First Scene
The first scene of our film involves a shot of a news reader reporting on the current incidents that are relevant to the rest of our film beginning. The following shows the dialogue and stage directions involved in this scene.
Opens – fades from black to shot of news reader. She sits at a desk, looks up from sheets of paper in front of her on the desk, directly into the camera.
The scene opens halfway through the news readers ‘welcome’ sentence, (Sound fades in synonymously with image)
News reader speaks not frantically, but calmly as she tells the news. Any expression she shows is in her eyes – they suggest disturbance and bewilderment
She wishes to convey to the audience the serious nature of this news piece, she does this with her eyes.
News reader: Good evening and welcome to the six o’clock news.
We have just received reports of an escaped delinquent from Bethlem Royal Hospital. She escaped several hours ago from the ‘secure’ unit, River House.
The institute has requested that we give a severe warning to all of those within a five mile radius of the hospital.
She is identifiable by the limp she carries on her left leg and the regulation white garments she is wearing.
Reports say that she was sectioned after it was found that the treatment she received from her school teacher had left her mentally crippled.
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Troubles we have had whilst filming
Location
We decided that our film location should be at school, as we felt that this would fit with our story.
However, certain aspects of school life has prevented us from filming when it would be easiest for us. During lessons, for example, we have been given time to film and to complete the practical aspects of the course, but the school location has made this difficult for us. When we have stayed after school to do some filming, it has meant also that there have been many interruptions. This includes from cleaners and teachers, who obviously must stay at school after hours also.
Lighting
As we need to shoot our film when it is dark, it means that we cannot film during lesson time, as it is too light. One particular incident included the ceiling lights. We needed to turn off the lights in order to create the right atmosphere for our film, but the cleaners would turn these on. This meant that our filming was delayed considerably.
After filming, we would use lessons to edit our film. It was then that we realised that in the shots we had already captured, there were subtle- but noticeable- differences in the lighting. This is because of the different times we shot the film. In a shot for example, the blue sky was noticeably reflected in a window, yet in the next shot, the darkness outside was clearly vi sable.
Sound
As in our film, there is a lack of dialogue, we decided to use an intense non-diegetic piece of music.
To find an appropriate piece, we listened to many different soundtracks from various horror films. We used YouTube for this. Helpfully, several users of YouTube had uploaded their "top ten horror songs".
Some of these songs had a fast tempo, and were often orchestral, we felt these did not suit our story and so we selected a song that has quite a fast tempo, but has a simpler sound in comparison to the songs used in most popular horror films.
By Abbie and Cat
We decided that our film location should be at school, as we felt that this would fit with our story.
However, certain aspects of school life has prevented us from filming when it would be easiest for us. During lessons, for example, we have been given time to film and to complete the practical aspects of the course, but the school location has made this difficult for us. When we have stayed after school to do some filming, it has meant also that there have been many interruptions. This includes from cleaners and teachers, who obviously must stay at school after hours also.
Lighting
As we need to shoot our film when it is dark, it means that we cannot film during lesson time, as it is too light. One particular incident included the ceiling lights. We needed to turn off the lights in order to create the right atmosphere for our film, but the cleaners would turn these on. This meant that our filming was delayed considerably.
After filming, we would use lessons to edit our film. It was then that we realised that in the shots we had already captured, there were subtle- but noticeable- differences in the lighting. This is because of the different times we shot the film. In a shot for example, the blue sky was noticeably reflected in a window, yet in the next shot, the darkness outside was clearly vi sable.
Sound
As in our film, there is a lack of dialogue, we decided to use an intense non-diegetic piece of music.
To find an appropriate piece, we listened to many different soundtracks from various horror films. We used YouTube for this. Helpfully, several users of YouTube had uploaded their "top ten horror songs".
Some of these songs had a fast tempo, and were often orchestral, we felt these did not suit our story and so we selected a song that has quite a fast tempo, but has a simpler sound in comparison to the songs used in most popular horror films.
By Abbie and Cat
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Genre Conclusion
To conclude our research on what kind of genre we would like to use for our coursework, we have decided to use horror.
We decided horror would be the most appropriate of genres, the reasons for this include:
We decided horror would be the most appropriate of genres, the reasons for this include:
- This genre relies mainly on camera shots and angles, our other choice of a romance film relies heavily on the effective use of dialogue. We feel that by emphasising the use of camera shots and angles we could achieve our full potential in creating a horror film opening.
- The limitations of locations would prevent us from creating an effective Romance, as that genre requires more elaborate scenery. A horror film, on the other hand, typically requires less emphasis on the location of the film, it concentrates more on the feelings that are portrayed in the scenes.
- As we are required to create a 2 minute opening of a film, producing the beginning of a horror film seems more appealing because it would allow us to create a more exciting opening, like the films we have so far researched. From the aforementioned research, it has been possible to conclude that romance films have a tendency to have graduated beginnings. This would not be beneficial to our production, as we must capture the audience within two minutes!
- Generally, horror films rely on the first few minutes in order to capture the audience's attention, whereas the typical romance film may spend the entire sequence drawing in the audience's emotions with the characters.
We feel, therefore, that the horror genre would be highly appropriate for our two minute film opening.
By Cat and Abbie
Thursday, 5 February 2009
The Rush - an evaluation
Although we've had a bit of trouble posting this video, here is our preliminary coursework.
The preliminary coursework exercise required us to make a short film using a simplistic storyline.
The exercise also required Abbie and I to put our newly acquired knowledge into practise. This included camera shots and angles, composition and general rules to be used when filming, the 180 degree rule for example.
Although the difficulties we faced transferring the film from the disk to the Internet meant a long delay in posting the film, this may not have been such a hindrance. It is possible now to look back on the film and evaluate it's strengths and weaknesses with the appropriate knowledge and experience of filming and editing techniques, thus giving perhaps a more well-informed evaluation than may have been possible a few months ago.
After viewing this film again, i have taken note of several points to improve on for the coursework piece we are currently making.
These include:
- Shots used are too short, in terms of time, when they should not be. For example, the over the shoulder(OTS) shot of the girl sending the text message transcends from an OTS to a zoom close-up so quickly that it may discomfort the audience. This should be avoided in order to gain more of a professional film.
- Sound should remain under control. In this film, there is a great deal of unrelated diegetic sound from our fellow media students and other members of the school. This has quite an unprofessional effect on the film, and should be avoided in future!
- Continuity should also be a key element in the production of our current piece of coursework. The lack of continuity in this film, with Abbie's clothing for example, may confuse the audience and is an element of the project that we must take seriously!
- One of the most apparent mistakes in this film is my inadequate camera knowledge. When Abbie walks down the stairs, for example, i zoomed in too quickly, and had to zoom out again. This has an effect of making the entire production look quite amateurish and so i should perhaps gain more experience with the camera equipment!
By Cat Gough
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Sabrina
Sabrina is a classic black and white romance, made in 1954. It stars Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart.
Sabrina begins by fading in to an establishing shot of a mansion house, which sits comfortably upon a hill. This shot is a low angled, long shot. This could be used in order to emphasise the social differences between the two families in the film. Alternatively, this could be used to emphasise that the social status of the occupants is high.
Non-diegetic sound of the character Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) narrates this first scene, creating a fairy tale like atmosphere. This may give clues to the audience concerning the genre of the film. If we do make a romance film, this is something to take note of.
The next few shots are quite quick in succession, of a grand garden, a bay containing several boats floating on a lake, an outdoor and indoor tennis court, the quick succession is used in order to emphasise the scale of the grounds.
Following this is a close-up of a water fountain. The camera zooms into the fountain, in view of the goldfish "George". The camera pans, following the movement of the goldfish, George. This may reflect the way in which the film follows the events in the protagonist's life.
This long succession of shots of the grounds emphasises the wealth of the occupants and the scale of the grounds.
The next shot is of the character Sabrina and her father, washing a grand black car. The camera slowly pans and zooms towards the two characters, allowing their facial expressions to be presented clearly.
Sabrina then becomes sidetracked and wanders off screen, away from her father and the car. The protagonist's absence in this shot creates a sense of mystery, but only for a short time, reflecting the instantaneous style of story.
By Catherine Gough
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Gothika
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0EKJ4cL3LWE
I decided to analyse the film Gothika because Cat and I thought horror might be a good genre to use for our film beginning. Gothika was released in the year 2003, starring Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz.
The beginning of this film is introduced with credits. The background is black and the typography is white with a creepy font. The words fade in and out creating a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere. Backing music is played during these credits, it sounds dark and creepy which suggest the film is a horror.
A woman with a disturbing voice begins to talk, at first you cannot see the speaker so the sound is asynchronous, but then the black background and credits fade to the speakers face. The shot is a close up of the woman speaking, she is looking straight at the camera, as if she is talking to you personally. This makes the audience feel slightly uncomfortable. This particular woman is looking dishevelled and disturbing. She is wearing no make up, her hair is a mess and her eyes look tired. The lighting is dark and dull, adding to the creepy atmosphere.
The camera then cuts to another woman who looks alot more conservative and normal, with her hair neatly tied back, some make up and looks generally more together and clean. The way she looks compared to the mental woman suggests she is of a higher status. Whilst the two characters are having a conversation the camera does a shot-reverse-shot, this means you can see both character's facial expressions and reactions, especially with a close up shot.
The next shot is from outside what looks like a cage, which the characters are sitting in, with a table between them. The cage makes the conversation seem more protected and confined, as if one of the women is harmful. You can see clearly now that the lady is interrogating the other woman because of their overall difference in appearance and the way they are speaking to eachother. There is an over the shoulder shot of the mental woman confessing. The truthfulness of what she is saying and how she is saying it is likely to make the audience feel even more uncomfortable. Throughout these shots the camera is constantly moving from when the camera cuts to the outside of the cage. You can see the normal lady writing on paper, clearly showing she is of some importance and is involved with the police. This introduces her possible job title straight away suggesting that she could be the main character of this film. When the camera shows a two shot of both of them sitting down you can see the normal lady sitting up straight, whereas the mental lady is more slouched. This contrast in levels could suggest who is more important and who has a higher status.
Throughout this scene the dialogue is constantly on the same tone of voice, until the mental woman shouts, creating an element of surprise and maybe making the audience more jumpy. This also creates tension and suspense. Lastly, the normal lady ends the interrogation which shows she has complete control over the situation which, again, shows her higher status.
Abbie Hawkins
I decided to analyse the film Gothika because Cat and I thought horror might be a good genre to use for our film beginning. Gothika was released in the year 2003, starring Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz.
The beginning of this film is introduced with credits. The background is black and the typography is white with a creepy font. The words fade in and out creating a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere. Backing music is played during these credits, it sounds dark and creepy which suggest the film is a horror.
A woman with a disturbing voice begins to talk, at first you cannot see the speaker so the sound is asynchronous, but then the black background and credits fade to the speakers face. The shot is a close up of the woman speaking, she is looking straight at the camera, as if she is talking to you personally. This makes the audience feel slightly uncomfortable. This particular woman is looking dishevelled and disturbing. She is wearing no make up, her hair is a mess and her eyes look tired. The lighting is dark and dull, adding to the creepy atmosphere.
The camera then cuts to another woman who looks alot more conservative and normal, with her hair neatly tied back, some make up and looks generally more together and clean. The way she looks compared to the mental woman suggests she is of a higher status. Whilst the two characters are having a conversation the camera does a shot-reverse-shot, this means you can see both character's facial expressions and reactions, especially with a close up shot.
The next shot is from outside what looks like a cage, which the characters are sitting in, with a table between them. The cage makes the conversation seem more protected and confined, as if one of the women is harmful. You can see clearly now that the lady is interrogating the other woman because of their overall difference in appearance and the way they are speaking to eachother. There is an over the shoulder shot of the mental woman confessing. The truthfulness of what she is saying and how she is saying it is likely to make the audience feel even more uncomfortable. Throughout these shots the camera is constantly moving from when the camera cuts to the outside of the cage. You can see the normal lady writing on paper, clearly showing she is of some importance and is involved with the police. This introduces her possible job title straight away suggesting that she could be the main character of this film. When the camera shows a two shot of both of them sitting down you can see the normal lady sitting up straight, whereas the mental lady is more slouched. This contrast in levels could suggest who is more important and who has a higher status.
Throughout this scene the dialogue is constantly on the same tone of voice, until the mental woman shouts, creating an element of surprise and maybe making the audience more jumpy. This also creates tension and suspense. Lastly, the normal lady ends the interrogation which shows she has complete control over the situation which, again, shows her higher status.
Abbie Hawkins
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Breakfast at Tiffany's
To decipher what film genre Cat and I would like to use for our film beginning, we have decided to analyse the beginning of some romance films and some horror films, as these are our favourite genres so far. I have decided to analyse the beginning of the Audrey Hepburn film 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. The film that stars a character (known as Eliza Doolittle in this film) well known for her elegance, poise and general quirkiness, she makes this film by far one of my favourite romance films.
The beginning of this film shows Audrey being dropped off by a taxi, outside the jewellery store, Tiffany's. The first shot is an establishing shot of a city road, which looks like a high street with shops. This introduces the scene and gives the audience a good feel of were this film may be set, in the city. Music begins and it is the song 'Moon river' by Johnny Merger and Henry Mancini, which if you were to watch the rest of the film you would notice this song is the only song played throughout the film. A taxi is seen driving towards the camera from a distance, it is the only car in sight, the street is completely empty so the audiences attention is bound to be on this one taxi. It also suggests it is very early morning because of the emptiness of the street and the dull lighting, but not so dull that it could be evening. The camera continues to track the taxi until it stops outside a shop, as the taxi drives away a lady is revealed.
The lady is clearly recognisable as Audrey Hepburn. She is looking very dressed up in formal attire, with a black, floor length gown, pearls around her neck, long black gloves on her hands and her hair is done up very elegantly. The next shot is a very explanatory shot of the back of her head with the store sign, 'Tiffany' next to her head, in the distance. This clearly introduces where she is standing and what she is looking at. The camera tracks her walking towards the store window and then cuts to her looking at the display from a side on angle. She then gets out a paper bag and starts eating what looks like a croissant and drinks what looks like a cup of coffee. This shows the audience she is having breakfast at Tiffany's, clearly relating to the obvious title!
She then moves on to look in the next window and this shot is different because you see her from the inside of the window with her looking in, so you can see her face straight on. The camera focuses on her facial expressions and shows the audience her reaction to what she is looking at. You see her wearing a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses which creates a more laid back casual look about her, which is a change from the overall dressed up and formal look she creates on first impressions.
The camera then watches her walking away down the street, you see her throwing her paper bag away which ends that first iconic scene. Throughout this scene there is no dialogue or digetic sound, all you can hear playing is the backing soundtrack.
Abbie Hawkins
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