Making a trailer

 PREP Write a brief account of what you did to make your trailer today.

Today we watched the trailer of the dramatic and scary film called A Quiet Place. AS we knew we were trying to make out own thriller trailer similar to this, I was looking for all of the key details to add to our trailer. I focussed on the camera shots, sudden black screens and sound. Sound is so important as it helps deliver what is going on and the emotional effects. Although the silence in this trailer made it very eerie and tense. 

Ella and I decided that our trailer would be about a girl who went missing 8 years ago randomly. There were never any suspects of witnesses' and so it was like she vanished off the face of the world. In our trailer it shows what happened to the girl and where she is now after all these years. 

We used iMovie on my phone to film it and used a frightening layout. The idea was that wherever Ella went, the stalker would go too. The trailer started with Ella walking and then suddenly three quick camera shots of her walking as if the stalker was videoing her. We edited a recording and focussing feature of a camera onto the pictures which I think gives a lot of effect. For the next parts which we filmed, we did Ella running away and then when she thought she was safe, a hand covers her mouth and drags her away. Although we haven't finished, we have been editing along the way with colour changes and cropping little details onto the film. We left the sound in over the top of the chilling music we chose to give it layers and more interaction with the characters emotions. The shots that we have done include mostly action shots of someone following Ella as she runs away. 

The inter titles we thought were effective were very short and mysterious ones such as: 'have you seen Ella Rowell' and 'presumed dead' etc. We thought that this gave the trailer a gripping feeling ad the person watching it would want to know what happens next. 

Out next step will be to go into the class and edit it further using the schools laptops. 

Cuffs Q1+Q2

PREP Watch this extract of Cuffs on Clickview: chapter 5 

1 Analyse how camerawork is used in the extract to create meaning. Refer to at least two examples from the extract in your answer. (5 marks) 

1.  In the extract, there were many uses of different camera type shots. One of these which I thought was very effective was at the beginning when there was a sweeping aerial shot of the Brighton pier. This creates a nice atmosphere as the pier is very pretty and glamourous. Especially as it is sunny, the pier looks even nicer and full of life. A seaside location is very  attractive and many people dream to live by there and so to open the extract with the view is refreshing. As it goes on we see it get more chaotic, and so this shot gives a fake front that everything is fine and happy. 

Another shot in the extract which I liked was arc shot when the camera panned round the square. This was very effective as the scene was very chaotic and so the camera was going round in circles. It shows a showdown and arrest which is taking place quickly. The shot could show that the police officer -that was trying to be framed for sexually touching the woman- that his head was spinning whilst trying to figure out what he should do next. It shows all the facial expressions of the people gathering around them which is effective as you can see how everyone is viewing the situation. It is also effective because the camera is placed where people stand and so it puts the viewers in the peoples shoes as if we were watching it. 

2. Analyse how far the extract creates a humorous view of policing. In your answer you must:

· analyse aspects of the extract using examples to support your analysis

· make judgements and draw conclusions about how far these aspects create a humorous view of policing. (10 marks) 

2. The extract can create a humorous view of policing to an extent. The extract and show does try to make a tough and serious job seem lighter and more family friendly. It incorporates subtle jokes and dark humour to try and lighten the topic that it is covering. One example of this would be when a lady is running away after stealing a packet of cigarettes and when caught tries to make out that Jake - the police officer- is sexually harassing her. Some may find this amusing because even when stealing a few pack of cigarettes, a massive deal was made which suddenly drastically escalated into claims of assault. Although this is very dark humour, some people might like this as it is trying to lighten up a very serious topic. Only on the other hand trying to make a joke out of sexual assault claims should never be done as it can ruin peoples lives and shouldn't be made just for a persons enjoyment or maybe a laugh. This can been seen as sad because some policemen and or women could have to go through this and it isn't a laughing matter as it is a sensitive topic.   

Another example of the humorous approach was in the police station when a lady officer mentions that one of the male officers has his nannas lasagne stuck in his teeth. This is all happening while the woman who stole is being brought into the station. This could be funny because it shows that even in the most stressful and tiring work environments, there is still jokes between co workers. People could like this because it shows that police people are human and do know how to joke around, as many people at work do. Even though they are under pressure they still have time to insult one another!

In conclusion, I do think that some audiences would find these hidden jokes amusing as dark humour can appeal to some people. As well as what a lot of people could relate to, which is making jokes to lighten the mood when in a difficult situation. Although in my opinion, I don't think that it was funny, only either sad or the uneasy truth of being a police officer. You have a police officer who is trying to do his job, being set up as sexually touching a woman, Joe- the interviewer- who is trying to question boy for an important case being shut down because of past ways of the police and the frustration they must feel. They were disrespected and taken for as a joke which shouldn't really be used in a comedic way. Police can't do their job without respect and they don't get a lot of it and so to turn it into a laughing matter isn't that humorous. Therefore, I think that the extract does show the humorous side of policing to an extent, but mostly the sad reality of their job. 

The avengers analysation

 

The avengers

I think that audiences enjoyed it because it satisfied their needs of entertainment, escapism, diversion, relationships and much more. It is also really classy and so people would want to escape their lives and even if it was for a moment feel like that. The plot lines were also crazy but they added a bit of extra depth to it.

Their relationship is one that the audiences would want there to be in a tv show. They are always flirting but, in a work, jokey kind of way. They have a work relationship but I don’t think they would have one outside their work.

She is presented as a strong and cheeky woman who thinks that she is just as equal as men when in those days they were not. This was an eye-opening roll for her because she talks back when they wouldn’t. She is wearing a tight catsuit to show off her figure to look appealing to men. She is a strong woman and that shows when she in fencing and wouldn’t give up against him. She will be seen as flattering in the 60s. In the first five minutes she is seen as an athletic woman and shows that she can fence just as well as him.

John is presented as a classy gentleman and cheeky. He wears a bola hat and that shows his social class as well as always carrying an umbrella. He jokes around with Emma but then hit her lower area in fencing which he wouldn’t get away at all today. This shows how times have changed since then and that women are now equals to men whereas then they wouldn’t be. He treats her as his equal thought because he knows that she is just as good as him.

The first scene is very odd and mysterious because a man is coming out of the sea in a bag and then when he takes it off he is completely dry. Then there is a cross cut to what is happening in real time. I really like the eye because it shows an element of craziness and that she is feminine. There is a lot of action while fencing and so there are a lot of cuts from different angles.

 

Observer newspaper questions

 

PREP

1.     Find one example of the representation of a woman and say how she is represented.

On two of the newspapers, there is a line drawing of a woman wearing lingerie. This is an advert for a company and is in the bottom right corner for both newspapers. The image is very big and does take up quite a bit of space so they could get the attention of women. It was thought that women weren’t supposed to read the newspapers as this was for the husband to as it wouldn’t be seen as right or perhaps ‘proper’. The advert was used to catch a women’s eye if they happen to glance at what their husband is reading. They were supposed to only see this and then put it down or go and buy it to please their significant other. The woman is represented as slim and curvy which is the typical beauty standards for women which is wrong. The clothes they are wearing in the drawing are very revealing as well. This is very sexist as women can do much more than pose for lingerie.

 

2.     Find another contrasting example of a woman and say how she is represented

A contrasting example of a women from the newspapers would be on the newspaper from the 30^th October 1966. There is a large picture of the Queen looking emotional yet numb. Although the picture isn’t of the finest quality, you can still clearly see that she looks quite shocked and very sorrowful. This picture would be quite rare for a few reasons. One being that she would normally have to put on a brave face and be less emotional when out in public but this time she wept and was very upset. Another reason would be that she wouldn’t usually visit places other than hospitals only she did visit where the horrific tragedy took place in Aberfan. On the front page, the Queen has a lot of emotional shock that day whilst visiting as she never imagined it to be as worse as it was.

 

3.     Find one example of a news story about the Cold War

In the newspaper on the 30^th October 1966, there was a story included about the cold war. The cold war was a period of tension and conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. The story title reads: ‘America accused of spy frame-up.’ At this time there would have been a lot of coverage on the matter as it was an important and growing topic that lasted about 44 years- although it would not have been covered in a lot of detail for all of this time.

 

4.     Find one example of a story about a domestic disaster

One story that I found that was about domestic disaster was in the newspaper from again the 30^th of October 1966. ‘Queen visits the mourning valley’ This is obviously a disaster as many lives were tragically lost that day. It was a very sore and emotional story and the Queen decided that after a week and a day, it was time for her to visit the town and pay her respects and comfort those who had lost loved ones.

 

5.     Find one example of a story about a European disaster

In the newspaper from the 6^th November there is a story that says: ‘Plane hits Alps in snowstorm’ This is honestly so tragic as seven lives were reportedly lost this day. This disaster happened on the 5^th of November and there was no hope of finding any survivors as the place crashed into a mountain wall.

Uses and gratifications of video games

Blumler and Katz's theory:

People play video games to satisfy their needs in different ways. One of these would be escapism as explained in the Blumer and Katz theory. This gives people the chance to escape from their everyday lives and experience the thrill of a video game. If your day has been awful or pressurising, you can play video games to relieve that stress and to escape from your current worries and problems. They can escape from reality and see things in a different, easier perspective which can be very good for mental health. A good example of escaping is the Lego movie video game as it gives people the chance for them to be in control of their fate and feel free. It gives players the chance to dive in further into the Lego world as you can explore different aspects that maybe you haven’t experienced before and can escape into the Lego world. It gives players the chance to be in a fantasy world where if anything is going wrong, they can start again, unlike real life. They can go to and transfer themselves into an ideal reality. People of any ages get to experience what life would be like in a Lego world, therefore deepening their knowledge in the concept of Lego they love and becoming someone else for a brief moment.

Another gratification of video games would be shared values and beliefs. I think that video games could present morals to children and casually teach them that good people are always heroes no matter who they are. A great example would be again the Lego movie video game. This is because Emmet, who is just a normal man, has a good heart and so has been chosen to defeat Lord Business. Lord Business, who is seen as an evil character subtly teaches children that evil people in your life will be defeated and its up to you to cut them out of your life. In general video games, there could be violent aspects and the people you need to kill will normally be enemies. Although you should never kill someone, it could make them think that it is up to you to not relate with the ‘evil’ people and try and better yourself to be on the better side. Video games gives people the chance the have shared values that you see in yourself which will likely be positive and therefore have hope to be like them. As the game goes on, you get more attached to it and want something specific to happen and that shows that you care and can be used outside the game by transferring into people skills.

In conclusion, I think that videos give people the chance to relax and escape reality, even if it is just for a moment. Everyone has different uses and gratifications that will affect each person in a different way. Video games can give people the chance to escape, divert from their daily life, be entertained and much more. The Blumler and Katz’s theory is relatable to most people as most people do feel a connection to the game they are playing.