OCR GCSE Media Studies

This is what I picked up on:

 

Cinematography:

• Handheld long-shot of people being sucked out of plane

• Whip-pan of  Iron Man flying to the scene

• Close-up on Iron Man's face as he first arrives

• High-angle extreme long shots of people falling from plane

• Birds-eye shots of people falling from plane

• Low-angle extreme long shot of plane exploding

• Tracking shot of Iron Man flying towards falling people

• Extreme close-up on Heather's badge

• Point-of-view shots from Iron Man's point of view

 

Editing:

• Cross-cutting between inside and outside of Iron Man's mask

• Special effects to show Iron Man's in-mask computer interface

• The fast pace (on the whole) of the editing

 

Mise-en-scene:

• Paper and other debris in plane cabin

• Clouds in the sky

• Iron Man's suit

• Heather's cabin crew uniform

• The scattered figures of the falling victims

• The frantic panicked movements of the victims

• The purposeful, determined and quick movements of Iron Man

 

Sound:

• The diegetic sounds of howling wind, rustling paper and screams

• The sounds of the power thrusts from Iron Man's suit as he flies

• The calm tone of Iron Man's voice

• The extremely calm tone of the suit's voice

• The frantic pitch and tone of the victims' voices

• The changing volume of the screams as the people fall closer and further to and from the screen

• Iron Man's quite informal way of speaking: "see that guy?" "swing by" "grab him"

• The use of "sir" by the voice of the suit

• The digital sound effects of the suit's computers

 

A lot of stuff, right?

Yes, but you only need to write about two techniques per technical area. It's the quality of how you explain the effect of specific examples, not the number of things you can spot.

 

So, what sort of thing would you actually write about?

Here's what I would write about for cinematography in the above clip. Notice that I focus on just two things: camera movement and the high-angle extreme long shots.

The extract uses high-angle extreme long shots to convey the jeopardy the characters are in. The high-angle extreme long shots of the crew member falling from the plane and later the bird's-eye extreme long shots allow the audience to see the full extent of the predicament they are in. The use of this type of shot emphasises the huge amount of empty sky and the distant earth conveying the characters' terror to the audience.

In addition to this, camera movement is used to convey the shock and speed of the situation. For example, the instability of the handheld camera in the opening shot and also the fast-paced tracking on the falling victims and the flying Iron Man demonstrate how out of control the situation is and so heightens the fear and suspense of the characters and, in turn, the audience.

 

Notice my fairly neat PEE paragraph structure:

• Point: I clearly state what the effect of a spefific technique is.

• Example: I give at least one clear example from the extract.

• Explain: I explain in more detail how the effect is created.

 

If I was to go on and write something similar for the three other technical areas, I'd be in for a good mark.

 

Finally, here are some key tips:

• Discuss two examples for each technical area (i.e. two techniques for sound, two techniques for cinematograpyhy and so on)

• Don’t waste time writing a general introduction – get stuck into analyzing specific aspects of the extract

• Only write about the extract - NOT other films you've seen!

• Put emphasis on the effect(s) of techniques rather than highlighting conventions (which was what Q1 was all about)

• Examples of the sorts of effects you might comment on: tension, excitement, majesty, misery, thoughtfulness, realism, danger, masculinity.  You’re not being explicitly asked about conventions but the sorts of things mentioned in conventions (jeopardy, danger, peril etc) could feature

• For editing and camerawork, consider how it establishes identification and communicates who the hero is

• Soundtrack does not just mean music: it’s sound effects, dialogue, voice-over, music and it can be the absence of sound

• Ensure you’re confident with diegetic and non-diegetic - if not, check glossary

• Consider contrast: e.g. the mise en scene of a domestic setting contrasting with violence