Stars and Film Plots

When putting stars into the various plots, I made the decision to put Tom Hanks in Plot Two (The Rectifier). This is because the plot demands a middle- aged American, and Tom Hanks would provide a very well known and popular face to attract an audience to the film. He is known for his action roles, and would have the acting capacity to play a character of the depth described in the plot. The audience would know him to be capable of playing a character like this, and it would attract them to the film.
I also would cast Sean Bean in Plot Seven. He would be a good match for the role, as he is well known to audiences in more than one country, and is known for his varied roles in various action related genres. He is usually cast as experienced fighters because of his rough appearance, and would thus fit into the part quite well, and be believable as a post-apocalyptic survivor.

Research: Continuity analysis

At the start of this short excerpt from Back To The Future, the camera shot is a close-up of the remote control in the Doc's hands, showing that the scene is focused on the use of this gadget.
At 0:11, the picture cuts to a two-shot of the Doc and Marty, with the remote control in the Doc's hands, establishing who is holding and controlling the already seen control. This two-shot, during which Doc tells Marty to use the camera to film the event, shows who is witnessing the scene and what they are doing.
At 0:15, the scene returns to the remote control, a little closer than before, showing the controls being operated. In the background, the car begins to move, operated from the remote control. The focus shifts from the control to the car, and follows the car's movement along the track, making it evident that the control is operating the car.
At 0:21, it returns briefly to the two shot, before cutting back to the car skidding and twisting along the track. The scene returns to the two shot at 0:25, showing the reactions of the characters to the success of the remote controlling.
At 0:28 the scene returns again to one of the main shots of the scene, a close up of the remote control, with the car in the far distance. This cuts to a shot of the car screeching to a halt, slowing to stop close to the camera, in an extreme close up of the wheel.
At 0:32, the two shot shows the characters moving in response to the movements of the car. From 0:33 to 0:39, there is a series of shots of the car skidding backwards, showing that the car is moving rapidly.
This is followed at 0:39 by the Doc and Marty moving across the track, followed by a camera pan to show them taking up position some metres away, with a brief shot long shot of their backs. At 0:45, we are shown the new two-shot, showing the new position of the characters. Marty and the Doc talk, and the Doc tells Marty that he is going to bring the car to 88 miles per hour, followed by a close-up of the remote control at 0:53, showing him activiating the controls, as he said he would. At 0:56, the wheels of the car are shown spinning in response to this action.
The shot then cuts to an extreme close-up of the control, as the Doc increases the power, followed by another shot of the car's wheels spinning, but this time from a different angle, with the car looking more imposing and dramatic.
The extreme close up of the remote control, which has a display of the speed of the car, and is thus the focal point of the scene, is returned to at 1:01. The wheels of the car continue to spin, shown at 1:02, with the camera panning around to a mid shot of the dog in the car. Another close up of the control is shown at 1:06, and the two shot of the main characters is again shown at 1:09, the control still in Doc's hands. The extreme close up of the car speed is shwon at 1:16 and 1:19, as the speed increases towards 88 mph. Then we are shown the Doc flicking a switch, followed by the car moving, showing that the switch that was just activated in the last shot released the brakes. We are then shown a series of shots at differnet angles showing the car moving at high speeds along the tracks, displaying how fast the car is travelling. At 1:23 the shot is of the dog in the front of the car, showing the car juddering at the high speeds it is still travelling at.
At 1:25 we are shown the scene from the dog's point of view, the car zooming along the track at high speeds. At 1:26 we return to the two shot, and the characters' reactions to the car travelling towards them at high speeds. This is followed by a shot of the backs' of the characters, with the car speeding towards them. At 1:28, the display of the speed of the car is again shown, continuing the build up of speed. This is followed by a close up of the dog in the driver's seat, still quite calm. Then a very extreme close up of the speed of the car hitting the all important 88 mph, followed by several shots of what the result of this is, with the dog in the car looking up as lights light up all around it, then a long shot of the car at 1:32 as it begins to time travel, the camera following the car as it continues across the ground. At 1:36, the reactions of the characters to this (shock, wonder) are shown. At 1:37, the car is shown travelling moving into the space, before disappearing as it time travels, quickly cutting to a mid shot of the characters' lower halves, as lines of fire travel throung between their legs. The quick cutting here creates a visual confusion on the eyes meaning that the audience doesn't quite catch what happened when the car time-travelled.
At 1:39, the characters look behind themselves in a long shot at the streaks of fire continue on the same route as the car was going. This is followed at 1:41 by a mid close up of the characters still gazing after the streaks of fire, trying to comprehend what has happened. At 1:48, they turn back as Doc celebrates (in a mid shot) his invention, but the audience sees at 1:52 what Marty sees; the burnt numberplate of the car spinning around before clattering to the ground. The continuity of this action scene involves many quick shots to confuse the eye, particularly at the moment of time travel, but also to get across the speed at whicjh events are happening, and the two character's reactions to these events.

Something About Me:

Well, unaccustomed as I am to talking about myself, being a naturally wonderfully modest person, I'll give it a go. Well, I'm Daniel Thomas Luxton. Always reassuring to know one's name. I didn't do Media for GCSE because... hmmm... call it natural stupidity. My passion for filming and taking pictures of stupid things was fulfilled by the production of a series of Doctor Who fanfilms, entitled "Doctor What." To cut a long story short, they went nowhere. And that's another thing. My favourite genre/ sub-genre is Sci-Fi. One day I will stun the world with my great genius for creating awesome Science Fiction. See, I told you I was modest. Well, apart from that, my life is pretty dull. Maybe I'm just on a different wavelength to everybody else...

That's pretty much the only image of me that doesn't make me look as if I should be in an asylum.