Film Review Analysis [layout]

This review shows a completely different and seemingly random style of review. The actual Review section isn't marked and spread across the bottom of the review. The Pink area shows a , background to the filmsomething that is lacking in the Empire magasine review

I have coloured the actual review of the review in red, this makes it easier to see the review section; which is clearly lumped as a single block. This is the same for the Plot (Green) and Verdict (Blue). This simple and logical layout makes it very easy to see and understand the review. This also makes it very ckear for their target audience (teens) as it needs to be to the point

This indipendant review is more spread out and much longer than the others. There are clear sections of the review like the red is in the later parts (and most of the review) and the pink at the top to give the information before the personal opinions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From looking over these reviews it is clear that the reviews have to be put into blocks. I want to make it very clear and place it into sections; Plot, Review and Verdict. I also want to use images from my film to line the sides of the review to give it come colour and show parts of the film. I will use the second 'Empire' review as a basis as it is easily understandable and seems to be aimed at a similar target age group.

Review Analysis [3]

Indiewire Charlie St Cloud Review

The indiewire review is more of an compilation of other reviews, but does comment on the characterisation of Zac Efron and a comparison to his earlier characters, for which he can be considered a type cast.
 The reviewer calls Efron a 'pretty boy' character which he is obviously type cast to. It is obvious that the review is aimed at a younger audience that holds some form of sense of humour, although I will not be doing this as my drama is more serious, but it adds to the review. The main part of the review that is focused on is Efron and his past actors.
So the comparison to Efron as a character and use other reviews as a basis. However this is an early film review.

Review Analysis [2]

Total Film Original Review (Tormented)

Although this is a review for a slasher film I feel that the age group for the target audience is relativly similar as it is aimed at late teens to early twenties. This is shown in the relativly informal language and structure used in the review. There is only a short paragraph on the actors and starts of the film as it isn't aimed for an audience who notices the actors, however it does state multiple times that it is connected to another well known TV teen Drama 'Skins' which catches the interest of the target audience. These are all tactics used to get people to notice the review and the film. The wording of this review makes it seem very interesting and it is obviously aimed at a teen audience.

Review Analysis [1]

Empire Original Review (Charlie St. Cloud)

The above review is written on the mainstream 'Empire Magazine', and is a review of a film made for the mainstream teen to early twenties audience. The review focuses on Zac Efron as the main character and pulls attention to his performance and his presentation of the 'heartthrob personality'. The actual film isn't discussed in detail until the last two sentences, and focuses on Efron's performance above the films style etc. The review itself is rather short, which can be because it needs to hold the attention of the target audience; but this limit does not leave room for more.
The review also conists of informal language and an irregular structure which reinforces the target audience.

Short film Analysis-Eden

Eden by Justin Cane

Mise-En-Scene
the first series of shots, when the woman is in the dream, we see a collection of close-ups in the foreground in soft focus. This automatically makes the audience feel like it is a dream state as the soft focus creates ethereal lights that are connected to dreams. The first character to be introduced is a woman, although we see her from the back we see that she is in a white dress. This connotes a dream like being and that she is somewhat distant to the world. However her dress being white could infer an innocence to her that is enhanced by the wild folliage of her surroundings. This connection between the character and their surroundings is something I want to share in my film as it creates a connection between the audience and the character.
At around 00:50 we see the woman in complete soft focus making it so the audience cannot see her features but we are made aware of her precence. This is something I want in my film during the opening dream sequence as it creates an etheral feel, which would be perfect as it is a dream sequence and not real. Although in Eden the effect is used to create a calming and relaxing atmosphere, while the dream sequence in my film is more of a nightmare. Something that is covered later in Eden.
We see many shots of the woman from in between the trees and through the branches. This could be seen to create a more fantasy atmosphere as it shows nature hiding and covering her. However the camera is always focused on the girl during these shots, which means that she is the focus. I want to show nature in my film and using the shots through the branches will show that it is an unnatural scene. Also I would create the shots by hiding the main character through thick trees.
A shot from 01:10 positions the woman slightly to the left of the camera while she is completely out of focus. We also see the woman standing within an 'arc' of nature, being surrounded by the branches on either side. She is then pulled into complete focus after the end of the shot.
We also see a panning shot around the character. This show pans and tracks around her, allowing us to see her in deep thought. This shot fits the calm and surrean pace of Eden but a long flowing shot like this does not creat the tension I want in my film.
When we near the end of the film we see the girl leave the woods and then it transitions into a pure white light. This could symbolise a transition to another lighter pace, but from our cultural understanding we consider this pure white screen to symbolise a goodness and purity normally associated with heaven. However this doesnt wor in my film, although using colours to symbolise certain movements and transions e.g. black to transition from the woods to real life waking up.
AFter this we see a very long shot showing a person in black with a white mask. This black costume is a complete contrast to the womans own white dress and the golden yellow of the fields around them. Presenting the idea that this character in black is a dark and evil character, this is then reinforced by the girl holding her head as if she is ill.
We then see the character in real life waking up with sweat on her head, presenting the idea that she is paniced and showing that whatever the dream is has paniced her

Cinematography
The most common shots used are mid to long shots from a distance from the character. This distance makes it seem as if the character is being followed at some point due to the hand held feel. This is not something I want in my feel because I think it brings away from the film as a whole and lowers the production value. I also want mine to be very clear on how the movements of the camera are very clean and smooth so it seems more natural. However the handheld shots seem to make the movements of the woods seem natural.
When we get to the
The cinematography in the first section is mainly mid shots and closeups, some long shots are used e.g when she is rinning around a hole. But in the majority mid shots are used because they show the characters emotions and movements without showing too much of the surroundings.
In teh second scene however we jump quickly between extreme long shots and mid shots as we look at the character in black and the woman in white. 

Sound
The sound during the first part of the dream follows a simple pattern and only uses single strings of low notes every few seconds, this makes the scene very relaxed.
In the second part of the dream however we hear the music change and become distorted, introducing resonating high sounds. This sygnifies the approaching evil portrayed by the character in black.
However to transition from the dream to reality we hear the sound of the real world before we see it. This is a sound bridge between the two scenes. There is then no non diegetic music from then on as it would make the scene seem more surreal than it is.
I will need to have a sound motiff that can be played whenever the older brother is there to pronounce the character is there without actually revealing what they look like. This sound motiff will then increase the tenstion without ruining it.

Edit
The main focus of the editing on the first half of the dream is to allow soft and flowing cuts between the shots allowing it to be relaxing. However in the second  opart of the dream the editing becomes much more fast paced as the evil character is shown. It cuts very abruptly between the woman and the character in black, this shows a disconfort and is the style of editing I want to use when the older brother is around to pronounce the character. The transition between the dream and real waking life uses a very modern and distorted style. The image becomes digatilly distorted and wee see the two shots mixed together. This makes it very uncomfortable to watch.

Don't Leave Me Analysis

This film, 'Don't Leave Me' (A short film written by John Ward and directed by Nicolai Amter), follows a similar narrative to 'Brother'. However it does have many differences through who the characters are and what they do. The major aspect of this film I want to use is the emotional effect it has on the audience.
The film happens in three sections, I am going to refer to these as the stabbing, the confrontation and the buildup becuase the film isn't shown in cronological order.

Mise-En-Scene
The Stabbing
The films opening shot consists of a close-up of blood on a wooden panel floor. The droplets of blood instantly raise the tension of the film before any of the characters or narrative are revealed. This raise in tension in the opening shot is paramount to the effect the rest of the short film has. I want to use this instant raise in tension during the first shot to set the audience and rest of the film up to have the emotional affect I want to achieve. The blood is also a very dark colour, almost black in the light of the room, this also raises the tension as blood is a very horrid thing to see and causes a natural reaction in people. The stark brightness of the wooden floor also makes the blood look a lot darker than it is, helping the discomforting feeling it gives the audience. This shot then goes to a very quick sequence of shots showing the woman dropping the blood covered scissors, causing a reaction in the audience as we see the scissors as a weapon and the blood indicates that someone has been stabbed. The woman's face who drops the scissors enhances the reaction that happens in the audience, although at this point in the narrative the audience doesn't completely know the events that lead up to the stabbing. I want to have this kind of discomfort although I do not want to compile my film out of  chronological order.
The colour tones used in the first section of the film, the stabbing section, are desaturated and lack vibrance. This tone makes the scene feel very cold and distant which causes a very unnatural feel to the film. the colour desaturation then causes the audience to feel sympathy for the woman but makes them feel cold to what is happening.
From the way that the first woman holds the woman who was stabbed the audience understands that they are very close. This is shown becuase the woman places her hand on her face and holds her face up, the audience also knows it's a loving relationship because of the crying in the scene. The effect this creates in the audience has a similar discomfort and sorrow that I want to end my film, when the younger brother and his girlfriend are crying on the floor. I will not however use quiet crying like this film, although it has a similar effect by creating sympathy in the audience, I want to use loud screams which are more animalistic which will create a stronger feeling of discomfort than quiet reserved, but emotional crying.
The Confrontation
The second section opens with a two person close-up, which shows both characters talking to one another. This is the second part in the narrative if it was compiled in cronological order. The colour tone in this section is similar to the first because it is very desaturated and cold but the natural ambient light coming from the windows lifts the colour in the room and makes it more appealing, although it is still cold. This colour difference from the first section, it being slightly warmer, is a parralelle with the narrative as it is less emotional and more normal, although one of the women is a ghost.
The room is set up and dressed in a very typical way, the globe and board in the left on the desk. This presents the women as very normal and the narrative causes the audience to notice that their life before the event of the girls death, as we assume she is a ghost.
There are many shots used in the scene that consist of one of the girls being in the foreground and to the right or left while the other is shown in the background. This shows that they are close because they are talking directly to each other but it means that the camera work is functunal during the dialogue sequences.
The scene then turns very intense as the confrontation begins, this confrontation sequence then shows that one of the girls is very controling and dominant as she pushes the other against a wall and holds her around the waist when the confrontation starts. This causes the audience to turn a distaste toward her and the confrontation itself is very discomforting to see as it shows the anger and agression.
The build-up
The major aspect in the third section of 'Don't Leave Me' is the use of much warmer and more vivid colours like the red of the seat and pillows, and the light brown of the curtians. This is because this section of the film is the begining of the conflict which leads to the stabbing. Because it is at the begining of the film it has the most saturation and colour because it has the least conflict and has a much less intense atmostphere.
Another controling aspect of the sequence is the emphasis on ring, and because it is on the wedding finger we assume that the couple in the film are married. This allows the filmmaker to make the audience think back to the restof the film and allows them to figure out what happens through the narrative. I like this effect and style although I think that it wouldn't work for the narrative I want to use as it is based on a set of fixed events, the stabbing, the conflict and the realisation. This doesn't allow me to use this technique as I am using a much more flowing narrative.

Cinematography
The Stabbing
The films opening shot consists of a close-up of blood on a wooden panel floor, this allows the audience to assume events before they see the actual events occur. This is the major aspect of the film becuase it is about the audience making assumptions before the actual events take place.
Throughout the first section of the film many close-ups are used, the blood, hand and faces of the women. This is because they show the emotion in what is happening to the women. The close-ups and mid-shots also only show little of the entire scene, this is because the filmmaker wants the audience to assume the narrative before understanding it, making them think about what is happening. I want to use this technique of only showing very little of the narrative at a time by hiding what happened to the older brother until later on in the film, this will then make the audience assume and create what has happened, which could give a stronger emotional effect on them when the cause of death is revealed.
We see a slight high angle shot looking down at the dead woman, this allows us to see her desaturated face and cloths, but also makes her seem weak and vulnerable while the other woman holds her and cries. I will use a high angle shot to show the younger brother at the end of my film as it will make him look small and vulnerable possibly enhancing the audiences sympathy for him.
The close-up of the womans mouth when she says 'but at least this way we can be together forever'. This has a very strong impact on the audience as it is very sinister considering that at this point the full narrative isn't revealed. And becuase it isn't revealed this line causes the audience to queistion what is happening.
The Confrontation
In the second part we see many mid shots showing both the women while they are talking, this is because this is the section where the confrontation happens.
We very rairly see a shot which shows the full body of either women. This is because this section is made to show the characters confrontation with one another and is based around the two characters and not them individually. This is shown mostly in mid-shots. The only other shots that are used are a close-up and a mid to long shot ofthe woman walking around the room. The close-up is used to show the womans face, which emphasis the confusion and slight anger. The other shot that stands out is the high angle shot when the woman is pushed over, this show her weakness for a moment and also allowsus to seethe build up of the anger.
The Build-up
In section 3 the build up starts with a close-up of the womans face as she stares down at the other woman. This puts her in power over the other woman because she is the first in shot and is alone. Overall she also has more screen time giving her more control over the narrative.
A few shots later we see another close-up of the weaker womans face as she is carressed gently. This shows that one woman has more power and it also show that one of the characters is loving and the other is scared. This shows a power and fear between the characters, which seperates the characters for the audience. This is an aspect I may use because I want to create a seperation between the younger brother and his girlfriend by showing one character distracted or angry.

Sound
The Stabbbing:
The isolated diegetic sound of the scissors is the first first and opening sound in the film, this adds an an importance to that object to the audience, the dropping sound then reinforces this focus on the scissors. I want to use Isolated sounds like this to cause an emotional/tense reaction in my audience e.g. the younger brothers breathing (something that is focused on in 'Daddy'.
The other isolated sound in this first scene is that of the womans voice as she holds her dyeing lover. I want to use isolated dialogue with no other sound during my film as it makes the characters seem more real and human, attaching the audience and the characters.
The non-diegetic spound in this scene is the oboe and piano in minor keys, because they are going down in key connotes emotion rather than tension to the audience, this is an effect I want to use in my film as it creates the emotional impact I wish to achieve. They also use a single violin string to create an eerie and chilling atmosphere, which make sthe audience uncomfortable by enhancing what is happening on screen.
The Confrontation:
During this scene there is a strong use of dialogue from both characters as this is the scene where emotions and the narrative creates tension. This is done because one charater is distressed for seeing her 'dead(?)' girlfriend in her house, and the other is angry because she feels she is being forgotten/replaced, we know this because she picks out items in the room which didn't belong to either of them and she asks where her things are. We also know from the dialogue in this scene that one of the women is more dominant than the other as she begins to get angry and threatening very quickly while the other instantly becomes submisive. This is a good aspect of the film, however not something I can look into as there is very little conflict in my film as it more focused on inner and personal conflict.
The non-diegetic sound in this scene is silent for the first set of dialogue as the dialogue itself is used to alter the emotions of the audience. When there is violence however the sound comes back and creates a very tense scene becuase the tone of the key goes up and the base stays high which increases the effect on the audience. When the final pieces of dialogue are shouted 'burn in hell you b*t**' the sound increases and we hear the sound effect of a sharp intake of breath as the woman runs to attack with the scissors.
The Build-up
During the first section of this scene the dialogue is spoken without non-diegetic music, although this lack of non-diegetic sound means that the dialogue spoken must create emotion in the audience. When she starts to talk we hear a slight reverb which instantly makes the audience feel that she isn't real or that she is ghost, and at this point in the narrative the audience has realised that she isn't real. This feeling in the audience is completely secured when they say 'where's my ring'. 'I put it in your coffin', these lines and the reverb on the voice make the audience rethink the rest of the film and realise why things happen. I want to use this technique of reverb on the voice as it gives a good effect, however it wouild not fit into my narrative as I do not want to the audience to realise that the older brother is dead, I wonly want to imply this and reinforce it at the end.
During this scene there are non-diegetic high pitch synthetic sounds, which are similar to metal being played when we see the ghostly character on screen. This sound reinforces her antagoinistc personality. The music then cuts out as the dialogue continues as that has a  higher impact on the audience and makes the characters feel more real.

Edit
The narrative structure for 'Don't Leave Me' subverts traditional narrative as it is composited backwards. This structure makes the film itself much more interesting for the audience and changes the effects that are caused in the audience. During the film however there are no dissolves or any other unnatural transitions. However to cut between the different time sections a fade to black is used, this shows the audience that one scene is ending, we also see the fade into the next scene. There is a good effect to have on the audience as it changes the films narrative and it makes the scene change. However during my film I will use simple cuts, although they will be quick and natural, except for the transition between the dream section and the young brother in bed.

Short FIlm Analysis. Daddy

Daddy

Title
The title 'Daddy' looks ghostly as it disappears  and has a slight transparency so we can see partially though it. This ghostly effect on the word gives a chilling feeling and also sets up the theme for the film as a whole. I am going to use this title by using a similar effect that will allow the words to go in and out of being completely opaque and transparent. This will start the film on a spectral essence.
The font is basic and uncomplicated, making it easy to read, sans-serif.
The opening shot shows a blank corridor, the white walls similar to that of a mental institution, planting the idea of insanity in the audience, which is later shown in the main character. However in my film the main character is not insane, he is suffering from depressed caused by loss meaning I will have to find a way to show depression and not insanity.

Mise-en-scne
The inside of the bedroom is also very bare and has  a simple double bed. The bed however only looks slightly used and the man sleeps in a very unnatural position, this  including hi facial make-up (bags under the eyes) gives feeling of unrest. I will use this make-up style to make the main character seem uneasy and ill.
The girl first enters the film; she looks very typical to what we expect a little girl to look like; pigtails and a bow in her hair. This costume is very old fashioned in its style, which initialy implies that the character is very old fashioned and almost ghostlike. This ghostlike feel of the costume, old fashioned pig tails and dress, makes the audience feel very uncomfortable with the character, instantly causing a distrust and distance between the characters. This feeling is enhanced when we see the fear in the mans eyes, the man being a character we feel we can trust. We feel this because of the bland colourless in his skin and cloths, which implies that he is frustrated and distressed. All of these things make the audience feel empathy for the man. This empathy for him makes the audience agree with his fear of the girl.
'Daddy' is single room as a setting for the vast majority of the short film, apart from the opening shot. Ths is because it makes the film feel very enclosed and that the man himself is almost stuck in that room. This isolation is shown in his distressed look and aesthetics, it is also shown because he is lying on the bed by himself. This is similar to mine because I am going to use a single location; but using many different rooms because of the narrative being explosive and emotional it would not work in one single room.
The lighting for the whole film is very dark with a strong contrast between black and white with the other colours being slightly subdued.  This allows for very strong shadows to be cast which then brings the tone down of the film and makes it more tense. I will use this lighting technique as it gives a good effect and creates a strong atmosphere. Although  I will place the shadows carefully to create a more emotional atmosphere than it being tense.

Cinematography
The cinematography varies throughout the film.
The opening shot consists of a moving shot going through a clear corridor t. This sets up the rest of the film , but also allows the viewer to feel as if they are entering the film. I will use this technique to start my film because it gives a good effect, but also that I can cross-cut between the camera moving toward the main room, then cut to a close up birds eye shot of the main characters face on the bed. I will do this because the
film uses this finishing on a closeup of the mans face breaks tension and creates a small jump.
One of the major effects used in the cinematography 'Daddy' is the use of close up shots of the characters faces. This is seen in the opening shots of the characters. The first man is introduced useing a close-up that looks down on him sleeping, this shot initailly presents the man as frustrated and tierd because of his facial expressions, which we assume is caused by the girl saying 'Daddy'. The little girl is then introduced with a mid-shot of her at the end of the bed, this is because it introduces her as distant, but also makes her seem remarkably creepy. We then see a few extreme close-ups of the little girls hand as she tries to get the Dads attention, but more importantly we see an extreme-closeup of the mans mouth as he breathes in. This is used to build tension as people don't inhale like that without there being a problem. We also see slighlt shakes in his neck which could dennote fear. This extreme-closeup could also build tension to make the audience have more fear toward the little girl as the next shot we see of her is very close. This shot makes the girl seem very powerful and like she is getting uncomfortably close to the dad, the man that we trust and is showing signs of fear. All of these shots are to build tension, something I am going to have to do if I want my film to have an emotioal impact on my audience, as to be able to put someone in an emotional state they have to be hightened with tension.
The close-up shots are used throughout, when they are used it is normally to show the main characters facial expression. the first time we see the mans face is when we see a shot looking down at him from a birds eye view.
All of these shots allow the audience to see the mans face; which shows his exhaustion/terror. I will use this to show the characters emotional state.

Sound
The film opens with a single piano playing a tune using minor chords which immediately provokes a melancholy emotion.  It's tempo is slow which also reinforces the gloomy feeling, it fades to silence.  The dialogue of the young girl breaks this, by calling out "Dadd.  His heavy breathing is then the only sound the audience can hear, which brings attention to it .
As the sound of the breathing increases, so does the tension.  A tone creating suspense gets louder, as does the music that was heard at the beginning.  The volume increases until he sits up and takes a deep breath.  The music is now his ringtone of his wife, the helper of the story according to Propp's narrative theory.
This is what I want to do to get my audience to have the same emotive response that the audience gets from this film.  I also intend to be able to make the music blend in with the diegetic sound as it would make the sound more fluid. There are more tense sound effects as the jump scare is about to happen, but I do not think that I will use this as I Will make more of a drama than a (shock) horror film.

Edit
The opening shot of the film is very long in duration and moves through the corridor and into the room in a single shot. This slows down the film and makes it seem more relaxing. This will be something I want to avoid in my film as I want an emotional reaction for the younger brother so I will have to put the audience on edge straight away. This will then make the emotional reaction in my film more powerful compared to the reaction I would get if the audience are relaxed. I will do this by cross-cutting between the slow opening shot and a paniced dream. However I will tend this cross-cutting sequence by quickly cutting to a similar shot as used in 'daddy' when the camera is looking down at the man. This will instantly create and break tension.
The rest of the short film however uses wuick cuttings between the man and the little girl. For example after we hear the little girl say 'Daddy' it cuts to a mid shot of her. However it cuts during the silence, givng it a more organic feel that I want in my film. It continues to cut like this, between he man and the little girl, sometimes they use sound bridges where it cuts on someone saying something, however more of the cuts are done on silences as it makes it feel more organic and real.
The major cut from this fear building tension is the quick cut to the phone call, something that breaks the tension that has been build during the sequence. I want to use this kind of false scare, as it places the audience in a false sense of security, making the final effect a much more powerful one.