AICE Media Studies AS Level 2020-21

Demographic  For my film, the draft I've written has the plot of a teenage girl experiencing personal problems and challenges at home. So, in order to run away and escape from those hardships, she hangs out with her close group of friends to feel better and be temporarily free.  Demographics are a particular sector of a population, and the type that my film will be targeting are the populations going through adolescence and also experience domestic hardships. Whether that be struggling financially, marital issues between parents, or even abuse, it is relatable to want to escape sometimes. People at that age with those problems look for an outlet to make themselves feel free of those issues and fully enjoy themselves before those problems occurred.  I am still debating on who to have portray the main character, but there is a high possibility that it would be myself. If I were to star as the main character, then my demographic could change slightly since I am...

Film Conventions Film conventions are often used to help shape how we think about an event or character by representing them as well as certain topics and more. Conventions occur in each genre and have elements that are unique to their specific genre.  Regarding characters, conventions can reinforce stereotypes like women being helpless or a certain race or ethnicity having one main characteristic that's distinguishable.  A few blog posts ago, I've written the conventions of some genres and sub-genres like action, drama, westerns, etc.

 Mise en Scene Part 2!  "How to read mise en scène | Visual film analysis explained!" By The Media Insider.      Above is the video we watched in class as a way of going more in depth to the practice and understanding of mise en scene. The most noticeable aspect of Mise en Scene is the character. The elements that fall under character are: hair, makeup, clothing, build, and body language. How the character looks gives an insight to their values, their setting, trust, and more. Contrasting themes can be observed and found based on the look of the character and their personality. The second aspect is props. Props can include weapons, accessories, and other items. These items can tell you something about the character and their world. Props are very important, especially in films with genres such as science fiction and fantasy where worlds and characters are overly exaggerated and unrealistic.  The third and largest aspect of Mise en Scene is the set. The set ...

 Camera Movement I found the information in this blog post on the video titled, "Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement - Every Camera Movement Technique Explained [The Shot List Ep6]" on YouTube Static Shot: Has no camera movement at all, and is used by a tripod settled in a still position. Pan Shot: The rotation of thee camera horizontally while remaining still. It can either build anticipation or heighten energy in a scene. Tilt: The vertical direction of the camera in a still position, upward or downward. It can show dominance or vulnerability in a character. Push-in: When the camera moves towards the subject to appear zooming in on them. It is used to emphasize a particular moment that has narrative significance. Pull-out: The opposite of push-in; to disconnect the subjects on screen. Zoom: Not a camera movement, but a change in the camera's lens with the focal length. Can be zoomed in or out to reveal context or draw attention to details. Dolly Zoom: Uses both movement a...

 Rule of Thirds and Depth In a camera frame, there are sections that have purpose and placement of certain things and people. The frame is broken into three vertical sections: Left , Center , and Right. In addition to that, there are three horizontal sections: Top , Middle , and Bottom .  This "grid" helps cinematographers make artistic choices regarding the placement of subjects, but another piece that correlates with Rule of Thirds is depth.   Depth has three pieces: Foreground - Subjects found in this area typically have more narrative significance and weight. Middle Ground -  Subjects don't have as much significance like in the foreground, they are likely to be neutral. Background - Subjects have very little to no significance and are not in the focus of the frame. With all these threes, it makes sense that the title regards thirds.

 Mise en Scene Today in class I watched a video about something called "Mise en Scene." Mise en Scene is the placement of actors an scenery on film. Every element that is seen in the frame has a purpose and is seen for some specific reason. There are two types of Mise en Scene: naturalistic and theatrical. Naturalistic  Mise en Scene portrays the world in the fame very similar or the same as our world in reality. Theatrical Mise en Scene represents exaggerated and unrealistic worlds that don't match our reality. These forms can be represented by the characters, what they wear, how they speak, but also on the set, camera shots, angles, and movement. In addition to that, the lighting, makeup, music, color, and sound is also considered and taken seriously. Even the props and their placement has purpose, whether they are in the foreground or background. Everything in the frame works together to help tell a story, even the small details that no one notices, because that is ...

 Camera Angles The information I learned was from a video on YouTube by StudioBinder called, "Ultimate Guide to Camera Angles: Every Camera Shot Explained [Shot List, Ep. 3]"  Low angle shot - A shot that lines up below a subject's eye line looking up at them. They are used to usually give the subject in the shot a feeling of power. High angle shot - A shot that has the frame looking down upon a subject or crowd, and is typically used to diminish a character and to emphasize the level of power between subjects. Overhead angle - A shot above the subject reaching directly 90 degrees and shoots straight down. These angles are a good use of revealing complex movements like battles and capture details of the setting the subject is in. Dutch angle - A shot that "skews" the horizontal frame for a tilted affect. It can create the feeling of unease, bewilderment, terror, etc. Eye level angle -  A neutral view of the subject is created and doesn't impose judgement ...

 Shot Examples; Taken by me Extreme Close Up Shot This shot enters the character's intimate space and reveals details that could be unnoticed when too far away. Medium Close Up Shot This shot gives the character's behavior and expression the center yet also reveals some of the background to process. This perspective let's the audience feel casual with the characters because this would be the level we interact with others. Over the Shoulder Shot This shot can give the perspective of the character whose shoulder is in front of the camera; also a POV angle. It can also display the dynamic between the characters and their relationship with each other along with establishing empathy.

 First Draft! So, I've had this idea in my mind for quite a while. I was thinking the film could represent non-fiction and maybe slice-of-life. The film can start with a person in their teen years going home after a good day of school only to find their parents, guardian, or other family members arguing badly. The mood would go sullen and the character walks around the neighborhood to escape the harsh reality. Upon walking, they find their friend group playing around and by being in their presence, all the character's worries disappear for a limited time. This was the initial idea ever since I joined the class. After watching and learning more about film-making in class, like the camera shots, a potential scene popped into my mind. The inspiration came from one of my favorite musical artists, BTS. In their music video dubbed, "Euphoria," the universe story-line they follow through all their videos takes place. All members have their own situations in their personal li...

 Camera Shots In class we learned about something called camera shots for a film. The video is from YouTube titled,  " Ultimate Guide to Camera Shots: Every Shot Size Explained [The Shot List, Ep 1]" by StudioBinder   Some of the shots I learned include:  Establishing Shot - Establishes the geography, time of day, and can be used as a transition. Master Shot - Clarifies the characters in the scene and their relationship. Wide Shot - Represents the relationship between the character and the environment. Full Shot - Used to observe the character's body language, posture, and clothing from head to toe. Medium Full Shot - Shows the top of the head to below the waist; uses complementary angles and can showcase a strong, confrontational presence of the character. Medium Shot - A neutral shot that is neither dramatic or too far. It represents the character like how we casually interact with others. Starts from the head to below the chest but above the waist. Medium Close-up...