Textual Analysis of Buried Titles

Buried - 2010 Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Robert Paterson, Ivana Mino Genre: drama, mystery, thriller Rated: 15 Duration: 95 minutes Plot: Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap. Released: 29th September 2010 (UK) All of the titles appear to move upwards suggesting a feeling of travelling down through the ground. They are all on a black background suggesting the dark will be a prominent feature throughout the film. The title of the film appears swiftly as the word 'buried' scrolls up the screen. This makes it appear as if the camera is moving down through the ground. It is positioned on the bottom right of the screen and takes up approximately a quarter of it suggesting that the title closely links into the film itself. It is a yellow/brown colour linking to the underground/buried theme of the film. It is a basic, quite bold font that allows the audience to easily read it. The letters then fade as they travel up the screen. The photo of money appears to be cut into strips and is accompanied with small writing. This shifts in a diagonal movement from the bottom left-hand corner to the top right. The people's names are written in white and their role in the film production is in yellow. Both have the same font but the white is slightly larger suggesting the names are slightly more important.

Audience Theories

Uses and Gratifications: The theory was developed by Bumler and Katz. It suggests that audiences use any media text for various reasons as suggested below: • Diversion (Escapism) - escape from everyday problems and routine • Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behavior and values from texts • Personal Relationships (Social Interaction) - using the media for emotional and other interaction e.g. substituting soap operas for family life • Entertainment - Using the media as a source of entertainment • Surveillance (Information) - Gathering information from the media e.g. documentaries, weather reports We will consider why our audience will be watching our thriller piece and take this theory into consideration during production. Hypodermic Needle: According to this theory the media is like a syringe which injects ideas, attitudes and believes into the audience who have little choice but to be influenced. For example, according to the theory, if you watch something violent you will be inclined to do the same violent thing. We need to take this theory into consideration when making our film. Our piece may have scenes of violence or stalking and we need to consider how this will affect our audiences. Active/Passive Audiences: An active audience is an audience that thinks about what they have seen on screen after watching it. What they see has the potential to affect them physiologically. A passive audience is the opposite of this and they do not think about what they have seen and it doesn't affect them afterwards. Identification and Sensitization: Identification - violence in the media releases tension and desires through identification with fictional characters and events (catharsis). Sensitization - violence in the media can sensitize people to the effects of violence.

Lighting camera shots

These are our lighting camera shots.

we took these photos to show how lighting can create a sinister effect on a film.

Titling Practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B5W_wBjUbs

Ideas....

These ideas are for our first task which we have decided to base on a stalker. it will be the opening of a horror/thriller and here are some of our ideas and roles which we will take in to consideration before/during the filming process.

About Filming

My group worked really well together when we were filming and editing and we all supported each others ideas. When we were filming we decided to change the story to our film, so our storyboard did not really help us as we changed the ideas but they worked really well and we got the film done and we're really proud of it.

Camera shots.

This is a mid shot, which shows the audience the top half of the actor without showing the whole of the body.

extreme close up, showing detail.

Low shot, which could suggest dominance.

Long shot, showing the location, as well as actors.

Establishing shot, showing the location of the place that the film is set in.

Another long shot.

Evaluation of my As Preliminary Task.


http://www.slideshare.net/loisemilyyy/as-media-preliminary-task-evaluation-41248462

Barthes 'Narrative Codes'

In our preliminary piece we unknowingly used 4 of Barthes' narrative codes, which are;

• Action Code; this is used to indicate the next logical step.
• Mystery Code/Enigma Code; this is used to explain the narrative by controlling how much information is fed to the audience before revealing the end.
• Semic Code; this explains any signs or meanings which could relate to the narrative symbolically.
• Cultural Code; to make the audience understand the social and cultural context of the film.
• Code of Opposites; refers to a narrative that relies on binary opposites, eg.. black v white.

We used the action code when we showed Darby and Myself walking through the cupboard door, which shows the audience that we are going somewhere.
We used the Enigma Code when the antagonist (Darby) watches the Victim (Carmel) and the Protagonist(Myself) run away up the corridor, and then the attacker comes out and walks the other way with a dazed look on her face as if she is thinking of a way to get them back.
We used the Cultural Code as we set the film in a school which shows that we are educated and also the language we are speaking English.
We used Opposites symbolically as the antagonist was wearing dark/grey clothes which represented her as a dark, villainous character, whereas the protagonist was wearing normal clothes crossed between black and white, and the victim was wearing bright coloured clothes which showed her innocence and how normal her life was before the attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-nUzzNwyWg&index=9&list=PL39RK5NuuAt3a16zRUidR-cUwfUqWe3_5

this is our finished Preliminary piece, it was so much fun to make :)

Preliminary Task

Our task that we have been given which is the basis for our short film is a continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door into a room, sitting down across from someone and exchanging dialogue.

in this task we must demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180 degree rule.

I will be posting more updates about our filming and editing soon.

Started editing our footage today...

My group started filming the other day :) were only doing a short film but its going well so far.
We're going off to film some more later which should be fun.
So far we have tied someone up and locked them in a cupboard so...this should be interesting...

Will be posting more stuff on here soon as I get these pictures sorted and on to the computer :)

Story board

This is my groups story board for the short film we will be making :)

Welcome to my blogsite

I am studying media for A Level and I am really excited to get started.
I love watching films and telly and I would love to see how it all works.

I think my the part that I am looking forward to the most is filming the work because as an actress outside of school it will be fun to work in front and behind the camera.

hopefully you enjoy my blog :)