A2 Beginning - Review of AS opening sequence

Camera Angles - I felt that we had a good range of camera angles in our opening sequence, such as low angle and extreme close ups that I felt added to the piece.

Composition - I felt that our composition could have been improved to add to our piece.

Camera Movement - I felt our camera movement was very good, as for example we used a POV shot whilst running to add to the intensity.

Editing - I felt our editing was also very good, as our titles were wiped away by a running character which I felt worked very well.

Sound - I felt our sound was also very good, as it added to the pace and intensity of our opening sequence.

Mise-en-scene - I felt that this could have been improved, as I felt that we did not focus on this section too much.

Costume - I felt our costumes were also good, as the hooded figure added to the atmosphere and theme of our piece.

Lighting - I felt that our use of lighting could have been improved, as similarly to mise-en-scene it was not an area that we focused on.
Props - I felt our use of props was decent, as showed by the comedic use of the book.

Location - I felt our location could have been improved, however after reviewing the opening sequence post-production we were unable to think of a more suitable and viable location.

Opening Sequence Evaluation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUX9dt_kAT0&feature=channel_video_title

Opening Sequence

Evaluation of our opening sequence

Script for media presentation

1.)

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Our opening sequence goes against two stereotypes or conventions. One stereotype that we went against was the idea that a hero has to be brave or impressive. In our opening sequence, the characters are neither, as their failed attempts at parkour show. Another stereotype we go against is the negative impression of teenagers in society. This stereotype is that teenagers are dangerous and to be feared – whereas the teenage characters in our piece are, although hopeless, trying to be helpful.

We challenged these conventions by having both characters unimpressive at attempting to be smooth or fluid with their actions. For example, one clip is where Bradley fails to scale a small fence with any speed or technique, instead clambering over in an unconventional and inefficient way. This would not normally happen in a superhero movie, where the hero is fast and talented; however is a technique used in similar films, such as Kick-Ass. In a clip from Kick-Ass, the hero jumps down from a dumpster to look impressive in front of a friend; however he lands awkwardly and hurts his ankle, even though he falls from a short distance.

2.)

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social group that we portrayed in our opening sequence was of teenagers, but who have good intentions, although they are inadequate and their ambitions of being tough and heroic are misguided. In our opening sequence, gender is not represented in a typical way and does not conform to the superhero films the characters are attempting to imitate. Instead of the two male characters being brave and talented, they are weak and awkward with their actions. This links into our target audience of 15-21 year olds, as they are the most likely to find this type of humour funny, and also may be able to relate to the characters.

3.)

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

I believe that this would be distributed by a major Hollywood studio – although it may seem unconventional compared to the majority of films released by such a studio, this type of movie is becoming increasingly popular, with similar humour in movies such as Superbad, Kick-Ass and Get him to the Greek.

I believe that this could not be a TV movie, as this would go against the stereotypical films that are shown purely on TV, which are generally thought-provoking and controversial, whereas ours is intended to be light and humorous.

For similar reasons this could not be an arthouse movie, as these typically show deep and complex stories with intriguing storylines and metaphors, whereas ours is simple and designed to be enjoyable.

However, I believe that this has the potential to be an internet release, partly because of the main audience that uses the internet. This audience is similar to our target audience, which is of young adults. This would help and make the internet a suitable place for our release, as they would be more likely to be interested in the film and have the desire to watch it.

However, I do not believe that this movie, and indeed movies similar to it, have the potential to spawn a franchise, as I feel that the audience would be too familiar with the characters personality and their actions in certain challenging situations. For example, the audience will presume that whilst the character is weaker, they will overcome the obstacles that they face. However, I do feel that there is potential for merchandising from this film, as films such as Kick-Ass and Superbad have shown. For example, you can buy the costume that the main character wears in Kick-Ass, and also plastic figurines of him. From Superbad, you can buy t-shirts etc. with well-known Superbad quotes on.

4.)

Who would be the audience for your media product?

I believe that this movie could be shown to both genders, but would be primarily targeted at a younger audience, e.g. teenagers or young adults, as they would be able to relate to the characters and their everyday problems, but also find their journeys enjoyable and funny.

The two films that are most similar to ours are Superbad and Kick-Ass. Superbad is similar to ours as it follows three teenagers who, although well-meaning, are hopeless and at times show their immaturity. Kick-Ass is very similar to our movie, as it follows one ordinary teenager who decides to emulate his idols and become a superhero in his city.

5.)

How did you attract/address your audience?

To attract attention to our movie we would advertise it on social networking sites, and video-sharing sites, which could include Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as all three are used regularly by our target audience and have massive audiences.

One part of our opening sequence that would entertain our audience is the scene where Bradley fails to slide down a banister effectively, instead sliding too fast and colliding with the door at the bottom of the stairs. I felt that this would entertain the audience as the fast-paced camera work and lively soundtrack would make the reader think that the scene will be impressive, but instead it is embarrassing for the character.

The audience throughout our opening sequence alternates between being in the surrounding area and therefore having an unlimited view, to a point-of-view, which adds to the intensity of certain scenes. This has the effect of entertaining the viewer more so than normal, as they get a more intimate and close-up view of the scene, which makes them feel more involved.

6.)

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

The use of technology was one problem that we encountered during the production and filming of our opening sequence; the limited number of cameras meant that for some scenes we had to use a camera phone, which fortunately was of a very good quality, and as a result the audience does not sense the difference.

A specific problem that we faced during our filming process was a lack of time. We found that between holding down part-time jobs and having large amounts of coursework, the spare time we had was quite sparse, and so we needed to make the most of our time. We overcame this problem by making sure we effectively planned our filming before we had to do it, which saved us time planning when we could have been filming.

We used two different editing programs to edit our opening sequence, iMovie and Final Cut Express.  The main thing that we learnt from our editing process was that it was more difficult and time-consuming than we had first thought! We had presumed that we would just effectively chop and place clips in order, put sound on and our film would be complete. However, we learnt that editing was far more complex and intricate, and the various effects that were at our disposal were very complicated but could be used to good effect.  One effect that we both particularly found to be very effective was when Bradley lands on the carpet after a small but exaggerated jump; as his feet hit the ground the screen flashes dark momentarily and the music changes.

Another program that we used was Garageband, which we used to make our soundtrack. This was particularly effective as we were able to mix fast-paced music with slow, to make our opening sequence more entertaining.

7.)

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel that you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Our planning stage consisted of researching similar movies and storyboarding our scenes. This helped our ability to entertain the audience, as they allowed us to build a clearer picture of the movie that we wanted to produce. We also drew up a list of the shots that we wanted to capture, for example the extreme close-up on the characters eyes in a clichéd way. I also feel that our range of shot types was far better, for example we learnt shots throughout the whole process like point-of-view, which added to the fast-paced scenes in which we used it. I also felt that I have become far more confident with my ability to use the equipment, whether it be recording or editing software.

Overall, I feel that our end product was relatively successful in achieving its purpose of entertaining the audience. To improve it, I felt that we could have added more depth to the characters in the beginning, so the audience becomes immediately affiliated with them, and therefore almost becomes connected with them and hoping that they succeed.

Hotel Rwanda

Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. In only three months, one million people were brutally murdered. In the face of these unspeakable actions, inspired by his love for his family, an ordinary man summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.



The shot pictured above shows a good use of lighting - the natural light on one side of his face shows his hope for the future.

This shot shows a good use of composition - the way the main character is stood at the front shows how much responsibility is on his shoulders, and how much the people stood behind him expect from him.

Major labels V Independent labels (in terms of CD's and iPods)

Major record labels

EMI have handled the transition from CD to MP3 very well. Unlike independent record labels, they had the ability to have their artists MP3's put on services such as iTunes and Spotify quickly and easily, generating millions of hits and encouraging sales. They can also advertise their artists on a larger scale than other smaller labels. This is done by a sort of domino effect. For example, one EMI artist releases a new song that is put on YouTube. Underneath the video are details of how to download the track, suggestions of other EMI artists to listen to and so on.

Independent record labels

Finders Keepers have also handled the transition well, but in a very different way to EMI. Instead of moving from CD to MP3 completely, Finders Keepers still sell CD's, but they produce them only when they are ordered. They do this because they realised that, when the popularity of CD's decreased, as would the price of buying and producing the CD's.

'The Digital Decade'

The digital decade covers the transition of music from CD's to online music, such as MP3's.
The digital decade bought problems to the music industry though - people could now p2p file-share their music, costing the music industry billions of dollars of revenue.
This was extremely difficult to contain: if they sued one person it would make them look harsh, but if they closed down p2p sites or programmes such as Limewire then a new one would take its place immediately.
The music industry was also slow to catch on to the potential that online music bought - missing out on creating massive services such as iTunes, YouTube and Spotify.
This is an example of how the gap between major and independent labels is widening - as major labels find it easy to get their music on large services such as iTunes, whereas independent labels find it much harder.

Prison Break

Prison break was an american television serial drama which was televised from 2005-2009, releasing four seasons and 81 episodes in total. The story is based around Michael (pictured right) and Lincoln Schofield (pictured left). Lincoln is wrongly incarcerated for a murder he did not commit, and Michael, a structural engineer devises an elaborate plan for his brother to escape.

Michael commits an armed robbery, which means that he is too incarcerated at Fox River State Penitentiary with Lincoln. Whilst there, he plans and succesfully exectutes the escape plan with his brother, however, also with several other prisoners, who had learnt of Michael's plan and threatened to tell the authorities.

The next three seasons follow their escape from the authorities, and the storyline twists when "The Company", who were responsible for framing Lincoln, also start pursuing them. Until the last few episodes, the story revolves around The Company and the authorities pursuing and sometimes arresting the fugitives, and the opportunities for the fugitivies to negotiate their freedom.

The Long Tail Theory

The Long Tail theory proposed that instead of present day, where 20% of artists are responsible for 80% of sales, the future would see a drastic change, to the other 80% of artists contributing over half of music sales.

An example of the major record labels artists popularity is pictured below:

Superbad

Superbad is one of the films we based our opening sequence around - the idea of people trying to be something they are not, in our case attempting elaborate stunts and parkour moves to little effect.

Superbad is one of the funniest films I have watched, and the two shots shown above are a good representation of the type of humour the film uses. The first picture shows the unpopular character attempting to dance with the girl he likes, and dancing in a strange way. The second picture is part of a clip that is in slow-mo, which in other films would make the characters seem tough and heroic, whereas due to their situation and clothing it makes these two characters seem funny and uncool.

I Am Playr

I Am Playr is an interactive game located on the social networking site FaceBook, and was created by Nike. Nike frequently use their sponsored players in the game, such as Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott, who are both international footballers.
http://iamplayr.com/

The game is designed to be an interactive representation of the life of a professional footballer, and gives frequent decision making opportunities such as the choice pictured above.

The British Board of Film Classification

The British Board of Film Classification is responsible for giving every new film in Britain a rating, for example a U/PG or a 18.

U stands for universal - suitable for anyone to watch.
PG stands for Parental Guidance - suitable for most people, but younger children may need to watch the film with parents because, for example, of mild comedy violence.
12 is literally the minimum recommended age for a person to watch the film. Although people under the age of 12 will be allowed to watch this film in the cinema, they must be accompanied by an adult.
15 is also the minimum recommended age for a person to watch the film, as it may contain mild nudity, violence and swearing.
18 is the highest rating a film can be given, and will probably contain frequent and graphic violence, nudity and frequent swearing.
Some films are too explicit to be given a rating and are therefore banned by the board to be shown in Britain.

Vevo

Vevo is a new music website, and is similar to YouTube. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009, and at present day contains around 27,000 videos.

It is a joint venture with: Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media, with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake.

VEVO offers music videos from three of the 'big four' major record labels: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and EMI.

The VEVO service in the UK was launched on April 26, 2011, and this also saw the VEVO app for the first time on the UK app store on iTunes, which has massive potential to increase VEVO's popularity.

Gran Turismo 5

I chose to write about Gran Turismo 5 as it is one of the biggest games ever - and also had an amazing production. It took several years to complete, and comes with over 1000 cars, 26 locations and 71 tracks. It can also be played online - however due to the recent disruption with the Playstation network service, this is unavailable. It was reviewed positively by every source I found, one even being 10/10 (found at http://www.destructoid.com/review-gran-turismo-5-188383.phtml)

Official PS3 Magazine	Gold
GamePro	Editor's Choice
PlayGamer	Editor's Choice
PSX Extreme	Best Sound Effects of the Year
Gamescom 2010	Best Console Game
Tokyo Game Show	Future Game Award
Play (UK magazine)	Technical Merit, Editor's Choice
GameTrailers	Best Racing Game
GameSpot	Best Driving Game, Readers' Choice
GameRevolution	Best Racing Game
PlayStation LifeStyle	Best Racing Game of 2010
PlayStation Universe	Best Driving Game

Any Given Sunday

This scene is from a half-time speech in an American Football game, from the film Any Given Sunday. The coach, played by Al Pacino, gives an inspirational speech that has a great effect on the team, which turns their game around.

One way in which the speech is intensified is through the use of the soundtrack. At the start when the player's morale is low, the music is slow and quiet, but as the coach starts to inspire the players the music gets slightly louder and more promising.

The use of camera shots and angles also added to the effect of the scene. One effect in particular was the gradual zoom on the coaches face. At the start the camera is not zoomed in, instead showing a medium shot of the coach with some of the team shown, as pictured at the top. As the speech goes on and the mood changes, the camera angle that is shown above is shown again, but this time more zoomed in, this effect being used several times, until finally there is a close-up of the coach.

Finders Keepers



As part of my personal research, I studied Finders Keepers, who are an independent record label. I felt that this was the best example to compare to a major record label, as it is the perfect representation of a normal independent record label. This is because its operations, such as marketing, distribution, production, ownership and exchange are low-key and low cost, in contrast to major record labels such as EMI (the other label in my research.)

Production Notes

So far, Bradley and me have filmed several times, producing a few minutes of footage, which we narrowed down (e.g. removing poor clips.) During our filming, we constantly think up new ideas which we wouldn’t have thought of previously. However, this sometimes causes a problem as the shots or scenes can sometimes detract from the plot of the opening sequence.

One shot in particular we wanted to do was inspired by other spoofs, such as Hot Fuzz and more recently, Kick-Ass. They parody older action/superhero movies, and their use of a rapid zoom onto the character’s eyes. Although this took us a while to do perfectly, we felt that the resulting shot added to the feel of our film.

Another shot that we want to do, but haven’t yet, is a low angle shot. However, as this shot is used regularly in films today, we still need to think of a twist that would make the shot seem clichéd. The result of this will hopefully be that the audience reacts in a different way than the low angle shot normally would prompt. Instead of the character being portrayed as heroic and brave, it will hopefully look cheap and over-used.

We also need to do more on our editing and sound that would add to the feel of the opening sequence. For example, we will be filming a few scenes shortly that use fast-cutting editing, as this technique is also used a lot in action movies, to add to their intense feel. However, in our piece we hope that by using this frequently it will reverse the effect, as the frequent use of this technique will make the scene look nervous and rushed.

EMI - 'The Electrical and Music Industries'

As part of my major and independent record label research, I investigated and created a case study which covers the various aspects of EMI, such as it's methods of production and distribution.

Timeline of EMI :

Formed in 1931 in London as 'The Electrical and Music Industries'
Introduced the first vinyl in 1948
Released music by Elvis in the USA & UK in 1956
Signed Cliff Richard in 1958 - the start of a 50+ year career!
Signed the Beatles to a subsidary label (Parlophone) in 1962 - sold approx. 600million albums!
Vertically integrated Tamla Motown - was a global success! - music from Jackson 5 & Diana Ross
Also signed artists from other genres, such as Queen and The Rolling Stones
BUT.....
Music sales slowed in the 1980's
This forced EMI to change their direction twice, from music like Iron Maiden to Duran Duran
They started to catch up with new technology in 1986 - started manafacturing CD's
Bought undisputed rights to soundtracks from 'Wizard of Oz', 'Singing in the Rain' and more

EMI were also responsible for the first internet video single in 2001.
They were also the first label to release singles at the same time as radio (in 2002.)
In 2005 they made a deal with Disney to sell their soundtracks through EMI.
In 2007, they were taken over by Terra Firma in a £4.2 billion deal.
Yet this move caused controversy, as Radiohead left the label and released their album 'Rainbows' online, but users could pay what they liked and it had no copyright rules.
They also angered Pink Floyd in 2010, and were succesfully sued by them over the sales of their singles.
However, in 2010 they finally reached a deal with iTunes which saw the Beatles disocgraphy on the iTunes store for the first time, which produced huge interest and sales.

EMI has embraced new media technology, as they now scout sites such as MySpace, YouTube and Facebook to find up and coming artists from around the world.
However, their profits are contsantly limited by P2P sharing, which is now estimated to cost the music industry as a whole $10billion a year, as 7 million people in the UK alone file-share online.

Football 365

Football365.com, or simply F365, is a website which is operated by 365 Media Group: a wholly-owned subsidiary of BSkyB from its bases in both Leeds and Cape Town.
The website primarily covers the Premier League, as well as other European leagues and cups.
It takes an informal and humorous approach to dealing with the latest football news.
Their mailbox feature regularly publishes e-mails that have views on football.
The site was founded in 1997 by journalist Danny Kelly, along with Dan Thompson and Simon Morris, a former Marketing Director of BSkyB.
In 1999, the height of the dot-com bubble, the sites' parent company 365 Corporation floated on the London Stock Exchange, peaking at a value of £500 million shortly after launch.


I enjoy using this website as it gains its information from sources all over the world, formal and informal. In particular, it as a daily article called 'mediawatch', where it publishes all of the news from Television and newspaper reports, some informal. It is also one of the first news outlets to publish breaking stories such as England's World Cup squad in 2010. It also allows me to keep up to date with my favourite football team, and gives links to other types of media concerning football, such as the magasine FourFourTwo and it's page on Facebook. It also links in advertisements that relate to football. For example, as of March 2011, an advert with a Premiership footballer is at the top, designed by Umbro. Along the side and lower down the home page are forums, e-mail sections and links to betting sites.

The Football Ramble (Podcast)

The Football Ramble is a podcast about football, produced in London by The Football Ramble Ltd. Originally provided fortnightly, this was increased to a weekly show at the beginning of the 09/10 football season, mainly due to repeated listener requests.
It is presented by Marcus Speller, who is joined by Luke Moore, Xfm DJ Pete Donaldson , and James "OrJim" Campbell. On the podcast, emphasis is placed upon European, South American and World Football, providing an irreverent viewpoint on the sporting issues of the day.

The reason I enjoy this podcast is because of its informal nature along with its informative approach to football.

Jack Johnson - At Or With Me (Music Video)

At Or With Me is a song taken from Jack Johnson's album To The Sea. The reason I like the video is because of its originality and creativity. It features acting from members of the comedy band, The Lonely Island.

This shot above is very good, as it plays off the stereotypes of dated fighting/action films. The character in the middle has just removed his sunglasses in slow motion, whilst tense music plays in the background. The two characters flanking him are dressed smartly, and their composition at either side makes it seem as if they are guarding the middle character.

I also liked the editing inbetween this shot and the shot pictured below. The camera zooms out whilst tracking in to create a distorted feel.

This shot is very similar to the shot previously discussed. The extreme close-up is another technique which is normally used to show emotions, yet this is used to mock this idea.

This is another shot I enjoyed, as the composition shows the characters to not be paying attention, instead on their mobile phones. This adds to the storyline of the video as they are arrogant and rude characters.



The Godfather Part II

The Godfather Part II -The continuing saga of the Corleone crime family tells the story of a young Vito Corleone growing up in Sicily and in 1910s New York; and follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s as he attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

One particular thing I have noticed about this movie, and the other Godfather films, is the use of costume. I especially like this as the era and style of the time and location have been carefully researched, for example, most of the men in the movie wear hats whilst wearing suits. This would have been common in that time period but unusual now.

This shot (coupled with the opening titles) is one of my favourite throughout the movie. Even though it is very simple as a shot, it is very effective if the viewer understands the storyline of the short part of the movie so far, and also the first Godfather film. This chair is shown to be empty, with the sign that someone has recently sat in it. I interpreted this to be the late Vito (or Don Corleone throughout much of the first movie) Corleone's old chair. As Michael ( Vito Corleone's son) is in the room, slow music accompanies the introduction of this chair, which is particularly significant as this shows how Michael is missing his fathers prescence and influence.

This is another shot I found to be effective. Moments before, a mourner at the funeral procession has been shot and presumably killed by a gunshot from an unseen gunman. I particularly liked this shot as it captures the typical reaction of confusion and panic, as the characters run in all directions, some still carrying their large, heavy instruments.



The Godfather

The Godfather is a 1972 American mob-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and Robert Towne (uncredited). It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton, and features John Cazale, Talia Shire, Al Martino, and Abe Vigoda. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the fictional Italian American Corleone crime family. Two sequels followed: The Godfather Part II in 1974, and The Godfather Part III in 1990.

The first shot I liked was a reverse shot of Don Corleone, the leader of the family. He is listening to a request from another man whilst sat a desk, and the reverse shot shows Don Corleone in the shade. The reverse shot also hides Don Corleones face, which could be used to hide his emotions and his reaction to the request.

One shot I liked in the movie was of Michael, the Corleone family lawyer. He is talking to a famous movie director, and trying to get an associate of the Corleone family the lead role in a new film. They are stood in a hangar, and one side of Michaels face is lit whilst the other is in the shadow. I liked this shot because the light on one half of his face and the dark on the other shows his two conlficting emotions.

A scene I liked was the famous scene when the movie director wakes up to find his prized horse's head at the foot of his bed as punishment for not granting Michael's request. I liked this scene because of the music and camerawork before he woke up. The music was very sinister and foreboding, and the camera showed different shots of the house, ending with a shot of the mans bedroom from the outside.

Pirates Of The Carribean : At Worlds End

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a 2007 adventure fantasy film, the third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The plot follows Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and the crew of the Black Pearl rescuing Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), from Davy Jones's Locker, and then preparing to fight the East India Trading Company, led by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who plan to extinguish piracy.

This movie is particularly good at using camera shots to provide the viewer with a certain feeling. An example of this is below, where the three protagonists are walking to meet important enemies. This shot is an establishing shot which shows their isolation, and the composition which shows them at the front and centre highlights their importance.

Another shot that is particularly effective is pictured below, in particular the composition. This shows the character at the foreground to be more important in the scene and the movie than the characters in the background.

Another shot used is a high angle shot of the two characters pictured below. These two characters in the Pirates of the Carribean series are significantly less intelligent and important than the other characters, even within the pirate crew. This high angle shot shows their weakness, and the way they are covered in ice highlights their lack of intelligence.



My Name Is Khan - Representation of Disability

My Name Is Khan

My Name Is Khan was released in February 2010, and is about a muslim named Rizwan Khan, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome. After the death of his mother he moves from India to San Fransisco to work for his brother. Whilst working, he meets a Hindu woman (Mandira) and her son (Sameer) from a previous marriage, and eventually marries her. However, their perfect life is disturbed by the events of 9/11, and the prejudice against Muslims as a result. As a result, Sameer is the victim of a racially motivated assault, which leads to his death. Mandira blames Rizwan for his death, stating that Sameer only died because of his Muslim second name of Khan. In her grief, she sarcastically tells him to tell the people of America and the President that his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist.

He takes the request seriously, not attempting to contact her until he fulfills his mission. He attempts to meet President Bush, but his shouts of "My name is Khan, and i'm not a terrorist" creates a panic in the crowd and leads to his arrest.

Mandira rediscovers her love for Rizwan, and joins him in Georgia. With Mandira's help and nationwide interest, he meets President-in-elect Barack Obama who tells him: "You are Khan, and you are not a terrorist."

Disability is portrayed throughout the film to help and hinder Rizwan in different scenarios. Because of his disability, he is immune to understanding jokes and sarcasm, and also does not fully understand peopl's emotions. This appears to help at sad points in his life, such as the death of his mother and Sameer. He also learned very quickly as a child to repair things, and is extremely intelligent.

However, his disability can also hinder him. An example of this is at the start of the film, where the viewer doesn't know he is disabled. The viewer sees him staggering through the airport with a large rucksack and talking to himself, and makes assumptions about the character.

His disability can be used by the directors to manipulate the reader, through different techniqes such as sound and camera shots and angles. A primary example of this is sound, when Rizwan sees something he doesn't like due to his disability e.g. the colour yellow, or hears loud noises, the noises and sights are amplified to attempt to convey the feelings that Rizwan is experiencing to the viewer. High angle shots are often used in situations where is a weaker character, such as when being interrogated by the police.

Production Notes - Alex and Bradley

Production Notes

Over the past couple of weeks, myself and Bradley have produced a number of notes about our production (opening sequence of a movie).

We also designed three storyboards, one scene for each of the characters in our opening sequence.

We have also discussed possible titles for the movie, but have yet to decide on a final name.

We have also decided how we would present the title of the film in the opening sequence. The idea we had came from other superhero movies which we are making a spoof of. The idea we have is that one of the characters punches the camera, their fist leaving an imprint on the camera, which reads the name of the film.

Another aspect of the opening sequence we discussed was potential locations. The locations we have established (there could be more in the near future) are:

  Disused car park
Room in school - dark, small room - hostage scene
Old performance hall.

We have also decided on our "superheros". I play "Spider-Thing". This is a parody of Spiderman, as instead of gaining spider-like instincts, abilities and reflexes I only gain the ability to produce a small, harmless spider.

Bradley's superhero is named "Trainer Boy". His superpower is the ability to change the colour or design of his clothing.

"Hot Fuzz"

Hot Fuzz

.

The movie "Hot Fuzz", covers the story of a police officer who is moved from London to "Sanford", a fictional town set in rural countryside. The contrasts between his antics in London and Sanford are massive. For example, when Nicholas, the protagonist played by Simon Pegg, is in London, the editing is fast-paced with lots of frantic diagetic sounds of shouting and violence. This changes when he re-locates to Sanford, as the sounds of violence are replaced with sounds of wildlife and peaceful, tranquil village life.

The movie aims to play off the stereotypes laid down by dramatised American action films, for example Bad Boys and Point Break. The director of Hot Fuzz uses similar techniques but in a satirical way, as shown in the picture above. Whereas in these American movies the protagonist is regularly portrayed in slow-motion effects, always being the hero/god like figure, Hot Fuzz uses this technique of over-dramatising almost every scene. Another example of this would be the excessively violent scenes towards the end of the movie pictured above.