer that something important is happening as the police are there. The non-diegetic sound starts from the beginning with a fast; up beat tempo that helps add to the scene of the feeling of something serious is happening. The over the shoulder shot makes the viewer fee part of the scene/conversation, which helps entice the audience and encourage them to keep watching them.

People who work in the lobby are all dressed smartly and their surroundings are also nice, modern and clean which consists of high key lighting; this highlights that certain ethnical groups get treated better than others. Even though there is a Afro Caribbean man working in the lobby he is still not miss treated or has a worse of job, this signifies that perhaps it is not to do with the race of an individual, however it is to do with the ethnicity and whether they are an immigrant or not. The non-diegetic sound carries on playing in the background, adding to the tempo of the scene. When the man in the black jacket starts to speak the up-tempo music stops and eerie sound appears indicating that what the man is saying is an important part of understanding the clip. The use of eye continuity shot, which is a cut from the woman to what the woman is looking at, indicates why the woman’s face is shocked from her point of view.

Whilst the man is running too see the woman to tell her immigration is there, he runs past two people speaking a different language who are dressed in old clothes that look a little like prisoners clothes; this shows that the ethnicity groups are lower down in the hierarchy as they don’t wear as classy clothes as other workers. It also indicated that their job is not as important as those who are from the UK. The lighting is also low-key which has connotations of the mood changing and something bad is going to happen. Also this is where the immigrants tend to work, bellow the ground floor, this again shows that where they work is more dull and cold looking than where the others work. The non-diegetic sound starts again which is up-tempo, this symbolized that the workers caring for the immigrants have some sort of mission to accomplish. This makes the audience feel sympathetic as the immigrants and workers are going to be put under a lot of stress and pressure; it also keeps the audience encaged on the clip and interested. The straight cuts also highlight the worry and panic on the staffs face, as they are under pressure to make sure they don’t get caught buy immigration.

The scene in the kitchen has a lot of people in front of the camera whilst it is showing the woman shouting and running across the kitchen. The kitchen is a very loud and stressful atmosphere, this connotates the characters feelings and emotions. There is a lot of diegetic sound in this scene, with people screaming and shouting; the woman shouts in other language which symbolizes that thee are a lot of people working at the hotel who are from other parts of the world. This implies to the audience that the workers don’t understand English very well, and can add to the viewer feeling sympathetic towards them.

The room is really small and cramped which again indicates that the immigrant workers del locked up; the room relates to their life in the meaning that they are being hidden away all the time from society. It is also very low-key lighting to represent the mood of the workers which is tense and worried, again the fact that they are locked up in this small room signifies that they are treated unfairly and like prisoners in society. The non-diegetic sound of the buzzing noise mixed with the diegetic sound of workers panicking adds to the tension in the atmosphere, this encourages the viewer to not want them to get caught and be supporting the immigrants; this is unusual as immigrants are portrayed as un wanted people in society. The high angel shot on the woman fainting again reminds the viewer that others look down upon the immigrants in society. The CU shots of the workers also highlights their emotions and emphasises that they are worried; the straight cuts helps the scene catch every or most of the workers expressions, this portrays to the viewer that they are under stress. The illustration of the workers being stressed shows the power the non-immigrants have over the immigrant workers.

When the lift opens and the cleaner sees the immigration officers it zooms in on the cleaners face to show the shock and horror in his expression. When he gets caught it makes the viewer sympathies for him as he is going to get taken away. The low angle shot of the cleaner getting taken away signifies that the three men taking him away has power and authority over the immigrants.

The scene when they are in the locker rooms again highlights the miss treatment that different ethnicity groups receive, as the room is very dirty and old. It is also has low-key lighting which indicates how dull the room is; this room is also the only room that belongs only to the workers and it isn’t nice at all. The non-diegetic sound is very slow tempo, which is depressive and sad; this symbolizes the mood of the characters. It also shows that even though none of the workers in the room got caught, they are still sad that their fellow friend has been caught, this signals that they are all close with each other and care for each other; like families. The ECU shot of the woman locking the lockers signifies to the viewer that the workers feel locked up. It goes back to the point that they feel imprisoned; this makes the audience feel emotional and sad for the immigrant workers. The straight cuts are very slow which fits in with the mood of the scene as very sad, it also allows the workers faces to be in the picture so we can see their emotions.

Finally, in the last scene the canteen looks very old and dull which highlights that they don’t get the same treatment as perhaps the other staff in suits would get. The tracking of the different ethnicity groups in the canteen shows that each group sticks together and they are like family. The straight cuts to both of the people praying emphasises the emotion on their faces and how they are missing their friend who has been taken away that day. This makes the audience feel sorry for them, as they have lost someone who is portrayed to the viewer as someone who was close to them.