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Thursday 16 December 2010

Self Evaluation

  • Attainment- 3
My attainment in media is ranging from excellent to good.

  • Effort- 3
My effort towards media studies has been 98%, because I have contributed a lot in class.

  • Punctuality- 4
I have 99.9% punctuality except for my absences due to having an illness.

  • Submission and quality of homework- 3
My work has been submitted 75% of the time the other 255 has not been posted because of technical difficulties.

  • Ability to work independently- 3
I would rather work in partnership with others to expand my understanding of some parts of the course.

  • Quality of writing- 2
I believe that I need to improve on my writing techniques.

  • Organisation of blog- 2
My blog is very organised, and easy to navigate with my contrasting colours to help those with viewing difficulties to have no difficulties on using my blog.

  • Oral contributions in class- 1
Throughout my time in media I have contributed more than others due to my knowledge of the subject.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Iron Man Sequence Analysis

The sequence I am going to analyse is from the film Iron Man which is in the action genre. There are many types of film language used in this clip, the Mise en scene in this sequence consists of the costume and make-up being very little as the main protagonist is shown wearing a vest, giving him a rugged look as he has be working in a cave where there is little light so there is no need for extreme use of make-up. The villains costume consist of a camouflage military pattern, combination of jacket and trousers, this shows his authority to boss around his workers.

The source of lighting is mainly from dim lighting (table lights and wall lights) as it is shown in a small work room in a cave; this use of light enhances the atmosphere created in the scene. The filler light used does not show the full body figure but part of the facial features to emphasize the expression of his determination to complete his job.

In this scene the actors used are from well known parts of the film industry and are instantly recognizable (Robert Downey Jr.). The hero of the film is shown as being use to his surroundings and confident in what he is doing, you can tell this by his facial expressions as well as his body movement. This could also be said for the villain, his dominance is shown by his posture, movement; as he walks into the room and from the command he gives.

There aren’t many props in this sequence yet some are made obvious; the protagonists work tools (hammer and machinery), other props in the sequence are Iron Man’s iconic costume (helmet and body suit) also the goons guns and TV/monitor on which he keeps an eye on the protagonist.

The sequence is shown in an underground cave, which is based in Afghanistan as shown previously in the start of the film. The setting of a cave can be found by the dim wall lights, the opening to the cave (mud/rocks) and a fire instead of central heating radiators which you would find in a building of any kind.

The sound used in this sequence is parallel as it dramatic and more upbeat sound to compliment the scenes of action and violence. The diagetic sound within the scene is the hammer which is used to the beat to engage the audience with the scene’s action. The movement from (clothing, footsteps); which tells the audience that the scene is more hectic. The non-diagetic sound which is added during editing is used to convey action; the music added builds up to convey action, developing the narrative. There is a sound bridge used in this sequence at (1:20-1:38) which creates a dramatic atmosphere.
In this sequence there are many cinematography techniques used from the very start; during the first 6 seconds of the clip, the shot is a medium shot which zooms in towards the protagonist working on the 'Iron Man' suit, as it zooms in it uses the tilt method to suture the audience by showing part of the soon to be Iron Man suit. The clip mainly consist of close ups/medium shots of all characters in the sequence; close-ups of hands working on the Iron Man suit, characters faces to reveal their expressions, this is shown a 14 seconds from the start where the camera framing consists of the protagonists face looking pleased as a result of him completing his construction of the Iron Man helmet. There is also another close up of the hero's face portraying him with a angered look connoting that something is going to kick off, action and violence will occur.
Other techniques of camera work are an over the shoulder shot from the villains point of view (POV) and there is a sense of continuity editing from 1:23 secs where it shows two accomplices of the villain run out of the cave, at 1:32 secs them both running towards the room through the cave in which the hero is creating the first Iron Man suit and lastly at 1:38 one of the accomplices looking through the door of the room in which the hero is.
Lastly the editing used in this sequence are many straight cuts, which are fast paced to convey action through the film. A jump cut is used in conjunction with a sound bridge and a close-up to build tension (0:29-0:35). A type of shot-reverse shot is used to suture the audience and convey action within the scene.