Research Task

The lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring

Time of production: the film was produced in 2001.
Production and distribution companies:

New Line Cinemas,

WingNut Films, the Saul Zaentz Company

Establishing of the genre: The genre of this movie is that it is an

adventure/fantasy film this is established by the large opening battle which
involves 3 different races, men elves and orcs the use of these 3 races establish
the genre as a fantasy film as orcs and elves do not exist so it creates the
fantasy film aura of having many different races fighting for power.

Brief Synopsis: In the first 2 minutes of the film there is an introduction

showing the production and distribution companies which are involved in the
making and distribution of the film, the narrative is established by a voice over
which establishes and explains the history of middle earth, it talks about the
rings being created and the distribution of them to Men Elves and Dwarves and
sauron creating the one ring to rule them all which the movie plot is for Frodo to
destroy the ring.

Use of CGI: CGI is used in this movie during the battle as it is used to create
more soldiers in the battle so that it is seen to be a bigger and more intense
battle thus draws the attention of the viewers as the movie they are watching is
starting off with a huge entertaining battle.

This is a screenshot showing the battle taking place in the opening scene and the
use of CGI being used to create the orc and elven soldiers in the background.

Technical Aspects
Mise en scene: There are many uses of mise en scene during the
opening. Props are used in the opening when the rings are being handed
out to the men elves and dwarves with these rings signifying power and
leadership so we can tell that the people receiving these rings have those

qualities and are leaders of their own kingdoms in middle earth. A second
use of mise en scene during this opening is the use of voice/tone e.g.
when Elrond shouts orders to the elves during the battle you can tell that
he is an important character as his powerful voice and stern face under
pressure shows he is very powerful

Sound:

The sound is established by a narrator giving an introduction and

description of what is happening in the battle and how it came about, also there
is music playing softly in the background through the opening which is non
diegetic sound. In the battle which takes place in the opening sound is
established by having diegetic battle sounds being heard such as:

A round of arrows being fired from a bow

The commands to troops from their commanders
Screams and moans due to the intensity of the battle
Swords and shields banging against each other

Editing: a type of editing used in this opening is cross cutting there are 2
significant uses of this during the opening the first being when it shows the
leaders of the men elves and dwarves along with the dark lord Sauron getting
their rings of power for the first time and also it is used during the battle as it
shows different people fighting e.g. Elrond and the elves are fighting and then it
shows is Isildur and his men fighting Sauron.

Camerawork: Some shot types that are used in this

opening are:

Medium long shot- when the men are receiving their rings
Extreme close up- this is used when the ring is on Saurons
finger

This is the use of an extreme close up being used on Saurons

finger
Establishing shot- this is used to show the size of the battle

Locations: all of the locations for this film are In New Zealand with
places such as the Mavora lakes and the Rangipo Desert also filming was
shot in Wellington which is the capital city of New Zealand

Knocked Up
Time of Production: The film was produced in 2001
Production and distribution companies: The production
companies were Universal Pictures and Apatow Productions with universal
also being the main distributor of the movie

Establishing of the genre: The genre is established as a comedy

film in the opening minutes as it has a group of men acting very childish
and doing very immature activities for matured middle aged men e.g.
fighting with swords & wrestling and also partying during the day time
when it would be more respectable for them to be working and earning a
living instead of partying all day.

Brief Synopsis: The film starts with the universal intro and the cuts to
a house where a group of middle aged men are partying during the day
time & are taking part in activities which include various types of fighting,
going on rides at a theme park and partying all day

Use of CGI: During the opening of the film there is not any of use of
CGI that can be recognised.

Technical Aspects
Mise en scene: One aspect of mise en scene that is used is costume
the clothing that the group of men are wearing is very similar as they are
either topless or wearing a t-shirt with swim shorts this represents the
men as slackers as they are in scruffy clothes instead of respectable
working clothes or casual clothes youd wear in public. Another way the
mise en scene represents this group of people as slackers is because of
the location as it is a very low budget apartment which is not suitable for
a man wanting to raise a family, so it shows that the group do not want a

family or are not ready to commit for one yet.

This picture is showing the clothing and location that is used in the mise
en scene.

Editing: A fade is used at the end of the credits to signify the end of
them and for the first scene of the movie to start soon, montage editing is
used during the opening when it shows the group of men fighting as it
switches from the different styles of fighting and different people fighting.

Sound: Non diegetic sounds are used during the opening as it is used
when the music is playing this is non-diegetic as the characters in the
scene cannot hear it whereas the viewers can hear it. Another type of
sound used is ambient sound as it is the sound of the location e.g. hearing
the sound of the rollercoaster in the theme park this is also diegetic as the
characters in the scene can also hear it

Camerawork:

the first shot that is used in the sequence is an establishing

shot which shows the location that the opening will be in and gives us an
understanding of what the people living here are like as it is a very lower class
house. A low angle shot is used to show the man who jumped into the water to
avoid the fight look inferior as he had just backed out

Locations: Most of the locations that of this movie are in California USA
as scenes are shot in Hollywood and the city of Los Angeles also the state
of Nevada is also used during filming as scenes take place in Las Vegas
and scenes are shot in the planet Hollywood resort and casino.

Saw
Time of Production: The film was produced in 2004
Production & Distribution companies: the companies that
produced this movie are Evolution Entertainment, Twisted Picture & Saw
Production Inc. The companies that distributed Saw are Warner Bros &
Lion Gate Films

Establishing of the genre: The genre is established as a

psychological horror due to the props and mise en scene as in the scene
props such as guns are used and also blood is used as well next to a dead
body. Another way it is established as this is due to sounds as you can
hear a man speaking from the other side of the dark room which creates
suspense as to what is happening

Opening 2 minutes: the film starts off with the titles of the
production and distribution companies appearing on the screen. Then the
movie starts off with a man waking up from underwater as he is in a bath
and is chained by his ankle to a pipe outside of the bath he then
desperately cries out for help as he does not understand what is
happening and the asks if anyone is there before a man also in the same
situation tells him briefly about the situation before the lights turn on and

in the centre of the room is a dead body with a gun next to it.

This is the man who we are first introduced in this opening and you can
see that he is chained up against the pipe.

This is the dead man that the two trapped men discover during the opening
sequence.
Use of CGI: No CGI is used in this opening

Technical Aspects

Mise en scene:

Props are used in this opening such as the gun and tape
recorder which show these men and the audience that whatever is recorded on
this is serious and that they should not take the situation they are in lightly. The
location of this opening is also very disgusting and low key so it is off the map so
the people will not be rescued.

Sound: Diegetic sound is used in this piece as the characters can hear the
voices of the characters as they speak as this what the characters are able to
hear themselves this is diegetic sound another use of diegetic sound is when the
men wakes up in the bath and as the sudden movement of him waking up
causes a lot of water to be splashed you can hear that as the water lands on the
floor and walls around him so this is also diegetic sound
A use of non-diegetic sound is when the lights turn on and there is very
suspenseful music being played as the dead body is discovered this is nondiegetic as it has an effect on the audience but the character in the opening
cannot hear it themselves

Camerawork: close ups are used in this sequence such as on the gun and
tape recorder to show that these are key and will explain the brutal death of the
man that has been discovered. Another of a close up is pf the characters face as
he wakes up in the bath.

This is the close up of the man waking up in the bath.

Editing:

the type of editing used is continuity editing as it creates the

storyline in the opening with the events that happen as the man wakes up from
the bath and has no use of cutting during the sequence

Locations:

The location used for filming during this film was the Lacy street
production centre 2630 Lacy street Los Angeles