Today Millie and I roughly brainstormed some starting ideas for our opening scene.
Thursday 26 November 2015
Wednesday 25 November 2015
Free Period Extra Work
Today I spent the afternoon adding in pictures and extra information into my preliminary task blog posts. I added in pictures of the studio into the brief filming post I had already completed, and also added individual pictures of the tripod I used and lighting used.
I was also able to insert the image of my completed storyboard for my preliminary task which displays how I planned the short video in a frame by frame fashion. The storyboard gives a visual plan of what I was aiming for in my finished video.
I also embedded my final video instead of just posting a URL.
I was also able to insert the image of my completed storyboard for my preliminary task which displays how I planned the short video in a frame by frame fashion. The storyboard gives a visual plan of what I was aiming for in my finished video.
I also embedded my final video instead of just posting a URL.
Sunday 22 November 2015
Preliminary Task- Evaluation
Strengths
The lighting in my preliminary was consistent throughout. I was able to visually judge is at any point the shot looked too light or too dark and was then able to change this and re-film. This was a strength because by watching back each clip after I filmed it I was able to instantly re-film instead of only realising once I started to edit. The dimmed lighting throughout my video made the atmosphere of the scene seem sinister and spooky which is what I was aiming for.
Another strength of my preliminary was the planning that took place before hand. By constructing detailed brainstormed ideas with many different options, it helped with the ease of the actual construction of the video because every detail had already been previously planned. This meant that no 'on the stop' thinking had to take place and the filming process was much easier than if I hadn't planned anything prior.
The music I chose to play during the duration of the video added to the suspense of the whole video. This enabled the anticipation to continue throughout the entirety of my clip which builds tension for the audience watching.
I was able to keep up to date with all of the planning, filming, editing and blogging despite difficult circumstances which is another strength of my completed preliminary. I managed to keep on top of each part of the task and complete it to the best of my ability considering.
Weaknesses
The costumes that the characters were both wearing could've been edited slightly to help them fit the scene a bit more as they were supposed to be playing threatening sneaky characters, but were just dressed as themselves. From this I have learnt that planning costumes and outfits before the day of filming is essential in order to keep the look of the characters in keeping with the plot.
In the future I must also ensure that any planning that I do is neat and appropriate enough to be able to be blogged. This will save the time and effort of having to type up all of my rough work because I will just be able to photograph my rough work and insert it into my blog directly.
I did not take any printscreens throughout the construction of my final piece. Whilst I was editing I forgot to do this. Next time I will do this throughout the editing period so that when it comes to evaluating and presenting everything on my blog, there will be evidence of me doing the work myself.
The lighting in my preliminary was consistent throughout. I was able to visually judge is at any point the shot looked too light or too dark and was then able to change this and re-film. This was a strength because by watching back each clip after I filmed it I was able to instantly re-film instead of only realising once I started to edit. The dimmed lighting throughout my video made the atmosphere of the scene seem sinister and spooky which is what I was aiming for.
Another strength of my preliminary was the planning that took place before hand. By constructing detailed brainstormed ideas with many different options, it helped with the ease of the actual construction of the video because every detail had already been previously planned. This meant that no 'on the stop' thinking had to take place and the filming process was much easier than if I hadn't planned anything prior.
The music I chose to play during the duration of the video added to the suspense of the whole video. This enabled the anticipation to continue throughout the entirety of my clip which builds tension for the audience watching.I was able to keep up to date with all of the planning, filming, editing and blogging despite difficult circumstances which is another strength of my completed preliminary. I managed to keep on top of each part of the task and complete it to the best of my ability considering.
Weaknesses
The main weakness of my preliminary is that a tripod was not used throughout filming. This meant that at times the frame was slightly shaky. Although this could potentially add to the uneasiness of the video, I believe it made the video look slightly less professional. Furthermore, because of this error, I have learnt that using a tripod is always necessary.
In the future I must also ensure that any planning that I do is neat and appropriate enough to be able to be blogged. This will save the time and effort of having to type up all of my rough work because I will just be able to photograph my rough work and insert it into my blog directly.
I did not take any printscreens throughout the construction of my final piece. Whilst I was editing I forgot to do this. Next time I will do this throughout the editing period so that when it comes to evaluating and presenting everything on my blog, there will be evidence of me doing the work myself.
Preliminary Task- Editing
What I did
Firstly I retrieved all of my clips off of the SD card I was using to film with and saved them onto my computer. I then went through each of them individually and selected which ones I wanted to use in my final preliminary clip(I then renamed the ones I wanted to use to make it easier to select them).
Using Adobe Premiere Pro I then began to edit my clip. I firstly got them all in order, and then cut down parts of the clips where there were long silent pauses before anything was said to ensure that the continuity of the final piece was accurate. Using an website online I downloaded two different types of copyright free audio and added them onto my piece, these include the scream and the music throughout.
Then, I created a title for my preliminary task and edited this over the beginning of my video. I also was able to dim the background music when the characters were talking so that they could be heard more clearly.
After this I uploaded the final video onto my YouTube channel.
Preliminary Task- Filming
What I did
I filmed all of my shots in the studio. I used a Canon camera to do this as it has the best quality and is easy to use. It took me around 2 hours to get all of the shots perfectly as I continuously redid some takes if they weren't up to the standard I desired.
When I was filming I checked to make sure the lighting, positioning and characters faces were all how I wanted them to be before moving onto the next shot.
I filmed all of my shots in the studio. I used a Canon camera to do this as it has the best quality and is easy to use. It took me around 2 hours to get all of the shots perfectly as I continuously redid some takes if they weren't up to the standard I desired.
When I was filming I checked to make sure the lighting, positioning and characters faces were all how I wanted them to be before moving onto the next shot.
Saturday 21 November 2015
Preliminary Task- Group Planning
Brainstorm
Costume
Location
- Dark environment +
- Filmed in the studio so that lighting can be edited to how I want it to be +
- Dark background so that all the focus is on the characters +
- Steps/stairs
- Wooded area
- Fields
- Two women speaking in a café about their day
- A man and a woman speaking in the cinema/restaurant about work
- Two people sitting opposite a each other on a table in a business meeting
- A scene of conflict between two individuals
- A fight between two friends
- A discussion of a crime resulting in another murder +
- Have you got it?
- Of course I've got it.
- And how much did it cost you?
- The finer details don't matter.
- And, what about...him?
- He's been disposed of.
- Good.
- And you're next!
Writing in bold is spoken by character 1 and writing in italics is spoken by character 2.
In my preliminary I didn't feel as though the use of props would enhance the scene I was creating as I wanted the whole feel of the scene to be simple. I aimed for the main focus of the scene to be the conversation between the two characters and found that not using any props helped with this.
- Basic everyday clothes +
- All black outfits
- Suits
- Smart dresses/skirts and blazers
- Match on action- keying in the code for the door/opening of the door
- Shot reverse shot- during the conversation between both of the characters
- Sinister sounding voices +
- Serious straight faces +
- No emotion in the eyes of the characters +
- Eyes stay focused on each other at all times to keep the intensity +
Plus sign (+) used throughout to indicate which ideas were carried forward and used in the actual construction of the preliminary.
This brainstorm was originally done on paper but as the writing was unclear and involved a few spelling mistakes I decided to write it up in an alternative format instead.
Monday 16 November 2015
Analysis of titles
SE7EN
(in order of appearance on screen)
Cast-
Brad Pitt,
Morgan Freeman,
Gwyneth Paltrow,
Richard Roundtree,
R. Lee Ermey,
John C. McGinley,
Julie Araskog,
Mark Boone Junior,
John Cassini,
Reginald E. Cathey,
Peter Crombie,
Hawthorne Jones,
Michael Moussee,
Leland Orser,
Richard Partnoow,
Richard Schiff,
Pamala Tyson
Casting by- Billy Hopkins,
Suzanne Smith,
Kerry Borden
Music by- Howard Shore
Costume designer- Michael Kaplan
Editor- Richard Francis-Bruce
Production designer- Arthur Max
Director of photography- Darius Khondji
Co-producers- Stephen Brown,
Nana Greenwald,
Sanford Panitch
Co-executive producers- Lynn Harris,
Richard Saperstein
Executive producers- Gianni Nunnari,
Executive producers- Gianni Nunnari,
Dan Kolsurd,
Anne Kapelsun
Written by- Andrew Kevin Walker
Producers- Arnold Kopelson,
Phyllis Carlyle
The titles themselves are very distorted and faulty looking. Some of the names appear multiple times on the screen as if the screen is glitching which adds a good effect. This makes the titles look like they were accidentally replicated which adds to the unknown feeling when beginning to watch this film. The reverse block gives a good effect as the titles can clearly be seen on a black background in white writing.
Sunday 8 November 2015
Opening Scene Analysis 3
Heat Opening Scene Analysis
The non diegetic sound throughout this opening scene builds tension as the scene begins. The use of strings builds tension as the notes reach a higher and higher pitch. The increasing pitch forces the viewer to feel uneasy as they watch. The long shot used to show the emptiness of the train platform displays a barren area where nothing seems to be occurring. This is done to display how deserted the location is. Mise en scene is used when the smoke comes from the trains. This makes the scene appear eerie and dangerous as the clouds of smoke suffocate the scene. The continuous close up of the male character who is first introduced suggests to the viewer that he is one to watch. The unsteady lingering of the camera as the character walks through the crowd gives the impression that he could turn at any second.
The titles appear to begin with on a black screen to draw attention to the most important ones such as the directors name. Using reverse block helps the audience to focus on the wording and having them in the center helps the eye be drawn to it too.
The non diegetic sound throughout this opening scene builds tension as the scene begins. The use of strings builds tension as the notes reach a higher and higher pitch. The increasing pitch forces the viewer to feel uneasy as they watch. The long shot used to show the emptiness of the train platform displays a barren area where nothing seems to be occurring. This is done to display how deserted the location is. Mise en scene is used when the smoke comes from the trains. This makes the scene appear eerie and dangerous as the clouds of smoke suffocate the scene. The continuous close up of the male character who is first introduced suggests to the viewer that he is one to watch. The unsteady lingering of the camera as the character walks through the crowd gives the impression that he could turn at any second.
The titles appear to begin with on a black screen to draw attention to the most important ones such as the directors name. Using reverse block helps the audience to focus on the wording and having them in the center helps the eye be drawn to it too.
Opening Scene Analysis 2
Inception Opening Scene Analysis
Sound is used as the male washes up on the shore. The sound of waves crashing makes the viewer feel uneasy as sound is distorted and nothing can be heard clearly. The eyeline shot from the male to the children on the beach show how the male is not in the right mind set as he is seeing illusions. This makes the viewer feel uneasy as the characters are not mentally stable. Mise en scene is also used to create tension and negativity. The use of guns as props at the beginning of a film instantly inform the reader with the fact that it is a dangerous film. Guns bring a negative feeling to the viewer as it is commonly known harm can be done with them. Furthermore the camera angle of the over the shoulder shot when the man and older male are speaking at the table show how they are watching each other in a formal way which shows that they mean business.
The opening titles have visuals accompanying them which suggests that the film has different layers to it. Moving visuals keeps the audience entertained and engaged from the offset which is what is needed with this film as the story line is otherwise difficult to follow. The muted tones used compliment the style of film.
Sound is used as the male washes up on the shore. The sound of waves crashing makes the viewer feel uneasy as sound is distorted and nothing can be heard clearly. The eyeline shot from the male to the children on the beach show how the male is not in the right mind set as he is seeing illusions. This makes the viewer feel uneasy as the characters are not mentally stable. Mise en scene is also used to create tension and negativity. The use of guns as props at the beginning of a film instantly inform the reader with the fact that it is a dangerous film. Guns bring a negative feeling to the viewer as it is commonly known harm can be done with them. Furthermore the camera angle of the over the shoulder shot when the man and older male are speaking at the table show how they are watching each other in a formal way which shows that they mean business.
The opening titles have visuals accompanying them which suggests that the film has different layers to it. Moving visuals keeps the audience entertained and engaged from the offset which is what is needed with this film as the story line is otherwise difficult to follow. The muted tones used compliment the style of film.
Opening Scene Analysis 1
Dark Knight Rises Opening Scene Analysis
The ambient music at the beginning of the scene creates instant suspense for the viewer. The music's increasing pace suggests to the viewer that something is going to happen suddenly. Camera is also used to create suspense. The zoom in on the clown mask as the male is stood on the roadside suggests that this certain clown is one to look out for. The way this mask is focused on longer than any other shows that this clown is the most significant one. The zoom makes the viewer pay attention to this individual. The match on action as the clowns make their way over the busy road across sky scrapers show how they are fearless. This illustrates that they are villains because they have no fear. Mise en scene is also used to display how the villains are evil. The clown mask props enhance how scary they are and make the audience feel uneasy.
The opening credits are all dark and mysterious which mimics the film. They blend from one to the other well which makes them easy to watch and follow. The background colour is mainly black which has representations of danger and mystery. Furthermore, the black background helps the white writing stand out.
The ambient music at the beginning of the scene creates instant suspense for the viewer. The music's increasing pace suggests to the viewer that something is going to happen suddenly. Camera is also used to create suspense. The zoom in on the clown mask as the male is stood on the roadside suggests that this certain clown is one to look out for. The way this mask is focused on longer than any other shows that this clown is the most significant one. The zoom makes the viewer pay attention to this individual. The match on action as the clowns make their way over the busy road across sky scrapers show how they are fearless. This illustrates that they are villains because they have no fear. Mise en scene is also used to display how the villains are evil. The clown mask props enhance how scary they are and make the audience feel uneasy.
The opening credits are all dark and mysterious which mimics the film. They blend from one to the other well which makes them easy to watch and follow. The background colour is mainly black which has representations of danger and mystery. Furthermore, the black background helps the white writing stand out.
Friday 6 November 2015
Thriller Conventions
Emotions and feelings caused by Thrillers
Suspense
Tension
Uneasiness
Anxiety
Excitement
Thrill
Themes
Crime
Mind games
Criminal acts
Stalking
Investigating
Spies
Criminals themselves
Characters
Villains-
Suspense
Tension
Uneasiness
Anxiety
Excitement
Thrill
Themes
Crime
Mind games
Criminal acts
Stalking
Investigating
Spies
Criminals themselves
Characters
Villains-
- Prisoners
- Stalkers
- Typically have some type of deformity
- Shady
- Male
Heroes-
- Ordinary citizens
- Have a job accustomed to danger e.g policeman, spies
- Friendly
- Audience are argued to like them throughout the film
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