Existing Product Research

Boyhood

Cinematography:
We begin the scene with a point of view shot of the the protagonist, Mason so the audience gets an idea on what he is doing in the darkroom. Although the shot is shown very fast it enables us to understand that he is dipping a photograph in some type of liquid. Straight after this we see a panning shot to reveal the teacher walking up to Mason. I believe the pan gives in to the realism and anticipates the fact that someone just walked in. The panning shot turns into an over the shoulder shot to reveal the 2 characters speaking and after this we see a range of medium close ups of both the characters speaking throughout the scene. However at 0:57 seconds in as the dialogue intensifies we see a much 'tighter' framing of the camera which suggests that what the character is saying is now more important. But at 1:16 the camera is a wider medium shot so we can see the teacher's hand and fingers. The scene continues with the same medium shots between the characters until 2:28 minutes in where an over-shoulder-shot is used which connotes that the teacher is still dominating Mason in the conversation and then at 2:55 minutes we see the same camera pan we saw at the beginning but this time it is used to show that a character is leaving the location.

Target Audience: 
Certificate: UK 15

It Follows

Editing:

At the beginning we see the protagonist screaming and trying to run away. The first 10 seconds of this scene are shown at a high frame rate (slow motion) which can be said either editing or cinematography but for this case I will use it as an example for editing and therefore this was done in editing to imply the moment that is happening and therefore show the audience in more detail how the character is feeling and the things that are happening around her. First we see her facial expression more due to the slow motion and then when she starts running and knocks out a few objects with her hands we see that in more detail to.From the start to end there is no transitions and only straight cuts are used. This fits in with the situation as it is a fast paced scene and therefore having slow type cuts doesn't make sense. At 0:22 we see a straight cut looking at the room door. This is a POV shot and this cut was used for 2 seconds and then cut back to the girl to show where she is looking at and also wants the audience to know that she is waiting for the door to open. This cut occurs at 0:39 seconds once again and cuts back to the protagonist. 

Target Audience: 

Certificate: UK 15

Borrowed Time

Mise-en-Scene:

The whole scene takes place in a old man's house and we are presented with a boy dressed in casual clothing holding a vintage style lamp which suggests the time period of the film or was simply used to give the cinematic feel of the film. At 0:15 seconds in we see the boy turn around and face a stuffed animal. This gives an impression that the owner of the house is old, has a love for animals or is an animal hunter. The scene continues with the perspective of the boy and we see some sort of broken down bits on the surfaces and again at 0:25 seconds we see a stuffed cow in the scene. The whole environment and room is very gloomy with the only source of light being the lamp and maybe an additional moonlight from a video which plays a role in the situation that the boy is in however challenges the genre of the film as it is a comedy/drama than a horror instead. At 0:42 seconds into the scene the household lights are turned on by the old man and we see he is dressed in his pyjamas and is seen holding a shotgun. The audience finally sees the character and all the objects seen in the house now make sense because his shotgun could potentially be the one that he uses for hunting. We also see the stairs chair in the scene which moves slowly but creates tension between the 2 characters.

Target Audience: 
Certificate: UK 15

Whiplash

Sound:

In this scene we are introduced with a very loud sound of a student playing a drum-kit which is quite alarming to the audience but 10 seconds later we here the antagonist, Fletcher shouting at the student and telling him to get off. The following student sits down to perform and Fletcher once again uses a harsh tone towards him and presents his frustration because he just wants one person to get the tempo right. The 2nd student begins to play and is disturbed once again by the teacher about 5 seconds later and we hear his voice through the sound of the drums. Now as the 3rd student, Nieman, who is the protagonist sits down we see a change in tone from the teacher which suggests the emotion that Fletcher has for this particular student. In fact his whole objective is to make Nieman the greatest drummer in the world and therefore he is less harsh on him at the beginning . I find this interesting as Nieman starts at the wrong tempo than both of the other students but Fletcher doesn't stop him suddenly like them which shows that he wants to give him a greater chance and that he also believes that he can achieve the needed tempo. While Nieman is playing the wrong tempo, Fletcher brings a cowbell next to his ear which connotes his frustration with sound instead of his voice. However later he keeps shouting at him and throws multiple musical objects which the audience hear minimally smashing into the walls because the sound of the drums is overpowering them.  At 1:45 we hear Fletcher say "Keep playing" instead of previously "Faster". This gives an impression that Nieman already reached the desired tempo but Fletcher wants to push him to the limit and see how long he can go on for. From 1:29 to 1:55 we hear a non diegetic sound of some sort of string instrument playing in the background which gives in to the intense atmosphere and the struggle that the student is having. When Fletcher signals him to stop we see 10 seconds of silence and he is told that he got the part.

Target Audience: 
Certificate: UK 15