Task 2 Research Into Existing Products- Film Roles according to Codes and Conventions

Within institutional film-making the roles of the production are divided by 6 six main roles. These roles all have individual responsibilities within the process of producing the film. 

The six main roles include:

• Writer 
• Composer
• Camera Person
• Head of Casting
• Producer
• Directior

1) What might the role of the writer be?

The writers role involves taking either a pre-written story, or  a native story idea, and translate it into an "screenplay". Furthermore the role of being the write of a film is much more complex, it is not as straightforward as writing a normal story, for the simple reason that the communication is audio-visual, and not literary e.g. is conveyed through dialogue and acting not through words and sentences in a book. To create a good film the writer will focus upon aspects such as character development, dialogues, visually communicating a emotion, creating believable characters and also engaging plot points/twists. This means the writer’s role in the overall Film-making process is vital to creating a successful film. 

2) What is the responsibility of the composer?

Composers are responsible for writing music for films. They use music in order to guide the audience through the film therefore increasing the emotional impact of the film, and give a sense of atmosphere to the audience. The composer will work alongside Directors, and establish where and when music is required within the film they will then produce a musical style to suit the story, and decide on the purpose of the music. They will also work closely with the Editor through the editing progresses. Therefore the composer is responsible for writing music for films to match the Director’s vision, putting together a team of musicians, orchestrators, copyists and programmers and also overseeing the recording/editing process of the music.

3) What might the role of a camera person be?

The camera operator/person will be closely involved at all times with the setting up of shots. Within films the Director’s usually have very strong ideas on visuals and framing of the shots therefore a camera person will then be involved with the Director on the choice of lenses and the way the camera may move/angles used. The Operator will check that directions and eye lines (lefts and rights) are correct ensuring the extent of the shot is large enough so that extras and background action can be seen. They will also work with the art and props departments with the setting/background. The camera person will fine tune all camera moves, this involves panning and tilting the camera to follow the action.

4) What would be the role of the head of casting?

In pre-production, Casting Directors work with both the director and producer to form a cast for the film. As a result, Casting Directors have in-depth  knowledge of acting talents and actor/actresses. They are responsible for matching the ideal actor to each role, based on factors such as the actor's experience, ability, reputation, availability and appeal. They organise and conduct interviews and auditions for each part, and are also in charge of offering each actor an appropriate fee to appear in the film. The head of casting would have to be highly selective.

5) Who is the producer of a film and what is there role?

Producers have overall control on every aspect of a film's production. They bring together and approve the whole process. Their key role is to create a successful film by working with it throughout. They guide the film from beginning to competition. The many responsibilities of the Producer span all four phases of production. In the Development stage, Producers are often responsible for coming up with the idea for the film, producers then secure the rights to the film.  In pre-production, Producers bring together the key members of the creative team. This includes the Director, Cinematographer and Production Designer and key cast members. Producers also approve locations, studio hire, the final shooting script, production schedule and budget. Once the film is in production, Producers are responsible for the day-to-day smooth operation of the team. Producers approve all script changes and cost reports. They are the first point of contact for all production partners, investors and distributors. 

6) What would be the role of a film director?

Directors are responsible for the creativity of  the film's written script and its transition into actual images and sounds on the screen. They are ultimately responsible for a film's artistic success or failure. They develop a vision for the finished film and work out how to achieve it. During pre-production, Directors make crucial decisions, such as selecting the right cast, crew and locations for the film. They also manage the technical aspects of filming including the camera, sound, lighting, design and special effects departments. During post production, Directors work closely with editors through the many technical processes of editing, to reach the final cut or version of the film.  

Task 2 Research Into Existing Products- Seven Textual Analysis

Textual Analysis of the opening scene of Se7en (1995)


Within the opening scene a sense of modern day Film Noir is created through the pre title/opening credits. This sort of opening is unconventional to typical Thrillers, of which the film first appears to be but through the use of this specific opening the film is given a more Film Noir aspect. The pre title establishes the tone & narrative of what were going to see by foreboding the events of which are going to unfold during the film and also gives us, as the audience, a slight expectation of what the film withholds.


The title "Se7ven" is a representative of both the Seven sins, incorporating the biblical representation also mirrored in the opening scene, as well as being a representative of the time the film consists of e.g. a period of Seven days. By already forming these ideas of a lack of time and a biblical incorporation the opening title then begins to play and create emphasis on this.

The opening scene consists of extreme close up shots of a unknown and mysterious character whom undergoes complex and precise activities, of which appear to be completely unordinary. The emphasis is put onto the characters hands and the attention focused to wait he is creating yet hiding his identity through the predominate use of the extreme close ups. These shots however also appear to be disjointed and frantic.

This conveys the idea of the pressure and intense emotions felt by the character when undergoing the activities. The inconsistent and disjointed shots and sense of pressure and intensity is mirrored through the subtitling during the scene. The subtitling has a sense of corruption as displayed through the constant jumping and the reappearing in various areas of the page. This creates the idea of someone whom is corrupt whom constantly is on the move, reappearing when believed to be safe as well as the idea of this person being hidden. The subtitles are edited to purposely appear backwards to the audience, making it unable to be read. This gives the impression of a storyline of which contains secrecy, a storyline of which is unable to be interpreted, mirroring the subtitles of which are illegible and need to be "worked out" and thought about in order to be understood.

As the scene progresses and shows different shots of the character doing various things the lighting is fluently non existent and merely faint. There is even a lack of any natural light, this is suggestive of the setting being somewhere of which is hidden away from the light e.g. a basement or underground therefore is hidden away from reality, through the suggestion of the setting being hidden we then interpret the undergoing's to be something secretive and criminal. The idea of the undergoing's being criminal is reinforced by the mise-en-scene of the way in which the body language of the hands is portrayed. The character seems to have a steady and precise hand, of which seems almost confident within these particulate and unordinary activities therefore giving the impression of someone whom is highly intelligent criminal as well as complex individual. We see that the character isn't unfamiliar to crime through the way in which he uses a razor blade to shred any evidence of fingerprints from his hands, this suggests that he is actively committing crimes of which he is experienced in due to the fact he has the understanding of preventions of which allow him to not to be caught.

The opening scene also provides emphasis to the biblical metaphor of the film title, the character is shown to be "blacking out" all anti-biblical terms from a piece of texts, words such as "transsexual". This is a resemblance of Christian Extremism, the character clearly demonstrates strong views and a want for change.  

The character is also shown to be cutting the word "God" out of a dollar bill, the idea of money and wealth within a film often has connotations of someone with high status and power, possibly governmental powers. This shows that the strong beliefs the character has e.g. the suggestive belief of God not being associated with money, goes against those of high power.