Prelim Task! (THE FINAL PRODUCT)

...And this is the final product!!! :)

I love the ending part when the camera zooms on Jonathan as he leaves, and we can see the extra who seems to be having a disagreement; which was funny to watch, yet really added to the environment we were trying to create!

Prelim Task! (EDITING)

I was really looking forward to editing, because we get to see our work come together and produce the final product. We had to go to the editing suite to do this, and we were introduced to final cut pro (editing software). After transferring our work from the tape to the computer, and learning how to correctly save our work, we were taught how to crop and order pieces of film and began doing so. It took a while to get the hang of, but we got better and quicker at it as the lesson went on. After editing the whole sequence, we went back over it and perfected the transitions of shots to make them look as continuous as possible (continual editing).

One of the parts which we focussed on perfecting, was the transition between the long shot of me(the mum) at the table, and the P.O.V shot of Jonathan as he walks towards me. In order to have 'action match shot' we needed to make sure he was walking at the same place in relation to the extra sitting down. With the takes we had, we achieved as much continuity as we could and I really like how it looks.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, we were concerned about the level of backround noise when we were filming. However, it was a relief that the camera did pick up our voices so the dialogue can be heard :)

We had filmed quite a few over the shoulder shots during the dialogue so doing 'shot reverse shot' was a matter of choosing the best takes. As we had planned from the begininning, we made the flashback scene black and white to show that it's in the past, and black and white generally suggests a negative mood/moment.

Prelim Task! (FILMING)

This was our official prelim task; it was to create a short sequence showing someone entering a room, exchanging a line of dialogue , and then exiting. This could be done in any style/ scenario, aslong as it followed this order and included 'shot reverse shot' during the dialogue, and followed the 180 degree rule and 'action match shot' throughout.

• The 180 degree rule is a basic principle in filming which means that the camera should always stay on one side of the imaginary axis (shown in the image below).If the camera passes the axis, this breaks the 180 degree rule and a new shot is created called the 'reverse angle'. This would cause the left-right relationship between two characters in the scene, to change- so referring to the picture above, the person in orange who originally appeared to be on the right, would then change to be on the left. In class, Allison used the example of a football match to help us understand- when a match is being filmed the camera must stay on one side of the pitch, in order to stick to the 180 degree rule. If the camera doesn't, and passes the imaginary axis by switching sides, then the team that appeared to be shooting to the left, would then look like they were shooting to the right, and this would confuse the audience. In a film, it would also be confusing and would mean a lack of continuity, and proffessionalism.

• Action match shot is also needed in order to maintain continuity. It basically means that every following shot should continue from the previous shot. For, example if someone was holding something in one shot, and then in the next shot of them they don't have it anymore (without us seeing them put it away), then the shots aren't continuous and therefore won't make sense to the audience.
  

FILMING

The concept of our sequence was a mum visiting her son in prison, they have a disagreement and the son storms out. Before we started filming we planned out what the order of the scenes and shots were, so we could be well prepared for filming. We decided to film this in the canteen because it had the best setting for showing a prison visiting room. All we needed to do was organise some of the tables and chairs, and add extras in the backround- Some of our friends were in the canteen at the time so we asked them to act as other prisoners being visited, and this really helped to establish the setting and make it more realistic. However, the disadvantage of working in the canteen was that it was hard to control the level of backround noise, and make sure we could be heard above it. This was quite stressfull because we didn't know how the sound would come out on film. Overall though, I really enjoyed this task and bringing our concept to life. At the same time, I'm learning more about using the camera and the different shots etc we can use for different effects.

First filming task !

Our first filming task was to create a short sequence in groups of 3, of a journey of any kind, on the school premises. I really enjoyed this because it allowed me to familiarise myself with the camera and tripod and it was fun creating our first piece of film, and incorporating some of the shots we learnt about.

Me, Hiba and Ishmail worked together and showed a journey from the new building into the canteen. We began by using a close-up, low angle shot to film Ishmail's feet as he walked up the stairs, which we achieved by holding the camera on the floor facing upwards. As Ishmail walked up, we zoomed out to show a long shot of the staircase. We then had a two shot as he reached the top of the stairs and greets somebody. Hiba then took Ishmail's place, and we also had a close up of Hiba's hand as she pressed the button for the lift, and then a long shot as she entered it. Ishmail then shot the lift as it opened downstairs and he used panning (from the floor, up) to reveal me and hiba in the lift. The final part was an over the shoulder shot which I did as I walked down the stairs and into the canteen. We did this to capture the real environment in the school, however the disadvantage was, some students reacted to the camera (waving etc).

Overall, the task was a great way of learning how to use the camera, and practising puting our creative ideas onto film, so I'm looking forward to filming again in other lessons.

Analysing 'Memento'

We also analysed 'Memento' (2002), directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Guy Pearce.
It's about a man, suffering from short-term memory loss who uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife

The titles in the opening sequence are blue writing on a black backround, which builds a cold atmosphere. There is a close up on a photo for a long time, which is unusual, so it highlights the importance of the photo and builds suspense. I really liked the convention of the sequence-going backwards in time up to the moment of the murder, which was a creative and unpredictable.

There were both diegetic and non-diegetic sounds; diegetic being the shaking of the photo and the keys, and non- diegetic being the suspense- building music. The lighting was dim, which created a dark mood, and the black and white scenes suggested the man was in a confused state of mind- black and white is usually associated with a negative mood.

Analysing 'Seven'

In class we analysed the opening sequence of the crime thriller film- 'Seven' (1995)
It was directed by David Fincher and stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow,
and is about two detectives hunting for a serial killer, who's murders are based on the Seven Deadly Sins.

The opening sequence contained various shot types, for example the close up on Morgan Freeman's tie, which gives an impression about who he is; a tie suggests the formality of a detective. There is also alot of panning, for example of the body and of the detectives face. This builds interest because it makes us want to see what is going to be revealed to us. Furthermore, the use of tracking is also effective because it makes us feel like part of the scene and involved.

It doesn't seem like a typical thriller opening, because there's not a lot of suspense built; it's more naturalistic. The sounds are non-diegetic, and it's always raining, which creates a dull mood and so does the dim lighting. The rain can also symbolise the washing away of evidence. Objects are very neatly placed in the detectives room, which suggests good organisation and that he takes his job very seriously.

Thriller research

One of the things I was interested in looking into, was what separates a Thriller film from a Horror film, because I wasn't sure of the difference. I learnt that Thrillers and Horrors both create a thrill but in dififferent ways. Horrors tend to focus on one main villian and contain very graphic scenes of violence, gore, blood etc, which scares/ disgusts the audience; it's not left to the imagination. However, Thrillers are more about creating excitement more on a psychological level; from suspenseful situations and pursuits which keep the audience thinking and interested, because the answers are less obvious.


SUB- GENRES
The first thing I found out is that Thriller is a really broad genre of film, since there are so many sub-genres branching from it;

• Action Thriller
• Conspiracy Thriler
• Crime Thriller
• Disaster Thriller
• Drama Thriller
• Eco- Thriller
• Erotic Thriller
• Legal Thriler
• Medical Thriller
• Political Thriller
• Psychological Thriller
• Spy Thriller
• Supernatural Thriller
• Techno Thriller
• Religious Thiller

It can be difficult to put Thriller films into a particular category because most tend to have overlapping sub-genres, and elements of horror, conspiracy and psychological tricks in order to build as much tension as possible.

Intro to THRILLERS

Our production brief is to create the opening of a thriller film. In our first lesson with Hannah, we talked about what we think Thrillers actually are and what we associate with them. So we brainstormed and this is what we came up with...

➢ SUPERNATURAL
➢ SUSPENSE
➢ DARK LIGHTING
➢ TENSE ATMOSPHERE
➢ PLOT TWISTS
➢ JUMPY MUSIC
➢ UNUSUAL ANGLE SHOTS
➢ P.O.V VILLIAN
➢ SLOW REVEALING PLOT
➢ PUZZLE
➢ FAST PACED CAMERA WORK
➢ NATURALISTIC
➢ REALISM
➢ DIFFERENT HYBRIDS/ SUB-GENRE

Intro to camera shots, angles, movements

Our first lesson was an introduction to camera shots, angles and movements. We were given the task of researching them and finding examples of them. The following are a few of these...

Extreme long Shot

Point of view shot

Over the shoulder shot

Birds eye

Low Angle

Eye Level