Non-genre specific deconstruction-Kingsmen

The establishing shot of Kingsmen is scene where two Middle Eastern men playing a game of draughts; the scene shifts as a helicopter appears overhead and flies towards an intricately built castle. The two men are shot down as they reach for their weapons, then it appears that the helicopter drops bombs into the castle as it begins to explode in a dramatic fashion. Opening credits fly from the debris, behind this, windows are ablaze. To end the opening sequence, the men from the helicopter lower themselves into the building.

At first, the camera focuses on an old fashioned stereo, however, zooms out to show a two shot of two men dressed in military style gear, smoking and playing draughts. This makes the audience feel slightly intimated by them and also believe they are figures of authority due to the military gear. The titles read ‘Middle East 1997’, this sets the time frame for the audience and allows them to create an understanding of where this scene is set. The font looks quite formal which could suggest that the two men are part of a sophisticated organisation, also it is a sandy colour which fits the location of the film. The lighting of the scene is natural and quite bright, this is reflected by the sandy background which makes the whole scene appear to be brighter. Also, as the background is composed of beige/sand coloured rocks, it helps to establish the location of the Middle East. The camera tilts up as a helicopter appears over the edge of the cliff, this imitates the movement a person’s head would make, putting the audience in a position where they feel like they are actually there. Following this, the camera tracks the helicopter towards the building, this copies the same effect as having the tilt. Diegetic sound of the helicopter flying can be hear before the helicopter is seen, this sound is amplified as it comes over the edge of the cliff. This makes the audience anxious about the appearance as sounds of gunshots are hear almost straight after it appears. The helicopter is shown from a worms eye view as the two men are shot down, this makes the helicopter seem to have more power in comparison to the men, implying that the helicopter could have significance throughout the film and the men are somewhat worthless. The camera tracks the helicopter by making an arch movement as it flies over head, it uses continuity editing instead of cutting to show the helicopter approaching the castle.

As the helicopter approaches the castle, two palm trees frame the building, which draws the audience’s attention to it as the main action will be happening there. To begin, it is a very long shot, but zooms in which appears to the audience like they are walking towards the building. As this is occurring, the helicopter is seen to be blowing up the castle. This is represented through several special effects, including explosions in a few windows and smoking billowing out of the building. From amongst the explosions, bits of debris are seen to fly out. These increase in size as they become legible, revealing the opening credits. The credits are a slightly brighter yellow compared to the background which allows the audience to read the titles, however, not be too distracted that they forget what is happening. To end the opening sequence, the men on the helicopter slide down the ropes into the building; this leads into the next scene which is situated inside. This adds enigma as the audience become curious as to why they would enter an exploding building. The shot ends with a short cross dissolve which allows a smooth transition.

The gain primary involvement, the film launches straight into action, similar to a Bond film. This ensures that the audience are presented with exciting entertainment which they will be quickly engrossed in. Stereotypically, an antagonist would dress in black, and a protagonist in colour, therefore upon first impression, they audience would presume the men in the helicopter were the antagonists and the dead soldiers were innocent. However, as this is not the case, and does not become apparent until around 10 minutes in, the film is misleading the audience and their sympathy is wrongly placed. Also, the scene places an element for foreshadowing as the men shot down seemed to be alert and prepared for a fight, suggesting it has happened before and will happen again.

Non-genre specific deconstruction- Nowhere Boy

The popular music movie ‘Nowhere Boy’ is based upon the story of the becoming of The Beatles. It addresses the span of a year where John Lennon first creates the band and how it came to start gaining fame. The opening sequence shows a somewhat regular morning for Lennon, starting with his mother waking him up in bed. Following from this, his father gives him a harmonica as a gift before Lennon takes his bike to school. Upon arrival, he gets himself into trouble, resulting in a visit to the Headmaster’s office. There, Lennon displays a cheeky personality as he talks back to the Head, using a sarcastic tone, which is quite stereotypical of a teenager. The sequence ends showing the main title of the film.

The establishing shot is an extra long shot of a columned building, in the far right corner, a boy can be seen running up the steps, towards the front. This creates a sense of engima for the audience as they question who he is and due to the running, could wonder if he is late for an important event. The shot switches to a low angle shot of the same boy running towards the camera, this makes the character appear childlike and playful however adds a sense of importance to him. The idea of the character being childlike is accentuated by the fact he is laughing and enjoying himself whilst running; non diegetic sounds of a sustained guitar chord can be heard, also screams that appear to be from a crowd. this could suggest that the character is a successful musician who performs for loud, enthusiastic audience. The camera tracks alongside the character, this makes the audience feel more involved with him and to perhaps feel the same joy as he is. The expression on his face is shown through a medium close up, this makes the audience feel emotionally attached to this character as he appears to have a warm and friendly expression. As the character trips, and falls out of the shot, the music stops, and there is a fast straight cut into the next scene. This makes the switch between the two scenes appear to be sudden, as if he is waking up from a dream unexpectedly.

As there is no music, this contrast could represent the harsh reality between the scene before and his everyday life, it could show that not as enjoyable for the character. The scene begins with an aerial shot of Lennon in bed, however his peaceful state is soon ended by the interference of his mother. The harsh tone of her voice as she tells him to get up implies that it is a regular occurrence for him not to get up, however, the audience automatically sets up a prejudice against her and forms a dislike for her. Primary involvement is gained by use of a close up of the mother shouting, this puts the audience into the position of John, creating an element of fear as they may be able to relate to a similar situation with their own mothers. The audience feels like she is personally addressing them as well as John therefore they feel intimidated by her, this adds to the idea of a prejudiced disapproval of her. This is the first reference the audience hears towards the character’s name, which is revealed to be John. This can allow the audience to make a possible connection to him being John Lennon. The shot switches to a medium shot of a breakfast table, the mother is seen to be place a plate on it before walking off  the shot, as it is very uniformly laid out, this could imply that she likes things to be structured and organised in her life. This shot allows the table to be the main focus for the audience, implying that is bears some significance to the plot, however the audience is able to see the characters too, and their reactions to the occurring dialogue. Also, it is stereotypical of women in history to be making breakfast and spending time in the kitchen, which suggests the film is set in the past. Her costume is simply a tight fitting green apron and wears rollers in her hair, stereotypically in the 60s women payed lots of attention to their appearance so they could appeal to their husbands and be the model wife they wished for, hence the rollers, and also were stereotypically stay at home wives who attended to every whim of their spouses..

John’s costume consists of a grey, slim fitted waistcoat, accompanied by slicked back hair. This is a typical of a 1960s rock and roll fan, which could imply that the film was set in the 60s. The father appears into the shot, then there is an extreme close up of him placing a harmonica on the table. Judging by John’s reaction to the gift, it is apparent that the family is not well off, and any gift is graciously received and well appreciated. Following this, there is a series of straight cuts at a medium close up of the father and son having a conversation, this allows the audience to see the conversation develop and see the emotions in each of their faces. A two shot of the pair hugging is shown after this, this makes the audience believe that John is a family man who loves and cares for his father, it also makes the audience believe the character to be a lovable protagonist.

As diegetic conversation between the mother, father and John occurs, the first credits appear on the far right of the screen. They are small and quite understated; a simple white font is used so the audience’s attention is not attracted away from the main events of the scene. Also, as it is in caps lock, and in white with a black outline it is similar to a lot of other credits featured in 1960s films, which makes the film seem more contextual.

The use of John’s costume, a plain grey school uniform, demonstrates his age to the audience, as it had not been previously shown before. The scene starts at a medium shot as John pushes his bike out of the back garden, before panning right to show his mother staring out of the window in the direction of John. Non-diegetic music is played as this scene is playing, it is a popular 60s song (Wild one- Jerry Lee Lewis), which makes the mood of the scene positive. This is achieved by the major key, and the use of syncopated chords, mainly on the primary triads. Also, the quick tempo and 4/4 time signature ensures the upbeat feel, causing the audience to have the urge to dance.

The mother in the window shouts to John asking him to put on his glasses, this is stereotypical of a mother figure as it shows she is caring. A long shot of the mother is used, she is framed by the windows, this could show that she wants her life to be like a picture and for everything to go perfectly how she wants it, but as the outside of the windows are black, this could show how she thinks that the outside world is a bad place and she prefers to be inside where she knows it is safe. Another representation of the black windows could be that she is an antagonist and hides inside so people won’t find out what she is like, as black has connotations of evil or wrong doing. However this is quickly contrasted as John’s friend mocks the way his mother talks to him, and as this is the first appearance of the boy, it suggests he is the comical character. A medium shot of the shot, with John in the foreground and the friend in the background emphasises John’s importance to the film as he is the character the audience’s attention is drawn to first. 

The next scene starts with a very long shot of the two boys riding their bikes. The camera remains static as they pass by a set of red gates, on either side of the gate are walls, battered and falling apart, however on one side, there is a plaque that reads ‘Strawberry Fields’. This is the first indication that the film is definitely to do with the Beatles, however the reference is subtle enough that if you are not a fan you may still be oblivious that the film concerns them.

Throughout the scene, the boys mock each other, using expletives, which is stereotypical of a teenager as they are trying to show they are grown up by using word usually considered to be adult vocabulary. Their Liverpudlian accents help to set the location incase the audience was unsure of where the film is set, however, as not all of their words are articulated perfectly, it could suggest that the characters are not upper class.

The shot switches to a medium close up of two school girls, who are presumably John’s friends. As the girl refers to John purely by his last name, this is the concluding moment that the film is definitely about the Beatles. The shots switch between a two shot of the girls and a medium close up as they converse, however as the shot draws to an end, there is a medium shot of the back of Lennon talking to them. The scene ends by fading to black, which could imply the end of the happy scenes.

Next, the scene is located outside of the Headmaster’s office. The camera is at a slightly high angle, and is tilted down to show John; this creates sympathy for him, as if he is powerless and the audience is looking down upon him and his life choices. Diegetic sound of a whip cracking can be heard before 2 disheveled boys leave the office, this makes the audience feel sympathy for John as it becomes apparent he will be in there next, presumably enduring the same treatment. There is a fast  straight cut into the next shot, where, inside the office, Lennon is sitting opposite the headmaster. Lennon is shown by an over the shoulder shot from the point of view of the Headmaster, this tries to put the audience in the perspective of the head, possibly trying to change the view of the audience to make them believe that Lennon is bad news and a trouble maker. This is reinforced by Lennon’s sarcastic comments, and by the fact he talks back to the headmaster. This is stereotypical of a teenager as they sometimes believe they are better than adults therefore talk in a patronising or condescending manner when addressing someone they have no respect for.

To end the opening sequence, the camera pans along a row of trees. As the skyline behind these is primarily a pink/red colour, it suggests the time of the scene has shifted towards the latter end of the day. The shot could be from the point of view of Lennon on his bike as he rides along, looking at the sky. The main title appears across the screen in the same font as the credits earlier, it appears to look like a stereotypically old fashioned title, as it is similar to the font in popular 60s films such as ‘Our Man Flint’ and ‘Dementia 13’. This also represents the era that it is based in, as the similarities are obvious.

In general throughout the sequence, the colour scheme is slightly washed out and has a yellow-ish tone to it, which gives it a sense of being in the past. Also, to reinforce this, the camera quality is not as fine as is available when this film is shot. This makes the idea of it being in the 1960s more believable and realistic.

The Preliminary Task

Above, is our final edit of our preliminary task. We decided to use Alicia’s edit as we felt it displayed the most original transitions and portrayed the right feel that we wanted to convey.

We decided to film in an art room, therefore we achieved the darkness we wanted, however as it was a little lighter than we were expecting, we were unable to use a spotlight to add drama. Instead, we made sure that the camera angles we used made the two characters appear to be silhouettes.

Jasmin McDonald and Alicia Fuat were our two actors, and I did all the camera work as there is only three of us in our group. Despite this I think we stuck to our storyboard as much as possible and the final outcome was of quite a good standard.

However, if we were to repeat this task, we would use a darker location, develop the speech and come up with a more imaginative narrative.

Planning for Preliminary task

To begin planning for our preliminary task, our group decided to storyboard an idea that one of us had. As a group we thought that we would make our storyboard quite simple, therefore if we deviated from it then we could still follow along similar lines to the original narrative.

As there are only three people in our group, we decided two people would be acting, and one would do the camera work. Our plot was simple, a character walks in, sits down; asks if the other character has ‘it’, the other character picks up the thing and passes it over. Upon this exchange, the pair stand up, shake hands and part ways.

In the storyboards, we show the ‘thing’ the character asked for as a gun, however upon filming, we realised it wasn’t easy to get hold of such a prop, so used a paint tube. This leaves the object to be imaginary to the audience as they can think for themselves what it could be.

The script:

Person A: Have you got it?

(exchange happens)

Person B: Until next time…

(pair leave room)