AS Media Studies Coursework

In the opening of Citizen Kane there are many different shots and effects that are used. A close up shot  of sign stating 'No trespassing', suggests someone may be trespassing or whatever beyond there is dangerous. The establishing shot of the castle show were the events are taking place and sets the tone of the scene. Extreme close up shots are also used to emphasize the importance of some scenes. For example when the Kane speaks his final words,  the scene only shows his lips. This connotes that his final words has a significant meaning. The director, Orson Welles, uses a variety of different camera angle to add onto the eerie atmosphere of the scene. For example, a low angle shot of the castle makes the castle look superior. This creates tension and suspense. Whereas, the high angle shots of the boats show the inferiority compared to the castle. The pan also helps us scope out the emptiness of the surrounding area of the castle and to emphasize its vastness. As we get cl...

Continuity Editing Continuity editing is used to show a progression of events, which appear to be happening continuously. For example,  Car speeding from the police Old person crossing the street Shot of car going out of control Close up shot of the old person terrified face  Blank screen Now if you reverse this scene it has a totally different meaning (old person spectating the car chase). Continuity editing allows the editor to have huge amount of freedom to change the flow of the scene. This is all to help the audience understand the story-line and build dramatic effect. Accelerating Time This is a process where time is condensed and expanded to the point something that can take 1 hour to film, can be shown in 30 seconds. For example, a person going to their work place can take an hour or two but can be condensed to only show main parts of their journey. This is so the movie can progress faster with the story-line. Expanding Time Sometimes...

My initial ideas for our opening scene is a young man who wants to become wealthy fast. The opening scene will include different strategies for him to gain 'fast money'. For example, music, poker and even daily busking. His money motivation derives from a troubled childhood. Near the end of the scene he meets a 'friend', which has similar but 'different' ways of obtaining the wealth. The genre of the film of will most likely be drama or comedy to try a establish a connection with our audience. For example Maslows hierachy of needs; These needs help us scope out the needs of our audience. By understanding what they need, for example self-esteem, we can develop a relationship with the audience. -His first idea is to read up on famous people who got rich and their 'GET RICH FAST' book. -His second idea is to become a rapper and gain 'music-money'.

1. At a micro, technical level, how well did you observe the conventions of continuity and the language of editing? The scene we created involved a disturbed patient going to his weekly psychiatrist. We demonstrated the an establishing shot of the 'psychiatrist office', in the opening scenes. This accompanied the match on action shot that was used by Danny (patient) entering the building. We used a wide shot to show Danny walking to his appointment, this helped us see more of the building and aided the audience to understand the setting of the place. We used a medium-close up shot to show an interaction between the receptionist (Owen) and Danny, for the audience to get a closer look at how Danny's character is portrayed. Next we used a close-up to show turmoil between the two characters, Danny and Omar, this again gave us a further insight on how Danny's role in society and how he is shown. We then used the shot-reverse shot to show the communication between Dan...