Pre-lim task

Pre-Lim Task

For our preliminary task we had to shoot a short scene of someone walking down a corridor, through a door, sitting down and exchanging a few lines of dialogue. The aim of the task was a) to have perfect continuity and a seamless clip, and b) develop good understanding of the equipment and get used to using it.

In our groups we began talking about some ideas that we could use in our scenes. We knew it didn’t have to be a literary masterpiece, but we did want to have some sense of narrative, and also keep with the theme of Thriller. I suppose at first we were slightly ambitious and began talking quite enthusiastically about all the different shots we could use, however when we started to think how we could actually shoot it, it became clear that we should keep it simple. We thought that less is more, especially when we are not that experienced with the equipment.

We came up with a very simple scene, and began drawing out a story board. We decided on these shots:
1. Long shot from behind of someone walking down the hall
2. Tracking shot from the right not showing the persons face
3. Close up on the persons hand on the door
4. Person coming through the door from the other side
5. Person comes into a two shot and sits on a chair
6. Shot reverse shot with dialogue
7. Close ups of expressions
8. Mid shot of person walking out

Luckily, I had used the equipment before for my GCSE trailer so I had a lot of experience working with the cameras and tripod. However, there are new HD cameras since last year, which weren’t very different in regards to controlling them, but I did feel like they were much more valuable and therefore was a little scared to handle them at the beginning. I didn’t find it difficult to actually film the scene as I have done filming before and am quite confident with it. We took the shot at least three times each to guarantee to give us more of a chance of one of them being right. At the time we thought we were taking special care about continuity, but looking back I think we could have been a lot more vigilant about it just to make sure everything was seamless and nothing looked odd.

The filming of our pre-lim was successful. There were some things we had to adapt to, for instance the place in school where we wanted to film was busy so we had to change the shots slightly. Luckily our shots weren’t very complex, however, you would need to be prepared for something like that to happen on a larger scale when things aren’t so changeable. Another thing we had to deal with was the lighting. It was a lot darker than we expected but from the viewfinder it didn’t look too bad, and maybe even contributed to the narrative and mood. Also we can treat the footage on Final Cut to make it slightly lighter if needs be. Another thing we hadn’t thought about was the fact that other people actually use the corridors. A few times our scene was interrupted which wasn’t really a problem as we could shoot again, but I think we were a bit of a blockage in the corridors that people did not appreciate.

I think we stuck to our story board very well and filmed all of the shots in it, while also adding some more. I think this was a good thing because if you are prepared with all your shot written down or drawn exactly how you want them, and you can stick to it, the shoot will be a lot smoother and it also allows more artistic licence when it comes to filming.

The Godfather - Horse head scene analysis

The Godfather – Horse head scene analysis

   The scene opens with a chilling serenity. The sun is rising, the big house is empty and the birdsong clashes with the sinister music. The audience has a sense of confusion and expectancy, we are waiting for something to happen. The shots of the house and the sleeping person makes us think and we question what is going on. Nothing is explained.

  Two main themes we identify in this scene are violence and punishment. The way Mr Woltz is portrayed suggests to the audience that he is not a nice man, and we draw this from his incredible wealth, and the fact that he sleeps alone and has no one to share it with. From this we conclude that what is done to him is a punishment. And we know that those who punished have a violent ruthless nature, from the extremity of the punishment. Other themes are Italy and rivalry. The Italian music is a giveaway, to those who haven’t seen the whole film, that the story may be based in or about Italian culture, and the severed horses head suggests mafia involvement.

  Woltzs’ character is hard to analyse in this short scene as we don’t see much of his action. However, from what we are told, we get the sense that he is a materialistic money obsessed man. He has an obscenely big house, which, from what we can tell, he doesn’t share, based on the fact he sleeps alone. We draw from this the fact he is a cold hearted business man.

  In regards to sound, music is the main factor. The scene opens with sinister Italian sounding music, along with birds chirping which clashes and creates a sense of dark serenity and a mood of expectancy. The birdsong sets the scene, we know its morning. The music changes when we first see Woltzs’ figure in bed, which changes the atmosphere to that of suspense. The music builds and becomes louder and more layered as the camera zooms in on Woltz, and also as we get nearer to finding out what is in his bed. This creates panic. The music stops abruptly as the horses head is revealed so that we can hear Woltzs’ cry.

  The scene opens with an establishing shot of our subject’s house, to set the scene and inform us of his financial situation. It pans to show the extremity of the house, then zooms in on our subject. We are now in the house focusing on Woltz and zoom into him from above, creating tension, and lets us know something bad is about to happen to him, as he is in a vulnerable position. As Woltz discovers he is covered in blood he pushes his sheets further down and the audience see this through a tracking shot which reveals the image to us as Woltz would be discovering it. The last shot of the clip is extremely long, straight on at his house to show how far his screams are travelling. 

I Am Legend analysis

I Am Legend – Opening scene analysis

   The opening sequence of I Am Legend encompasses a number of sinister themes, for example, Isolation. In our first taste of action, we see from a birds-eye shot, a miniscule car travelling through this colossal city. Immediately we indentify the theme of suffocating isolation, being separated and cut off from human communication, which links with the similar theme of loneliness. We are shown just how lonely he is as his only company is a dog, and the animals around the city have more relationships than he does. Apocalypse and the breakdown of civilization are also strong themes. The film is set in New York City, which is thought of as one of the ‘centres of the world’, and this setting accentuates and exaggerates the fact that it is now desolate and uninhabited, as it is usually rife with people. The city has been taken over by nature, with plants growing up sky scrapers and animals running free through the city. This shows the theme of civilization as we know it breaking down, or reverting to its original form when it was unspoilt by man. The ‘God still loves us – but do we still care?’ poster, is a brilliant example of this theme. However, the main theme running through the opening scene, is that of the unknown. All we are told is that New York is barren of human existence except for one man. Wild animals are running free, and the man has to hunt them for his food. An alarm goes off and the man has to go. But we don’t know anything else.

  

  Will Smiths character is the hero of the story. At first we see him driving through a deserted city with a gun, and could assume that he is the baddie, however the fact he has a dog softens his character and makes him the good guy. His character wears a leather jacket which is strong iconography for a mysterious or slightly darker or 'cooler' character.  He is edgy, his mannerisms are jerky and alert and he has shifty eyes. Through this we get the feeling that he knows there are things he needs to look out for, and also makes us uneasy as we don’t know what is coming. He’s experienced; the way he drives so precariously suggests that he knows the roads, and he knows that he’s not at risk of hitting another car. Neither he nor his dog seem particularly fazed by the wild animals on the contrary it appears they went out looking for them. Both he and his dog seem to be well trained to the situation, which implies that they have been there long enough to get used to it. He’s a desperate survivor; he has taken the measures to ensure that he and his dog can survive in these conditions, however you can see the desperation in his face when he doesn’t manage to kill the deer.

  The scene opens with diegetic birdsong and animal noises. These natural sounds create an oxymoron and a sense of misplacement with the setting of New York City. There are strong winds, the empty swirly kind that sounds as though it could be a plane which creates a sense of loneliness and abandonment. The car interrupts the natural sounds crudely which reinforces the idea that man and technology destroyed earth in its purest form. The screeching tyres of the car keeps the audience alert and on their toes, enforcing a tone of suspense. When we first see the deer, it introduces itself with a frightened squawk, making the audience jump and a high suspense chase begins. Again reinforcing the previous said idea of technology versus nature, is the contrast of the car tyres and the deer hooves, which make up the chase sounds. When the scene shifts to Will Smith walking through the grass, we immediately identify the sound of footsteps. Footsteps always create suspense, much like the non-deigetic heartbeat often used in Thrillers. Footsteps accentuate the movement, and the emphasis on them makes the audience more alert and apprehensive. In this case they also stress the fact that he is the only person in the city. The sound of the lion breaking the deer’s neck is so striking and tells the viewer just how real the situation is that Will Smith’s character is in.

  The function of the opening establishing shot is to demonstrate and emphasise the emptiness of the city. There are a number of pans up and down buildings and of deserted streets for the same purpose. The extreme long bird’s eye shot is to show how small the car is compared to the city, and demonstrate the theme of loneliness. During the deer chase there are point of view shots which lets us feel the action from the characters perspective, as if we are in the film, which is much like computer gaming. The edit is fast and jumpy, adding to this effect.

Conventions for Thrillers

  Conventions for Thrillers

In class today we talked about how different Genres of film have different qualities or ‘conventions’ that create that specific type of film. We discussed what conventions Thrillers have and came up with the following: 

•  Mood – tension, suspense, serious, thrilling, excitement, anticipation, anxiety.
• Narrative – climax(es), cliff-hangers, not necessarily happy endings but sometimes ‘resolves’.
• Characters – goodie/baddie/damsel/idiot that gets in the way/’helpers.
• Music – the type that makes you say ‘no not that way!’, screechy violins.
• Location – urban areas, buildings with lots of corridors to get lost in.
• Plot – “If the genre is to be defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that relentlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspecting or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces - the menace is sometimes abstract or shadowy.” - http://www.filmsite.org/thrillerfilms.html