Frame Analysis of 'The Devil Wears Prada'

I have selected some shots from a sequence near the opening of 'The Devil Wears Prada' which reflect the sort of camera framing, movement and editing I want to include in my own film opening.



The first frame shows all the actors in the frame, the main character has her back turned to the camera whilst talking to the receptionist as she enters and another actor is in the left of the frame. I like this shot and I will use a similar one in my film opening because from this distance I can clearly the big desk which gives makes it obvious it is in an office.

The next shot is a cut away shot It also shows the actor getting out of the car.Straight away I notice her heels this immediately tells the audience that she is powerful as you associate heels with importance. This would be a good shot to use because of this.

This is a medium shot,in the background I can see adverts which would be useful to have in my film because it makes it feel more like an office and is also an efficient way of showing props. Overall this is the most common shot and that's also why I should use it.

The next shot is a close up of a designer handbag. I can see that it stands out, not just because of the close up but because everyone else is wearing black. This is the sort of shot i would want to use in my film opening.

The next shot shows the actor worrying and Andrea is stood behind her. The clothes rail is seen in this frame and I will use this because it makes it more realistic because of the vogue idea we had.

In this frame we see a model walking past, I wold like to use some extras in my film which creates verisimilitude. This gives an impression of a busy job and I should use a similar shot in my opening because it makes it more realistic.

This next frame shows a tracking shot of the boss walking across the street with her handbag.

This frame shows a handbag and it's a good close up because it is designer and it makes the frame more stereotypical.

This frame shows the boss in the lift and because of the close up I can see her expression on her face.

Here the boss is placed in the centre of the frame; this is an unusual shot to be used, however it connotes her power and authority in the narrative. Additionally by comparing her clothing to the wall behind her I can see that she stands out because of the light wall and dark coat.

In this frame the audience can finally see the bosses face, here she looks quite arrogant and I would ask the actor in my film opening to have a similar expression.

This frame shows the boss guiding the actor Emily in the office.

This frame shows the office and it is very modern because I can see the posh chairs, glass table and pictures on the wall. The main colour is white and although it is plain colour is represents cleanliness.

The last frame shows the films title in white and red font it is simple and elegant. The words 'devil' and 'prada' are both in bold font. I can see that the word 'devil' is in red and is associated with the idea the devil and of evil. In my film credits I need to make sure the title matches the genre. However the viewers know It is not a horror film because of the lower case letters which gives a more informal style.

Inspiration to my film opening

I found two film clips devil wears Prada and legally blonde.
In Legally blonde there are many cut aways of make up and clothes and also close ups of her painting her nails on her dressing table in her bedroom.

From the beginning I can tell this is a chick flick because it starts off in a girls bedroom, there is a pink font in the credits and also the music is very catchy and 'girly'.

Top Camera shots and angles used in chick flicks

Here is a list I made of top camera shots and angles used in chick flicks.

 

1.Establishing shot

This is usually a long shot that shows where the setting of the film is taken place and sometimes includes objects and figures to help us recognise the place such as big ben being shown in London.

 

2.Close up shot

These are mainly used to show the emotions of the character to the audience normally sad or happy.

 

3.Medium shot

This is used widely among mostly all films because it works well when the character needs to deliver information and shows some of the background in the frame.

 

4.Shot reverse shot

This shows a relationship between two people when having a conversation.

5.Wide Shot

These are used so that the audience can clearly see the objects and immediate environment around them. This technique should not be overused as it can stop more finer details to be seen.

 

6. Tracking shot

Normally used behind someone or in front to show them walking most films show this by tracking someone walking down a busy street.

7.High angle shot    

   This shot makes the scene more dramatic with this shot the camera looks down on the subject making them look weaker and similar to a close up shot it shows the characters emotions from their actions.

Researching Chick flicks

I watched some more openings of chick flicks the first one I watched was 'confessions of a shopaholic'. Firstly it starts with a birds eye view of pink shoes with soft, upbeat music in the background. After this there is a voice over of the main character talking about her childhood and when she looked into the  shop windows she describes this as a 'A dreamy world full of perfect things'.

This clip is very stereotypical of a girl because of the colour theme, the music and the voice over.

The next clip I looked at was princess diaries it starts with an establishing shot of the city and then another shot inside the girls bedroom. The music then starts and It is catchy so I know i need catchy music with eye catching surroundings to attract the viewers attention.

Here is a link for my prezi on Conventions of chick
http://prezi.com/wfwgqbxsxfgi/conventions-of-chick-flicks-openings/

Planning

After researching two chick-flick openings, I have started to plan my own film opening. When i looked at the film Saturday night fever the train that represents John Travolta's emotional journey. In this scene he is overly confident as he walks to his job .

This gave me the idea of using a train in my film opening. In this case my protagonist is a young woman dressed very smartly on her way to work experience at a very chic office. The audience should believe that she actually works at the office, we see her texting her friend about an important meeting. As she enters the office she passes models in the hallway and she seems very at home in the bosses chair.

It is only when the actual boss comes in and snaps at the girl that we realise she is just on work experience.

We haven't yet decided where the location of the office will be because the office needs to look chic and smart to correctly fit the surroundings. The location is crucial because if it is not right I will loose marks. The background in the set needs to be right as well, so far we are thinking of having a mannequin in the background with someone measuring around it.


I think a good idea would be to include some catchy and cheery music at the beginning to fit the stereotypical chick-flick film.

Task 4 Directors

Directors 

I am going to research film three directors who are famous for their directing in my chosen genre of chick flicks.

1. Gill Junger

(N) of films directed - Eight

Most famous film

His most famous film is 10 things I hate about you. 

Background information

Gil began his career in Hollywood by attending the university of Texas at Austins radio,t.v and film school. He is an avid photographer,golfer and musician.

Why people like his films

His films are popular especially for teenagers and young adults because they include themes of romance and some contain heavy emotion themes as well. The film 10 things I hate about you has a predictable ending and young people enjoy this because for an hour and a half they can get away from the reality of everyday life and watch his films as an escapism.

I have learnt from this that I will need to include themes of romance and a predictable ending in my short chick flick film for it to attract the young viewers attention.


2.  P.J.Hogan
     (N) of films directed - six
     Most famous film
Peter Pan and Confessions of a shopaholic.
Background information
He is said to have a bad time at school and was a victim of bullying at school. In one of his films called mental he uses his past experience of difficult adolescence years in it. I like this because it makes the film more realistic and personal. P.J Logan says 'I didn't have to go far from home because it all happened' and he also said 'my inspiration is my actual life'.
Why people like his films
My favourite film of his is confessions of a shopaholic, I really like it because it has lots of comedy aspects in it as well as themes of relationships and romance. This film may not be classed as a chick flick and classed as a romantic comedy. However a common aspect of a chick flick is a female potagonist and this is played as the main character called 'Rebecca Bloomwood'.


3.Kevin Smith
 (N) of films directed - 12
Most famous film
Jay and silent Bob strike back and Jersey girl.
Background information
He is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, speaker and director he is also a popular comic book writer, comedian and podcaster. His films have aspects of comedy which means that his films are meant for teenagers and young adults.
Why People like his films
My favourite film of his is 'Jersey girl' , this film is based around a family and a single man has to bring up his child as the mother died whilst giving birth. Again this film is not exactly a chick flick but I really like it because he tries to be a good father to his daughter 'Gertie' and overall it is quite a sweet film.

Preliminary Task Evaluation

 My preliminary task was to film someone entering the room and sitting down opposite someone else and exchanging dialogue. To plan the task i used a storyboard that was split up into eight scenes this showed all the different camera shots i needed to include in the text box below each scene.

The equipment I used for this task was; film camera, i movie,tripod and mac. I haven't used any of this equipment before. I found that i movie can be quite difficult/fiddly at times at times but overall it did a good job. I enjoyed using the tripod especially because its easier to pan when someone is walking and makes it more smooth.

I noticed a lot of mistakes myself such as the camera being ahead of the person in front and on I movie a had a tendency to edit too much out. These mistakes were mainly down to never using a tripod before. 

I didn't change any ideas until on the day of filming one of my classmates were away which meant I had to change the story completely. My first plan began with two people sat opposite each other chatting about a party. However I needed to change an actor to a teacher which meant that this time the dialogue was about a pupil not doing enough homework and getting told off for it.

What challenges did I face? 

I mostly found the editing part quite difficult because at one part for example I said 'Go' as an alternative for 'action'. I needed to cut this word out without cutting anything else out. 

What feedback did I recieve?  

I was told that my match on action needs to be more precise because it jumps at the beginning. The camera cut of out one of the actors head by accident. I was told that Chaya, who was one of the actors needed to be more to the left of the frame at the shot reverse shot and also the conversation. In the shot of the conversation I was unable to see the teachers eye level.


At moments in the film the camera was not steady and Chaya moved too quickly, so if I filmed this again I would have told her to slow down. Finally the good points I received were a good shot reverse shot and the continuity right at the end was smooth although this was not the case at the beginning of the film.