Analyse the use of sound from a film of your choice- Jurassic Park

The film I have chosen to analyse is Jurassic Park which was directed by Steven Spielberg. I will analyse the part of the film where the characters all enter the park via helicopter for the first time. During this scene, many types of sound is used.

In this scene, there are many types of diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used. Diegetic sound is the sound in the world of the film whereas non-diegetic sound is sound that only the audience can hear, for example sound effects and a soundtrack. The soundtrack from this scene, the non-diegetic sound, is very significant to the scene as it helps portray to the audience how the characters may be feeling. For example, the soundtrack for the most part is varies in both pitch and volume which may signify to the audience that the characters are feeling both excited and nervous for the adventure they are about to undertake. The music lifts off as the camera passes over the helicopter to try and get the audience exited for the land of Jurassic Park which is another example of non-diegetic sound used in this clip. This has all been added to support the mood and atmosphere of the film and these examples have contrasted with the narrative. Synchronous sound was used where the helicopter passes over the camera and the music reached a higher pitch which once again helped to convey to the audience the excitement of the scene.

Diegetic sounds are also very prominent in this scene. For example, the film makers have added creaking of the helicopter for when it was dropping and snapping of the seatbelts to show the audience they are about to land. The seatbelt sound explains to the audience that the characters are being safety cautious and are trying to prevent accidents. It also helps us understand the setting that they are in as it may be bumpy due to the characters desperately trying to get the seatbelts fastened. The creaks of the helicopter help to explain the fact that the setting the characters are in may be abnormal as it is struggling to land. It also makes the audience feel worried for the characters as an unexpected crash may be about to occur. The use of the soundtrack which uses violin strings playing at a high pitch signifies a victory.

The film makers have also included the helicopters blades turning as a sound effect to make it prominent to the audience that this is loud. For example, when the helicopter lands, the blades start to slow down and a sound effect of the engine turning off is played. This may be to signify to the audience that the helicopter was significant in that scene as it was used to get to an unreachable place on foot. This helped the audience also realise the setting of the characters as a helicopter is often used to quickly escort people or help them reach places which may be difficult to reach on land. Dialogue was also a very significant diegetic sound within this scene. For example, the dialogue helped the characters helped express how they were feeling to the characters and the audience alike so it made it easier for us to understand what was happening. They also show their worry for the characters who haven’t fastened their seatbelt ‘we would have landed by the time you got it right’. This small sequence of dialogue helped the audience understand the feelings and emotions of the characters as well as the setting and where they are.

The film makers also used sound bridges in this scene to show the audience first what could be heard and then the characters. Therefore, it went from non-diegetic to diegetic. This occurred with the helicopter as the helicopter sound was heard before it was entered into shot, therefore being non-diegetic, however when it entered the shot it changed to diegetic as it became sound that could be heard in the world of the movie. Another example of this is the soundtrack, where a high pitch violin is playing. This symbolises victory. Despite the fact this is non-diegetic the whole way thorough they make it seem to the audience that this soundtrack is symbolising their emotion and therefore is created to fit the characters in the scene.

In conclusion, diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are used throughout this scene in Jurassic Park. For example the soundtrack resembles emotion for the character and the dialogue resembles how the characters are feeling and portrays this clearly to the audience. Whereas diegetic sounds are used to present the setting as well as dialogue to let the story continue. 

Preliminary Task

Here is my prelim task video

From editing the preliminary video I learned how to use, the editing tool on mac using adobe premier. I covered the basics whilst using adobe premier, and learnt how to cut clips and them place another camera shot into the next part of the sequence. The best elements of the software was the fact that it was so simple to use and easy to understand. The fact that it was so easy to import clips was great and how you could be working on two straight cuts at one time left a lot of opportunities open. Next time I would focus on improving the cleanness of the straight cuts, and make the diolouge sound more fluid so it's easier to watch and engage.

Preliminary Task Storyboard

On Tuesday 7^th October 2014 I produced a film sequence based on the script above. We started out learning the script, which didn’t take long, and then decided how we would shoot the first shot. We filmed the wide of the scene (shown in the first box)  which went well. However a few of the takes were out of focus which we had to correct, which was very time consuming. Also another problem with the wide shot that we filmed was the struggle of getting us into frame due to the shape of the room we were filming in. This was difficult as we had to settle for an angle we were not hugely proud of.  

When producing the over the shoulder shoots for both of the characters it was difficult to white balance as the white we put in front of the camera lens was not clear, however we managed to do it in the end. Also, as the camera is so large, with the tripod attached especially, it was hard to physically place the camera in the right position due to the area we were filming in. Also as an actor in the scene it was hard to frame as we couldn’t really move which was proven difficult to capture the right shot in frame. The exposure in this shot specifically was also hard to do as we couldn't find a natural combination for a while, however in the end we believe we found one that looked naturalistic.

The easiest shot to capture was the close up. Despite the initial difficulty with focusing on the actors, it was easy as all we had to worry about was the filming of one person. Also the actors moved less which made filming easier. The shots were really effective and they looked great on camera. 

As a whole we managed to film most shots with a few problems due to filming positioning and focus, however most shots seemed to shoot well. 

 

Need for Speed Movie Poster- Textual Analysis

 

The Need for Speed movie poster features a low angle camera shot on the main character. This has been done to show that the main character is quite a powerful person, or what he experiences in the movie he will be experienced in. The main actors in the film are featured in big bold letters in the center of the poster to attract an audience to watch the film as the actors are well know, for example Aaron Paul is known for being in Breaking Bad. Fans of Aaron Paul will then more likely watch the film as they are a fan of his acting. The man is also much larger than whats happening than the scene 'inside him' which suggest that he may be the person who will take control of the fast car chases in the film. They also symbolise the fact that he is more powerful than this. The car looks like it has fire coming out the back of it so it shows that there are likely to be big explosions and a lot of action. The car is also facing away from the audience, as if it is going into the sunset (the actors body) to show that cars are a part of this characters heart and soul. The low flying helicopter, facing towards the audience, may show that this is what he may be coming into contact with in the film, being the enemy. The characters eye line is facing upwards with a worried expression on his face which means that the character is likely to be looking at what we are seeing in the poster, to show that he may be worried about this conflict in the film.

The colour contrast for the character shows a dark blue face and orange on the other side, almost like a sunset figure. The contrast of the colours may signify that this character has a good and bad side to him and we will likely see this in the film. The actor is central so he is the first thing that we witness when looking at the poster. The car and helicopter on the movie poster shows that the genre of this film is likely to be action and will most likely aims at young men.

The title is stated in big bold letters, keeping the iconic logo to the popular game. Below this, the poster creators have placed the legal writing in very small letters, as the audience are not meant to read this as it is irrelevant. Also, in a much larger font, the release date is shown so the audience know when they will be able to see the film.