Match on Action

Cutting on action or matching on action refers to film editing and video editing techniques where the editor cuts from one shot to the another view that matches the first shot's action.

When Spiderman first gets thrown into the wall it goes from him about to enter into the building to him entering and we as the audience are looking in and it is fluent. This is match on action.

3D Animation

I used a 3D animation software to make a scene of  Dark giant versus Giant Robot (my own characters). I was trying to show the setting of a city and it about to be destroyed by a giant robot hell bent on causing pain and taking over the world. Only One superhuman can stop this from happening...Dark Giant. He can grow to a larger than life size and wears all black, hence the nam Dark Giant. The frame show a face off between the two and one innocent bystander being protected by the hero of the story. Establishing shot to show full view of what is happening. This makes the genre Action thriller.

Mise-en-scene

This picture shows destruction which suggests the genre as being and Action Thriller. The fact that Batman stands above everyone tells us as an audience that he is a higher power through destruction. The all look up to him as almost a God like figure. He stands on top of a police car portraying how he doesn't abide by the law. His costume suggests that he is extraordinary and he is of course a hero and a guidance to all these people. He wears all black and long ears on the mask showing his symbol sd being a bat. This establishing shot really doess show his power as with all the police that surround Batman, they all still look to him as a guide. The backlight shows the fading of the city and how it is ruins, while the key light is on Batman as he is the dominant person.

Tzvetan Todorov's Theory of Narrative

Todorov suggested that conventional narratives are structured in five stages:

•  A state of equilibrium at the beginning
• A disruption of that state by an action
• The recognition that there has been a disruption
• An attempt to repair this disruption
• A reinstatment of equilibrium

This type of mainstream is familiar to us as viewers because it is used in alot of mainstream films

Shot Types

Extreme Wide Shot

The view is so far from the subjects are not visible. Often used as an establishing shot.

VWS (Very Wide Shot)

The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing him in his environment

 WS (Wide Shot)

The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible. Also known as a long shot or full shot.

MS (Mid Shot)

Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

MCU (Medium Close Up)

Half way between a MS and a CU

CU (Close Up) 

A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

ECU (Extreme Close Up)

The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

Cut-In

 Shows some (other) part of the subject in detail

CA (Cutaway)

A shot of something other than the subject

Two-Shot

A shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

Over-the-Shoulder Shot

Looking from behind a person at the subject

Noddy Shot

Usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subject.

POV (Point Of View Shot)

 Shows a view from the subject's perspective

Weather Shot

The subject is the weather. Can be used for other purposes, e.g. background for graphics.

Vladimir Propp’s Theory of Narrative

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narrative 'spheres of action' or functions. From a comprehensive study of folktales Propp came up with seven different character types:

• The hero, usually male, is the agent who restores the narrative equilibrium often by embarking upon a quest (or search). Propp distinguishes between the victim hero, who is the centre of the villain's attentions, and the seeker hero who aids others who are the villains victims. The hero is invariably the texts central character.
• The villain who usually creates the narrative disruption.
• The donor gives the hero something, it may be an object, information or advice, which helps in resolution of the narrative.
• The helper aids the hero in the task of restoring equilibrium.
• The princess (the victim) is usually the character most threatened by the villain and has to be saved, at the climax, by the hero. The father's (who in fairy tales was often the king) role is usually to give the princess away to the hero at the narrative's conclusion. He may also despatch the hero.
• The dispatcher sends the hero on her or his task (who can typically be the princess father)
• The false hero appears to be good but is revealed, at the narrative's end, to have been bad Characters can fulfil more than one sphere character type, for example; a princess may also be a helper.

Different Character types

Spoiler alert!!! (if you have not watched The Lion King this post will spoil it for you)

Lion King

The Hero = Simba
He comes back to Pride Rock to stop Scar and his evil ways of ruling the pride.

The Villain = Scar
He kills his own brother (Mufasa) to become King and drives his own nephew to run away from the pride by telling him he killed his own father.

The donor = Mufasa
he calls out to Simba from the dead to tell him he is the rightful King and he should go back and that Scar is his murderer.

The helper – Timone and Pumbaa

They meet Simba who has run away from his family and they try and teach him that they don't need anything but their surroundings. Until Simba meets Rafiki and his old childhood friend Nala and goes back to Pride Rock to become king, along with Timone and Pumbaa's help.

The princess – Nala

She is Simba's closeset friend and eventually love interest and comes to find him. Scar said to the pride that he had died. She needs saving from the horrible conditions at Pride rock.

The dispatcher – RafikiRafiki the wise old m,onkey helps Simba to speak to his father from the dead and gives him guuidance to take his place as king.

False hero - Scar

At the beginning Scar seems to show he is the loving brother who loves his nephew but something is mysterious about him and he ends up betraying his family.

Mise-en-scene

Shawshank Redemption front cover

 The fact that Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are in the centre of the picture draws attention to the fact that they may be the main characters. Freeman’s facial expression shows a sense of hope Juxtaposed with Robbins, who shows a more determined expression, this could suggest that they both have different goals set for themselves. Their eye lines seem to be looking in the same direction which shows that they are looking for something or maybe they have found it. Their costumes are a greyish colour giving it an old fashioned look to it which suggests the time period of the movie as being possibly in the early 1900s. The types of clothes connote imprisonment as in prisons your choice of clothing is not up to you which also suggest the lack of freedom. The dashes in the picture is supposed to be rain but the key light is quite a bright orange which could signify hope and the chance of seeing the Earth in a new light. The bottom of the picture only shows the back of Tim Robbins whose arms are out stretched as if to embrace the rain and the light which is on his face but the back of him is dark, which could symbolise that he is putting the past behind him and moving forward to the light. This theory is supported by the side which shows his back being darker than the side that shows his front. This medium shot has him centre stage and makes it all about him and his story. The racial make up of the movie can show it to be mixed as Freeman is of ethnic minority while Robbins is of white background. This could show that freedom is attainable for all races.