Sliding Doors analysis

Sliding doors research/analysis for film.

I have chosen to analyse the movie Sliding Doors because its storyline has similar aspects as our film. The main plotline is that a woman’s life is changed by a split second -missing a tube. Her life then splits into two and the audience is allowed to see the difference between both of her lives.
At the point which changes her life there is a bright, white flash which indicates to the audience that there is something abnormal happening. The advantage of this is that there is a point which is very clear to the audience. However, the bright, white flash goes against the normal conventions of film making. The usual meaning of a white flash is that the character is suffering from flash backs. This shows that the makers of the movie are trying to break away from tradition and make their film original.

There is also a section of a scene where there is a rewind effect. This shows the audience that the character is going back in time; there is an instant feel that the future will change. This has an effective influence on the film and it shows me that the makers are not afraid to try new, relatively unused effects in their movie. This might be a good effect to use in our film; however we might face problems due to our limited editing knowledge and the software which we use.
During the film we, as an audience, can see that if the two women were indeed separate people that they would come into contact frequently, which helps build suspense. Although we cannot make the characters come into contact with each other, we could show the male walking in the footsteps of his deceased girlfriend.

In the split second life changing scene both women occupy the same scene. Although they are not visibly in the same shot, there is aot point of view shot. The audience feel that it is the woman’s point of view, looking out of the window onto the station platform and seeing what would have been herself standing there. There is also a point of view shot from the character standing on the station and where the location where the previous point of view shot is an empty seat. Although this adds to the suspense and effect of the movie, it might be confusing for some viewers which limits the potential audience to somewhat intelligent people. Although we could complicate the storyline in our film, I think that it would give the film a better chance of success if we keep the storyline less demanding.

The woman is seen throughout the movie as 2 different characters both physically and mentally. Although physical features such as hairstyles separate the women by looks they have clearly become two different women entirely due to the split second which changed their lives. In our film we will be able to distinguish between each character as they will be completely different- one will be a male and the other a female. The production team changed the physical attributes of the character so that it will be easier for the audience to distinguish between them.

Mise en scene

Makeup
The main female character wears plain discrete makeup which gives her a plain look. This adds to the feel that she is boring and it comes to no surprise that he husband has an affair with Lydia, a glamorous powerful business woman. Lydia wears dark eye makeup and red lipstick throughout the movie. This gives the character a glamorous high maintenance look and her red lipstick has connotations- that she is “slutty” and “dangerous”.
Makeup is also used to create a cuts, bruises and wounds on a character. This is to show the effect that both violence and an accident has had on her. Without this makeup it wouldn’t show the seriousness of the injuries and the audience would either play down the wounds or not notice them at all.

Street scenes
The street scenes are set in London and they appear to be shot in the real streets rather than in a studio. The weather is typical “English weather” as it is often grey and rainy. This adds to the depressing mood of some scenes. However this weather could give the production team problems because it is important to keep continuity in a film as you cannot have different weather conditions in the same scene.

Sets
The scenes where artificial sets are used include areas such as a house, sandwich bar and an office building. The sets appear real to the audience as there is detail which would ordinarily be found in those areas in real life such as food products and office files.

Camera shots/ movements
There are a variety of different camera movements throughout the movie. There is a scene where Tracking is used. The camera runs along side of the river, following a main character rowing. This is a good type of camera movement for this type of shot because the track keeps the camera steady throughout the entire movement.

Panning is also used which shows directs the audience’s attention from one character to another. This is more effective (in this case) than a simple clean cut edit because it creates a flow in the scene and keeps the atmosphere and feel of the scene without interrupting it.

The camera also zooms in and zooms out, this is to make the audience notice detail and facial expressions such as smiles and in one shot it zooms in a tear on the characters cheek.

There is also a number of different shots including, Long shots, Extreme close-ups, Close-ups, Establishing shots, Extreme Long shots, Mid close-ups, Mid shots and a Crane shot, which shows the character from above and his surroundings.

This diagram shows the 180 Degree Rule in practice. This rule is where a line is drawn through a set or a layout of the set. The camera cannot pass the line but can stay on or around the semicircle. When this rule is broken the continuity of the shot is ruined because both characters will be looking in the same direction when the two shots are editted together.

Seven Film Analysis

Colour and Lighting

• Dark contrast between shadows and light.
• Dark black and white/ brown colours.
• Some colour mostly red which stands out.
• Shadows are cast by moving objects.

Mise en Scene

• Hands are the only part of the figure we see- giving an air of mystery to them. Makes the audience wonder who it is ? And what he is there for?
• Flashes of light distorts the flowing of the shots. Disorientates the audience.
• Focus and out of focus shots
• Books and drawings/photos of the figure- gives the feel that the figure is planning something.

Editing

• Flashes of light whilst the jump cuts take place. Disorientates the audience gives a sinister atmosphere.
• Fade cuts- fades into the background making the audience feel that time has passed and the figure is still doing the same thing.

Sound

• Non- diegetic sound only. This is to add to the mystery of the film and to add an extra dimension to the opening scene

Cartoon Effect
The main noticeable feature of the opening scene of the movie Juno is the Cartoon background. This may suggest the childish/immature nature of the main character seen walking throughout the scene. This opinion may be formed due to a stereotypical view that cartoons or animations are most enjoyed by an immature individuals and children.

Introducing the main character
The first impression by the viewer may be that the girl is walking to meet friends as she is often seen smiling which makes you think that she is looking forward to what is ahead. However, when she is seen going into a pharmacy to get a pregnancy test it shocks the audience because she is young and immature; not what a potential mother is usually represented as. ( A caring, mature woman usually in her 20's or 30's who is in a stable relationship).

Representation and Stereotypes
The opening scene boldly adresses the taboo of teenage pregnancy as it is a main problem in todays society. I think that the opening scene was designed to shock the audience whilst adressing the stereotypical view- showing people that stereotypes of people especially pregnant teenagers are not always right.

Ideas for my movie
This opening scene will help me design my opening scene to my movie as it has shown me that to keep the audience interested it needs to present questions to the viewer that they will keep watching to find out what the answers are. It has also shown me what would not be appropriate to animate or add cartoons into my movie as it would take too much time to create. There is also not enough funds available to create it to a good standard.

Potential Film Synopsis Idea

A girl and her family move to Houston, Texas from England. Then one night whilst watching T.V. a crazed man, ho has just escaped from a local Mental Health Assylum, breaks into the house and slaughters Hollys family infront of her. He leaves her for dead. The movie is set 10 years after the murders and a nineteen year old Holly discharges herself from a psychiatric ward. The audience follows her pathway to a new life. She has no memory of her past as doctors trialled a new drug which has wiped her slate clean. A few months after her freedom she begins to suffer with flashbacks. Follow the journey of discovery but how will she handle the truth? and will the urge for revenge take over?

My group

My group consists of

Me( Kayleigh Harris)
Kirtsty Clark
Grace Bovan
Laura Harris

and together we are

Funky Monkey Productions !

Stereotypes in film- Mean Girls

Mean Girls and its audience

Mean Girls is a Hollywood movie produced by Paramount in 2004. The storyline is based upon a teenage girl and her first encounters with High School life. She then is influenced to go undercover into a group of popular "Plastic" girls to find out their dirty secrets, however once in the group she gives in to her urge of becoming popular and becomes just as "bitchy" as the other girls.
The target audience for this movie is teenage girls ranging from 12, as the film is certified a 12A, to 16. All though this is a small target audience the film was majorly successful. I think that this was because it had a comical edge which attracted people from outside the intended audience. The target audience was also a big market as there is a shortage of films which appeal directly to teenage girls, which means that any film that does come out would become a necessity for them to watch. There are very memorable quotes that spring up throughout the movie which were placed specifically by the writers to get the audience to repeat them in everyday life which would then in turn “spread the word" and give them a larger potential audience as well as free advertising. The movie consists of allot of stereotypes and relies on its target audience to take it's sometimes patronising message as funny and light-hearted enjoyment, however this may send the message to young, easily lead girls that it is ok to be "bitchy" and to stereotype and has therefore caused controversy.

Stereotypes in Mean Girls
Karen
Karen is one of the main characters and is seen as “Dumb teen". She is ridiculed by the students outside her friendship group as being a "blonde bimbo"; she has good looks and is completely unaware of her stupidity. She is often looked down on by her peers, suggesting that her opinion or say is not valid or worth listening to. However, although the other onscreen characters poke fun at her the audience become somewhat attached to her and laugh along with her rather than cruelly at her.

Cady
Cady is the main character and starts out in the movie as the loner, however after being persuaded by Janice and Damien she becomes a superficial teen. She represents how an innocent person can be tainted by High School life and the people in it. Once in with the "Plastics" she becomes self obsessed and plays down her intelligence as it is seen as uncoil because it is a threat to the other girls in the group. She then also fits the stereotypical role as perusing Aaron as a potential boyfriend, she plays stupid as that is what she thinks will attract him to her, and this is also a stereotypical view but this time not from the writers or audience but by a character within the film. This shows that stereotypes are everywhere and that they are unavoidable.

Regina
Regina is the leader of the "plastics" and is referred to as "the queen bee”. She is a superficial teen as she is consumed with unimportant problems such as becoming homecoming queen. She also manages to manipulate both the head teacher- after publishing "the burn book"(a book full of girls photos with inappropriate nasty comments written on them) as well as her mother- by telling her what to wear and what to do in order to not make her embarrassed however her "Mom" thinks that she is "keeping her young" and appreciates her rude criticisms. Near the climax of the storyline she manages to alienate herself from all her friends due to her brash and self obsessed behaviour, which also complies with the rules of a superficial teen stereotype.

Regina’s mother
Regina’s mother stereotyped as a blonde, rich, white woman. She is dressed in a pink tracksuit with bling diamond necklace; she has also had a boob job which concurs with the opinion that she is absorbed in her looks. The self proclaimed "cool Mom" is also a single mother, she represents a mum trying to compensate for the fact that she has failed in a relationship leaving her daughters to live in a broken home.