Visual scenes
Visual conventions:
Aesthetics-Defined as elements that the film shows on screen, as well as the message/mood it conveys through visual communication. The action is taking place in a dim lit setting which intensifies the atmosphere of the scene-which is dangerous due to the main character eating the security guard's heart. The first shot of the scene is a beautiful shot of New Orleans with lights. Within a couple of shots it transforms into a wide shot where it shows the building where there are flashing lights which contrasts with the atmosphere outside.
Space and Composition-Defined as the position of object/characters within a shot. The main character of this scene is centre left and the shots also move to the audience seeing his side profile. The side profile shot adds mystery to this scene and this shot creates visual tension. When the protagonist has a conversation with the security guard it turns into an over the shoulder shot. Near the end where the action is the shots keep changing as it changes from an over the shoulder shot to a medium shot to a close up shot to show, when the main character rips out the heart from the security guard, his anger and then finally transforms to a wide shot. In the beginning of the scene the security guard is portrayed as a stronger character more than the main character but this contrasts to the end of the scene when the main character rips out the heart and it has him in the centre of the shot and he eats the heart which implies he has the power.
Acting-Defined as the task of portraying another character on screen and/or changing their emotions and actions as scripted. The main character is very consistent with his presence as he has remained confidence when talking to the security guard. The security guard also has an assertive pose and makes no facial expressions when the protagonist is talking to him. The main character also talks in a light hearted manner as well as being serious.
Technical Aspects-Defined as how equipment is set up to capture the action occuring on screen. At the beginning of the scene, when showing New Orleans they used a truck shot to show the whole view of the setting. When the protagonist and the security guard are having a conversation and it changes into a wide shot and then when it focuses back into the main character it goes into a truck shot.
Sound- In the beginning of the scene it shows the setting but has the voiceover of the main character speaking with also sounds of traffic included which shows that the setting is a very busy place. Whilst you can see the conversation between the two characters the music from inside the building is also included to show the atmosphere inside the building. You can also hear quite chatters from the people waiting in the queue to show that conversation is being done in a public place and you would not expect what will happen in the end of the scene to be done in a public place. Whilst the main character rips out the heart you can hear the clear sounds of the heart squelching. This scene with the heart there are very distinct sounds to know that it is a heart which creates emphasis on this scene. The music that is playing gets a bit louder which connotes to the action of this scene.
Editing-Defined as cutting the clips together which gets the editor put footage in a specific way. The scene opens with a view of the setting and then transforms to a close shot of the protagonist. During the climax of this scene the editing is quite quick which connotes to the surprise of the action the protagonist took and also to the audience as they were not expecting this.
Narrative-Defiined as the storytelling device for all forms of media that creates a story from beginning to end. In the beginning of the scene it says '7 years later' which shows this is after quite some time. Then it transforms into a conversation with the two characters about how the protagonist wants to resolve an issue with a family inside the building. Due to the security guard not moving and letting the protagonist move it builds up pressure. Then finally the character rips out his heart which is makes this scene intense.
Representation-Defined as nature of mirroring certain traits including various stereotypes, races, communities, social issues, mediation and visual codes. The main character's dialect is quite posh and formal which would make people think he would handle the situation not with violence but with his intellect. However this scene is quite violent and gorey towards the end.
Audio conventions:
Dialogue-The speech in this scene was filmed in production and this is evident to see as the speech matches the character's lip movement.
Ambiance-In the scene there is a bell that chimes in tune with the music that is playing during this scene when the main character is explaining why he needs to get in the club and the bell chiming signifies the urgency of him getting in. The bell chimes in synchronisation with the main character talking and the music playing which creates a peaceful atmosphere whereas in reality, the scene it is getting more intense. After the main character rips out the security guard's heart and he falls there is a loud sound of the railing falling as well and the reason why this is a loud sound is to symbolise the hierarchy of humans and vampires.
Sound effects-In the main action of this scene with the main character ripping out the security guard's heart and this sound is an example of a foley sound. Then when he eats the heart this is also a foley sound; this gives a realistic effect of these gory actions.
Diegetic and Non-Diegetic-In this scene there were many diegetic sounds such as vehicles moving in the beginning of this scene, people talking, music playing in the setting. The non-diegetic sound in this scene was the added on song during the climax of the scene before the main character ate the security guard's heart. Adding the song during the climax was a well thought decision as it increased tension.
Soundtrack-In the beginning of the scene when it shows the audience it is '7 years later' and it plays a very low key which can imply this scene will be intense. There is a song playing at first that is quite low and then when the climax is reached it turns into a crescendo to mirror the intensity of the scene. Then during the end of the scene the song transform to only the beat which is funky and is very different to the atmosphere of the scene.
Post production alterations-The post production for this scene is with the foley sounds with ripping the heart out and eating the heart. These sounds were made in a studio and was made with everyday sounds. Also with the non-diegetic sounds was done in the post production process with adding the sound to increase tension.
Visual conventions:
Aesthetics-The setting of this scene is already immediately established by the 1st shot in as there is action taking place with vary of different shots such as close up shots that then transition into wide shots to reveal the setting. With the use of bright light in this scene is to connote to the action of Thor arriving in Wakanda which astounds everyone. The shot before Thor appears it goes all dark which demonstrates how all the characters had lost hope but then a beacon of ethereal light emerges and the aesthetics of this are beautiful therefore which makes this an impressive and aesthetically pleasing scene.
Space and composition-With the other characters it is very chaotic where they are in the shot but when Thor appears he is in the centre of the frame which reveals to the viewer the main character in this particular scene. After Thor arrives he is always in the middle, ahead than the other characters which again makes the viewer understand who is the main character in this scene. This scene ends with Thor jumping in the air and this reveals the dominant position he is in and the antagonists are on the ground which indicates they are weak.
Acting-The acting in this was impeccable; everyone's reactions to when Thor arrives was so good and some of the characters said nothing but their expressions said everything which speaks more than dialogue. The start of this scene contrasts with the end due to at the beginning of this scene the characters are frightened as they feel like they are failing but after Thor arrives the atmosphere completely shifts as the other characters are now feeling triumphant.
Technical aspects-With the action in this scene the shots that are used is a smooth truck shot to present the action to the audience and this shot was a good decision due to there being a lot of action. During the main part of this scene, which is when Thor arrives, there is a focus pull shot so the viewers could solely focus on Thor.
Sound-Due to this scene being full of action there a lot of sounds that are associated to this with the sound of guns firing, blades, growling from the monsters, lasers firing, bullets, characters falling on the ground. These sounds are foley sounds and fit this scene to provide the scene with more strong sounds so it is clearer for the viewers and makes this scene have a better effect. The sound is very clear and has no reverb with the actions which makes this scene have impeccable sound quality. The sound design was thought out very precisely and was executed successfully as it emphasised the action. There are very strong SFX when Thor appears-the main character in this scene- and this was an excellent decision as the viewers would focus their attention on this scene due to the SFX. The choice in adding the Marvel soundtrack when Thor arrived amplifies the significance of this scene and also to mirror the hope that the other characters are feeling now that Thor has come.
Editing-Due to this scene having more fight sequences than dialogue which makes sense that the editing is quick with no cutaway shots as it would distract the audience away from the action. In the beginning the editor has chosen to use a lot of wide shots for the audience to have an outlook on everything that is happening and view multiple actions instead of just focusing on one. Before Thor arrives the editor chose a close up shot to focus on The Hulk to mirror what he is feeling;claustrophobic and defeated. After Thor arrives the editor used medium shots on every other character solely for the audience to focus on every character's reaction. When Thor is higher up this transitions into a close up shot and this is used to communicate about Thor's emotions.
Narrative-From the beginning of this scene it is already known that there is conflict between The Avengers and the monsters and when the monsters fight The Avengers they aim for the head which show they want to eat The Avengers so already the audience knows why they are fighting. A few seconds later there are more villains and The Avengers are being defeated which adds suspense and intensity, the jeopardy is that The Avengers are failing right now and there is a possibility that they could die. But then a light appears which creates uncertainty, shock and it is Thor that arrives which contrasts from the beginning from this scene and the atmosphere shifts as the characters are smiling. This scene ends with Thor using his power to defeat the antagonists.
Representation-There is a shot of Black Widow which shows female representation and her in the battlefield and this reverts the stereotype of females being weak and only sensitive. Also Black Panther is included in this scene which shows black representation which is amazing. Black Panther has his own movie and is the first movie with a black male as the main character.
Audio conventions:
Dialogue-Due to this scene being filled with action it would be very hard to have clear dialogue unedited with the actors also fighting which is why Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) has been used to ensure the dialogue is understandable for the audience.
Ambiance-When the monsters make a vicious growling sound it is very significant as it reminds the audience that they are monsters and to show how remorseful they are which implicates fear to the viewers. Before all the monsters jump on Bruce Banner there is a ringing angelic like sound which could imply that hope is coming (in this case that Thor is coming to help them).
Sound effects-There is many sound effects due to this being an action scene and a lot of these sounds are created by the Foley technique such as the foot stomping, punching, falling on the ground, the hammer flying. All of these being edited with the Foley technique is a good decision due to it giving more emphasis.
Diegetic and Non-diegetic-There were many diegetic sounds such as guns firing, the monsters growling. The non-diegetic sound was music throughout the scene that changed with beat, tone to mirror the atmosphere of the particular shot and what the characters were feeling. For example when the characters were getting defeated the music was low and medium paced to demonstrate to the viewers that The Avengers were losing at this moment.
Soundtrack-There was music added on throughout the scene and changed depending on what was happening in the shot- it either went fast paced or slow, the sound got higher or lower. When Thor appears the music transitions to heroic music. When Thor uses his power there is a combination of the Marvel theme track and lightning to emphasise the strength of Thor.
Post production alterations-To create the Foley sounds this was done in post production process in the studio with the people finding everyday objects that would make a sound that they could sync to the actions. The ADR voiceover was edited in the post production process. Also with editing the music and making sure it synced in the with the visual aspect of the movie was done in the post production process.
2.03.22=On 17.2.22 we had a lesson on Cutaways and this was very significant in information that I have learnt from the media course. To demonstrate my understanding I created a montage of my bedroom and filmed my room from various angles. After acquiring the footage I edited the clips on Adobe Premier Pro which was very easy to edit with. The beginning of the video there is a text and created it on Adobe After Effects.
Cutaways