MakingOf - Movies - Up - UP 'Progression of an Image'

MakingOf - Movies - Up - UP 'Progression of an Image'

Camera Angels!

To what extent do I agree with the Assumptions of Tessa Perkins

Stereotyping is not a simple process and contains a number of assumptions that can be
challenged. Tessa Perkins (1979) identifies 5 such assumptions;
• Stereotypes are not always negative (e.g. 'The French are good cooks').
• They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful ( e.g. 'upper class twits').
• They can be held about one's own group.
• They are not rigid or unchanging ( e.g. the "cloth cap worker of the 1950's became the
1980's 'consumerist home-owner who holidays in Spain').
• They are not always false.
Stereotyping has tended to suggest that it is wrong to see people in categories. Yet in the field
of social psychology it has long been recognised that categorisation is a fundamental process
necessary for humans to make sense of the world. Humans need to impose structure on events
, experiences and people.

Stereotyping is defined as  ‘Categorising’ a person based on appearance, race, skin colour or personality. It is common in our society as we live in a world that is full of different people who in some cases have a distinctive group that they are part of or originate from. Tessa Perkins outlines five very accurate and true assumptions in my opinion; they are all relevant to stereotyping in our modern world.

The first assumption made by Tessa Perkins states that “Stereotypes are not always negative”, I agree with this statement as sometimes when people are stereotyped it could be in a good way, such as Canadian people are always thought to be kind and polite. By stereotyping the Canadian as being kind and polite, we assume every Canadian is kind and polite so if we were ever to meet one our first impression would be already present. However, this is still labelling people into one group which I think is wrong, even if the stereotype is as good as the Canadian one it should still not already decide our views on a very large nation. When stereotyping someone good or bad we are still saying that they are not unique or an individual which could potentially upset them as they feel as though they are not in control of their destiny or fate.

Although a lot of everyday stereotypes are based on minority groups, there are various stereotypes that relate to the upper class, they are seen as ‘snobby’ and stuck up’ on Tv dramas and films. A good example would be from the movie ‘The Queen’ where they all talk proper English, and seem to walk upright with a sense of separation from the rest of the world. Today, other countries see all people that are English as being stereotyped this way. In my opinion I think people stereotype the upper class out of jealously as they are not as wealthy and successful as them they choose to despise them.

Tessa Perkins’s third assumption is very true in my opinion, stereotyping can be said about my someone’s own group frequently. As I am a British-Indian and also I teenager I find that stereotyping occurs a lot in everyday society as well as on TV dramas such as Easterners. On Eastenders Indians are portrayed as having an accent (Zainab Masood) and are also portrayed as having a profession in either the Food industry or medical which is not necessary bad but still is stereotyping. As being a teenager I notice that wild stereotyping of teens in TV drams occurs frequently with certain teens such as Lauren Banning being out of control and very irrespirable.

I agree with the fourth assumption, as stereotypes are always changing, people get richer, better looking or change in any way. This is mostly because of a change in society; a good example of a changed stereotype would be Males and working. For centuries Males have been the dominant force in a relationship and have always provided the finance and having a rough job such as farming, this is still true In some parts of the world today, however currently males are seen as house husbands or having so called ‘Feminine’ jobs such as cleaning or cooking.]

I disagree with Tessa Perkins last statement; to say that not all stereotypes are false is saying that labelling someone into one group is rite. It is defiantly not correct to say to someone that they belong to one group and that they are not an individual, even if the stereotype is positive or even tru such as a Black man being fast at running, it would hurt them to think that they are not an individual and that they are not looked at as one.

Track (or Dolly)

Moving the camera itself towards or away from the subject, or to follow a moving subject. The shot is called a ‘track’ or ‘tracking’ shot because the camera is often run along a small track (very like a small railway track) to follow the action. The use of the word ‘Dolly’ comes from a tripod which is on wheels called a ‘dolly’. Both these techniques are used to stabilize the camera. This places all the focus on the objects/action in the frame – it allows for focus to remain still whilst the background rushes past. This is often used when we stay with the occupants of a car, listening to their dialogue and watching their actions when the background is largely unimportant. It should not to be confused with a zoom, where the camera’s lens is varied to give the impression of moving closer to, or away from the subject.

Pan

Pivoting the camera to the side to scan a scene or to follow a moving subject. The camera stays STILL – the action rushes past. This highlights the SPEED of what is happening in form of the camera OR it gives clear evidence of scope – often used to show the surroundings or to establish the ‘background’.

Whip pan

A sudden, fast pan.

Tilt

Pivoting the camera vertically up or down. This produces a low or high angle shot.

Rolling

This is when the camera moves diagonally, making the image askew. This is usually used to show that the character is ill or drugged and is often used in as point of view. This is also called a ‘dutch angle’.

Arc

Moving the camera in an arc around the subject.

Crane shot

This is used when the camera itself moves up or down and is usually placed higher above the ground/action. The crane shot is the primary means of moving the camera above ground. During crane shots, the camera rises and lowers on a platform connected to a mechanical arm, much like utility company cherry-pickers. A crane enables the camera to traverse great distances up and down, as well as forward and backward and from side to side.

Overhead

This is where the camera looks over the action or scene directly from above – it’s like a kind of shot from the ceiling.

Aerial shot

Aerial shots are taken from a plane or helicopter are a variation of crane shots. A camera mounted on an aerial support can move into space in all directions while achieving much greater heights than can a crane. Filmmakers began exploring ways to mount a camera on a plane during the 1910s, and in the 1950s helicopter mounts created additional shooting possibilities. An aerial shot may frame another flying object or it may provide a "bird's eye view" of the landscape, as in the swooping helicopter shot of Julie Andrews in the Alps at the opening of The Sound of Music (1965).

Hand-held shot

This is used to convey a sense of immediacy OR it can be used to suggest realism. Thus this shot if often used in more gritty films. However, it is often used these days as it allows for more freedom and with the use of a steadicam the shots have less of the hand-held, shaky feel that one associates with amateur film.

Zoom (Crash Zoom, Reverse Zoom, Reverse Crash Zoom)

This is not really a movement of the camera but it appears to be so. It is when the focus is pulled making either the object/scene slowly appear closer or further away. When this is done very fast, it’s called a crash zoom. When the focus reverses to make the object/scene seem further away, then it’s called a reverse zoom or, when done very quickly, a reverse crash zoom.

Connotation- FellingsEmotions to do with a word e.g Dove-Peace
Denotatiion-The surface level meaning of a word, what it actually means e.g Dove- White Bird

Mise En Scene

Mise En Scene is basically all the elements in a scene that are seen visually, this includes, the setting, lighting, characters expressions and colour.

The first element of Mise en Scene is in the title, the whole picture is mostly black and white for a a classic, mysterious look, however the radiant red tittle makes us wonder, it reminds us of danger and blood which is presented in the film.The red tittle breaks the colour and makes us realise that the film will have many emotions and actions, and will not just be a violent gang related film. 

Key light is presented just behind the characters back, this makes us think that he is the main character and that the film will focus on him. It remidns the auduience perhaps of heaven and a second chance. There is a baby  in the secene that looks to be heavily protected by what we assume is the farther, he is holding him ina  protective way, this suggests that the babay could be in dnager at some part of th movie.50 cents facial expression presents confusion and anger, this tells us that the film will raise questions.

Class Survey

During my media lesson we conducted a class survey which was based on the films that students have watched during the summer, in detail we analysed numerous categories relating to the film such as the genre, country of origin, stars, how interest was generated to watch the film, the target audience, how the film was watched and the pro's and 'cons of how they watched the film.

While observing the numerous factors about the film, many points were brought up such as the ratio of British made films to American films. While comparing both of them, we came to the conclusion that British films although made to be British are mostly mad by American Production Company’s. This is mainly because of the ratio of famous Actors/Actresses in America to Britain; budget is also a major issue as British films are most often low budget movies, compared to Hollywood movies. Comedy was the most common genre in the survey, this shows our age group has a keen interest in comedic movies rather than others, some Dram/Action movies were also in the survey.

For most movies, the typical country where the films were produced was America, this was because of the reason i mentioned earlier, involving budget, etc. Typically the interest generated for most films was through Friends or TV advertisements. This shows that filming industry is very forward on marketing strategies, TV is a very useful place to advertise movies, because of the high percentage of the nation owning a TV. I think the most effective marketing strategy for a movie, would defiantly be visual advertising e.g. posters/Banners etc. Simply because they are convenient for your average person to glimpse at an immerse poster that appears several times around their town. Other methods of marketing include, social conversation which is where friends have seen the movie and share their knowledge about the film, the disadvantage to this is that they may not like it, if they did not like it their views would be criticising the movie in which case their friends would be out of the movie.

When watching a movie their are various ways, each with advantages and disadvantages, the first and most common would be viewing a movie via DVD. This perhaps is the easiest and guaranteed, if the DVD is legitimate. Advantages to this include, unlimited use as you can watch it as many time as you like because you purchased it. Another advantage would the ability to stop/start movie and pause/rewind and forward the movie, by doing this you are able to watch the movie freely and take breaks if needed. Disadvantages to watching a movie via DVD would include the price, DVD's do commonly cost over £10 id they are HD it would be more. Cinema is also an option of viewing a movie, however cinemas are mainly for viewing new movies that aren’t released on DVD yet, and this would be an advantage over DVD. Another advantage to viewing movies through the cinema would the High resolution screen, and surround sound, as cinemas are built to watch movies they contain features that make your experience better. The disadvantages to viewing a film at the cinema, would be the ever increasing prices on tickets and food, this is a common problem in most cinemas as prices vary from £5-£10 depending on cinema and type of film. Illegal download is another way of watching a movie, this can be viewed into two forms, either illegal Pirate DVD or online. The advantages to this include, the ability to stop/pause/rewind/forward the movie on both platforms, the price as for illegal download it can be free if you do it yourself, or a very small amount of money if you buy them. However there are many disadvantages, such as the bad quality faced when viewing the movie (as it is most likely filmed at a cinema) also the buffering or loading that occurs when watching online.