Representing Social Class Through Sound And Cinematography

A Room With A View Clip



Sound:

The diegetic diagoule of the charcaters is upper 'queen's english'. ' I recived a delightful letter'. This shows that they are more educated and speaking refined english shows that they are of an upper class. They do not use slang and more descripitive, sophiscated words.

Diegetic sound of piano playing connoates sophiscatation, breeding and cultured, again of upper class society. This also shows the period of the time as this was the highest form of entertainment.

Miss Honeychurch voice is delicate, feminie and polite. This conforms to the stereotype of females and that upper class women and more softly and well spoken.


Cinematography:

Miss Honeychurch is in the centre, surrounded my decorative wallpaper-showing wealth= higher class. Using the rules of thirds, she is in the centre and main focus on the screen. The upper class where the centre of attention. A high angle is used to show that she is the submissive charcater within the scene. Reverend Beebe is at denoted at a high angle, showing domanince. This is also connotates that men where more powerful during this period of social class.

Uses close ups of Miss Honeychurch face to denoting that she is central character and main focus, while Reverend Beebe is shot mid.

Rule Of Thirds: Women are placed to left side of the screen while Beebe is off centre, showing a divison of gender. The women are facing towards Rev. Beebe denotating that men are usually more dominant in the upper class.

Mise-en scene

Analysis of Editing: Snatch Fight Scene

This clip uses standard cuts to show the reaction of the characters through out the scene. When the rival boxer is knocked down, the diegetic sound becomes muted and the camera speed zooms to various characters, their faces shocked. The muted sound, alerts the audience that something important has happened and the consequene of that action. The zoom on the characters faces and slower motion denoting their different reactions, also adding a comic effect. The soundtrack of guitars elevates the excitement and tension of the fight ahead. The diegetic sound of the crowd seems less enchaned than the soundtrack- almost muffled, but still adds atmosphere to the scene.

When Turkish tells Mickey not to knock him out, the conversation becomes synchronised over the fight, turning it into a voice over. During the second part of the fight scene, jump cuts are used in a sequence along with a combination of fast and slow motion. Non diegetic sounds such as a firebell ringing are added over the sequence. This is not only visually interesting but shows a large amount of time passing in a short sequence. The diegetic sound and sound track then floods back in, as if the audience is brought back to reality.

When Turkish is talking to Mickey (again) the background is in slow motion while the two talk. Again, unsynchronised sound is used over a montage of characters reactions and Mickey about to swing a punch. His breathing is emphasised reflecting the pace of the scene and build up of suspense. Slow motion is used again, however this time, the punches are replace with quick bright flashes of white light- the audience being positioned in Mickey's shoes.

Then, the cuts slow down before rapidly jump cutting again, with added sound effects, until it goes into extreme slow motion of Mickey being punched off his feet. The sound merges into a non diegetic sound of water being jumped into, showing a match on action of Mickey going underwater. This is siemotic of Mickey 'falling under' and is in a stupor after the punch. The blue lighting of him being underwater also reflects this. It then cross cuts of Mickey watching the fight above him and the characters watching the fight. Another match on action is used of Mickey delivering the final punch from the 'water' and knocking out the rival. A freezeframe is used at the end, showing the protaganists, denoting their shocked faces and emphasising the fact that wasn't the result they wanted. The voiceover confirms the fact that they're in trouble, also adding comedic effect.

Mise-en-scene: Little Miss Sunshine

Preliminary Task: Thriller Sequence

For my preliminary task, we had to create a thriller sequence that appiled:

Match On Action

180 degree rule

Shot/reverse shot

We also had to use conventions of thriller and to add a small amount of diagolue.

A soundtrack to help add tension to the scene and used a restricted narrative to add suspense. Serveal point of view shots was used to give the audience the character's point if view as well as

For the Match On Action shot, we decide to film the character going through the door was look most effective.

Analysis Of Gothika Trailer: Codes And Coventions

Gothika Movie Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0e8SfWvXdM


Gothika is a supernatural thriller about a psychiatrist who, after a car crash, wakes up to find herself a patient at the same instituation she works for. The trailer conveys many conventions and codes for a thriller. It starts with a voiceover but breifly with a black screen; this is usually used to creating intrgiue for the audience as the setting or character is unknown but updates them with the narrative. It then denotes that the two main characters are in an asylum; which the audience can now connotes things such as the antagoanist is another human being and perhaps psyhoglogical twists within the narrative. However, this could also be denotated as a 'safe setting' as the trailer shows houses and offices 'normal settings' in which the audience is meant to feel safe. This is an often used convention of a thriller to lull the audience into a 'safe sense of security'.

The lighting used through out the trailer is low lit and very little natural light e.g from outside, which gives the surroundings a claustorphic feeling and can even create suspense. The mis-en-scene varies from being clutterd or with very little in it although the restricted camera shots makes it seem smaller and prision like. The characters all wear either dark coloured clother (black/grey) or whites. Another convention is not a lot of use of colours to add to the sombre atmosphere.

The use of typograpy in a 'type writer' style font, as if the audience is reading a past case at the asyslum, using the colours white and red. The white could asscosicate with the supernatural e.g ghosts in which is part of the narrative and the red, often seimotic for danger in the thriller/horror genre. The use of non diegetic sound is also important; slow paced tense music helps to create suspense, while the high pitched screeching violins fastens the pace and gives the impression that something bad will happen in the narrative.

Editng: The use of slow pace scenes to build suspense and then fast pace rapid cuts to add confusion and tension to the audience. This is a typical convention of a thriller. Another thriller convention is 'Theatre of the mind'. In the trailer the protaginst has a car carsh although only sound effects are heard and the events are shown afterwards. This is often used as the viewer's imagation is more likely to be worse than the actual events shown which can create more suspense and thrill the audience.

Camera Shots: Over The Shoulder

An 'Over The Shoulder' Shot is usually used to give the effect that the audience is accompanying the character in the situation. It could also be used in a situation where the character could be up to something, for example being devious.

Camera Shots: Close up

A close up shot is often used to show detail that is worth attention from the audience. It can also be used to show facial expressions and create a 'personal' effect to the audience when up close to a character's face.

Camera Shots: High Angle

This is a high angle shot and gives the audience a view as if they are the more powerful/ domainate figure. It can also give the audience the impression of sleathing into a shady situation. This shot can also be used to comdeic effect and could be P.O.V from a character.

Camera Shots: Low Angle

This is a low shot angle, which is not a commonly used but when used it represent levels of high power/domnenice. It can aslo be percieved as a point of view shot (P.O.V) and can be used for comedic effect.

Camera Shots: Mid

This is a medium shot and is used to show some upper body gestures and facial expression. From this angle, the audience is curious to what the character is seeing off-screen.

Camera Shots: Establishing Shot

This is an establishing shot and is often used to state location and setting or to help the audience realise a change in setting/location.