MYse en Scene:)

Apologies for the pun. I have taken a photo of my own mise en scene to analyse, I decided to take  a photograph of my photography teacher, I have 2 photos of him and both show a different side to him through his facial expressions.

The background for this image includes some of Webster's photographs of his students which he has received from them as a present to remember the fun times everyone has in photography, there are some images that are by him that he has edited and some images of him edited to look like he is a dinosaur. There are some thank you cards from students (one from me!) to show we appreciate all of his help. There is also a manifesto sheet explaining what photography is all about, there are also timetables on the wall too. All of the pieces on the wall show his organisation in a unique way and dedication to his job as a photography teacher. The computer shows that he is not just a photography teacher but that he is also a tutor for a year 13 class. The purple high chair represents royalty as he considers himself a king. One the right there is a bookcase full of books featuring artists for inspiration. Webster is stood up with great posture, he is wearing a blue-purple toned shirt with a blue tie and formal trousers to look presentable to the school, around his neck is a lanyard to show his identity and get around the school, he is also wearing a camera around his neck to show his true passion for it. In his hands is a portrait photography book in which he is exploring for something to inspire him to create a new piece for a display. The lighting in the image is very light on the left and turns darker from when we see Webster and onwards, this can mean that he is hiding something from us. The second photograph below shows my teachers weird side.

Representation of Women in Films and Male Gaze Theory

Representation of Women
In a recent lesson we learned about the Bechdel Test, this test asks us 3 questions
1. Does this film include 2 women in it?
2. Do they talk to each other?
3. Do they talk to each other besides a man?
We watched a short film explaining about this test to help us understand what we were going to be learning about in the lesson.




We then started to think of films ourselves that we thought passed this test without googling the answers, me and my friends thought of The Shallows, Suicide Squad, Bad Moms and Finding Dory, we did struggle to think of some however we did end up thinking of a decent amount of films that pass. We then started to think of some films that could be potentially counted as post apocalyptic themed which are Divergent and The Hunger Games.
 I have researched more into the gender inequality between men and women in films, on the New York Film Academy Blog I found all the statistics I needed, it really surprised me when I saw the figures. The blog has a chart which shows how women are portrayed on screen in the top 500 films from 2007-2012, only 30.8% of speaking characters are women, as soon as I read this statistic I was blown away, that is a ridiculously low amount! Then 28.8% of women wore sexually revealing clothes and 7% of those 28.8% of women are opposed for men, this is too much now I never realised this until we started to learn about this in lesson, that means that only 2% of women are not dressed sexually on screen, as a student I have noticed that I have grew up seeing this on screen and I really do hope that in the future more films pass the Bechdel test and that women are not used as much to attract men in films. After this I then searched into how many men and women visit the cinema, I was very curious as to what the answer would be, of course after reading into the statistics I assumed that more men went to the cinema, however according to a report on Indie Wire they confirm in 2013 that there are more female movie goers, they only beat men by 2% however I was personally expecting 64% of men to be going to the cinema more than women.

https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/gender-inequality-in-film/#!prettyPhoto/0/ - website used for research into statistics for the presentation of women

http://www.indiewire.com/2014/03/mpaa-data-shows-that-women-are-still-the-majority-of-moviegoers-207223/ - Personal "how many men and women go to the cinema question" chart


Male Gaze Theory
This theory was developed by Laura Mulvey in 1975, this theory consists of 3 perspectives

•  that of the person behind the camera
• that of the characters within the representation or film itself
• that of the spectator.

 In films the theory occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man, the scene may focus on a shot of a females curves which puts you into the viewer in the eyes of a male. Male Gaze theory is only used if the curves are highlighted with specific conventions such as slow motions of deliberate camera movements such as showing a female from her waist with the camera going up to show her face later on. The theory suggests that women can view films through different perspectives such as a mans perspective with the way that the theory can be used. Characters that are to be looked at are passive, they are under the control of the male gaze and exist for visual pleasure.

Mise en Scene

Mise en Scene is a French term meaning "what is put into a scene or frame", it is made up of 5 elements which are settings and props, costume, facial expressions/body language, lighting and positioning within the frame. I will be analysing a scene from each film that I have been analysing already so far, starting with the Book of Eli, to I am Legend, The Road and finally to 28 Days Later.

This scene is shot in a cell, the walls are old as you can see the old paint on them showing through, this shows that the cell is to make you feel like a prisoner because it is not a luxurious place to stay in, however for Eli it probably makes him feel comfortable because usually he is out and about looking for shelter and food. The sink in the background looks scruffy and broke which makes the cell look uncared for anyone' s use. The door is the only thing that looks new and looked after in the setting which is strange. Eli is wearing clean clothes, at the start of the film we see him completely covered with dirty and dark clothes, however in this scene he looks looked after and groomed well. The female wears a dress and has long luscious hair, as soon as we see her in this scene we can already see that the woman is used as bait just like the first woman in the start of the film, women are not appreciated and are constantly being used. The female stands by the door looking very nervous as she is slightly hunching her back as if she is trying to be polite to see if she can be welcomed to come in, Eli on the other hand looks very powerful as he is standing more straight, he hold his book in his arm that is not facing the door to hide it, in the other hand he is holding a gun to protect himself as he can tell that this is a trap. The characters have a door used a barrier between them, this shows a lost of tension between them already, the light is mainly focused on Eli as the shadow is on the female, the light also suggests that the two characters are fighting between good and evil.

This scene shows an urban city, it looks very busy as the cars are all parked behind one another which looks like the cars where in a traffic jam, this shows us that the city used to be very busy however now it's down just to a small amount of people left. The main character is wearing dark and loose clothing and looks as if he is at war, he has a weapon strapped to him to protect him too which can also be seen as an accessory. He is standing tall and the camera is pointed straight at him which shows exactly that he is powerful and mighty, because he is stood in the middle is exaggerates the fact he is alone. The lighting looks very gloomy as it looks foggy, it is a simple natural lighting.

This scene is mainly focused on the two characters therefore we do not get to see much of the scenery, we can see in the background which isn't focused looks like an old house or maybe a furniture shop, I can see a table turned over on the floor inbetween the characters and the child looks as if he is sat down on a chair, the wires that are dangling down make me think it could be in a shop as they would have bigger wires or pipes around, but because I have not watched this film just yet I can not exactly identify and explain the setting features. The characters are wearing warm, thick clothing as if it is winter which makes sense because there won't be any heating on when this is a post apocalyptic film, the father looks very tired and hopeless and his beard shows how he is aging slowly and can not look after himself but he does prioritise his son hence him giving his phone the last can of pop, this is a very heart felt scene because the connection between the father and son is precious and makes you feel sorry for what they have gone through and we are proud of how far they have come. The father is kneeling on the floor and looks up to his son which also shows he would do anything for his son and to make him feel comfortable, the son also looks like he respects his dad and looks like he is learning a lot from his father about hope and how to appreciate everything in life. The lighting is very dark as they are in a building, we can see in the background that the natural light from the windows are coming through on the table.

Again I have not watched this film just yet therefore I will be assuming on what is happening in this scene just by looking at this image. The two characters look as if they are in a house or shed, the place looks normal as if it isn't even post apocalyptic themed, because in the background we can see curtains and the christmas light decorations. Personally I do not think that these two characters look like they are friends, they look more like acquaintances instead because they aren't close to each other, the female also looks very suspicious because of her facial expression. The are both covered up well and are wearing something to cover their heads so maybe the christmas lights are up because it is winter time at this point in the film. The lighting looks very dark as if only a lamp is used for this scene, in the background we can see through the window that outside it is dark so it's a night or evening scene which would make sense as to why the lighting is so dark, the christmas lights in the background add a happy vibe to the scene which is the only thing that makes this scene seem positive.

Narrative Theories/Codes

Roland Barthes' theory was the first one we looked at, we learned about Enigma and Action codes through his theory. An enigma code is where many questions are asked, maybe not through characters but maybe by us as we are watching a confusing scene in a film, it enables viewers to predict what could happen next. Both codes are linked due to them following one after another, the enigma code will go first which then leads to the action code in which it is supposed to bring excitement as you are supposed to get your answer as it moves the narrative on.

Roland Barthes also described 5 codes which are in any narrative.

• The Hermeneutic code which refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and becomes a mystery for the audience.

• The Proairetic code builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something is going to happen making the audience guess what will happen next.

• The Semantic code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word. This suggesting that there is a deeper meaning for every action and word that a character says and does. Maybe it is just to get to know a character better or finding out the antagonists plan. 
•  The Symbolic code is very similar to the semantic code but acts at a wider level, organizing semantic meanings into a broader and deeper meaning. This is typically done in the usage of antithesis where new meanings arise out of opposing ideas. 
•  The Cultural code refers to anything that is founded on some kind of canonical works that cannot be challenged and is used to be a foundation for the truth, suggesting that there is some form of truth that is never questioned in a narrative and is taken as gospel. 

We then looked at Rick Altman's 3 Pleasures, the first one is the emotional pleasure  this pleasure is shown in many genres in which the director tries to generate a strong audience response. The next pleasure is the visceral pleasure this pleasure is to try to get a gut response from the viewer such as feeling sick on a rollercoaster scene or a way to make you nervous by showing a tense scene. The last pleasure is the intellectual pleasure in which the director will either make the whole film or a few scenes show a puzzle or a mystery, maybe even a plot twist at the end such as The Book of Eli (trying not to spoil the film here!).


Nicholas Abercrombie said "The boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable."

Post Apocalyptic film closings

The Book of Eli
After Eli rescues Solara (Mila Kunis) from the rapist-murderers, they travel together until they find a white house. In it are two old people that have survived up to now thanks to a few booby-traps house and weapons. They offer the guests some tea, but as its served the lady obviously has the shakes (this is hinting to us that the woman has the shakes due to eating too much red meat). Eli and Solara panic and try to get out, but Carnegie and his gang pull up in armored cars. There's a huge gun-fight, but a few RPGs takes away most of the walls to the house, kill the old couple and Eli/Solara have no choice but to surrender. Eli won't give up the book which is the last one in existence. Carnegie holds a gun to Solara's head and Eli gives in. Carnegie takes the book, gives Solara to his right-hand man and shoots Eli in the chest. They leave him to die, and he can't belive his mission is over. On the road back to town, Solara flips the car they're in, killing Redridge by accident with Eli's machete, and hurls a grenade under the other van closing in on them. She jumps in the flipped car that landed on its wheels, and drives back to Eli. Eli is not at the house. She drives and finds him on the road, walking. He hitches a ride and they make it to the ocean and the Golden Gate bridge. Looking out towards 'The Rock', Eli knows that is where the book needs to be. They row out and make it peacefully past some armed guards. Inside, Malcolm McDowell shows them a museum collection that he is planning to use to bring civilisation back to the world. Carnegie and the shopkeeper prize open the lock to the book, but find that it is written in Braille. Solara's mother tells him she has forgotten how to read it, but that he will be dead soon anyway as infection has set in to his leg, and without his men the townpeople are breaking up the bar downstairs. Eli removes his glasses to reveal his is, in fact, blind. He tells McDowell to get a pen and a lot of paper, and then starts to recite the Bible that he has read and memorized over the past 30 years, starting with Genesis - 'In the beginning...'. The book is finished, printed on a press they have, and bound. Eli dies and is buried in the grounds. As we hear Eli's final prayer of thanksgiving and protection for his friend, Solara takes his machete and ipod, and although McDowell wants her to remain, she decides to head East, back home.
The Road
In the film, , a father (played by Viggo Mortenson) guides a son (Kodi Smit-Mcphee) in a post-apocalyptic landscape practically devoid of life and humanity. Towards the end of the film a man steals the father's and son's trolley full of goods, the family wakes up notices this and goes after the man due to them seeing him before the previous day lurking around. They end up finding the man and the father takes away his humanity by getting him to return the trolley with all of the clothes he was wearing, this is a very emotional and angry scene to the viewers as it makes us dislike the father at this moment, the son begs his father to stop. The father and son argue after they are finished with the man, the son persuades his father to come back and to help the man and allow him to join their family, as they are searching for him they notice he has gone. In the end, the father dies, having taken the son as far as he could and shaped him the best he could to both survive in that world, but also retain a sense of humanity. Right after that very emotional scene, the boy encounters a family: a man, a woman and a dog, who offers to take him in, where the incredibly bleak film ends on a somewhat more hopeful but wary note. The way it's portrayed, they make it somewhat ambiguous whether he can trust the family or not.
28 Days Later
Jim and the others live in the middle of a green-filled mountain valley, in a large home. Several feet away, we are shown some rather disturbing infected and skinny old zombies which is disturbing. We are now flying over green pastures, probably Scotland or somewhere in an airplanes point of view. We are flying very fast, swaying a little bit, just as if we were a fighter plane. We just passed a bridge with some dark spots on it - too fast to see exactly what they are. Back on the ground now we see the bridge where zombies are lying around, obviously very weakend, they can barely move, but when the sound of a fighter plane goes past them, they manage to turn their heads to see what it is. We see Jimmy going to the kitchen where Selena is sewing. Hannah runs into the house, crying: they are here! They quickly spread the O of Hello, which was what Selena was sewing, on the ground. The letters are made of cloth. The fighter jet flies past them, but seems to have seen them! They all dance in joy.
I Am Legend
There are two different endings to I Am Legend. The first is where Robert (Will Smith) ends up finding a cure and experiments on one of the walking dead and realises that through time the cure will work, however the head zombie notices that Robert took his beloved to experiment on, the zombie starts to smash the glass room that Robert, the zombie, Anna (Alice Braga) and her son in a butterfly shape in which then Robert notices that the zombie he was holding onto was what the head zombie wanted back. Therefore he ended up giving in and taking the cure out of the zombie. He hides Anna and her son into the fire pit and tells them to wait. He opens the door and gives the head his beloved back, this is a very emotional scene for the audience. The film ends peacefully without knowing whether the zombies get worse or if the cure is used again. The second ending is that Anna and her son are in the fire pit, in which then the house explodes and we never see Robert again. We are shown Anna and her son travelling to a small guarded town in which then she gives the head person of the town the cure however the head of the town is not interested at this point.

Codes and Conventions

• Abandoned Locations

This is a very common convention for the post apocalytpic genre, creating a sense of loss of a civilised society, barren wastelands of direlect houses and cars does this theme justice, and again creates a sense of hopelessness that the audience feels for the characters. This is seen in films such as The Book of Eli and The Road where often abandoned cities shape the harsh world.

• Low Key Lighting

This convention for the post apocalyptic genre brings tension and fear to the audience, an example of a great scene for this convention is 28 Days Later in the opening scene when a group want to free the locked up monkeys.

• Physical and Mental Challenges

Physical challenges can be travelling for long distances, for example in The Road and The Book of Eli where the characters walk by foot for miles and miles, a mental challenge happens in all post apocalyptic films due to the characters living in a world without communication and not eating regularly.

• Tight Communities/Dangerous Gangs

The Book of Eli shows this convention, for example the group that are using a woman as bait to either rape or kill someone that walks past to try to help the female that pretends to have broke her trolley and looks very weak to persuade characters such as Eli to help. Another example in the film is the tight community that the remaining of the "town" has as they try to act as if everything is normal.

• Crisis that Occurs

Post apocalyptic films can have different reasons for them to start, for example in I Am Legend the convention is due to a medicine failure, The Book of Eli starts due to a war, 28 Days Later is because of a medicine failure again, The Road is due to a natural disaster.

• Dark Themes

Dark themes are in most post apocalyptic films, these can be death which happens in all of them, rape which happens in The Book of Eli, murder and violence which happens in many PA films too.

• Strong Male Protagonist

This convention is used in PA films as the audience needs a dominant character to give them a narrative, and the story a chance, if the character was weak and vulnerable we would not expect them to survive the apocalypse, which would make the film unrealistic. An example of a strong and powerful character is Will Smith in I Am Legend.

• Death/Violence

Death and violence are key themes in the PA genre, they are to create fear, hatred, loss and depravity. The Road is an excellent example that uses this to its advantage, the film shows images of families that have hung themselves and people that have been brutally killed for the basics of supplies. Violent scenes occur frequently, for example in The Book of Eli there are fights with many gangs that have hijacked Eli and Carnegie's gang.

• Religion

Religion is used in many PA films. The Book of Eli is based on religion, due to Eli protecting the last ever bible that was not ruined in the war, he was the only good person that was trusted in the film to hold on to it not like Carnegie that would use it for the worse. Another example is in I Am Legend, the female that saves the main character believes that everything will get better, however the main character shouts "THERE IS NO GOD!".

• Hope

Hope is a big part of all PA films as it is the only thing that motivates the characters in all of the films to keep going and to not give up. For example Eli uses his bible as his form of hope in God, also the female in I Am Legend Anna hopes that God will help her and her son whereas Robert (Will Smith) tries to make her snap out of the "phase" that he believes she is in.

• Item of Significance

An item of significance can be something that motivates the characters again to keep going like hope, for example Eli and his bible. The Road's item of significance seems to be the main characters son and the hope to find a safe place. In I Am Legend the item is the cure. The item of significance is what shapes the story line and gives meaning to the characters.

The Book of Eli Documentary and a theory

Levi-Strauss Theory
Levi-Strauss introduced the notion of binary oppositions as a useful way to consider the production of meaning with narratives. He argued that all construction of meaning was dependant, to some degree on these oppositions, for example good vs. evil, male vs. female, etc.

In today's lesson we are looking at watching a documentary on the post apocalyptic film and answering some questions along;

1. What questions are posed by post apocalyptic films?
2. What are the "walking dead"? How have they been used in other films?
3. What might be the key to survival in post apocalyptic narratives?
4. How far will Eli go to survive?
5. What would survivors of the apocalypse ask?
6. In The Book of Eli, what has happened to Bibles and why?
7. How is religion used in TBOE? How is religion used in reality?
8. How do societies in reality avoid catastrophes?
9. Who will the future leaders be in post apocalyptic scenarios?
10. What does Eli represent?

Questions that are posed in PA films are "how would we survive?", "how would we strive to maintain our humanity?", "who would guide us?","who would lead us into the future?", "how would we rebuild the word?", etc. The "book" is the centre piece of the film, it can be used for good or evil. The walking dead are numb people that are connected but not connected, their bodies are on shut down, they have no senses available to them, in other films the walking dead can be shown differently for example in I am Legend they are presented as zombies, it keeps the idea of something living but not living, they are used to show no hope, anger and sadness, maybe even lack of energy. The key to survival in most PA films is "hope", most of this genres films end with some kind of hope, for example Eli being able to make the bible available to everyone, I am Legend shows that the female character is given the cure to turn the world back to normal and The Road also shows that the son finds a new family to look after him. However in real life, you would need skills from around 50-100 years ago due to lack of food, clothes, no technology, etc. Eli goes very far to survive, he kills animals to eat to be able to survive, he searches around houses to find new clothes, and even exchanges in shops some of his wipes he uses to clean himself just to charge his iPod, this shows exactly how much little things mean in this film. The survivors would ask "is there a God?", obviously Eli believes there is and doesn't lose hope, in The Road the characters also believe, however in I am Legend the main character explains how there are so and so amount of people but now there is a small amount he then shouts "THERE IS NO GOD" because he loses hope. In TBOE, we are shown that because of the war all of the bibles were destroyed and there was just that 1 bible left and everyone had hope there would be at least 1 they could find, in which Eli ends up keeping on to it and remembers every single word inside it as he reads it every single day. Religion is very important in TBOE as it is expressed in a strong way. "He who controls the past, leads the future", Eli's actor Washington explains that Eli chooses to share even when he is struggling and still decides to help her, a true leader is kind and loyal. Democrat societies have a way of listing themselves. An example of a future leader is Donald Trump, due to the way he presents himself, you can even say that he is like Carnegie in TBOE, another is Barack Obama is more like Eli due to the way he is looked up to. Eli represents hope, altruistic, knowledge, faith that humanity can rebuild, he is shown as a good person, for example in the bible it states "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" which is used in the film for the fighting scene in which Eli ends up chopping off the mans arm.

Alone - Short Film

After that we watched a short film called "Alone". The short six minute film shows a young man that is meant to be the last person alive, a post apocalyptic film. The clip shows a young man around mid 20's doing regular things on a daily basis as if nothing has changed such as brushing his teeth and listening to his voicemails. The male then goes out searching for supplies in nearby houses. As he is on his way back home in the middle of the night he spots a house with light on, leaving the film as a mystery. In our filming groups we were asked to come up with ideas on how we would either improve the clip or how we would have preffered it to end. Personally at the end of the clip I would have liked to have seen a hand on the window covered in blood being dragged down to show that the main character is not alone and is not safe. Some one in my group suggested that perhaps the male character could recieve a new voicemail from his partner asking him where he is, as if she was trapped in a parallel universe. Students in our lesson gave ideas such as finding wet footprints as the man is walking home, or that the man could hear children playing like a ghost effect.

The Road Opening Scene

In today's lesson we watched The Road's opening scene, this post apocalyptic opening scene is very different compared to the Book of Eli's and I am Legend's scenes. This film is rated a 15 due to strong violence and language and gory images. I would say that this film seems more towards a tragedy whilst the other two seem more like thriller/horror films. Personally I wouldn't say that this film seems any similar to the other two, there isn't any tension in the film and the sounds aren't similar, however the camera shots and movements are. I enjoyed seeing a flash back in The Road's opening scene because it was very positive and bright which was different, then as the film went on it got more and more upsetting and tragic. In the flashback/dream we see a graphic match which is the camera showing the flowers then the woman, this shows she is as delicate as a flower, after the happy scene we see the tragedy starting in which we see the woman is pregnant therefore we see how the spring flower scene it links with the woman's pregnancy due to life beginning and growing. The film has 3 main characters, a couple are shown in the first scene which are expecting a baby and as the scene goes on we see that the male partner must have lost his wife due to her not being around however he does have his son which is what makes it seem so upsetting and will make a big impact on viewers. There is one part we question about the flashback and that is "Why is the man filling up the bath tub?" I personally thought it'd be to perhaps save someone as the lights through the windows look orange so I assumed that there was a fire, some of us in lesson thought it could be to try to save the baby hence the child being alive and not the mother in the following scene. There is a sound bridge from the water in the bath tub to the man waking up and we can still hear water and as the camera zooms out we see a small waterfall. Our media teacher thought that the man could have been saving water because the character may have had an idea on what could happen next. In the scene we saw many extreme long shots to show the scene after the tragedy, there were a few panning shots and some tracking shots, however there weren't as many close ups or mid shots but it makes sense because the director must have wanted to show the audience the difference the tragedy made on Earth. As the father and son walk down to the bridge which has something along the lines of death and as they walk through the tunnel the light goes dark which seems to be like foreshadowing however because we have not finished watching this we can not confirm it. There is a voice over of the man talking through the opening scene, his voice sounds very weak and brittle, the camera also shows how damaged the world is which matches perfectly which does not seem as a coincidence as to why the director would have wanted this.

28 Days Later Opening Scene

This film is rated as an 18 due to strong language and very strong violence. In the opening scene we are shown a group of people breaking into a laboratory, their aim is to let the captured monkeys free so they are against whatever the people in the laboratory are doing. A scientist walks in and warns them that the animals are safe being trapped in the boxes and that they are very dangerous. A woman ends up taking charge and sets one free, the monkey then attacks the woman. The lighting is very dark because the group broke in so the laboratory was closed off, then as soon as the woman gets attacked the lights go bright red and flash, which clearly represents danger and fear. The sound at the start is very quiet, as soon as the group is caught the action starts and the monkeys start getting loud and start making you feel tense and uncomfortable. The scene then goes blank and changes to a man in a hospital bed completely naked. The man takes off the tubes attached to him so quickly that the machine ends up dropping on him creating a very loud bang. He walks around the hospital looking very lost and confused, the hospital is left as a mess and looks very deserted, next the man takes a fizzy drink in a can from the floor and drinks it so quickly that it spills down him, he then cleans up the other cans that are left on the floor and acts normally as if nothing has changed. We don't get to see much of what is around the main character because it is constantly focused on him therefore we do not get to see much of the backgrounds so we do not see any clues.

I Am Legend Opening Scene

In todays lesson we watched the I Am Legend opening scene and again jotted notes on the scene. I am Legend is rated a 15 due to it having lots of violent scenes throughout. For the setting I wrote down that the start was an interview room, then once the film moved from the TV scene we saw an urban empty area due to the film being post apocalyptic, we also saw in the area that there were still Christmas decorations out so it gives us a hint when everyone disappeared. The sounds in the film were very loud, before we saw the film we heard a TV report in the background as the titles were showing, once we got to the urban area we heard a lot of wind which emphasized how empty it was, it also gave a hint that it was Autumn/Winter time which was very similar to the way that the Book of Eli started. Once our main character arrived on the scene we heard him driving in a car very fast which built up tension, once the car was breaking the noise got louder and built up even more tension. At the start of the scene we watch a TV news report to give us information on what has happened in the past in which there is a female interviewer and a female "hero" which has apparently cured cancer however acts very fishy, after that scene we see a very masculine character with a pet dog which could also be considered a main character. The Book of Eli has a few similarities to I Am Legend, they both have 2 main male characters and both of their opening scenes show animals, there were also some similar camera angles/shots used such as a close up, a long shot, a crane shot, a panning shot, a tracking shot and they both show a point of view.




https://youtu.be/ksGH1NN8TBA - Opening Scene after interview, unfortunately could not embed.

The Book of Eli Opening Scene

After learning the different angles and shots we watched the opening scene to the Book of Eli. The Book of Eli is rated a 15 due to the violent scenes and strong language. The setting was very dark and gloomy, it looks like it's around Autumn/Winter time due to the leaves falling, there wasn't very much sound apart from the eerie noises and the wind and the arrow shooting the cat which was a very sharp noise. At the start of the lessons we learnt the camera angles which come in handy now for watching the scene, I wrote down in my notes that I saw a crane shot, a tracking shot, a close up, a panning shot, an extreme close up, a mid shot, an extreme long shot, a long shot and it also showed point of view, watching the opening scene helped me memorise the camera angles well. In the opening scene there were 3 characters, 1 dead man, a cat and another character that I would personally say is a male just from the vibes I'm getting. A thing I noticed in the scene was also that before we saw the dead man, we are shown leaves falling which did give me a hint that either someone was going to die or they were already dead. There is a point of view from the cat's perspective which shows that the protagonist is well disguised. A way that the director could improve the opening scene would be to chance the shooting of the cat to be slowed down once it gets close to the cat then speeds up to emphasize the danger. The lighting is very low key which adds suspense to the scene.

Ratings, Audience and Attraction

Attraction for Post Apocalyptic films

All films target at different audiences and find ways to attract them, which is exactly why films have trailers to try to gain a big audience to view the full film to gain a profit. Trailers and films try to gain an audience by showing different technical and audio codes, language, mode of address and construction.

1. Technical and Audio Codes

• A film or trailer for an action-adventure film will have fast editing and a music track that has beats to go with the film/trailer sot that it builds excitement.
• The range of camera angles and shots used in a TV programme or film or trailer all help to make it more interesting to watch and help the audience get into the film to imagine themselves there.

   2. Language

• Hospital dramas use medical language to make the action and dialogue feel more realistic, for example when the main character in "I am Legend" records himself talking about his new experiments to try to bring the people out of the zombies back.                         

   3. Mode of Address

• Newspapers and television news programmes use a formal mode of address, which suits the serious nature of the content and is what their audience would expect. Again another time that this has been used is at the opening scene of "I am Legend" in which we see an interview on a news report with Dr Krippin about her finding a "cure" for cancer.

   4. Construction

• A moving image text can use enigma codes, actors, or narratives to help it appeal to its target audience.
• A print text layout and design will attract its audience to create an eye catching cover image.

Ratings for Post Apocalyptic films

1. The most recent upcoming PA film, "The Girl with all the Gifts" which is distributed by Warner Bros has a weekend gross of £165,837, it has had a -62% change in the last week and it has been released 2 weeks ago in certain cinemas in the UK which is it's origin, it will be shown in 321 cinemas and it's site average already is £517 with a total gross to date of £886,967, which is obviously great seeing as it has only been out for 2 weeks. This already shows that the film is starting off great, it has been rated as 7.5/10 on IMBD and then 4/5 from The Guardian.
2. The Hunger Games is a PA styled film, this films origin is from the USA, it had a weekend gross of £4,534,464. It's distributor is Lionsgate, in the first 2 weeks of release it had a -60% change from the previous week, it was also out in 579 cinemas and had a site average of £7,832 with a total gross to date of £19,323,711. The film has been rated as 6.6/10 by IMBD and 4/5 by Common Sense Media. I personally very enjoyed this film, I cried, it made me angry, it made me sad and happy, I did however hate the ending just because I wanted more films from the Hunger Games because I have loved them from the very start.
3. Divergent is another PA styled film, it was also originated in the USA, it's distributor is eOne Films and had a weekend gross of £1,767,295, after it being released for one week it was out in 423 cinemas and had a site average of £41,78 and a total gross to date of £1,767,295. I have loved these films because of how action packed it is, I think that anyone can watch this film and get into it because it is a great story line, the sequels to it are also fantastic. The film has been rated 6.7/10 by IMBD.

Stereotypical audience for PA films

According to "YouGov Profiles Lite" a stereo typical person that watched post apocalyptic films is a male, aged 25-54 and has a social grade of ABC1, in the UK the most common region is the North West, their views with politics do not show a clear answer due to me comparing the answers between a stereotype for someone that watches I am Legend, The Book of Eli, The Road and 28 Days Later. Their professions are also a mix from media and publishing to farming, all professions are completely different for each film, just the same as their monthly spare, the lowest spare is under £125 which is for I am Legend fans and the highest is £1,000 or more with The Book of Eli fans. There is a split between the stereotypes preferring cats or dogs, all 4 film stereotypical viewers have an interest in sports. There is a split between 28 Days Later and I am Legend fans as they have calm and sleepy personality traits compared to The Book of Eli and The Road fans as their traits show anger. All of the 4 films have an interest in The Walking Dead. I am Legend and The Book of Eli fans both tend to spend 26-30 hours online per week, The Road viewers tends to spend 16-20 hours per week and 28 Days Later viewers spend 41-45 hours per week, all 4 film audiences also have a different amount of time to show how long they watch television for per week. YouGov shows us that there are some links between the stereotypical audience for post apocalyptic films.

Post Apocalyptic Genre Information

The first ever film that is Post Apocalyptic I watched was 2012. This is one of my favourite films still to this day, I also love how it is a different styled film because it is a natural disaster so it is not over exaggerated and seems more realistic than zombies or a medicine fault. The film constantly kept me up, there was not a moment where I got bored, it keeps you alert and it action packed.


Extra Investigation

1. How popular are post apocalyptic films?

Personally I would say that PA films are getting popular year by year, due to the genre being very unique. Audiences will know their typical romance and comedy films however I would say that PA films are now increasing their popularity. This genre allows many more options on where to film and what to wear due to it being very open, for example PA films can start off by a war, medicine fault or a natural disaster and the films can be set in whatever time you want which is what makes this genre so different.


     2. How do they compare to adult genre film takings?


The way that I think that adult genre films are different compared to post apocalyptic film takings would be due to how realistic the films feel, PA films have to make the audience feel some sort of emotion to build a great connection between the audience and the film. PA films will take much longer to create, there is a lot more to edit and special effects to work with compared to adult genre films as they can be natural locations which makes the films quicker to make.


    3. Is there a difference in terms of taking between UK make films and Hollywood made films?  

The reason behind this will be the budget that the UK film companies get, Hollywood film companies will be getting a much bigger budget on their films in which they can get better props, equipment and clothing for films. Having a bigger budget also allows the company to get better actors in their films which would then make the film even more popular.


   4. There has been an increase in the number of PA films produced since 9/11, explain why?


9/11 helped create a stronger awareness of how the terrorist attacks of the new century have truly shaped the state of apocalyptic cinema in the past decade. From 1805 to 2001 there were 626 post apocalyptic films produced in them 196 years, and from 2001 to now there are 319 films produced which is only 15 years, this shows us that we are on our way to produce more films since 9/11. The apocalyptic films from the decade that preceded 9/11 served as the barometers of two particular anxieties held by American culture at the time: fear concerning the changing environment and growing globalization. The aim of the genre was to allow the audience to take a glimpse of the future, "what if...". Some writers and directors used 9/11 as an inspiration, for example Chris Gorak states: “The radio played an important part in the script but I only wrote the most essential story points in the original draft. But, I knew, eventually, I wanted to wallpaper the film with constant radio reports to increase the tension. So, upon completion of filming, during post [production], I sat down and wrote an additional 60 page script of only radio broadcasts. I researched the radio broadcasts from 9/11. Reporters'ʹ inflections, the difference between announcers in the studio and those reporters on the scene”, the attack allowed film makers to get a real life experience to help them create realistic films for the genre, which allows the audience to feel as if they are in the film. A sampling of post 9/11 apocalyptic horror films proves that the terrorist attacks in 2001 strongly influenced the visual imagery and plots within the genre; prior to 9/11, natural disasters defined the genre. Despite of the numerous subgenres contained within. Subsequent to 9/11, however, the genre became radically shaped by the dominant fears in the forefront of the American psyche: terrorist attack and the eerily unknown methods by which they might be carried out. The visual images used in the genre serve as allusions to the dominant images that filled newspapers and television broadcasts on the day of 9/11 and the weeks, months, and years that have followed.

Editing Techniques

In today's lesson we are looking at different editing techniques to help us when we start editing our short films.

1. Match on Action
This is a shot that cuts from one piece of action to another movement between the shots. The audience can then see a smooth action despite the cut. The effect is to show that the camera is following the action.

2. Shot/Reverse Shot
This cuts between 2 people having a conversation, instead of including both people in the shot we can do over the shoulder shots, the effect is to show that there is a difference between the characters.

3. Cross Cutting/Parallel Editing
The editor cuts between 2 different scenes in 2 different locations at the same time to show a link between them.

4. Jump Cut
A cut that moves to a similar part of the same scene but missing a piece of action out, for example a character is in a corner of a room then the next shot shows him in the opposite side but the camera wont show the character moving, just to increase the pace of the film.

5. Fast Pace Cut
This is to increase the speed and excitement/tension in an action scene.

6. Wipe
Used to move the action on without a jump cut so that the edit looks smooth and clear.

7. Dolly Shot
A scene where the camera zooms in and out to show a characters expression, for example in Jaws the male notices the shark attacking and the camera focuses on his face and uses this shot to create tension and makes you nervous as the camera shakes slightly.

8. Dissolve Shot
A shot where the camera will fade from one scene to another, can be used to show a link or time moving.

9. Visual Effects
This can be numbers or words to explain what is happening.

10. Graphic Match
A cut from one shot to another that looks visually the same, could be a link by colour or shape.

11. Slow Motion
Slows down an action, great to use for a tragic scene to make it heartfelt.

12. Continuity Edit
Shows the film in chronological order.

13. Cutaway
An example of this editing terminology is by showing a couple arguing then the scene could show a child crying will show that what the couple are doing is unacceptable and is not approved.

14. Ellipsis
This is like foreshadowing slightly, for example a film could show a man drinking with friends looking happy then the film could show the man being sad, lonely and drunk.

15. Eyeline Match
This maintains the eyeline or level when cutting from a character to what the character sees.

16. Fade
A fade to black suggests that time has passed or a situation has ended and a fade to white suggests a dream or even death.

17. Linear Narrative
Basically same as 12.

18. Long/Short Take
Long takes can make the scene look calm and peaceful, whereas short takes look very dramatic and tense.

19. Montage
The best example of this is when Rocky is shown training and getting better through time before his fight.

20. Slow Motion
Says what it is.

21. Split Screen
This is to show two different scenes happening at the same time.

22. Superimpose
Basically Visual Effects.

23. Cloning Edit
This is used for many different reasons such as an experiment gone wrong such as Doctor Who's 2011 Red Nose Day Special or for twins like in The Parent Trap.

Camera Terminology

In today's lesson we watched a short clip on camera angles and shots to learn the basics if we didn't do media at GCSE and weren't familiar with the technical terms. I wrote brief notes for myself to understand the terms.


1. Extreme Long Shot
A shot that shows scenery/setting to show the storyline, in this shot people may be visible.

2. Long Shot
Films a character from head to toe, this is to understand the character and the environment.

3. Mid Shot
Films a character from the waist up, this shot is usually followed by a long shot, this also shows facial expressions and body language.

4. Two Shot
Two characters in action or to show their relationship.

5. Close Up
This films a character showing only their head and shoulders.

6. Extreme Close Up
Shows a very close up shot of an object or a characters eyes, this shows a lot of detail to understand a characters emotions or to give you extra information on what is happening in the scene.

7. Point of View
Characters point of view which shows the characters eyes and shows us the characters motives.

8. Tilt Shot
This shot shows the atmosphere in the room, for example perfect to show tension.

9. Tracking Shot
Shows the importance of a scene, for example a character walking to a death trap so you capture their movement.

10. Upwards Tilt Shot
The shot films someone's height or significance.

11. Arc Shot
A full or semi circle shot that shows intensity.

12. Crane Shot
Camera filming downwards, great for filming a character that is unconscious or asleep to build up tension.

13. Panning Shot
Circles around the room to show any extra detail for viewers.

14. Canted Angle
Tilted camera to create a feeling of disorientation.

15. Crab Shot
The camera is placed in a confined space, used well when a person is opening a cupboard which can add mystery to the film.

16. Deep Focus
Camera allows objects both near and far to be focused at the same time.

17. Establishing Shot
Shown at the start of a film to show where we are set.

18. Hand Held Shot
A shot filmed by hand to make it more realistic due to shakiness.

19. Head On Shot
A shot showing when an action comes directly to the camera, this works well in 3D films.

20. High/Low Angle
If the camera films someone from a high angle it makes them look vulnerable and powerless, whilst a low angle does the opposite.

21. Loose Frame
This is a great way to show isolation and loneliness as the camera will show there is nothing around a character.

22. Master Shot
This is shown at the start of a sequence to establish the component elements and relationships to allow the audience to understand the actions being shown.

23. Pull Focus
Where an object is in focus but then changes to something else in focus to show importance.

24. Rule of Thirds
The camera films someone on the side to show background as it may show hints to the viewers or it can be to make the shot look more interesting.

25. Shallow Focus/Depth of Field
The object in front of the camera is in focus whilst the background is out of focus.

26. Soft Focus
This is a great effect for scenes showing the past for example as the aim is to add a filter or a special lens which add a hazy light to the look.

27. Tight Space
A shot which shows very little space around an object, this can show importance or that someone/thing may be trapped.

28. Whip Pan
A quick pan of characters talking, great in action films.

29. Zoom/Reverse Zoom
You get the point...

30. 180 Degree Rule
An example of this is when characters are speaking there would be two cameras shooting the scene, the cameras must not be seen therefore they have to be at an angle.

31. Breaking the 180 Deegree Rule
Where the cameras do not stay in the same place, this can make the scene confusing to the audience as they do not know where the characters actually are standing.

About Me

My name is Ewelina Stefaniak, I am a student at Ashfield Post 16 studying Photography, Travel and Tourism and Media. This blog is going to be all about my media studies and I will be uploading my coursework onto this blog, hope you enjoy it! I would say that I am more of a creative person rather than academic, I prefer doing something practical and creating new things. I feel like all 3 of my subjects link well together and I hope that by the end of the year I will be able to say to myself that I have found a new creative talent. On weekends I also have a part time job as a sales assistant close to home.

A Level Photography Work

I was born in Poland and I moved to England when I was 4 years old therefore I do not know much of the language which is also why I would say that English is my first language due to the fact I never went to school in Poland. I have lived in a few different places in England and I have lived in Sutton-in-Ashfield for 12 years now. I am very glad I moved as I feel like this is my home and I feel a lot more comfortable and relaxed being around my family and friends here.

Urban Decay Naked 2 and 3

In my spare time I enjoy going out with my family and friends, I also enjoy visiting different places and taking photographs to add into my photography work. Growing up I was a very sporty child, I played football after school and went swimming every week with my dad. As a child I was very into art and languages, learning new languages to me is a hobby as it is very easy for me to learn them and so is creating things such as models out of clay and creating a giant rubix cube that you can completely take apart and rearrange, each year I learned a new thing about myself and I have finally found my passion which is exactly why I chose the subjects that I am currently studying, I hope that when I am older I am doing a creative job linked with either Photography or Media due to me having an interest in fashion and make up.



I chose to study Media as I felt that there was potential in me doing well in this subject. I watch many  TV shows and films which is a reason why I feel like I could be good at this. I enjoy binge watching TV shows when I really get into them for example, when I first started watching Pretty Little Liars, I got so into it that I just couldn't leave it, it still keeps me up at night because I start to figure out who A (the villian) could be. I would say that I prefer TV shows to films just because there's more to watch and I don't like the way that some films end. A film I have enjoyed watching recently is The Shallows, it made me jump so many times, it is a fantastic film however I wouldn't recommend you watching it before you go on holiday like I did! Not only am I just into films and TV shows I do also enjoy listening to music, I would say that my favourite artists are Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, The Weeknd, and more but at the minute my minds gone blank😂I am very into social media, my favourite social media app would definitely be Twitter, I have made many friends through it and I am literally on it 24/7.