The film "The Girl Chewing Gum" is a 9 minute movie by John Smith.
The film is black and white and consists of the general public going about their everyday lives. Visually, there is a lot to see in this film but the lack of colour makes it a little less appealing. Aswell as people in this film, various vehicles and two buildings can be seen. The main building in the shot most of the time has a women sitting in the window, the other building is a cinema with a long queue of people waiting outside.The footage includes close ups of some people but not many. Throughout this film there are only two edits. One when the shot cuts from a busy road to a field, and the other when it cuts from the field to the end credits.
The main piece of audio in this film comes from the narrator who is not in the frame, but narrating what is happening. At first, it seems as though the man speaking is the director as he says what is happening on screen, slightly before it actually happens. Also, he comments on every detail in the frame. However, when he comments on things such as "pigeons flying" we now know that he is not directing as he wouldn't have been able to make this happen. We now come to realise that he is in fact narrating to the viewers what is happening on this busy road in London. It seems that the sounds on screen, such as traffic, are genuine so must be diegetic. However, when the man starts saying he is in a field and begins describing what is around him, we realise that he is not actually present on this road, at this time, so therefore the sounds must be non-diegetic and have been put in post-production. A final piece of audio in this film is the sound of an alarm going off. This happens for a long time but we do not actually notice it until the narrator says that a man, who has just walked past, has robbed a bank. Now we notice the alarm whereas before we just heard it as background noise. These noises, alarm and traffic, continue even after the shot has changed to a field. This makes the viewers question where the sounds are really coming from.
I think the premise of this film is to show people that whatever happens in reality, someone is always there to comment on us and our actions. This film is predominantly concept based as it produces the idea that we are always being watched and are never alone. At the start of the film the audience is led to believe that this man speaking has full control over the situation and what is going on when in fact, he doesn't have any control at all.
Overall, I think that this film is interesting in the idea behind it as sometimes it does feel like we are always being watched as there seems to be CCTV everywhere we go. This film is clever in highlighting what the audience may or may not be aware of.
Tuesday 30 September 2008
"Telling Lies"
The film "Telling Lies" by Simon Ellis, is a 4 minute experimental video which is very different from any other short film I have seen.
There are very few types of visual images used in the film. A black background is present throughout with text appearing on screen in different colours depending on which character is speaking. In many cases the words which appear on screen are not the same words which are being said by the characters. The words shown are what the characters really mean but are not the same as what they actually say. These are the only visual images which can be seen on screen.
All of the audio in this short film is diegetic as the sounds come from the characters or what is around them. A phone can be heard ringing at various stages in the film and a dialling tone can also be heard. The sound of a phone being slammed down can also be heard a few times. Apart from the sounds from the phone the only other audio comes from the dialogue spoken by the several characters. There is no soundtrack, or any other non-diegtic sounds in this film.
This film is a concept as there is very little to see in the matter of craft. The concept is the important thing in this film and what makes it amusing to watch. I think the premise of the film is to show the audience that it is much easier to lie to someone when you are talking to them on the phone, than it is to lie if you are talking to them face-to-face. Also, it shows that it is easier to hide your true feelings and emotions when you are having a phone conversation. The text on the screen is effective in making the audience believe what they are reading rather than what they are actually hearing.
After watching the film I felt it was quite effective in getting its' message across to the viewers simply because there is no visual images and background audio to distract the viewers from what they are reading on the screen. Overall, I think the film was entertaining but not particulary interesting because of the lack of visual effects.
There are very few types of visual images used in the film. A black background is present throughout with text appearing on screen in different colours depending on which character is speaking. In many cases the words which appear on screen are not the same words which are being said by the characters. The words shown are what the characters really mean but are not the same as what they actually say. These are the only visual images which can be seen on screen.
All of the audio in this short film is diegetic as the sounds come from the characters or what is around them. A phone can be heard ringing at various stages in the film and a dialling tone can also be heard. The sound of a phone being slammed down can also be heard a few times. Apart from the sounds from the phone the only other audio comes from the dialogue spoken by the several characters. There is no soundtrack, or any other non-diegtic sounds in this film.
This film is a concept as there is very little to see in the matter of craft. The concept is the important thing in this film and what makes it amusing to watch. I think the premise of the film is to show the audience that it is much easier to lie to someone when you are talking to them on the phone, than it is to lie if you are talking to them face-to-face. Also, it shows that it is easier to hide your true feelings and emotions when you are having a phone conversation. The text on the screen is effective in making the audience believe what they are reading rather than what they are actually hearing.
After watching the film I felt it was quite effective in getting its' message across to the viewers simply because there is no visual images and background audio to distract the viewers from what they are reading on the screen. Overall, I think the film was entertaining but not particulary interesting because of the lack of visual effects.
Craft, Concept and Context.
CRAFT: The making of a piece of work.
CONCEPT: The reason behind a piece of work (premise).
CONTEXT: When we are not sure what is true/real and what isn't. Things can get taken the wrong way and sometimes the context can be taken for granted.
CONCEPT: The reason behind a piece of work (premise).
CONTEXT: When we are not sure what is true/real and what isn't. Things can get taken the wrong way and sometimes the context can be taken for granted.
Saturday 27 September 2008
"Koyaanisqatsi"
The film "Koyaanisqati" by Godfrey Reggio (1983) is in my eyes, a rather confusing film. I think the premise of the movie is to show the audience how the pace of life varies from place to place. The range of clips show a very fast paced (fast-forwarded) lifestyle in contrast to other clips which show a very quiet, relaxed life. On the other hand, this film could simply be showing the audience pieces of history as it includes various events from the past and present.
The types of visual images used in this film are as follows: To begin with, fire and smoke can be seen which to me creates the idea that something bad has just happened. After this, bits of material can be seen falling to the ground. The pace at this point is fairly slow. The film then shows landscape views of fairly deserted land, this shows how at this point in time, this place is very quiet and there is not much going on. Suddenly, the clips speed up and change much more frequently which suggests a much faster pace of living. These clips include crowds of people which shows how busier this life now is. Also, one clip shows women working in a factory which shows mass production and the fast pace makes the women look like robots as they do their job at such a speed. The film begins and ends with images of cave drawings.
The audio in this film is fairly limited. Firstly, there is no dialogue in this film apart from the word "Koyaanisqatsi" being chanted and repeated over and over again at the beginning and end of the film. There is music being played throughout the film and it changes to assist the pace of the film. However, there are no actual words in the music, it is just a tune.
After viewing parts of this film, I felt confused as to me, the film made very little sense.
The types of visual images used in this film are as follows: To begin with, fire and smoke can be seen which to me creates the idea that something bad has just happened. After this, bits of material can be seen falling to the ground. The pace at this point is fairly slow. The film then shows landscape views of fairly deserted land, this shows how at this point in time, this place is very quiet and there is not much going on. Suddenly, the clips speed up and change much more frequently which suggests a much faster pace of living. These clips include crowds of people which shows how busier this life now is. Also, one clip shows women working in a factory which shows mass production and the fast pace makes the women look like robots as they do their job at such a speed. The film begins and ends with images of cave drawings.
The audio in this film is fairly limited. Firstly, there is no dialogue in this film apart from the word "Koyaanisqatsi" being chanted and repeated over and over again at the beginning and end of the film. There is music being played throughout the film and it changes to assist the pace of the film. However, there are no actual words in the music, it is just a tune.
After viewing parts of this film, I felt confused as to me, the film made very little sense.
"1001 Nights"
The film "1001 Nights" by Jananne Ai-Ani, is a 6 minute movie in which 5 women give their accounts of war. However, it is not clear if the women are talking about their own personal experiences or someone elses'. They could be showing us how innocent people are affected by war or how they have already been victims themselves.
The film shows the head and shoulders of 5 different aged women. Whilst 1 women is speaking, the other 4 have their eyes closed. The stories given by the 5 women each represent a different background to add to the idea that anyone can become a victim of disaster. The women are the only source of colour on the screen as the background is completely black, this makes the audience focus on the women as they are not distracted by other things on the screen.
There is no non-diegetic sounds on this film and the only diegetic sounds come from the women speaking. This again, makes the viewers pay attention to what the women are saying as they are not distracted by any other sounds.
After watching this film I felt a little disappointed as to me it wasn't very appealing due to the lack of audio and visual effects. However, this film does give you several views of how different people can easily become affected by the disasters of war.
The film shows the head and shoulders of 5 different aged women. Whilst 1 women is speaking, the other 4 have their eyes closed. The stories given by the 5 women each represent a different background to add to the idea that anyone can become a victim of disaster. The women are the only source of colour on the screen as the background is completely black, this makes the audience focus on the women as they are not distracted by other things on the screen.
There is no non-diegetic sounds on this film and the only diegetic sounds come from the women speaking. This again, makes the viewers pay attention to what the women are saying as they are not distracted by any other sounds.
After watching this film I felt a little disappointed as to me it wasn't very appealing due to the lack of audio and visual effects. However, this film does give you several views of how different people can easily become affected by the disasters of war.
Tuesday 23 September 2008
Brighton Photo 2
This photo shows to me that Brighton is not all fun and games. The photo shows carousels which are not in use. It looks as if these rides have been abadoned which is a contrast to postcards of Brighton which generally shows children playing on the fair-ground style rides. There are no signs on the ride to explain why it is not in use which adds to the theory that it has been deserted. This is definately not an image which would be used to advertise the Brighton seaside. Brighton Photo 1
This photo to me highlights the downside of the Brighton seaside. The metal fences and broken wooden picnic tables are located for everyone to see and they are not sectioned off which to me creates a hazardess area. This shows people that Brighton has almost become a waste area, as these items have been dumped for all to see. The photo shows how in reality, Brighton is not just the beach and pier, it is also home to various pieces of abandoned materials.
Experimental Video
To me the term "Experimental" suggests that the video is completely new and has been produced to see what kind of reaction it receives by its' audience. The term "Experimental Video" suggests that the producer of the video has used unknown methods and theories into the making of the video to test how the video is perceived. Examples of "Experimental Videos" can be seen in both film and television. The term "Experiment" suggests to me that different ideas for a film or television program have been put together to create a brand new video.
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