JV: Evaluation

Title Sequence
Preliminary Task
Animatic
Film Opening Research-1
Film Opening Research-2
Film Opening Research-3
Technical Analysis
Audience Feedback-Screening
Audience Feedback-Roughcut
Concept Development




Question 4+5



Question 7

CJ: Evaluation

Title Sequence
Preliminary Task
Animatic
Film Openings
Technical analysis
Audience research: screening
Audience research: Roughcut
Concept development

Questions 1-3 & 6


NVC clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li6s0h3Tf

Questions 4&5



Question 7

LF: Evaluation

Title Sequence
Preliminary Task
Animatic
Film Opening: Crave (Charles de Lauzirika, 2012)
Film Opening: License to Kill (John Glen, 1989)
Film Opening: Year Zero (Joe G, 2011)
Technical Analysis
Audience Research: Screening
Audience Research: Rough Cut
Concept Development




YouTube clip 1.Character Exposition: Iconography

Click here to see clip

YouTube Clip 2. Fast Cutting Rate Clip

Click here to see clip

Group: Audience Feedback

Final Screening Feedback


The aim of the screening was to allow us to understand what our group could do to improve our media product. A set of 10 questions varying from open and closed representing qualitative and quantitive. From the results it gave us a different perspectives from both male and female.

 

 The question proposed to the audience during the screeing was 'Does the sound anchor the visuals?', as we can see there is an overwhelming majority which see's all 14 that answered the question agree with that the sound and the visuals matched.





The next results still had a dominant group being that the response from the question 'How well did you understand the narrative?' in which there was a contrast in idea as the audience mainly understood the plot easily, with the addition of 2 individuals saying they didnt understand it very well or it was very complicated. This may have been due to the additions of certain flashbacks in which they could not understand.






The question revolves around the use of dialogue to see whether there was enough of it for the audience to understand. The results were alot more balanced with 60% saying that there was enough and 40% saying there wasnt enough.
However, the genral portayal of the normal conventions of horror films is that silence is key as it tends to build up the dramatic tension.

The pie chart demonstrates how realistic the opening sequence is and how good it presents verisimillitude. An overwhelming amount of people who participated in our questionnaire (14 people). In particular reference to the characters involved and character exposition and how the psychopath is revealed as an actual murderer and the two characters represent two couples who act and dress in a way which is believable.

A differentiation in males and females may show different perceptions on the narrative where females may have different views to males, with 8 males and 6 females.

 

 

Title Sequence

Strengths:

• conforms to the general horror/thriller conventions.
• includes titles in the right order and that are matched with the visuals.
• the soundtrack matches the visuals, for instance a change in scene, matches with a different tempo, dynamic or instrument.
• a good variety of camera angles, movement and distances.
• the antagonist shows conventional forms of horror, using a knife as the murder weapon
• encoded values are presented clearly and the preferred reading is understood
• lighting in our production links back to our secondry research - low key lighting.

Weaknesses:

• some people thought it was hard to understand because there was two storylines going on at once. One was the protagonist in the house, and the other was the male partner in the garden shed.
• mid point through the title sequence, it seems the clip finishes, but then starts back up again and continues with the storyline misleading the audience.
• the footage has a grainy look to it as we shot at night, and this makes the quality of the film decrease.

Things we could have improved:

• we could have shot in the day and just toned down our final production, so the quality of the video would have been better.
• the sound could have been looked into a bit more, because we did not use much diegetic sound, which sometimes enhances the genre of horror, as footsteps and doors creaking traditionally convey horror.
• we could have improved the storyline as it was very basic and what you would expext of the genre. We could have been more experimental and ambitious when thinking of the plot.

Group: Editing Posts

There are many techniques that we can use to edit the footage , that can all be done by the use of Adobe Premiere Elements 9:

Above is a screenshot of the timeline, where you can drag footage into the spaces. There are options up the side for audio and visual. Most of the time we needed to unlink the audio and visuals because the diegetic sound was inappropriate. The soundtrack was used to anchor the visuals and the diegetic sound was deleted.

Above:
This is a screenshot of Premiere with the tool of adding titles to the picture. This was easily done, as we wanted to keep the titles simple, so we didnt need to use the software after effects to create them. You can cvhange the size and the typeface of the titles and change the position si it doesnt interfere with the visuals.

Above:
When saving the project, we saved the production many times, as different folders, so if we wanted to go back to a previous time, we could do that if we were not happy with the recent editing that we did.

 

 

Above:

The timeline includes layers in which you can overlap video, and create a dissolving effect, with two p[ieces of footage at once. We used this to show two locations at the same time, and what was going in them to help the audience understand the plot.  

 

Above:
This is the transitions we can use when editing the footage. We used mainly the cross dissolve and dip to black, the dip to black to show a bit of a time lag, and a cross dissolve to make the continuity smooth.

 



LF: Update

27th March, on the day of the dealine and we have nearly finished editing the opening sequence, just have to put in a few more sound effecfts and soundtracks to match the visuals with sound. There are a few moments where we do not know what is wrong with the sequence, but if we keep on trying different sound fx and soundtracks the right one will appear and the sound will match the visuals apropriately. We have todays lesson, lunchtime and enrichment to edit the rest of the sequence therefore we have 3 hours to complete what we need to do.

Group: Audience Feedback - Roughcut

Purpose: Deadline wednesday 27th March

Strenghts:

• Good use of shallow and deep focus.
• Good use of camera movement.
• Plot has a conventional genre and a good preferred reading.
• Camera angles are professional and establish the location very well.
• Camera distance is perfect, close ups begin as character exposition develops

Mise en scene:

• Realistic make up and effects.
• Good use of props in the frame.
• Location of the production reinforces the genre
• Location improves the verisimilitude of the clip
• Costumes dont give away the fact the actors are meant to be adult, as they  wear casual clothing.

Improvements:

• The sequence has serious potential with a right soundtrack.
• Short at the moment, but promising.
• Include Non diegetic sound such as dialogue to enhance understanding.
• Footage a bit grainy due to the low key lighting.

Feedback on planning - March

Luke, Connor and Jordan. Well done some excellent work on the blog. Please spend time in the lesson today ensuring that all your posts are up to date and published. You need to move the blog list from the bottom of the blog to the side for easier access for the examiner and me. Also make the blog multimedia by ensuring that posts have embedded links where possible and images, highlighting of key words. I will be marking the blog this evening so make sure all if completed before then.

CJ - Film language, Media audiences and Institutional context

Sinister 2012 (opening equence)

Film Language:

• Mise en scene is the main feature in the opening sequence; the location and layout of the frame is used to potray a powerful and violent image of evil. This is made through the use of the cruel image, showing a family being hung from a tree in a misty dark garden.
• Throughout the whole sequence the camera stays static, keeping the concentration of the audience on the harsh scenes being shown in the frame. The size of the shot allows the subjects to be shown, whilst showing the tree falling on the other side.
• The soundtrack used in the sequence is simple and faded. Church bells are heard in the background every so often, giving it an eary effect. The noise of a radio out of tune is also heard, being harsh and cruel to the ear, complimenting the visuals.
• There is no dialogue throughout the opening sequence, therefore leaving NVC vital. The position and movement of the characters, shows them in a vunreable and fatal position.
• Other visual techniques are the flickering effects on the frame, depicting that it is beign played from an old celluloid camera reel of a projector. This effect finishes of the cruelty of the sequence and suits the visuals perfectly.

The Ring 2002 (opening sequence)

Media Audiences:

• The target audience would be 18-25 years old. They would be a common horror movie fan, loving the thrill and jumps of a classic horror story. Love to scare themselves, often with close friends.
• A probable reading is that the girl is going to walk into danger and soon there will be a sudden figure which will make the audience jump.
• A possible reading is that the television is being turned on by 'the ring' and eventually the girl is going to find her.
• Being a British teenager and growing up watching scary and violent films, I see the text being one in which has a strong narrative and pulls the audience into watching it. This is down to the tense scenes, making the audience eager to see what happens next.
• Being a 16 year old teenage boy, I believe I am more interested in this type of genre and enjoy the thrill of the text.

The devil inside 2012 (opening sequence)

Institutional Context:

• The actors used in the film are not big stars, playing both a benefit and a negative role. It is important to have a bankable star as it can attract a larger audience, however they are very expensive, meaning the costs are higher.
• The large industrial studio Paramount produced the film, allowing them to promote heavily and get more people involved.
• A very clever campaign was used to market the film. The film was shown in a real church infront of religious believers, giving them a chance to ask the priest about exorcism after the movie was played. This lead to a record screening of 34.5 million people in the first month.

LF: Film Language, Media Audiences and Institutional Context





Skyfall (Sam Mendes 2012)

 

Film language:

- mise en scene portrays meaning in the sequence as it is under water which conveys struggle and death, which is what the bond series are all about.
- the camera portrays meaning because the some shots are filmed in extreme close up which suggests mystery and reinforces the genre of the film.
- the camera never pans but only stays in 1 position or has a pull zoom etc, this shows the producer doesnt want to show establishing shots of the scene, but more about the characters, which portrays the meaning of the film, as in the bond films, it is all about finding out about characters and what they do, not about the scene or setting.
- sound anchors the visuals because when the mood is slow, the sound is at a low tempo and the instruments used and strings or piano, which reinforces the mood.
- when the action starts to come in, more furious and angerful singing is introduced which supports the visuals.
- throughout the sequence not much is revealed about the characters but due to the fact a man is under water and helpless shows the audience he is weak and has either made a mistake by himself, or has been overpowered by another character in the film.
- the NVC on one characters face (Daniel Craig - 'James Bond') is very stern and emotionless which portrays the meaning that he is serious in what he does.
- the director uses a lot of special effects on screen to improve the continuity of the opening sequence. This is because there a lot of different locations in the opening, and cross cuts to these different locations would not make sense, therefore the director has included moving images and props to use for the change of scene.

Silence of the Lambs (Jonathon Demme 1991)

Media audiences:

- the target audience is the core audience males and females as it has no prodominantly male or female attitudes or values.
- the probable reading of the text is that the male that is inside the cage and who is a cannibal, will overpower the female character as stereotypically, males are more powerful and stronger than females, and this negatively stereotypes the female as it is a psychological horror/thriller.
- a possible reading is that the female will win, and will get the evidence and information she needs from the suspect without being drawn into his mind games.
- as a british teenager i evaluate the text as very unrealistic, eventhough the filming and mise en scene creates verisimilitude.
- my reading is obviously influenced by the fact i do not come from America where the film is made and produced, therefore my beliefs will be different, and the fact i am only young, and throughout the film, representations of older people are shown, which i may not be able to relate to as much as others can.

Green Mile (Frank Darabont 1999)

Institutional Context:

-  Tom hanks has been used in this film as a starring role and this is important as he is a bankable star which the audience will see in the trailer or marketing of the film and will increase their probabilty of watching the film.
- Castle Rock Entertainment was the studio and Warner Bros. where the the distributors of the film. Because Warner Bros. is a worldwide, horizontally intergrated industrial company, is boosts the buzz factor, and marketing can be made a lot easier and wider.
- In the marketing of the film, Warner Bros. signed a deal to promote its upcoming movie "The Green Mile" through www.hsx.com, a promotions site operated by Hollywood Stock Exchange Inc., Los Angeles.

- the context is evident as the name of the company appear at the start of the clip, and the quality of the opening sequence is very good, and this explains that is is a industrial and Hollywood producing company.

JV- Group Update

• At this stage we have almost finished our filming, from reviewing our editted clips, we have established that some of the shots could be better. This entails varying in our camera angles to get the best shots.
• Furthermore, we have implemented another part to our plot which is a flashback, this cuts to the stalked womans partner getting his throat slit and gives the audience an insight into how he was killed in the first place and helps put the whole story into place; as well as this, it also reveals the audience to who is now stalking her.

JV-Film Titles, Media Audiences and Institutional Context

Film Titles


http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/blade-ii/

Blade 2

• In terms of mise-en-scene, the lighting is low-key which indicates that the film conveys 'dark' aspects to it, furthermore, as Blade himself is half vampire then it relates to the plot as vampires rely on darkness
• The camera is framed in  mid shot and also close up on props such as weapons conveying to the audience that there is going to be violence and fighting in the film.
• Diegetic sound is used to add a sense of verisimilitude to the atmosphere, for example the sound of bullets dropping or drawing a blade, anchors the sound and is not distorted by the soundtrack in the background
• From the dialogue we learn that Blade, the main protagonist,he is a supernatural being who has the aspects of both vampire and humans and that he differs from them as he doesn't have the same weaknesses. One of his mentors is taken by the other group of vampires which inevitably produces conflict between the two.
• Other visual techniques used are when Blade mentions he is half human, half vampire it changes to black and white, the only two colors in these clip symbolizes the two aspects of Blades character he possesses.

Media Audiences

Inglorious Basterds (2009, Taratino)

• The target audience is obviously for older people aged over 18, the reasoning behind this is that there is a shooting scene in which many people are killed.
• A probable reading of text is that the General will do his duties and follows out his orders as part of the Nazi group.
• The possible reading is that he will infact show mercy to the man and his family as he sees him in distress and not shoot them.
• As a teenager, this scene creates a lot of versimilitude, because as far as I am aware, the Nazi group went out to exterminate the Jews, without mercy.

Institutional Context

The Dark Knight Rises (2012, Nolan)

• There is a star which has been used in the film other than Christian Bale which is Thomas Hardy who plays Bane in the film, the antagonist. It is important because it makes the audience want to see this character which has been in films with such a good reputation and playing a key role in films with high credentials such as Inception.
• The studio is Legendary Pictures which is an industrial studio, the marketing which the studio implemented is releasing a teaser trailer a year before the actual film release in July 2011.
• The institutional context is not relevant as it is not shown in the opening.

LF: Risk Assessment and Call Sheet

As a group we make sure that the call sheet and risk assessment sheet are completed with as much information as possible:

Risk Assessment:
- Hazards of our location are the house where there will be low key lighting therefore the furniture and items in the house may not be seen and tripped upon. We will reduce this by only filming in low key lighting, not when transporting or discussing ideas.
- The bathroom will have a bath running therefore this creates a hazard as it may over flow if not watch carefully, so the bath will not be left out of eyesight for the duration, when it is being filled up. Also the camera may fall in the bath so we can keep it well away from the edegs.
- The stair way is also another hazard as the wood is very smooth and may become slippery when socks are in contact with it. To reduce the risk, we can climb the staircase carefully holding the camera and tripod tight, not loosely with a possibility of dropping it.

Call Sheet:
- All the shot numbers and technical notes are written so the reader can have a clear understanding of what we have planned and what we are planning to do.
- For example...    Location               Cast                      Technical notes
                              House                   Brooke Wells       Low Key Lighting, Mature Costume

Group: Animatic

 

Purpose? 

• The purpose of the animatic it to give us and the financial backer and idea of what our idea may look like. By creating a story board which uses camera techniques, we will be able to present our ideas much clearer and have no confusion.
• We filmed each frame the way we wanted it to look. So if there the frame starts off out of focus and fades in, then we would film the storyboard frame exactly like that. This gives us and the backer a better idea and gives us a chance to see what it will look like.

What have we learnt?

• From filming the animatic we have learnt how to produce a something of high quality, and realised the benefits of what an animatic can create. We also learnt that it can give you other ideas, it may be that your original idea wasn't so great and there is a better alternative. It also has given us an idea of what props to use and how to frame them by using multiple camera angles and movements. The length of the film is crucial in order to make a successful animatic, it cant be too short or the audience can't indulge it, and it can't be too long otherwise they will get bored.

CJ - Sound

• Various sound effects will be used in the sequence including silence, soundtracks and studio sound.
• Scary scenes will use silence in order to reinforce the tension.
• Studio sound will be used to match action on the screen. E.g door opening.
• Towards the end of the sequence, a sound mix will take place, leading to a crescendo.

Soundtracks we're interested in:

• The Strangers (soundtrack) - The barn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFBY01_R34
• When a stranger calls - Exploring http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuTR6agrBF8
• Tiny Tim - Tip Toe through the Tulips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxFOOEOlBF8
• Dishonoured - Drunker Whaler http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlkYz6Il4JM
• The Amytville horror http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjIv_Yi7kzI

Sound effects:

• Eerie sounds etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tnJEqXSs24
• Omnious noises http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynuES87lg5A
• Omnious noises 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ixgTMWHwg

CJ - Concept Update

• The sequence opens with the girl opening the door (symbolising the start of everything bad). The camera will be placed inside the house.
• A cut to a different angle inside the kitchen, will show the girl walking into the kitchen, She pours herself a drink and finds a letter on the fridge. A close up of the letter is used to show the audience who the letter is from (her boyfriend) atleast thats what you think..
• A camera view framing the girl in the kitchen and a dark room through the doorway, will show a body (boyfriend) being dragged through the room by the psycho. This scene will be reinforced by the sound of silence, creating tension.
• Following the commandments of the letter (saying 'I have a surprise for you upstairs sweetie') the girl walks up the stairs to her room. She enters the room to the surprise of a candle lit bath and rose petals.
• The girl goes to get changed in the next room. When she returns she hears the noise of the bath running (mysteriously). She goes into the bathroom to turn the tap off when...
• A loud bang is heard coming from downstairs. The girl grabs an item from the window ledge, and cautiously walks downstairs. As She enters the kitchen, she notices the drink has been knocked over. she then opens the cabinet to get a tea towel; she bends down to clear up the mess, not realising the psycho is in the darkness behind her. she then stands up, and when bends over agin, the psycho has vanished.
• After clearing up she turns around to walk out the kitchen, and catches a figure through windows to another room. She slowly walks over to the window, as the figures moves away before a sharp cross cut to the psycho's face.
• A mid shot of the girl in silence - behind her the pyscho lays his hand on her shoulder, then the change of camera angle allows the psycho to disappear, and she turns to see no one there. she now realised she is being stalked and music and cutting rate increases
• She grabs a torch in panic and cautiously creeps upstairs. Then she knocks something off a cabinet and as she bends down to pick it up her torch shines into the doorway revealing the body of her parnter which will be captured in stills.
• As she looks back up she shes the body and in horror runs over. she sees if he is dead, then the camera cuts to a over the shoulder shot of the dead character, and the masked psycho is standing behind the girl
• A sudden cut marks the end of the sequence whilst showing the title of the film.

Characters:

•  Brooke Wells - Sarah williams (girl/victim)
•  Luke French - Adam knowles (boyfriend)
•  Jordan Veness - Psychopath

Crew:

•  Editor - Luke French
•  Producer - Jordan Veness
•  Director - Connor Jeffery  

LF: Film Noir Coventions

Film Noir sub-genre is the use of visual motifs, which feature strong shadows that often obscure the characters in focus. Film Noir conventionally features archetypal characters who play prominent roles in the fiction, most notably the femme fatale. The combination of visual motifs and archetypal characters accentuate the pessimistic world view that underlies successful Film Noir. Adherence to these conventions of the sub-genre generates powerful, effective Film Noir.

• The use of visual motifs is a significant convention featured in the Film Noir subgenre of Crime Fiction.
• The lighting in the subgenre is very dark and often partially, if not fully, obscures the faces of characters.
• This is a visual device used predominantly in intense moments to add to the uncertainty of the scene.
• Shadows are used to obscure the protagonist’s and other significant characters’ faces, which is a technique that distances the reader through their perceived lack of clear understanding of the characters.

Group:1st Shoot Post

On Saturday 2nd March the group went to the first location and filmed some of the opening scenes. We produced some establishing shot where we are going to include titles so we had areas of black where the white titles can be seen.

What went well?

• The tools used in the shots looked very old and rusty which enhanced the fear and genre of the sequence.
• The lighting worked well as we had candles lit up around the shed and they flickered which made the shot look professional.

What didn't work?

• We had limited time so some of the shots were rushed and so we were unable to use the locations full potential.
• Some of the filming when we tried to film a character we couldnt see the face because lighting was dark as it was outside. Inresponse to this we are going to film the outside shots in the day and tone them down using after effects, this way the audience can see more of the action and the NVC.

CJ - Wilderness woods reccie

When and where did we go?

• On the 6th february we set out to wilderness woods, in sussex weald.

What was the purpose?

• The purpose of the trip, was to gain experience in filming and play around with a few camera techniques.

What did we do?

• We used our time productively, achieving some excellent shots in which we put together to make our short clip.

What worked?

• A few things we where happy with was the shallow focus on some of the frames and the suttle camera movement shown when filming.

What didnt work?

• We believe the day went well and we gained some excellent shots, however at the start we found it hard to find a good angle or frame, however with time, we settled into filming.

Group Update

• Today we are concentrating on preparing for our first shoot on the weekend (Saturday 2nd March).
• The animatic story board is being completed along with the risk assessment sheet. Tomorrow we plan on starting shooting at 6:30pm and end by around 9:00pm.
• The light levels will be low, therefore we will use candles to give us sufficient light, whilst keeping the low-key lighting effects.
• We are shooting at Luke's house in Penshurst. Actor being filmed is Jordan Veness. The main purpose of the first shoot is to gain establishing shots and shots of props.

JV- Group Update- Considerations

• As we are filming partly at night, it can be difficult to manoveur with the camera with the low light obstructing are view. This could result in the camera man or one of the actors tripping and having an accident. To avoid this we will provide some of our own light; in our film we are using candles as our main source of light in the first scene with the others being filmed in the day.
• When we go to Penshurst Place, we will use torches or even the headlights of a car to avoid this. Furthermore, Penshurst Place is a public area and so we have to be aware of the fact that the public can come into the shot, removing the atmosphere of isolation.
• As part of our filming regime, if given permission, we our planning to use a farm which has sheds and shacks available which would be good for location. The problem with this is that people could be coming in and out of the property without notice.
• Also as it is not our property then we have to make sure that everything remains intact and anything moved has to be put back exactly where it was.

Group Update

• Regarding our filming, we have performed our location reccie and have captured shots from our location at Penshurst Place, also we have taken the shots which are a necessary key part for our film. 
•  The photographs are taken from a stalkers point of view of his next victim, in this case it is the girl. This part is key in our filming as it builds up to the main story line and plot, it also gives the audience an idea from the beginning.
• We at this point need to start filming our actual film now knowing the scenes and the necessary shots we have collaborated and also now having an idea of where we are actually filming, however, we need to get props for the actors. 
• The actors that we have included in the film are Jordan Veness (myself) playing as the kidnapper that is stalking  the victim (Brooke Wells) and her partner (Luke French), eventually she gets abducted. Filmed by Connor Jeffery.
• In terms of times and dates, we plan to film every Saturday, during the day and the evening, also we are planning to dedictate tuesdays to filming which will be after school.

JV- Group Pitch

LF: Storyboard Ideas

LF: Location Reccie

When and where did we go?

• we went to penshurst place grounds and took some pictures of the locations we are gonig to film in on friday the 22nd February.

What was the purpose of this?

• we went to take photos to see what the scenes and locations look like on camera and see if they would fit with our film genre.
• also we wanted to know the different camera techniques we could use and what ones would work appropriately with our sequence

What did we do?

• we took pictures of different locations in the close surroundings using shallow and deep focus, while trying to get different distances as well. most of the shots worked but there was some like the long shot which looked unrealistic

What worked?

• we believe the deep and shallow focus worked well with the surrounding nature scenes.
• panning shots also worked due to the fact it establishes the scene in the descolate location that we are using

What didnt work?

• long shots didnt work because it doesnt look realistic as well as shots when it started to get dark.
• The shots when it started to get dark made the picture look fake and becuase the camera tried making the image lighter it looked unsuitable

CJ - Preliminary Task

 

What did you learn about filming?

• I learnt new ways of using a camera including angles, movement and distance.
• When filming i realised the many potential positions for the frame e.g CU of the feet.
• Filming the preliminary task has given me more confidence with filming, bringing new ideas to mind about how to film and what to film.
• The main thing i learnt was the importance of continuity in the film and so many shots are needed to create a smooth representation of time.

What are your best shots?

• Our best shots are the scene with Luke opening the door, showing good continuity and different angles of the door opening.
• The best shot is when the camera is placed on the floor showing a CU of the two characters feet running. This is because i believe it shows the pace of the characters and the importance of the chase.
• Another great shot is the POV of Luke being punched and falling to the floor concussed. I like this shot as it is very realistic and the ghosting effect over the top works well with the narrative.

What difficulties did you encounter?

• The main difficulty we encountered, was the speed of the action, meaning that many shots where needed in order to create a fast cutting rate. However with this we found that we had too many shots for such a small amount of time, causing the cutting rate to be too violent.
• A small difficulty was the change in location due to the weather however i feel, our back-up location was good enough.

What did you learn about editing?

• I learnt new ways of showing time and creating seamless continuity.
• I found some new transitions and special effects to place in the film, improving the continuity and scene changes.

What did you do in post production that was successful?

• We planned most of the scenes before filming allowing us to crack on with the task quickly, giving us more time to edit.
• The in-class discussion gave us inspiration and ideas which helped us develop our concept and start planning the real thing.

Strengths:

• Great continuity
• Appropriate cutting rate for the action in the scene.
• Good use of camera angles and movement.
• Editing effects helped create realism.
• Correct amount of dialogue.

Weaknesses:

• Film was not long enough and could have had more action taking place.
• Dialogue could have been a little longer in the end scene.
• Location was not first choice.

What tips would you give yourself for the opening sequence production?

• Post production planning is crucial in order to make filming smoother.
• The right dialogue can be what makes a film stand out.
• Location is very important, therefore make sure you get it right, and always have a back up just incase.
• Continuity is the most important piece of making a film as time must be shown correctly in order to make the film make sense. 

Group Treatment

• The sequence opens with a picture of a woman standing outside her house. This then matched cuts to another picture of the woman in a different location, following this, more CU's of pictures are shown at a faster cutting rate. This then ends with a crecendo and the flash of a camera. The flash then fades out revealing the many pictures of the girl, spread across the table. A matched cut is then used to show the 'pyscho's' face at an ECU for a brief moment.
• A matched cut of a girl strapped to a chair in the middle of a room at MS. The camera zooms into the girl whilst panning 180' around her head, showing the dominant figure in the background.
• This then cross-cuts to an establishing shot of the husband arriving home, shallow focus is used to show blured headlights. CU of his feet getting out the car. Cross-cut to physcho standing behind door, Cross-cutting back to hunsband walking door. The husband then goes to put keys in the lock, before realising the door is covered in words written in blood and a picture of his wife asleep on the door. The keys are then dropped in shock, a shot of the keys falling in ultra slow motion is used to reinforce the husbands shock.
• A motivated cut shows a slow motion shot of the woman panicking. soundtrack goes silent and selective sound of a heart beat noise will be amplified. The shot will then jump back to the husband, who turns around and runs to his car. On the que of the door closing, the screen will go blank and show the title of the film in a suitable font.

JV- Technical Analysis

Inception (Nolan, 2010)

Technical Analysis;

Shot: Pan across the ocean with the crashing waves.
Duration: 11 seconds
Mise en scene: Ocean, sea, cliffs, rocks.

Shot: Mid-shot
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise en scene: Mid shot of a crashing wave.

Shot: Close up of one of the main characters.
Duration: 8 seconds
Mise en scene: One of the main characters washed up on beach front, appears to be very tired the ways the eyes are shut.

Shot: Mid shot Duration: 2 seconds
Mise en scene: A child having fun on the beach, colour changes dramatically creating a juxtaposition.

Shot: Close up of one of the main characters.
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise en scene: One of the main characters washed up on beach front, appears to be very tired the ways the eyes are shut but then eyes start to open and he lifts his head up.

Shot: Long shot of the original boy, joined by girl.
Duration: 5 seconds 
Mise en scene: Colourful clothing, red dress, as well as bright lighting contrasting with low lighting level.

Shot: Mid- shot
Duration: 4 seconds
Mise en scene: Main character begins to gain strenght, manages to lift arm up

Shot: Long shot of the original boy, joined by girl.
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise en scene: Colourful clothing, red dress, as well as bright lighting contrasting with low lighting level.


Shot: Back to a close up of the main character washed up on the beach
Duration: 4 seconds
Mise en scene: Old ragged clothing, loses strength and closes eyes again and rests head.

Shot: Midshot of man in uniform poking stranded gentleman, to check that he is still alive
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise en scene: Gun, showing that he may be part of the army.

Shot: Mid shot of the man in uniform with the gun
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise en scene: Gun, showing that he may be part of the army, also the way the lighting changes from dim to bright may show a revelation and perhaps a form of help.


Shot: Mid shot
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise en scene: shows the man in the uniform using his gun to show what the other man is carrying, a handgun

Shot: Midshot
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise en scene: cuts back the soldier of him looking up to someone in the distance

Shot: Longshot is used to show the man giving off a signal
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise en scene: Close  up of the soldier giving off a signal, showing his dominant state of authority.

Shot: Longshot, pans up
Duration: 5 seconds
Mise en scene: sends a signal to one of the other soldiers, also pans up to show the size of the building representing some significance. The way the camera is looking up with a high angle shot gives an idea of dominance.

Shot: Longshot, zoom
Duration: 11 seconds
Mise en scene: longshot shows the mysterious nature of the bald headed man as you cannot see his face.

Shot: Mid shot
Duration: 5 seconds
Mise en scene: Reinforces the idea of the mysterious nature of the man by using an establishing shot, makes the audience want to see more, furthermore, it shows one of his 'men' in the background placing something on the table infront of him.

Shot: Close up
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise en scene: Shows close up of gun and and spin top showing significance

• The soundtrack which is played at the start of the scene is triumphant and bold which then juxtaposes with the sound of the waves.
• Furthermore, the use of diegetic sound from the children playing with the background also creates a different contrasting atmosphere which inevitably  creates dramatic tension as the viewer is invariably unsure what is currently happening leading to the characteristics of a thriller keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat.
• The lack of dialogue also the fact that it is in a different language creates more tension with more silence.

• What I have learnt from this is that a lack of dialogue is sometimes key to thriller films at it creates tension for the audience.
• Also this idea of tension is reinforced with a lot of contrasting shots which create a juxtaposition, for example the close up of the main character in distress washed up on the beach front to the long shot of the happy children playing in the background. 

CJ - Storyboard Ideas

LF: Technical Analysis

Woman In Black (James Watkins, 2012)

Shot: Close Up
Duration: 9 Seconds
Mise En Scene: Old fashioned teapot and tea cups in a dull coloured scene.

Shot: Close Up
Duration: 4 seconds
Mise En Scene: A typically scary dolls face drinking 'invisible' tea from the tea cup

Shot: Close Up
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise En Scene: The other doll in the tea party is having some tea which build suspense and build unease because this is an unatural/childish happening

Shot: Long/Establishing Shot
Duration: 4 seconds
Mise En Scene: 3 girls sat around the tea party with old fashioned furniture and scenery in the background, still in a colour wash

Shot: Mid Shot of doll
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise En Scene: Brushing the hair of the doll creating abnormal actions and making the audience undersrand that everything is strange

Shot: Mid shot of doll being tucked into bad
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise En Scene: Hands of the girl being very gentle as though the doll is alive

Shot: 2 Shot framed in Mid Shot
Duration:3 seconds
Mise En Scene: Old fashioned clothing very plain white colours

Shot: Close up of solitary girl
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise En Scene: the background is not in focus making the audince focus on the girls face which is smiling but otherwise expressionless

Shot: long shot of doll in the hands of a girl
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise En Scene: there is a lot going on in the scene mainly realted to the dolls tea party not the girls actual lives. there are neatly laid out table and chairs for the dolls which emphasises how strange it is

Shot: establishing shot of the 3 girls
Duration: 8 seconds
Mise En Scene: they are sitting on the floor of the bedroom and you can see the only source of light is coming from the window which suggests that the window may be a key feature

Shot: long shot
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise En Scene: still the same colours and surroundings as the location has not changed. old furniture and a colour wash

Shot: Zoom in on window
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise En Scene: the light from the old fashioned lead window drowns out other props

Shot: Mid Shot of 3 girls as they stand up
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise En Scene: basic old fashioned clothing

Shot: low angle close up shot
Duration: 1 second
Mise En Scene: the girls boot under the dress is shown as the girl stands up

Shot: close up
Duration: 1 second
Mise En Scene: cup in the girls hand gets dropped

Shot: close up
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise En Scene: cup smashes on the floorwith girls feet in background out of focus

Shot: close up of girls feet
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise En Scene:tredding on and walking over the doll

Shot: close up
Duration: 2 seconds
Mise en Scene: tea cup being stood on and smashing

Shot: close up
Duration:3 seconds
Mise en Scene: girls boot treading on the doll juxtaposing the relationship they have earlier with the dolls

Shot: mid shots of the girls in a line walking
Duration: 5 seconds
Mise en Scene: can now see they are in the attic or top floor of a house because the shape of the roof is visible in the ceiling

Shot: long shot
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise en Scene: girls approaching the window slowly

Shot: close up
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise en Scene: handle of the window being opened carefully by the girls hands

Shot: long shot
Duration:10 seconds
Mise En Scene: girls jump out the window in slow motion

Shot: still the same shot but starts to zoom out
Duration: 5 seconds
Mise En Scene: contents of the room still unchanged but is now empty of humans

Shot: close up
Duration: 3 seconds
Mise En Scene: expressionless face of the dolls increses horror and thrill to the sequence

Shot: establishing shot/zoom out
Duration: 4 seconds
Mise En Scene: the room is left untidy with broken cups and dolls, still with a colour wash

Dips to black to note the end of the sequence

Sound Track and sound layers:

• It starts with a slow and quiet soundtrack while there is a close up of the teapot and tea cups, which is layered with some synchronous sound of the tea cups hitting the teapot. This helps create dramatic tension as it is typical of a horror/thriller movie therefore the audience are expecting something but they dont know what it is going to be and when it will occur.

What have I learnt from my technical analysis?

• There has been many things i have learnt from analysing this opening sequence as it is a popular and highly talked about and highly viewed film. It typifies the horror/thriller genre from camera techniques all the way through to the Mise en Scene.

• The fast cutting rate enhances the fear the sequence is trying to create as it brings unexpectation, or maybe even expectation that something is going to make the audience jump, which is one of the main aims of a horror/thriller.
• The colour wash which was used throughout helps make the sequence portray the mood and atmosphere present in the scene. I beleive it symbolises horror because the colour wash suggests that things are not normal.
• The shallow and deep focus allows the audience to concentrate on what the producer is trying to show, which makes the audience understand it more.
• I have also learnt that the sound used is crucial to the sequence as if the visuals are outstanding and the sound track or background sound doesnt equal the quality of the visuals the sequence will not succeed in hooking the audience to want to watch the rest of the film.

LF: Preliminary Task - Feedback

We believe we used a wide variety of camera angles and techniques in the task, including POV using handicam, close ups, and establishing shots. the slow cutting rate made the  continuity of the sequence better standard.
Feedback from the class:
Positives:

• a low angled shot of feet running past the camera was widely applauded
• a pan of two characters past the camera was shot well
• opening door scene was smooth and realistic
• i believe the titles fitted in well with the visuals and lighting
• the transition at the end showing blur from the punch was apropriate and worked well

Negatives:

• dialogue was sometimes overpowered by ambient sound such as footsteps whilst walking, and the opening and closing of doors
• it was quite short however the specification for the preliminary task was included

Targets:

• make sure the dialogue is not covered by background noises
• use more editing techniques such as slow motion to catch more actions and understanding
• a faster cutting rate would have made the clip more thrilling and fast like the intention of the genre