Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels Review

I found this film really enjoyable. I am a fan of basic Gangster films. I feel that the involvement of drugs, gambling and money laundering really elaborated the gangster genre. The use of basic comedic elements also made the movie very interesting to me. The irony in some of the situations was very humorous how the four main characters kept finding everyone dead wherever they would go, almost like what they wanted landed in their laps. Also the use of basic British comedy mad it enticing because it was relatable. Phrases used in the movie are used in everyday vernacular especially in Britain. The three different ways by which they represented females in the film was also intriguing. You had the card dealer who was independent, bold and authoritative, They stoner who was sluggish but brave and then my least favourite the stripper who was represented as a sexual object. The film also had heart and this is something that the audience could relate to, for example the relationship between big Chris and little Chris. However I didn't like the open ending. 

Interview Recording Workshop

In this assignment I worked with Sabrina Yaacub and Isabella Francis. The objective was to record an interview consisting of four questions in three different locations; Classroom, Radio Studio and Outside using the best available external microphones. Sabrina composed the questions and each of us was interviewed and interviewed one another. This gave us all a feel of being on both sides. 

Classroom recording.
I interviewed Bella in the class room. We used the handheld audio recorder. This device didn't have a microphone attached to it. As it was inside a closed and isolated environment. However the only difficulty we faced was getting isabella to answer the question accordingly and I didn't handle her answers appropriately but the conflict made the interview more interesting so we kept the footage. The quality of the recording was good, both voices were audible. There were no mistakes and if we began to laugh I would simply press pause on the recorder so we can get it out of our system and continue recording. I was pleased with the end result. Using the hand held recorder is not hard or complicated. 

Radio Studio Recording
For the radio studio recording Bella was the interviewer and Sabrina the interviewee. The software that we used to record the interview is called reaper. In my personal opinion i find reaper easy to use, it allows room for both recording and editing at the same time. It was the first recording that we did, so there were a few errors but we would simply delete the recordings and start over in order to get them recorded in one take. However, another method we used was stop and start. If a pronunciation error was made, Bella or Sabrina would pause and then repeat their statement to make for simple editing. Before saving the recording we played the footage back to ourselves. The voices were audible as they both spoke into the microphone which I would move so they didn't have to. 

Outside
Sabrina interviewed me, this was the final interview we conducted in the lesson. It took place outside college between the main building and the gym. I choose this location because it was easily accessible and it would provide us with good outside audio of wind. For this we had to attach a microphone to the hand held recorder that we had. Sabrina held the microphone and I the recorder. It was very simple and it was done in one take. When played back the main inconvenience was the wind it was very heavy and the microphone picked up the audio very clearly, however the voices were heard quite clearly as we spoke close to the microphone because we predicted the weather.

Microphone Analysis
The two main types of microphones that we used include the following:
The Dynamic Microphone
These are loud and they capture sounds without distortions. Which made it suitable to use outside, to capture the sound of our voices outdoors. 
The Condenser Microphone
These are commonly used for studio recording, especially on vocals. They are good at picking up more tonal variation and nuance than the dynamic microphone. This makes in suitable for a close and restricted environment that cannot be affected greatly by outdoor sound.  

SCARFACE: ADVERTISING AND AUDIENCE

Narrative can be defined as the things that we see for example in the movie trailer the narrative is the content, what is said and seen. The creators use the narrative to target their audience. There is a voice over that sets the scene of the movie that is, the time and place. This appeals to Americans, the movie is set in America specifically Miami. The time is 1980. This appeals to people who enjoy 80's films. You can tell Tony Montana is of Latin decent, this also appeals to the Latin community. The trailer contains clips of violence. We know that violence is a convention used in Gangster films so that also appeals to the audience. By portraying images of the lavish lifestyle, money, loyalty and betrayal, the trailer paints a picture of the Gangster life of Tony Montana, his uprising but it also predicts his downfall. The narrative, gives the audience a hint of the movie without giving away too much information. I feel that the target audience through the narrative is mainly male; this is because of the way they make Men the target focus of the film and also the way they objectify women in the film as some what a possession.
As per the film poster. The colours used show the audience are conventional Gangster film colours Black connotes death and evil, White connotes serenity, purity and innocence and red connotes blood, love and vengeance. People who have an interest in the story line of Gangster films are aware of this and attracted to it. The creators use the colours to attract the audience. The image of the protagonist elegantly dressed in black an white appeals to the male audience, connoting the lavish lifestyle that he may have. Although his facial expression shows that he is probably going to face some trials and tribulation. On the left hand side of the poster, there is a short summary of the movie, showing the audience what is to come without giving away too much information. The creators also use the Tag Line "He loved the American Dream with a vengeance." This implies that Tony Montana was set to do anything to live the American dream. The use of the actor and directors names on the poster give the audience of what to feel if they have ever watched a De Palmer or Pacino film.
In the trailer there are four main characters the audience takes notice to are the protagonist that is Tony Montana Played by Al Pacino. The other three are his best friend, the boss Frank and the Love interest. What the trailer does is link all of the other three characters to the protagonist. His friend the one that was there in the beginning. The person that's willing to go on this dangerous journey with him, his boss the one that was his ticket into that lifestyle needed to take over him to get on top and then he would be able to acquire the girl to fit into the ultimate gangster profile. The trailer portrays the connection between the characters and tells a story of loyalty, hard work, determination, love, success betrayal and failure.
I the movie poster only focuses on the protagonist, it has a large image of a very sharply dressed Tony Montana in the middle over the poster under the cover line AL PACINO SCARFACE. This connotes the role of Al Pacino as the protagonist and the focal point of the film. He is carrying a gun as well. This appeals to the violent nature of the audience.

The Chase: EVALUATION.

For this task I partnered up with Sabrina Yaacub and Isabella Francis. This objective of the assignment was to create a short film show casing some one making a discovery of any kind. We were to heavily feature different camera skills that we have analysed in class such as close ups, panning, two shots, three shots, long shots and many others.

To begin we brainstormed ideas until we came up with one. Our film was going to be about a murder taking place in a suburban home. I drew out the storyboard which consisted of various shots and camera angles. Some examples of the various camera angels that we used include close ups; to determine certain facial expressions to add to the mood and meaning. Other camera angles were used in order to make characters look sinister or innocent, depending on the angle. We made sure to include various establishing shots to show which character was being stalked and who did the stalking.
Another role I played included playing the serial killer and filming. The location that we had chosen was my home. Alas the footage came out too dark, we tried to film again the following day but the problem re occurred.

In order to complete the task we changed the storyline of the film. We adapted the characters from the previous movie we made and developed a sequel to the film. I this I played the victim killed by the ghost of the girl I murdered and Sabrina was going to be the one to discover my corpse. The filming took place on campus in the second floor lavatory. We used fake blood to accentuate the murder. We didn't draw up a new story board for this task.
Through all these trials and errors I learnt a few key factors. I learnt how to adjust the settings on the camera. I learnt that sometimes writers don't stick to their original scripts because of unforeseen circumstances.

The discovery video should be on the Arts and media drive. 

TASK 3: FACTUAL TELEVISION ANALYSIS

 

Devices on which television can be watched and listened

• Cellular device
• Portable tablet device
• Television
• Laptop
• Computer

 

Devices which I watch/own/have access to watch television

• Cellular Device – worst sound quality – least capability for surround sound and panning
• Portable tablet device - worst sound quality – least capability for surround sound and panning
• Television – best sound quality – most capability for surround and panning
• Laptop - best sound quality – most capability for surround and panning

 

Possible effects on mood and meaning

• Cellular Device – It changes the mood, I cannot fully enjoy a programme because it’s playing from a small device although the sound quality on my phone is really good. I always connect stereo headphones to get better sound quality.
• Portable tablet device – It has the same effect as my phone would the screen is small so some genres are not as enjoyable as they would be if I was watching them on television for example horrors. I also connect a portable speaker to my tablet to make for a better sound quality.
• Television – My television is fitted with surround sound and is HD. Therefore it amplifies the mood and meaning of some genres because the picture is clear and both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are audible.
• Laptop – My laptop has a large screen, which is good for watching films, and television programmes and it’s also fitted with substandard speakers. However I prefer to watch animation and comedy programmes on it because other genres will not give me a good feel of the programme.

 

Examples of television programmes that fit:

(TOP GEAR) Series 16 Episode 5.

Top Gear is a documentary recorded before a live studio audience reviewing cars released over the years and yet to be released. It can be found on BBC iPlayer, it features clips of the cars being tested on different terrains by either of the presenters, races between cars and various modes of transportation, interviews of different celebrities and clips of them driving around the Top Gear track. It is filmed on a dormant airfield.

 

Studio audio recording

The Studio recording contains a live studio audience and segments if the programme such as the news, where they talk about cars that have some out across the globe and other that are yet to come out. In this segment the hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are communicating with the audience and updating then. They have televisions fitted around the studio to show the audience pictures and clips of the cars they are talking about. At times they will interact with the audience to get an opinion. Most times they have the cars in the studio and they talk about them inside the studio if they have not been permitted to take the car for a test drive by the manufactures. I think that the studio recording gives the audience a first hand and exclusive feel of a professional non biased opinion of certain vehicles. The way which the presenters go about the show gives it a comedic feel, Top Gear is known for being a witty programme. Interaction with the studio audience gives it the reality programme feel and lightens the mood.

 

Location audio recording

Some of the Top Gear episodes are filmed in different locations within or outside the country. For example every race or test drive, which they film outside the studio is pre-recorded before the programme and then shown to the live studio audience. In this particular episode majority of the location footage was shot in England where the three were test driving a snow plough that they built. Other footage filmed includes the cars driven on the road and on the track by Jeremy Clarkson and The Stig respectively. Background music which is played during the location sequences sets the mood for the audience. Heavy, loud aggressive music is played while driving sports cars, like the audi and BMW which were test driven in this episode. It also shows the audience how the cars favour on different terrains.

 

Interview

The main interview conducted in the programme is the special guest star in the reasonably priced car. In the episode I choose the star in the reasonably priced car that they picked was an American actress named Amber Heard. As a formality Jeremy, the main host of the show asks the star about their career, any on-going projects they have and the recent ones they have done and what is yet to come; in form of open and closed questions. Then so as not to stray away from the concept of the programme he asks them about the cars that they own, like and dislike or would like to own. Finally to close the interview he talks about the lap that they did around the Top Gear track before showing it to the live studio audience. After the lap is shown he talks to the star about it before hanging it up on the board. We see all these traits in his interview with Amber. The interview isn’t pre-recorded it is filmed in front of the live studio audience. I feel that the producers include this segment in the programme to appeal to a variety of people that are keen on the different celebrities. It helps broaden the alternative audience of the programme.

 

Voiceover

The voiceovers in the episode are carried out by all three presenters. The first voiceover appears in the opening sequence it is always done by Jeremy Clarkson. It introduces the viewers to the show. Other voiceovers are carried out during the location audio recordings. All of them are done separately and then edited into the picture. This is like a guide to the audience explaining what is going on during the segment. The voiceovers are not so long so as to distract the audience from the programme. Everything that is pre-recoded is also shown to live studio audience as well as broadcasted on television.

SOUND EFFECTS WORK SHOP EVALUATION

For this particular task we were to remove sound effects from one of the scenes uploaded on to the arts and media file and replace them with the ones we found online. The scene I chose was the opening scene from Watchmen. The website which we used is called www.freesound.com. The sounds I had listed down for the first section of the clip include the following; Channel switching, kicking down a wooden door, tightening leather gloves, water pouring out of a cup, glass smashing, and gun shots. 
Some of the sounds where not easy to find or to synch with the moving image. For example I had a hard time synchronising the the channel switch to the television in the clip. That was the most difficult sound effect to sync. The easiest sound to find and synch was the single gun shot that was fired in the whole scene. After that though there was a fighting scene which I was unable to find initial sound effects for so i decided to cut my clip short.
Overall, I feel that I understood the main focus of the task and I was able to find suitable sound effects to match the scene and insert them in with precision and careful editing.