A2 Level Summer 2007
Sample Script 1
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 27
CE Feedback: A sophisticated answer showing real depth of insight into the different
comic tone of both sequences.
Answer: The sequence taken from The Royal Tenenbaums begins with an establishing
shot of a book with the same title. This provides a sort of explanation for the
continuous third party narrative throughout the film, which is an unusual technique,
by creating the idea that someone is reading a story and we are seeing the visual
realisation of their words. Indeed we see the first page of this book, titled prolougue
which also explains why we are being given a description of each character without
simply learning of them through watching their habits throughout the film such as
would be seen in the traditional hollywood style.
In conjunction with the narration the next shot is of a landscape of rooftops. The focus
of the shot is a roof at the front of the shot, with a flag waving from it. This somewhat
unusual house decoration is a hint at the quirky lives of the people who inhabit this
house. As the narrative continues to describe the house and the family the shot pans
down so we see the house more clearly and catch a brief glimpse of those within it.
This conjunction between the slow-paced narration and varied and unusual shots keep
the audience visually stimulated whilst they collect information aurally.
Once entering the house the director has chosen to use subtitles as a sort of labelling
device. This again breaks the film away from the traditional hoolywood practice of
"invisible" editing and also provides a comic element in it's content. The titles
depicting the name of the child who has each room and it's location within the house
add an element of grandeur and formalisation as well as creating the impression these
children are all very independant and individual.
When the audience first sees Chaz, it is using a long shot enabling the audience to
veiw the office like room in which he inhabits. This also provides a comic effect due to
the small stature of a child who appears acting as a grown buisness man would, which
is emphasised by the choice of shot. The mise-en-scene provides a deep insight into
the work-orientated mind of Chaz and works well in conjunction with the narrative.
The following shots are such that they depict a sort of catalogue of the characters
lives. Short shots divided by straight cuts depict the important parts of the children's
routines. It is in the irony of the fact that each child is so small and yet has
accomplished so much, combined with the long shots and downward panning of the
camera that the comic element of this sequence is found.
Indeed in the second sequence the director has used the spinning newspaper headlines
in order to draw the audience straight into the story. Once more a narrative is used
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over the top of the visual action but in this sequence takes the form of a voice over of
a newsreader, in conjunction with the reporting style of the clip.
Once more the shots flow in timing with the newsreader's narrative however this
sequence has a much faster pace in order to make the audience feel sucked into the
action and swept along with the hype that the character's onscreen would be
experienceing. The comic value of this sequence is not as subtle as in the last piece.
The use of heroes obviously mean this piece is meant to be one of fiction but the
absurdity of a superhero being sued for saving someone is so out of the ordinary for
normal movie conventions it adds an element of humour.
As the piece is conveyed as running news film the humour is mostly derived from the
action of characters and the unsusual storyline, the humour is less subtle than that in
The Royal Tenenbaums but due to the different intended audiences, one for younger
veiwers and one for older audiences, this is understandable.
Therefore in both pieces a thrid party narrative is used in the form of a voice-over.
However in the first piece the director uses the cinematography more subtly in order
to convey humour and uses various shot types and camera movements in order to do
so. In the second clip the focus is much more on the comic nature of the narrative
which is then illustrated to the audience via the news reel type sequence.
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Sample Script 1
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 28
CE Feedback: A sophisticated analysis showing real depth of understanding of the
different visual techniques employed in each sequence. The phrase "the brutality of
silence" is a brilliant example of critical analysis.
Answer: In both sequences the directors use mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing
and sound in order to draw the audience in to each clip and convey the emotional
impact of two different tragedies whilst also creating an empathy with the characters
involved.
In sequence one the establishing shot is in black and white, The director uses this to
demonstrate to the audience when what they are seeing is a flashback. However in the
midst of the chaos the mise-en-scene sometimes changes and characters of objects
will be in colour for one shot and then back to black and white again. This is combined
with point of veiw shots, quick panning and out of focus shots to create a sense of
chaos. This helps draw the audience in and makes them feel empathy with the
characters as they are made to feel as disorientated and confused as those onscreen.
The dialogue of the characters narrate the events, describing what is happening in the
flashbacks. There is a correlation between the narrative and the onscreen events
making it more emotional and personal as, the woman, is obviously distressed and the
audience is going through what happened through her point of veiw. This is
emphasised by the camera's zoom in on her in the midst of the chaos. This brings the
audiences attention to the fact that she is remaining still unlike everyone else,
illustrating her shock.
Another aspect which helps convey the emotional impact of the tragedy is the nondiagetic music that is used. This builds the tension, letting the audience know that
something bad is going to happen and makes them more suscepetable to whatever
tragedy is about to follow as they have been built up to it.
In the second sequence the camera is once again not statickly depicting shots. It
moves around as the boys rough house in the water, drawing the audience into the
action and making them become more involved with the characters which would
heighten the emotional impact of a tragedy.
However different camera techniques are then used. In order to convey a sense of
helplessness the camera becomes more static and focused. It pans slowly, following
one boy run away. The long shot combined with the panning is used to emphasise how
one boy is left alone. The fact that he is not within shot heightens the tension and
audience's concern that he is not alright. Indeed when the scene changes and a woman
becomes the focus of the shot, it is clear she is the young boys mother. By tracking
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backwards into her block of flats the mise-en-scene involved becomes dark and
foreboding.
The director of this clip uses far more still and varied shot lengths. Close-ups and
extreme close-ups are used to convey clearly the character's emotions. A close-up of
the boys face signals his realisation something is wrong. An extreme close-up of the
mothers eyes displays her shock and grief, whilst more subtly the close-up of her hand
and then the young drowned boy's shows they're connection and makes the scene even
more melancholy.
Another contrast is that the second clip, instead of using sound to create tension uses
silence to do so. Instead of distracting the audience with sound the director uses the
brutality of silence to allow the audience to soak in the tragic events and empathise
with the character's onscreen using the strong visual emphasis.
The second clip also makes more use of lighting. The mother is backlit when entering
her flat and once more as she stands by her kitchen window. This creates an ominous
unknowing, seperating her emotions slightly from the audience as whilst they can
empathise with her they are unlikely to know the depth of the horror she feels. It also
may signify the darkness that now envelopes her.
Therefore both clips use camera angles and shot types to convey a certain emotion to
the audience. The first clip uses it to display chaos whilst the second gives the veiwer
time to soak in the tragedy. Also colour is used in both and indeed the use of sound or
lack there of is also of note.
Colour is also used in this clip to convey the emotional impact of a tragedy. In the
beginning when the boys head is underwater the underwater shot is dark and murky.
Once more this creates a sense of foreboding. There is also no narrative in the second
clip which means more clarity is demanded of the shots in order for the audience to
know exactly what is going on. However whilst being different, both clips depict well,
using the camera, cinematography and mise-en-scene how it feels to be involved in a
situation with tragic consequences and conveys this to the audience.
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Sample Script 1
Question 4: "I think animation lends itself to illustrating dreams of any sort." Henry
Selick, Director of The Nightmare before Christmas.<br>Compare and contrast the
visualisation of Halloweenland and Christmas Town.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 28
CE Feedback: A sophisticated analysis showing real depth of understanding of the
contrasting visual styles of each place.
Answer: As Henry Selick has commented above on animation lending itself to dreams
of any sort it seems to fit here that two opposites are found within The Nightmare
before Christmas. Halloween Town is the embodiment of a child's nightmares and
Christmas Town is the idillic childhood dream of Christmas. It is through the
visualisation of these two sequences that this theme is truly made evident.
The mise-en-scene within The Nightmare Before Christmas acutely influenced by
german expressionism in conjunction with many of Tim BUrton's films. The
exaggerated features and elongated proportions combine to create incredibly eerie
and unsettling imagery.
This contrasts greatly with the imagery used in Christmas town which is almost the
polar opposite. Both elves facial characteristics and the features of the setting are
dwarfed and made rounded and softer, creating a much less threatening scene. This
coincides with the theme of dreams and nightmares.
In the Halloweenland the sequence is almost entirely black and white, adding to the
the german expressionistic feel. This is also used to pronounce the effect when colour
is used, for example in the creature under the bed's eyes. The fact that everything
else is either in black and white or sullen dark colours makes bright colours, when
used, very effective at providing an scary or eerie feel to the cinematography.
This contrasts greatly with Christmas Town which is done in monocolour. Everything is
bright and bold in strong primary colours to provide a more cheerful and warm
atmosphere.
Both sequences use the camera movements in order to convey something about the
different towns. In Halloweenland the camera seems to move consistantly onwards,
disguising the straight cuts by ending and starting shots with black. This combined with
the twisting and turning of the camera provides a disorientating feel to the sequence.
As the audience is unsure where it is going to end up and what ghoulish figure will pop
up next it makes it more ominous and nightmarish.
Whilst the camera work is also used to convey an emotion to the audience in Christmas
Town and, it is done in a different way. The shots in Christmas town often begin with
a long shot that then proceeds to move in closer. This allows the audience time to
establish where they are and what they are seeing. It is therefore more comforting as
there is not the same sense of unknown or lack of control.
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Another aspect of camera work involved is the prevelant use of low angles in
Halloweenland. When this is combined with the german expressionistic, exaggerated
features it makes everything onscreen seem larger and more threatening, thus making
the audience feel more vunerable.
This is once more contrasted with that of Christmas Town where the director has
chosen to use more shots at eye level and therefore everything seems more in
proportion and less threatening to the audience. It also shows the characters involved
to be quite small, thus having the opposite effect of the camera angles in
Halloweenland.
Therefore the visulualistic style of each clip is used to portray an image of either a
nightmare or a dream. Indeed even the characters themselves in Halloweenland have
been lifted from the most common of nightmare inhabitants. It is through the use of
stylistic conventions, camera angle and editing that these two clips contrast so
purposefully.
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Exam Name:
A2 Level Summer 2007
Sample Script 2
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 25
CE Feedback: A confident, well balanced analysis picking up on many of the key
aspects of narrative, visual style and comic tone.
Answer: sequence one and two vastly contrast in their aproach to narrative technique,
visual style and comic tone. the first clip uses the narrator to tell the life stories of
the people as we are introduced to them through the clip.the tone is informal as it
reveals personal details of adoption etc. this is vastly contrasted with clip two which is
narrated as a piece from the news or a documentary. it is shot in black and white and
uses alot on newspaper titles etc to make the tone formal and informative. the
spinning newspapers at the start and end give it an old sterotypical view of reporting
as spinning newspapers are synomanos with movie or televison spoof reports. the
black and white style also dates the film and gives it a more formal quality. the clip
moves between footage of clips from many scenes cut quicky to provide the viewer
with maximum information on the subject. clip one however always seems to be
editing in an upward mannor as the camera progresses up the floors in the house
continuing the story.
the comic quality of the two clips also contrast. clip one is funny because it shows
children achieveing extra ordinary feats at young ages and places children in this adlut
situations and presenting them to the audience as serious is humourus. the narrators
style of delivery of the content is also humourus. clip two relise on the absurd nature
of it content to be humourous. firstly it looks like an authentic news report about a
law suit and when you relise its about super heros being sued the characters in the clip
become amusing. also the characters in clip two which is animated as homourus as
they are so realistic with is unusual for a cartoon to have ordinary sorts of people
depicted. the newspapers produce amusing headlines about "x-ray vision peeping tom"
which are funny because they are ridiculous.
the main clear deviation in visual style comes from the fact one in animated and the
other not but the narration is both "voice of god" style where the narrator links
together the peices. they just do it in different stlyes, clip one as a traditional
narrator and clip two as a journalist. both clips also use other features to aid the
narration. clip one uses subtitles to name and detail parts of the clip making it even
more obvious than the narrator and clip two uses newpaper headlines to relate the
story to the audience by making it look like it has come from a credible source. the
narrator in clip one is also reading a story to the audience it is in his book at the start
of the sequence this adds an novelistic quality which is slightly surreal but makes the
clip slightly more lighthearted and ultimatly humourous. both clips use a varity of
camera angles to complete their shots and tell the story accompanied by the
narration. in the first clip there is a humourous moment as the narrator tells us how
the boy bread "dalmation mice" which is on its own funny but the shot moves down
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over three mice tanks resembleing closely one of the opening shots when the camera
moved down the side of the house with the children in it.
there is a homourous moment in the second clip as the narrator reveals the "super
hero relocation program" usualy reserved for crime witnesses this is funny and the
street protests against super heros are a comic reminder of how narrow minded some
groups of society really are. also all the injured people in the clip sustained solely
neck injuries forcing them all to wear neck braces which is unrealistic and funny. both
clips are aided in the narration by the continuity of the editing, all following a linear
narrative allowing the story to be told from beginning to end in that order.
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Sample Script 2
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 27
CE Feedback: A brilliant, incisive, in-depth analysis that shows real insight into the
differences and similarities between both sequences and many examples of
independent thinking.
Answer: the director uses film language to convey emotional impact differently in
both sequences. the first clip uses archive footage to set the scene and make it feel
real to the audience. the clip uses surreal flashback also to depict the point of view of
the tradity, the flashback have a dream like quality, the contrast is brighter. music is
slowly used to build tension as the woman continues to tell her story, to heighten the
audiences senses.
the flashbacks are blurry and confused, shot using a shaky handheld camera creating a
sence that something is not right. when a gunshot is fired it is loud, the editing which
has been building in pace until now reaches its peak and cuts very quickly between
shots making a state of panic and confusion. the blured zoom shots into the face of
the main woman showing her horror at the event unfolding are emotional as her
preformance is strong and believeable. the noise of the cars, gun shot, shouting etc all
add the the heightened sence of emotionalness to the viewer, and the director makes
confusion prolong the surealness of the happenings but dragging out the confusion with
more footage, shots from many angles all over the scene and closeups of the
distraught womans face, as though you were actually amidst the confusion, this make
the scene very emotional.
the sharp contrast as the clip "returns to normality" or real time in colour from black
and white is a somber transition for the viewer as they are still reminded of the the
attrosity years on by the same look of horror on the womans face as though it had
never left. the camera again gets close up. a little quietness allows some time to
reflect and take in what the director has shown us before it returns to the aftermath
of the shooting were more fast cuts and loud gunshots shake the audience. this is
further reflected when the character in real time played by kevin Costner jumps
himself as thought he to is shaken by the events years on again it returns to quietness
and the viewer is aloud to take in emotionally the signifigance of the previous minutes
footage.
the second clip goes about creating an emotional tradedy in a different way.what
looks like innocent horse play is quickly established by the audience to be more-so
than that there is something different here, the chilling stillness of the water and the
surfacing of little bubbles, the look of discontent that something is wrong deep down
in the boys eyes as he leaves the scene. the action in the clip like scene one is fast
around the pivotal tradgic moment however clip two does use less cuts.
the rest of the clip proceeds to be almost silent as a very long shot in the next scene
unfolds leaving the viewer unedge about the consequences of the previous scene. the
camera has a gentle track backwards as though to follow the woman. the quietness
even in the street with children playing is slightly chilling and adds the the emotion of
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the scene. the panning shot in the darkened hallway of the woman still, looking out
the wondow for a long period of time further builds on the angsioty of the viewer and
her saddend face gazing out lets us know something is wrong the clip is still quiet and
the overall feel is very somber. the long periods of time passing from shot to shot in
the second clip is a vast contradiction to the first one which was much faster. this
second clip is also completly shot in real time so the conslusion isnt a forgone
conclusion meening the viewer is more unedge by what is happening. the outcome isnt
clear until we are presented the womans point of view of people looking discovering
the dead body. her eyes say more than anything she could have said or done as her
dark face struggles to refrain from outbreak of tears. she looks fearful in the close up
of just her eyes. her grip of the shopping tightens a notch on descovery as she seeks
some physical way to vent the emotional turmoil building inside her, the slience is one
of the biggest contradictions between the clips but both work respectivly creating
different types of emotion, the first panic and the second somber. the hand of the
woman with pretruding veins compared to the lifeless cold wet hand of the young boy
is a chilling transition as the mood of the clip on realisation to the viewers that there
worst suspicions have been confirmed is harrowing and the director is extremely
successful in provoking emotional response from the viewer hear even more
sympathetically than the director of the previous clip. an obvious simalarity in the
clips is the blurred confusion of the involved young boys shot running up the stairs is
very similar to all the shots in the previous clip conveying uncertainty, fear and
confusion. the boys eyes show the same fear as his mother as his facial expressions
seem stuck to a fearful gaze and the embrase from his mother seems consoling at the
end of the emotional clip. the two clips are shot invery different ways, the mise en
scene of the first clip was shot in colour and black and white but appeared much
more vibrant and colour ful than the second clip which despite being shot in colour
was drab and dull throughout. the later is probably slightly more obvious for this kind
of clip but the former did work well and the clip depicted a national event that was
never soposed to be tradgic.
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A2 Level Summer 2007
Sample Script 2
Question 3: "All Kieslowski's films reveal strong emotions that seem about to break
through the surface of the elegantly composed images." Janina Falkowska<br>How
does the director use film language to convey the state of mind of his main character,
Julie, after the accident?
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 22
CE Feedback: A confident analysis that could perhaps have provided more depth of
analysis of film language.
Answer: the director uses film language to convey the state of mind after the accident
to great extent. Julie is very quiet and barely speaks during the clips and so the
director finds other ways to convey her emotions to the audience. when we see Julies
eye reflecting the doctor it is as though we are going to get inside her head, which is
exactly where the director wants to take us, the reflection off the eye also serves as a
kind of point of view shot showing us both her and what she sees.
her face while sitting in the hospital is cut and brusied we known these scars however
will heal faster than those regarding her lost family. the loud music and blue light
seem to bring her to life once again the blue is like a chill rushing through her body
and the music seems to reflect the inner termoil she endures. the camera tracks in
and out as though trying to again enter her head but her expression is vague and
scared. her trance is broken by a voice to which she replies ( one of the few moments
she speaks)only after a period of black which usually represents the passing of time
maby a signal that her state of mind is improving. the loud music is juxtaposed with a
piece of written music which when it starts to play is calming, perhaps a signal that
julie is ready to begin to move on from the horrible crash. the camera panning along
the notes is julies point of view of the notes she is reading and playing in her head,
reminising or pondering her old life, her expression is somber alough she appears aided
by soft sad music to be fighting tears or some sort of physical emotional expression of
how she really feals, instead she bottles it up and fights her emotions. emotions that
appear to spill over and finally vent themselves as julie drags her knuckles over the
sharp wall, ripping her skin regardless of personal harm, just for an outlet a source to
represent the exploding turmoil she faces. her physical pain is a mear fraction of how
she feels deep inside, behind the stern face that masks her emotions. the director also
takes time to look at her face as its response is as important to the viewer as the
graphic image of her knucle against the wall itself. the pain appears to much as she
puts her fist to her mouth wimpering as the fast tracking shot ends.her state of mind
appears volitile. her pain is enhansed in the next shot by the memories of all she tried
to leave behind, the blue light shade representing freedom(the colour blue) does quite
the opposite as she cannot free her mind from the constraints of holding on to the
pain of her former life, the physical pain we are reminded of as she puts her fist to her
mouth once more to remind us of the wall incident and suffering she has endured. her
emotional state is realistically no better than it was at the start as she cannot fight
the grief that consumes her. the blue swimming pool, blue again soposed to represent
freedom does quite the opposite as it seem dark and confinding. she is trapped in her
emotional stress and her state of mind reflects this. with the coffee at the end of the
film the sugar cube slowly absorbs the coffee making it loose its white purity and
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filling it up a little like julie. the music from the piper is still somber and still reflects
her fragile sad state of mind. the coffee reminds julie of the simple pleasures in life
she only now has time to appricate after loosing everything in her life she held dear.
she is fragile metally and maby realises that she may never fully escape the
constraints of her own memory.
the lighting in the clips is dull, any outdoor shots appear overcast, perhaps another
way for the director to reflect how she is feeling on screen.
julies preformance alone may be substitute for the absence of dialogue in the clip, her
ability to convey emotion through looks and the directors ability to capture it makes
the film even more successful. the lack of dialogue helps the film maintain its somber
tone to the audience and allow them to share the emotions of the main character.
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Sample Script 3
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 24
CE Feedback: A fluent, confident answer showing real insight into the codes of
realism and comic tone.
Answer: Both of these sequences use narrative technique to allow for a fictional story
have a reaslistic feel to it. The first sequence is a live action documentary made about
real people or what appears to be real people. We are made to believe they are real
people through the many narrative techniques used. First of all their is the use of a
narrator in the film which is describing each character as we see them. This technique
is taken from the documentary style of film making. The narrator not only tells us
about each character, he does it in a serious tone which allows for comic value as eash
description of the family of geniuses is so extreme that we as the audience find it
funny.
There is also the use of descriptive captions which tell us no more than what we are
already seeing in each shot. I think the director uses these captions for emphasis. They
allow us to really notice what is in the scene and pick up on just how genius they are.
In the second sequence there is also a lot of narrative techniques used. As in sequence
one there is a narrator present. In contrast to the first sequence this narrator is not
just describing what is happening, he is part of the action as the reporter for the
story. He is telling us a story about an actual event that has happened. He does this
through the narration of a number of clips which have been put together to make a
story. Although this is a fictional film again, as in sequence one, narrative thechniques
are used to make it seem realistic. One example of this is the use of the newspaper
clippings about the event that has happened. This documentary technique is
commonly used in annimations to allow for the story to be more realistic. in my
opinion this technique works very well and allows the audience to become part of the
action and really believe these events have happened no matter how unrealistic the
story is.
Visual technique in both sequences play a big part in the films. In the fisrt sequence a
number of visual techniques are used. The mise-en-scene such as the colour which
makes use of browns, greys and oranges. There is no real bright colours which in my
opinion emphasises perhaps the dullness of the characters lives. The objects in the
sequence all help to describe how each child lives their lives. The fist child lives his
life around his computers, books and dalmation mice. The second child focuses her
life on her plays. And the third focuses his life on his tennis and so we see his many
awards. The costumes also allow for the audience to get a real feel for their
characters.
Another visual technique used is the camera techniques. This sequence is full of fast
shots which allows for a lot of shots to be shown meaning the audience are gathering a
lot of information within a short time span. Not only are the shots short and fast they
are all very close up either zooming right in to the scene or already close up and
panning down to show what the narrator is talking about. The close up shots of each
character allow us to really interact with each of them. in my opinion it gets us right
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into the scene and what is happening in it. I think this works well in that it makes us
feel close to the character themselves and we can see clearly how they live.
In sequence two the visual techniques are slightly different to the first sequence. The
mise-en-scene shows a lack of colour to the scene. It is all in black and white which i
think the director perhaps uses this to allow for a more serious tone to the story. I
think this works very well in that the use of colour may perhaps distract us from the
seriousness of what is happening. The costumes used establishes each of the character
and tells us who they are and what they do.
The camera technique in this sequence is quite different to the first sequence in that
the shots are longer and more descriptive. They help tell the story rather than just
defend what the narrator is saying. The camera is right in the center of the action and
this allows us the adience to feel like a part of the action.
Both sequences have a comic tone because the directors are taking a fictional story
and using different techniques to make them very serious an realistic.
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 24
CE Feedback: This is a confident, in-depth analysis with the candidate showing real
insight into how visual style generates a range of different emotions. The analysis of
seq 2 is particularly strong, containing this incisive comment - "I think the mixture of
fast paced shots and slow paced shots allows for a lot of different emotions to be
explored in this sequence from melancholy to anxiousness."
Answer: Both of the sequences shown uses camera technique to effectively convey the
emotions of the characters. In sequence one there is a mixture of camera techniques.
irst of all there is the slow paced camera shots of the lady telling the story as che
recalls it. Then there is the fast shakey camera movements of the actual scene as it
happened as if someone who was there is filming it as they are watching. This is a
technique used in documentary film making. It allows us the audience to be right
there in the scene as if we are there watching it aswell. This technique works well in
conveying the emotion of the tragedy because we are experiencing it for ourselves and
it also allows for our emotions to heighten and we become anxious.
here is also a lot of close ups used which show different people who are watching what
is happening. I think this works well in that it allows us to get a sense of how they are
feeling and what their emotions are. Thereis a number of cross cutting shots used as
the lady tells her story. These shots back up what she is telling us. They are shots of
the lady on the day of the shooting. As the emotions heighten as the shots are fired
the camera shots gets shorter and faster. This in itself allows for our emotions as the
audience to get heightened. We get a feel of the impact of the shots as they are being
fired and the anxiety of the people there watching.
The second sequence also uses different camera techniques to explore the emotions of
the tragedy. At the start of the sequence the camera movements are quite fast as we
experience the young boys struggle under the water. The movements are also quite
shakey as in the first sequence. Its as if someone else is there filming what is
happening and we as the audience become that person. This creates a great emotional
impact from the audience as they are unable to stop what is happening and so they
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are powerless. As the boys struggle stops the camera movements slow down again. The
shot of the street where the other young boys are playing is slow as the camera pans
to the right and tracks backwards. The still shot of the women looking through the
window is a great opportunity to allow us as the audience to get a sense of how she is
feeling as she sees the young boy lying having been pulled out of the water. An
extreme close up of the womens eyes almost allows us the get right inside her head
through her eyes.
The heightened emotion of the young boy is again emphasised thorugh the jerky
camera movements as he runs up the stairs. I think the mixture of fast paced shots and
slow paced shots allows for a lot of different emotions to be explored in this sequence
from melancholy to anxiousness.
Another technique used in both sequences to convey the emotions is the use of sound.
In sequence one the uses diagetic sound to give us a real sense of being there. The
loud shots of the gun creates a great sense of anxiousness. The sound of the people
talking and screaming when the shots were fired also works well in allowing the
audience to feel the heightened emotions of everyone there.
In the second sequence its the lack of a lot of sound which allows for the emotions to
be conveyed. It makes the audience feel sad for the loss of the young boy.
As well as sound colour is used to convey the emotions of the sequences aswell. In the
first sequence the colour is all very low key when the women is telling her story. As
well as this there is also the use of black and white which allows for a more serious
emotion to be explored.
In the second sequence the colours are all very dark which again emphasises the
emotions of the characters.
The narrator in the first sequence is someone who was actually there at the scene and
is telling us her account of what happened. This technique is used a lot in
Documentary film making as it allows for a certain event in history to be told through
someone elses point of view. It makes the story real as we hear it comming from real
people. The second sequence however does not have a narrator. This lack of narrator
allows for the shots to tell the story itself. This is why close up camera shots are used
so we can get a feel of how each character is feeling at the time.
I think the directors of both of these sequences, although they use different
techniques, convey the emotional impact of each tragedy effectively.
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Sample Script 3
Question 3: "All Kieslowski's films reveal strong emotions that seem about to break
through the surface of the elegantly composed images." Janina Falkowska<br>How
does the director use film language to convey the state of mind of his main character,
Julie, after the accident?
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 27
CE Feedback: A highly impressive analysis with the candidate showing many fine
examples of independent thinking - "There are no flashbacks in the film but the fade
to black is almost like a flashback as it is Julie remembering things about her past
and what is happened."
Answer: Kieslowski once said that it is impossible to film peoples thoughts and
feelings, we can only ever get really close to them. To do this he uses many
techniques. The fist technique I am going to explore is the camera technique.
Kieslowski uses a lot of close ups in his film to allow us the audience to get right up
close to Julies state of mind. The close up right at the start of the film of her eye
allows us to see what she is seeing without the use of a POV shot. This shot in
particular allows us to get inside her head and try to understand how she is feeling.
There is also a close up of the music notes which is very important because the film is
very much about music as her husband was a composer. This shot is also blurred
around the outside which could also emphasise how her mind is blurred at this time.
Another close up of her hand scrapeing up against the wall allows us to get a sense of
her desperation and anger at this time. The sugar cube later in the film allows us to
get a sense of her loneliness and emtyness. All these close ups are things that we
would not normally look at. This makes us think that she is perhaps trying to escape
from the world around her.
Kieslowski typically made films about the big things in life, the personal questions and
Three Colours Blue allows us to get a sense of the inner thoughts of someone who has
gone through a big change in their life and we are shown first hand how she deals with
it.
The camera movement is also quite slow in pace. This slow movement allows the
difference between the realistic form and style of the documentary to be compared to
the formalist and stylised techniques used in the film such as the exaggeration of the
colours and camera lens.
The camera moves from being very close up to tracking out of the shot to get a bigger
picture and then moving back in close again. This creates a great impact on the
audience as it allows them to get create their own feelings towrads what is happening
by getting a bigger view of it.
The mise-en-scene plays a big part in the film. The colour of the film plays a big role
in that it is a trigger of her memories. The film is first introduced to the colour blue in
the very fist scene of the car crash where it is opened with the blue sweet wrapping
the girl is flying out the window and it ends with the blue tint to the scene after the
crash. The colour blue sets the tone of the film as it is associated with melancholy and
loss.
The colour blue constantly appears throughout the film. It appears thorughout the film
with the loud bursts of music which triggers the fade to blacks. There are no
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flashbacks in the film but the fade to black is almost like a flashback as it is Julie
remembering things about her past and what is happened.
The blue is also present with the lamp shade which she carries with her throughout the
film. It is also present in the swimming pool as it overpowers her she has another
"flashback". This significant use of colour allows for us the audience to get a sense of
her sadness and i think it works well because it also makes us feel melancholy and
sympathetic towards her.
The use of sound plays a big role in the film aswell as the colour. It tends to create a
sense of who the characters are. We know Julies husband is a composer and so the use
of music in the film is very emphatic and symbolic.
The objects within each shot are all very emphasised in that she notices the small
things in life because she is trying to escape from the bigger picture.
The film is shot in french and makes use of subtitles throughout the film. This allows
us to concentrate on what is being said an so allows us to really understand what she is
feeling and her state of mind at the time.
The lighting is very low key with high contrast to emphasise her melancholy and loss.
It makes her seem very lonely in the world she is creating for herself.
Another way of getting close to understanding how Julie is feeling is though the use of
POV shots such as the sugar cube and just before it the man sitting on the street
playing the recorder.
The story is told through the use of images and sound. There is no narrator telling us
the story which means that we are getting a first hand account through her actions
and emotions.
I think Kieslowski makes use of all these techniques in an effective way in that it
allows us to get close to Julie and feel sympathetic for her but yet it does not let us
get so close to her that we know exactly how she feels because we can not understand
this unless we actually go through what she has ourselves. It allows us to get an idea of
her state of mind and her strong emotions without actually knowing the truth and
breaking through the surface.
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Sample Script 4
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 24
CE Feedback: A concise, yet penetrating analysis of how the comic tone of both
sequences is created through the narrative and visual style.
Answer: The directors narrative technique in the first clip is very short-sentenced, socalled 'fact'- based and to the point. This choice of narrative technique has no opinion
based within it and is just telling it to the viewer like it is. This consequently leaves it
wide open for the viewers opinion to form of the family - mainly the children. The
narrator does not tell you what to think but allows for interpretation of humour to be
brought out of the facts.
The comic tone is evident through both the narrative and visual style.
Because the narrators tone of voice is essentially dead pan and making no implications
on humour or fiction, the sequence is made to seem like it is something serious, yet as
the story is indeed not factual the seriousness brings out a sense of humour. As the
characters are only children we do not expect to be told that they are each at the top
of their game in business, arts and sport and so it is made funny because the audience
are unaware; the fact a young boy is an international tennis champion is infallible and
can only be met with humour.
The narrator notes quite small but significant-to-the-character details adding to the
humour, examples like; Margot being adopted at age two and her father always noted
this on introduction, the shot then cutting to her father introducing her as his adopted
daughter. Chas standing up at his desk with a cup of coffee to save time. These details
seem insignificant and are noted so quickly that the viewer has little time to react but
to laugh, these quick witted manouvers add to the pace of the sequence.
In the second sequence the narrative technique is quite different, it is in the style of a
mid20th century news reporter detailing a breaking story. The tone is lively and
determined, it is serious and like the first sequence it makes no implication on the
falseness of the story even though it is a completely different tone.
However the difference is quite plainly in the visual style. In the first sequence the
style is very mise-en-scene, very real and recognisable in the real world. The second
sequence, obviously an animation in black and white, is evidently not real. Yet the
narration and visual tries to make us believe it is very real, it talks about real worldly
things e.g. superior court, lawsuits, trains, government. It places animated human
characters in real situations, the lighting looks real and the courtroom sketches seem
legible.
Yet it is the fact that these things have been made real that has brought comic tone to
the sequence, the story is about superheros and they have been placed into these real
(yet animated) and serious situations. Again this compares with the first sequence as
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we cannot accept this as truth as there is no such thing as superheros, and so it is met
with humour.
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 13
CE Feedback: The confident analysis of seq 1 is not followed through to the next seq.
Answer: The director uses film language very clearly in the first sequence, this is
shown mostly in the shots in the sequence.
The shots of the woman talking to the two men are slower, longer shots with smooth
camera movement, the picture is also in colour. When the shots of her memory
leading up to and during the shooting appear, the picture is in black and white, the
camera movement is shakey, the shot length is very short. However, after the
president has been shot the shot length slows down significantly.
The slower, longer shots of the present day are used to allow the viewer to relate to
the thoughts and emotions of the woman as she recalls her memory of that day. As
soon as it cuts to her memory the shot is shakey and black and white and quick, and
this relates to her incomplete and short memory of what happened.
After the president has been killed the shot time slows down again which brings it
back to the focus on the tragedy and the emotion of the sudden loss.
In the second sequence the same is true for the shots. Again they relate to the
emotions involved of the sudden loss, very long smooth camera movements.
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Sample Script 4
Question 3: "All Kieslowski's films reveal strong emotions that seem about to break
through the surface of the elegantly composed images." Janina Falkowska<br>How
does the director use film language to convey the state of mind of his main character,
Julie, after the accident?
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 19
CE Feedback: The candidate shows good insight into film language and emotion.
Although the response could have been further developed, it does manage to explore
the use of music, colour and the close-up in the film.
Answer: Julies state of mind is conveyed in the first scene by the shot framing and
length. Kieslowski uses a very long ECU of a piece of fluff being gently blown by the
long breathing of Julie lying on the hospital bed, it then goes to an ECU of the
reflection in her eye of the doctor. These slow and very close shots allow time for the
viewer to be inside the room and feel the painful emotion Julie is experiencing. The
director has given this access to get closer to her. The reflection in her eye is pretty
much a POV shot that shows her confusion and fear, as we can still see her eye so
closely it is easier to realte to her state of mind.
The next shot brings in the colour theme, declared in the films title, of a blue wash
over the screen. This technique is created by using a blue filter over a light source or
over the camera lens. Often the blue is accompanied by strong, loud but intermittent
orchestra music, the blue colour itself is in sync with the music as it appears, fades
and reappears with the music.
As blue is mainly recognised in film language with sadness, depression, confusion etc.
it is the appropriate colour to use with this film, and it is used very strongly and boldly
in the shots to help convey Julies state of mind as she has memories of her husband
and child and wonders why they died.
The sound especially in the film is based around the music supposedly written by Julies
husband, it is heard very strongly everytime she has a memory or thought of her family
accompanied by the wash of blue on the screen. This music is able to slow down the
shot or speed it up to portray the different emotions going through Julies mind and so
forces the viewer to feel the emotion also. The music itself is quite sorrowful, when it
is slow it is like this, it is crying and painful, when it is loud it is like a cry of pain and
angry and confusion.
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Exam Name:
A2 Level Summer 2007
Sample Script 5 (b grade)
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 20
CE Feedback: A solid analysis showing good understanding of realist codes.
Answer: Sequnce one begins with a voice over narrating the story. It starts with a
crane shot which pans down towards the house. The colours in the scene are brown,
orange and yellow which signifies warmth and contempness. The first child that is
desribed is Chas. The director has cleverly used narrative technique and visual style to
generate a comical tone in the film. The boy is clearly very young but yet stands in his
room like a grown man answering the telephone, reading the news paper and drinking
coffee. As the camera tracks into the room, the mise-en-scene of the boys room is
very 'office like'. The door, the floor, the desk, the big windows and the surrounding
books, maazines and safety deposit box contribute in resembling a grown mans office.
The director has also used the boys dress code to add hummour. He is wearing a suit
and tie and has a mature haircut. In the shot titled Work Centre we see how small the
boy is compared to his surrounding environment. This emphasises the comical tone of
the narrative as it represents just how small the boy is and although he acts more
responsible and elegant it is a reminder to us that he is just a child and the film is not
meant to be taken seriously. The narrative constructs a the boy as a comical. Factors
such as a child having so much money as we see when we he places it into the safety
deposit box, being a creator of dalamation mice and buying real estate all reinforce
the fact that the film is not real. It is meant to be hummourous and entertaining. The
other two childeren are constructed in the same way. They have achieved a bizare
amount of things at such a young age and appear to be very mature for their age. The
young girl recieved a grant of £50,000 and is a play writter, while the yougest boy is
a champion tennis player. The director has deliberatley used children in the narrative
as if it was older people who were the geniuses the film would'nt have the same
comical tone. The director has used a combination of expressionist elements aswell as
documentary techniques. He uses jump cuts to drive the narrative in a fast flowing
style, and uses documentary techniques such as the voice over and titles like 'Chas
room (2nd floor)' to narrate the film and so the audience can make sense of the
narrative.
Sequence two is a combination of realism and documentary style. It opens with the
newspaper 'spinning' into view. The director has used a comical headline and as the
sequnce goes on we come to realise that Mr Incredible is a superhero. This adds
hmmour to the narrative due to the fact that he is being sued because the person he
saved did'nt wan to be saved. Like in sequnce one the director has used a voice over to
drive the narrative. The documentary techniques are also used in the form of a
montage of newspapers. The grainy texture of the clips of the victims being
rescued,court drawings and the woman speaking at a podeum, make it look as though
it is on TV and add realism to the scene. It is suppose to be percieved as comical and
hummerous. It has a funny overtone and the use of CGI add realism.
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Sample Script 5
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 19
CE Feedback: A solid analysis showing real insight into realist techniques and
evidence of independent thinking. In the discussion of seq 2, description sometimes
gets in the way of analysis and more could perhaos have been said about the
emotional content of this sequence.
Answer: Sequence one uses the continuity principles. It uses seemless editing, match
on action and POV shots in the form of flash-backs to convey emotion. Realism makes
the viewer feel as though they are witnessing an event in real time and space. The
screen acts as a window through which is an extension of reality. The director has
used flash backs as a way of allowing the viewer to see and feel what the woman did.
The director has created an emotional impact by using flash-backs and has also
created some clever shots which ingross the audience into the narrative. For example,
when the woman is describing to the police what happened, she looks over towards
something and the police mens gaze follows hers and when the scene switches to flash
back again, it begins exactly in the direction that the womans eyes were fixed. The
police man jumps as though he were there. When she describes her emotion as
everything being frozen, the flash-back sequnce slows down to compliment her
feelings. The director has rendered the flash back sequnce in black and white up until
the point when the shooting has stopped. The colours are warm and 'safe' again. But
when the camera focuses on other people its black and white again. The director has
used diegetic sound to convey panic and confusion. The screams and gun shots draw
the viewer in and make them feel as though they are there witnessing the event.
Sequnce two begins with a loud yell and two boys playing in a lake/river behind were
they live. One of the boys is pushed under the water and comes up to get the other
boy back by pushing him into the lake/river. He runs off only to realise that his friend
didn't follow. He stops for a minute and gazes over at the water as though he was
waiting for his friend to come up at any moment. The camera follows the boy under
the water. The director has used this technique to draw us into the narrative and
create a response. Because he has lingered on the sho for a while it almost makes the
viewer want to gasp for air. As the boy runs off the camera cuts back to the water. We
hope that the boy will eventually come up but the director lets us know that the boy
has drowned by focusing on the bubbles (which signify the boy breathing) which
eventually stop. Unlike the first sequnce this sequnce is extremely quiet and only
diegetic sound is heard(foot steps, the water the other chideren playing). His only
focus is to get home and be with his mother. In an expressionist fim this would be
presented using music, symbols and metaphors but the director has opted for a realist
feel and used ambient lighting which is reminicent of Italian Neo Realism and real
locations to convey a 'real' tragedy occuring. It also has some elements of
expressionsim as it uses jump cuts. As the boy is on his way home the mother is
looking out the window and then it switches to her POV then too her eyes and down to
the bag of shopping. The extreme reaction shot (her eyes) is also reminicent of
expressionist techniques. The action is much slower than in the irst sequnce. They use
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the same realism techniques but in diffeent ways to convey the emotions felt as the
differnt tragedies unfold.
Question 3: "All Kieslowski's films reveal strong emotions that seem about to break
through the surface of the elegantly composed images." Janina Falkowska<br>How
does the director use film language to convey the state of mind of his main character,
Julie, after the accident?
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 20
CE Feedback: The candidate demonstrates extensive knowledge of both director and
film and clearly engages with the subject matter. While this response clearly explores
the emotional inner life of the main character, the analysis could have been more
focused on film language and how different techniques are used to generate emotion.
Answer: Kieslowski was a Polish film director who worked in the documentary style.
He soon switched to fictional narrative however as he felt he couldn't express peoples'
thoughts and emotions using the documentary conventions as it is limited as to the
feelings it records. He was a leading European film maker for 20 years. Kieslowski
produced several key films which focused on the 'humman condition'. These included
Decalogue which was a film about the 10 Commandments and the 'Three Colours
Trilogy'. The Three Colours trilogy is a set of films based on the French flag and the
French Revolution. Kieslowski made each film as three different social comments on
life. Each colour of the French flag represents a meaning. Blue-Liberty, white-equality
and red-fraternity. Kieslowski's films are about the 'inner life' of humans and their 'felt
reality'. He felt in order to get closer to reality he had to use the formalist elements of
film art. He used expressionist devices to stimulate and emulate emotion. His films are
often based on co-incidence, choice and fate and the connections with the humman
life form. For me his work has a mysterious spiritual overtone which conveys emotion
and emotionality.
'Three Colours Blue' is a spiritual and religious journey which explores the reality of
the feelings of love, forgiveness and healing. It is a humanist film about rebirth,
graceousness and generosity.
For me the key scenes that represent Julies state of mind and present social
comments are the car crash scene, the recovery secne, the journalist scene, the four
swimming pool scenes.
At the beginning of the film Kieslowski constructs a powerful message. It opens with
the family in the car, driving along unaware that the breaks are faulty and dangerous.
He gives the viewer a 'treat' by allowing then to see what Julie and her husband
cannot. When Anna gets out from the car we are made aware of the dripping break
fluid that wil eventually cause them to crash. Kieslowski is making a point that we are
always in danger and careless and do not take the time to realise. He reinforces this
by the girl holding the paper out of the car window. It flaps in the wind and is
eventually snatched away by the force of the wind. This is a reminder that nobody is
in control of life and it can be taken away from us at any moment.
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As Julie recovers in hospital, we are now aware that her husband, the composer, and
her young daughter are dead. Kiesowski has used a 20mm camera lense to achieve
Julies reaction. The extreme reaction shot coveys her confusion and it as though she
tries to contemplate what has happend as she looks at the doctor. We are made to
feel sorry for her loss and understand her pain.
We first hear the profound music as she rests in the hospital lounge. The scene begins
from outside of the room. The colours are orange and brown which signify warmth and
life. Kieslowski has used blue as the main/dominant hue of the mise-en-scene and we
can see the blue tone in the room which Julie is resting. I feel Kieslowski was implying
that she cannot resist life or contaact with others and by combining the warm and cold
colours together he has generated a sense of iscolaion. The music is symphonic and is
a powerful motif throughout the film. It represents Julie thinking of the past and her
contemplating her husbands unfinished music. As she remembers the past and tries to
grieve the journalist enters the room. Just at that moment the music is payed again to
express her detatchment of people and conversation. The clip also fades to black
which expresses her utter confusion and of the situation. This is reminisent of Micheal
Powells, Back Narcessus.
Kieslowski has punctuated the film with four swimming pool scenes that act as Julies
escape from life,people and her emotions. The first pool scene is clam and tranquel,
the pool is her sanctuary. As the narrative goes on the Julie begins to realise she can't
hide from thetruth or her sorrow. The second pool scene, Julie is reminded of the past
as she goes to get out and hides baack under the water to literally drown her sorrows.
The colour blue remains throughout these scenes as a reminder of her iscolation,
lonliness and sorrow. It contridicts its connotations of freedom and peace. The third
pool scene Julie is swimming much more vigoursy. This occurs just after she sent the
cat in to kill the family of mice. The hooker asks her 'were you crying' she replies 'no
its the water' and the scene fades to black. The final pool scene occurs after Julie has
found out about her husbands lover. She stays under the water much longer.
Kieslowski has deliberatley lingered on this shot to express her determantion to live
annonymously and shut out the rest of the world. She then comes up gasping for air.
For me this signifies that she realised she can't live alon and without people. She has
to grieve and face her situation.
To conclude the colour blue first represents her sorrow, lonliness and iscolation but as
the narrative goes on it begins to have a different meaning. She finishes her husbands
song and the music is no longer a reminder of the past but an achievement and
success. She falls in love with Oliver and is ready to carry on with her life. After giving
the house th her husbands pregnant lover she has been 'reborn' and can face her
sorrow as we see in the last scene she finally cries.
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Exam Name:
A2 Level Summer 2007
Sample Script 6
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 22
CE Feedback: A fluent, balanced response demonstrating good insight into narrative
technique and visual style. There is evidence of both independent thinking and the
borrowing of form between both sequences.
Answer: the narritive in sequence one is unique as it does not follow the continuity
style of editing it deilberetly lets the audience notice the editing as it scrolls text
across the screen for each peice. The audience member really gets the feeling that
the narrator is talking to them and that all the speech is entirely for their benifit. This
vastly contrasts to sequence 2, In this sequence (unlike sequence 1) The editing style
is invisible, the audience is made to feel that they are simply veiwing a news/media
broadcast that any character in the peice may be watching. likewise the narrator is
more official and almost pastish. You get the feeling that the narrators are contrasting
in style and tone yet get the same point across which is ultimatly to let the audience
know whats happened so far in the story. The visual style is also different. The 2nd
sequence follows the continuity style and is made so that the audience does not notice
the editing. the inspiration from this is clearly taken from 40's and 50's news
broadcasts. The style includes POV shots (during the confrontation with the victim)
the visual style also uses acute chairuscuro lighting and some inspiration may be taken
from film noir.
on the contrary the editing style in sequence one is very clean. It makes use of
establishing shots (in many cases panning) and then gives you a breif summary of the
childs interests through Text that is superimposed across the screen. In sequence one
we get a feeling that the director may have gained some inspiration from expresionist
directors, this can be prooved by his Over the top use of both maison scene and his
extravigant yet understated shots.
The first sequence is akin to someone reading a book and indeed the opening shot is a
book called (the royal tenebaums) the second sequence is akin to someone reading a
newspaper this can be used to compare the two peices. The comic tone in the first
peice is set very dryly. The intended audience of the 1st sequence is obviously
intended for adults as the dramatic irony would be better understood by the more
mature audience. This is also reflected in how normal the naratoirs voice is. In stark
contrast to the calm flowing voice of the first narator the second is the steriotypical
newscastor style narrator. He speaks in a high tone at a high rate this would sugest
that this peice is aimed at children the high pitched fast talking narrator would be
better suited to get a laugh than the dry humoured narrator that preceeded it.
The music in both peices is in the Major key. The first peice is using a traditional
instrumental cover of the fairly modern song Hey jude by the beatles. This also is used
to show the audience that the peice of footage they are looking at may not be in the
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present but rather the era that the soundtrack was written, Most likely 70's. The
second sequence uses a traditional patriotic theme. This is used so that the 'news
broadcast' is more authentic.
while the film style is at completly different ends of the spectrum (real footage,
animation) The costumes in both peices share the same characteristics, they are both
over the top. The idea that someone would lift weights in thier office clothes or that
you would sit in tennis outfits at home is characteristic of animation yet the director
chooses to place such animatory influences in his film.
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 21
CE Feedback: Some interesting points of comparison on documentary style,
naturalism, the use of silence, etc. Although the in-depth analysis of sequence 2 is
based on a misreading of the narrative, the candidate puts forward a convincing
argument that this is the stronger sequence in terms of emotional impact.
Answer: The first sequence uses the more traditional methods to convey the sence of
tradedy and emotional impact. The girl explains the event as she saw it. this
automatically places the event in the past. The audiance member is put into the role
of detective during the scene and is prompted to idetify what happened during the
event. The audience is given two suspects and there is a clear idea of who the enemy
is. The statement givin by the woman is one of an eyewitnness and therefore can not
give anyone elses views. The flashbacks and the actual staement are separated via
editing technique. The contrast and brightness is raised slightly during the flashback
scenes. this changes completly to black and white after "Then shots rang out" after the
event itself the audience is left to reflect on the events as the editing slowly regains
its colour. The men that are interviewing the girl are clearly distressed by her
statement this is also an incentive for the audience to feel uncomfortable. This
sequence places the audience in the place of the crowd. The audience itself is
"Looking at a picture" the sound in the peice is diagetic and the use of silence is a
strong tool in creating suspense. in contrast The second sequence leaves the thinking
up to the audience member. The peice is in present time and therefore the feeling oif
suspence is still very strong. The impending doom of the children in the water is
noticeable from the beggining yet the firsat child that is being held under the water is
somewhat of a red herring. the audiences attention is first taken by him and they fear
for his life when in fact it is the other child that is hurt. The audience expects the first
child to die and yet he is the one that escapes. The filming style is invisible. the
juxtapostion of the womans scene next to the child creates a montage-esque stir of
emotions in the audience. As of yet there is no indication that this woman has
anything to do with the child that has died. the audience rqapidly is forced to put two
and two together and comes to the conclusion that this woman must be the childs
mother this is further thwarted when the first child comes in to embrace HIS mother.
the main differences between the two sequences is that the first has a very traditional
narritive explaining what has happened. The second sequence however is naturalistic.
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The shots are in manycases free hand and help to increase a realy gritty feel. The
lighting in both is quite high key yet the second sequences indoors shots are quite low
key. The directors choice to not reveal trhe status of the child until the end of the
sequence is another reason that the emotional impact of the sequence is so strang.
The use of sound cuts in the second sequence is alos very powerful. as the mother
reaches her house she seems to leave the street and her normal life behind. this can
be shown by the sound fade in the allyway (56 seconds) The use of extreme closeups
and silhouettes are effective. The audience does not realise that the mother is
worried for her own son because they have not idea who her son is. they are led into
beleiving that she is staring at the body of her boy, when in actual fact she is staring
at her sons friends body and is therefore concerned about the where abouts of her
son. also the second sequence has a slowdown at the 50 second mark to potentially
mark the passing of the boy. even more expectations are highlighted when the boys
hand is in shot. the audience is half expecting some moovement from the boy and the
story to end happily ever after. when the boy does not moove and is indeed dead the
emotional impact and sudden tragedy is driving home.
In conclusion i feel that the second sequence is more effective in conveying emotional
impact and sudden tragedy.
Question 4: "I think animation lends itself to illustrating dreams of any sort." Henry
Selick, Director of The Nightmare before Christmas.<br>Compare and contrast the
visualisation of Halloweenland and Christmas Town.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 22
CE Feedback: The candidate provides analysis of the comparisons and contrasts
between each place picking up on the subtle visual and narrative links that the
animator has created between both worlds.
Answer: the inspiration for halloween land is directly drawn from german
expressionism its tilted off angle shots paired with the twisted scenery and
maisonscene is almost exactly the same as "the cabinet of dr caligari" the use of
chairuscuro lighting is effective at creating darkness and a sense of foreboding.
in contrast the christmas town sequenence almost undoubtalbly takes its inspiration
from classical childrens books. the shadows and titled angles of german expresionism
are nowhere to be seen here. the lighting is much higher key resulting in a more
pleasent and relaxing feeling.
In many of burtons films he has a main character that is introduced to a world that he
is not familiar with and in this it is no different. The director Henry selick (james and
the giant peach) plays on both childrens dreams and fears in both sequences. he
creates this nightmarish yet strangly compelling place in halloweentown, There is also
some film noir inspiration that most certainly been used in the first sequence.
the inspiration from the closing seconds of the first sequence can be seen to have
been directly lifted from the story " Frankinstein" this lets the audience relate to the
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feindishness in a way and associate the dr as a bad guy. The characters are not as
exprsionistic in the second sequence and seem to have been drawn from childrens
thoughts of what the northpole would look like.
The contrast is easy to see between the two seqences and as i have stated in the
preceeding words is abundant. the similaritys require a keener eye.
The main character is the common link between the two towns. it is his link to caligari
that can be used to pull the two seqences together. He is trapped during the first
scene wrongly placed in an enviroment he is not comfortable with. in the second
sequence he is a visual outkast placed in an atmosphere he can feel good in, in either
case he is going to be an outcast (in christmas town he is unable to let any of the elfs
see him because he is a skeleton whereas in halloween town he is unable to let any of
the monsters get to know the real him as he is more 'human' inside than monster)
Therefore the comparison can be drawn that jack is not at home in either of these
scenes. for different reasons.
the visual style of the first sequence is ripe with greens and yellows in an effort to
make the audience member feel uncomfortable . the use of shadows as a tool of
suspense is abundant in the first sequence while characteristicly lacking in the second.
The presense of expresionism is not althogether gone from the second sequence slight
traces are seen frequently, for example the box at the end of sequence 2 . this shot is
charaxcteristic of expresionism the high angle shot of the elf is taken from old
expressionist films.
The comaprison can be made that the final seconds of each sequence are centralized
around a workshop. they both also contain reindeer, the doctor creates his reindeer by
an insane experiment whereas the elves are using the traditional reindeer. this draws
up a comparison between the two sequences, both are aiming to acheice the same
final goal yet both are independantly going about it in different ways.
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Exam Name:
A2 Level Summer 2007
Sample Script 7
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 23
CE Feedback: A confident, balanced analysis of the three key areas incorporating
comparison of camera, editing and the use of colour in both sequences. The
candidate's reading of the comic tone of sequence 1 is a slight weakness in this
response.
Answer: The narrative technique we hear within sequence one is that of a normal
everyday voice which describes the lives of the characters in a very calm and
meloncholoy manner. The narrator is very calm and describes the lives of the
characters like he is describing something to a friend, effectively the audience. This
creates a much more in-depth look at the lives of the characters and brings the
audience closer to the characters within the film. This is a large contrast to what he
hear within sequence two. The narrator talks in a fast, high pitched voice in a very
expressionistic style bringing accross the feeling of a news cast or documentry
technique being used within the film. The voice of the narrator somewhat distances
the audience from the characters within the film as it is not homely or friendly like
that of the voice of the narrator within sequence one.
As sequence two is in a documentry style the narrator describes the situation the
characters are in and this is similar to that of the narrator within sequence one. In
sequence one the narrator talks to the audience and describes the lives of the
characters and it gives a sort of feeling that the film is like a fly-on-the-wall
documentry style with we, the audience, being given a look into the lives of the
characters by the narrator.
The visual style within sequence one is that of a very calmning and homely nature.
The camera technique used within sequence one has a wide shot looking over the city
to set the scene of where the audience are at present. This is contrasted with
sequence two which is a fast paced montage of clips and newspaper articles to set the
scene and creates a buzzing atmosphere within the audience as at first they do not
know exactly what is going on. There are many medium shots within sequence one
which give a closeness to the characters again and the is a lot of panning as the
director goes through each character describing them as the camera starts off looking
at a possession of the character and pans to them. This is a contrast to sequence two
in which we have many point of view shots within an audience looking at incidents
which took place such as press conferences and the newspaper articles and these
place the audience within the scenarios shown in sequence two but still distance the
audience to a degree unlike sequence one.
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Sequence one has very slow and calm editing which again reinforces the feeling that
the audience are close to the characters whereas sequence two is very fast paced
editing with little time for the audience to become close to the characters.
Sequence one is like a normal film with vivid colours and sets that have a warm feel
about them whereas sequence two is shot in black and white and like that of the style
of a newscast from the 50's or 60's era. This is a huge contrast within the two clips
and gives a great contrast of how the audience react and feel about both of the clips.
Sequence one has a more serious tone to it with little room for any comedic value to
be thought of it as the narrator speaks in a very calm and normal voice and the visual
aspects of the clip are all very normal and do not bring across much comedic tone to
it. This is largely contrasted to sequence two which is a lot more comedic. From the
outset we see that it is a comedic storyline due to the actions of the superhero who
saves a person trying to commit suicide. This storyline alone is very comedic but
coupled with the voice of the narrator and the arguement between the superhero and
the plaintiff bring across the comedy of the clip again.
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Sample Script 7
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 27
CE Feedback: This is a highly insightful response brilliantly structured and precise in
its selection of comparative content for analysis. The candidate demonstrates a real
understanding of how both director convey the emotions of shock and tragedy.
Answer: The director uses camera technique effectively as a way of creating a very
chaotic scene. By using a handheld camera the director creates a shaky p.o.v from
the perspective of someone standing in the crowd around the scene and this puts the
audience in the middle of the scenario. This is in comparision to sequnce two where
we see the two boys playing in the water. The director uses a handheld camera to
create shaky shots and movements similar to that of the boys as they play and this
puts the audience into the scene like sequence one. However, unlike sequence one
sequence two makes the audience feel that they are a third person watching the scene
unfold and have no way of intervening and stopping the events which occur which
makes the audience feel anxious and conveys the tragedy to the audience by making
them feel that they could have helped but were powerless to do so and thus impacting
them greatly.
Sound impacts largely on conveying the tragedy. The sound within sequence one is
diagetic and there is a large amount of sound such as the crowd shouting and yelling
and the loud gunshots ringing around the area. This adds to the chaotic effect the
director has created and conveys the tragedy greatly as the audience again feel they
are in the thick of the action and feel tense and nervous about the situation. The
silence which then comes over the scene gives a feeling in the audience of shock and
grief of the events which have just unfolded. This is compared to sequence two where
we hear the two boys playing and laughing in the water and it is all diagetic sound we
hear. After we witness the events of the two boys playing the film turns silent and all
we can hear is the slight sound of the wind and distant rumble of traffic until the
young boy comes running up the stairs which, like seuqence one, brings across the
shock and and grief of the people involved in the situation.
Sequence one uses flashbacks in order to bring the audience into the situation
presented by the tragedy with the woman talking to the detectives being used as a
narrator of the whole situation. As she plays out the events in her mind and the
audience watch these events with her voice describing them the impact of the tragedy
becomes clear and it is conveyed across to the audience. This is a contrast to
sequence two which is a very visual style and has no narrator or flashbacks involved.
Instead the audience watch helplessly as the young boy's bring the tragedy upon
themselves. As this is a very visual sequence the audience feel very drawn into it and
the lack of sound makes them want to know what is going on and conveys the tragedy
a lot clearer.
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The director within sequence one uses slow motion just after the tragedy has occurred
when we watch the car driving past and see the woman staring out at the incident.
Slow motion is also used in sequence two just after the incident has occurred as we
watch the young boys play football on the street. This makes the whole situation
seem like a dream and that it has not actually happened and helps to convey the
emotions of the characters as it gives the feeling that they do not want this to have
happened due to it being so surreal and it gives a feeling that they are in shock as the
tragedy is so sudden.
The flashbaack of the incident in sequence one have been shot in black and white and
are very grainy creating an old look to them. This black and white helps to convey the
emotional impact of the tragedy as the audience again feel that is a dream with no
colour to it and is very shady in how it looks and brings the question, did it really
happen? to the audiences mind. This is contrasted in sequence two as there is no
black and white involved and it is shot normally however the sequence is very dull
with low-key lighting bringing a depressing atmosphere within the audience and
conveying the impact of the tragedy across.
Just after we watch the two boys playing we see a close-up on the boys face as he
looks around for his friend. We can see that he is worried and the close-up helps to
convey this worried feeling to the audience by showing the emotions on the face of
the panic striken boy who cannot find his friend. This is in comparison to sequence
one in which there is a close-up on the womans face and other people within the
crowd just after the tragedy has occurred. We can see that she and everyone else in
the crowd is in a state of shock and disbelief at what has just occurred and from this
the feelings of the woman and the crowd and emotional impact of the tragedy are
conveyed to the audience yet again.
Question 3: "All Kieslowski's films reveal strong emotions that seem about to break
through the surface of the elegantly composed images." Janina Falkowska<br>How
does the director use film language to convey the state of mind of his main character,
Julie, after the accident?
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 26
CE Feedback: A confident, fluent response demonstrating a sophisticated insight into
the ambiguity of the meaning of the colour blue in the film.
Answer: Kieslowski uses a variety of film language in order to convey the feelings and
emotions of Julie just after the accident as she is trying to liberate herself from her
past and try not to become connected with anyone else in the world so as she does not
have to experience the emotions and feelings that she feels.
The extreme close-up of Julie's eye with the reflection fo the doctor inside it
represents that of a dream and that Julie is shaken by the accident which happened.
Throughout the film we see Julie by herself and then hear a musical motiff and Julie is
immersed in a sea of blue colour to convey a flashback to the audience. Julie's
flashbacks remind her of her husband and daughter and Kieslowski uses these
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effectively to convey the emotions of Julie as we see that she cannot escape the past
with her husband and daughter and she is going to be constantly reminded of the past
through these flashbacks. The flashbacks convey how fragile Julie's state of mind
really is as she cannot live her day-to-day life without the thoughts and feelings
coming rushing back into her mind of how she used to be with her husband and
daughter.
he camera technique during the flashbacks sweeps from right to left as Julie watches
it conveying the audience that she is actually watching something occur in her mind
and reinforces the fragile state of mind that she currently has due to her being able to
actually watch and see her past so vividly.
he blue lighting which cascades across the area where Julie is sitting gives a
depressing feeling to the flashbacks as blue can be a very depressing colour depending
on how it is used. Even though blue represents liberty within the film the blue which
we see during the flashbacks is that of a depressing colour and conveys to the
audience that within Julie's mind, she cannot escape her past. Julie does not blink
during the flashbacks and this makes us think of how she is in a trance and again
cannot escape the past within her mind.
The fading out and in using black shows how she has come back from being in the past
in her mind and in a dream world where she can experience what she used to have to
the harsh reality of the real world but not because she wants to but because she has
to due to the actions of other people and the critical decisions she has to make during
her life.
The extreme close-up on the musical notes conveys that in her mind she is still really
focused on her past and and again no matter what she does she cannot get away from
it. The blurred effect Kieslowski uses shows she is focused on individual notes and
goes through the music one note at a time and this conveys how in her mind she must
take one step at a time to overcome the past and tell herself that even though she
cannot escape the past she can still become liberated mentally. The blue tinge on the
paper of the notes conveys two feelings to the audience depending on how we look at
it. The first is that Julie has been mentally liberated and can now face the music her
husband wrote or that she is still depressed by seeing the music in front her and her
mind is still in the past missing what has been taken away from her so abruptly.
As Julie walks away from the house and scrapes her knuckles against the wall on
purpose we see in a medium shot the pain and anguish that she is inboth physically
and mentally. The pain of the loss of her husband and daughter is still with her and
still plays on her mind coming back to her giving her the fragile state of mind that she
is in and so by scraping her knuckles along the wall it is conveyed to the audience that
Julie may well be trying to escape the mental pain of her past by creating a physical
pain which she can focus in on and try to escape from the mental pain and aguish.
While Julie is in the swimming pool Kieslowski uses low-key lighting all around her
except for on the surface of the water and on Julie herself which is again emmerssed
in a sea of a blue. By using this technique Kieslowski has conveyed to the audience
the state of mind that Julie is in no matter what she does. She is constantly thinking
of her past and the scene of the swimming pool is like that of a flashback in which
everything is dark except for the areas covered in the blue light. This conveys again
that Julie is still recovering and grieving from the loss of her husband and daughter
and cannot escape her past no matter what.
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Sample Script 8
Question 1: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast the
director's choice of narrative technique, visual style and comic tone.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 16
CE Feedback: This is a purely descriptive response. Although the candidate clearly
demonstrates in-depth knowledge and understanding of film language, an analytical
comparison of the two sequences is required by the question.
Answer: sequence 1- voice over narration, the voice of the narrator is a comic
americian accent. text narration is used to illustrate where the characters are and the
items that they are using. there are alot of LS and MLS. there is also alot of camera
movement, this is achieved through panning tracking and zooming. the mise-en-scene
of the clip is american city setting and is set in the late 70's. this can be seen by there
clothing and style of decorating. the clip relies on the voice over for the comic effect.
there is very posh non-digetic music to begin with. then when itgoes to the
introduction of the children the music resets each time making an obvious 'blip' in the
sound track.
sequence 2- opens with a paper cutting. the directer uses both voice over and digetic
sound from the characters. this clip is computer animated. again this is set in the 60's
era. it is in black and white. uses a wide range of shots LS ELS MLS MS CU etc. there is
also alot of movement in this piece through panning. it is a documentry type clip. it is
created so that it is an americian news reel.
both directors use voice narration in their clips with a sound track running in the
background. both clips open with a sound effect the first with a loud ear catching
sound and the sound effect in the second a much more noticable one as it is the sound
of a news bulletin accociated with teliviaion in america. they both open looking at
text on a page clip 1 is out of a book and clip 2 is a news paper cutting. the text in the
first sequence is out of a book it is a story and from the first few line you can see that
it is this that the narrator is reading from when there is a voice over. the newspaper
cliping is is a method used to start the facts that are about to be told by the narrator,
the narrator in this clip is a news reporter from the 60's era this can me worked out
from the comical tone that he uses, the pace that he talks at and the accent he uses
would suggest it is from newyork.
in the first sequence thre is text narration used through out however in the second
there is none. the director in the first sequence has used text narration as a comic
method of telling the audience about the setting and some of the items in the setting.
the director in the second clip uses the camera and the characters to tell the audience
where they are for example the press confrence they are in there are lawyers and
prees. the camera pics up flashes from the camera etc.
the first clip is all done through human actors and recording through camera whereas
in the second clip is is all computer animated this shows hows two different visual
styles.
in both of the clips there are a wide range of shots, however in the firset peice the
shots are mainly ELS, LS and MLS, there is alot of camera movement through panning
tracking and zooming. the second clip uses ELS, LS, MLS, MS MCU and CU shots and
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again in this peice there is alot of camera movement through out. in the second clip it
takes still images and uses simple editing techniques and filters to bring them in and
out of the sequence.
athough both of the clips have a documentry feel the second clip im probobly the
more dominent documentry theme as it is a news story whereas the first clip is simply
jst an introduction to a family.
in conclusion i feel that they are fairly simaler in som techniques yet entirely different
in others.
Question 2: Examine the following two sequences. Compare and contrast how each
director uses film language to convey the emotional impact of sudden tragedy.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 16
CE Feedback: An extremely detailed description of the film techniques employed in
both sequences, but only in the area of sound (at the very end of the answer) is any
link made with emotional impact.
Answer: sequence 1- documentry style. flash back cross cutting quick editing.
flashback in black and white, realtime in colour, quick camera movements, jerky
camera movements. hand held, POV. no direction continuity does not follow classic
hollywood style, montage of shots used to build up the scene. voice over. zooming
shots low quality camera. shots from ELS through to MS, non-digetic sound in the
background
sequence 2- croscutting. camera movement. wide range of shots from ELS to CU.
panning tracking POV. no dialogue except for unimportent conversation in the
background. zooming shots. hand held camera. digetic sound no sound effects or
music. emphasised digetic sound. eary silence. frames inside frames. montage of shots
to tell the story.
in the first sequence the direcor uses flashbacks as a technique to tell the story aswell
as voice over. whereas in the second sequence the director does not use flashbacks or
voice over.instead he keeps the story in sequence (beggining middle end) this means
that the director in sequence one does not stick to the classic hollywood style unlike
the directorn in the second sequence were he does.
in the first sequence there are many more fast paced shots where in places the
footage is sometime hard to make out, this is also because the camera used is of bad
quality and also that it is handheld. the handheld camera shows POV shots and also the
quick movements represents fear, the shots are very jerky. in the second piece the
camera shots are more structured, although there is hand held camera work in this
sequence it is not as frantic and the camera is of much better quality.
in both sequences croscutting is used both to build up a montage to tell the audience
what is happening through camera work.
there is a greater range of shots in the second sequence with shots ranging from ELS
right the way through to CU shots, in the first sequece they tend to only be ELS,LS and
at closest MLS.
the first piece has shound through out helping to build up a tense atmosphere
throughout the piece, however in the second sequence the director uses silence to
represent emptyness and loss and in my opinion worked better than the sound od the
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soundtrack. there is no dialogue in the second piece but in contrast the first piece
relies on dialogue to tell the story.
in the second piece the director uses frames inside frames to help make a charater
stand out.
in conclusion i feel that the second peice has used film language to build up an
emotional impact more so than the first sequence.
Question 4: "I think animation lends itself to illustrating dreams of any sort." Henry
Selick, Director of The Nightmare before Christmas.<br>Compare and contrast the
visualisation of Halloweenland and Christmas Town.
Marked out of: 30
Final Mark: 19
CE Feedback: The candidate makes several attempts to link visual style/music with
mood and meaning in this response and shows good understanding of the horror
genre.
Answer: halloween- dark contrasting colours strange creatures. sharp teeth graves
bones evil experiments. chanting soundtrack thumping beat to sound track.
stereotypical vampires witches. night. shadows. sad and somber soundtrack. fast
paced soundtrack to build up suspence.
christmas- joyfull pleasent upbeat sountrack. bright warm colours. quick paced happy
music.
in these two sequences it is mise-en-scene that is used to visually diferenchiate
between halloweenland and christmas town. from the opening scene in the first
sequence it is apparent of the dark contrasting colours and shadows that this is
obvously halloween twn. throughout the sequence it can be seen that this
halloweenland is a dark and scary place. the steriotypical vampires, skeleton people,
monsters, creations, coffins, dark alleyways, black cats, sharp teeth, full moon,
unhappy characters, old squeeky gates and mad experiments are all elements that
link it to the horror genre, the un proportioned shapes and sizes give the sequence its
comic fantacy genre.
the mise-en-scene in ther second sequence is the complete oposite and it obviously
represents christmas town, the sterio typical elements to this piece is of course icescating snow, snowballs candy canes elfs, marry-go rounds, santas sleadge, reindeer,
christmas trees, snow mean, children, laughter, light up houses, all the characters are
smiling and toys.
the music has a very strong appeal to both sequences in both sequences. in the first
sequence the music has alot of base giving it a very strong beat, this makes the singing
sond like they are chanting, as though a witch was chanting a spell. the music in the
sequence that there is not a sing along to, the music sounds like it is from an
orchastra. the words in the song are represent a true halloween feel of fear.
in the second sequence the music is much more upbeat and happy. also the singing is
much more pleasent and there is no chanting. the sound effects of the toy train is also
directly linked to christmas. in the later part of the sequence there is music that does
not have words in it and it again is upbeat and pleasent to listen to.
the cinematography in both of the pieces are completely oposite. in the first sequence
it is dark and dreary with contrasting shadows, infact the main colour seemed to be
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black, the only light seemed to be coming from the moon. this could be influenced by
film noir.
in the second sequence however everything is very bright and the main colour tenes to
be white, however in this sequence there was also alot of other colours used such as
yellow red green brown which are very warm welcoming colours.
every camera shot in the first sequence moves in some was whether it be panning
zooming or tracking. this is no different in the second sequence bar the last few shots.
in conclusion i feel the this animation by nick park has used mise-en-scene, music,
cinematography and camera shots as the main techniques to differenchiate the
visualisation of halloweenland and christmas town.
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