Textual analysis of my prelim task

In this blog post I will be writing a textual analysis about my prelim task- 'A Day in the Life of a Drama Teacher' especially looking at camerawork, editing, sound and mise en scene that I used throughout the short film. Having a textual analysis allows me to look back and realise the different skills I used and how I can improve them for my own final task of a 5 minute film. In addition I can see what I need to do more of as I will have to look at what I did in a minute and how to change it to 5 minutes. I will be doing the textual analysis in a chronological order as I will therefore be able to talk about each scene.

Camerawork

• Whilst Mrs Glynn is walking to the school there is a LONG SHOT this allows the audience to understand who the main character is and who the film is going to be about.

• After she has walked to the main door there is a MID SHOT when trying to get into the building it adds a bit more of a personal feel as she is coming closer to the camera as she is being introduced. As it doesn't work she tries again so the mid shot shows more of how she is clumsy which is stereotypical for a drama teacher.

• Once she has finally come into the building there is a CLOSE UP on her face, this allows the audience to see how the drama teacher is very dramatic about situations as you can see her facial expression where she is brushing of the situation, just like a stereotypical drama teacher would do.

• After she walks in she has to sign her name so there is another CLOSE UP to show how she is not putting her actual name and wants to aspirer to be a famous actress.

• There is then a WIDE SHOT as she is walking into the block to show more of the school surroundings.

• Whilst she is walking down the corridor we decided to TRACK her as she is very chilled and therefore makes her look as though she is a relaxed and unnerving drama teacher.

• When she is in her dressing room pulling facial expressions we used an OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT so you can see her reflection in the mirror which allowed us to see that there was nobody else in the room.

• There was a ZOOM IN whilst she is doing her facial exercises so we can see more of her in the mirror

• When Shakespeare is on the screen there is an extreme close-up to show how she genrally loves him and wants to be close to him.

• There is another OVER THE SHOULDER shot when she is reading Macbeth we added a puppet of Shakespeare just so the audience knows the love of Shakespeare.

• We tried to add a POINT OF VIEW SHOT to make it look professional and to add to the emotions that she has towards him and his work.

• A MID SHOT is used when she is saying her thank you's at the end of the short film, this is the same as how professional actresses say this and shows how she wants to be a famous actress one day.

• At the end we wanted to use a very different shot to make it look interesting so we used a HIGH ANGLE SHOT to show her at the top of the stairs and her hat falling.

Editing

• At the start I wanted to put something to show that it was about a drama teacher therefore we looked on the macs and found a red curtain that it stereotypically for the theatre and especially a drama teacher, it is good as well as it opens up the short film.

• We decided to make it easier to follow we would put text in-between the different scenes so the audience are not confused and to tell them what is coming up. The text at the start has an effect on it to make it quirky and unique just like a Drama teacher.

• There is an IRIS when she signs the book to show its importance, it allows the audience to make sure that they are focusing on the correct thing.

• We wanted to make sure that we used a MATCH ON ACTION so we decided to put one in when she is coming through the door and along the corridor it makes the edit look smooth if done correct and it worked well when we did it.

• We used FAST MOTION to make it more interesting and shows how she is excited to go to her studio and mess around. The fast paced nature of this allows her to look eager.

• There is a EYELINE MATCH when she looks at the door and then the shot of the key hole to show how she is waiting to go in. The keys as well show how her studio is her prize possession as it is looked therefore it a forbidden place to go if you don't have the keys.

• There is a HORIZONTAL SWPIE to add some dimension to the film it allows the audience to be introduced to the new scene instead of just cutting to the new scene.

• We edited the sound over Shakepeares face to show her love of him and makes it more engaging to watch.

• REGULAR CUTS were used to make it easier to follow and smoother to watch it also allows the audience to see her everyday life as a teacher.

• JUMP CUTS are used when she is changing from different costumes as it shows how she is spending a lot of time to make her own games and how she is wacky and crazy.

• At the end we added some CREDITS like a star wars effect to make it easy for the audience to see and also makes it more effective because the credits go slow so they are able to still watch what is going on behind them.

Sound

• At the beginning of the short film we decided to use thrift shop, the only reason that we choose this was because we couldn't get any of our own music. However it did work as there were instrumental parts that went well with what was going on. It was also very upbeat and worked well with our character.

• At the end we used the Macarena as it was fun and related well to a drama teacher.

• We decided to use some voice overs / sound bridge just to add more of an effect when she is talking about Shakespeare it was good to use and also added some dimension to the short film.

• we wanted some DIALOGUE in it as it was about her and we couldn't keep it as a silent movie.

• The only problem is that the short film that I have uploaded to my blog has not got any sound which I will have to resolve as when I showed it to the class it worked fine, hopefully I will be able to re upload it with the sound working. 

Mise en scene

• We wanted to film her in her own clothes as that is what she already wears however wanted to add some accessories to make sure it showed how she is crazy

• The fur hat adds to her character as she is very bubbly and the large hat is the same as her large personalities.

• The trolley was originally hers and we thought that we would use it as it would make her look crazy like we wanted her too. The different colours on the trolley stand out just like her.

• When we filmed her in the studio we were allowed to look in the prop cupboard that is where we found the different costumes that she had on. She decided to choose them herself and improvise to make it more funny and show off her personality.

• We decided to use the ordinary lighting around school as it was easier to film and we didn't have to fiddle with carrying anything around the school. However when we went into the studio we asked about the lights and the end shots during the unseen clips did have some lighting from the studio to make it just a little more professional.