Possible establishing shot of the next scene in the opening.
By Ollie Newson
Monday, 31 January 2011
Research
We have chosen Balcombe Viaduct as a possible location for our thriller opening.
Possible establishing shot of the next scene in the opening.
By Ollie Newson
Possible establishing shot of the next scene in the opening.
By Ollie Newson
Pre-Production Planning
Synopsis - Ollie
Script - Rasmus
Location - Group Effort
Props - Alea
Health & Safety - Group Effort
Lighting - Group Effort
Script - Rasmus
Location - Group Effort
Props - Alea
Health & Safety - Group Effort
Lighting - Group Effort
Ollie Newson - Thriller openings
1. The disappearance of Alice Creed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP5OIlLJrGQ
Camera work and MES
There was a lot of camerawork present to create the very good effect that the opening to this thriller did. One of these things was lots of close up shots. These were used effectively so that we could see their facial expressions very well and we can see that they are quite nervous but confident at the same time. Furthermore, the many close ups used are so that the audience does not get the full picture, and so that it is open to interpretation. More over, slit framing was put to good use when one of the men is removing the numberplate from the van, and do this really adds to the mysterious tone of the opening. There was also a lot of good aspects of mise en scene used in this piece to create the effect it did. Everything, especially the room, has very dark lighting, and so this makes the audience think think that the characters are up to no good, and gives out a negative mood. This point is further strengthened when they are replacing nice things in the room with nothing or worse things.
Editing and sound
The editing in this piece uses very fast paced cuts that really make the audience think that something crucial is going to happen and the soundtrack really helps match this because the music is very fast and tension building. Also, the the is a lot of diegetic sound used to things like drills and the squeak of a wheel to add emphasis and build up tension.
2. Jaws.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPEHygqoKZU
Camerawork and MES
In the camerawork area, medium shots were used very often which is good because it is important for the audience to see what is going on in the scene. Furthermore, low angle POV shots were used to display the perspective of the shark which really adds to the realism of the opening. Mise en scene was used very well to document the opening scene to the film. Firstly, the scene took place in the sea which is very important because that is where the rest of the film took place. Secondly, the lighting was very dark, which created an effect of eeriness, and portrays the rest of the film very well.
Editing and sound
Standard wipes were used to document the fast paced action of this film well. The sound matches the editing well because it is very dramatic and builds up to a fast paced action level to match the editing.
3. Phone booth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSiNSg-oK3k
Camerawork and MES
In the camerawork side of things, there is lots of fast paced panning backwards and forwards used because it is essential because it matches the mood and sound of the film which is fast and tension building. Mise en scene involved is lots of long telephone wires which is important because they are very relevant to the film. Furthermore, Drawings of big city buildings fly onto view which is good because the film took place in a city.
Editing and sound
Editing is used to make the names of actors and actresses in the film glide into view and there is diegetic sound used when this happens to create the fast paced and tension filled mood of the film. Furthermore, dramatic parallel music is included to accurately match the feel of the film.
4. Disturbia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUFrToykKYo&feature=related
Camerawork and MES
The camerawork in this uses lots of close ups and medium shots at eye level angle to show the emotions on the characters faces and their body language very well. There are lots of interesting aspects of mise en scene used too. To start, the scene is in a house which is important because the movie was mostly shot in the same place. Also, binoculars were shown which is essential to notice because they were used many times in the movie which is important because it gives the audience a clue as to what goes on in the movie.
Editing and sound
Slow transitions were used between many of the shots which is good because it builds up the tension in the movie before it really starts. The only sound in the opening is music which is parallel to the opening and so it flows very well and builds up a sense of mystery in the piece and there is no diegetic sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP5OIlLJrGQ
Camera work and MES
There was a lot of camerawork present to create the very good effect that the opening to this thriller did. One of these things was lots of close up shots. These were used effectively so that we could see their facial expressions very well and we can see that they are quite nervous but confident at the same time. Furthermore, the many close ups used are so that the audience does not get the full picture, and so that it is open to interpretation. More over, slit framing was put to good use when one of the men is removing the numberplate from the van, and do this really adds to the mysterious tone of the opening. There was also a lot of good aspects of mise en scene used in this piece to create the effect it did. Everything, especially the room, has very dark lighting, and so this makes the audience think think that the characters are up to no good, and gives out a negative mood. This point is further strengthened when they are replacing nice things in the room with nothing or worse things.
Editing and sound
The editing in this piece uses very fast paced cuts that really make the audience think that something crucial is going to happen and the soundtrack really helps match this because the music is very fast and tension building. Also, the the is a lot of diegetic sound used to things like drills and the squeak of a wheel to add emphasis and build up tension.
2. Jaws.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPEHygqoKZU
Camerawork and MES
In the camerawork area, medium shots were used very often which is good because it is important for the audience to see what is going on in the scene. Furthermore, low angle POV shots were used to display the perspective of the shark which really adds to the realism of the opening. Mise en scene was used very well to document the opening scene to the film. Firstly, the scene took place in the sea which is very important because that is where the rest of the film took place. Secondly, the lighting was very dark, which created an effect of eeriness, and portrays the rest of the film very well.
Editing and sound
Standard wipes were used to document the fast paced action of this film well. The sound matches the editing well because it is very dramatic and builds up to a fast paced action level to match the editing.
3. Phone booth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSiNSg-oK3k
Camerawork and MES
In the camerawork side of things, there is lots of fast paced panning backwards and forwards used because it is essential because it matches the mood and sound of the film which is fast and tension building. Mise en scene involved is lots of long telephone wires which is important because they are very relevant to the film. Furthermore, Drawings of big city buildings fly onto view which is good because the film took place in a city.
Editing and sound
Editing is used to make the names of actors and actresses in the film glide into view and there is diegetic sound used when this happens to create the fast paced and tension filled mood of the film. Furthermore, dramatic parallel music is included to accurately match the feel of the film.
4. Disturbia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUFrToykKYo&feature=related
Camerawork and MES
The camerawork in this uses lots of close ups and medium shots at eye level angle to show the emotions on the characters faces and their body language very well. There are lots of interesting aspects of mise en scene used too. To start, the scene is in a house which is important because the movie was mostly shot in the same place. Also, binoculars were shown which is essential to notice because they were used many times in the movie which is important because it gives the audience a clue as to what goes on in the movie.
Editing and sound
Slow transitions were used between many of the shots which is good because it builds up the tension in the movie before it really starts. The only sound in the opening is music which is parallel to the opening and so it flows very well and builds up a sense of mystery in the piece and there is no diegetic sound.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Preliminary Evaluation - Ollie Newson
Mise en Scene
Overall, i think our aspects of mise en scene throughout the piece where quite effective, our 'runner' was wearing a black jacket with the hood up and with big black sunglasses, i think this was a good idea because it gave the audience a feeling of mystery and that the character was up to no good. Furthermore, i think the room we used to shoot the dialogue scene was good, because it had a sort of eery and mysterious effect from it, because it was so old and small.
Camerawork
Alea chose a lot of the shots and angles used throughout the scene, and i think she chose very well. When the 'runner' walked into the room, a low angle medium shot was used, which i think really captured the characters dominance and confidence as he entered the room. Moreover, an over the shoulder shot over the character sitting against the window was used very well to capture the 'runners' reaction and him throwing the disk to the other character.
Casting
All of us featured as characters in the film which was very efficient, because it meant that we did not have to find other people to be in it, so it saved ourselves a lot of time. Rasmus played as the character we called in the script 'other', which he sat in the room and and waited for the 'runner' where he would seize the disk of him. Rasmus played this role very well because he kept a very good feeling of mystery about him, which was very effective. Alea played as a sort of evil guard for the character 'other' and she did this very well because she had lots of very interesting masks and fake weapons and so she filled this role perfectly. I played as the 'runner' which i think i did a good job of, as i had the right costume for it, and my acting was reasonably good.
Overall Evaluation
Overall, i think our short film worked out very well, because we achieved everything we wanted to do, and in the required time. Things that i thought went particularly well, were our editing skills to create the slow motion effect at the start of the piece. In addition to this, i think the continuity editing went very well, and it gave the audience a very clear perspective of what was going on, and did not confuse them in any way. However, there were some things that i think could have gone better. One of these things was the white balance, which kept changing itself without us realising, so in some parts of the film it was a bit off. Also in the 'runner' and the 'other's conversation, it looked like we broke the 180 degree rule, but we didn't because we were panning the camera, but i think next time we should try and make it a bit more clear and steer very far from braking it, so to not confuse the audience.
Overall, i think our aspects of mise en scene throughout the piece where quite effective, our 'runner' was wearing a black jacket with the hood up and with big black sunglasses, i think this was a good idea because it gave the audience a feeling of mystery and that the character was up to no good. Furthermore, i think the room we used to shoot the dialogue scene was good, because it had a sort of eery and mysterious effect from it, because it was so old and small.
Camerawork
Alea chose a lot of the shots and angles used throughout the scene, and i think she chose very well. When the 'runner' walked into the room, a low angle medium shot was used, which i think really captured the characters dominance and confidence as he entered the room. Moreover, an over the shoulder shot over the character sitting against the window was used very well to capture the 'runners' reaction and him throwing the disk to the other character.
Casting
All of us featured as characters in the film which was very efficient, because it meant that we did not have to find other people to be in it, so it saved ourselves a lot of time. Rasmus played as the character we called in the script 'other', which he sat in the room and and waited for the 'runner' where he would seize the disk of him. Rasmus played this role very well because he kept a very good feeling of mystery about him, which was very effective. Alea played as a sort of evil guard for the character 'other' and she did this very well because she had lots of very interesting masks and fake weapons and so she filled this role perfectly. I played as the 'runner' which i think i did a good job of, as i had the right costume for it, and my acting was reasonably good.
Overall Evaluation
Overall, i think our short film worked out very well, because we achieved everything we wanted to do, and in the required time. Things that i thought went particularly well, were our editing skills to create the slow motion effect at the start of the piece. In addition to this, i think the continuity editing went very well, and it gave the audience a very clear perspective of what was going on, and did not confuse them in any way. However, there were some things that i think could have gone better. One of these things was the white balance, which kept changing itself without us realising, so in some parts of the film it was a bit off. Also in the 'runner' and the 'other's conversation, it looked like we broke the 180 degree rule, but we didn't because we were panning the camera, but i think next time we should try and make it a bit more clear and steer very far from braking it, so to not confuse the audience.
Match on action
We used the aspect of continuity editing called 'match on action' in our short film. It is a shot that shows a character moving and then the characters movements concluded in the next shot. We used this effectively when the character 'Mr Anderson' enters the room. We can see this from this screen shot:
Ollie Newson.
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Preliminary Evaluation - Alea Holland
Directing
My area during the preliminary was directing and was mainly in charge of setting up the shots with the required elements of the 108 degree rule, shot/reverse shot and match in action and character blocking along with planning them using the storyboards which i was also chosen to do. During the course of filming this role was actually spread out in the group with everyone putting forward ideas of how we could couls shoot it which allowed elements of everyones ideas to be used in the film.
Locations
Rasmus was chosen as the location scout during this exercise to find suitable ares around the college that wouldnt be disturbed during filming and would fit well with the style of our story. The locations that were decided apon worked quite well as it fitted the style, allowed for experimenting with certain ways of filming and for the main dialouge scene we didnt have to avoid other students. However some complications did arise with the locations effecting the white balance on the camera causing us some problems and using certain locations caused comunication problems when filming with the camera looking at the character outside through a window so some shots were time consuming. Also we did not account for the noise level of other students in the college that can be easily heard in the film but could not be removed due to having diolouge in the scene.
Casting and use of Mise en Scene
As a group we had deliberated on getting other people to act in our pice but due to the time in which we had to film it we thought it would be best if we acted in it ourselves to complicate things less. It also meant we didnt have to rely on other people to turn up for the filming and could organise ourselves easily. Each member of the group had the responsibility for bringing thier own costumes for the characters each time we filmed to keep continuity the same and also add some realism to the characters. With my character of a bodyguard being dressed in black clothing, which is a traditional of villains, witha black coat as well as sunglasses and a skull mask to hide my characters identity and give an aspect of mystery and menace. Ollie was given the responsibility for sourcing the props and deciding what we needed to use however i managed to find some props that we could could put to good use and also add a small element of comic relief in our film. In addition we did expreiment with using lighting in the dialouge scene but due to the light levels already in the room it made very little difference on the camera so inseted used the natural light which turned out to work quite well in the final product.
Editing
In editing all the group were present and got a say in how it should be editied together with ideas such as putting the opening running shots in black and white black and white with people throwing in some ideas to try to add to the scene a bit more which all worked well in the end.
Altogether i think that the preliminary went rather well with all the group working together with the filming and editing and we tried to expreiment with differnt camera techniques that bent the 108 degree rule and allowed us to use different angles. However there were some problems with the production that could have been improved suh as the white balance and other aspects, some which were out of are contorl, but altogether i think it worked quite well.
My area during the preliminary was directing and was mainly in charge of setting up the shots with the required elements of the 108 degree rule, shot/reverse shot and match in action and character blocking along with planning them using the storyboards which i was also chosen to do. During the course of filming this role was actually spread out in the group with everyone putting forward ideas of how we could couls shoot it which allowed elements of everyones ideas to be used in the film.
Locations
Rasmus was chosen as the location scout during this exercise to find suitable ares around the college that wouldnt be disturbed during filming and would fit well with the style of our story. The locations that were decided apon worked quite well as it fitted the style, allowed for experimenting with certain ways of filming and for the main dialouge scene we didnt have to avoid other students. However some complications did arise with the locations effecting the white balance on the camera causing us some problems and using certain locations caused comunication problems when filming with the camera looking at the character outside through a window so some shots were time consuming. Also we did not account for the noise level of other students in the college that can be easily heard in the film but could not be removed due to having diolouge in the scene.
Casting and use of Mise en Scene
As a group we had deliberated on getting other people to act in our pice but due to the time in which we had to film it we thought it would be best if we acted in it ourselves to complicate things less. It also meant we didnt have to rely on other people to turn up for the filming and could organise ourselves easily. Each member of the group had the responsibility for bringing thier own costumes for the characters each time we filmed to keep continuity the same and also add some realism to the characters. With my character of a bodyguard being dressed in black clothing, which is a traditional of villains, witha black coat as well as sunglasses and a skull mask to hide my characters identity and give an aspect of mystery and menace. Ollie was given the responsibility for sourcing the props and deciding what we needed to use however i managed to find some props that we could could put to good use and also add a small element of comic relief in our film. In addition we did expreiment with using lighting in the dialouge scene but due to the light levels already in the room it made very little difference on the camera so inseted used the natural light which turned out to work quite well in the final product.
Editing
In editing all the group were present and got a say in how it should be editied together with ideas such as putting the opening running shots in black and white black and white with people throwing in some ideas to try to add to the scene a bit more which all worked well in the end.
Altogether i think that the preliminary went rather well with all the group working together with the filming and editing and we tried to expreiment with differnt camera techniques that bent the 108 degree rule and allowed us to use different angles. However there were some problems with the production that could have been improved suh as the white balance and other aspects, some which were out of are contorl, but altogether i think it worked quite well.
Friday, 28 January 2011
Thriller opening research - Alea Holland
44 inch chest - http://www.ugo.com/movies/the-first-5-minutes-of-44-inch-chest
Camera work and Mes
The introduction to “44 Inch Chest” immediately sets mood with props being used from the very first shot creating enigma in the scene as close ups of the smashed props don’t allow the audience to see the whole setting and just slowly reveals different sections of the scene so most of the visual information on the scene is hidden which would provoke the audience to ask questions and piece together what has happened for themselves. The use of the still close ups use foregrounding to place the objects of interest immediately in the viewers focus with shallow depth of field used when focusing on a particular object in the frame and a large depth of field when the focus is on larger or multiple objects in the shot. The lack of movement with the camera gives the impression that the shots are still images which could be interpreted as last snapshots of someone’s life as with the setting the audience would expect there to have been a murder as is conventional of such films. This is followed by a tracking long shot which moves from the right of the room to the left. It starts with block framing as the camera moves past a piece of furniture creating a slow reveal of the entirety of the setting and full devastation in the scene as well as what appears to be a dead body on the floor further reinforcing the idea that there has been a murder. This tracking shot could also give a sense of a point of view as the audience would feel like they are walking into the room to discover what has happened.
As previously mentioned the camera work used in conjunction with the props as well as the setting which is a smashed up interior of an apartment containing household objects like televisions and sofas to make it believable with low lighting being used, which is often seen in thrillers, with the main light sources coming from the knocked over lamps in the room which also adds to the realism of the destruction in the scene. The main effect of the camera work used here is to created restricted narration as the close up shots create a puzzle for the audeince as they know very little about what has happened in the scene.
Editing and Sound
The editing used in this scene also reflects the mood with slow transitions between shots with simple straight cuts that appear to match the beat of the music used which is contrapuntal as is it romantic and slow paced which does not fit in with the chaos of the scene, however, can be seen as fitting as it can reflect the broken mood of the scene. Also with this scene being the introduction to the film the audience could think that this could be a manipulation of time as they would assume they are not seeing the beginning of the plot so the story has been re-ordered. There are no diegetic sounds to be heard in this making the scene more solemn and lonely as the audience just have the mostly still shots and soundtrack to try and create atmosphere.
This works well as a thriller opening as it grabs the audiences attention and makes them try to find clues in the scene as well as presenting possible themes of revenge, betrayal and crime from what the audience can see along with a type of character with a victim that is surrounded by the chaos.
The Dark Knight - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYBEquZ_j0
Camera Work
The introduction to “The Dark Knight” immediately sets the story in an urban environment, which is a usual setting for a thriller, with an establishing shot of a skyline before tracking in to a side of a building where after the audience is introduced to the characters who are the antagonists as in the scene the audience sees them robbing a bank which would also set the theme of this film being a crime thriller. The main camera angles and sizes are eye level long shots and mid close ups of the antagonists allowing the audience to see them in relation to the environment and their body movement as with the use of clown face masks as part of the costumes body language would have to interpret more of the emotions in the dialogue.
MES
The main setting featured is the interior of the bank which has appropriate set pieces to make it believable like the vault and the cashiers with high key lighting to resemble the daylight and make the scene more realistic. Props are also used effectively to show the organisation of the group with the different technologies and weapons used effectively to get the job done. With the inclusion of dialogue in this scene as well as wide angle shots not much of the story is hidden from the audience and the only thing left to the audience to figure out is the identities of the antagonists as the costumes keep their faces covered at all times with the inclusion of the clown face masks.
Sound
The sounds used in this scene contrasts to the one in “44 Inch Chest” with the music being parallel sound and less dominant in the scene with much of the focus being on the action with the sound effects that stand out more adding to the realism and beliveablility of the scene.
Editing
Continuity editing is used in this scene with shots being edited in chronological order with straight cut to transition between shots for most of the scene and towards the end jump cuts are used to just show the important points in the story for example when one of the robbers is filling the bags up with money in the vault a jump cut is used to go to the next shot in the main lobby area of the bank with all the bags filled.
This works as a thriller opening as the themes relate to violence and crime thriller with the antagonists clearly being human. The story also jumps straight into the confrontation and skips the set up by immediately putting the viewer in the action with props used to show motive of the characters and the interior settings to reflect
the sinister action create realism.
Se7en - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY&feature=player_embedded
Editing
In the opening of “Se7en” editing is a dominant feature as it uses a great amount of discontinuity editing techniques. Jump cuts are used as transitions between the characters actions as well as slight manipulation of time with frames overlapping, shots being reversed for a small amount of time and other frames flash up in the sequence which distorts the image and therefore confuses the viewer and create an unsettling and tense atmosphere.
Camera
Camera angles used also add to this as during the scene the only part of the character that is visible is his hands so restricts the audiences view so is restricted narration. The close ups in the camera work allow for focus on the objects that the character is handling with most having a large depth of field which enables the audience to see the details in the props and help them try to piece together what the story is about.
MES
The props that are clearly shown and are the most dominant in the scene are paperwork and pictures of dead bodies people making it appear to be a crime thriller theme and also poses the question does this character work or the police or is he not to be trusted? Also with the camera being so close to the props no surrounding settings are revealed so the camera work is subjective but with the contents of the props the audiences assumption would be that he is inside in the daytime as the lighting is high key soft lighting to represent natural daylight to keep it realistic. With parts of costume the audience only sees the bandages on the characters fingers after he takes the skin of with a blade, with the knowledge that this is a crime themed thriller the audience can judge if he is trying to remove his fingerprints or possibly they could get a different reading from the text.
Sound
Dietetic sound is not heard during this sequence with no sound effects to mach any moment shown within the scene, however, music can be heard and is parallel with what’s happening in the scene and adds to an unsettling atmosphere with high pitched notes used in the soundtrack and that with the distortion of the images the sound of the music also distorts to continue to add to the feeling of suspense and danger.
This works well as a thriller opening as it makes the audience ask questions and with the use of restricted narration the story plot is not revealed so keeps up suspense and tension as the audience would not know what is happening or what will happen.
The Silence of the Lambs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixv-BQtMZHY
MESThe opening of “The Silence of the Lambs” places the character within a conventional thriller setting in the woods with an extreme long shot at a high angle followed by a tilt which establishes the scene and reveals the character. This would immediately set a tense atmosphere as with the setting being a well known conventional setting the audience would expect some sinister force lurking within the trees. Also in the setting there are parts of obstacle courses that the character traverses which puts forward the idea of a military training ground but through use of costume the audience can see this is an FBI training ground as “FBI” is embroidered on the characters jumper. This now allows the audience to come to the conclusion that this could be a crime thriller with the introduction of the FBI character. Props are also used to tell the story as the location changes from the woods to the FBI headquarters where we see photos and magazine cuttings on the wall on one of the offices that depict murders and provide clues to the plot to the audience which sets up the 'Initial Situation' or 'Equilibrium' stage in the narrative.
Camera
With camera work the use of the extreme long shot previously mentioned allows the scene to be set and long shots allow the audience to clearly see the body language and movement of the character as in this scene there is no emotion that needs to be capitalised upon with close up shots. Tracking shots are used for the running shots and give a sense of pace but some shots could also represent a point of view when the camera follows in behind the character which is something that would be in the viewers mind considering the setting and also the music as the rhythm and style creates a tense mood as it increases in pace slightly along with the characters movements.
Editing
Editing in this scene used simply with straight cuts to transition between shots with the exception of one jump cut from the woods to the headquarters to cut down on unnecessary time. The shots themselves are mostly quite long in length which allows the audience to see the characters journey from one place to another and see them in relation to their environment.
Sound
Diegetic sound can also be heard over the music unlike in “44 Inch chest” and “Se7en” as we can hear the characters foot steps and heavy breathing used for realism. Dialogue is also used to introduce who the character is and her position within the story with some background information being given in the dialogue.
This works as a thriller opening as it uses a conventional setting very early on and slowly reveals parts of the plot through use of mise en scene and sound allowing the audience to be drawn in and try to figure out the main plot for themselves.
Run Lola Run - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2tCcWSQOJ8&feature=player_embedded
“Run Lola Run” is quite different when compared to the other thriller openings.
Camera Work and EditingCamera work is used to create a distorting effect with editing adding to this by speeding up the shot to confuse the viewer with the camera weaving through a crowd of people at a low angle and occasionally stops to focus on certain people prompting the viewer to ask questions about weather these people are significant in the plot or are just used as a point of focus to fit with the narration in the scene. Shallow depth of field is also used throughout this scene giving it a very hazy appearance which distorts the image more and therefore adds to viewer confusion. At the end of the crowd scene the camera focuses on a police officer at a low angle mid close up looking up to show his authority and importance as he is the only character in this scene that is focused upon and has dialogue. As previously mentioned the editing in this scene mainly consits of speeding up the shot which is a long continous shot with no cuts untill after the the officer has finished his dialouge to a birds eye view and then a zoom is used to transition into a cartoon animation opening which is a very unusual choice for a thriller.
MES
In the crowd scene it is not clear where the story is set as with the shallow depth of focus coupled with the lighting and the people in the scene no setting is actually establishes at any time. Costumes used in this are to show that this could be an ordinary scene in a street which could suggest an urban setting and along with the costume for the officer add realism to the scene. Props used in this suggest thay this film is based around sport with a football being used at the end of the offiers diolouge which also hints towards this based around sprt by talking about the duration of the game. Also at the beggining of the sequence the camers focuses on an old wooden clock with what apperes to be a dragon carving on it. However this does not give any clues to the plot as it seems not to fit with the rest of the sequence and only provokes the audience to ask questions about how its fitis within the story.
Sound
Sound in this scene is lacking with no diagetic sound but instead a voiceover and music creating enigma as it is not clear what is going on in the scene.
This works well as a thriller becuase like some of the others it allows the audience to make judments for themselves about the plot and the characters whislt keeping them hooked in suspence with the uses of the disorienting camera work.
This can help in our thriller opening as it allows us to see what styles and conventions work well and interest the audience so we can replicate and use those methods to make ournpice more successful.
Camera work and Mes
The introduction to “44 Inch Chest” immediately sets mood with props being used from the very first shot creating enigma in the scene as close ups of the smashed props don’t allow the audience to see the whole setting and just slowly reveals different sections of the scene so most of the visual information on the scene is hidden which would provoke the audience to ask questions and piece together what has happened for themselves. The use of the still close ups use foregrounding to place the objects of interest immediately in the viewers focus with shallow depth of field used when focusing on a particular object in the frame and a large depth of field when the focus is on larger or multiple objects in the shot. The lack of movement with the camera gives the impression that the shots are still images which could be interpreted as last snapshots of someone’s life as with the setting the audience would expect there to have been a murder as is conventional of such films. This is followed by a tracking long shot which moves from the right of the room to the left. It starts with block framing as the camera moves past a piece of furniture creating a slow reveal of the entirety of the setting and full devastation in the scene as well as what appears to be a dead body on the floor further reinforcing the idea that there has been a murder. This tracking shot could also give a sense of a point of view as the audience would feel like they are walking into the room to discover what has happened.
As previously mentioned the camera work used in conjunction with the props as well as the setting which is a smashed up interior of an apartment containing household objects like televisions and sofas to make it believable with low lighting being used, which is often seen in thrillers, with the main light sources coming from the knocked over lamps in the room which also adds to the realism of the destruction in the scene. The main effect of the camera work used here is to created restricted narration as the close up shots create a puzzle for the audeince as they know very little about what has happened in the scene.
Editing and Sound
The editing used in this scene also reflects the mood with slow transitions between shots with simple straight cuts that appear to match the beat of the music used which is contrapuntal as is it romantic and slow paced which does not fit in with the chaos of the scene, however, can be seen as fitting as it can reflect the broken mood of the scene. Also with this scene being the introduction to the film the audience could think that this could be a manipulation of time as they would assume they are not seeing the beginning of the plot so the story has been re-ordered. There are no diegetic sounds to be heard in this making the scene more solemn and lonely as the audience just have the mostly still shots and soundtrack to try and create atmosphere.
This works well as a thriller opening as it grabs the audiences attention and makes them try to find clues in the scene as well as presenting possible themes of revenge, betrayal and crime from what the audience can see along with a type of character with a victim that is surrounded by the chaos.
The Dark Knight - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OYBEquZ_j0
Camera Work
The introduction to “The Dark Knight” immediately sets the story in an urban environment, which is a usual setting for a thriller, with an establishing shot of a skyline before tracking in to a side of a building where after the audience is introduced to the characters who are the antagonists as in the scene the audience sees them robbing a bank which would also set the theme of this film being a crime thriller. The main camera angles and sizes are eye level long shots and mid close ups of the antagonists allowing the audience to see them in relation to the environment and their body movement as with the use of clown face masks as part of the costumes body language would have to interpret more of the emotions in the dialogue.
MES
The main setting featured is the interior of the bank which has appropriate set pieces to make it believable like the vault and the cashiers with high key lighting to resemble the daylight and make the scene more realistic. Props are also used effectively to show the organisation of the group with the different technologies and weapons used effectively to get the job done. With the inclusion of dialogue in this scene as well as wide angle shots not much of the story is hidden from the audience and the only thing left to the audience to figure out is the identities of the antagonists as the costumes keep their faces covered at all times with the inclusion of the clown face masks.
Sound
The sounds used in this scene contrasts to the one in “44 Inch Chest” with the music being parallel sound and less dominant in the scene with much of the focus being on the action with the sound effects that stand out more adding to the realism and beliveablility of the scene.
Editing
Continuity editing is used in this scene with shots being edited in chronological order with straight cut to transition between shots for most of the scene and towards the end jump cuts are used to just show the important points in the story for example when one of the robbers is filling the bags up with money in the vault a jump cut is used to go to the next shot in the main lobby area of the bank with all the bags filled.
This works as a thriller opening as the themes relate to violence and crime thriller with the antagonists clearly being human. The story also jumps straight into the confrontation and skips the set up by immediately putting the viewer in the action with props used to show motive of the characters and the interior settings to reflect
the sinister action create realism.
Se7en - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY&feature=player_embedded
Editing
In the opening of “Se7en” editing is a dominant feature as it uses a great amount of discontinuity editing techniques. Jump cuts are used as transitions between the characters actions as well as slight manipulation of time with frames overlapping, shots being reversed for a small amount of time and other frames flash up in the sequence which distorts the image and therefore confuses the viewer and create an unsettling and tense atmosphere.
Camera
Camera angles used also add to this as during the scene the only part of the character that is visible is his hands so restricts the audiences view so is restricted narration. The close ups in the camera work allow for focus on the objects that the character is handling with most having a large depth of field which enables the audience to see the details in the props and help them try to piece together what the story is about.
MES
The props that are clearly shown and are the most dominant in the scene are paperwork and pictures of dead bodies people making it appear to be a crime thriller theme and also poses the question does this character work or the police or is he not to be trusted? Also with the camera being so close to the props no surrounding settings are revealed so the camera work is subjective but with the contents of the props the audiences assumption would be that he is inside in the daytime as the lighting is high key soft lighting to represent natural daylight to keep it realistic. With parts of costume the audience only sees the bandages on the characters fingers after he takes the skin of with a blade, with the knowledge that this is a crime themed thriller the audience can judge if he is trying to remove his fingerprints or possibly they could get a different reading from the text.
Sound
Dietetic sound is not heard during this sequence with no sound effects to mach any moment shown within the scene, however, music can be heard and is parallel with what’s happening in the scene and adds to an unsettling atmosphere with high pitched notes used in the soundtrack and that with the distortion of the images the sound of the music also distorts to continue to add to the feeling of suspense and danger.
This works well as a thriller opening as it makes the audience ask questions and with the use of restricted narration the story plot is not revealed so keeps up suspense and tension as the audience would not know what is happening or what will happen.
The Silence of the Lambs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixv-BQtMZHY
MESThe opening of “The Silence of the Lambs” places the character within a conventional thriller setting in the woods with an extreme long shot at a high angle followed by a tilt which establishes the scene and reveals the character. This would immediately set a tense atmosphere as with the setting being a well known conventional setting the audience would expect some sinister force lurking within the trees. Also in the setting there are parts of obstacle courses that the character traverses which puts forward the idea of a military training ground but through use of costume the audience can see this is an FBI training ground as “FBI” is embroidered on the characters jumper. This now allows the audience to come to the conclusion that this could be a crime thriller with the introduction of the FBI character. Props are also used to tell the story as the location changes from the woods to the FBI headquarters where we see photos and magazine cuttings on the wall on one of the offices that depict murders and provide clues to the plot to the audience which sets up the 'Initial Situation' or 'Equilibrium' stage in the narrative.
Camera
With camera work the use of the extreme long shot previously mentioned allows the scene to be set and long shots allow the audience to clearly see the body language and movement of the character as in this scene there is no emotion that needs to be capitalised upon with close up shots. Tracking shots are used for the running shots and give a sense of pace but some shots could also represent a point of view when the camera follows in behind the character which is something that would be in the viewers mind considering the setting and also the music as the rhythm and style creates a tense mood as it increases in pace slightly along with the characters movements.
Editing
Editing in this scene used simply with straight cuts to transition between shots with the exception of one jump cut from the woods to the headquarters to cut down on unnecessary time. The shots themselves are mostly quite long in length which allows the audience to see the characters journey from one place to another and see them in relation to their environment.
Sound
Diegetic sound can also be heard over the music unlike in “44 Inch chest” and “Se7en” as we can hear the characters foot steps and heavy breathing used for realism. Dialogue is also used to introduce who the character is and her position within the story with some background information being given in the dialogue.
This works as a thriller opening as it uses a conventional setting very early on and slowly reveals parts of the plot through use of mise en scene and sound allowing the audience to be drawn in and try to figure out the main plot for themselves.
Run Lola Run - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2tCcWSQOJ8&feature=player_embedded
“Run Lola Run” is quite different when compared to the other thriller openings.
Camera Work and EditingCamera work is used to create a distorting effect with editing adding to this by speeding up the shot to confuse the viewer with the camera weaving through a crowd of people at a low angle and occasionally stops to focus on certain people prompting the viewer to ask questions about weather these people are significant in the plot or are just used as a point of focus to fit with the narration in the scene. Shallow depth of field is also used throughout this scene giving it a very hazy appearance which distorts the image more and therefore adds to viewer confusion. At the end of the crowd scene the camera focuses on a police officer at a low angle mid close up looking up to show his authority and importance as he is the only character in this scene that is focused upon and has dialogue. As previously mentioned the editing in this scene mainly consits of speeding up the shot which is a long continous shot with no cuts untill after the the officer has finished his dialouge to a birds eye view and then a zoom is used to transition into a cartoon animation opening which is a very unusual choice for a thriller.
MES
In the crowd scene it is not clear where the story is set as with the shallow depth of focus coupled with the lighting and the people in the scene no setting is actually establishes at any time. Costumes used in this are to show that this could be an ordinary scene in a street which could suggest an urban setting and along with the costume for the officer add realism to the scene. Props used in this suggest thay this film is based around sport with a football being used at the end of the offiers diolouge which also hints towards this based around sprt by talking about the duration of the game. Also at the beggining of the sequence the camers focuses on an old wooden clock with what apperes to be a dragon carving on it. However this does not give any clues to the plot as it seems not to fit with the rest of the sequence and only provokes the audience to ask questions about how its fitis within the story.
Sound
Sound in this scene is lacking with no diagetic sound but instead a voiceover and music creating enigma as it is not clear what is going on in the scene.
This works well as a thriller becuase like some of the others it allows the audience to make judments for themselves about the plot and the characters whislt keeping them hooked in suspence with the uses of the disorienting camera work.
This can help in our thriller opening as it allows us to see what styles and conventions work well and interest the audience so we can replicate and use those methods to make ournpice more successful.
Prelim Evaluation - Rasmus Klingstroem
Location Scout
As there was a lot of filming which had to be completed in a very short amount of time before we broke up for the Christmas holidays, I decided to look around the college grounds to places to film which were not going to be disturbed by either students or teachers - such as the music rooms, the top floor business rooms at the end of the day / lunchtimes. There were also other factors I had to take into account such as the possible camera angles we could and could not achieve within these rooms, the lighting problems for the white balancing as well as the timeframe we would have to work around within these rooms.
Many of the possible locations would've worked really well, others would've worked horribly due to the lack of space, the lack of time, or the amount of background noise due to other students.
Some of the locations which I considered are on the blog in a post below.
This would be why I mainly chose a path and room which wouldn't really be affected by the background noise of the students around, and if it was, it would be editted out during the editing phase of the production. However I did not expect the amount of noise from the outside during the very short dialogue scene to be that intense - to the extent that it was extremely clear to the viewers of the film, and couldn't be edited out because of the dialogue within these scenes.
Casting Director - Group Effort
Due ot the fact that we were in such a small group, it would seem unfair to give an extra task to another group member, which is why we decided to pull our knowledge together when it came to the Casting Director role of the production.
Although this was a fairly minor role, it had to be discussed between the group members, as to whether we'd want to act ourselves or gather some of our friends to do it for us. We did choose to act ourselves from the very start as it was far quicker and easier than gathering more people and relying on them turning up to the filming when we had a very limited amount of time.
Props
From the very start of the story boarding, i've been considering, and debating with myself over which props would be used, as there would have to be some props, even if it is only minor, such as a suit jacket or sunglasses.
After we had the main plot of the story done, and the story boarding done, we had mainly decided on which props would be taken which would require me to bring a suit jacket into college. Although this was not as major a task as Alea, whom had to bring a lot of props as it was more convenient due to the fact she had a lot of cool props which would work really well in the film.
Finished Film
I believe the film was successful in fulfilling all the criterias required such as the 180 degree rule, continuity, and keeping the while balance as best we could. All of these things helped to create realism within our prelim task, although it could've been far better in both the editing as well as the locations.
The editing used at the start of the film was perfect, and created exactly the feeling we were aiming for, which was confusing in the audience as to why the character is running, and the slow motion effect was to help the audience with the establishing shot so they'd get a good idea of where this took place.
Although we did have to cut back some of the footage we had as it needed to be around 1 minute long, and we had 2 minutes and 30 seconds worth of film - the vast majority of the running was removed and the initial scene just prior to the dialogue was cut severely.
Overall I do believe our prelim turned out fairly well, which was helped a lot by the amount of time we spent debating on the linear order of the scenes, as well as the editing. We definitely spent enough time making sure everything was edited well and taken through garage-band in order to sharpen up certain moments of the prelim task.
As there was a lot of filming which had to be completed in a very short amount of time before we broke up for the Christmas holidays, I decided to look around the college grounds to places to film which were not going to be disturbed by either students or teachers - such as the music rooms, the top floor business rooms at the end of the day / lunchtimes. There were also other factors I had to take into account such as the possible camera angles we could and could not achieve within these rooms, the lighting problems for the white balancing as well as the timeframe we would have to work around within these rooms.
Many of the possible locations would've worked really well, others would've worked horribly due to the lack of space, the lack of time, or the amount of background noise due to other students.
Some of the locations which I considered are on the blog in a post below.
This would be why I mainly chose a path and room which wouldn't really be affected by the background noise of the students around, and if it was, it would be editted out during the editing phase of the production. However I did not expect the amount of noise from the outside during the very short dialogue scene to be that intense - to the extent that it was extremely clear to the viewers of the film, and couldn't be edited out because of the dialogue within these scenes.
Casting Director - Group Effort
Due ot the fact that we were in such a small group, it would seem unfair to give an extra task to another group member, which is why we decided to pull our knowledge together when it came to the Casting Director role of the production.
Although this was a fairly minor role, it had to be discussed between the group members, as to whether we'd want to act ourselves or gather some of our friends to do it for us. We did choose to act ourselves from the very start as it was far quicker and easier than gathering more people and relying on them turning up to the filming when we had a very limited amount of time.
Props
From the very start of the story boarding, i've been considering, and debating with myself over which props would be used, as there would have to be some props, even if it is only minor, such as a suit jacket or sunglasses.
After we had the main plot of the story done, and the story boarding done, we had mainly decided on which props would be taken which would require me to bring a suit jacket into college. Although this was not as major a task as Alea, whom had to bring a lot of props as it was more convenient due to the fact she had a lot of cool props which would work really well in the film.
Finished Film
I believe the film was successful in fulfilling all the criterias required such as the 180 degree rule, continuity, and keeping the while balance as best we could. All of these things helped to create realism within our prelim task, although it could've been far better in both the editing as well as the locations.
The editing used at the start of the film was perfect, and created exactly the feeling we were aiming for, which was confusing in the audience as to why the character is running, and the slow motion effect was to help the audience with the establishing shot so they'd get a good idea of where this took place.
Although we did have to cut back some of the footage we had as it needed to be around 1 minute long, and we had 2 minutes and 30 seconds worth of film - the vast majority of the running was removed and the initial scene just prior to the dialogue was cut severely.
Overall I do believe our prelim turned out fairly well, which was helped a lot by the amount of time we spent debating on the linear order of the scenes, as well as the editing. We definitely spent enough time making sure everything was edited well and taken through garage-band in order to sharpen up certain moments of the prelim task.
5 Thriller Openings - Rasmus Klingstroem
Goodfella's
This movie opening starts off differently to a lot of movies - it does not really give much in the way of an establishing shot, as shown at 0:42 - 0:51. After which it does give a little more information to help the viewer figure out where they are and what is going on, although it is very limited information.
The start of the film does not give any indication to what is going on, or who these people are until 2:00, which is fairly late to start giving information to the viewer, although it works very well to create suspense and confusion for the viewer - even though the viewers had figured out these people were not the protagonists by 1:45 which is when one of the men kills their captive.
Sounds
I believe that diegetic sound was used for realism during the first 2 minutes of the film, which was mostly silent, and the only input the audience recieved was some back-talk between the characters.
Although this changed after 2:00 which is when the internal monologue started for, what the audience must presume to be, the main character of this movie, which continues throughout the opening sequences of this film.
Editing
Was used very well throughout the opening sequence of this film - it even matches the internal monologue to the moment where the audience was taken back in time to his childhood, which helps the audience make sense of what just happened, and what was going to happen (the internal monologue of the character's past).
MES
The lighting of the first 2 minutes of the movie partly help to show the sinister actions these characters are making, although it is not fully revealed until the very end of the scene.
The props of this movie, such as the handgun used at the start of the film (1:45) helps to emerce the audience within the time period of the movie. Not only this, the state of the main character's parent's house shows the misfortune of the character's childhood, yet contradicts with the monologue which tells us he was "the luckiest kid" in the neighbourhood.
No Country for Old Men
Camera-Work
There really isn't much to be said about the Camera-Work, other than it sets the mood and the setting for the movie. This opening is very general, unlike the previous movie which didnt really have an initial establishing shot, this one has plenty - some might even argue it has far too much of it, but I personally quite like it as it sets the tone of the movie, and what we believe to be the main protagonist, even though we dont see him quite yet.
These shots from 0:35 to 2:40 show the slow progression of the day, from dawn right the way through to midday (or clear sunlight) - and i would consider these shots to be more observational, to give the audience a chance to take in the scenery and to absorb the dialogue from an unseen character.
MES
These is an incredible amount of external settings used within the starting scene of this movie, the vast majority of this is outdoors, which can give the audience the impression that the rest of the movie might also be outside. The props, such as the antagonist's long hair, and pale skin helps to portray his evilness to the audience and helps us to accurately dislike this figure from a fairly early point in the film.
There really isn't that much low key lighting, or desaturated colour throughout the starting scene of this movie, because of the setting - which is in Texas, one of the hottest places in the U.S.A - and by using either of these, it could demotivate the audience from viewing it.
Sound
Non diegetic sound is used from the very start of the film, which would be the dialogue from an unknown character - whom the audience know to be the protagonist through the descriptions he gave, and the values this character seems to posess.
Other than that, the rest of the starting scenes of this movie relied on diegetic sounds to help create realism for the audience, as well as to contruct the mood of the movie - being an 'old western'.
Editing
Continuity was used to create a good sense of flow throughout the starting dialogue, although the audience may not have realised it at the time, the sun rose far far quicker than it otherwise would've but through the use of editting, this became less obvious and flowed very nicely into the movie.
Although this movie did not use any parallel editing, or cross cutting, it still had a lot of suspense due to the antagonist's actions after only a few minutes into the film - being the murder of a police officer.
The Dark Knight
Camerawork
From 0:55 to 1:15 you see the generic establishing shot, which doesnt give too much information away other than the fact that the movie is based in the city, and that something bad is happening from the window which is broken at 1:15.
There is a really good example of shallow depth of field, which is at 1:20 to 1:30. The camera slowly zooms and focuses on one object, which is a clown mask, which gives us, as the audience, the impression that that mask is very important to the plot we are about to watch unfold.
Most of the scene is done via tripod, but certain elements of it are done with a hand held camera, to show the urgency of the matter, or to give us a subjective view of what is going on, rather than giving us a clear picture of everything that is happening all at once.
MES
Most of the scene is done internally, but the establishing shots of the characters involved is both internal and external.
The use of interior settings does reflect the threat which is about to be posed at the very start of the film, at 1:12. The generalised use of props such as the masks for each of the antagonists shows how they are unimportant, which is again strengthened by the actions of these characters after tasks have been completed (the death of one clown to lower the split in profits).
Desaturation is used at the start of the opening title sequence, I believe this is done to keep the audience entertained even though the movie has not started yet - however after the establishing shot has been shown there appears to be no desaturation of the colours, nor is there any low key lighting used.
Due to the fact that the antagonists are wearing clown masks, we are automatically suppose to dislike them, and us, as the audience are suppose to want a swift resolution to the conflict which occurs.
Sound
I believe some diegetic sounds were used throughout this opening scene such as the shattering glass at 1:12 or the gunshots at 2:14 or 3:32, this was intended to keep the movie as realistic as possible so the audience wouldn't be desensitised to the movie.
I do not believe any non diegetic sounds were used other than the music over the top of the entire scene to help create suspense for the audience.
Editing
There has definately been a lot altered to this movie in order to keep the audience griped, such as parallel editing, and cross cutting - throughout the 10 minutes of the opening scene, this was clearly used to increase the pace of the starting scene, speeding up as it reaches towards a conclusion.
Misery
Camerawork
The start of the film is fairly important at understanding the character, which is why I believe the director took this opportunity to show us what type of main character we're dealing with. This is done through the use of clever, small clips from around this character's house, with the noise of a typewritter in the background.
This is done to show the audience that this character is very ordered, he already has his celebratory drink and cigarette ready for when he's finished what the audience must presume is a book he is currently writting.
Throughout this opening scene, there is no use for hand held cameras as nothing is really happening, instead the director prefered to use a tripod, to help the audience observe the character and his surroundings to better figure out what type of man we're dealing with.
MES
Props play a big part in the opening scene of this movie, as throughout the interior scene, you casually bypass several different props which you might otherwise not find that important, or not know the purpose of - however later in the scene, you actually find out what each of these props would be used for, and answering all the questions layed out in the first 30 seconds of the scene.
The costume and hair of the character seen within the scene is very general, not showing him off to be a wealthy person, nor showing him to be a poor person - although it does give the feeling that he is content with his life due to the order and attention which is shown given to the props, as well as the clear bland look of the character through costume and hair.
Sound
Diegetic sounds are used within this scene, such as the typewriter, to help enhance the sense that he is working on something which he would find quite important. Other, very specific parts are also enhanced through diegetic sounds as the placing of the work inside the satchel, as well as the opening of the bottle - all these are done because of the fact we saw them earlier when we had no clue of their purpose.
Editing
The editing is fairly standard in the sense that it flows well, and the cuts are barely noticeable, in fact I believe the cuts are not noticed at all by ordinary viewers whom would want to be immersed in the story rather than critical of the piece.
Within the opening, there really is no use of parallel editing, or cross cutting as it is very liniar and we are not aware of any other characters to jump back and forth between.
The Book of Eli
CameraworkThe establishing shot does not give the viewer very much information as to where they are, all it shows is trees and a corpse which doesn't help at all. It does however give a close-up of the dead corpse so the audience is aware that he is not alive, and it also gives a good close-up to the first living character we see in the film, whom turns out to be the protagonist. This is to give the audience good detail on the character, and the props he's wearing, which would be the nuclear hazzard suit, which both gives the audience some answers, hints at others, and raises more questions, which is a clever ploy by the director.
I believe the camera was only ever on the tripod during the initial starting scene to give the audience as much detail in the surroundings and the character as possible.
MES
There was no variety in exterior settings, the entirety of the initial starting sequence of the film is in the same palce, with no difference in location or camera angles at all, apart from the occasional close-up.
The props do help to give us a sense of the world we're trying to be immersed in, as well as the harshness of the current landscape - which is shown by the nuclear hazzard suit, and the dead corpse.
Sound
At the start of the scene, there is nothing but non-diegetic sound which would be the music - this is simply put in place to help create the mood of the first few scenes within the film. After a pan shot, it is then mixed in with some diegetic sounds such as the cat purring, and the sound of the character breathing heavily.
Editing
Throughout this scene, they try and use as few cuts as possible, which is why for the first 25-35 seconds, it is just one long panning shot across the entire scene, apart from the where character is sitting. This is to slowly force the audience to ask more and more questions as the scene progresses, rather than the majority of the questions asked at the start.
Cross cutting is used within this scene between the cat and the character, to give the audience a hint as to what is about to happen - being that the cat will be killed.
As the arrow travels through the air, time was slowed down using editing to give the audience as sense as to how fast the arrow was actually going - rather than having a 2 second clip which would be a blur to the audience.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
180 Degree Rule
The 180 degree rule, one of the most basic of principles when it comes to making a film.
This rule was followed constantly throughout our production - as shown by our film throughout, most notably when the "Runner" was moving towards his destination. Although we could've used other shots to help portray his point of view, such as POV shots - we instead kept to more traditional shots which had to follow the 180 degree rule.
Although we did take the rule seriously, we did consider the possibilities of breaking it, or, as we did, bending it.
Later in the prelim film, we did deliberately bend the rules when it came to filming the 180 degree rule - as shown we pan the camera from left to right in the viewer's eyes which, bends the 180 degree rule, but does not break it!
We wanted a shot showing all the characters and the door, which wouldn't have been possible if strictly sticking within the 180 degree rule.
This rule was followed constantly throughout our production - as shown by our film throughout, most notably when the "Runner" was moving towards his destination. Although we could've used other shots to help portray his point of view, such as POV shots - we instead kept to more traditional shots which had to follow the 180 degree rule.
Although we did take the rule seriously, we did consider the possibilities of breaking it, or, as we did, bending it.
Later in the prelim film, we did deliberately bend the rules when it came to filming the 180 degree rule - as shown we pan the camera from left to right in the viewer's eyes which, bends the 180 degree rule, but does not break it!
We wanted a shot showing all the characters and the door, which wouldn't have been possible if strictly sticking within the 180 degree rule.
This is a diagram which clearly shows what is meant by the 180 degree rule, although it can be broken, or indeed bent to either invoke feeling from the audience, or to set up for a later scene.
By Rasmus Klingstroem
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Use of Shot/reverse Shot
For this excersise one of the techniques we had to demonstrate was shot/reverse shot which we used at the end of the conversation between the two charcters. In the original plan of the storyboard after the tracking shot of the runner character sitting it would cut straight into the shot/reverse shot. However because of the length of the other characters dialouge that had be scriped we decided to use a tracking shot instead which also enabled us to move the camera over the 180 degree line with one continuous shot to the other characters left side for the over the shoulder shots used. As a result of this we could make the last shot an OTS shot which kept all the characters within that scene in the audiences focus and the composition of the characters with the other character taking up most of the frame can put emphasis on the characters power above the rest.
Alea Holland
Alea Holland
Monday, 24 January 2011
Friday, 21 January 2011
Script for Prelim
Runner enters the room
Other: I've been expecting you, Mr Anderson. You thought you could steal from me?
Runner: Where's Gonzalez?!
Associate steps in front of door
Other: He's dead!
Runner: What now?
Other: Take a seat.
Runner grabs the chair
Runner sits down
Other: You have two choices Mr Anderson. Hand me the disc and live, or keep it, i kill you and take it anyway.
Runner looks at disc for a second then throws it onto the table
Other looks at disc
Other: You may leave.
Associate steps out of the way of the door
Runner walks out.
Posted by Rasmus Klingstroem
Other: I've been expecting you, Mr Anderson. You thought you could steal from me?
Runner: Where's Gonzalez?!
Associate steps in front of door
Other: He's dead!
Runner: What now?
Other: Take a seat.
Runner grabs the chair
Runner sits down
Other: You have two choices Mr Anderson. Hand me the disc and live, or keep it, i kill you and take it anyway.
Runner looks at disc for a second then throws it onto the table
Other looks at disc
Other: You may leave.
Associate steps out of the way of the door
Runner walks out.
Posted by Rasmus Klingstroem
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Friday, 7 January 2011
4th January - Started Filming Dialogue
During the first lesson back in media, we went to start filming the dialogue scene, to try and get as much of it done as possible so we could go and start editing it.
Props were brought in, and we kept a mental note of what we were wearing at the time so continuity wouldn't be disturbed through the several days we might be filming. Most of the props were brought in by Alea.
Some of the props included; Suit Jacket, Baseball Bat, Sun Glasses, Mushroom with a face (from Super Mario), a hood to cover the face, and a Hoodie. There might be more I am missing from this list.
There was also a script which Rasmus made to make sure that we all understood what we needed to say and when, the script also included the positioning of characters, and the movements they should do before/during/after a certain scene/dialogue.
By Rasmus Klingstroem
Props were brought in, and we kept a mental note of what we were wearing at the time so continuity wouldn't be disturbed through the several days we might be filming. Most of the props were brought in by Alea.
Some of the props included; Suit Jacket, Baseball Bat, Sun Glasses, Mushroom with a face (from Super Mario), a hood to cover the face, and a Hoodie. There might be more I am missing from this list.
There was also a script which Rasmus made to make sure that we all understood what we needed to say and when, the script also included the positioning of characters, and the movements they should do before/during/after a certain scene/dialogue.
By Rasmus Klingstroem
5th January - Finished Filming
Finished off the rest of the filming during our combined frees and tried not to rush as much as possible so we'd get the camera work correct, 180 degree rule correct and the white balance.
All items of props were brought in with no exceptions including clothing so the continuity remains strong.
Although it was at a different time of day, it didn't look like there would be any problems from the sunlight entering the room as the New Building is blocking the sun from that room - although we did look through the footage we'd taken from the previous day to make sure that we wouldn't loose continuity.
We'd made sure to bring the additional lighting from the media equipment just in case it was needed, which, fortunately it was not.
The only problem we had was the camera remaining unfocused whenever we tried to hold the camera by hand and move it around the room for the filming. This meant that some of the shots were quite blurred and had to be redone.
Also the white balance continuously reset itself so the room looked yellow through nearly every shot, but was fixed every time we saw the problem.
By Rasmus Klingstroem
All items of props were brought in with no exceptions including clothing so the continuity remains strong.
Although it was at a different time of day, it didn't look like there would be any problems from the sunlight entering the room as the New Building is blocking the sun from that room - although we did look through the footage we'd taken from the previous day to make sure that we wouldn't loose continuity.
We'd made sure to bring the additional lighting from the media equipment just in case it was needed, which, fortunately it was not.
The only problem we had was the camera remaining unfocused whenever we tried to hold the camera by hand and move it around the room for the filming. This meant that some of the shots were quite blurred and had to be redone.
Also the white balance continuously reset itself so the room looked yellow through nearly every shot, but was fixed every time we saw the problem.
By Rasmus Klingstroem
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