Analyzing films for inspiration

We have recently been analyzing films in our media lessons to explore the presentation of characters and to explore the importance of Mise en scene, cinematography, acting and signifiers etc. Below is my analysis of the film Stand by me:

Stand by me

MES
The setting is in the woods.
Several trees surrounding them
Blue gels used as it looks dark. Indicates that it is night – time.
The two boys are casually dressed in jeans and t-shirts.
Chris Chambers is wearing a white t-shirt which resembles his goodness and very righteous character.
Very quiet atmosphere
Chris is holding a gun

Characters
Chris Chambers – Comes from a bad family however his being is very loyal, dependable, righteous and protective towards his best friends.

Gordon – Complicated character.
Seriously effected by his brother’s death.
Really relies on Chris who is like a Father to him.

Shots Used
Many close-ups to show the emotions in the scene.

Changing our idea for our Main Task

During this lesson Francesca and I decided to change our coursework idea for the Main task. We decided against a horror genre and decided to create a more comical and light opening for our film. We have chosen to create a scene where an alienated boy who is unpopular, with no friends is wandering along the street, listening to his i pod and moving in time with the music to help the audience gain an understanding of his witty character. We are also going to include a moment where he is walking towards a girl who he believes is smiling slightly at him and we will have him walking towards her only to find that she completely ignores him and takes the boy's hand behind him. To add effect we will include non-diegetic music (the boy's i pod) whilst the credits are showing. We also will get an upbeat song for the walking down the road part which will be diegetic.

Deciding about our idea for our Main Task

In today's lesson the class analyzed a set of films looking at the credits (the film title, the production company etc). This was beneficial and helpful as we saw how some films relate the presentation of the title to the film's genre. For example, The Sixth Sense used an eerie affect by the way the letters of the title came onto the screen in a haunting and ghostly way. Watching the credits of these films was overall effective as it emphasized to us the importance of time management; we realized that we cannot waste too much time on the opening credits. Also, we analyzed the openings of a number of films to give us ideas about our own coursework, which involves creating the opening of a new film. My group successfully decided on our opening. We plan to have the setting in a graveyard with a child hiding behind a grave stone at night hiding and frightened. To add effect during the credits we will use eerie music drowned out by the sound of the child's frantic panting (the child has been running). Finally to close our opening we would like a close up of the child as the camera tracks in very quickly, emphasizing that whatever the child has been hiding from has found her.