Film Scene Clips
For this project, we have been asked analyze two films from two genres to make the total of four films analyzed. We must also analyze the codes and conventions for this film and the genre in total. For section two of this project I will analyze the narrative theory e.g. writing about the equilibrium. For this project
Fight Scene 1 - Ip Man - Martial Arts movie
One of the first things we can notice is that the colour in this scene is very bland and only has two colours, black and white which could imply that the creators cared more about the story than the colours and brightness of the film.
Mise - en - Scene
Costumes:
In this scene, Donnie Yen (Ip Man) is seen to be wearing black whereas the Japanese Martial Artists are seen to be wearing the traditional Karate uniform colour of white. This a physical representation that shows the audience that Donnie Yen stands out not just by his skill compared to the Japanese but, this could also be representation of the war between the countries of China and Japan during this time period. The costumes in this scene also link to the lighting and the set because the lighting is white and the set is very bland is it all plain colours which also help with story as it tells the audience that the is a dark period in Chinese history. Since Ip Man's clothes make him stand out, we also notice that he is not Japanese but their enemy... a Chinese.
Lighting:
The lighting in this scene has been done cleverly as the light seems to have a white glow to it which reflects well off the Japanese warriors which helps them stand out it also allows Donnie Yen to stand out black on a white floor covering so he is almost like a shadow which makes sense as he is moving very fast. The reason the lighting in this scene is clever is because the room is full of windows which suggests that the lighting in this scene is natural light caused by the sun which is coming though the windows lighting up the set.
Set:
The set for this scene has been created to copy a 20th Century Japanese DoJo or a combat arena where people spectate other people fighting for entertainment or to discover who could be a possible threat to the Japanese Empire. The set has also been created to look neutral in color and decoration as the color scheme for this scene is very plain because it either uses black, white or grey for the colors which also tells the audience that Japanese Empire might not care about the look and style of Chinese architecture and find it to be inferior to their own building techniques and style. The set also links to the costumes of the actors in this scene as all of the most of the costumes are either black or white with the acceptation of the soldiers who are wearing brown, this is to show their superiority upon everyone else in this scene.
Make-up:
The make up in this scene is quite complex as they had to make Donnie Yen look filthy this is to inform the audience that he is poor and probably struggling to survive in Japanese China. On top of the dirt make up, they also had to add make up to look like sweat to show that China is very warm and the set is also probably very warm as he is indoors and the film is set in the early 1900s, they did not have air conditioning to keep themselves cool. Later on in this scene, we can see that Donnie Yen has been fighting and is sweating even more, this shows us that he has been moving quickly and has used more energy. the audience can also notice there is a lot of blood all over the set which indicates that during this fight, there has been hits on the Japanese fighters which have been strong enough to draw blood and a lot of it. At the end of this scene we see the camera move down Donnie Yen's arm to his hand where we can see a fist but the main part of this is that is knuckles are cut and bloody which shows everyone that he has used his fists out of rage and revenge against the Japanese but, his hand is also shaking this could be a physical representation to tell the audience that after everything the Japanese have done to his people, Ip Man still feels remorse for what he just did to the Japanese fighters.
Choreography:
The choreography for this scene must have been a challenge to film as it is really fast and intense, the way Donnie Yen and the Japanese warriors are jumping around at each other trying to land any hits to their opponent(s), would not have just been a challenge for the crew to film but also a challenge for the actors as they had to remember where to stand specifically at each segment of the scene and what moves to do to counter their opponents attack. Another part about their positioning in this scene, is that they had to make sure they stood with enough distance from each other so that they didn't actually hit one another by accident during the filming.
Sound/Foley:
The sounds used throughout this scene have been made in a way that does not sound like it is happening naturally but has actually been edited over as when Donnie Yen is hitting the Japanese, it sounds like someone has been hitting a slab of meet to create this sound effect, we call this "Foley" it is actually very noticeable in this scene and throughout the rest of the film because none of the hits sound like what they would from a camera microphone. One sound effect that I'm still confused about is how they were able to create the sound of bones breaking in this scene as Donnie Yen/Ip Man broke an arm, leg and shoulder and the crunching and breaking to pieces. The incredible thing about this sound effect is how realistic they were able to make the sound because the sound effect plus the type of fight scene this is, the bone breaking sound adds a more brutal element to this scene and film. The backing-track to this scene fits so well as it gives off a warrior type soundtrack and in this film he basically becomes some form of resistance fighter and just as the fighting begins, the music gets louder as well as quieter when the fighting concludes.
Codes and conventions
Ip Man follows the main Martial Arts codes and conventions because one of the main points is that these genres normally include a protagonist who is highly skilled in his/her style of Martial Arts. One of the main conventions in this film is called the "Teacher-student dynamic" because in this film Ip Man keeps reminding his friends that he does not wish to have a student and prefers to train in his style of Kung Fu "Wing Chun" alone and undisturbed.
Narrative codes and conventions
1 = state of equilibrium. 2 = disruption of equilibrium. 3 = recognition that the disorder has occurred. 4 = attempt to repair the damage. 5 = return to new equilibrium.
1. At the start of Ip Man, grand master Ip, is a well respected wealthy martial artist who refuses to teach anyone in his form of martial arts (Wing Chun). His wife is constantly mad at him for his love for his martial arts and believes he cares about his fighting more than his family.
2. The Japanese army invades China in 1938 and takes over the entire country, Ip Mans home is taken away from him and s turned into Japan HQ for Fo Shan leaving Ip and his family poor and starving on the streets of Fo Shan.
3. Ip Man and his family is struggling to survive in their new world, Ip no longer practices his martial arts as he is trying to be a better husband and father. Due to this change, his wife is no longer mad at him as he does no longer fight.
4. Ip Man starts fighting again but this time he is angry and fights the Japanese and making it difficult for the General who is in charge of Fo Shan to keep everything in order and dishonoring him in the process. in the end Ip Man fights the General in a social environment with spectators. Ip Man wins the fight but the General's second in command shoots Ip Man.
5. After being shot, the Chinese fight back against the Japanese whilst Ip Man's wife, son and friend smuggle the injured fighter out of Fo Shan and heads to Hong Kong to make a new life.
Fight Scene 2 - Batman VS Superman - Action Movie
Before this fight even really begins, Batman can be seen flying his aircraft around a port using weapons to blow up vehicles and his opponents. This small part gives us a brief synopsis of the brutality is about to occur, this also could surprise many viewers as Batman is not normally the hero we associate with killing his enemies but we can tell that this version of Batman is not above killing, he does it when he feels it necessary.
Mise - en - Scene
Costumes:
Obviously with a superhero/action movie, the good guy normally wears a mask to conceal his identity to protect himself and the people he cares about. In this case, we instantly picture Batman wearing a cowl with bat ears on them with a utility belt and a bat emblem on his chest. The point of the cowl, is from Batman's fear of bats and he uses this fear to strike his fear into the hearts of his enemies. The bad guys in this scene are wearing the generic goon costumes, mostly black with a black hat with scruffy beards and possibly scars to make them look meaner and tougher.
Lighting:
The lighting for this scene is pretty good as you can see and understand everything that is happening, the lighting is high-key because on top of being able to see everyone clearly on the screen, we can also see their movements clearly which would be harder to see and follow if it was the use of low-key lighting. The lights seem to be a whitish colour with a green tint to it maybe to suggest that these lights have gotten covered by something over time which could also tell us that the building is old.
Set:
The set for this scene, is very stereotypical of bad guys because it is set in mostly on one floor of an abandoned warehouse which is where most bad guys hideout in movies as the cops never search abandoned warehouse until last minute or until it's too late. Throughout the scene, we can see multiple crates around the area with these people being criminals we can only assume that the crates are either filled with high end guns or explosives or even artifacts that they are importing illegally. Another point about the set looking old is that all of the walls look broken and seem to be getting worse and the entire room seems really dusty which also tells the audience that these people don't really care about how clean their lair is.
Make-up:
There doesn't seem to be much make-up seen during this seen mostly just sweat and in the occasional times you can see a little bit of blood which shows the audience that these people have been hit harder than we thought by either Batman or an object he has used on his targets.
Choreography:
The choreography in this fight scene is immense as Ben Affleck (Batman) has been made to look unnaturally strong compared to the criminals because he throws a massive crate which most people couldn't lift and punches a guy into the ground so hard he breaks the wood beneath him. Also with it being one man against 20 other men, in a confined space it must have been hard to get everyone in the right positions without tripping over each other. Towards the end of this scene, Batman does take a few hits and this seems to really make him mad as he is probably not used to getting hit and it makes him hit harder and probably kill a few of the remaining hostiles.
Sound/Foley
The backing-track to this scene is dark which connects with the Batman suit because the suit is dark and looks very menacing compared to most of the previous Batman suits. The music also fits to the scene is brutal and aggressive and it kind of reflects on the anger of Batman in a way that tells us that when Batman gets angrier, the music gets more threatening or louder etc. The sound effects used for the punches and kicks in this scene sound more realistic than Ip Man, this has been done maybe to make the film more realistic. They have also done a good job at making the sounds match and sync to the attacks perfectly.They have also used the generic gunshot sound effects for this scene which also sync to the every flash from the barrel of the machine guns and pistols.
Codes and conventions
Batman VS Superman follows the codes and conventions of action movies as it includes fighting and puts Batman through physical threats as he is fighting a warehouse full of criminals and he fights them on his own. This film also follows the codes and conventions as it has heroes: Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, this film also has an antagonist the infamous Lex Luthor. The theme is a huge part of the codes and conventions as the main theme for this film is the traditional "Good VS Bad".
Narrative codes and conventions
1 = state of equilibrium. 2 = disruption of equilibrium. 3 = recognition that the disorder has occurred. 4 = attempt to repair the damage. 5 = return to new equilibrium.
1. The world at the start of Batman VS Superman, is in complete chaos there are wars everywhere and the crime rates are at an all time high. People including Batman don't trust Superman and thinks he is doing more harm than good.
2. Lex Luthor gets involved and detonates a bomb inside the Capitol Building, Washington D.C whilst Superman is inside the building leaving the world thinking Superman was the reason for this unexpected act of terrorism.
3. Batman believes that Superman was involved with the Capitol Building and calls Superman out for a fight that he intends to win by killing Superman as he believes that Superman is one of the causes of the worlds problems.
4. Batman realizes that Superman is on their side and that they both share a common foe, Lex Luther who has been playing them both in a metaphorical game of chess. They team up along side Wonder Woman to defeat Lex Luther's monstrous creation, Doomsday which they manage to defeat but with the loss of Superman.
5. After the death of Superman, the world comes t some kind of peace, Batman and Wonder Woman go their separate ways but keep in touch on the subject of finding the others who will soon become members of the Justice League.
Comparison
Both of these films are unique in their own way but there are many differences between the two of them. One of the biggest differences is that Batman VS Superman is a story which has been created by writers for the entertainment of fans whereas, Ip Man is based off the true story of the Grand Master Ip Man A.K.A the man who taught the legend Bruce Lee. Ip Man is not a very dark film but it has got its moments where it could almost be classed as a dark film but, Batman VS Superman is a darker film as see both Batman and Superman kill someone at some point during the movie which contradicts their original characters from the DC Comics because none of these characters in the comics ever killed someone, they never allowed themselves to go as far as killing but this film goes against that and they do kill without remorse. Ip Man at the start of the film is a happy film and you can see that Ip Man does not like to teach and does not use his fists in fights because he doesn't need to be aggressive. But, during this fight scene he finally has enough and gets aggressive and from here the film gets a bit darker but then gets a brighter ending when the people of Fo Shan rise up against the Japanese army after Ip Man defeats the Japanese General.
The story for this film, is based on the real events of Ip Man's life but like most true story films, it has probably been altered in one way or another to make the film more entertaining for the audience and maybe to get people to spread the word about the film to create publicity. With this being based of true events, they cannot alter the story too much otherwise it is more of a fictional movie rather than an informative one which means that the director and producer etc cannot be as creative with this film as they could be with may other films. Whereas, in Batman VS superman, this film is based off comic book characters which means that the director, producer etc more creative freedom as they do not have to stay close to any story-line of real events and can make up completely anything they want for this film. With the film based on true events, it may surprise multiple people when they learn that Ip Man taught martial arts to the famous Bruce Lee, if people aren't surprised by this they might be interested because they learned something more about Ip Man. Ip Man had reached a status that many martial artists never reach, "Grand Master". Whereas in Batman VS Superman is completely made up and in this film, Batman and Superman are known for killing their enemies when necessary but, this will surprise many people who know the characters as they never really kill people in the comics. This shows that many directors for example Zack Snyder, goes against DC Comics and makes their characters someone who we don't recognize.
Both films include Todorov's equilibrium theory about how everything is normal, then something happens and we know it has happened, there is an attempt to fix the changes and then at the end everything has calmed but there are slight changes to the environment. The theory can be seen more within each films analysis above.
These two films, have very different character types because in Ip Man all of the Chinese people are very prideful and full of honor whereas in Batman VS Superman, there are multiple superheroes who don't hold back their punches and really try to kill their enemies either by choice or even if they have no choice they will kill someone which is not as honorable. Both films include characters who are ready to fight for either themselves, home town, city or even country as it shows that all characters in both films are dedicated to their people and will do anything to protect them. These films include the character theory from Vladimir Propp, in Ip Man the characters that link to the theory are "The Hero" Ip Man is the hero of this film because he beats the Japanese General and restores the hope to the citizens of Fo Shan. Ip Man also includes "The Villain" which is the General who is in charge of Fo Shan and makes the lives of the Chinese horrible. The General also uses another character which is "The Helper" which is the Japanese soldiers behind the General who help him to maintain order in Fo Shan.
Horror Scene 1 - Wrong Turn 5 - Football Pitch
The every first thing we notice about this scene, is that both of the characters are on the ground and are panicking and also trying to find someone. We also notice that one of the characters is buried in the ground with only his head about the surface which indicates he is in danger.
Mise - en - scene
Lighting:
for this scene, like most horror films there is the use of low-key lighting as it is night time and very dark on this football pitch. The only real source of light that we get is the lights on the roof of the grass cutter that the cannibal is using to kill his victims in this scene. There is also a tiny bit of natural light in this scene but it is not that strong compared to the lights on the grass cutter so the natural lighting is poor which also links to the low-key lighting.
Set:
This scene takes place on an empty football pitch with only one empty looking building behind it. The reason the football pitch is empty, is so there are no witnesses to the murders that are about to happen on this field. The reason the cannibal chose this specific location to kill these two people, is so that he could have an easy enough terrain to dig a hole in to place one of the victims in as well as, having enough space to be able to turn the grass cutter around to kill both of the people at the end of the scene.
Make-up:
There is a tiny bit of make-up on the victims at the start of the scene showing dirt and blood to show that they are in a muddy place but that they have also been hurt in some way to leave evidence. Most of the make-up i this scene has gone onto the cannibal as he is a result of inbreeding and they creators wanted to physically show the audience the effects of incest and inbreeding within the same bloodlines. Towards the end of this scene, just before we see the last victim die we can see blood squirting all over his face as he is being eating by this machine which is spinning and throwing his blood right back in his face.
Sound/Foley:
There are multiple sounds going on throughout this scene, the main sound being the victims screaming for help from anyone who could hear them or each other. There is also many other sounds during this scene which are not as main as the screaming, like the laughing of the cannibal this is to show us that he enjoys killing and finds it oddly amusing. There is also the sounds of the engine and blades of the grass cutter which has been added so that the audience knows that the last thing the victims will hear is these mechanical sounds getting closer to them in their final moments of life. One sound that is very minor in this scene, is the jingling of the chain one of the victims is locked in because the killer did not want to bury them both and he did not want one to run away so he tied one up with a chain and connected it to the grass cutter so that he could never escape the machine that would eventually kill him.
Codes and conventions
There is a big use of conventions in this scene one specifically is the use of a secluded location and leaving their characters in a place where there is nobody around to help them. One of the biggest uses of codes and conventions in Wrong Turn is the use of monsters / cannibals because we do not see them as humans only abominations compared to the human race. We also know that in this film series they use blood which, is a huge role in hundreds of horror films because not all horror films are meant to scare people, they have been created so violently that they have to be classed as horror as many people do no like the sight of blood.
Narrative codes and conventions
1 = state of equilibrium. 2 = disruption of equilibrium. 3 = recognition that the disorder has occurred. 4 = attempt to repair the damage. 5 = return to new equilibrium.
1. At the start of Wrong Turn 5, we can see that these college students are in this town trying to have a good time during the towns festival.
2. Everything begins to go wrong when one of the students and an old man is arrested and killings begin to occur throughout the night of the festival which is suspiciously on Halloween.
3. The murders are not known about until one of the students' girlfriend fails to show up at the police station after leaving the motel to visit her boyfriend in prison. This the sparks the rest of the events throughout the rest of the movie.
4. The local sheriff agrees to help the students find their friend on the condition they help keep the old man in prison so that the cannibals don't break him out of prison and continue their monstrous killing spree.
5. After failing to keep the old man in prison, everyone is killed except one of the students who is blinded and kidnapped by the old man and cannibals and is taken to their hideout never to be seen or heard from again.
The first thing we get from this scene is that this man is looking for someone named Dalton, this man seems really uncomfortable and uneasy, he also looks confused as to what he is meant to do specifically.
Mise - en - scene
Costumes:
The costumes for this scene are pretty simple, as everyone who is dead is wearing old fashioned clothing whereas Josh is wearing more modern clothes and has a lot more colour on then the people of the dead. This is symbolic to show that he is the person here who is still alive whilst everyone around him was alive at some point but is now dead and all wear similar clothing with very little colour.
Lighting:
The lighting for this scene is unnaturally dark which follows the stereotypical lighting for horror films where it is always dark even during the day there still isn't a happy feeling with the light. The most light we actually see is the little light that Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) is carrying so that he can see where he is in "The Further". For this scene, they have had to add small dim lights everywhere just so the audience can see what is in this house and each individual room but, they're still dim enough to make the set really dark and to make the lamp in this scene the dominant light.
Set:
For this scene, the set follows the traditional horror film location; a house that is haunted or cursed but in this scene Josh Lambert is in the realm of the dead so he could be classed as the one haunting the house as he is the only living person walking around the building. We also notice that the house Josh is walking around in, is the house that we are introduced to at the start of the film where all of the Lambert family problems commence for the duration of this film until they finally move to a new house half way through the film. Half way through this scene, Josh goes back downstairs and heads to the living room after hearing whistling and we notice that the furniture is old and a tad bit creepy compared to modern furniture design. The reason for this could be to imply that these spirits have been in the "Further" for a long time. Next we see a woman loading a rifle sitting in the dinning room which once again looks old, suggesting that she is part of the family in the living room.
Make-up:
The make-up for this scene of the film has been done really well, they have doe it in a way to show that all of the people we are seeing in this scene except Josh are dead but, it also shows that they were human at one point. They might have tried to get the dead to resemble themselves in death so that Josh would feel more comfortable in the "Further" and try to get him to stay. The make-up for this scene is also really creepy as when looks back at the living room to see the dead family and they're all stood there and smiling him, we can see how the make-up artists have created these characters to almost look twisted and demented in after death and could also have been done to tell the audience that everyone on the inside is some kind of monster.
Sound/Foley:
There are many different sounds for the duration of this scene of the film but some of the main ones include the sound of emotions. This is because you can hear a woman crying either out of sadness or fear for which could have been how she was feeling when she died. There is a little boy laughing which could be out of joy as he likes to scare people and finds it enjoyable to do so. The father in the living room is whistling while he is reading the newspaper which could have been a habit he did during his life and he could have found it calming, this also could have been what he was doing just before he died. The noise of the rifle being fired just indicates that we know how the family in the living room died and ended up in the "Further". There is the stereotypical noise of creaking doors whenever Josh opens or closes one which happens in a lot of horror movies. The biggest and most important sound for this scene would be the music, this is because every time something creepy happens or there is a jump scare, there is just a sudden loud burst of music which adds to the high tense situation of the character. What is also clever about the music for this scene is that whenever there is a jump scare, there is no music build up to go with it, it just happens when the jump happens which really adds to effect the movie is trying to give the audience.
Codes and conventions
There are many codes and conventions for this film like how it takes place in a creepy house that is haunted by the dead, the lighting for this scene is also dark which happens in most horror films to add to the creepy atmosphere. There is the sense of a threat which is very high in this scene as Josh is in the land of the dead and he is alive which could cause every spirit there to attack him. There are sudden jump scares which happen in almost every single horror film, there is also the generic use of some kind of monsters or spirits haunting the location of a movie in this film it is more of a family haunting than a house haunting.
Narrative codes and conventions
1 = state of equilibrium. 2 = disruption of equilibrium. 3 = recognition that the disorder has occurred. 4 = attempt to repair the damage. 5 = return to new equilibrium.
1. The family moves into the house, they go through the expected stress that is expected when they move into a new house.
2. Their oldest son, falls into a coma under unknown causes and creep an unnatural disturbances begin to occur all over the house terrifying the mam.
3. They realize that all of these disturbances have occurred because their son can astral project and has gone to the realm of the dead.
4. Everyone decides to send the dad after their son as he discovers he could astral project. He manages to save his son before the dead can enter his body and return to life and cause acts of evil on the world.
5. The son and dad are safe back in the living world, the only problem is that the dads body has been taken over by one of the spirits from the land of the dead and he kills the woman trying to help the family, this leads into the events of the second movie.
These two horror films, are nothing like each other because Wrong Turn is more of a gory type horror film which focuses mostly on the blood and violence more than the actual horror, whereas Insidious is more of a psychological horror which focuses on spirits and aims to scare the audience instead of focusing on the bloodshed. One similarity between the two films is that they both include some kind of monster because Wrong Turn uses inbred cannibals and Insidious uses demons and spirits which is the only thing that really makes these films similar to each other but other than that nothing links these two films together.
Both of these films have been created like a story, mostly to entertain the audience and neither are based off true stories. Insidious is more of a psychological thriller which uses the stereotypical jump scares that most horror films use for entertainment. Whereas Wrong Turn follows closer to the line of Friday the 13th as it is more of a slasher with blood and guts which is for more of the thrill seekers who enjoy blood and guts rather than jump scares and psychological thrillers. One similarity between these two films is that they both follow the ending that is used in hundreds of movies, the cliffhanger, both of the films use cliffhangers as a way for the audience to guess what happens next, this is also done into both films to allow the audience to know that another film is to be made to further the story-line of the main characters or smaller characters. Insidious was created by screen writers who created a story in their head and wrote it down on paper for the enjoyment of others.Whereas Wrong Turn, has been based off a story by Alan B. McElroy who is known for his love of the horror genre, one film that he probably most known for his writing of "Halloween 4 The Return of Michael Myers" which had pretty good reviews which could make Wrong Turn just as good for story-line.
Both films include Todorov's equilibrium theory about how everything is normal, then something happens and we know it has happened, there is an attempt to fix the changes and then at the end everything has calmed but there are slight changes to the environment. The theory can be seen more within each films analysis above. But, in Wrong Turn 5, it does not have such a happy ending as everyone is killed except for one girl who is kidnapped and we can only assume that she dies as we never hear from her again.
Both of these films, have very different character types because in Insidious, everyone tries to be civil and talks about the current problems and maybe what the effects of current actions could be whereas in Wrong Turn, most of the time people just talk about the problem or themselves and don't really care about what might happen to everyone else involved. These films include the character theory from Vladimir Propp, in Insidious the characters who link to Propp's theory are the "Hero" which is the father who goes into the "Further" to save his son, there is also the "Villain" who is the man with red face who tires to enter the sons body to live again. There is also the "Helper" who comes to the family to guide them into what is happening and also instructs the father on how to get to the Further to save his son. On the other hand, Wrong Turn 5 mostly only has one character type that follows the character theory and that is the "Villain" which is both the cannibals and the old man who do anything and everything they can to kill people for food to continue hunting people for further meals and so on.
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