Codes & Conventions

Codes and Conventions 

1.Physical Ability/ Disability
2.Age
3.Ethnicity
4.Love and Romance
5.Regional Identity
6.Class & Status 
7.Gender

1.Physical Ability/ Disability- 

Sound- 
is used to show ability by using energetic music, this how the audience that the scene or character is filled with energy that he/she can use because they are able, however, for scenes where a disabled person is portrayed the music tends to be much more somber to evoke a sense of sympathy in the audience. Or the disabled person may be presented as a powerful dominant character this can go against the general view of disabled people but can make a very good character with much depth. This is seen in the game of throne series as Tyrion a dwarf is portrayed as a dominant powerful character and tends to be the boss of the situation. When he is portrayed the non-diegetic music is very imposing and shows the authority he has over the situation. 

Camera-
Disabled people are usually portrayed as inferior. And so, the camera is usually pointed down at them. This may be because they are in a wheelchair or otherwise. Camera shots may be tight to show that their life is restricted by their disability. Shots may tend to be more continuous and slower to show that their movement is slow to replicate the movement of the disabled person. An able person, however, has more space in scenes and is shown not to be restricted and they are free to move freely.

Editing-
Disabled people are shown in editing by slow controlled careful cuts. This replicates the careful life that the disabled people must live, a careful and complicated life. People with ability, however, are given fast cuts like in chase scenes this shows the energy that they have and that they are able-bodied.  

Mise-en-scene-
Disabled people are usually shown with tools that would aid them in their life such as crutches, wheelchairs, etc.  there are usually put in places where their disabilities don’t affect their lives too much such as houses with elevators and buildings 

Game of Thrones
Tyrion a dwarf sits upon the throne 

2.Age

Sound-
Sound can be used to portray age by having upbeat music to portray young people this is because younger people have more energy than older ones. This music tends to be filled with more beats and tones that are exciting and pacey. Older people may be portrayed with more calm music to show that they are more controlled and mature, their music can be filled with more low tunes and string instruments that produce a steadier constant tone. This may come in the form of classical music playing from a record player or a radio playing some slow jazz, or for a non-diegetic sound may be slow background music that slowly introduces characters or show the life of characters.

Camera-
Camera shots can be used to represent age by showing that the older generation has more authority by placing the camera at a low angle and showing them tower over another character. This can also be used to show a character’s inferiority by placing the camera above them to seem as thought they are being peered down on. Adults tend to have more authority and so have more shots where we are forced to look up at them.

Editing-
Ages can be portrayed in editing by showing that youths are more reckless and uncontrolled through fast and shaky edits. This shows that young people aren’t mature. Older people are shown in a more controlled environment such as a meeting showing straight away that they’re are more mature. The edits are more controlled and calmer and slow. Showing that they are more mature.

Mise-en-scene-
Young people are often associated with rebellion and wear dark clothing to show that they are going against the grain. Or they may be shown to go against their parents’ opinions and have tattoos or smoke and do drugs etc.
Young people tend to hang out in places like schools and homes whilst older characters are shown in places of work and in places f authority like businessmen or managers. 

Inbetweeners
boys goofing around

Suits
Serious business meeting

Ethnicity

Sound-
Traditional music may be used in a scene to portray that race. Like Indian music at an Indian market scene. Or traditional African music when there is an African character involved or introduced.

Camera-
This can be sed to show the characteristics of an ethnicity, a shaky camera can be used to show that that race is uncontrolled or wild like a native tribe or group. A shot filled with clutter can show that the living conditions within that community aren’t developed. Characters of an ethnicity in slow controlled shots may help show their command and authority and show that they are superior.

Editing-
Can be used to portray an ethnicity by having the race of people be either fast paced edits that are messed up to show confusion and even mystery. This can be used to show that a character’s past is mysterious and hidden because of their mysterious culture. editing can also be slow and gentle to portray that the race is calm and structured. Like showing that a Japanese prince is in his peaceful garden would have slow dissolves and gentle fades to black that may mimic his closing eyes and the peace of his Japanese heritage.


Mise-en-scene-
This can be used to portray ethnicity by having characters dress in the traditional attire, such as Japanese characters wearing Kimonos, or Middle Eastern women wearing head scarves. This will bring a sense of ethnicity into the film. Having characters speak a different language can also help portray a different culture. As most of the audience most likely won’t know that culture’s language.

True Detective
Black and white cultures 

Love & Romance

Sound- 
the sound is used to show intimacy between characters. this music tends to be gentle and slow, this because a romantic relationship between characters usually is gentle and loving. However, if an unstable relationship is to be portrayed more rough music may be played in the background and there may also be harsher tones within the music to help show the instability. The dialogue that the characters share can be a giveaway to the types of relationship that they have. Harsh words and sentences can indicate a rough relationship, while gentle words  like “I love you” show that there is an endearment in the relationship.

Camera-
Tight close up shots scene may be used to show the intimacy between characters, as in a relationship two people will be spending much time with each other in close proximity. Close ups help to also portray the emotions of characters as the face can reveal a lot about what is going on within a character. Romantic films and shows need to show these emotions as this are will be the main interest to e audience is there will not be as much action and thriller to keep them occupied.

Editing-
Slow cuts can help show the gentle type of relationship between two characters, having less cuts in the scene and more continuous shot give the feeling of spending more time helping convey a relationship between characters. Having disjointed edits and fast cuts can show that a relationship is struggling. 

Mise-en-scene-
Many props can be used to show love and romance, things like love notes and things like presents and gifts to the love interests show that there is a relationship. 

You
characters staring into each others eyes 

Regional identity

Sound-
This is most commonly portrayed in the way a group of people from a region would speak. Such as British people speak in a way compared to Scottish people however, they come from the same Continent but have different dialects.

Editing- 
Characters from different regions act in a different way such as people from South Auckland would be different from people who come from Albany. As most people from the South are Polynesian, they act different from the predominately white culture of Albany and so the editing to portray such groups could be that since South Auckland people generally have a negative conation, shaky editing could be used to show that they are dangerous and rowdy, whilst people from Albany would be shown as rich and well off by having slow cuts so the audience can see that they have many possessions.

Camera-
People from the more well-off area would have more possessions and so camera shots may be wider to show off these possessions, wide shots and panning shots can be used to show large areas of land owned by these people. on the flip side tight shots can be used to show that people from a poorer area don’t have man possessions 

Mise-en-scene-
This can be portrayed by the possessions that characters have some may be from a Polynesian area meaning that they may have more cultural attire rather than wearing high end fashion clothing.

Peaky blinders
gangs in london fight for territory and fame. shows different regoin in london

Status & Class

Sound-
this can be represented through diegetic music higher class people stereotypically listen to classical music so they may have this type of music in the background of their house. lower class society may not even be able to afford music players and soo diegetic music may be added. lower class society may also have a connection with gangs and the underground society and so the music that relates to them may be rap and gangsta style music.

Editing-
high-class society may have more slow editing to show their calm and elegant lives contrasting the poorer people who may lead more busy lives and so the editing may be more hectic showing less and jumping around more.

Camera-
High-class society will have more possession and so will require wider shots to portray their wealth adequately.
lower class people have less and tend to have more clutter and so space would be limited this can be portrayed through tight shots that don't show much of the surroundings, and if they do they show the tough living conditions.

Mise-en-scene-
Rich people have lots of possessions and so they may have things like cars and lots of fancy clothes to show that they live a fancy life, poorer people may not have fancy things rather thier clothes  may tattered an dripped and they may be living in terrible conditions.

Imperial Dreams
separation of class. rich man in suit and poor man in plain shirt

Gender

Sound-
the music that may be used to portray each gender  can be very sterotypical. girls amy have very lght fun pop style musci . theyre speech is high pitchedand soter than a male's . Mal characterstend to have deep voce to show thier masculinity the music that portrays them tends to be more rough music like rock and hip hop that has more beats 

Editing-
mne are know to be more rowdy and so editing usally is more jumpy and  unconrolled. females on the other hand are more relaxed and controlled and os ediing in thier scenes mimic this 

Camera-
Girls are know to be more focused on their looksso cameras will tend to show more of a girls clothing and make up so must of the shot shave close ups and mid shots to get all the aspects of the girl. males on the otherhand arent as concerned so their shot tend to focus more on their body figure and how they act. and so thier shots are more medium shots and wide shots like in fight scenes and waling scenes 

Mis-en-scene-
most ladies are shown with things that are pink and girly, such as maake up and partys and dresses. this shows that females are deffinitely more social than males. Males tend to do more physical things like sports and gyming and are seen with darker colours as they portray dominance as all amles strive to be dominant.

Poldark
male wearing scruffy clothing and shirt untied

Poldark
female well dressed and pretty

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Preliminary Task 1 Final Edit

Creative Critical Reflection

1.  

How does your product USE or CHALLENGE conventions?

(Think sound, lighting, narrative structure, editing, camera work, symbolism, and iconography)

for our characters, we used many thriller conventions such as helpless innocents dragged into danger, Criminals, and men associated with danger. these characters follow very classic styles such as the main character being a boss with a suit and tie and having henchmen that do his bidding. He has a black helmet and a black motorbike, and his henchmen wear black, we tried to make as bad as possible in that way., the henchmen are also very traditional being identical with black shirts and pants and working together in unison almost like a mirror. the Innocent character is again very traditional being shirtless, tied up, helpless and in the end murdered for something he wasn't a part of. We wanted to add in a weapon but we didn’t have the prop, so I added in a gunshot at the end to imply the death of the victim

For our lighting we aimed to make it very dim and in the end we achieved what we wanted, but the outside shots were quite dim, however, the outside shots were quite bright and didn't give the feeling that we wanted so in post-production we adjusted the colors to give a more dark and eerie effect. this worked out well. However, after filming we realized that the lights were captured in the shot and at first, we didn't know what to do but through editing, we were able to hide the lights and increase their effectiveness. Having the lights come up as torture tools rather than props mad the scene seem more realistic 

Most of our sound we added in post-production this is because we had decided only to record sound for the dialogue segments. This meant most of the sound had to be downloaded and added separately using Premiere Pro. Next time we’ll be sure to record everything. The sound effects I did get were selected for their tense atmosphere. Such as the heartbeat in the background to show that tension was building.i also added low droning music in the background. This music starts playing in the beginning scene which helps build the atmosphere of the whole movie.

For the camera angles we used, we tried to incorporate different angles. However, most of the angles with the boss character were at the same MCU view. The Shots of the captive were quite varied. In post-production, I added a close shot of the captive struggling in his binds after the boss calls his henchmen 

Question 2

How does your product engage audiences? What effect does it have on audiences? what emotions do you evoke in audience members?

My product engages audiences by first using mystery. In the beginning scene, we are introduced to the boss. Whose face is not revealed, this makes the audience want to know who that person drawing them in further into the story. This is further reinforced using suspenseful music when the boss steps of the motorbike, the music Is low and smooth, suggesting that the character is someone important and that there is something dark and sinister about him. He wears dark clothing and rides a black motorbike which all helps with portraying him as a dark and sinister character. The lack of dialogue adds mystery to the characters, his dominance over the henchmen and the captive shows that he is very much in control. This control can either make him seem like a good or bad guy this is left to the audience 

Question 3 How have your production skills developed throughout the project (pre-production, production, and post-production.) what you have learned to do. 

During pre-production, I learned how to create a storyboard and script. We changed the location of our production and so our script directions had to change and so did our storyboard. In production, I learned how to use camera equipment and how to hook it up to the sound gear and how to set up lighting. Our original lighting plan had to be changed because we had moved our location. Our new location was much more difficult to light as it was a much tighter space and, but we managed. In post-production  I learned to use Premiere Pro CC it was our editing software and it was a big learning curve though I have had experience with computers before this was particularly difficult as I’ve never worked in film creation before 

Question 4

How did you integrate technologies into this project?

(Software, hardware and online)

in this production, we used  Adobe Premiere Pro CC as our main editing software. we also used a camera, a lighting kit, and a sound kit from our school. I also used YouTube tutorials and sound effects for the door opening scene, the footsteps, the heartbeat, and the gunshot. using the sound it would have been better as we wouldn't have to add sound effects later on in post-production. we will make sure to do this in our next production. also we found out that there was a person in the background of one of our shots meaning that we either had to cut him out or we had to incorporate him into the scene we had too many dark colors to put out and so we had to hide the door in the background by making the scene dark.

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Bourne Identity

Jason Bourne

Bourne Identity

The scene opens with an establishing shot. Which serves two purposes. One, to seamlessly transition from the previous scene of the boat to him on land. Two, to establish his new location at the port. The non-diegetic music in the background gives the audience a sense of unfamiliar territory this is also accompanied by the MCU to CU shots of Jason looking around confused. This puts us in the same ‘boat’ (get it😊) as Jason as we also are unsure of the surroundings. This helps the audience relate to Jason at this point.

This feeling of confusion is also shown at the train station later in the clip where he is looking around confused once again. Again a MCU shot is used to get the audience close enough to see his facial expressions as facial expressions reveal a lot about the inner thoughts of the character and allows the the audience to relate more to that character this is commonly used on the protagonist so that the audience can easily relate to his ideals and his thoughts.

The one continuous shot from Jason leaving the boat, walking down the street and disappearing contrasts to show a sense of mystery as the continuous shot gives the feeling of realism as though there are no camera tricks just to have him disappear after a truck passes him. This leaves the audience Guessing as to what will happen next. We are lulled into a false sense of security which is then broken when he disappears behind the truck.

Later we cut to the moment when Jason is in the train. He sees his reflection in the window this is symbolic as mirrors in thrillers tend to reveal the inner thoughts or feelings of a character. The mirror reflection is blurry and layered possibly pointing to his multiple identities and how the are vague and unrecognizable.

the focus on the silver pill in his hand, shows explicitly that it is an important object and should be taken seriously. Previously in the film we find out that the pill gives a swiss bank account number which is as helpful to us as it is to him. He has nothing else to do but investigate it. The emphasis on the pill in this scene makes it clear, without dialogue, where Jason intends to go.

The theme of identity is 

very common throughout this movie and appears once again in the street scene where Jason is staring down a street at night and there is a blue tint to a night light in the distance. The darkness gives a sense of danger and mystery, We are shown just the silhouette of his legs and pan up to reveal the rest of his body still in silhouette. The silhouette helps solidify the fact the Jason’s true identity is dark and mysterious at this point, and all that we know is his physical outward appearance.  

When we cut to this scene the music stops hinting at us to focus particularly on this scene. This shows that there is a deeper meaning within this scene we can make the judgement that this scene shows that he is looking back at his past, represented by the blue hue, and beginning a journey to figure it out as it is Vague and a mystery. The foot steps in the snow represent the path he may have already taken to get to this point.

We then cut to Jason sleeping on a park bench as he is approached by the two police officers this scene contains a lot of meaning so I’ll do a step by step break down. when the policemen enter the scene, we are shown a low shot of their legs look at Jason on the park bench. This gives the sign that these are important people. Even what they wear shows a sign of authority. As the camera pans upward, it is revealed they are policemen.

When they begin to talk to Jason in Swiss it adds another layer of mystery as Jason replies in swiss seemingly unknowingly to him as well as we are given a CU shot of his shocked face. This scene again lulls the audience into a false sense of security as policemen are often represented as good people.

Non-diegetic sound of a quick whip is then added to regain the audience’s attention. This then begins a fight scene between the police and Jason. The fight quick and edited with quick cuts of Jason fending off the policemen. This challenges the feeling of security often associated with law enforcement officers. Once again breaking our sense of safety that it had established earlier.

The end of the fight shows the police on the ground with Jason holding a gun and pointing down.it seems he was almost in a trance as he seems to realize what he has done after the fight. The fact that he is holding a gun, other than being mysterious, is also a hint that his past he may have dealt with guns, this is later revealed to be true as he is an assassin.

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Thriller Sub-Genres

Romantic Thrillers

This is a subgenre of both thrillers and romantic films. The plotline follows a typical thriller’s tension, suspense, and excitement, but the main element is the growing relationship between two characters. Movies of this type of genre fiction place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people and tend to have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending

Common Techniques

The iconography of Hearts and Flowers- 

symbolizing love and emotions, characters tend to show their feelings to another character through such items within the film. Focus on such items allows the audience to be completely aware of the romantic relationship between two characters.

Happy Ending-

most romance-themed movies tend to end happily with the boy and the girl in a loving relationship. These tend to be aimed at a more female audience however with the introduction of thriller aspects it makes it more exciting for the male audience

two lovers sail into a storm and after the woman has to save her lover who has been badly injured she has to find a way to survive.

Conflicting Opinions-

used to separate the main love interests physically. For example, the mother of the girl may be against the relationship making her the antagonist. There may also be conflicting ideas between the two love interests and this will lead to a plot where they must work out their differences and come together.

Past events-

usually, contain past events that hinder the relationship from progressing like the death of a family member. This intends to make the situation seem more realistic than a character may be emotionally broken and cannot get over it.

Humans are traveling through space
to a colony when there is a malfunction causing
two people to wake from hibernation and can't go
back. forcing them to make a living on the ship

Psychological Thrillers

Psychological thrillers are a part of a wider range of thriller sub-genres. Psychological thrillers focus more on the Characters and their inner battles and their thoughts and processes. Psychological thrillers tend to deviate from normal movie plotlines attempting to fool the audience into a certain way of thinking only to prove them wrong later in the film. Many Psychological Thrillers overlap with horror films, especially psychological horror. In this sub-genre characters face mental dangers as opposed to physical ones.

Common techniques

Mirrors-

used to show a character’s inner self as well as to represent the “dark side” of a character.

Dark tones. Dim lighting- 

adds mystery and danger to a scene as well as showing the inner darkness of a character. Dark lighting can also enhance the gloomy atmosphere in most psychological thrillers.

Quick Cuts& obtrusive/obstructive editing- 

Highlight the feelings of uncertainty and confusion within the mind of characters. This may also be used to show a sense of disorientation and maybe even unfamiliarity placing both the audience and the characters in a potentially dangerous situation.

Flashbacks-

shows the previous situations of characters to give the audience insight into characters possible circumstances making the character more relatable and can give the audience a point of contact into the film.

Tense Music-

this is where Psychological thrillers relate closely to the horror genre as the music common to this sub-genre is very similar to that used in horror. The type of music that leaves you with chills on the inside and unsure of what is going to happen next.

Typical Characters of the Psychological Genre

Convicts, criminals, prisoners, assassins, psychotic individuals, innocent victims, police, terrorists,

Mise-en-scene-

They use common thriller aspects, weapons, guns, bombs, etc. to portray danger. Location is also important as they use cities and urban areas to portray busy-ness and many possible dangers in these areas.

hitman tasked with going into dreams and
murdering people there but becomes stuck

a group of 50 random people has to decide
which one person gets to live 

Crime Thriller

Consist of conflict between an Antagonist and a Protagonist character when the equilibrium has been disturbed. The protagonist fighting to restore peace and justice while the antagonist is trying to disrupt this. The protagonist tends to be a brave individual who seeks to destroy the peace. The antagonist has a hidden identity which is revealed near the climax of the film and seeks out revenge for a past event. The storyline is designed so that it seems as realistic as possible and that the events that occur within the film are entirely possible to occur in real life and even in the current lives of the audience.

Common Techniques

Close ups& extreme close-ups-

to show protagonists emotions to keep the audience clear on the current situation. Close-ups help in iconography, to highlight certain props that aid in the construction of the narrative.

The antagonist is the opposite-

wide unclear or blurry shots help conceal the identity of the antagonist adding to overall mystery and suspense of the film.

Jump Cuts- are used to help add suspense and mystery as they give the feeling of missing information, this is essential in a thriller type movie.

Music-

Crime thriller music often starts slow and builds up to show a build in suspense and danger. It also gives the mood of a particular scene helping reveal to the audience the direction of the narrative.

Mise-en-scene location in a crime thriller tends to be sub-urban to urban areas as where this is a common place for crime to appear as it is close to large populations.

Antagonists tend to wear dark clothing, whilst protagonists where ordinary clothes to show that they are normal people which makes them more relatable to the audience making their situations seem more realistic.

Consumption of illegal substances and participation in illegal activities.

(pulp fiction)-illegal activities, mob bosses, bribery, weapons, and dangerous situations.

man finds 2 million dollars at
a drug deal that has gone wrong and keeps
the money which makes him a hunted criminal

mob bosses, boxers and business men
get intertwined into a crime 

(no country for old men)- drugs, large sums of $$, guns weapons, bombs, policemen/legal authorities

Supernatural Thrillers

Involve otherworldly powers and creatures. ghosts and spirits characters tend to be young, in their teens and a little older. The other character is the supernatural being. The two characters are often linked through one character being haunted or followed by the other supernatural being. The protagonist along with the villain may possess superpowers or some sort of psychic ability.

Lighting in supernatural thrillers is often dim and artificially lit and camera angles can often change which helps to create a suspenseful atmosphere. To ensure the film has a realistic feel, supernatural thrillers are often set in ordinary locations which in turn causes an increase in the suspense and tension as the audience can become somewhat paranoid. However, the film may also be set in a more secluded location to increase this feeling by making the viewer feel isolated.

This genre can also rely on music to build tension and suspense, bringing ambiance to the film. Supernatural thrillers often begin with an event occurring where a character is injured and hurt, or they may even die. However, when the latter occurs, this would happen to a character with a minor role in the film. This incident is often the reason and explanation behind why certain events happen throughout the film and may remain a mystery until the plot twist takes place.

A teenage boy finds a notebook
that kills anyone whose name is
 written in it. He becomes haunted by a demon

Action Thriller

The action thriller is a Fast paced high-intensity movie that is meant to get the audience on the edge their seats this is done usually with pyrotechnics, dangerous storylines, and a huge threat or antagonist and sometimes include a bit of a plot twist. They tend to deal with a semi-realistic storyline, however, the weapons used such as doomsday devices can be farfetched. Action Thriller plots tend to be similar with some big threat to society and a hero who must eliminate said threat.

Common Techniques

Hero v Villains-

action thrillers tend to incorporate them classic good vs bad approach having the good guys get beat by the bad guys in many previous encounters until the final battle where the good guys come out on top.

Fast Paced editing-

encourages the audience to be wary of some characters as the fast-paced editing give the feeling that we are unsure of who the character really is as opposed to long, drawn out, close up shots that intend to reveal every aspect of the character including physical features as well as emotions and inner thoughts.

Enigma-

mysterious characters keep the audience alert as they may seek to draw out any info to deduce who the character may be. It can also intrigue the audience and encourage them to continue viewing. This sense of mysteriousness is often achieved through dark key lighting to help conceal identity and to show a correlation to the darkness and the character.

Close-ups-

as mentioned previously close-ups are used to display in great detail what a character may be thinking or how they may be feeling. This is commonly used on the protagonists as the director intends to gain the sympathy of the audience for the protagonist.

Fast paced music-

music dramatizes the scene making it tenser than it would otherwise be. It can also be a giveaway as to when important moments are about to occur. It can make fight scenes or chase sequences more dramatic as well almost bring the audience into the midst of the action.

Mise en scene-

a story about an air marshal
who is trying to protect a plane
, mid-flight,
from a terrorist 

locations tend to be an urban area as most thrillers are as this can have good ways of making encounters to increase the level of tension and suspense.

They also tend to use weapons and chase scenes to also signify dangers and possibly fatal situations.

ex-hitman comes for revenge after
 his wife's death 

Characters tend to wear attire suited to their environment, the protagonist may wear casual street clothes while the villain may wear business formal attire that tends to be dark.

Political Thriller

A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle. They usually involve various extra-legal plots, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him. They can involve national or international political scenarios. Political corruption, terrorism, and warfare are common themes. Political thrillers can be based on true facts such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy or the Watergate Scandal.

Common Techniques

Taking a Political stance-

choosing a political side and sticking to its ideals whether or not you may agree with them. this gives the film a clear sense of direction and keeps the plot order and sensical.

Racial aspects-

though it may be a sensitive topic it can portray the realism that is going in real society. this way it can be used as propaganda to show people what's wrong with racism.

Good v Evil-

showing a power struggle between two entities is common. weather its opposing government groups or international conflict. However, there is always a "good" and  "bad" character. and usually, the proposed "good" side wins.

Surveillance is used as a weapon by a corrupt government.

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