Hot Fuzz.

In our lesson we watched the opening sequence of Hot fuzz and analysed the editing and status of how Nicholas Angel is portrayed at the start of the film.  During the opening scene of Hot Fuzz, the first camera angle used is a long shot. You see Nicholas Angel walking into the building and he is surrounded by a light- which could be interpereted as a halo of 'gold'. Instantly the audience know his important to the film, due to him being the centre of attention, we also know his serious status within the film due to the fast pace of his walking, making it more like a march.

During the end of this clip, the camera angle changes to a close up of his face, allowing the audience to develop their understanding of the Policeman by his stern face and military attitude, these two clips allow the audience to perceive the character as a typical Police officer, hostile with a severly strict attitude.

We then get more of an insight to Nicholas Angel through the use of a voice over, displaying cross scenes of him walking through the police station, to flashback scenes of memorable and victorious achievements through his life and during the training for his career. This allows the audience to see the character as career driven and hard working, but also allows them to see how he would be a threat to other police officers due to his non stop drive to be the best.

The cross cutting of these scenes wasn't done smoothly, this i feel is done purposely, it shows chaos within the scenes, and possibly how being in the police force could/has cause chaos in his life. The use of overlaying scenes and the build up of sound from the scenes i feel reinforce this as it bombards the audience almost too much information, showing how Angel is always on the go and his job never really ends.

The scenes you see him working in the policeforce, not just training he is shown twice communicating with elderly citizens, this allows the audience to possibly see the possible popularity he has within the community. However, this could also show his lack of social skills as he's only shown communicating with people of the same age, possibly showing the narror mindedness of the character.

After watching and closely analysing the opening scene of Hot Fuzz, it allowed me to realise and grasp a true understanding of how camera shots and angles can be used to make an audience perceive something that may not entirelybe correct, they can be used to add dramatic effect to certain scenes and truly allow the audience to see exactly what a film industry would want them to see and think of the characters and story line without them even realising its happening.

Preliminary Excercise Magazine Cover

As a preliminary task we were asked to produce a front cover and contents page that would be suitable for a school magazine. When considering my magazine I felt i needed to create something that I would read, or something that would go down well with students from my current school, so i chose to use a Sixth Form student from my school and take photos of him for the front cover in parts of the college that students may recognise.
The first thing i chose to do was plan my front cover on A3 paper, so i could find an appropriate place for all the needed information and chosen photographs, shown by annotations and sketches, but would also help me to visualise what the magazine would look like.The designs we did had to meet certain standards such as only using three fonts, maximum, which were all clear but attractive, a bar code somewhere on our cover page, our main title clearly resented at the top of the page and a main figure taking up the majority of space on the cover. When considering what my magazine would look like, i thought about magazines that i would read, as i felt my magazine audience would be people of a similar age to me. I focused on the look and style of magazines such as vogue and look magazine, as i feel these are magazines that appeal to my age group but are also clear, precise and well thought out, with edgey and colourful twists that would help it to draw in a younger audience.

I found these magazine to be appealing due to the bold colours, differentiating fonts and the iconic stars on the front covers. These to me, all integral aspects of making a magazine sell, as their known celebrities that would draw in readers. They also have references to style and fashion not only in the photographs but also in the topics of the articles.

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The 5 C's Of Media

1.Camera Angles:

• When 'telling' the audience where the film is set, use a long shot, this lest you show all the inportant information. The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.

• A medium shot is the most commonly used shot in cinema, it is used to show any character interaction.    Shows some part of the subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.

2.Continuity:  Generally refers to visual errors disrupting the flow of the film, confusing the audience.

3.Cutting:  this is essential, otherwise films would be in real time and never end, it allows the director to change location, main use is to either add pace to a scene to make it exciting or to slow it down for dramatic emphasis.
4.CloseUps: Used to show the audience something/someone important.  A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.
                        

5. Composition : this allows more than one thing to be in a shot at once, so the audience can see the backdrop for example as well as a prop all in the same scene.

Hello

Media studies has always fascinated me, as a great lover of music, the creativity and ideology for the stories behind music videos has always enticed me to delve into the world of how they are made. A favourite band of mine would have to be 'Band of Horses', their an odd looking band but their music is known for being out of the ordinary, their albums have an Indie genre with an edgy Rock twist!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMFWFhTFohk&ob=av2e
As well as music, I have a great passion for drama, be that plays, television drama or the film industry, and after studying drama studies at both GCSE and A Level, i feel i have a great knowledge and understanding on how to convey a contagious buzz that radiates from the performance on stage and reaches out the audience. I have a great interest in the production of films and would love to see the connection between a performance on stage and how that attracts the audiences attention with the production of a film. I also feel that advertising in an integral role for attracting attention for the film industry, this is a huge part in how a film company would attract an audience and generate press observation, this all helping to make a film a success.

The final thing that attracted me to take Media Studies is my love for fashion, this i feel being very important for the creation of a magazine covers and articles. I'm constantly reading fashion magazines, my favourites being Look magazine, Company magazine and Vogue. I love Topshop, and although i feel it's popularity is in way both a good and bad thing, i feel its a shop that helps you stay up to date with the Fashion Industry at a price thats reasonable for everyone. My favourite designer would probably be Vivienne Westwood as i feel her creations are modern and edgy but also completely wild and add an insanely unique touch to all her products! I absolutely Love her shoes!!