Harry Potter Billboard

Harry Potter 7 is also being advertised on billboards. The one featured above is very interesting as it shows two of the main characters that are easily recognisable as they have been in the previous 6 Harry Potter films and are on either side of the billboard as they are on different 'sides' in the wizarding world within the film; good vs. evil. The two different characters are shooting spells out of their wands which is obvious to people that have seen the previous films and so suggests that the audience will have needed to see the previous films. The spells coming out of both sides are of different colours to also distinguish between the two sides and they met in the middle where they clash and create a larger space for the title to appear. The audiences eyes follow the two spells into the middle where the title is to confirm what is probably already being registered; the new Harry Potter film. The whole billboard is quite dark and eery, suggesting the film is going to be the same and the only colour present is that from the spells which is where the audiences eyes are immediately drawn before looking at the rest of it. The film title is also written in the iconic style that is instantly recognisable which is why the name Harry Potter is not featured, the initials are enough for people to recognise. It also keeps the amount of writing to a minimal so the audience take in the information they need and are not wasting time reading too much information and getting bored.

harry potter advertising

There are many ways to draw in a mass audience for a new movie. the poster above was just one of the ways in which the makers of Harry Potter captured their audience. 
This poster is for part one of the last ever Harry Potter film and uses the main character in the centre to emphasise how main he really is and so that people will see his face first and instantly recognise the film because it is so well known. This is also why the character has been placed over the majority of the film title because the style in which the title is written and the face of the character are instantly recognisable by people and so the actual name is already in their minds without having to read it off the poster. 
The whole poster is very dark and mysterious to suggest that the film itself is going to be dark and mysterious. the only light is coming from behind the main characters head, which also casts a shadow on the front of his face, adding to the darkness and mystery. 
The character is also holding what looks like a 'snitch', which would only be known to people that have watched the films and are therefore Harry Potter fans. The fact that this is being held in the main characters hand can tell us that it probably features in the film and that the poster is mainly aimed at Harry Potter fans or people that have seen the first six films. This could also tell us that this film is not be watched by anyone who hasn't seen any of the other films as it is a follow on to the others. 
The mysterious side of this poster continues underneath the character hands with the quote, "I open at the close". The colouring of this quote is similar to the 'snitch' in the characters hand, which would suggest that these two things are linked in some way but the audience will have to find out by going and watching the film.

Horror Still

I have chosen to take my horror still as a point of view shot of the victim in the scene. The victim is hiding underneath a bed from the person looking for them and can see this villain walking around the edge of the bed searching for them. 

The edges are slightly blurred and the floor is very close to the victims 'eyes' suggesting that they've already been injured earlier on in the film and their condition is deteriorating causing their eyes to slowly close, creating this effect. 

There is very little lighting in this shot, creating a dark, mysterious mood and also showing it could possibly be night time, which would add to the suspense and scary mood of the scene. There is also a large shadow around the villains feet which makes them look more large and scary than they might have looked without it and makes the victim under the bed feel more intimidated because the shadow also makes it look like the villain is coming closer towards the floor, especially as their feet are placed facing outwards which people do when they are beginning to crouch down, and closer to seeing the victim laying under the bed. 

The mise-en-scene I chose very carefully and decided to not change anything around in the room and leave it looking normal, with hair products and wash basket in the background to show that it is a ordinary, real-life setting and so makes the audience look at it and feel more scared because they think it could happen in their own home. 

For the costume as well, i chose to keep the trainers normal and everyday to make the villain seem like an ordinary person that could pass you on the street to also make the audience feel more scared as they start to believe it could happen in their own life. 

the only trouble I had with taking this picture was the fact that i couldn't fit under the bed, but the zoom on the camera allowed me to reach under the bed and still achieve the shot I intended on taking. 

Crane Shot

This is the famous crane shot from the opening sequence of 'Touch of Evil'. The crane allows the camera to follow and track characters and also to higher and lower to allow the scene to feature different angles and make it more interesting.

Over the Shoulder Shot

tracking shot

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Sherlock Holmes film review

Directed by Guy Ritchie and released 26th December 2009, Sherlock Holmes is a film about a detective and his partner, Watson, on a trail to uncovering a plot that is a danger to the whole of England. It was filmed in London, Manchester, Liverpool and different film studios. Despite competition from other films out at the same time such as Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel it still managed to bring in $523,029,864 as a total in box office figures.

The use of camera work and editing made this film more enjoyable, i think, as it helped add more of a thrill to fight scenes and  kept the audience interested and not bored. I also enjoyed how the film was set in olden day London and showed what London looked like in those times. This made the film more unique instead of being set in modern times, as most films are. The lighting however, made it less enjoyable as it was dark and sometimes i couldn't quite make out what was happening, although the film is not meant to be bright and cheerful and so this lighting is suited very well to the overall style of the film.

I think people my age and older than me will enjoy this film more than younger people as it s quite hard to follow and needs a lot of concentration from the audience. The ending in particular, i found good as it appears to lead onto a sequel which i would want to see if this were the case.
Overall i enjoyed this film and would definitely see it again and recommend to friends and family. The voice over and whole mysterious tone of the film made it more thrilling and intriguing to watch and kept me, as an audience interested for the whole film and wanting to see more. There were some parts i found quite boring, such as the parts in between more thrilling scenes, where not much was happening, but the film as a whole was very enjoyable and well worth the watch.

Self Introduction

My name is Holly Oxley, I go to West Hatch High School and am currently studying for my AS levels; Media, Psychology, English Language and  Philosophy. Throughout this blog I will posting work in my lessons and what I have learnt and also the progress and initial ideas and development for my coursework. I hope to continue studying media and feel that this work is a good starting block for my future.

Thanks, enjoy my blog!

P.s. I'm not the boy :)