Micro and Macro Analysis of 'The Cradle of Life'

Micro Analysis of Opening of ‘The Cradle of Life’

Cinematography

      

       The use of handheld shots in the plane tells the audience that the plane is under pressure and is not very stable whilst it is heading down towards the sea dangerously. There were also spinning shots which follow the plane through the sky and then swivel around to follow the planes path. The camera also tilts and shows the viewer the planes controls.

Sound

There is fast paced music, when it cuts to the shots of the plane, the fast paced music stops and we here the plane descending through the sky, with effective . When the planes descent becomes dangerous, we hear a warning sound which consists of high pitch beepings which become faster as the plane draws closer to the sea.  The diagetic sound (for example the characters dialogue) and the non-diagetic sound (the planes sound effects) overlap in the first opening scene. The characters voices can be heard almost shouting over the planes loud warning noises.

Mise-en-scene

The snow in the background creates an isolated feeling. This then switches quickly to an exotic, warm location. (Which gives the feeling that the plane is fast, according to the dialogue they shared before getting on the plane). The costume also clearly relates to the Action/ Adventure genre. The characters wear dark clothing apart from Lara Croft in the opening sequence who contrasts against the dark, 

cold insides of the building in a white snow suite,clarifying her as being different and as the leader.

 Editing

There is a use of jump cuts which follow the action of the main character boarding the plane. There is also a use of close-ups that gradually zoom in on a characters face. These make the audience feel drawn into the action, and see clearly the character’s reactions and facial expressions.

               

Macro Analysis

Story and Plot

In this short opening sequence Lara croft and Terry Sheridan board a fighter plane, in arctic conditions and fly to a tropical region, quickly, before ejecting themselves from their pilot seats narrowly missing crasing into a mountain

 Situations and locations

The locations featured in the opening sequence are typical of films of the Action/ Adventure genre. The first location is a polar region which quickly changes to an exotic, warm and tropical part of the world.

 Themes and values

Themes in this film are ‘Pandora’s Box’ which supposedly contains one of the most deadliest plagues in the world.

Characters

There is one main character, Lara Croft. Although another important character is Terry Sheridan. Lara and Terry bond together throughout the film and a relationship together looks inevitable. Yet fate sets the two f them apart at the ending of the film. What sets them apart is Pandora’s box. Lara wants to leave it in a safe place, whereas Terry wants to take it for himself. This ultimately ends up with Lara facing a choice, her choice being to kill Terry in self defence. Other themes that are covered include: M16 agents and tasks, fear and threats caused by organisations and that not all things are meant to be found (Pandora's Box)

               

Comparison of 'An American Werewolf in London' and ' 28 Days Later'

1) Write a comparision of the different ways in which the two openings define themselves as Horror Films.

'28 Days Later'

In 'An American Werewolf in London' there is a slow build up to any Horror or violence. This leaves the audience in suspense, awaiting something bad to happen. Whereas in '28 Days Later' the horror of the monkeys attacking, and Jim wakes up to find the city deserted. The horror hits the audience from the start of the film unlike in 'An American Werewolf in London'.Another difference between the two films is that in 'An American Werewolf in London' the two Americans are in an unfamiliar and desolate place, unlike America. Whereas in '28 Days Later' Jim wakes up in familiar surroundings, London, but in an unfamiliar situation, being that everyone has fled the city. 

'An American Werewolf in London'

The Similarities between the two films is the icons and themes they both explore. Both films show people dying with blood represented boldly which connotes, danger, threats and murder. The themes they both explore are isolation, as in both films the characters are isolated from what they are comfortable with and know. Icons in 'An American Werewolf in London'' are the howling wind, and heavy thunder, which show the characters vulnerability and come as a warning. Another warning is the moon, which looms in the clouds threateningly, which the audience begin to realise after the characters come out of the local pub. In '28 Days Later' the symbolic icons are the good and evil forces that have forced the people to fled London, disease and war.


The sound and special effects in both films draw the audience into the action through the use, for example, of an eery mist and heavy rain in 'An American Werewolf in London' this adds to the overall atmosphere of the film through the way they are introduced and faded out.
Overall the opening of 'Americans defines itself as a horror film by firstly not initially introducing the audience to Horror but by slowly building up the fear, tension and suspense. '28 Days Later' defines itself as a Horror film by its use of showing a threat to a whole city, and its use of blood as a threatening and vulnerable symbol.

Evaluating the Preliminary Task

1. Explain what you were asked to do and how you prepared for the task.

Our Preliminary task was to film and edit a character opening a door, crossing a room, and then sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. We had to effectively demonstrate match on action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180 degree rule.

We prepared for the task by storyboarding each shot and writing the shot types, shot angles, dialogue and actions. We also made sure that we included the three rules (match on action, shot-reverse-shot, and the 180 degree rule. We also watched some opening sequence examples to understand how they were constructed, we watched Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Reservoir Dogs.

Filming

2. Explain how you filmed each part of the task (match on action and shot-reverse-shot while maintaining the 180 degree rule) commenting on:

Your Role:

My role was to film Character one. (I am Character two). I filmed Character one walking down a corridor towards a door, opening a door and then walking through the library (our setting) and sitting down in a chair. I then filmed character one and her dialogue (she had lost her phone which was on the seat next to character two) with character two (out of shot). Finally I filmed character one walking out of the library, and putting her phone in her pocket and then out of the main entrance. I filmed the match on action part of our film, showing character one opening the door and walking through the other side before going on to do a low angle shot of character one's legs walking past a bookcase, to show which direction she was walking in.

What kind of shot you used and why:

I used a variety of different shots such as long shots to show that character one's whole body could be seen and were she was walking from and to. I also used a close-up to show the character hand over the the door handle and pulling it back before I went to a mid-shot of Character one fully opening the door and walking through.

What was your framing like:

We made sure we got the best possible outcome from our framing by carefully selecting which characters we wanted out of frame and in frame and what background or props needed to be in frame for the sequence to make sense.For example I filmed A high shot of character one sitting down at a chair, but keeping character two (me) out of frame so we could effectively begin from that shot to show shot-reverse-shot.

The positioning of the actors on screen:

I positioned character one in a variety of different ways so that  a range of movements and interesting angles could be shown, and add interest to the film. We also made sure we complied with the 180 degree rule by filming character one and two sharing some dialogue over a table from one side of them , as not to reverse the places where they  were sitting, and confuse the viewer/audience.

Editing

Were you happy with the final result?

Our group were happy with the final result, although we did need to go back and film one shot we missed, after the main filming. We were most happy with our effective shot-reverse-shot part in the film as it was appropriate with the dialogue and flowed well.

What could your group have done to improve the sequence?

As a group I think we could have improved the fluidity of our match on action, as we missed a shot where character one came through the other side of the door, so we went back to film this. We could have added more dialogue to make the situation of 'The Lost Phone' (our title) more realistic.

How did you think you worked as a group?

I thought we worked well together as a group as we discussed over any ideas each other had, and worked to combine these ideas to make an effective shot for example.

We also helped and supported each other if we were having any difficulties, for example helping the other person by showing them a tip to holding the camera (hand-held) straight and having a good grip so that the camera did not wobble. We worked well together on the storyboard and about discussing what the theme of dialogue the two characters in our film should talk about.

How confident do you feel using the camera and using imovie HD ?

I am now confident with the camera and can effectively use the camera hand-held keeping it still without it wobbling.I understand how to insert the tape,what all the functions of the buttons on the camera are and how it is important to rewind to the start of the tape each time we want to film.I can also effectively use a tripod, which our group have used for example, for establishing shots of settings. I am also more confident now using imovie.I understand how to drag down clips to create the film and how to edit, using titles, sound effects, etc. I am also aware of which wire must be used to connect the camera to the Mac and how it is important to import and save any work our group do.

Close-up of Hand on door handle

Low angle shot of character ones feet
carrying on Match on Action

Displaying the 180 degree rule