Toy Story 3 Case Study

Skins Analysis

The clip I watched in skins showed a group of youngsters who are waking up in the morning and getting ready or starting a new day. Different camera shots are used in this clip to help the audience understand the storyline. The different shots also keep the audience involved and excited. The over the shoulder shot is used when the boy (Tony) is looking down from his window at what can be assumed to be his parents and sister getting in to a car, this diagonal over the shoulder shot gives the viewer a similar view as Tony once again involving them in to the drama. He seems to be waiting for them to leave. The distance between himself and the people bellow I believe represent the emotional distance between himself and them. We also see other camera shots such as a recurrence of Ariel shots through the clip, of Chris and other cast members sleeping. I think that this is used because it shows us the cast waking up and opening their eyes and it gives us a direct introduction to the different people. Another camera shot was used such as the tilt shot, this was used when the camera was moving over Sid’s body as he lay in bed, his stomach was covered with a stretched portrait of Casey and the camera continued to tilt upwards as we see his face when it stops. This shot was given to create suspense between the audience and what is going on it the scene, as we had to wait until last to see who the person in bed was.

The clip also contained sound which complimented the narrative. The sound helped the audience know what is going on; the dialogue for example allows the audience knows what is being said between the characters in the clip. We see sound in the clip again as ambient sound. An example of this could be the noise of cars in the background. This is used because it makes the scenes much more realistic. We see lots of use of sound bridge, when the music carried on but the images changed to different people sleeping in bed, this may have been used to connect the people together as to say that they were associated to each other. Another example of sound was used when the theme music was played in the background at the start of the clip. The sound was calm when people were happy and loud when something was wrong. The theme music is used again as a logo for the programme. Near the end of the clip a voice over is used when Casey is writing to Sid and her back is turned toward us. This could have been used to show Casey’s inner thoughts. Therefore connecting the character and the audience together as the character reveals their inner thoughts.

Editing was also used in the clip when Anwar and Max are on the phone talking to each other we see cross-cutting being used between them. This may have been used to show the reactions and emotions the characters make while talking to each other. Another use of editing that was very recurring was the use or a jump cut between every shot. This was used to show a clean break and it looks much more professional. The use of an eye line match is shown when Anwar is on the phone to max and we can see him holding a girls photo as he speaks and then a shot that shows the photo in his perspective. This edit may have been put in to give effect as to how much this girl may mean to him, or to show the girl in the photo more accurately.

Essay Plan

Group Case Study

Waterloo Road- IR

In this shot we see Christine Mulgrew, who is a teacher suffering with an alcohol addiction.Prior to this scene, we see Christine attack a pupil and see the alcohol truly take over her.This close up, high angle shot threw the railings comes across as though she is in prisonbecause of the cameras positioning. This relates to the character herself because of whatshe does e.g.- drinks in school and assaults pupils; in a way it is saying that she should be inprison. The high angle shot conveys that she still has authority and is of a high position inthe school however, the fact that she is sat down on the stairs contrasts with the idea of her authority and in fact pushes her back down be

cause of her state of mind and how she’s going against school rules. The following wide shot shows her sat on stairs that go up,straight then down- again relating to her life as it could be described as a sort of rollercoaster. The wide shot allows us to see the whole scenery but also makes her look verysmall and almost as if everything is over crowding her making her look very intimidated andout of control. We then see a hand move into the close up shot and knock a bottle of vodkaout of her hand, emphasising how out of control she is. The close up of the broken bottle on the floor could symbolise almost Christine’s broken heart because of the broken bottle as she is so attached and addicted to the alcohol she feels she cannot deal without it.

 

Her son, Connor, then comes into shot and he seems to be towering over her taking all of the control as she is helpless. This is exaggerated through the contrasting camera angles.Eye line shots are used for Connor but high angle shots are used for Christine. Despite thefact, the high angle shots are used for Christine, which usually indicate the power within ascene, it is in fact Connor with all of the power and a higher status in one way or another because his mother is sat down looking up at him- almost like a parent and child exceptreversed.

 

The majority of the shots used in this scene are all close ups which really allow us to see allof their facial expressions as it is an emotional scene between the two of them. This alsoallows us to feel more of a part of the action and really transfer their feelings to your own.

 

The main representational issue in this scene is age but it is not the stereotypical age issue.Stereotypically, the older the person, the wiser, powerful and more in control they are,however this conveys the opposite. As Christine cannot look after herself, her son has to doit for her in contrast to the norm of a mother looking after her son.

Spooks IR

I watched a clip from the popular TV drama, spooks. Whilst watching this clip, I looked at what features were post important to create such a tense and exciting scene.
To begin with, I looked at sound. In the clip, sound was used with: Helicopter noises (diegetic); sirens from the police cars (diegetic); shouting dialogue (diegetic); fast pace music at the beginning of the clip (non-diegetic); slow, tension building paced music at the end (non-diegetic).
The director has used diegetic noises of sirens at the beginning of the clip, in order to signify that this is a situation of panic and urgency. This instantly makes the audience feel more on edge, as they hear the loud sirens, recognise it is a warning of danger, and they are curious as to what is happening in the scene.
The use of the diegetic sound of the helicopter flying makes the audience feel worried. It signifies the seriousness of the scene as the police have had to bring in people in aircrafts; it indicates the criminals being chased are dangerous. This adds to the excitement of the scene, as it makes the audience feel they are involved in a thrilling scene.
The uses of such vehicals make the programme look more successful and planned, making it instantly more appealing. This is because the audience recognise that using a helicopter is an expensive prop and stunt for a programme to include, therefore they feel the programme is worth watching.
The dialogue is very important in this clip as it also signifies the panic of the situation. The characters are shouting over the loud noise of the rushing air, caused by the helicopter. They are all shouting over each other, this illustrates their fear and worry. This is effective, as if the scene was silent and the characters were just discussing politely what was happening, it would give the impression they are calm. Therefore the diegetic loud use of voices, adds to the tension of the scene, making the audience feel more on edge when watching it and building excitement to the outcome of the actual programme.
Fast pace music is used also to create tension amongst the audience also. It is played at the beginning of the clip, as this is where all the high angle shots of the helicopters and cars are. Therefore it is used to build up of excitement and curiosity for the audience, as they wonder what is going to happen.
On the other hand, slow paced, tension building diegetic music is used at the end of this clip, as the innocent are being revealed and the guilty have been discovered. This is in order to create a sense of sadness, however also for a sense of relief, as the audience feel all has been resolved.  It also creates sympathy for the person that is being kicked off the service, as he has done wrong. But the slow paced music makes the reader confused about who they should side with.
I also looked at the camera editing. The camera is usually directed on the men as women are a key feature in the clip. The camera is moving fast, changing shots with the pace of the music. There are a lot of cross cuts this makes the clip seem more action packed. Also there is shaking headshots making the audience feel like they are part of the action. Moreover there is an extra long shot of the area allowing the audience to see where the actors are. Close ups warm the audience to wanting to watch the programme and feel like there is a personal connection.
The quick cut pace of the camera editing draws attention to the speed the men are in leaving the women behind looking like not as much as an influence and un-needed. Also when the camera zoom's in on the man it evokes he is a key role where as the woman is not.
Gender is used clearly to portray men in a way that makes them wrong. As the bad person is male, and the officer that fires him is male too. Everything the woman says is ignored by the male and seems unimportant. Therefore, men are shown to hold power and status that women are not.
I then analysed representation. It is raining in the clip, which represents the desperation and sadness of the situation the characters find themselves in. In addition, the barren trees connote the season and the despair of the situation.
In addition to this, all of the men are wearing standard business looking dress while the woman is wearing jeans and a regular top. This objectifies women because they are ‘supposed’ to be looking attractive when they are around men.
Another point is that there is only one woman in the entire scene, out of about ten characters. She only gets a total screen time of ~15 seconds which signifies how women are oppressed and not valued in the media. The fact that men occupy almost all of the screen time represents the hegemonic norm of men being the most important part of the police force. It is important to note that all of the men are looking very serious and seem to be armed, while the woman is not.
           This clip also gives us some insight in to the hierarchy of the police force, and how superiority works within what the director of Spooks thinks the police force is like. It is quite obvious that the man in the middle of the police trio is the man in charge, and lets his two inferiors do the talking for him until it comes time to decommission the rogue operative. Lower still than the two officers helping the boss, are the guards. This is immediately obvious when the boss shouts a command at one of the guards, ‘take him back’ and the guard immediately responds to this.
This clip also has some ideas of relationships between men. It signifies the heated moments that can happen when two men have a disagreement, and ultimately ends with one police officer losing his job. The connotation of relationships between men is most apparent when the rogue operative yells “I’ve woken up to this job!” directly at his boss.
Lastly, I chose to acknowledge what I could about the mise en-scene. The whole scene is presented in a dark blue tone; this represents the darkness, coldness and bad events. At the beginning the car swerves and a helicopter chasing them and already the audience are introduced to a chase being pursued and the audience are engaged to what’s going on and why. Also all the cars that are seen are black this forebodes that the people in the cars might be responsible for negative behaviour later in the show. The dark colours the men in the cars are wearing again suggesting the darkness and negativity of this scene. We see that one man is behind the other this shows status of the man in front. Also when they are confronting each other there seems to be multiple people against one, this is unfair, the one man loses the argument and walks alone, signifying his loneliness and rejection from the crowd.  We then see the helicopter fly above and over showing that he has lost and they have risen. Furthermore his cold breath shows his failure and disappointment.

Primeval IR

The sequence opens with an establishing shot of a an opening in a woody forest, with a calming strings music, which is in complete contrast to the acting and dialogue, as a man and woman are arguing. A shot reverse shot is used to capture the conversation, to make the viewer feel involved in the argument. The other characters are out of focus and small in the background to signify their insignificance to the scene, however the blonde man shows dominance by instructing the man to "let her go". The woman who runs away from the argument gets into a big Jeep, that can infer she likes to be strong and independent like the vehicle.
     It then cuts smoothly to a yellow digger in a forest with diegetic noise of it moving across the dirt. Cutting the scene quickly to another man setting up a trap, the director zooms the shot into the chunk of meat to suppose it is important later on in the episode. Back to the digger, there is a long close up of a woman in a digger, which is subverting the stereotype of women being feminine, as the job is quite manly. Meanwhile the blonde man is on foot collecting sticks. Matters thicken when the camera is moved to focus on the mud and captures a hand buried in a medium shot and then pans to the blonde man in a long close up to show his shock and horror. It then pans back to Abi in the digger; she has short dyed blonde hair which can be seen as masculine, but can also mean she is a strong character; her costume is all in black, which can infer she is very practical or a little boyish.
     A medium shot is cast upon the blonde man, as there is diegetic noise of a growl in the distance; this is so the audience can read the man's worried facial expression. An extremely fast pan moves to a long shot of lots of trees, which can build tension as you cannot see the animal yet. The music then picks up and becomes upbeat and lively, to match the tense and exciting atmosphere, that follows the sabertooth attacking the blonde man.
     It is unusual for this to happen, but the man was the damsel in distress, as he becomes trapped and helpless in a muddy hole. Then Abi is his shining knight in armour and distracts the sabertooth with the digger. This can represent that women are just as good and strong as men; so this programme can be seen as modern and controversial.
     The music continues to be upbeat and fast, as a birds eye view shot is used to see the man climb up the ladder; also to save time the editor cuts to the man near the bottom of the ladder to the top from a different angle. A variety of angles are used when the man is going down the zip-wire, to highlight the speed and the fear the man has; although normally men are supposed to seem brave and calm.