Close up camera shots and editing

Here is a short film that we filmed to practice our editing skills and to practice filming using different shots. As you can see we have used a long shot, A close up shot and a high angle shot. This short clip was fun to make.

Bad Teacher

Bad teacher:

The genre of the film bad teacher is comedy. The film ‘Bad teacher’ is about a lazy teacher trying to marry someone rich. She has bad intentions throughout the whole trailer. There are many characteristics/ conventions that the audience are able to work out that the genre are a comedy. The four technical elements show the audience why it is a comedy.

The mise en sene of the film shows that Elizabeth (The main character) has had marries into a lot of money in the past in one of her previous relationships. Elizabeth also dresses well and formally, this shows the audience that she is out of place working in a school and that she feels as though she is too upper class to be associated with a school. Another character in the film is Amy, she dresses like a stereotypical teacher would. Elizabeth has her eye on a clearly wealthy member of staff at the school named Scoot as she is impressed by the expensive watch that he is wearing which catches her eye.  From this you are also able to work out that he will be her love interest in the film as her main priority will be to get him to fall in love with her.

In the trailer they have used non-diegetic music, the music they have used is upbeat and makes the trailer sound not serious and silly and immature which fits in well with the main character Elizabeth who is a bad teacher. The music very quickly changes when Lynn tells the main character Elizabeth that there is a bonus for the upcoming state test. The music then changes to motivational music but again it still has that silly aspect to it. This relates to the serious part of a comedy film. The shots that they have used throughout the trailer are very basic shots. They have used an establishing shot. They have also used a close up on Elizabeth so that the audience can see who the main character will be and so that they can see her personality and relate to that main character. This shot was also a good way to show the target audience her expression throughout the trailer. There are a few over the shoulder shots to show the audience who is talking while there is still some importance on the person who’s shoulder is in the shot for an example when Elizabeth is talking to the character Lynn, when Lynn is talking it is an over the shoulder shot and you can still see Elizabeth in the shot because she is the main character and the main focus of the film.

The audience are encouraged to ask themselves who is Elizabeth’s love interest going to be as you see her with two different men throughout the trailer and it is unclear which one it is she goes for. They are encouraged to ask themselves why she is a teacher if she doesn’t enjoy teaching. Why is she so money obsessed? Does she really want to find love or does she just want money?

The rules of continuity in filming

Continuity editing is a system of cutting clips, used to maintain continuous and clear narrative action by following a set of rules.

Establishing shot:

This is a long shot or an extreme long shot, usually with loose framing that shows the spatial relations between the important figures, objectives and setting in a scene.

Shot reverse shot:

This is two shots that have been edited together that alternate characters, typically in a conversation situation. Usually characters in one frame look left and then they will look right in the next shot.

180 rule:

This is the angle between any two consecutive shots should not exceed 180 degrees in order to maintain spatial relationships between people and objects in any given sequence of shots. It is important not to cross the line of vision between the two characters, if you do the viewer may not be able to make sense of the scene. This same rule applies to a moving subject: keep to one side of the direction of motion.

30 degree rule:

This is the angle between any two consecutive shots should not be less than 30 degrees, in order maintain spatial relationships between people and objects in any given sequence of shots.

Cross cutting:

This is editing that alternates between shots occurring simultaneously in two or more different location.

Match on action:

This is a cut between two shots that places two different farmings of the same action next to each other, making it seem to continue uninterrupted.

Eyeline match:

This is a cut between two shots in which the first shot shows a person looking off in one direction and the second shot shows either a space containing what he or she sees or a person looking back in exactly the opposite direction.

Re-establishing shot:

This is a shot that returns to a view of a space or location after a series of close ups.

The Fault In Our Stars

The fault in our stars:

In the opening two minutes of this film you have the main character called Hazel Grace speaking/ narrating giving the audience a speech about life and how she wants her life to be in an ideal world. At this point in the film the audience do not yet know that she is battling with cancer and is seriously ill with it. From the speech Hazel Grace is giving the audience are able to tell that the film is going to be based around real life Events which makes it fiction. There is also a love interest in this film between characters called Augustus and Hazel, both of which are the two main characters battling cancer.

From the opening scene the audience are encouraged to ask themselves why is Hazel lying on the grass? What do the stars signify? What do the flashes from her past and her future symbolise? Why does she keep looking at Isaac at her support group and not her love interest, Augustus? The opening scene to this film creates many questions for the audience and helps them to feel involved and empathise with the characters better.

One of the most significant events of the opening scene is when Hazel attends her support group as this is the start of the real hard hitting story. The narration that is going on at the start of the film helps the audience gain context of the story up to now. Hazel portrays her honest feelings which allow the audience empathise with her throughout the rest of the film.

The music that is used at the beginning of the film is non diegetic. They have someone playing the piano in the background whilst Hazel Grace is speaking about the way of life. The music is quite soft which creates a mellow and gentle mood; it encourages the audience to think that the film is going to be happy but as soon as the film kicks off the mood quickly changes.

The camera shots that are used throughout the film are mainly Ariel shots to show how small the main characters are in comparison to the world. They have also used a lot of close up shots on the main characters to help the audience focus on them. The 180 degree line is not broken in the opening, this helps the audience establish normally.  They editing that they have used is slow passed to show the audience how slow life can be when battling with cancer and how much Hazel and Gus had to suffer. This could also connote how they are waiting to die. There are features of straight cuts which signify the normality of life without cancer. They have made it seem like everyday life and almost as if they are not battling with cancer but the audience always know that it is there.  The way they have edited it allows the audience to focus on the main character and their story. Throughout the film the costumes that the characters are wearing are contemporary to the time it is set in (modern day). The main characters are also seen in hospital gowns, they wear outfits which suit what they are doing at the point in time in the film. The lighting is natural throughout the film however it quickly changes low key lighting when they are focussing on the deeper and sad scenes of the film. To conclude, this film uses a range of technical elements in order to portray a message about cancer. 

The Girl On The Train

The girl on the train:

The genre of this film is a thriller, the audience are able to work this out by the way the whole trailer is based around a murder of a girl called Megan. The audience are made to believe that one of the main characters called Rachel is responsible for Megan’s death however little do they know, it was all Rachel’s imagination and Rachel is not the killer of Megan.

They have used the song ‘Heartless ‘by the well know singer Kanye West. The song fits in well with the trailer because he is singing about being heartless and being cold and to have the capability and mentality to kill another human makes you heartless and cold blooded.

At the beginning of the trailer they focus mainly on the girl who gets murdered in the film (Megan) and she is speaking about all the struggled she is facing. They also show you all the connections Megan has in relation to her such as her husband, the family she nannies for, her councillor and her stalker. The reason they have introduced you to all of these characters in the trailer is to show the audience all the potential suspects who could have killed her however the producer have made it look like one character is to blame. This links in with one of the conventions of a thriller because they have created suspense and excitement for the audience as they want to know and work out who the killer is. This also links in with another convention because it revolves around an investigation of an enigma.

In the trailer they have used shots of Rachel being questioned by the police which is a key convention in a thriller film this also encourages the audience to believe it was Rachel who killed Megan.

In a thriller movie the hero and the villain although they are on opposing sides, share similar characteristics or have links with each other. In this film Rachel is the hero and her ex husband is the villain but they use to be together which is what gives them the link between each other.

In this trailer you are able to work out that Rachel plays an isolated secretive role as she has no relation to Megan. Rachel use to see Megan every morning and night travelling to and from work. The train use to stop outside Megan’s home and Rachel would gaze out of the window and dream about what it would be like to have what she thought was a happy ever after. This links in with another convention because the hero is always the outsider.

Man Up

Man Up:

This film is a romantic comedy; you are able to tell by the different conventions that are used throughout the trailer to draw the attention of the target audience which tends to be young couples but mainly young women and teenage girls.

The first convention that you see in this trailer is classic introduction of the main character. It starts off with the main character introducing herself as ‘Nancy’, this also links in with another convention of it being a romantic comedy because the main character tends to be played me a female.  They have used an extreme close up on Nancy’s face so that the audience can see who the main character of the film is.

What the audience are able to find out from this trailer is that the main character Nancy unintentionally ends up pretending to be a man’s blind date but she ends up falling in love with him and he falls in love with who he thinks is called Jessica, little does he know, she is called Nancy.

Another reason we are able to work out that the film will be a romantic comedy is by the urban city setting. They have used different camera shots of central London where the two love interests fall in love. In most romantic comedy’s they often have the comical best friend who makes the film humorous however in this film they have done it differently, they have made Nancy, the main character the funny one as well as being the love interest.

Half way through the trailer you see the two love interests separate because he eventually finds out she is not who he thinks she is. There is always a short term breakup in a romantic comedy film however the audience always know that there will be a happy ending which in this case there is because the man realises he is also in love with the real Nancy and that the only thing that has changed about her is her name.

The trailer ends on a funny note to keep the audience appealed and to keep them interested. The trailer ends on the two love interests telling another couple how they met but instead of being honest they make up a funny story.

The music that is used throughout the trailer is upbeat and happy to set the mood for the target audience and to get them excited about seeing the film. They have used a lot of close ups on the main character, Nancy’s face to show the audience who the main character is but at the same time they have shared the close ups with her love interest to share the level of importance.

Bad Moms

Bad Moms:

From the trailer of the new for 2016 film ‘Bad Moms’ the audience are able to work out that the genre of the film is going to be a comedy because in all of the different shots that they use have something that the target audience may find funny.

The audience are able to work out that the film is going to be about being a parent and all the day to day struggles you may come across being a mum or a dad except they have made it funny and over exaggerated these struggles. By the name of the film we are able to work out that the target audience will mainly be parents going to watch it as it is a feel good film for them. They have Mila Kunis playing the main character in this film which will get all of her fans to go and see the film and it is also good promotion for the film directors because they have a big star in their film.

They have used many different conventions in this trailer which is how the audience are able to work out that it is going to be a comedy. One of the conventions is having a family setting; in this trailer you can see that Mila Kunis has children of her own and a husband. Another convention that is used is a sense of humour from most characters, in the trailer they have cut to different scenes with different characters in showing the audience that they all have a sense of humour. They have used bright lighting and a lot of natural light (during the day) which is another convention of a comedy film, this influences the mood it sets on the target audience. It makes the audience feel that it is a bright and happy film. They also have used the classic ‘Idiotic’ character in the film and have included the character in the trailer. They have included this character mixed in with the ‘normal’ people to show the contrast of two different personalities.

They have used up beat, new, in the chart music playing in the background to set the ‘hyped’ up mood and to get the target audience excited to see the film. They have used the same camera shots on all of the characters to show that they are all equal in terms of importance.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Four weddings and a funeral:

Within the trailer for the film “four weddings and a funeral” there are many different elements that are used to tell the audience about the film and to introduce them to the genre of the film which is romance.

They have a famous and successful and well known star playing the main character and the love interest, Hugh Grant. Hugh Grant is well known for playing the love interest in all of the mainstream films that he does. The main story for his character is him disbelieving he will ever be able to make a lifelong commitment with anyone, to finally stepping up out on faith and asking his love interest, Carrie to spend the rest of her life with him.

From the trailer the audience are able to work out that the film is about people celebrating their love for each other and also celebrating the lives of the loved ones they have lost. The audience are able to work out that Hugh Grant is hopeless at finding love however he falls in love with someone he meets at a friend’s wedding and does not know how to act on it. No matter how hard he tries, Carrie, the love interest is oblivious to his undying love for her. The audience are encouraged to ask themselves who dies in the film? Will it be Hugh Grant that dies? How long will it take for Carrie to realise that he is in love with her?

In the trailer there are many different camera shots that they have decided to use all for different effects of appeal. One of the main shots that they have used is a close up; they have used this to introduce the main characters to the main audience and to show the audience their personalities so that the audience can relate to them. Another reason they have used a close up camera shot is to show that the characters are of similar age to the target audience and that the issues the characters may be facing is what the target audience could be facing on the day to day basis.  They have used a few long shot camera angles of the main characters in a church; this fits in well with the title of the film and also fits in well with the genre of the film. The church setting connotes love.  The music that they have used throughout the trailer is wedding like music; this is so the audience are aware of the setting and to help them understand the plot of the film. 

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty shades of grey

From the trailer of the film ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ the audience will be able to work out that the genre of the film will be an erotic romance novel following on from the books. From the very beginning of the trailer they have a slowed down of Beyonce’s song ‘Crazy in love’ which automatically lets the audience know that there will be a love interest in the film. You then get to see the main characters in the film, they have used an extreme close up on the main characters face, Anastasia Steel, played by Dakota Johnson.  They have then used a wide camera shot of the other main character, Christian Grey, played by Jamie Dornan. You don’t get to see his face in the first shot you see him to build up tension and to leave the audience questioning who Anastasias love interest will be. From the very beginning Anastasia has a nervous and intimidated presence about her when she is being escorted into Christian Greys office which makes the audience feel tense and nervous for her. The next shots you see in the trailer is Anastasia sat in Christians office and the camera keeps changing to different shots of him walking around his room and ends with him leaning against his desk, there is also a voice over of the character Anastasia steel telling her friend how he made her feel. Anastasia used the words “polite”, “intense”, “smart” and “intimidating”. The word intimidating means you have frightened someone or made them in awe of you, people mainly intimidate one another in order to get what they want, and in this case what Christian wants is Anastasia.

After Dakota Johnson speaks the word ‘intimidating’ there is an extreme close up of Christian Greys hand gripping onto his desk and his index finger slowly but firmly tapping the table. When someone usually fidgets this could normally mean they are in deep thought about something. This encourages the audience to question whether he is in deep thought about Anastasia.

The next shots you see is of Anastasia and Christian in different places together which shows the audience that they get to know each other after Anastasia went to visit him for educational purposes. Anastasia asks Christian “To what do you owe your success” and Christian Grey responds with “I like to have control over all things Miss Steel”, as he is saying this the camera cuts to a shot of them walking alongside each other staring into each other’s  eyes.  This shows that there is sexual tension between both of the leading characters and gives the target audience an insight on what is about to happen between them both.

They have then put a heading up saying “This Valentine’s Day”, valentine’s day is a celebration of love so again this lets the audience know that the film is associated with love. The next shot you see is Anastasia and Christian walking into a lift. At the very beginning of the trailer you see Anastasia  in a lift saying goodbye to Christian and further along you see her in a lift again except this time Christian Grey follows Anastasia into the lift and starts to kiss her, this is almost as if they are releasing all of their sexual tension for each other by the way they are passionately but very fast passed kissing. Christian grey took ‘control’ in this scene which proves his point earlier on in  the trailer that he likes to take control in all instances.

Up until this point in the trailer, the audience are made to believe that they are going to end up in a relationship however towards the end of the trailer Christian Grey says to Anastasia that “he doesn’t do romance” and that his “tastes are very singular” which can only mean one thing, he is purely in it for the sex which has a complete turn on how the audience is feeling and thinking. The last thing the audience are able to see in the trailer is Christian Grey using different types of bondage on Anastasia in his apartment and the last you see of her is Anastasia blindfolded, tied up. This lets the audience know that they are being intimate and it also shows them that there is a lot of sex involved in the film.  This trailer leaves the audience confused on what Anastasia and Christian’s relationship is and draws their attention and interest in going to see the film. 

How To Be Single Trailer

How to be single:

From the trailer you are able to tell that the film is going to be a romantic comedy because they show you different shots throughout the film of the main character in different situations for an example you see the girl staring into the eyes of a man and smiling which indicated that there is a love interest. You also see the girl looking heartbroken sat on a flight of stairs, looking sorry for herself. One of the conventions of a romantic comedy is the main character having the funny best friend which is what brings the comedy to the romantic film, in the trailer you are able to see that there is a character like this who brings the humour to the film by the way she behaves and by the things that she says.  Another convention is the urban well known city setting and in the trailer they have lots of different camera shots of New York City to try and make it relatable for the target audience watching. Another convention that is used in this film is that the main character tends to either someone who is already famous or someone who is big and upcoming and in this movie the main character is played by Dakota Johnson who is famous for playing the part of Anastasia steel in the film ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. By having Dakota Johnson playing the main character, this will draw in all of her fans and the fans of the film Fifty Shades of Grey to come and watch it. These types of actors will forever play similar characters in all of the films they are a part of. They also have Rebel Wilson play the funny best friend in the film; they have chosen to use her because again she is well known in many other films for an example ‘Pitch Perfect’ she plays the character well known as ‘Fat Amy’. In all of the films Rebel Wilson has starred in, she has always been the character that is funny.

They have used lots of clips of the main character and her friend in different party scenes to draw the attention of the target audience because it is mainly teenage girls who go to watch these types of films or young couples. The reason they have done this would be so that the younger teenage target audience can relate to the film and draw their attention. They have also included Dakota Johnson looking upset and depressed surrounded by empty alcohol bottles and a drink to hand which indicates that she is heartbroken over the heartbreak she is going through. You next see another male appear who the audience are made to believe is the ‘right’ man for her until they watch the film and get to know him better which is another convention of a romantic comedy film.

From the trailer we find out that the film has a heartbreak in because the whole trailer is based around the main characters friend trying to help her get over her ex-boyfriend that she is clearly still in love with as she is finding it hard to be single which is why the film is called ‘How to be single’. The audience are encouraged to ask each other why the main character has broken up with her ex-boyfriend and also why it is that she is failing to move on. The audience will be able to work out who the main character is (Dakota Johnson) and who the main characters embarrassing, funny and crazy friend is (Rebel Wilson). They use a lot of close up shots on all of the main characters faces so that the audience can see who the leading characters are and for them to recognise in the trailer what famous actors they have included in the film.

They have the typical British/American stereotype who are in full suits and dresses which make the audience think they are well educated and better off than the man Dakota Johnson was heartbroken about and because the man thinks he is better off than her ex-boyfriend, he acts ‘cocky’ and thinks that he could easily win over Dakota Johnsons heart which is another convention of a romantic comedy because there is always a fight or tension between the two men who are fighting or in love with the main character.

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids:

This film is a romantic comedy about a woman who has recently got engaged and she has left all of her trusty friends to plan part of the wedding. We are able to work out that it is a romantic comedy by the name ‘Bridesmaids’ and because there is a love interest involved. They have also included lots of different shots of the bride to be bridesmaids bringing the comedy to the film. With the brides best friend they have used lots of close ups so the audience can see that she is one of the main characters however with the rest of the bridesmaids they have used the same shots on each other to show the audience that they all have the same level of importance.

They show more shots of the funny scenes than they do show shots of the love interest because the audience already know that there will be a love interest in it because of the title of the film. One of the conventions that is used the urban city setting, you are able to notice this when the bridesmaid go out shopping for dresses. Another convention that is in this trailer is that the main character is a woman which is what it always tends to be in a romantic comedy film.

The music that they have used in the film is upbeat and sets the mood for the target audience. In a romantic film you would normally have slow love songs playing in the background however because the film is more of a comedy they have used upbeat music to get the audience excited ready for the film. The audience are aware of when the funny parts of the trailer is happening because the music stops and it builds up tension and gets them ready for the funny part, almost as if they are waiting for the audience to laugh.

Another convention that is used in this trailer is having quite a few shots of the ‘idiotic’ friend. In this film one of the bridesmaids called Megan is the idiotic friend. They kept having shots of Megan saying and doing silly but humorous things to make the audience laugh. They have also used a famous actor who is well known to play a funny role in other films, her name is Melissa McCarthy.

The Expendables 2 Film Analysis

The expendables 2:

What genre indicators are there?

In the opening scene we are able to work out that it is going to be an action film because straight away they are in a war zone and there is a fight happening and the characters and travelling around on army tanks.

What questions are the audience encouraged to ask themselves about the character/ narrative?

The audience are encouraged to ask themselves why they are all fighting and what is going on as it goes straight into the war from the very beginning of the film. The cameras focus on the same four characters which makes the audience wonder if they are the main characters in the film or if something will happen to them.

                                                                                                                       

How is music or ambient sound used and what mood is created?

The music they have used in the opening scene is dramatic and causes tension whilst the fight is happening, this makes the audience on edge whilst the fight is happening because they don’t know what is about to happen.

What camera shots are used and what is the effect of appeal?

One of the camera shots that is used in the opening scene is a wide shot of the war zone so that the audience can see that it is a war zone and they can see that a lot is happening at once. They also use a close up on one of the characters faces so the audience can see the concentration on his face and the determination to win the war/ fight and to protect the rest of the people on his team.

The Purge Film Analysis

The purge:

What genre indicators are there?

From the opening scene the audience are able to tell that the film will be a horror by the music that is used. The music that is used is diegetic because the character in the scene has put on the music. In the opening scene you can also see a masked man sat on his chair whilst he was two tortured people suffering and gagged on the sofa opposite him, this automatically indicates that bad things have happened and are going to happen.

What questions are the audience encouraged to ask themselves about the character/ narrative?

What the audience can see in the opening clip, they are encouraged to think that the masked man is going to be the main character as there are a lot of extreme close ups on his face and he is watching the two people who have been hurt suffer. This also makes the wonder what else will happen and if the two people will die. The audience will also question why they have been hurt and why the masked man has targeted them. The audience may also question what the guy behind the mask looks like or who it is as you do not get to see him without it on.

What do we find out?

In the opening scene we find out that the twelve hour purge has already started because of the two suffering, slowly dying people sat opposite the guy on the sofa. The man with the mask on his face also says in the clip whilst the music was playing that “This is my purge playlist” which also indicates the purge has started.

How is music or ambient sound used and what mood does it create?

The music that they have used in the opening scene of ‘The Purge’ is diegetic. The audience could find the music they have used quite confusing because they have used an upbeat track and the masked character is dancing to it in his chair whilst the other two sit there in pain. The music makes it seem almost as if the man in the mask was making a joke out of the situation or as if he was oblivious to the suffering that was going on.

What camera shots stand out for you and what is the affect on appeal?

There are a lot of extreme close ups in the opening scene to this film, this is good because it builds tension and gives the audience a good idea of the different emotion and an understanding on what is happening in that scene. They use an extreme close up on the two people who have been tortured to show the audience the emotion and expression on their face. It is almost as if this shot makes you feel the characters pain as you can clearly see the distress on their faces. There is also a medium shot on the masked man so the audience could see how he was behaving and from this shot you were able to see that he was very relaxed and not bothered that the two people in front of him are hurt. The cameral also slowly pans up to the mans iPod docking station as he is changing the songs.

Jaws Film Analysis

Jaws:

What genre indicators are there?

You are able to work out that the film is going to be a horror by the music that is used straight away at the beginning. The music that is used makes the audience on edge and will make them think that something bad is going to happen. This automatically lets the audience know that the film will be a horror.

 

What questions are the audience encouraged to ask themselves about the character/ narrative?

The audience are encouraged to ask themselves what is going to happen to teenagers on the beach and why they were focusing a lot of the opening scene under water. This makes the audience question whether it is to do with some form of underwater monster or animal. In the opening scene there is a girl and a boy who were flirting and they ran off to the sea front together, this makes the audience question whether they will be main characters in the film.

 

What do we find out?

From the opening scene we find out that something is going to happen in the sea because at the beginning of the clip its filmed underwater with tense music playing in the background. You are also able to work out that something is going to happen to the teenagers who are all sat right next to the sea.

 

How is music or ambient sound used and what mood is created?

At the very beginning of the opening scene they have used dramatic, fast paced music which causes tension and automatically makes the audience think that something bad is going to soon happen. The music then very quickly changes as the scene changes to a man playing the harmonica with a bunch of teenagers at a party which automatically indicates something bad will happen to them.

What camera shots stand out for you and what is their effect of appeal?

At the beginning of the opening scene when all of the teenagers are gathered round the beach they use an extreme wide shot so that the audience could see the whole beach, the camera slowly zooms out so the sea is the last thing the audience will be able to spot which also indicates something bad will happen in the sea. They also use a medium shot of the girl who was getting into difficulty in the sea and who was drowning, this was a good shot to use because the audience were able to see the struggle she was in. They use a wide shot of the beach and the passed out teenager laying on the sand where he had consumed too much alcohol, this was a way to show the audience where the boy was when the drowning girl needed saving.

Notting Hill

Notting Hill:

From the trailer of the film ‘Notting Hill’ you are able to work out that the genre of the film will be a romantic comedy. We are able to work this out because of the different conventions they use during the trailer which stand out to the audience. One of the conventions they use is the voice over when they are introducing the main characters. The first thing that the narrator says is “A very ordinary boy bumps into a girl” and its the part where Hugh Grant spills his drink over his love interest in the film, Julia Roberts. They emphasise the word “bump” because he quite literally bumps into her in the street. This also shows the audience that the film will also be a comedy.

In the trailer the audience are able to get the gist of what the story line will be because of what the narrator is saying. They are able to see that Hugh Grant’s character coincidentally meets a famous person in the street and they fall in love but will it be that easy?

You then get introduced to Hugh Grant’s funny best friend in the film which is another convention of a romantic comedy because there is always the comical best friend who makes the film funny to go along with the serious love story.

They have added in a part where you see the two love interests fall apart but because it is a romantic comedy you know that they will find a way to get back together because if it is meant to be then love always finds a way. 

Another convention that is used is the typical urban city setting and they have made the story realistic so that the target audience which tends to be teenage girls or young women can relate to it and fit their needs. By doing this, it also makes it feel as if it was real life. In the next scene they have shown the audience that the two love interests get back together to keep the audience appealed. This is another convention of a romantic comedy because there is always a happy ending.

They have used happy love song in the background of thee trailer to set the mood and let the audience know that the film is about love. The person doing the voice over mentions other films that have been made by the same director of Notting Hill to get the attention of the fans of the other films such as ‘Four weddings and a funeral” to encourage them and make the want to come and see this film. They have used a lot of close up camera shots on the main three characters faces so that the audience can see who they are and because the actors such as Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts are in the film this is a good way to advertise that they are in it.

Love Actually Film Analysis

Love actually:

In the opening scene of the film ‘Love Actually’ it is filmed in an airport with Hugh Grant speaking in the background giving different examples of love and different types of relationships  and referring to different events that took place in history such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From this clip you can tell that the film is going to be about of love from the speech that Hugh Grant makes. Hugh grant refers to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to show the target audience that in hard, challenging and difficult times, people come together and that people show love and respect to each other.


When Hugh Grant is speaking in the opening scene that automatically makes the audience question whether he will be the main character in the film and what sort of character he will play and what story line he may have. From the opening scene you are unable to tell what role he is going to play as he gives many examples of love, you are unable to identify what role he is going to play or if it is going to be a happy or sad ending. 


From the clip we find out all the different types of relationships that there are and when love comes into place in different scenarios. 


The music that is used in the opening scene of ‘Love Actually’ has no lyrics and is a soft, slow and calming soundtrack to set the mood. , this is good because it fits in well with what Hugh Grant is saying. The music also gives the target audience an idea that the film is about love by the slow and soft approach to it.


In the opening scene there are a lot of close up shots of people in a relationship and there is also medium close ups of different things that is happening in the airport which you may not notice if you were just passing by. These are mainly the only shots they use as these are good shots to show different types of relationships and the emotion of people’s faces. 

Diary of a call girl

Diary of a call girl:

In this clip Blake is presented as sexually abnormal. In the clip, the first thing you see is the call girl open the door and the camera angle then points down to show the boy Blake in his wheelchair.  This makes it look like they are trying to show everyone that he is vulnerable and less abled than them. At the beginning of the clip there is a bit of an ‘awkward tension’ because of Blake’s father was present and if Blake wasn’t disabled then his father wouldn’t have needed to be there. The call girl looked shocked to see his father at the door. The call girl tells Blake and his father to make them at home and she walks off into another room. Blake then quickly shouts “Dad” in a panic because he wanted his Dad to carry him into her bed before she got back and saw him do it, almost as if he was embarrassed by his disability. The colours around the room were mainly reds and pinks, this connotes love and romance. Blake also said to the call girl that he is not used to being touched intimately and that he is only ever touched by his parents when they are assisting him. Once the call girl came back into the room, the Dad was still stood there nervously looking at his son and the call girl, he then kissed his son on the head and told him where he would be if Blake needed him. After he had left the call girl locked her bedroom door and looked back at Blake nervously lying in her bed. She then unlocked the door rather quickly in case something was to happen to Blake. By her doing this, this makes it look as though Blake is scared or does not like the door being closed which makes him look weak and vulnerable and ‘sexually abnormal’. 

The music that is used in the clip was non-diegetic because the music was put there for the audience, to set the mood. The music was slow and soft which connotes love and is romantic because of what is about to happen. The characters in this clip were unable to hear the music.

Once the Dad had left the call girls house, he went and sat in his car, you were able to tell that he was on edge about the whole situation because he turning the radio on and off, beeping the horn and playing with the car windows. This shows the audience that he is nervous and uneasy.

When Blake and the call girl were in bed together, it was almost as if she didn’t know how to start because she looked worried and didn’t know what she could and couldn’t do in case it was uncomfortable for him or as if he was physically unable to do things like any other abled being.

 The call girl offers Blake a drink and when she gives it to him she realises that she has to assist him when he is drinking it. The camera shot they use for this is a medium shot so that the audience could see closely the struggle in his face and also his hands shaking, struggling to hold the glass. Further along the call girl asks Blake if she should take off his top, this again shows the audience that Blake is ‘sexually abnormal’ because if it was a more abled body, she wouldn’t have needed to ask. When she is doing this the camera slowly pans down, it starts from his head so that the audience can’t see his body and then slowly makes its way back down once Blake is lying down again, this was to make the audience question what his body will look like because of the way Blake has been represented in the clip, It makes the audience expect something that is not going to happen and makes them see him as sexually abnormal.  The call girl was being extra careful around him as if he wasn’t physically or mentally fit or stable to be intimate with another person.