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Sunday, 28 November 2010

Research into Examples of Comparable Media Products Cont.

Research into examples of comparable products
Unbreakable


Narrative Structure
On a black screen, white text is faded into the screen, the sentences read "There are 35 pages and 124 illustrations in the average comic book.". The next sentence says "A single issue ranges in price from $1.00 to $140,000.". The next says "172,000 comics are sold in the U.S. every day.". The next "Over 62,780,000 each year." and the next "The average comic collector owns 3,312 and will spend approximately 1 year of his or her life reading them.". A baby crying starts to gradually get louder, the screen fades from black to a back room in a department store in Philadelphia, 1961. A woman has given birth and a doctor has come to check the baby's health. The crying doesn't seem to cease at all, so the mother asks if he should be excessively crying, the doctor wants to know if the baby was dropped after being born, with he answer being a definite 'no', the doctor says that the baby has 2 broken arms and 2 broken legs. Then we see a bald man on a train journey who is then joined by a young woman, he takes his wedding/engagement ring off, she then attempts to sleep.


Thriller codes and conventions
As it is known to the audience that a woman has given birth in the back of a department store, the audience immediately ponder, why is she giving birth there?
Camera Work
The camera movements in the film are done in a stealthy and bumpy way, as though we are in the film and peeking in so we feel apart of the narrative, rather than just watching from the side.


Mise-En-Scene
Facts regarding comic books are shown on screen. These facts could foreshadow some of the effects which may take place within the film. Then a crying baby is slowly getting louder and louder, the shot fades into a department store in 1961, 2 women, 2 policemen and a doctor rush in to the mother and the crying baby. At first glance we can tell the setting is old, automatically this tells the audience to apply certain standards that existed back then, in order for the story to flow realistically. It looks as if the woman has recently given birth in the back of a department store. The baby is persistently crying and it is unknown as to what is causing this. The baby is handed to the doctor who is sceptic as to what has happened to the baby. He concludes that the baby has 4 broken limbs. The positioning of this room is quite interesting, there is a mirror right behind the mother, allowing the camera to see the reactions of the mother aswell as the doctor and other characters. The shot then fades to black on the crying mother. The next shot is of a bald man on a train looking bored. The atmosphere is different to the last shot, it's alot more calmer and quieter. A little girl in the seat in front is doing a hand stand on the seat, creating a comedic slant. The bald guy signifies his tiredness by rubbing his eyes, he is wearing a black suit which looks pretty average. Then a young woman comes along and asks if he's alone, he replies 'No' and she puts her luggage away, as she does this her 'toned' stomach is shown from under her t shirt,  the guy then takes off his wedding/engagement ring discreetly, hoping that she hasn't noticed. She then sits down and goes to sleep, much to his anticipation.


Sound
In the beginning there a baby crying which gradually gets louder, this crying doesn't stop throughout the entire first scene. Other sounds include the ongoing sound of a train which mirrors the sound of the baby crying, both sounds could become irritating over time.


Editing
The editing is quite basic, most used edits are cut offs and fades.
Graphics
The graphics in this film are basic and white, nothing fancy, they are appropriate to the film.

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