Thursday 28 June 2012

Analysis 3: Inbetweeners Trailer


This establishing shot is used very effectively to set the scene of the boat party. This is a signifcant symbol of teenage holidays as most teenagers will go on an all day boat party to conclude their holidays. The shot helps to give an overview of the scene, it also gives you an indication that this will be a key event during the film as it's been included in the trailer and their are various shots included throughout the trailer of the boys on the boat.

This second shot is of a wide shot and shows Jay, Neil, Simon watching as Will gets his 'last wedgie' before they leave school. The composition of the shot is important as there is an obvious reluctance to help Will from the other three. Also the shot shows the clear dominance of the two bullies over the other boys as they are stood back in fear of being subjected to the same sort of bullying. This shot is good as it shows that even as they are leaving they still haven't got any popular and nothings changed really.


This third shot is a two shot of Simon and Carli, in the shot we can clearly see that Carli is trying to get Simon off of her, which shows her dominance over him as he is clearly in love with her and will do anything for her. The composition of the shot is key as it shows the reluctance of Carli and the persistance of Simon, which shows his devotion to her. The shot is also used to set the scene as they're making out in Carli's bedroom therefore she will be more at home and this will add to her dominance over him.

In this shot you can see the costumes used by the characters, the clothing is casual however you can tell they're on holiday due to prop of the football being held by Neil, Jay having a hoody tied around his waist and also Neils tan. The change in costumes from the school shirts at the beginning of the trailer to the casual holiday clothing in this shot shows how they're maturing and growing up throughout the trailer and obviously the movie aswell.


These two shots show the shot reverse shot used between the two characters, Will sitting over the attractive blonde girl. This editing technique is used to show the contrast between the two characters in physical appearance, as the girl is extremely attractive and more laid back whereas Will is seen as a typical geek and he seems extremely synical on everything. The shot reverse shot also helps bring across the conversation between the two characters well as the quick cutting from Will to the girl helps the conversation to flow well this is aswell as contrasting them both at the same time. The setting of the conversation helps as well as it's located at a hotel and they're sitting by the pool in the sun, therefore the atmosphere is more relaxed and calm. This represents the girl's attitude as she is also very relaxed and at home at the hotel, this is compared to Will who seems more uptight and less at home.

In this close up shot we can see Will's confusion at losing his glasses, together with the low key lighting used due to it being nightime, this shot helps to show Wills as being vulnerable. The shallow focus used in this shot helps to emphasise Will's position as the only clear image on the screen is Will. Due to him losing his glasses we're seeing the shot as he would, as the background is out of focus and his eye sight, without his glasses, would be blurry and out of focus. So the shallow focus may represent the loss of his vision. The low key lighting also emphasises this as the darkness wouldn't help his vision.

Monday 25 June 2012

Analysis 3: Inbetweeners Trailer - Conventions

 

Conventions 
This trailer is very conventional, it uses voiceovers, on screen text and a variety of clips to help set the scene and introduce the film. The voiceovers are key to the trailer as they help to give some background to the shots on screen and help to build up the excitement and hype for the film. For example towards the end of the film 'the moments we try to forget' helps to build up excitement for the rest of the film as the voiceover hints that there will be more action and comedy moments that aren't included in the trailer. 

During the trailer they also include on screen text, this is usually used to tell us who's in the film, who produced the film and also when the film is due to be released. At the beginning the name of the production company appear on screen which is obviously informing us who produced it and is promoting their company and people will go away and maybe watch other films produced by 'young bwark productions'  and Film4. Also right at the end it includes the 'coming soon' text that accompanies most film trailers, this helps to keep people on their toes and looking out for the actual release date of the film.

The variety of clips used throughout the film that help add the the buzz of the film. They don't want to use all of their comedy material in the trailer as that would ruin the film, however the want to include enough to make people interested to come and see it. They use alot of comedy clips to show people a small insight into the film and how funny it will be. 



An example of this clips is when the boy pulls down Jay's shorts, this is a typical 'gross out humour' image as it's funny but also it's slightly embarrasing and immature. This is a typical comedy convention as it shows the comedy gold that will be included throughout the film. 

Analysis 2: She's Out Of My League Trailer

Thursday 21 June 2012

Analysis 1: The Change Up Trailer




Camerawork
The close up used early on in the trailer of Dave's face as he is being hit in the face by his child's poo is a classical example of visual humour. The shot helps to bring across Dave's distress at having to change his child and his attitude towards parenting. Whereas the wide shot used when Mitch has a women undress infront of him is used to show the scene. This shot shows us that Mitch is slightly worse off than Dave, as his apartment is untidy and he's dressed in scruffy clothing compared to Dave's pajamas. When they bring the two characters together they use a two shot to show the contrasts between them. The contrast in clothing and overall appearance shows how their lives differ from each other. We get the oppertunity to compare them again with the use of a long shot, showing Dave and Mitch urinating into a fountain. It then changes to an extreme close up of the fountains face, from this we can tell that something 'magical' has happened, which turns out to be 'the change up'. Finally an over the shoulder shot is used to bring across the distress on Mitch's face (Dave's mind) as he realises that he's looking at himself.

Editing
Cross cutting is used right from the beginning when the camera cuts between the baby monitor, Dave and his wife. This is used to show their reluctance at wanting to get up and see to the baby. They then zoomed in on Dave as he's sat with his children, this shows how trapped he is by his duties as a father. When  Dave and Mitch are sat at the bar talking about Mitch's women, they use a shot reverse shot to show Dave's confusion at what Mitch is explaining, this shows how he is missing out due to his commitments. A final shot reverse shot is used as Mitch (Dave's mind) opens the door to reveal his body (with Mitch's mind) stood infront of him, this technique is used to show the apparent shock and horror on each of their faces at their dilemma.

Mise-en-Scene
From the beginning Dave is portryaed as being the well off, settled husband. This is brought across by his smart dress, mainly suits and smart pajamas. In contrast to this Mitch is always in rather scruffy clothing which shows that he is less succesful but probably more casual and relaxed in his approach to life. Various props are used to bring across the two mens contrasting lifestyles, Dave owns a large house and a range rover, which brings across his success and his wealth. In contrast to this Mitch is less successful as he lives in an untidy apartment and owns a bicycle, however he seems happy. The prop of the fountain is used to bring across the 'change up' as they make their wish come true and their lives are swapped. This makes the fountain vital despite its short onscreen time. Another prop, this time used to bring across humour would be the babies poo, as Dave gets hit in the face by it and it makes us laugh as its an amusing scenario to be in. Also the lighting used when portraying the two characters, as Dave is put in a more high key lighting which brings across his success, in contrast to Mitch who is constantly in low key lighting which puts emphasis on his unsuccessful lifestyle.

Sound
They use ambient sounds through out the trailer, in the form of crying, urinating and farting. These are used to bring across humour. However the crying is also a dominant sound at the beginning of the clip as it puts emphasis on how trapped Dave is and how his children are priority. Non diagetic music is used when Dave (Mitch's mind) is in bed and Dave's wife comes in, the music is rather suggestive and supposed to create a sexual mood, however it is then ruined by the ambient sound of her farting while on the toilet, which creates a typical comedy moment. In contrast to this diagetic sound is used when the lightning strikes after they've made their wish, this is used to show that something strange is about to happen and we later find out that it signalled the 'change up'. Finally dialouge is used by the characters to create funny moments. A good example of this is when Dave and his wife are woken by the baby crying, Dave's wife said "It's your turn" and Dave responds with "I'm awake" this shows how trapped he is by his children and how even though he is successful he will always be tied down by his commitments. In contrast when the girl breaks into Mitch's apartment and says "What am I tonight?" this shows how he's used to lot of female attention and isn't tied down by children or marriage.

Conventions
In this trailer they use alot of stereotypical comedy techniques. The poo in the face is a classic funny moment, as it just makes you laugh at his unfortunate situation. Another technique used is when Dave (Mitch's mind) and his wife are in the bedroom and the sexual moment is ruined by Dave's wife going to the toilet very loudly which puts Dave (Mitch's mind) off completely. Another techique used is the various dialouge conversations throughout the trailer, a prime example of this is when Dave doesn't understand what Mitch is describing and Mitch says "You're married", this is a brilliant example and also shows how constrained Dave is by his marriage.

In the trailer they also use conventional trailer techniques, for example the various onscreen texts are stereotypical for a trailer as they help to tell you when the film is, who the characters are and other pieces of vital information. Also this trailer introduces the characters and gives you a slight insight to their lives. This is an important convention in a movie trailer, as it's useful at drawing in customers however they've done well not to show too many funny clips and give too much away.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

Summary: Comedy Genre Research

Research: Background Comedy

Comedy
Comedy is the act of creating humour to make people amused by creating laughter. Usually used in television, film or stand up comedy.

Types of Comedy
  • Satire (Political satire) - They are two types of comedy that use ironic comedy to bring across people or social institutions as corrupt or stupid. 
  • Parody - A parody takes an original story and changes or reverses it so it stands for something completely different therefore creating a sense of ironic humour. 
  • Screwball comedy - A form of comedy that uses strange and surprising situations or characters to create humour.
  • Black Comedy -A darker form of humour that makes light of hopeless situations 
  • Gross out comedy - This uses embarrassing and rather disturbing situations and creates humour from them. 
  • Rom-Com (Romantic Comedy) - this popular genre of comedy, takes the couple falling in love and portrays their romance in humourous terms, by having the characters as complete opposites etc.
Some of the most iconic actors have devoted their careers to comedy, two of the most influencial are Charlie Chaplin, he was around in the early 1900's and played a big role in producing and starring in silent comedies, and Rowan Atkinson, who is still around today and is known iconically for his brilliantly funny character, Mr Bean but also for his role in Blackadder.

Sir Charlie Spencer Chaplin, 16th April 1889.
Chaplin was an English comic actor, film director and even a composer. He was best known for some of his outstanding silent films, this had led him to becoming the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War 1. He achieved this success through his use of mime, slapstick and other types of visual comedy routines. He did continue to star and produce in films throughout the early 1900's however he trailed off slowly after the end of the 1920's. He is still regarded as a magnificent actor even now, more than 35 years after his death in 1977.

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson, 6 January 1955
He is an English actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work with the Not The Nine O'Clock News, a satirical sketch comedy show. However he is famous for his roles in Blackadder and Mr Bean. So famous that he was even listed as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy by 'The Observer' and he was among the top 50 comedians ever in a 2005 poll, voted for by other comedians.

Research: History of Comedy