Sophie barrett

The video begins with the name of the production company 'Skyline' including the production company at the beginning of the video is a positive thing to include, as most movies follow this pattern in their opening credits. Lots of hand-held filming is then used from the opening scene, this creates a chaotic, unusual effect on the audience and leaves a sense of confusion and mystery, the camera blurs in and out of focus also adding to the tension and mystery held in the scene. However, the opening may be seen as un-clear and slightly random the way it was placed in the scene, the audience has little evidence of what is happening and there is a lot of background noise as the scene progresses. you can hear footsteps, which is un-clear whether these are used deliberately or not and you can faintly hear the sound of the camera hitting one of the props. The hand-held filming may be seen as over-used as it is evident that the whole of the video was filmed using this camera technique.

We then have a long shot of two characters walking through a graveyard, it is un-clear why they are there and you can hear the background noise of an airplane in the distance which disappears immediately when the camera cuts to a new angle. Lots of mid-long shots are used showing a lack of variety in the camera shots and angles used. The film isn't continuous and the editing done shows that they forgot to cut to certain places in a way that would enforce continuity and would make the scene seem clearer to the audience. We then have another mid- shot of the characters hugging, we can see one of the characters laughing as she acts out the scene which may be seen as unprofessional and can set a negative tone for the rest of the piece. The credits are arranged in a pattern that is dissimilar to how a film would plan out, the production company come first and/or the distribution company, followed by the director's name e.g. 'a film by...' only then would you include the name of the actors which can come either before or after the main title of the film. The film cuts between shots in a way that is often unclear, the characters seem to jump location which effects the continuity of the piece of coursework. We then have a shot of an ipod, playing the song 'Someone Like You' by Adele, although this song is a cover, the music is very likely to be copyrighted which isn't allowed when posting a public video. The song doesn't necessarily suit the story that the film is trying to portray, the film explores the issues to do with bullying and suicide yet the song 'Someone Like You' is associated with love and break-ups. We can also see the person filming this scene, reflected off the ipod, this has a negative impact on the audience and examiner as it makes the filming seem messy and shows the lack of cohesion while filming. We're then shown a change in location from the character, this is unexplained in the film and leaves a sense of confusion amongst the audience. The progression of movement and changes in location aren't always clear despite the effective uses of angles and shots. The film in itself seems to be telling a story rather than introducing a film and leaving a sense of mystery and build up in tension. The piece of coursework is evidently filmed mainly through hand held filming, to create a visual bridge across each frame, there needs to be a tripod used in different shots as well as structuring a clear plan of how it will be filmed so less mistakes are made. However, the genre is clear throughout the piece and is trying to send a clear message to the audience on the devastating effects bullying and abuse can have. The characters portrayed are very generic to the theme of bullying, the 'bullies' are seen as very ruthless and violent and are smoking cigarettes which holds connotations of issues such as drug abuse and violence. The scene in which the victim is walking away, the transition between the two pieces of film show the mistake made to where the character is positioned. To improve, if they made a mistake, the would have to re-shoot the section of film rather than to add in an extra scene to try and cover up their mistake. The fight scene seems slightly un-realistic, mid-long shots are used throughout the film and this scene is no exception. The actors don't seem to be putting much effort into their character and the punches etc show no sign of diegetic sound and look quite forged. The scene repeatedly cuts between different levels and positions that the character is in, this lacks continuity and evokes a sense of confusion from the audience. A close-up of the character walking is used for dramatic effect, this allows us to focus on the small details of the scene and shows to the examiner a sense of variety in the shots that they used. The closing door is also effective as it brings closure to the end of the video, however if you look closely you can see the image of the camera- person reflected on to the door as it swings shut.