Film analysis - High Crimes

High Crimes is a 2002 American crime thriller directed by Carl Franklin. The main characters are Attorney, Claire Kubik played by Ashley Judd, her husband Tom played by James Caviezel, Morgan Freeman as Charlie Grimes and Adam Scott playing the role of First Lieutenent Terence Embry.

When husband Tom is arrested for murder, Claire Kubik's world is turned upside down. He is also revealed as living under the false name of 'Tom' and it appears that he is escaping the crimes committed under his real name, Ron Chapman.  His wife sets to seek out  the truth and enlists the help of lawyer Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman).  She is very certain with herself that she is doing the right thing and that her husband has been set up. The story takes on a number of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Target Audience
The age rating for the film is 12 as it contains adult themes with the subject matter of murder and slight sexual and violent content. This is due to the fact the director did not want to take anything away from the message in the film being a more serious matter than just having violence. Very early on in the film we realise that the two main characters are a young couple in love, who are trying for a baby. In this scene there is reference to sex. There are a number of courtroom scenes and the film is serious and hard-hitting except for a little humour scattered throughout someone a younger viewer may find upsetting. The film is targeted at fans who like to solve crime thrillers and those who are interested in twist plots. I would say a more mature audience aged 35 to 60 years. However it would be enjoyed by younger viewers who like thrillers but I think a younger viewer would want more action. Fans of Morgan Freeman who does a range of genres and Ashley Judd are both well known actors meaning their fans would probably watch the film. The scenes of violence and scene of sexual content would make the film unsuitable for the younger viewer. The only language used is there to give the audience an idea of the characters personality.  

Camera work and editing
 There are several action shots one of the main ones being the car crash where the camera is mounted on  a motor bike which travels behind the vehicle taking in everything that is happening. This adds to the excitement of the production and makes the audience wonder what is happening. They use establishing shots to show the location of a scene e.g at the beginning of the film to show that they are in a village in the middle of no where. This gives the audience a sense of the place and makes them wonder what is going to happen in this scene. There is a pan of the camera which reveals the dead bodies so that the audience know that people have been killed. As with a lot of thrillers the camera shoots from scene to another scene very quickly. This adds to the tension of the film, for example when the camera shoots from the dead bodies to the credits and then goes to a pan of Toms and Claire's house. There are many close ups of the faces from those who are talking to show facial expression and help the audience understand the characters point of view. At times in the film the camera is placed in a certain position from which we then follow the movement of the character. This is used to give the audience a feeling that there is someone following that character who wishes them harm . This adds a lot to the film making it feel very spooky and makes you feel very uneasy. This adds to the suspense of the film especially when the camera shows their outline. All the camera work is used to not only tell a story but also to add to the suspense and the tension of the film. Within the camera work there is lots of little transitions from one clip to another which adds to the tension and leaves the audience wanting to know more about that bit. The camera shoots from scene to scene very quickly at time a little to fast leaving the audience wanting to know more. This is something film's use to add to the suspense of the film and make the audience want to find out more.

Sound
There is a lot of fast and up pace music especially when the scene is building up to an action scene, this helps to build up the suspense and tension in the audience so that they know, before it happens, that action is coming. In scenes that are more frighting or upsetting the music is much slower this gives the audience an insight to the story and also to make them feel how the characters are feeling. There is sudden bursts of sound that do not last very long. This is to emphasise on what is happening, it also is to get the audience time to take in what's just happened. For example in the scene with the fight in the shed we hear a loud gunshot and then everything goes quiet, we hear nothing. Near the end the sound adds a lot to the film as we come to realise who Tom really is. The sound is very eerie and tense which makes one feel uneasy. It gets tenser as the truth really starts to come out.

Representation of the characters
The characters in this film are represented in very different ways, Tom's character at the start seems a nice gentleman who is deeply in love with this wife, Claire. However as the story continues and he is arrested for murder, the audience start to believe that maybe he is not the guy we first thought. As the story goes on we come more and more convinced that he has been set up for the crimes. However from the point of being found out our perception of him changes into a ruthless killer.

 Towards the end of the film we become aware that Ron is a psychopath who murdered the civilians and some of the witnesses. He is able to not only lie about it but make up a new identity for himself under the name Tom to hide behind the truth just to make himself look innocent towards his wife who really loves him. The fact that at the end he seems to show no emotion when his wife finds out the truth. This is not how I think a normal person would act. The things he put Claire through and how he acts to the whole situation with no sorrow suggests he does not really care about anything or anyone including his wife and just wants to ensure he does not go to jail. The fact he tries to defend himself for murdering the villagers to his wife and even tries to be big headed about it also suggests that he is a psychopath.

Claire is a strong woman who knows what she wants and how she is going to get it. She is deeply in love with her husband and really sure he is the man to raise a family with, however it is not until the end that the audience are quite certain she has made a mistake. She has a bright, full of energy and passionate personality and is not afraid of standing up to anyone who she feels is trying to undermine her. For example when she is speaking to General Marcs and she says 'the question is general, you snob son of a bitch, will you survive me'.
Her love and support for her husband, the fact that she is a lawyer and for her  own personal needs she really needs him to be innocent. In some ways she will go to extreme measures to ensure this. e.g 'We can do this, I will not allow them to do this'. For example she stands up to the judge to get the tape to be counted and she gets quite aggressive about it. However as the end comes into mind and Tom is found out maybe Claire's strong personality blinded her from figuring out the truth that was really very simple.

  Charlie is an ex-alcholic lawyer who has several social problems however he is obviously a kind person who has a wonderful interaction with Claire. He very wants to help her and as such treats her with lots of kindness and respect. It is not until the end when we realise that Charlie really is friendly will Claire and as such really wants to help her.

Misc en scene
The misc en scene is a very important part of the film as it adds a lot to the storyline of the film and without the right lighting, props, costumes being used it would not have the same effect and make the film not hang together well.
The lighting in the film is used to a very good effect of making that scene meaningful and it gives off the mood of the scene. The first scene with the 'happy' couple is very bright and sunny there is light going in though the window and every thing is jolly and nice.  Furthermore  in the next shot in the office it is very bright sunshine. In the working office there is light all around her which relates to her happy life and shows she has a good important job. At the break in it is night time and obviously a little dark but bright enough so you can see all the objects. When they go Christmas shopping it is night but there are Christmas lights up and we know from this and the props that it is near Christmas. When the FBI come there is a lot of flashing lights. In the cell where he is doing the polygraph it is very dark. In court there are no windows and this gives the impression of how trapped they are. When he is released from prison it is very light and all is good. When the camera shoots to a very dark scene and they are talking about who was murdered we know some thing is very wrong.
Props are used well to show the time of year and to help the audience understand the turns in the story. For example we know it is Christmas from the Christmas tree in their house and the lighting and people wearing santa hats.
The film takes on a lot of different setting as it jumps from place to place. The opening scene is set in a middle of no where villiage in Mexico is shows how far the civilians are from others and how helpless they are as a result. All the setting play a big part in the film and add to the way the storyline goes as a way of adding to the tension and suspense in the film. Near the end the sound adds a lot to the film as we come to realise who Tom really is. The sound is very eerie and tense which makes one feel uneasy. It gets tenser as the truth really starts to come out.
The costumes throughout the film are obviously relevant to the location and mise en scene. The start of the film shows the characters dressed in smart casual, everyday wear. We see the couple enjoying a shopping trip together, laden with bags. From their dress the audience is able to identify the social status of the couple e.g. they are wearing nicely cut, good quality clothes that lets the audience know that they are a professional couple who are not short of money. As the story progresses and the past life of Tom is revealed we then see the US military uniform which represents their career, power and authority that the character has. The courtroom scenes include a mix of the military uniforms together with characters in smartly dressed power suits. The costume of the very laid-back Charlie Grimes gives an idea of his character and personality. He wears very casual and untidy clothes and this matches the image that they want to give of him. His costume during the main body of the film fits with the fact that he is a heavy drinker. However, at the end of the film when he is in his office with the newly appointed lawyer, Claire Kubik, he is more smartly dressed and this tells the audience that he is obviously turning over a new leaf and kicking his bad habits. Tom goes from being a very smartly dressed and a professional looking gentleman to looking very vulnerable and unhappy in the 'prison clothes'.  The flashbacks that we see of the murder scene shows people who are very dirtily and shabbily dressed and this tells us that they are very poor and helpless against the attack by the military.

Age range and gender of cast
The age of the characters varies of both men and women of around 28-58 years old. Tom and Claire are quite young and wish to start a family together and as such the director has chosen characters of this age.

Titles 
The opening titles in the film are shown just after the opening clip which shows the dead bodies. The director wishes to draw people in and get them thinking about the storyline within the film. The opening titles are shown once the film has gone to a pan of Tom and Claire's house and continues going until Tom and Claire are talking. At the end of the film the music starts to play and the screen goes black and the ending credits run down the screen this lets the audience know the film has ended and shows everyone involved with the film, starting with the main stars.

The effects of the film with all the camerawork and misc en scene makes for an exciting and tense film which is good at leaving the audience on the edge of their seat.

AOB1.3; Live T.V show The One Show analysis

The One Show is a half hour daily live show which is broadcasted on BBC One every weekday at 7pm. It is presented by two presenters who are Matt Baker on a Monday to Thursday and Chris Evans on a Friday and Alex Jones daily. The show is also known to have guest presenters when one of the other presenters is away. Matt Baker is a former Blue Peter presenter and as such has a lot of experience at hosting a show. Chris Evans is a radio presenter and as such is good at talking and has a huge audience of fans and Alex Jones who has become well known through presenting the show.

The episode being discussed was broadcasted on Friday 28th August in which Alex Jones and Chris Evans were presenting. They are interviewing Karen Gillen (Amy in Doctor Who) and Peter Wright (BBC producer). Everything in the show gives an informal, lively and welcoming feel and this ranges from what they are wearing to how they are talking to the guests and the audience. They are wearing smart casual clothes for example Chris Evans has his shirt open at the collar with no tie. The presenters talk to each other in first name terms almost as if they are friends and feel confident in each others presence and talk to the guests in the same manner. This rubs off on the audience giving the show a laid back, friendly feel and makes you feel relaxed in their presence, almost as if the presenters are sitting in your lounge and talking to you directly like they are one of your friends. They act appropriately as to how the audience might act, for example Chris seems to be 'over the moon' at meeting Karen Gillen as she gets a very excitable introduction. The same way a member of the audience would be if they met her. However when Peter Wright is introduced he gets a less excitably welcome because he is not so well known by the audience.

 The mode of address and the language used correspond well together because they are both quite informal and simple to be understand by all. The show includes both live elements which are filmed in the studio, where they are talking together and interviewing the guests, and short pre-recorded elements consisting of around 5 minutes.



The show is set in a BBC studio with brightly coloured lights and furniture which again gives off a friendly, fun and warm feeling.  The studio has a huge window overlooking the rest of the BBC1 media village studios in London. The natural light from this window and the lights in the studio mean that the studio is very bright and takes away the stuffiness and darkness that the studio would be with out it. The objects/props used in the show are everyday items like a glass coffee table and green sofas which you would find in someone's living room. Some of the props relate to one of the topics being discussed, for example there is a model dalek which reminds people of them and what they look like.





The target audience for this show is pretty much everyone. The age range of the presenters is from late twenties to forty-something. The language used and how they dress is designed to bring the audience closer and make them feel more comfortable. It has an estimate of around 5.1 millions viewers, this number shows just how popular it is.

The episode is presented well throughout and each bit is explained about and keeps relevant to the topic being discussed. The presenters are very good at leading onto the pre-recorded clips and seen to take it in turns to start each element. They will probe each other a little bit in a friendly way into remembering what they are saying this again rubs off the friendliness and the laid back approach of the show. Before they show a pre-recorded clip they would be talking about it and then they would introduce it. For example '

The opening titles on the show has been the same since the first ever show back on the 9th July 2007. Where the opening titles are played, like in the theatre, right at the beginning before the presenters start talking as if a symbol that the show is going to begin it is the shows calling card. When viewers hear the music of the one show there know what it is. For the opening titles to do this they have to be catchy, upbeat and very memorable. The one show titles do this very well making good use of graphics and the colour red which could be used because one it is the colour of bbd one or because it can be put in connection with danger, love and pleasure all thing the show includes to tater to its wide audience.


There are lots of different camera shots that are used in the studio and in the pre-recorded elements of the show. These are wide angle shots which give the viewer a sense of the studio and can see everything going on. Close- up shots when ever one of the presenters is talking to the camera or to show the interviewee facial expression. Over the shoulder shots are used when interviewing the guests. The camera shoots from the studio to the pre-recorded element.


All of the sound apart from the music is diegetic. Because it is live show it would not really be possible and there is no need to add in non-diegetic sound. The soundtrack is the only non-diegetic which is a pre-recorded music which runs along side the title and is what people associate with the one show.

AOB1.3; Recorded T.V Doctor Who analsis S7 Ep1

I am going to analysis the Dr Who Episode 'Asylum of the Daleks'.
                                                                     
Narrative Outline of the Plot
The plot involves the Doctor, Amy and Rory being transported to the Parliament of the Daleks. They lean that the daleks want to be be saved by getting them to deactivate the planet. However within this there are many subplots. One including them being helped from a woman called Oswin, who somehow have hacked into the dalek computer (the doctor knows this is impossible). This is a very funny story. At the end of the episode the doctor finds Oswin as a Dalek. She was converted and dreamt herself as this. Oswin plays her part (which is going to affect the future of the doctor who episodes) by deleting him from the dalek database. The other subplot is that of the long running term Amy/Rory relationship as they come back together. The subplots are all part of the overall plot.

On going or a one off
There are parts of the episode that are involved as a one off thing but the majority of it is on going and stories plots that only long term watchers of the show will fully understand. For example all the stuff about Rory's and Amy's marriage is part of a big story which has been going on since they both started as the Doctors companies and continues until their death in episode 5. The idea of Rory loving Amy more is something that no 'one off' watcher is really going to get. However with it being the first in a series there are things that need will hopefully be explained later on.

The target audience
The majority of Doctor Who fans will like this episode. I would say the stereotypical audience would consist of males aged between about 8-14 years old. Who will not only watch the show but also collect the magazines and the playing cards. It is too complicated and a little inapporiate for it to be watched by someone under 8. I know men and women of all ages who watch and enjoy the show. Therefore I generally think the directors do everything they can to make it appeal to a overall family audience. It includes no swearing and only very mild sexual references. Some smaller people might find the daleks a little scary.

The gerne
Doctor Who is obviously sci-fi with the use of alien mosters and space travel in the TARDIS. However it has got a sight edge of rom-com with Amy and Rory's relationship. It is full of action and suspect that thrill seekers look for . So to say the gerne it would be a sci-fi adventure with a bit of romance and comedy added in just to add to the story.
                                                         
Representation
The main characters in Doctor Who are represented in different ways, The Doctor is that of a very jolly, excitable man who is very clever and knows when he can be silly but also when he needs to be serious.  He tries to make a joke of even the hardest of situations from example  While Amy is represented who is more interested in the Doctor than she is of her husband Rory. Amy is a very strong character who is not scared and seeks for the thrill of adventures with the doctor. "who's scared?". However, Rory is kind and is very caring towards his wife although being a little scared of her. He adds to the comical side of the show and adds to the story line with his on-off relationship with Amy. In this episode he appeals a bit stupid and have a lack of knowledge about the daleks. For example when Rory wakes the daleks and he thinks they are says 'eggs' he is then tries the help them. They are really saying exterminate. This makes Rory look at little stupid and in some way detracts from the situation.                                                

Camerawork
Different effects are made by using various camera angles and shots. For example the panorama view of the hurderns of daleks made the Doctor, Amy and Rory like very infernifacunt. Through the episode the camera is continuous moving though scene to scene zooming in and out of the characters. This create different effects. There are medium angle shot with the shadow of The Doctor adds to the mystery of him being brought closer to use. The camera shots though the daleks scanner though a change of perspective.   The motion of the camera seen to reflect the topic of the scene. If it is an action scene it has a lot of fast paced motion and many different camera angles. This makes it full of tension and adds to the excitement of what's going to happen. However if it is a much calmer scene the camera is stable and cuts off less often.

 Mis en scene
This episode as with so many Dr Who's has a range of different places, situation, props and lighting being used in which the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves in. The setting is very important as it can establish the mood of the characters and add tension to what is going to happen. The episode starts in a space ship with the Doctor in a very dark hell like setting of the destroyed Dalek planet. He is looking very serious and is talking to someone about rescuing her daughter. The doctor knows it is a trick and warns himself away. An orchestral is playing very tense music which tells the audience all is not as it seems. As for the settings and objects being used most of it would be done in a studio with props but for bits special effects had to be used for example the FX of the panorama view of the hudrens of daleks in the space ship (it would be impossible to made that many dalek props).

Titles
The whole title credits is always the same with no footage of the programme it includes the TARDIS traveling though a worm hole as the credit of the main stars appear one after the other. The TARDIS is the only thing that has stayed the same though out and as such is what is recognised as the main thing.

Sound
Within the sounds used it is a mixture of both diegetic and un-diegetic which help to add tension, feeling and emotions of the characters to the audience. The diegetic is sounds that have been added to be shown after it has been recorded. In this episode it includes the sound of footsteps and the doors skewing open/close. Un-diegetic are ever created in a foley studio or from a foley library. However some of it is someone talking. For the dalek voice, a man speaks down a voice modular and then this is added in after.