19th December 2015- All cast meet at filming location with all equipment.
Filming started 11.16pm
Filming ended 1.48am
Sunday 6 March 2016
Thriller title reveiw
I decided to ask some people there opinion on the name we gave our thriller which was 'Psycho Sunday'. I asked two people on there opinion to see if it was the right choice.
Louise Hill: "I think the title Psycho Sunday really does suit this type of short film as the character in it is clearly a psycho and is blatantly wrong in the head. The word 'Sunday' suggests that its just another normal day but yet the character is still going on to try and kill people"
Adam Irwin: "I like the concept of the title and feel that it really does suit this type of film since it is a thriller. But when I first heard the name I thought it was a horror which it clearly is not"
Louise Hill: "I think the title Psycho Sunday really does suit this type of short film as the character in it is clearly a psycho and is blatantly wrong in the head. The word 'Sunday' suggests that its just another normal day but yet the character is still going on to try and kill people"
Adam Irwin: "I like the concept of the title and feel that it really does suit this type of film since it is a thriller. But when I first heard the name I thought it was a horror which it clearly is not"
Costume
Question 7
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Thursday 11 February 2016
Tuesday 9 February 2016
Question 1
- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I have selected some scenes from our final edit of our thriller which incorporates, develops and challenges the typical forms and conventions of a thriller film. These clips mainly show how we’ve used form and conventions of a thriller as we did not want to change or try and develop the typical nature of thriller as we thought that these conventions were kind of set in stone and they weren’t really there for us to change. However once or twice during our clip we did slightly tweak the codes of a thriller.
I have selected some scenes from our final edit of our thriller which incorporates, develops and challenges the typical forms and conventions of a thriller film. These clips mainly show how we’ve used form and conventions of a thriller as we did not want to change or try and develop the typical nature of thriller as we thought that these conventions were kind of set in stone and they weren’t really there for us to change. However once or twice during our clip we did slightly tweak the codes of a thriller.
First Scene:
At the start of the film we didn’t wanted to show the
antagonists face as we wanted him to come across as mysterious and disturbed.
Just like a thriller should we thought it would create a lot of tension and
suspense and keep the audience on edge so we had to cut out our characters face
in every shot just to keep that air of mysteriousness there. This is probably
quite typical of a thriller so we used forms and conventions of a thriller
rather than changing them or developing them. This was because the antagonist
is probably the biggest part of the film so it definitely needed to follow the
codes of a thriller.
Not showing the antagonists face really incorporates the
generic conventions of a thriller and leaves the audience asking questions
about who this character is and what his plot is and where he is and what is he
going to do. The close up panning shots allow us to examine the character and
his surroundings. We decided not to show his face the whole way through the so
it does keep the antagonists mysteriousness and continues to make you think
that he is disturbed and that he is up to something.
Second Scene:
Up until the antagonist hits play on the music player we
decided to use some typical, eerie, non-diegetic thriller music as we thought
it was definitely fitting for the character and the setting of the film since
it is a thriller and is meant build tension and suspense. I think this is quite
typical of thrillers as you usually do hear this type of music in a thriller as
it is quite fitting and does set a scene and sets it up for the rest of the
film so we did not try to challenge or change any typical thriller conventions.
The music gradually gets louder and louder up until the
antagonist hits play on the music player when suddenly some really upbeat and
happy music kicks in. We decided to do this as it does make it just a little
bit more creepy and weird since the music was quite absurd and it wasn’t really
a tune someone would just casually listen too as it would be considered as
different and a bit weird so we thought if we used a completely contrasting
song it would be considered by our audience as a bit unfamiliar to the usual,
typical thriller genre.
Third Scene:
I have selected this particular scene to
discuss about how we have incorperated the generic thriller conventions. In and around this scene you will see our character get up and get on with his regular morning routine andacts as if there is nothing suspicous going even though there clearly is. Now this is rather typical of a thriller as you do often see at the start of these kind of films the antagonist waking up and getting on with there morning routine which could involve brushing there teeth and having brreakfast, just like our antagonist does in our film. Since it was the start of the film we didnt really want to try and challenge or change the typical, generic conventions of a thriller becasue we wanted to try and grab the audiences attention right from the first scene and by using these particular conventions we thought it was the best way to grab their attention.
Question 5
How did you attract/address your audience?
We could have done multiple different things to try and attract a certain audience. These things would possibly be through the conventions of the film and the way we filmed and directed the opening scene would have shaped how enticed our audience. Our audience could of been attracted too via the things we aimed for such as a specific target audience.
Since our desired target audience was teenagers/young adults we based everything we did in the film around that. So firstly one thing we did that we thought would attract and audience was that we had an enticing and gripping narrative. This would bring in an audience of thrill seekers and people that are hungry for some suspense. The plot was based on making a normal, every day teenager seem like a complete simpleton but then to spin it around and you to find out that he is a psychotic killer which really turns the film on its head and keeps the audience guessing.
Another thing we did that grasps a certain target audience was make the main antagonist male. Which we thought would address the film more towards men as they can put it into perspective and really relate to what is going on the screen. Even though we didn't want to have a specific gender typed audience, but because both of our characters are male it does kind of lean towards more of a male audience even though we didn't intend it too. Also since the actual genre of the film is quite violent and potentially gory, stereotypically this could attract more men to our film rather than women since typically women are into rom-coms and films that involve romance whereas with a man they typically tend to go for thrillers and horrors with a lot violence and blood.
Here I have summarised my audience feedback:
We could have done multiple different things to try and attract a certain audience. These things would possibly be through the conventions of the film and the way we filmed and directed the opening scene would have shaped how enticed our audience. Our audience could of been attracted too via the things we aimed for such as a specific target audience.
Since our desired target audience was teenagers/young adults we based everything we did in the film around that. So firstly one thing we did that we thought would attract and audience was that we had an enticing and gripping narrative. This would bring in an audience of thrill seekers and people that are hungry for some suspense. The plot was based on making a normal, every day teenager seem like a complete simpleton but then to spin it around and you to find out that he is a psychotic killer which really turns the film on its head and keeps the audience guessing.
Another thing we did that grasps a certain target audience was make the main antagonist male. Which we thought would address the film more towards men as they can put it into perspective and really relate to what is going on the screen. Even though we didn't want to have a specific gender typed audience, but because both of our characters are male it does kind of lean towards more of a male audience even though we didn't intend it too. Also since the actual genre of the film is quite violent and potentially gory, stereotypically this could attract more men to our film rather than women since typically women are into rom-coms and films that involve romance whereas with a man they typically tend to go for thrillers and horrors with a lot violence and blood.
Here I have summarised my audience feedback:
Sunday 7 February 2016
Question 4
-Who would the audience of your media product be?
My media product, psycho Sundays, is mainly aimed at teenagers/young adults. This is our primary target audience however our secondary audience it adults but mainly we believe teenagers will want to watch our film. Films similar to ours like Kingsman and Maze Runner use the same conventions as ours and they are, like ours, very stereotypically alike. All three films use a teenage male antagonist. These films seemed to use a character that is a similar age to the target audience of the film, which is what we tried to do so we made our antagonist a teenager since that is the audience we would like our product to appeal too. Also we thought that because or characters were all quite young and of a similar age to our viewers, we thought that as the film went on the audience would gain a connection and would find common ground with our characters which would make our audience sympathise more and it would be more of an emotional rollercoaster if our film was like this which is what a thriller should be like.
In regards to gender we didn't have one main sex we were aiming at whilst making the film, but since our character is male and wear male clothes and does stereotypical male things we thought that a male audience would probably enjoy it more than a female audience. But we did not have a certain gender in mind whilst creating the film. However with both actors being both male it may draw in a female audience potentially based of looks and attraction towards the opposite sex.
Again regarding the ethnicity of our audience we did not have a particular ethnic group in mind as we would like the film to be relatable and enjoyable for anyone. But since our characters are both white and British then maybe an audience of the same ethnicity is more likely to go and watch this film since it would make it easier to relate to the film and easier to put themselves in the antagonists shoes.
My media product, psycho Sundays, is mainly aimed at teenagers/young adults. This is our primary target audience however our secondary audience it adults but mainly we believe teenagers will want to watch our film. Films similar to ours like Kingsman and Maze Runner use the same conventions as ours and they are, like ours, very stereotypically alike. All three films use a teenage male antagonist. These films seemed to use a character that is a similar age to the target audience of the film, which is what we tried to do so we made our antagonist a teenager since that is the audience we would like our product to appeal too. Also we thought that because or characters were all quite young and of a similar age to our viewers, we thought that as the film went on the audience would gain a connection and would find common ground with our characters which would make our audience sympathise more and it would be more of an emotional rollercoaster if our film was like this which is what a thriller should be like.
In regards to gender we didn't have one main sex we were aiming at whilst making the film, but since our character is male and wear male clothes and does stereotypical male things we thought that a male audience would probably enjoy it more than a female audience. But we did not have a certain gender in mind whilst creating the film. However with both actors being both male it may draw in a female audience potentially based of looks and attraction towards the opposite sex.
Again regarding the ethnicity of our audience we did not have a particular ethnic group in mind as we would like the film to be relatable and enjoyable for anyone. But since our characters are both white and British then maybe an audience of the same ethnicity is more likely to go and watch this film since it would make it easier to relate to the film and easier to put themselves in the antagonists shoes.
Question 3
-What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
If we were going to choose any existing film distributing company then we would definitely go for one that has already distributed similar types of films to ours and one that has an interest in our film. This is because, obviously we want experience when it comes to marketing our product and if this company has past experiences with similar successful films then there going to know what there doing so our film would be in good hands.
After Sam and I did some research we decided that a good distributing company for us would be Vertigo Films Distributions. I think this would suit us as Vertigo Films have previously took low budget films and distributed them really well. Also they have unearthed hidden gems within the film making industry and have discovered a lot of talent whether that be exceptional actors and directors or low budget film makers.
Some films that Vertigo Films have distributed are Point Blank and A Night in the Woods. This could very much be considered as similar to our film as they use a lot of conventions of a thriller and have a flutter of violence and horror in them. A Night in the Woods could defiantly be similar to ours as they were also a very low budget film, with low budget lighting and low end cameras, but with that being said Vertigo Film haver distributed them really well and made them quite successful which is why we think that they will do good things with our film.
Modern Technology has allowed us as an audience to consume films through multiple different services. For example Netflix is extremely popular which allows to watch hundreds of films and TV shows for set monthly price. Amazon Prime and YouTube also being two other ways we can watch films and videos. Distribution of films can be helped through advertising on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many more. Since there are so many people using these sites it is very easy for your film to get out there and get popular.
If we were going to choose any existing film distributing company then we would definitely go for one that has already distributed similar types of films to ours and one that has an interest in our film. This is because, obviously we want experience when it comes to marketing our product and if this company has past experiences with similar successful films then there going to know what there doing so our film would be in good hands.
After Sam and I did some research we decided that a good distributing company for us would be Vertigo Films Distributions. I think this would suit us as Vertigo Films have previously took low budget films and distributed them really well. Also they have unearthed hidden gems within the film making industry and have discovered a lot of talent whether that be exceptional actors and directors or low budget film makers.
Some films that Vertigo Films have distributed are Point Blank and A Night in the Woods. This could very much be considered as similar to our film as they use a lot of conventions of a thriller and have a flutter of violence and horror in them. A Night in the Woods could defiantly be similar to ours as they were also a very low budget film, with low budget lighting and low end cameras, but with that being said Vertigo Film haver distributed them really well and made them quite successful which is why we think that they will do good things with our film.
Modern Technology has allowed us as an audience to consume films through multiple different services. For example Netflix is extremely popular which allows to watch hundreds of films and TV shows for set monthly price. Amazon Prime and YouTube also being two other ways we can watch films and videos. Distribution of films can be helped through advertising on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and many more. Since there are so many people using these sites it is very easy for your film to get out there and get popular.
Question 2
-How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our main antagonist was made out to be a scary and psychotic killer. He was mainly inspired by the serial killer Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. Our character, much like Jason Voorhees, is implied as being very powerful and strong, and uses those attributes to full effect by capturing his victims and is made out that he is almost capable of doing anything to them. We wanted our characters costume to come across as very plain and simple and on that would imitate a typical, modern day, sluggish teenager as no one would expect what hes doing which creates good tension and mystery. We went with the typical joggers and t shirt look which made our character look like the average teenage that had just gotten out of bed and beings to proceed with his morning routine before entering his garage to choose a weapon of his choice.
Its is very typical of the teenagers of today as wearing just simple joggers and a t shirt and this is the image we wanted to created. We wanted the image of the character to contrast with the nature of his whereabouts. Since the character is dressed as a teenager and look no older than 17 we thought this may aim our thriller more towards the teenage audience as in my opinion it is usually that type of audience that watch thrillers.
Another representation of a teenager is when our character goes into his kitchen to pour himself a bowl of cereal. Typically teenagers and kids are known for eating sugary foods and foods that are very easy to prepare because they are stereotypically known for being lazy. So we thought if our character ate a simple sugary food like cereal then it would add to the normalness of the character and keep his contrasting nature hidden. Also teenagers are known for being a bit unhygienic, but we go against that as our character goes to brush there teeth before going downstairs. Again this was to add to the normal nature of our character right up until he goes into the garage.
Our main antagonist was made out to be a scary and psychotic killer. He was mainly inspired by the serial killer Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. Our character, much like Jason Voorhees, is implied as being very powerful and strong, and uses those attributes to full effect by capturing his victims and is made out that he is almost capable of doing anything to them. We wanted our characters costume to come across as very plain and simple and on that would imitate a typical, modern day, sluggish teenager as no one would expect what hes doing which creates good tension and mystery. We went with the typical joggers and t shirt look which made our character look like the average teenage that had just gotten out of bed and beings to proceed with his morning routine before entering his garage to choose a weapon of his choice.
Its is very typical of the teenagers of today as wearing just simple joggers and a t shirt and this is the image we wanted to created. We wanted the image of the character to contrast with the nature of his whereabouts. Since the character is dressed as a teenager and look no older than 17 we thought this may aim our thriller more towards the teenage audience as in my opinion it is usually that type of audience that watch thrillers.
Another representation of a teenager is when our character goes into his kitchen to pour himself a bowl of cereal. Typically teenagers and kids are known for eating sugary foods and foods that are very easy to prepare because they are stereotypically known for being lazy. So we thought if our character ate a simple sugary food like cereal then it would add to the normalness of the character and keep his contrasting nature hidden. Also teenagers are known for being a bit unhygienic, but we go against that as our character goes to brush there teeth before going downstairs. Again this was to add to the normal nature of our character right up until he goes into the garage.
Tuesday 2 February 2016
Thursday 28 January 2016
Tuesday 19 January 2016
Editing
Once we had edited all the footage and polished up how Sam and I wanted it, we then asked our teacher for some input and some guidance on how we could improve. She gave us some points we could easily improve on and we decided to act upon them. Also our thriller was just slightly over the required time limit so we needed miss to help us out with cutting down just a little bit more and she showed us where we could cut it down even more so we could narrow down the length of the scene. Whilst miss was giving us some pointers Sam wrote down on some paper the things she was telling us to chop and change and put down the exact time that the change was due to be made. Another thought our teacher made was to add some strobe effect on our intro where the camera pans across the street and to make it a bit more interesting Miss thought it was a good idea to add some strobes which could potentially foreshadow what was going to happen in the rest of the opening sequence.
Editing
On the second time of editing we had previously put the clips in the right order and slowly we got the hang of the software so we began to crop our clips. This I quite a tedious task as we had to crop every clip and then move it back into place and we had to frame perfect when we were cropping just incase we cropped out too much, but even sometimes we cropped out too little so we had to go back to it then move everything about again. Once the clips were cropped to correct sizes we wanted them to be we then started to add various different transitions so that the gap from scene to scene wasn't just a cut shot so it made the scenes flow better. This also allowed to us crop the footage down a bit more as we had to be under a certain time limit. After a while cropping and cutting became quite an easy task so we soon got through it all.
Editing
Once we had all our un edited clips in the right order we then had to edit them. This meant that was had to cut down all our footage and add any effects or transitions or anything like that. We had to get all the footage condensed down under two and a half minutes and since all our unedited footage reached 7 minutes this was obviously going to be a potential problem. Since this was our first time editing we didn't really have an advanced understanding on how to use the software and we were rushed for time also so we didn't actually get much done in our first editing session but it did set us well for when we came back to it after the Christmas holiday.
Sunday 17 January 2016
First Draft
Obviously because this is not the finished article. We took all the raw footage we filmed at threw it into the software and just left it without any editing so as you can see there are lots of parts we need to cut out and things we need to chop and change. Also the sound needs to change as you can very clearly hear the wind in the first shot which is not what we want. After this Sam and I will get onto the software and start playing around with it and trying to come up with a good thriller opening sequence from these shots we filmed.
Logo
Sam and I thought we should come up with a logo to put at the beginning of the thriller so viewers would know what 'fake' company produced the short film. We just quickly came up with a name and then used google to find some images we could use on photo shop
to create a logo. We thought this was just a fun and creative way to open the thriller as that's what real films do. Here is the logo image...
Shot Plan
Today Sam and I decided to come up with some camera shots we could use in our thriller. We chose the shots based upon how much suspense it would create and we also chose specific ones because it meant we could fit in title sequences whilst the thriller was running just like they do in actual films so it meant we could get the running time down to the required 2 minutes. Here are some of our shot plans...
Zoom in - on the radio to add suspense to the scene, possible name of a title.
Over the shoulder shot - these will consist throughout so the main characters face is hidden, this adds a mysterious effect for the clip.
High angle shot - to see the main character sorting through his toolbox for the weapon he wants to use for torture on the kidnapped individual.
Close up - this will be used to show the many tools within their tool box.
Long shot - shows the main character walking down the stairs heading into the kitchen to have breakfast.
Mid shot - this will capture the main character eating breakfast and also brushing his eating, but however it will leave out his eyes and get his mouth.
Two shot - this will feature the main character as well as the kidnapped individual in the same scene, adding a nervous effect for the audience.
Zoom in - on the radio to add suspense to the scene, possible name of a title.
Over the shoulder shot - these will consist throughout so the main characters face is hidden, this adds a mysterious effect for the clip.
High angle shot - to see the main character sorting through his toolbox for the weapon he wants to use for torture on the kidnapped individual.
Close up - this will be used to show the many tools within their tool box.
Long shot - shows the main character walking down the stairs heading into the kitchen to have breakfast.
Mid shot - this will capture the main character eating breakfast and also brushing his eating, but however it will leave out his eyes and get his mouth.
Two shot - this will feature the main character as well as the kidnapped individual in the same scene, adding a nervous effect for the audience.
Research and Planning
After we came up with the initial plan of our film and where we were going to film and what we were going to film and what was going to be in our film, we then had to come up with a story board to tell us exactly what was going to happen whilst we filmed. Its basically instructions to tell us where to film, what's going to happen in each shot and the type of shot we were going to shoot. The storyboard shows our character waking up, going to the bathroom to clean there teeth, walking downstairs and going to the kitchen to eat breakfast, then going out to the garage, then it shows our character going through a tool box to find a weapon to potentially hurt or kill the hostage, then it shows the character holding his chosen weapon. Then after this the screen goes blank and the thriller opening ends.
Risk Assessment
Tuesday 15 December 2015
Title Sequence
Before filming, Sam and I decided to plan a title sequence and decided what titles we would have running over the film. These are:
1) Insanity Entertainment
2) Production studio - Magnet and Steel Productions
3) Directed by - San Miguel
4) Filmed by - San Miguel and Rodge Lawrence
5) Casting by - Kelvin Smith
6) Production designer - Carrie Williams
7) Producer - Tiffany Steel
8) Co-Producer - Tony Magnet
9) Written by - Clint Woods
10) Actor 1 - Nathan Hill
11) Actor 2 - Sam Nyilasi
12) Movie Title - Psycho Sundays
1) Insanity Entertainment
2) Production studio - Magnet and Steel Productions
3) Directed by - San Miguel
4) Filmed by - San Miguel and Rodge Lawrence
5) Casting by - Kelvin Smith
6) Production designer - Carrie Williams
7) Producer - Tiffany Steel
8) Co-Producer - Tony Magnet
9) Written by - Clint Woods
10) Actor 1 - Nathan Hill
11) Actor 2 - Sam Nyilasi
12) Movie Title - Psycho Sundays
Thursday 10 December 2015
Research and Planning
As a group we had to decide the actual main theme of our video and what exactly was the plot of our video. To start off with we started brainstorming lots of different ideas, so we juts through in whatever came to mind and by the end of it we had quite a lot of ideas so we went through them all and prioritised the ones we definitely thought we should do and the ones that were actually do-able with the equipment and resources we had.
Secondly we came up with a narrative as you can see in the picture. basically the narrative is just a general step-to-step plan of what was going to happen in our video. After we had chose all the ideas we were definitely going to include in the final film we had to put them into place in the narrative and come up with a basic story.
Once the general building blocks for our film were in place we had to go into more detail and decide on things like props, actors, location, costume etc... We did this and jotted down all our ideas and chose exactly which ones we were going to use during film. Since our general theme was about creating mystery and suspense, all these factors had to be along the similar trend so we took all that into account and finished off all our planning.
Secondly we came up with a narrative as you can see in the picture. basically the narrative is just a general step-to-step plan of what was going to happen in our video. After we had chose all the ideas we were definitely going to include in the final film we had to put them into place in the narrative and come up with a basic story.
Once the general building blocks for our film were in place we had to go into more detail and decide on things like props, actors, location, costume etc... We did this and jotted down all our ideas and chose exactly which ones we were going to use during film. Since our general theme was about creating mystery and suspense, all these factors had to be along the similar trend so we took all that into account and finished off all our planning.
Evaluation
I thought there were many strengths and weakness' we faced when making this preliminary task. Firstly the weakness' were that everything was limited, for instance the props were limited as it was during school hours and there weren't too many props we could use from school. There was limited costumes so we had to make do with the clothes that we had came to sixth form in that day. Also the locations were extremely limited as there was only one place we wanted to film in the whole school and the majority of the time that room was being used by another group. Another problem we faced was the camera. For some reason the majority of our shots were quite blurry which obviously affected the overall film because some of it was blurry and faded. Also we had quite a lot of background noise in our film which was quite annoying as there was no way we could get rid of it.
However we did have many positives. Our group did manage to get a lot of different and good camera angles, this gave us a lot of variation to the film and final edit did look very professional and original. Another positive was that we got our lighting right, all the lights we had in the room had to be placed correctly and had to be the right strength and in my opinion I think we got it spot on.
However we did have many positives. Our group did manage to get a lot of different and good camera angles, this gave us a lot of variation to the film and final edit did look very professional and original. Another positive was that we got our lighting right, all the lights we had in the room had to be placed correctly and had to be the right strength and in my opinion I think we got it spot on.
Thursday 26 November 2015
Editing
Once we had filmed all the scenes for the Prelim task our group then had to edit our scenes. Firslty we had to get up the editing software, this was called 'Adobe Premier Pro' and we uploaded all the clips on to it. Once this was done we then had to sort through the good and bad clips and put them in the correct order and cut certain parts so it all looked smooth and chronological. After they were all in the right order we then had to add all the transitions and the right effects to make the video look proffesional and smooth. We played around wiht lots of different effects and transitions to try and get the best overall possible, fortunatley I think we got the best result possible given the little time we had to film it and edit it. Afterwards we had to find some non copyrighted music and sound effects to add to the video that would be put in at certain parts. Overall I beleive that I have generally gotten the grasp of editing so when it comes to the real thing I think I should be able to cope with it all very well.
Sunday 22 November 2015
Filming
After we had planned out how we wanted everything, we then had to move onto filming. However at the time the room we initially wanted to film in was being used. So instead of waste time and do nothing we went off as a group and found another free room so we could practice exactly what was going to happen in the scene so when it came round to actually filming it we all knew what we were going to do and say. After running through the scene several times the filming room became free so we went into it and set up ready for filming. It took us about 30 minutes to get all of the shots. Luckily for us they were all successful and none of the shots needed re filming. Overall the experience was very enjoyable and sometimes quite funny, I felt I learnt a lot about the filming side of media and all some of the hurdles you may cross when filming.
Planning
To start with on the prelim task, we were split into different groups with people we wouldn't usually work with if we got the choice, this was to see if it bought the best out of us all individually. Regardless of this I thought my group all worked co-operatively and we were all open about ideas and opinions so all together our group worked very well. Our first task as a group was to plan our actual scene, so me and the rest of the group brainstormed ideas and jotted them down onto a storyboard layout. There were six boxes for rough sketches of what was going to happen in the scene and beneath those boxes were spaces to write what was actually going on in the scene, so for instance camera angles, dialogue, sound etc. As a group we decided that we wanted several different camera angles in the scene so the audience got a full feel for where the characters were. We also decided that we wanted low eerie music playing in the background so it created suspense and tension and we wanted the lighting to be very dim, but we wanted to make sure that the characters in the scene were still well lit. However none of these decisions were actually final.
Sunday 8 November 2015
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises Analysis
Mise En Scene: There are multiple soldiers on plane with he hostages, we can tell this from there camouflaged uniform. This tells us that they are of high importance and it creates tension as we do not know who the hostages are but we can infer that they may be dangerous as they have soldiers with bullet proof vests on that need to control everything. Towards the end of the scene, another plane comes into shot, this time it is Banes plane that is controlled by Banes men. His men are also in army gear, with gun and bullet proof vests, this shows that Bane is the more powerful out of the two sides as he has the bigger plane and also the men in army gear with weaponry, ready to take out the other men and their plane, This creates tension and suspense as it makes Bane seem like the more powerful character, especially since he was only just un masked.
Sound: When there in the plane at the beginning the background music is very deep and fast. This creates tension as we would usually relates these kinds of sounds to something bad so it makes it seem as if we are waiting for something to happen. The dialogue in this scene is very threatening so it creates tension because if the hostages we dangerous then the man would not have made the threats towards the hostages, which keeps us watching to see if any of the hostages talks back or get un masked.
Editing: Just before Bane is unmasked there is a sudden cut to where you are face to face with the masked Bane so you don't know who it is yet. This creates tension because we are coming face to face with the person under the mask and because we don't know who it is or what he wants yet, it adds that extra little bit of suspense. There are also quite a few fast paced cuts between people when Banes men drop down from their plane. This creates tension as it quickly building up tension for a big finale where the army men find out what Banes plan is and then makes us realise that they are trouble and are most likely going to die. Leaves us on the edge of our seat.
Camera: There are a lot of over the shoulder shots in this scene. This creates tension especially when the leader of the aircraft is taking the mask off Bane as up until now we do not know who is behind the mask at all and it could be any one. Its clearly going to be someone important though as Bane is singled out and is the only one of the hostages to talk and also the only one to be unamasked.
Mise En Scene: There are multiple soldiers on plane with he hostages, we can tell this from there camouflaged uniform. This tells us that they are of high importance and it creates tension as we do not know who the hostages are but we can infer that they may be dangerous as they have soldiers with bullet proof vests on that need to control everything. Towards the end of the scene, another plane comes into shot, this time it is Banes plane that is controlled by Banes men. His men are also in army gear, with gun and bullet proof vests, this shows that Bane is the more powerful out of the two sides as he has the bigger plane and also the men in army gear with weaponry, ready to take out the other men and their plane, This creates tension and suspense as it makes Bane seem like the more powerful character, especially since he was only just un masked.
Sound: When there in the plane at the beginning the background music is very deep and fast. This creates tension as we would usually relates these kinds of sounds to something bad so it makes it seem as if we are waiting for something to happen. The dialogue in this scene is very threatening so it creates tension because if the hostages we dangerous then the man would not have made the threats towards the hostages, which keeps us watching to see if any of the hostages talks back or get un masked.
Editing: Just before Bane is unmasked there is a sudden cut to where you are face to face with the masked Bane so you don't know who it is yet. This creates tension because we are coming face to face with the person under the mask and because we don't know who it is or what he wants yet, it adds that extra little bit of suspense. There are also quite a few fast paced cuts between people when Banes men drop down from their plane. This creates tension as it quickly building up tension for a big finale where the army men find out what Banes plan is and then makes us realise that they are trouble and are most likely going to die. Leaves us on the edge of our seat.
Camera: There are a lot of over the shoulder shots in this scene. This creates tension especially when the leader of the aircraft is taking the mask off Bane as up until now we do not know who is behind the mask at all and it could be any one. Its clearly going to be someone important though as Bane is singled out and is the only one of the hostages to talk and also the only one to be unamasked.
Inception
Inception analysis
Sound: There are distinct violin sounds at the beginning of the scene which makes it seem scary and tense since there is a lot of violence going on and Di Caprio is being shot at and chased which obviously makes us fear for him and the orchestral sounds only adds to this fear. There are diegetic sounds of the waves crashing into the rocks and gives us a sense of the unknown which creates a lot of tension and makes us worry for the character that has just washed up on the shore as we do not know exactly who he is and we don't know weather he is in danger or not, but for some reason the diegetic tones make us fear the worst for him.
Mise En Scene: The protagonist wakes up and instantly we know he has been washed up on a beach due to the crashing of the waves, and the sand castles that children could have made. At first we still feel at ease as he his only on a beach, there's nothing un pleasant about that, but then we realise the children were just in his mind which makes us start to question where he actually is or who he really is him self and makes us question weather it real life or not.
Camera: There is a close up, over the shoulder shot of a bald man who is talking to his henchman/ servants, (we don't know exactly who they are) it is clear that he is in charge and is the leader as they went to him with the man who was washed up on the shores belongings and personal possessions. This makes it tense as we still don't know who the characters really are and weather the bald man or the character who was washed up, we don't know who is good or bad so it creates that suspense and mystery.
Editing: When the character gets washed up on the shore there is an eye line match, we see the man looking up at something and then it cuts to what appears to be children playing with sand castles. Because we are shown them straight away after the man is looking at them, this could imply that the children are maybe his children and that they have a very close relationship. It could also imply that maybe the children are in danger, or even he is in danger because of the quick cut and eye line match. The children's faces are distorted and we are lead to believe that the children were just a figure of his imagination and that there not really there. When the scene cuts to the Chinese inspired room, it shows us the bald man spinning the spinning top and then uses an insert to show us the spinning top up close and makes us focus on it more. This implies that it may be quite important to the plotline and the story.
Sound: There are distinct violin sounds at the beginning of the scene which makes it seem scary and tense since there is a lot of violence going on and Di Caprio is being shot at and chased which obviously makes us fear for him and the orchestral sounds only adds to this fear. There are diegetic sounds of the waves crashing into the rocks and gives us a sense of the unknown which creates a lot of tension and makes us worry for the character that has just washed up on the shore as we do not know exactly who he is and we don't know weather he is in danger or not, but for some reason the diegetic tones make us fear the worst for him.
Mise En Scene: The protagonist wakes up and instantly we know he has been washed up on a beach due to the crashing of the waves, and the sand castles that children could have made. At first we still feel at ease as he his only on a beach, there's nothing un pleasant about that, but then we realise the children were just in his mind which makes us start to question where he actually is or who he really is him self and makes us question weather it real life or not.
Camera: There is a close up, over the shoulder shot of a bald man who is talking to his henchman/ servants, (we don't know exactly who they are) it is clear that he is in charge and is the leader as they went to him with the man who was washed up on the shores belongings and personal possessions. This makes it tense as we still don't know who the characters really are and weather the bald man or the character who was washed up, we don't know who is good or bad so it creates that suspense and mystery.
Editing: When the character gets washed up on the shore there is an eye line match, we see the man looking up at something and then it cuts to what appears to be children playing with sand castles. Because we are shown them straight away after the man is looking at them, this could imply that the children are maybe his children and that they have a very close relationship. It could also imply that maybe the children are in danger, or even he is in danger because of the quick cut and eye line match. The children's faces are distorted and we are lead to believe that the children were just a figure of his imagination and that there not really there. When the scene cuts to the Chinese inspired room, it shows us the bald man spinning the spinning top and then uses an insert to show us the spinning top up close and makes us focus on it more. This implies that it may be quite important to the plotline and the story.
Lost Highway
Lost Highway analysis
Mise En Scene: Right at the beginning of the scene the first character we see is smoking a cigarette. This may suggest he is quite a stressful person and smokes to relieve stress or that he is rather rebellious. This does create a bit more drama and mystery within the scene as the audience maybe wondering why he is smoking. He also looks like he is waiting for someone right at the beginning so it arises the mysterious question of "who is he waiting for" and it only builds more and more tension. Because he is smoking it does kind of give you the feel that the character is a bit dangerous and mysterious which builds suspense and makes you feel as if something big is about to happen.
Sound: There is very little dialogue in the scene as there is only one line spoken throughout the whole scene and that's when the voice comes through the speaker. This creates a lot tension and suspence and the audicen will want to keep watching because they will want to find out who is speaking through the speaker and what the actual words mean. There is also use of non - diegetic tones, they were loud and eerie and create a lot of tension for the scene and they get louder and louder into a crescendo as the scene went out.
Editing: There are lots of straight cut shots used in this scene. This is to represent the fast pace of the scene which signifies it is a thriller as it is building up into something big. The fast transactions allow tension to build. There is also a log take used as he is walking around the flat, this lets tension build as it is following the action in a long take.
Camera: The first shot in the scene is of a close up of the protagonist smoking a cigarette. This is typical of a thriller as it helps build a lot of tension and sunspence because it makes you think what is around him and whats there that we cant see. The close up allows us to see his anxious and worried expressions on the characters face which also implies that there is something going on that we don't know about yet. Alternatively to this shot we later see mid shots and long shots of the character walking around his apartment. This is affective as we get to see him anxiously walking around, backing up the point that there is something going on that we aren't aware of.
Clip Used - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=cWJOJFob0bE&noredirect=1
Mise En Scene: Right at the beginning of the scene the first character we see is smoking a cigarette. This may suggest he is quite a stressful person and smokes to relieve stress or that he is rather rebellious. This does create a bit more drama and mystery within the scene as the audience maybe wondering why he is smoking. He also looks like he is waiting for someone right at the beginning so it arises the mysterious question of "who is he waiting for" and it only builds more and more tension. Because he is smoking it does kind of give you the feel that the character is a bit dangerous and mysterious which builds suspense and makes you feel as if something big is about to happen.
Sound: There is very little dialogue in the scene as there is only one line spoken throughout the whole scene and that's when the voice comes through the speaker. This creates a lot tension and suspence and the audicen will want to keep watching because they will want to find out who is speaking through the speaker and what the actual words mean. There is also use of non - diegetic tones, they were loud and eerie and create a lot of tension for the scene and they get louder and louder into a crescendo as the scene went out.
Editing: There are lots of straight cut shots used in this scene. This is to represent the fast pace of the scene which signifies it is a thriller as it is building up into something big. The fast transactions allow tension to build. There is also a log take used as he is walking around the flat, this lets tension build as it is following the action in a long take.
Camera: The first shot in the scene is of a close up of the protagonist smoking a cigarette. This is typical of a thriller as it helps build a lot of tension and sunspence because it makes you think what is around him and whats there that we cant see. The close up allows us to see his anxious and worried expressions on the characters face which also implies that there is something going on that we don't know about yet. Alternatively to this shot we later see mid shots and long shots of the character walking around his apartment. This is affective as we get to see him anxiously walking around, backing up the point that there is something going on that we aren't aware of.
Clip Used - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=cWJOJFob0bE&noredirect=1
Black Swan
Opening Credits
The opening titles read:
Fox searchlight pictures presents
In association with
Cross Creek Pictures
A protozoa and phoenix pictures production
BLACK SWAN
The opening titles read:Fox searchlight pictures presents
In association with
Cross Creek Pictures
A protozoa and phoenix pictures production
BLACK SWAN
Mysterious and spooky credits are used in this film during the opening scene. White, bold text is used over a blacked out background. This is used so the attention is drawn upon the writing and credits on screen. But also fits nicely as the film is called "Black Swan" so its that white on black theme (like a swan) that they are going for. This creates a very mysterious and sinister narrative.
Sound
In the beginning clip when the main character is dancing, non diegetic sounds are used. There is a high pitched peaceful string arrangement being used at this moment in the scene, which isn't typical for a thriller and makes the audience wonder why the non-diegetic music isn't sinister, which would be typical of a thriller. However, not so far into the scene a man enters, but the same music continues. Composed over the top is a deep eerie rumble which all of a sudden changes the feel of the narrative to a tense one. We then assume this man to be the antagonist which would be typical for a male antagonist in a thriller with a female protagonist.
Mise en Scene
Regarding the costume, the main character mainly wears white whilst she is dancing. White typically has connotations of being peaceful and elegant, strongly suggesting to the audience that she is the protagonist and isn't presented as evil. However, the man that appears later on during the dance is dressed in all black which is typically an antagonists costume suggesting to us that he maybe the villain of the film. Also, he moves is also very violent and dominant of the female character which matches his costume.
At the very beginning of the film, low key lighting is used to portray the ballet dancer. She is pictured centre of the camera with one beam of light following her, we don't know who she is dancing for or why she is dancing, all the while maintaining that air of uncertainty and eeriness.
Camera
A close up shot of the ballerinas feet is used whilst she is dancing at the beginning of the film. This shows the quick movement of her feet, showcasing her talent for ballet. This could also foreshadow that the film may be quite fast paced and the events could happen rather quickly. Also the fact that the camera is completely focused on her, and that she is centre of the camera the whole time, suggests to us that she could be the focal point of the film and that the narrative will revolve around her.
An extreme close up is also used part way through the film to show the audience a strangely placed scratch on the ballet dancers left shoulder blade. This extreme close up shot is very effective because it shows the details of the scratch, but the audience are made to wonder how this got there and who did it, adding to the mysterious narrative this film has created.
Editing
At the very beginning of the film, low key lighting is used to portray the ballet dancer. She is pictured centre of the camera with one beam of light following her, we don't know who she is dancing for or why she is dancing, all the while maintaining that air of uncertainty and eeriness.
Camera
A close up shot of the ballerinas feet is used whilst she is dancing at the beginning of the film. This shows the quick movement of her feet, showcasing her talent for ballet. This could also foreshadow that the film may be quite fast paced and the events could happen rather quickly. Also the fact that the camera is completely focused on her, and that she is centre of the camera the whole time, suggests to us that she could be the focal point of the film and that the narrative will revolve around her.
An extreme close up is also used part way through the film to show the audience a strangely placed scratch on the ballet dancers left shoulder blade. This extreme close up shot is very effective because it shows the details of the scratch, but the audience are made to wonder how this got there and who did it, adding to the mysterious narrative this film has created.
Editing
Shot reverse shot is used when the ballet dancer and who we assume to be her Mum are exchanging dialogue in their house in the morning, after she has had the twisted dream. This is very effective as it builds tension because the audience don't know what her mother is like or what the relationship between the two characters is like.
Straight cut shots are also used to create the tension between the scene. Straight cuts are used when the ballet dancer is on the train, and she spots another girl. This makes the audience confused as we don't know who the girl is or where they are both going. This adds to the narrative enigma of the film.
Straight cut shots are also used to create the tension between the scene. Straight cuts are used when the ballet dancer is on the train, and she spots another girl. This makes the audience confused as we don't know who the girl is or where they are both going. This adds to the narrative enigma of the film.
Tuesday 20 October 2015
Thriller Conventions
Thriller Conventions
A thriller is not meant to scare an audience, unlike a horror, it is meant to keep the audience on edge and can make the audience relate to the topic and make them think how the event in the thriller could happen to them. The story usually shows a chain of bad events the continue to build tension and suspense for the climax usually at the end of the story which. Suspense often arises when the main character is put in a mysterious, threatening situation. Plots in the thriller often involve the characters coming into conflict with each other which will create suspense and tension.
The conventions of a thriller will usually involve:
- Low key lighting
-Quick cuts
-Shadows
-Tension music
-Changes in the angle of shots
-Digetic sounds (such as breathing sounds)
-Black and White shots
-Montage of shots
-Protagonist is in the mercy of the Antagonist
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