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.