Film: Mood Board

Technical Codes

TECHNICAL CODES includes:

Sound – diagetic and non diegetic

Any ambient noise

Voicover

Music

Shots – range of shots and why they’re used – wide shots? Close ups? High/low angle shots?

Any camera movement

Editing – the way scenes change from one to the next

The pace of the text – fast? slow? why?

Lighting

Mise en Scene – what’s in the shot.

Representation of Sexuality in Media

Sexuality in Media is a tricky theme. For some the idea of a character being homosexual or bisexual in a drama is shocking, due to the nature of the piece or the societal background they grew up with. For others, it creates a refreshing perspective for the audience, since they can see how the events that occur affect the character who isn't like the others.

It is also affected by the historical context present in the piece. If the drama is set in the past, the idea of a homosexual character or relationship will be one of the main focuses for the plot as it can run parallel to the main plot and also cut in when there is some new perspective needed. For example, they could kill off one of the partners in a homosexual relationship and show how it affected the other partner. If the writers don't want to make it a side plot, they can hide the relationship and have it develop and how it affects other characters and the participants in the relationship.

An example of historical context affecting a homosexual relationship would be this extract from the January 2012 Media Paper:

In this clip the director uses long exposure shots and editing techniques to elicit emotions from the audience regarding the woman's situation. This use of editing techniques presents longing feelings of a sexual nature, shown through the frequent focuses on the other woman's body and breasts. These shots are usually long and slowed down, signifying the woman's feelings of love and affection. the fades also work to give a feeling of loss over time, almost as if the chances of her being able to show her true feelings are slowly slipping away from her.

Homosexual relationships don't feature in our film, but there is still representation of a sexuality included in it. Our main character is a boxer, so he is seen as quite tough and a fighter in every sense of the word. he is obviously heterosexual as there is a romantic element hinted in the film.

Codes and Conventions

Codes are systems of signs, which are used to create meaning. Codes can be split into two categories; Technical and Symbolic.

Technical codes are all the ways that equipment is used to create meaning in a film/genre. An example would be camera work in a film.

Symbolic codes shows what is beneath the surface for the audience to see. For example, how a character acts to show their emotions.

Conventions are a generally accepted ways of doing certain things. There are conventions in any medium, for example, the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are genre specific.

Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre - it's not enough to discuss a technical code used, such as camera work, without saying how it is used conventionally.

For example, lighting in used in any genre. It is a convention of horror genres to have dark lighting to show fear or suspense - an integral part of any horror film.

Final Film Storyboard

This is our rough storyboard (it's only rough because it's unfinished). The locations are still being debated, so the shots are only experimental/ a basis. We have the order set out, but now we just need to get the parts down and find some more actors to be extras or side characters.

Similar Films: Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby is the all-rounder for what we want in our film. It's got training sequences, drama, redemption, the whole lot. It also gives another perspective on our protagonist and how the film isn't centered on them.

We get the view of the trainer in this film. By adding this perspective, we don't just have a one way view of the events in the film. It becomes extremely versatile and gave the writers more space to work with since they could just switch the viewpoints whenever they felt like.

(Also, it's got Morgan Freeman in it, which is a plus in itself.)

Similar Films: Raging Bull (1980)

Raging Bull shows the more dramatic aspects of sport/redemption film. While it doesn't necessarily show what we want from our film, it does grasp the concept of the struggle of a sporting lifestyle. 

We want to be able to put this across in our film or at least hint at it in a subtle way. This adds another dimension to the film and doesn't leave it to flounder in the expectations of this genre. 

Similar Films: Rocky

One of the scene(s) in our movie is a training montage similar to the one in the rocky films, but with less cheesy music. It's meant to show how hard the protagonist is training for this fight and to emphasise  the struggle that he has to go through after his injury.

The film is also similar as it clearly represents the cliche of the film industry when it comes to sporting films. We're going for that in the sense that there isn't really any other way for sporting films to go other than the protagonist faces impossible odds and comes out on top or with the fans sporting him/her.

Preliminary Task (Cut Short)

Movie Treatment/Synopsis

On the night before his biggest fight yet, our London-dwelling boxer, Dylan, faces his toughest challenge so far. 'Fight Night' is a gripping drama where family, friends and an unbreakable will are the only things Dylan can rely on to make it through these hard times.

In the heart of the capital, our protagonist trains as hard as he can to prepare for the fight that could make or break his career. However his hopes are seemingly dashed when he dives head first into something a lot bigger than him. For Dylan, all seems lost. But his immense resolve won't let him go that easy. he sets himself on the road to victory, determined to win his fight. But...is everything what it seems?