This film is not yet rated notes

MPAA won't let anyone inside. Most controversial are the ones they rate NC 17

Lack of training leads to the ratings that are given are down to biased opinions of the raters.

They made a comment about R ratings VS the NC 17 rating. This ruins their sales. 10s of millions of dollars could make a difference whether it's R or NC 17.

The rating it gets limits your ability to market the film. 

Big criticisms of Jack Velenti is that it works to make £ for studio/doesn't really treat indies equally.

Jay Landies/Stephen Faber

MPAA is a form of censorship. The MPAA isn't suppose to censor things but it does. They are accused of censoring. 

Americas first amendment is freedom of speech + right to oppression. 

Instead of censoring they need to regulate guidelines.

More negatives:

Not informative as to why it's rated an NC 17

Makes the director unhappy because of how hard they have worked on it

They are felt discriminated against 

They have to cut some things out of the film which may be important

MPAA:

Look at a film and try to decide the rating on a film. They are told that they are the last barrier in what children will see. They make up standards. They take themselves very seriously.

G means general audiences.

GG means parental guidance

PG13 parents are strongly warned

R means restricted. No children 17 or under without parent or guardian.

NC-17 means no children 17 or under at all.

If you chose not to accept the rating they aren't allowed to advertise it on TV as much. And if they do it says 'This film has not been rated' 

They don't give specific ratings because they don't want to be a censorship service

OTHER NOTES

Mark Urman - head of US film thingy

David Asen - Film critic

Stephen Farber - Former MPAA rater

Jay Landers - Former MPAA rater

Joan Graves ratings board chairperson.

Martin Garbus
Anthony Hay - Senior rater
Arleen bates - Rater
Matt ioakimedes - Rater
Joan Worden - Rater
Scott Young - Rater
Joann Yatabe - Rater
Howard Fridkin - Rater
Michael Mcclean - Bored member rater person thing
James Wall - clergy board member                                  

Dan  Clickman - Was given ratings system by Jack Velenti

Apparently for a gay movie type thing it's harder to get an R rating than it is if you were straight.

The MPAA is homophobic/racist 

Sex scenes get a NC-17 rating whereas Violence gets a lower rating.

People don't think that the MPAA should hide in secret.

Clergy - Member of a church

Can go into a place and appeal to get your film rated. You aren't allowed to reference

Ideology - Set of ideas or values that are being sold to us by this documentary


Watch movie, discuss it, cast a vote.

2 Clergy on the board, catholic priest and ???

Members of the appeals board were made up of film buyers and people who work for big studios. The people that are controlling the appeals process are major film stuidos/owners or runners. And major films distribution owners.

People that own cinemas on this board. No representative for members of the public on this. MPAA uses parents with 'children'

No indication of parents being homosexual.

If unhappy with rating go appeal where major studio players and priests reject it again.

2 processes have and neither of the people on those processes have a good representative of the American population.


MAJOR NEGATIVES/DISADVANTAGES TO MPAA

They are homophobic. (HAVE TO SAY POSSIBLY) Ex MPAA rater said not to his knowledge were any members of the board gay (10 years he had been on it) Jay Landers says 'Not to my knowledge' - Using that as a disadvantage because it means that they are biased. Not an accurate representation of parents. Not taking into consideration that you need a representative cross section of different parents.

No criteria for members 'average parent' No qualifications required and no training. Person who said this 'Steve Farber' Former MPAA member. 'Stephen Farber ex MPAA member said no qualification needed or no training given' Negative because: What gives them the right to do that, what makes these people appropriate to rate films

Major studios control the appeals process. Kirby Dick hires investigator to find names of them. It's not fair on independent film makers. Kimberly Peirce director of 'Boys don't cry' talks about how unfair she found it.

Sex scenes get a NC-17 rating rather than violent scenes. Doesn't teach kids a good message if they get to see violence and blood and gore rather than a sex scene. It's basically saying that Sex is worse than violence. *Look at the video on the power point presentation and find the bit where it shows the violence bit* It's harder to get an NC-17 rating if you have a gay sex scene rather than a straight sex scene. Links back to the whole 'Homophobic thing' Maybe mark it the end of the negatives and move onto positives ?

(HOMEWORK)

Listen to the audio track on Steph's blog, listen to the audio track and look at the picture.

http://asfcsteph.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/unit-26-film-studies-assignment-2.html

Unit 26 Assignment 1 Presentation

http://prezi.com/5r1blrog7rwj/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Group assignment task notes

Pro's and Cons of the video thing


Pro's

• It's not boring
• Well scripted
• Good camera work 
• Nice lighting
• Easy to follow
• Props

Media Notes Dan Camera work

Focus

Hard and soft focuses

Why would be focus things?

To put the audiences attention on things. 
For ascetic purposes (So that it looks good)

To get something into focus you have to move forward and back. 
If you have a shot where someone is walking towards the camera you will have to move your focus with the actor. 


Zoom in as far as it can go, focus it, frame your shot. MUST DO. 

Auto focus, gets easily confused. Do not use it

Although auto focus is good for a documentary for example.

Shallow depth of field 
Want something creepy, set up shot like the bottom one(?)

Slight blur.


On the camera:

AF stands for auto focus. On the side of the camera there is a button that says AF and MF. MF stands for manual focus. You want it to say MF.

Full auto or Manual. On Auto it means you can't adjust the exposure.

Inside controlling the light you want your ND filter off. Outside put the ND filter on

Focus and zoom allows you to zoom in and out

Game/Gay(?) Don't use the game don't play the game it brightens up the image or something. You'll have marks knocked off. When it's off at 0 the picture quality is fine. When you add a bit of game to it it will start to deteriorate the footage

Iris value can be adjusted.

Shutter is closed, the shutter opens up really quickly, allows light in. Then it closes again. How long it's open for determines how much light there is. If you slow the shutter speed down you adjust how much light is let in. Shutter allows you to see clear images.

Nighttime shot adjust the shutter speed. Drunken scene, adjust the shutter speed. 

Framing

Framing is important (You get marked on framing and focus) 

Some space on the side of the camera is called 'Looking space' showing that there is stuff going on outside of the frame. 

Rule of 3rds 

It's like a grin on the screen you would put your subject where two of the lines would cross. 

When you go 'File import' you are not importing anything. All you're doing is telling Final Cut Prof where it is. 

FINAL CUT PRO 

Get marked on Unit 16 editing techniques. Second outcome is to be able to prepare footage. Doing all viewing in some window

Log and transfer window. Drag it onto your btec shared drive. 

Assignment is starting on Monday

Unit 26 Assignment 1 Script

(UPDATED BITS - IN BOLD)




Slide 1: Ben reads from power point




Slide 2: Vicky reads from power point




Slide 3: Ben reads: "As well as being directing Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Edgar Wright also writes the material for each one of the films, he also was the producer for Scott Pilgrim VS The World. This showing a lot of input into his work which I think would matter to an auteur as it shows determination and that they want to make something for their audience and themselves as best as they can to one day being an influence to future film-makers." - Unlok the Auteur - TheCaptainMorgan




Slide 4: Vicky reads: At the very start of this video we can see that there is already an extreme closeup of Shaun's face. Edgar has been known for doing a lot of extreme close ups, there are many of them even just in this film. For example here are a few from a scene before. (Show pictures on the presentation) The reason why Edgar chose to do this close up, I think, is because this lets you see his full face in detail, it shows the audience that Shaun is tired, this sets the mood for the scene because as we see later on he is moving sluggishly and slumping over.




9 seconds in we see the depth of focus from Shaun and Ed. Shaun is in the background while Ed is in the foreground. This shows how far away from each other they are and as they converse the focus slips back and forth. Another example of depth of focus would be at 24 seconds in where Shaun is walking across the road and in the background there are zombies. If you're not paying enough attention you could miss them. This shows the audience how oblivious Shaun is to the zombies behind him. It also makes them seem really far away from him.




Starting at 18 and running until 2:15 it is one long continuous camera shot that shows Shaun's trip to the shop. This is effective as you get to see his full journey from start to finish, it makes you forget that you're watching a film and makes you feel like you're really there. It really engages the audience because of the fact that it's very realistic. It also sets the tone for a quiet walk making the audience feel what Shaun is feeling so that you really understand that he is oblivious to the zombies.




There is a theme throughout of the film which is that the colour red pops up a lot. This is to do with the fact that the whole film trilogy is called a 'cornetto trilogy' Each film (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and At Worlds end) is connected to a Corentto flavour, this film centres around the strawberry cornetto which is to signify the blood and gore that is shown in this film. Edgar has been very consistent in doing this throughout the trilogy.



Slide 5: Vicky reads: Read from the presentation. Then read: You can see from the pictures that Edgar likes to make films that have a specific focus on a certain colour. During his body of work Edgar Wright uses the same cast consisting of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. You can see this in films such as: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, At Worlds End,



Slide 6: VICKY: Looking at the sound from that clip you can see that Edgar uses a Diagetic sound (Being the music that's suppose to be playing from the jukebox, the reason why it's diagetic not non diagetic) Um that sound doesn't really fit in with the scene and this makes the scene seem comical. This reminds the audience that this film is suppose to be a comedy zombie film. But also the use of the dialogue (The loud screaming voices) mixed with the fast paced soundtrack creates tension within the audience drawing them in so that they really focus on the film. It also kind of creates a nervous atmosphere and because it draws the audience in it makes them forget they are watching the film and they put themselves in it. This is why the sound works so well together with the action on screen.

Slide 7: VICKY: In this clip we can see how the sound really creates tension and helps the audience know what they are suppose to be feeling. For example, at 00:15 seconds to 00:26 there is a non-diegetic soundtrack playing in the background when they are in the car. This makes the audience feel like there is something big about to happen, because in most films when the action is happening on screen you can usually tell by the fast paced music playing during that time/leading up to that time. Whereas here because this film is a Comedy it's supposed to make the audience laugh because they end up at some really quiet farm with this old person in the middle of nowhere, they would expect some full on shooting guns/running action scene, but instead get that.

Another example of how the sound misleads the audience to make them laugh is at 1:40 to 2:18 when the old man hits the bomb the non-diagetic soundtrack picks up and makes us feel tense, like the bomb is going to explode. It keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. As the scene progresses the music pics up and gets faster. The pace of the scene is quick as they run and the audience feel nervous and are held in suspense as all the sound is cut off and they are left in silence. After a few seconds of silence though the Comedy air kicks in and it's apparent that the bomb isn't going to explode. There is a Diegetic sound of the cow mooing to kind of give the scene and awkward feel to it after they know that the bomb isn't going to explode.



Slide 8: VICKY: I'm now going to compare another zombie film, Colin, to Shaun of the Dead. As you can see from the pictures on the slide, Colin uses an array of Colour washes which don't usually have anything to do with the shot so it confuses the audience as to what exactly they are meant to be feeling so it takes away some realism to the film as they would constantly have to be figuring out whether the atmosphere is suppose to be tense or something else. Whereas in Shaun of the dead there is a distinct colour in each shot as I said before, it's red and also quite dark in each scene later in the film when shaun become aware of the zombies. This makes it clear to the audience that in some respect this film is a bit of a horror because red symbolises blood and gore and dark colour washes are usually used in scenes where the audience is suppose to feel tense.



Slide 9 VICKY: There are many solid examples that show Edgar Wright as being an Auteur. For example, we know that he uses some of the same cast in each film that he does. He very consistent about that. He uses Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in almost every film he directs. The films they have been in and he has directed are as follows: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and At Worlds End. They have both also been in a TV show that he has directed. (Spaced) Another example of him being an Auteur is the fact that he has an ongoing theme where each of his films have a set colour theme to it, like I mentioned before. Shaun of the Dead, red. Hot Fuzz, blue. At Worlds End, green. He likes to use the same type of camera methods in his films. For example, the extreme closeups that I talked about before. The quick panning shots. He also has a distinct editing style, the quick cuts in a montage style to help speed the narrative along. This can be seen in Shaun of the Dead quite a few times. Also he likes to use the same joke but change it slightly in different films. Like in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and At Worlds end there is a scene where someone jumps a fence and fails in some way. This is why I think that Edgar Wright is an auteur.



Slide 10: BEN In this clip 00:28 - 00:43, we can tell who, in a way is the villain and hero because the teenager is the one stealing the food and stereotypically dressed in a tracksuit show him as the bad guy, where as the man dressed as the policeman is the good guy because he is trying to stop the situation and we instantly know this because we know what a police man does. Also in the short clip of 12 seconds show the facial expression on the teenagers face because as soon as he see's the officer the teenager instantly is shocked and it shows that he knows that he has done something bad and it also shows the facial expression on the officers face, which is that he is very serious showing that he is about to arrest him for shop lifting because thats what policemen do. In this short clip the only props that are used are the food on the shelf, the food he is putting in his pockets and the hat the policeman throws away. The colour in this clip are very high key lighting to show a clearer image of what is happening. In this clip their is straight away an non - diagetic ambient sound witch is him skidding into the situation showing that he has just ran to get their, then their is only one line of diagetic dialogue, then from 00:43 - 01:29 their is some diagetic dialogue throughout it but their is only a little of it. The main sound is is the non - diagetic soundtrack playing over the top over the top of the chase scene, as well as that you can hear non - diagetic ambient sounds such as when they are running it sound like they are a car because their meant to be going fast, also you can hear cars going past and the non - diagetic ambient sound of their footsteps as they are running.



Still in the same clip but from 01:38 - 02:09, this is where Edgar Wright has uses the comedy from his film genre. In this scene you can see the both policemen in their uniform but their not wearing the exact same thing showing that their different but we can evidently see that their policemen still. This part is funny because they have over exaggerated each of the characters. the props used in this are the fences for them to jump over and break, also their is a washing line with clothes on it and a climbing frame in the background , these show that the scene is set out side because they are gardens and their also trees their, so we know where the setting is more clearly. When Danny says "what through the gardens" he had a very fed up facial expression showing he has done to much and this will be too hard work but as soon as he sees his partner do it, his facial expression lighting up into a smile thing he can do the same, and as soon has he sets off to do his bit the facial expression brings the comedy into it as well because we all think he will do well but then he goes and does that. The same again with the lighting, its very high key because it outside throughout the day to also show a clearly image of the scene. The sound in this clip is very effective with the comedy. Their is some diagetic dialogue at the start where they are speaking but when the last one speaks the non - diagetic soundtrack starts building up what he's about to do and its a very upbeat track showing he is good at whats he's doing and then Danny starts to run with another upbeat track but as soon as he fails the music stops instantly. Their is also some non - diagetic ambient sound where the first guy is jumping over the fence and their is like a 'swoosh' sound over the top of the sound track, also their is an ambient sound of the fence breaking when he falls into it.



Slide 11: BEN: Showing this clip will show you that Edgar davids is really an auteur, this is also the fence jumping scene from Shaun of the Dead and At World's End. Edgar has used the same things again with this scene, such and the diagetic dialogue of "have you never took a shortcut before" and one person failing every time so this shows he does that scene in 3 different films of his. He also uses the same movement to get into the situation of the fences, like in Shaun of the Dead they go through a gate and the fence is their, Hot Fuzz they run around the corner and the fences are their and At Worlds End he goes through a gate to get to the fence, so their all the same scenarios of how they end up in this situation and it bring comedy each time because thats his primary genre that he uses in every film.



Slide 12: BEN: Now if we compare it to a film like Rush Hour which is also a comedy, lets start with the movement, i just think its just very slow, their not much going on, its all very sluggish and doesn't keep you interested, i think the dialogue isn't very good and the way its used, it doesn't sound professional and is seems like a kids film even though its not. In my opinion i don't think the director hasn't thought about how to make it effective and make it his own film. The sound used in the scene is just the sound you would hear as normal but whereas Edgar has uses sound what does not fit the movement to make the scene more effective and bring more comedy.

Media notes 5

Dans lesson


Yesterdays lesson we learnt how to edit together video clips.

The yellow button is called 'Insert' and it inserts a clip into the timeline, it doesn't effect the video it just splits it in two.

The red button is called overwrite and it puts a clip onto the other clip

The blue button is called replace and it replaces the clip that you want with the clip that's already there.