These are all fairly generic girl names, choosing a generic name for the character allows the audience to relate more to the character.
The name we decided in the end was Jess.
Possible actresses:
(In order from top left to bottom right): Amanda Seyfried, Hayden Pantierre, Lily Loveless, Brittany Snow, Sara Paxton.
We selected these actresses as they are all young and have the girl-next-door image, making them easy to relate to. Their blonde hair also gives the impression that they are innocent.
The actress we decided to go with was Brittany Snow because she has a very sweet and innocent look about her.
These are all generic names. In the end we went with the name James, because its a name that can be used for any age and is also popular.
Possible Actors:
(In order from top left to bottom right)
Peter Facinelli, Elijah Wood, Ian Somerholder ;), Will Ash, Bradley James, Ian Harding and Paul Wesley.
In the end we choose Ian Somerholder, because he looks more sinister but still young and good looking.
Clothes:
We have decided that the male lead will be wearing a shirt and tie with smart black trousers and black shoes. We want to go for a look that is smarter but still young and fresh.
Here is the opening sequence for the movie Misery. The reason I chose this film is because I believe it makes good use of Mise-En-Scene. I thought Myself and Vicki could use these good examples of Mise-En-Scene as possible ideas for our coursework.
The first shot is a close-up shot of a cigarette and a match, followed by a close-up shot of an empty champagne glass, finally followed by a close-up shot of a bottle of champagne in ice. These few shots indicate that something is due to be celebrated; and with the sound of a typewriter in the background, the audience is able to put the two things together.
There is a final close-up shot of the typewriter. The sound effect of the typewriter ceases as the author types one sentence and then stops. The author pulls up the sheet of paper eagerly, or even impatiently, as if he just wants the process to be over as soon as possible. The character is now introduced through a medium shot. This shot show the audience the character sat at a desk, in front of the typewriter, showing that this is an important role of this character.
The scene is then quiet, with a slow musical score with a mournful quality to it. The character sighs and a point-of-view shot is used as he writes "THE END" on the sheet of paper. This shows the audience what the character is mournful of.
The way the character brings together the sheets of paper is used to symbolise the rounding up of the something and/or the putting together of something.
There is now a close-up shot of the novel, The novel is labelled "UNTITLED", this gives the audience no way of relating to the story yet. What it does give the audience however, is the author's name. Allowing the audience to further relate to the main character.
The character is then seen placing the sheets of paper into a brown satchel in a close-up shot of the satchel. The satchel has further meaning in the sequence, which I will go onto explaining a little further on.
There is then several close-up shots of the cigarette, the champagne glass, and the champagne being used. This indicates the there is a celebration is going on, but a close-up shot of the character indicates that he is in fact the opposite of celebratory; he appears fed up. The mournful score is continued throughout the scene.
The character places the brown satchel in the car which is covered in snow. He then takes some snow of the car, creating a snowball and throws it at a tree, hitting the tree precisely in the middle. The character then speaks dialogue for the first time in the movies and says "Still got it.". The throwing of the snowball is thought of as childish and silly, having the effect of lightening the mood, and showing that the character isn't just miserable. The mournful score is now lost, and is replaced with a lighthearted and upbeat song.
There is then a panning shot following the car, making it the audience's focus. The car is then in an extreme long shot, introducing the audience to the setting. This is when the title "Misery" appears. It is almost comical that that audience is made to cheerful because of the music they are listening to, when the setting they can see is the opposite of cheerful; the setting is actually looks dreary, isolated and miserable looking. It gives the audience a sense of false security. Even the character is shown tapping along to the music seeming cheerful, which is a big change from his previously mournful demeanor.
There is a extreme long shot at 2:46 which shows the car hidden behind many large trees, it is barely visible in the snow. It shows the audience how isolated this character really is; and how vulnerable the character is as a result of that.
There is a close-up shot of the moving car tyre which is used to show the audience that it may have some importance to the scene, and that something wrong is likely to happen with it. The audience is then immediately brought back into a false sense of security when they see the main character seeming cheerful.
A point-of-view shot is then used showing the main character, then the snowy road on a cliff edge. When the snowy road is shown, the camera appears to wobble. Showing that the character is in danger on this road. It then begins to pour down in snow, making the character barely visible. Making the audience aware again of the vulnerable position the character is in. The weather makes a road warning sign barely visible, which leads to the car accident.
During the car accident, you can hear the loud noises from the car as the character tries to gain control. The camera also follows the car as it spins around, out of control, showing how serious the crash is. Throughout this scene, the character tries to hold onto the satchel, reminding the audience that it is of great importance to the character and the story. At 4:36 of the clip, you can see the car is blended into the setting, again, showing the character's vulnerability in this situation. The cheerful song has now stopped and led to complete silence, removing the audience's false sense of security, and the silence really emphasises the isolation.
The next part of the scene is a flashback. It starts with an extreme close-up. It is again, next to the main character showing it has importance to him. The dialogue in the scene then goes on to explain how the satchel reminds him of when he first started writing, he explains how he felt he was a "writer then". This shows that the character relates that satchel to having freedom in this writing, rather than the Misery book series. This is why he clings to this object. His clinginess to the object is shown several times throughout the seen as he wraps his hand around it, keeping it secure next to him. It is also seen beside to him as he is dragged out of the car.
This shows that its someones birthday, and that it's important. The dull colouring suggests that its a memory. This also suggests that its an old video because of the grainy texture.
Because this is the first character we see, this show that she is important. She may be a main character or loved by a main character. The horse is also seen again in the film.
This shot shows us another character. It also gives us infomation about the first character. the candle shows that she was five and that the white shows inoccence. This picture is very happy.
There is a strong contrast in this shot with the last. This shot is very dark. The darkness suggests that he is very lonely, this is also suggested by the take out boxes on the table.
You dont expect to see a karaoke manual, in a dark place, because we think of karaoke as happy and cheery, where as the darkness suggests sadness.
The font suggests that its modern. The fact that the girl in the pitcure is riding a horse, makes us think that she is the young girl from the beginning. The word 'Taken' makes us think that the girl is going to be taken.
Notes:
This film immediately introduces the setting with subtitles.
The sequence starts with the sound of an old fashioned kettle boiling. This is a good use of Mise-en-scene, because it shows that the characters are quite poor. The Kettle is used quite often in Thrillers Because of the high pitched screeching sound that it creates. This sound unsettles the audience because screeching is associated with danger.
The fan is also a good use of Mise-En-Scene because it moves the setting around it, so the audience is wary of small movements, which puts them on edge.
The sound of the smashing tea cup, is used to show the characters shock horror. The sound is very dramatic because there was very little sound beforehand.
When we first see the main character, every sound that he makes has been very dramatised, and when he drops his cigarette on the floor its in slow motion, all of this shows his power. It also first introduces us to his sound motif of the flicker of the lighter.
Hello Everyone, our names our Vicki Hewlett and Gemma Dillon and
this is our blog for AS Media studies : )
In this blog, we will show our ideas and interpretations of the media.
We will link videos and pictures that have inspired our coursework.
We are creating a thriller opening sequence : )
