From the start of the preliminary task to the finished product, I have learnt in my progression that movies are more difficult things to make and exhibit to audiences than most people think they are. Often the problems I encountered were simple: such as the problem I had when filming the preliminary task (which was easier than I thought it would be) made me realise that I needed to check the tape before filming since the tape I used on the first attempt was corrupted which I then did in subsequent lessons.
A big lesson I learnt from this project was developing effective interpersonal communication skills: for example how to get along with the cast and communicating my ideas effectively to them. Pressure from others is another thing I learnt from doing this task (which is what I would have to face in the professional film-making world) such as the criticisms I got on the original version of my media piece, how hard it can be to get access to specific filming locations and having to meet deadlines.
In the preliminary task I learnt a lot of the basics properly - such the usefulness of producing a shotlist which greatly helped me with filming organisation. Another thing I learnt from doing this task was how to properly draw a storyboard such as adding how long the shots run for and what type of shot it was. (I knew how to do this when I was younger but just not the way it was done in real life).
Finally, what I learnt most progressing my skills through both film tasks is how easy filming a media piece can be when you finally get the hang of it through many attempts and weeks of practice (the preliminary task), preparation (storyboards, shotlists etc.) and outside experience (my Moving Image Arts lessons) and how much fun it can be when you get it right.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have developed further my existing skills in using a variety of technologies throughout the course of this production task - a few examples a listed below.
Camera
I have learnt from making this media piece is how to create an effective panning shot using the camera on a tripod (making the tripod looser helps to create an effective panning shot by creating a smooth movement and eliminates the problem of creaking). Through trial and error I also mastered the skills needed to create a variety of shot distances and other movements including tilt shots with and without tripod and reasonably steady hand-held camera techniques as appropriate to the scene being filmed.
Edit
The editing was done through the use of the Apple Mac's editing software iMovie. I had experience of using iMovie due to the fact I take Moving Image Arts besides Media so I knew how the movie needed to be edited (such as cutting up the film into its various scenes). I did learn one new thing about editing my pieces, I have learned about positioning a camera when filming in the light such as when I used monochrome around an open window and I could not make out what the private investigator character was doing with his hands. Thus I found a way around it by bleeding out the colour to give it that black and white look but still see what the person is doing with his hands. My personal favourite bit of editing I carried out was the use of slowing things down for a dramatic effect such as a shot of the book slowly falling to the ground as the door slams shut behind the person. I also learnt the ways of using transitions between shots such as the use of fading in and out.
Planning
Another thing I have learnt from this is how to create a blog and learn how to use it. Blogging was an easy thing to learn since all it involved was typing something into a text box and then pressing the 'publish post' button in order to show what I had learnt over the course of this task. However I did encounter problems with this site since you're unable to put word documents into the text box (I had to copy and paste a piece of work I had done on film openings) and that pasting images into the box is difficult since it does not go in the place you want it to. However this blog has shown my ability to master my understanding of the technological skills needed when creating this blog.
Camera
I have learnt from making this media piece is how to create an effective panning shot using the camera on a tripod (making the tripod looser helps to create an effective panning shot by creating a smooth movement and eliminates the problem of creaking). Through trial and error I also mastered the skills needed to create a variety of shot distances and other movements including tilt shots with and without tripod and reasonably steady hand-held camera techniques as appropriate to the scene being filmed.
Edit
The editing was done through the use of the Apple Mac's editing software iMovie. I had experience of using iMovie due to the fact I take Moving Image Arts besides Media so I knew how the movie needed to be edited (such as cutting up the film into its various scenes). I did learn one new thing about editing my pieces, I have learned about positioning a camera when filming in the light such as when I used monochrome around an open window and I could not make out what the private investigator character was doing with his hands. Thus I found a way around it by bleeding out the colour to give it that black and white look but still see what the person is doing with his hands. My personal favourite bit of editing I carried out was the use of slowing things down for a dramatic effect such as a shot of the book slowly falling to the ground as the door slams shut behind the person. I also learnt the ways of using transitions between shots such as the use of fading in and out.
Planning
Another thing I have learnt from this is how to create a blog and learn how to use it. Blogging was an easy thing to learn since all it involved was typing something into a text box and then pressing the 'publish post' button in order to show what I had learnt over the course of this task. However I did encounter problems with this site since you're unable to put word documents into the text box (I had to copy and paste a piece of work I had done on film openings) and that pasting images into the box is difficult since it does not go in the place you want it to. However this blog has shown my ability to master my understanding of the technological skills needed when creating this blog.
Who would be the audience for your media product and how did you attract/address them?
Target Audience
The audience I am targeting with my media piece are mainly fans of the film-noir genre aged between 15 and 70 who are moviegoers that are serious about what movies they see and understand what goes into them in order to make them good. I was not aiming for any gender in particular. The film is a thriller as well as a film-noir and would be appealing to a mixed gender audience.
Research
In order to find out about movie audiences in general, I carried out audience research with the Explorer Scout group of which I am a member (see other post on Audience research for more information). From what I learned, most of the people who participated in the survey are more into 'mainstream' blockbuster films that are sometimes not very subtle in their narrative structure and are primarily very commercially-oriented. However these sort of people are not my core audience, the sort of people I am appealing to are what would be described as a niche audience. A way I would attempt to get these people to see my media piece would be to use the internet, such as social networking sites, so as to gain attention and a following for my media piece.
Mood
What I put into my opening that would attract the audience into continuing to watch my media piece was the use of suspense inducing music in order to build up an atmosphere of dread and foreboding within the people watching this to suggest the narrative possibility that something bad is going to happen to the main character.
Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene of the opening I had in mind was a dark empty room which would give the audience the feeling as if someone is going to jump out at many moment and attack the person in the room which was later proved true by the door slamming shut off camera and the character being asphyxiated by poisonous gas (use of unseen terror). This was probably the most successful element of the media piece because of the use of the characters' costumes to give the audience an idea of who these characters may be, the props as they drove the plot (like the book read by the private investigator character) and the rooms layout since I intended it to look messy thus that is what I did.
Here's a mise-en-scene example: I deliberatly created a look of disturbance as if there's been a struggle
Plot
The enigmas I put into my opening to attract audiences to keep them watching was to keep the identity of the character secret so that the audience will want to continue watching the media piece to find out the identity of the character and how he ended up in the room with a dead body. The lack of dialogue was deliberate in order to create an enigmatic feel for the media piece and to let the audience decide for themselves what is going on like having the ending being open ended to allow opinions of what may have happened. I also challenged a typical film noir cliche as I had the private investigator character being killed off at the end of the piece which normally does not happen in most film noir pieces.
However there are things I wish to improve about this media piece. Firstly there was a continuity error within the piece since the actor playing the private investigaor character's shoes kept changing colour between shots as we filmed on different days (improvements here could be to advise him to wear the same shoes on each day of filming). There was also one issue pointed out by the test viewer I showed it to was that they did not get the sound of the door shutting thus the improvement for next time could be to insert of shot of the object that just made that sound.
Sound
The sound used in the extract included the use of music throughout the piece by Bela Bartok and John Cage. One of the uses, at the beginning, was praised by my test viewer since he said it reminded him a lot of the opening credits to 'Vertigo' (1958) due to the music fitting in with the various shapes (similar to the images of Vertigo's title creator Saul Bass). Hopefully the audience will be able to notice references to other films like this. However, one improvement I would like to make with the use of sound in the extract is to find a leaking gas sound effect to give a reason into why the private investigator character was choking to death.
In this shot is an example of a reaction shot to a loud noise which I enhanced in post-production
Lighting
An achievement I made with this technique was to bleed out the colour in order for the audience to see what the private investigator character was doing with his hands when one shot was too much in the shadows. Despite not being true monochrome in some cases, it did have that monochrome-like feel, again associated with typical film noir movies, avhieved through the use of a tool in iMovie which allows you to change it from colour to monochrome without affecting the lighting. Unfortunately, and this is something I need to keep in mind for the future, I was unable to create the use of shadows effectively so to achieve this next time, I will use a drape on the window to block out the light in order for the lamp to work effectively.
Example of backlighting (use of natural light) to create a dramatic effect
Camera
One of the praise I got from the test viewer in this category was the actual picture due to its similarities with Vertigo such as the opening sequence since it looked disorientating something which was associated with Vertigo. Another praise I got was the shots, such as the use of close-ups on the other parts of his body, around the private investigator before his reveal in the later scenes. I felt I managed to achieve an effective use of handheld shots since this time round the camera did not shake when I filmed the shots like it sometimes does when you perform handheld shots. However I do need to perform perfect zoom-ins and zoom-outs, even though I did not do any in the piece due to the following reason, since sometimes when I try them they are always too fast, too slow or seem too jittery when I press the zoom switch too tentativly.
Here is an example of a high angle shot used in a montage to create a dramatic effect as the character dies slowly.
Editing
The thing I felt I achieved well on the editing of this extract is, mostly, the continuity editing which allowed the events of the media piece to run smoothly even though I did compress the time between the private investigator character putting away his notebook and pen and him exploring the room.
The audience I am targeting with my media piece are mainly fans of the film-noir genre aged between 15 and 70 who are moviegoers that are serious about what movies they see and understand what goes into them in order to make them good. I was not aiming for any gender in particular. The film is a thriller as well as a film-noir and would be appealing to a mixed gender audience.
Research
In order to find out about movie audiences in general, I carried out audience research with the Explorer Scout group of which I am a member (see other post on Audience research for more information). From what I learned, most of the people who participated in the survey are more into 'mainstream' blockbuster films that are sometimes not very subtle in their narrative structure and are primarily very commercially-oriented. However these sort of people are not my core audience, the sort of people I am appealing to are what would be described as a niche audience. A way I would attempt to get these people to see my media piece would be to use the internet, such as social networking sites, so as to gain attention and a following for my media piece.
Mood
What I put into my opening that would attract the audience into continuing to watch my media piece was the use of suspense inducing music in order to build up an atmosphere of dread and foreboding within the people watching this to suggest the narrative possibility that something bad is going to happen to the main character.
Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene of the opening I had in mind was a dark empty room which would give the audience the feeling as if someone is going to jump out at many moment and attack the person in the room which was later proved true by the door slamming shut off camera and the character being asphyxiated by poisonous gas (use of unseen terror). This was probably the most successful element of the media piece because of the use of the characters' costumes to give the audience an idea of who these characters may be, the props as they drove the plot (like the book read by the private investigator character) and the rooms layout since I intended it to look messy thus that is what I did.
Here's a mise-en-scene example: I deliberatly created a look of disturbance as if there's been a struggle
Plot
The enigmas I put into my opening to attract audiences to keep them watching was to keep the identity of the character secret so that the audience will want to continue watching the media piece to find out the identity of the character and how he ended up in the room with a dead body. The lack of dialogue was deliberate in order to create an enigmatic feel for the media piece and to let the audience decide for themselves what is going on like having the ending being open ended to allow opinions of what may have happened. I also challenged a typical film noir cliche as I had the private investigator character being killed off at the end of the piece which normally does not happen in most film noir pieces.
However there are things I wish to improve about this media piece. Firstly there was a continuity error within the piece since the actor playing the private investigaor character's shoes kept changing colour between shots as we filmed on different days (improvements here could be to advise him to wear the same shoes on each day of filming). There was also one issue pointed out by the test viewer I showed it to was that they did not get the sound of the door shutting thus the improvement for next time could be to insert of shot of the object that just made that sound.
Sound
The sound used in the extract included the use of music throughout the piece by Bela Bartok and John Cage. One of the uses, at the beginning, was praised by my test viewer since he said it reminded him a lot of the opening credits to 'Vertigo' (1958) due to the music fitting in with the various shapes (similar to the images of Vertigo's title creator Saul Bass). Hopefully the audience will be able to notice references to other films like this. However, one improvement I would like to make with the use of sound in the extract is to find a leaking gas sound effect to give a reason into why the private investigator character was choking to death.
In this shot is an example of a reaction shot to a loud noise which I enhanced in post-production
Lighting
An achievement I made with this technique was to bleed out the colour in order for the audience to see what the private investigator character was doing with his hands when one shot was too much in the shadows. Despite not being true monochrome in some cases, it did have that monochrome-like feel, again associated with typical film noir movies, avhieved through the use of a tool in iMovie which allows you to change it from colour to monochrome without affecting the lighting. Unfortunately, and this is something I need to keep in mind for the future, I was unable to create the use of shadows effectively so to achieve this next time, I will use a drape on the window to block out the light in order for the lamp to work effectively.
Example of backlighting (use of natural light) to create a dramatic effect
Camera
One of the praise I got from the test viewer in this category was the actual picture due to its similarities with Vertigo such as the opening sequence since it looked disorientating something which was associated with Vertigo. Another praise I got was the shots, such as the use of close-ups on the other parts of his body, around the private investigator before his reveal in the later scenes. I felt I managed to achieve an effective use of handheld shots since this time round the camera did not shake when I filmed the shots like it sometimes does when you perform handheld shots. However I do need to perform perfect zoom-ins and zoom-outs, even though I did not do any in the piece due to the following reason, since sometimes when I try them they are always too fast, too slow or seem too jittery when I press the zoom switch too tentativly.
Here is an example of a high angle shot used in a montage to create a dramatic effect as the character dies slowly.
Editing
The thing I felt I achieved well on the editing of this extract is, mostly, the continuity editing which allowed the events of the media piece to run smoothly even though I did compress the time between the private investigator character putting away his notebook and pen and him exploring the room.
The praise I got in this category from both my tutors and my test viewer was the effects I put on the titles such as my opening logo and the colouring effect on the logo of the secondary production company.
However one problem I did have was that the scene of someone running outside cutting to the shot of the door did seem odd and abrupt as did the transition from colour to monochrome since it resulted in an odd change in the continuity of picture quality. This could have been achieved better had I added a transition effect in between the two shots such as a fade to let the audiecne know that the scene was changing locations.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
The kind of media institution that might distribute my media product would be an independent cinema or multiplex cinemas that specialise in showing non-mainstream films as well ones in the mainstream (such as Cineworld cinema in Didsbury or the more likely choice of the Cornerhouse in Manchester).
For financial backing I would use independent sources (such as jobs, backers or banks) or use film organsiations (such as the British Film Institute due to the axing of the UK Film Council) like 'The King's Speech' and 'Another Year' did in order to get made.
To make my film's presence known, I would show it at various film festivals in particular either the Sundance and Telluride Film Festivals (where most independent films are shown) as well as some of the major film festivals like Berlin, Cannes, Toronto and Venice since this is where most films can pick up distributors.
The UK Film distributor I can see my film being distributed by is Momentum Pictures because of the fact that they are the UK's leading independent studio and because of their track record of acclaimed movies released ('Amelie', 'Lost in Translation', 'The King's Speech' etc.). Due to the majority of films they produce, Momentum Pictures (like their US counterpart Focus Features) are to cinema today what Miramax was to cinema was back in the 1990s (though Momentum have had their bad films along the way). Or, as I would be considered new to the industry, I would work with Working Title's independent branch WT2 which specialise in up and coming filmmakers and the talents.
The alternate option to this would be to post clips of the movie or the film's trailer via YouTube in order to gain a mass following from the moviegoing public if it is to their liking.
For financial backing I would use independent sources (such as jobs, backers or banks) or use film organsiations (such as the British Film Institute due to the axing of the UK Film Council) like 'The King's Speech' and 'Another Year' did in order to get made.
To make my film's presence known, I would show it at various film festivals in particular either the Sundance and Telluride Film Festivals (where most independent films are shown) as well as some of the major film festivals like Berlin, Cannes, Toronto and Venice since this is where most films can pick up distributors.
The UK Film distributor I can see my film being distributed by is Momentum Pictures because of the fact that they are the UK's leading independent studio and because of their track record of acclaimed movies released ('Amelie', 'Lost in Translation', 'The King's Speech' etc.). Due to the majority of films they produce, Momentum Pictures (like their US counterpart Focus Features) are to cinema today what Miramax was to cinema was back in the 1990s (though Momentum have had their bad films along the way). Or, as I would be considered new to the industry, I would work with Working Title's independent branch WT2 which specialise in up and coming filmmakers and the talents.
The alternate option to this would be to post clips of the movie or the film's trailer via YouTube in order to gain a mass following from the moviegoing public if it is to their liking.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I do not present social groups in general since film noir could also fall into the same territory as crime drama thus it mainly explored the relationship between the murder victim and the private investigator. The way I represented my character of my media piece was to have him as some sort of private investigator coming in to investigate the murder of a person found lying dead on the floor of an empty room. There is no dialogue in the film so that adds to the mystery surrounding the character as we don't know who he is, what he does and what his likes and dislikes are (an enigma). His appearance is that he is formally dressed and is clean and tidy figure as most private investigator-like characters are, his age could be somewhere in the late twenties to early forties range (even though the actor playing him is about eighteen) which again is the age range you normally associate with private investigators. His role in the narrative of the opening is to give us an idea of what happens in the plot of the film the opening is for (he's a 'bad memory' being lead into the 'erasion room' (the place bad memories are exterminated in)). In other words it's meant to show what happens inside the human head on a daily basis. It's debatable whether he is meant to be viewed sympathetically or unsympathetically since this is just the opening and his story of how he ended up in the 'erasion room' could be told in flashback if this movie was to have been made.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
My film-noir media piece largely builds on the devices used by other forms and conventions of real media product in that genre such as the frequent use of shadows and low-key lighting as seen in this still image from the movie The Big Combo (1955) below:
Another element of my media piece that is typical in other film-noir movies is the type of character. The character in my media piece could be looked upon by the viewers as a private investigator of some sorts due to his dress sense (a suit and tie) and carries a notebook around with him, all part of the mise-en-scene, although I was unable to attain a hat. However other viewers could argue that he's an average everyday person caught up in a situation after he stumbled upon the body accidently after entering the room where the body is. Pictured below is what a normal film-noir private investigator looks like or is stereotyped to look like compared to my character pictured opposite.
The narrative of the opening to my media piece is conventionally similar to a 'whodunnit' and also quite enigmatic, a crime (normally a murder) that has been committed and that leaves the audience wondering who committed the crime and what was his or her motive. The most popular element of the narrative of the film-noir genre is the 'plot twist'. A famous example of this is the 1995 Oscar winning film 'The Usual Suspects' which tricked the audience cleverly by revealing that the person they and the other characters believe committed the crime did not actually do it after all.
A twist on my film-noir piece is that in the film-noir films I have seen, the private investigator does not die so I twisted this idea and had him dying of asphyxiation giving the impression that the room was some sort of cleverly disguised gas chamber.
The use of sound in my media piece was mainly divided into two categories as diegetic and non-diegetic. The non-diegetic sounds in the piece consisted mostly of music by Bela Bartok and John Cage which was suggested to me by one of my tutors and which fitted to the mood and atmosphere I was trying to achieve in my media piece. The use of diegetic sounds in the extract included the sound of the door slamming shut on its own accord (which I did off camera) and my actor coughing to give the impression that he was being asphyxiated by a poisonous gas entering the room.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Friday 8th April
Today, me and my tutor re-filmed the shots where there were originally errors on. This time, we kept the actor's (Anthony) head in shot whereas originally it was cut off in various places (not literally though). For the death scene, I got Anthony to cough to give the viewers the impression that he was being asphixiated (iMovie does not have a gas sound effect) by some kind of poisonous gas whereas in the original cut he did not show any signs of the death I intended for the character. I was also able to use some shots (from my point of view) I filmed yesterday in the college grounds to give the impression to the viewer that either:
- The person entering the room was running towards the house
- The dead person had been running away from something prior to being killed
The music was also edited since I thought the slow moving music played over the first shots of the original cut did not go with the running shots (I moved that track along and used it in the later scenes). However one of my tutors did not agree about the music because she felt that the music score was repeating itself rather than contrasting like in the original cut.
Friday, 1 April 2011
Editing
Positives - I worked well on creating the opening titles due to my knowledge of how they're set out and despite the fact that the iMovie title creater was very minimalist in the sense of how you want them to move or look.
Negatives - According to one of my tutors, one of the negative points of my media piece was the actual framing of it. The tutor claimed that the camera was too close and the head was cut off in various places when in others it was visible (that was solved through editing). Another problem I had was the sound in the movie, finding non-copyrighted music that is film-noir sounding in iMovie is a very difficult thing so I ended up using noises from the sound effects section that matched the atmosphere of my media piece.
Negatives - According to one of my tutors, one of the negative points of my media piece was the actual framing of it. The tutor claimed that the camera was too close and the head was cut off in various places when in others it was visible (that was solved through editing). Another problem I had was the sound in the movie, finding non-copyrighted music that is film-noir sounding in iMovie is a very difficult thing so I ended up using noises from the sound effects section that matched the atmosphere of my media piece.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Post Production
Tuesday 22nd March - Today my tutors observed the first draft of my production. It was suggested that it should not all be in monochrome. I pointed out that the sound track wasn't completely finished (it's not easy finding music that doesn't have copyright laws on them). Also some of the framing and lighting needed amending. It was agreed that I should refilm parts of the film to improve shot composition and some of the lighting and find some music that was not copyrighted and sounded less cliched than the iMovie sound effects. Friday 25th March - The post 16 student that is my main actor was unattainable for refilming so I decided that the best course of action would be to research and find suitable music for my soundtrack. After experimenting a little with 'Garageband' I talked with my tutor about other suitable music and he suggested using early 2oth cent composers. I eventually chose 'Music for Two Pianos' by Bela Bartok and music for 'prepared piano' by John Cage which I felt matched the mood of my media piece better than the iMovie sound effects.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Filming Log
Friday 11th March - Filming commenced up in the attic where I filmed the first three shots of the movie (shots of the door). I also began work on editing the film by adding in the first three shots described in my shot list and started adding in the opening credits (which are hard to do since iMovie is sort of the Apple equivalent of Windows Movie Maker (you just have to use what's there)). Tuesday 15th March - I had to risk-assess filming in the attic because of some loose floorboards and excessive dust. Eventually one of the tutors gave me permission to film up there. I had had some difficulties at first with a student actor who wasn't reliable and therefore chose another student (a Year 13 student named Anthony who had some free time during my lessons)). Filming of shots 4 through 9 went well despite the fact that Tony couldn't be there for long due to the fact he had to drop someone off at the station. The shots were then uploaded into the iMac and converted into monochrome since when you think film-noir, you always associate it with black and white cinematography. Friday 18th - Filming completed, though changes had to be made due to the fact that I had some difficulties getting hold of a fake pistol (my original idea), so I decided to change the person's fate to being gassed. I then continues with the rest of the editing. Due to the lack of film-noir sounding music in iMovie (I wouldn't recommend it as an editing program), I had to rely on the use of sound effects that I felt matched the mood of the film-noir genre and had to cut the movie down to match the two minute limit (although I did exceed the limit by 4 seconds).
Friday, 4 March 2011
Filming Schedule
Where I will be filming - The attic of College (reason - it's local and has the look that I need for the setting of this media piece in the sense that no-one goes up there and it has the sort of dark, empty foreboding look as described in my screenplay)
Who will be acting - Two volunteers
Tuesday 8th March 2011 - Filming in the attic of College
Friday 11th - Filming in the attic of College
Tuesday 16th - Filming in the attic
Friday 19th - Filming in the attic
Tuesday 22nd - Editing the finished film
Friday 25th - Editing the finished film
Tuesday 29th - Editing the film
Friday 2nd April - Editing the film
Tuesday 5th - Editing
Friday 8th - Editing
Tuesday 12th - Begin evaluation and complete for 3rd May 2011.
Who will be acting - Two volunteers
Tuesday 8th March 2011 - Filming in the attic of College
Friday 11th - Filming in the attic of College
Tuesday 16th - Filming in the attic
Friday 19th - Filming in the attic
Tuesday 22nd - Editing the finished film
Friday 25th - Editing the finished film
Tuesday 29th - Editing the film
Friday 2nd April - Editing the film
Tuesday 5th - Editing
Friday 8th - Editing
Tuesday 12th - Begin evaluation and complete for 3rd May 2011.
Costume/Props List
Suit (Black)
Costume for the corpse (depends what the actor's wearing)
Table and chairs
Small black book
Fake pistol - Unable to attain
Notebook
Pen
Food colouring and cornflour - Fake blood
Hat (fedora)
Costume for the corpse (depends what the actor's wearing)
Table and chairs
Small black book
Fake pistol - Unable to attain
Notebook
Pen
Food colouring and cornflour - Fake blood
Hat (fedora)
Moodboard
Shadows - A common feature in the film-noir genre 
This is a key element I aim to achieve in my media piece
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Audience Research
Age Group - 14 - 18 years
Who I asked - My Explorer Scout Group
What I was trying to find out - Their film preferences and a question relating to my opening
This demonstrates that the males are spread out amongst various genres while the females are fixed on one particular genre (in which case it's comedy mainly).
So as we can see most of the group don't tend to think much of what the critics (who are knowledgable about what goes into a movie) think of various movies. I do think I need to be a bit more specific about which film websites I mean (such as Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic). However I wasn't expecting film websites to get a high number of responses.
This is the result I expected since multiplex cinemas are the normal type of cinemas you expect to see moviegoers at.
This was a problem also because some of the people doing the questionnaire (mainly the girls) may have thought this was Q11 (Which of the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar have you seen and which one would you like to see win?) continued and ended up condeming one of their own favourite films of 2010 to Razzie shame. It also shows that, if it wasn't for Toy Story 3, then the results would have shown that people these days are not as interested in quality than they are in the things that make films not that good to watch.
Who I asked - My Explorer Scout Group
What I was trying to find out - Their film preferences and a question relating to my opening
This demonstrates that the males are spread out amongst various genres while the females are fixed on one particular genre (in which case it's comedy mainly).
So as we can see most of the group don't tend to think much of what the critics (who are knowledgable about what goes into a movie) think of various movies. I do think I need to be a bit more specific about which film websites I mean (such as Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic). However I wasn't expecting film websites to get a high number of responses.
This is the result I expected since multiplex cinemas are the normal type of cinemas you expect to see moviegoers at.
This was a problem also because some of the people doing the questionnaire (mainly the girls) may have thought this was Q11 (Which of the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar have you seen and which one would you like to see win?) continued and ended up condeming one of their own favourite films of 2010 to Razzie shame. It also shows that, if it wasn't for Toy Story 3, then the results would have shown that people these days are not as interested in quality than they are in the things that make films not that good to watch.
Friday, 18 February 2011
Screenplay for 2 min opening
MEMOIRE
By Jack Monaghan
INT. CORRIDOR
We fade up on a door at the end of a long, white corridor. What is it? What significance does it have on an average human being? These are the questions running through the head of an individual walking slowly towards the door (from his POV). Upon reaching it, he places his hand on the doorknob, turns it and enters the room.
CUT TO:
INT. THE ROOM
The person stands behind the door (which has just closed behind him) and surveys the white, windowless room he stands in. Nothing to unusual stands in the room, just a chest of drawers in one corner and a table and chair in the other. But something then catches the person's eye, and shockingly we see that it is a dead person lying next to a wall, his face stained in blood.
Out of curiosity, the person walks slowly towards the body. Upon reaching it, he stops and looks at it as if examining it. He then procedes to take out a notebook and a pen and make notes about the body. Now and again he looks into its dead, lifeless eyes as he writes.
Once he finishes his notes, his attention then turns to the chest of drawers in the corner. We track alongside him as he wanders over to the chest of drawers. He then, upon reaching the drawers, opens the top drawer to see what's inside. From his POV, we can see that there is nothing in the drawer but a full ream of paper and a dead fly. Upon opening the second drawer, something catches the person's eye. He reaches in and we see that it is a small black book. Assuming it's something to do with the dead body near the wall.
From his POV, we can see that the book's pages contain a long list of various people's names. The person just stands there confused and without a lead or clue to what this.
PERSON
What does all this mean?
Suddenly the sound of a door creaking open catches the person's attention. We then see the barrell of a revolver poking through the gap in the door intercut with the part shocked, part alarmed look on the person's face.
BANG! The gun goes off and the person collapses on the floor dead. A voice is then heard over an intercom-like system.
VOICE
Unwanted memory, erased. Please clear the erasion room.
We then get one final glimpse of the room before we cut to black and go into the opening credits.
Friday, 11 February 2011
Friday 11th February 2011
Today, Mr O'Hara talked to us about 'Audience Research' in order to aid us with the making of our film openings. There are two types of audience research, first there is Quantitive Research which is audience research based on numbers (such as how many people, films, viewing hours etc.). The ways of carrying out this research include paper questionnaires (questions written down on paper and given out to various people) and digital questionnaires (questions asked through digital methods). Advantages of this are that you are able to use pie charts, graphs etc when you use a digital questionnaire however the fact that you use closed questions doesn't give much rich information. The second form of audience research is Qualitative Research. This type of research is made up of questions asking the person doing the questionnaire about the quality of the answers to various questions. These types of Qualitative Research include interviews with the individual about their film preferences, open questions which are generated to be open to interpretation, interviews with a group of people called 'Panel Interviews' and the use of examples of film extracts used for people to discuss called a 'Focus Group'. There is also the usage of the Likerte Scale for open questions which often go something along the lines of this: 1 - Strongly Disagree 2 - Disagree 3 - Undecided 4 - Agree 5 - Strongly Agree Sometimes these Likerte Scales can go up to 10 rather than the usual 5.
OPENINGS THAT INSPIRE THE NEW MEDIA PIECE
Openings
Chinatown (1974) - http://sfy.ru/?script=chinatown
The Usual Suspects (1995) - http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/usual.shtml
LA Confidential (1997) - http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/ellay-confidential_early.html
Originally I inetended to do 'Psycho' (1960) and 'Double Indemnity' (1944) as my other openings but I couldn't retrieve the screenplays for them so 'The Usual Suspects' (1995) and 'LA Confidential' (1997) have taken their places. The fact that all three of them are Oscar winning screenplays inspired my choice since they will give me directions in how to construct a good opening (even though there's going to be little dialogue in my opening). What I liked about the opening of 'The Usual Suspects', my main inspiration, is that you don't see the character of Keyser Soze (whose identity you will find out at the end of the film) who kills the character of Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), in the first few minutes of opening, from the chest upwards. I plan to use this element in my media piece by not showing the holder of the pistol which shoots the person standing in the room (it will only be the barrell of the pistol poking through the crack in the door).
Chinatown (1974) - http://sfy.ru/?script=chinatown
The Usual Suspects (1995) - http://www.godamongdirectors.com/scripts/usual.shtml
LA Confidential (1997) - http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/ellay-confidential_early.html
Originally I inetended to do 'Psycho' (1960) and 'Double Indemnity' (1944) as my other openings but I couldn't retrieve the screenplays for them so 'The Usual Suspects' (1995) and 'LA Confidential' (1997) have taken their places. The fact that all three of them are Oscar winning screenplays inspired my choice since they will give me directions in how to construct a good opening (even though there's going to be little dialogue in my opening). What I liked about the opening of 'The Usual Suspects', my main inspiration, is that you don't see the character of Keyser Soze (whose identity you will find out at the end of the film) who kills the character of Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), in the first few minutes of opening, from the chest upwards. I plan to use this element in my media piece by not showing the holder of the pistol which shoots the person standing in the room (it will only be the barrell of the pistol poking through the crack in the door).
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Synopsis for the film containing my opening
Title - Memoire
What actually goes on in the human mind on a daily basis? Well for the mind controller G.F Woodward, it's just the job of 'eliminating bad memories and keeping the brain in order'. Until one day...
Characters
G.F Woodward
Akira Niijang
The Boss
Miss Clockwork
A.M Nesia
The Erasers
The two Erasion Room victims
What actually goes on in the human mind on a daily basis? Well for the mind controller G.F Woodward, it's just the job of 'eliminating bad memories and keeping the brain in order'. Until one day...
Characters
G.F Woodward
Akira Niijang
The Boss
Miss Clockwork
A.M Nesia
The Erasers
The two Erasion Room victims
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
RESEARCH OF THREE FILM OPENINGS - 31st JANUARY 2011
Research Into Three Film Openings
The objects of an opening sequence are:
• To put across the idea of what the director’s intentions to the audience.
• Establish the mood and visual character (e.g. an air of suspicion in a film noir)
• Putting across clues into what the narrative is going to be based on.
• To handle the major themes of the movie
• Give us an idea of the film’s locations (physical and time)
• Establishment of the film’s style and genre
• To grab and keep a hold of the audience’s attention
The reason for me choosing the openings of these three films is because they contrast one another since they are in very different genres (one thriller, one fantasy and one comedy/war). The other reason I picked these three was that two of them are on a list of the top 10 opening credit sequences in my Empire Film Guide and the second out of general interest.
VERTIGO (1958)
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Genre – Thriller
Distributor – Paramount Pictures (rights now belong to Universal)
Cast – James Stewart, Kim Novak
Introduction
The opening sequence of this movie is divided into two parts. The first part is a combination of live action and animation created by the popular titles designer Saul Bass who would later collaborate with Alfred Hitchcock again on ‘Psycho’ (1960)). The second part is a live action scene where we’re introduced to Jimmy Stewart’s character and why the film is called ‘Vertigo’.
The objects of an opening sequence are:• To put across the idea of what the director’s intentions to the audience.
• Establish the mood and visual character (e.g. an air of suspicion in a film noir)
• Putting across clues into what the narrative is going to be based on.
• To handle the major themes of the movie
• Give us an idea of the film’s locations (physical and time)
• Establishment of the film’s style and genre
• To grab and keep a hold of the audience’s attention
The reason for me choosing the openings of these three films is because they contrast one another since they are in very different genres (one thriller, one fantasy and one comedy/war). The other reason I picked these three was that two of them are on a list of the top 10 opening credit sequences in my Empire Film Guide and the second out of general interest.
VERTIGO (1958)
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Genre – Thriller
Distributor – Paramount Pictures (rights now belong to Universal)
Cast – James Stewart, Kim Novak
Introduction
The opening sequence of this movie is divided into two parts. The first part is a combination of live action and animation created by the popular titles designer Saul Bass who would later collaborate with Alfred Hitchcock again on ‘Psycho’ (1960)). The second part is a live action scene where we’re introduced to Jimmy Stewart’s character and why the film is called ‘Vertigo’.
Part 1
The opening begins with an ECU, from the audience’s point of view of a woman (possibly the character played by Kim Novak) twitching at the mouth and looking behind her thus putting across the themes of anxiety and paranoia in the movie to the audience. The camera then zooms in on her right eye and slowly tints red, as the film’s title comes up, which could convey, to the audience, the impression that the female character is in some sort of danger or is not to be trusted in anyway (red can be used to symbolise evil as well as danger).
The opening credits then go into a series of kaleidoscope-like images (multicoloured geometrical patterns) which possibly represent the layers of the female character’s unstable identity or the various fears within her mind. The non-diagetic music of the opening credits is the work of another Hitchcock contributor Bernard Herrmann and consists mainly of string music ,making the music sound more eerie and disturbing (like Herrmann’s use of strings in ‘Psycho’ (1960)) with brass instruments used for dramatic notes thus causing a shift in the film’s mood.
The geometrical patterns can also symbolise the inner workings of the character’s mind, the feeling of falling since the patterns come right up at the viewer or the feeling of dizziness since the majority of the patterns spin as they approach the screen. The patterns at the start come right out at you also simulating the feeling of falling (as acrophobia is a theme throughout this movie) but during the patterns the titles appear as normal like most films of the 50s and 60s.
The opening begins with an ECU, from the audience’s point of view of a woman (possibly the character played by Kim Novak) twitching at the mouth and looking behind her thus putting across the themes of anxiety and paranoia in the movie to the audience. The camera then zooms in on her right eye and slowly tints red, as the film’s title comes up, which could convey, to the audience, the impression that the female character is in some sort of danger or is not to be trusted in anyway (red can be used to symbolise evil as well as danger).
The opening credits then go into a series of kaleidoscope-like images (multicoloured geometrical patterns) which possibly represent the layers of the female character’s unstable identity or the various fears within her mind. The non-diagetic music of the opening credits is the work of another Hitchcock contributor Bernard Herrmann and consists mainly of string music ,making the music sound more eerie and disturbing (like Herrmann’s use of strings in ‘Psycho’ (1960)) with brass instruments used for dramatic notes thus causing a shift in the film’s mood.
The geometrical patterns can also symbolise the inner workings of the character’s mind, the feeling of falling since the patterns come right up at the viewer or the feeling of dizziness since the majority of the patterns spin as they approach the screen. The patterns at the start come right out at you also simulating the feeling of falling (as acrophobia is a theme throughout this movie) but during the patterns the titles appear as normal like most films of the 50s and 60s.
Part 2
The second half of Vertigo’s opening is in live action and is where we are introduced to our main character, John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson (played by James Stewart). It also vividly demonstrates the movie’s main theme and why the movie has the title it has. It begins with a criminal being pursued by Scottie and a fellow cop across the roofs of a terraced house in (according to the background) 1950s San Francisco. As the criminal jumps over a gap between two houses, Scottie slips and is left hanging off a drainpipe on the edge of the roof which is where we discover his weakness.
From Scottie’s POV, the ground below seems to move further away from him putting across to the viewer that Scottie suffers from acrophobia (or vertigo as most people may think) and making a dramatic point of how far he is off the ground. This is dramatically underlined when Scottie’s weak point allows the criminal to escape (since he used it as an advantage over Scottie and the cop) and his fellow cop to fall to his death when trying to help Scottie back up.
Mise-en-Scene
The mise-en-scene of this scene tells us that the setting is downtown San Francisco which has been cleverly reconstructed in a studio using a mixture of models, projection and painted backdrops. The costume of the characters of the scene consists of the criminal wearing only a shirt and trousers giving the audience the impression that he is not important in this scene whereas Scottie is seen wearing a suit giving the impression that he is well off and has more authority (which contrasts with his personality and crippling acrophobia) and the cop in a policeman’s uniform symbolising power and authority within this situation.
Lighting & Edit
The lighting is low-key which is used to establish the fact this scene is set at night and give the film a dark and edgy atmosphere associated with Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. The editing varies in the two halves of the opening, in the first half the editing is very slow paced which prepares the audience for what is to come next and in the second half of the opening the editing picks up pace in order to create the dramatic situation Scottie finds himself in.
Music
Herrmann’s music in the second half of the opening, like the first half, consists mainly of brass and string instruments only here the score is faster paced to go alongside the editing. Also like the first half, brass instruments are used for dramatic points such as playing at a low pitch when Scottie is looking up but played at a high pitch when he’s looking down (symbolising how fearful he is of falling) and when his fellow cop falls to his death below.
Camera
I notice that in the part of the sequence where the characters are running across the roof, the camera tracks the action from a distance, it is moored on a crane since a dolly or hand-held shot would have been closer to the ground. However for much of the sequence, the camera is stationary and mostly in CU.
Framing
The framing of the opening’s second half only has the things important to the film such as the geometrical shapes, the background showing where the film is set and the main characters that are here to drive the plot taking up most of the space while the unimportant parts of the opening are left out.
Summary
Like in most of his films, Hitchcock positions his audience with his popular use of tension and suspense (he is called the Master of Suspense) most clearly in the part where Scottie is hanging off the drainpipe making it look like a situation of life and death from his perspective
Overall Hitchcock succeeds in setting the film up by putting across the film’s themes of acrophobia and disorientation, shows his intentions of being tense and suspenseful across to the audience and puts across many clues into what the film will be about (a chase, psychological problems etc). Hitch also successfully establishes to the audience that the film itself is set in (at the time present day) 1950s San Francisco and gives us a strong visual character. Hitchcock also successfully sets the film’s mood and genre since he had done countless movies similar to this throughout his career and keeps a firm hold on his audience’s attention.
SUPERMAN (1978)
Director – Richard Donner
Genre – Sci-Fi Fantasy
Distributor – Warner Bros
Cast – Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
The film’s opening, after the Warner Bros logo and a dedication to the late Geoffrey Unsworth OBE (who did the film’s visual effects) begins with a pair of curtains drawing revealing a screen (obviously mimicking a cinema screen). The screen is playing a film of a young child in 1938 reading a comic book telling us of how even the city of Metropolis could not avoid the Great Depression.
The second half of Vertigo’s opening is in live action and is where we are introduced to our main character, John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson (played by James Stewart). It also vividly demonstrates the movie’s main theme and why the movie has the title it has. It begins with a criminal being pursued by Scottie and a fellow cop across the roofs of a terraced house in (according to the background) 1950s San Francisco. As the criminal jumps over a gap between two houses, Scottie slips and is left hanging off a drainpipe on the edge of the roof which is where we discover his weakness.
From Scottie’s POV, the ground below seems to move further away from him putting across to the viewer that Scottie suffers from acrophobia (or vertigo as most people may think) and making a dramatic point of how far he is off the ground. This is dramatically underlined when Scottie’s weak point allows the criminal to escape (since he used it as an advantage over Scottie and the cop) and his fellow cop to fall to his death when trying to help Scottie back up.Mise-en-Scene
The mise-en-scene of this scene tells us that the setting is downtown San Francisco which has been cleverly reconstructed in a studio using a mixture of models, projection and painted backdrops. The costume of the characters of the scene consists of the criminal wearing only a shirt and trousers giving the audience the impression that he is not important in this scene whereas Scottie is seen wearing a suit giving the impression that he is well off and has more authority (which contrasts with his personality and crippling acrophobia) and the cop in a policeman’s uniform symbolising power and authority within this situation.
Lighting & Edit
The lighting is low-key which is used to establish the fact this scene is set at night and give the film a dark and edgy atmosphere associated with Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. The editing varies in the two halves of the opening, in the first half the editing is very slow paced which prepares the audience for what is to come next and in the second half of the opening the editing picks up pace in order to create the dramatic situation Scottie finds himself in.
Music
Herrmann’s music in the second half of the opening, like the first half, consists mainly of brass and string instruments only here the score is faster paced to go alongside the editing. Also like the first half, brass instruments are used for dramatic points such as playing at a low pitch when Scottie is looking up but played at a high pitch when he’s looking down (symbolising how fearful he is of falling) and when his fellow cop falls to his death below.
Camera
I notice that in the part of the sequence where the characters are running across the roof, the camera tracks the action from a distance, it is moored on a crane since a dolly or hand-held shot would have been closer to the ground. However for much of the sequence, the camera is stationary and mostly in CU.
Framing
The framing of the opening’s second half only has the things important to the film such as the geometrical shapes, the background showing where the film is set and the main characters that are here to drive the plot taking up most of the space while the unimportant parts of the opening are left out.
Summary
Like in most of his films, Hitchcock positions his audience with his popular use of tension and suspense (he is called the Master of Suspense) most clearly in the part where Scottie is hanging off the drainpipe making it look like a situation of life and death from his perspective
Overall Hitchcock succeeds in setting the film up by putting across the film’s themes of acrophobia and disorientation, shows his intentions of being tense and suspenseful across to the audience and puts across many clues into what the film will be about (a chase, psychological problems etc). Hitch also successfully establishes to the audience that the film itself is set in (at the time present day) 1950s San Francisco and gives us a strong visual character. Hitchcock also successfully sets the film’s mood and genre since he had done countless movies similar to this throughout his career and keeps a firm hold on his audience’s attention.
SUPERMAN (1978)
Director – Richard Donner
Genre – Sci-Fi Fantasy
Distributor – Warner Bros
Cast – Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
The film’s opening, after the Warner Bros logo and a dedication to the late Geoffrey Unsworth OBE (who did the film’s visual effects) begins with a pair of curtains drawing revealing a screen (obviously mimicking a cinema screen). The screen is playing a film of a young child in 1938 reading a comic book telling us of how even the city of Metropolis could not avoid the Great Depression.
This anchors the film’s roots in the Great Depression thus giving the film a hard focus (since the opening plays quite close to realism). It also instantly introduces the comic book theme from where Superman originates of course.
The camera then zooms in on a picture of the building housing Metropolis’ newspaper ‘The Daily Planet’ (obviously this will have something to do with the film as well) before panning upwards into the night sky which gives the audience the impression as if they are about to take off. Already we have the sensation of one of Superman’s key attributes, his ability to fly above the mere mortals below.
The camera then zooms in on a picture of the building housing Metropolis’ newspaper ‘The Daily Planet’ (obviously this will have something to do with the film as well) before panning upwards into the night sky which gives the audience the impression as if they are about to take off. Already we have the sensation of one of Superman’s key attributes, his ability to fly above the mere mortals below.
At this point, the opening credits begin. The way they are set up was seen as cutting edge back in 1978 as they seem to fly in and out at the audience in an almost 3D sort of way giving them the impression that they are actually flying through space.
The music of the opening is the work of popular composer John Williams and mainly consists of brass instruments giving the theme tune a triumphant sound to it like as if someone has done something deemed heroic. There is a lack of mise-en scene in the opening credits, instead there are various images of space (comets, nebulas etc) which gives us a hint that the film will possibly take place, or have something to do with, time & place beyond Earth. The editing is very much fast-paced, like the music, which could make out that the audience, or the object the audience is representing, is flying very fast through the vacuum of space.
The lighting in the first half of the opening is very low-key giving the opening monologue a sort of film noir look and going well (like the black and white photography) with the Great Depression era in which it’s set.
The mise-en-scene of the opening monologue consists mainly of the curtains on either side of the screen and the comic book the child is reading giving the impression that the story is occurring as the boy is reading the comic. There could also be the use of a POV shot since you only see the child’s hand so you could say that (s)he is looking down at the comic as (s)he reads it.
The framing of the shot is pretty clever since the curtains on the sides of the frame might disorientate the audience into thinking that the screen within a screen is the real thing especially when the credits seem to come out at them in a 3D kind of way.
Overall the opening 5 minutes of the film sets the scene excellently as it;
• Links the film to its comic book origins
• Brings it up to date with use of (at the time) state of the art graphics and into a more realistic genre
• Introduces the root contrast between Clark Kent’s humble post –depression childhood and Kal-El’s extraordinary origins & powers from out of this world.
• Sets the action adventure, storybook genre of the film
• Create the heroic mood of the entire piece.
MASH (1970)
The music of the opening is the work of popular composer John Williams and mainly consists of brass instruments giving the theme tune a triumphant sound to it like as if someone has done something deemed heroic. There is a lack of mise-en scene in the opening credits, instead there are various images of space (comets, nebulas etc) which gives us a hint that the film will possibly take place, or have something to do with, time & place beyond Earth. The editing is very much fast-paced, like the music, which could make out that the audience, or the object the audience is representing, is flying very fast through the vacuum of space.
The lighting in the first half of the opening is very low-key giving the opening monologue a sort of film noir look and going well (like the black and white photography) with the Great Depression era in which it’s set.
The mise-en-scene of the opening monologue consists mainly of the curtains on either side of the screen and the comic book the child is reading giving the impression that the story is occurring as the boy is reading the comic. There could also be the use of a POV shot since you only see the child’s hand so you could say that (s)he is looking down at the comic as (s)he reads it.
The framing of the shot is pretty clever since the curtains on the sides of the frame might disorientate the audience into thinking that the screen within a screen is the real thing especially when the credits seem to come out at them in a 3D kind of way.
Overall the opening 5 minutes of the film sets the scene excellently as it;
• Links the film to its comic book origins
• Brings it up to date with use of (at the time) state of the art graphics and into a more realistic genre
• Introduces the root contrast between Clark Kent’s humble post –depression childhood and Kal-El’s extraordinary origins & powers from out of this world.
• Sets the action adventure, storybook genre of the film
• Create the heroic mood of the entire piece.
MASH (1970)
Director – Robert Altman
Genre – Comedy/War
Distributor – 20th Century Fox
Cast – Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall
The opening of MASH is split into 4 scenes (as part of one sketch since there’s no actual plot to the film); the first part gives the audience an idea of what it’s about, the second part gives the fact the movie is split into two genres and the third and fourth parts introduce the characters and set the tone for the rest of the movie.
Part 1
The opening starts off with an aerial shot of a helicopter flying over what appears to be the countryside of Vietnam (this movie was released during the Vietnam War). What we also see during this shot is that hanging off the helicopter is the arm of a horrifically injured soldier from some sort of battle which would get the audience thinking that this movie is probably some kind of bloody war movie in the light of ‘Platoon’ (1986) or ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987). This and the film’s theme song ‘Suicide is Painless’ establish the film’s dark approach though it does contrast with the use of light music adding a satirical element to the film’s genre.
The location is next to be established (partially) when we get an aerial view of a hospital camp out in a field which we can assume is where the action is going to take place. The film’s approach also contrasts that of the TV series that followed two years later since the film’s opening is more graphic and darker in tone (due to its anti-war message). This scene is held for about 2 minutes and the lighting is very high key which is out of context (high key lighting is normally associated with light hearted comedies) with an opening as dark as this.
Part 2
The film then changes location to the camp area for a short scene (of about 30 seconds) where we are introduced to two of our characters, Colonel Blake and Radar O’Reilly. What’s notable about this sequence is the abrupt shift in tone from dark and, apparently, serious to lightly comic in one scene where the two characters are talking at the same time. The shot used in this is a mid-long shot (the helicopter cutting them off at the torso might confuse the viewer into thinking it’s a mid shot) which may get the audience up close with the characters, even the character in white (Painless) who doesn’t do much in this sequence (a group shot).
Part 3
In the third scene, the location is finally revealed as Korea during the Korean War via a piece of text that says ‘And then there was Korea…’ Originally Robert Altman intended not to state that this movie was set in Korea so that the audience would mistake the setting for Vietnam. Following that is an extract from statements by General Douglas MacArthur and President Eisenhower. The use of a statement by General MacArthur further enforces the anti-war message since MacArthur was very unpopular due to his ego during the war. The satire is also used in this scene too since there is a character wandering around as if lost while heroic music (spoofing the composer Susa) plays in the background making it very out of context. The scene is also where we get a glimpse of the set for the first time, its appearance is dirty and run down which is what you’d expect crudely built Vietnam War Camps to look like.
Part 4
In this sequence we are introduced to two of our main characters, the character that is seen wandering around as if he’s lost during the third scene is revealed to be Captain Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland). Here he is presented as a sort of rebel-like character in the sense that he doesn’t take the army seriously as he proves by acting all ‘king in the castle’ to the Sergeant who runs this area of the camp. At one point Hawkeye actually removes his ‘Captain’ buttons making it seem to the audience that he is very much an anti-authority figure. The next main character to be introduced in this scene is Captain Duke Forrest (Tom Skerritt); he too is also presented as some kind of rebel character which is further demonstrated when he and Hawkeye steal a jeep to travel to the camp in the distance. The thievery of the jeep results in a fight between the commanding Sergeant and the two MPs which completes the descent of the film’s tone from dark and bleak in the credit sequence to a mixture of farce and slapstick at the end.
There is also a lot of dialogue in this sequence which is basically Hawkeye talking to various characters, this would convey the impression that Hawkeye is acting as the audience thus we get closer to the various characters he speaks to. The rest of the mise-en-scene of the opening consists of army related objects such as helicopters and jeeps; the entire camp is also a big part of the mise-en-scene since it is where all the action is taking place. The costume of the opening is soldier uniforms however, they are not clean and well kept as presented in various other war films, some of them are tattered or missing some of the items of clothing you normally expect in a soldier’s uniform (such as Hawkeye not wearing a proper Captain’s hat) which also reinforces the theme of rebellion since uniform is connected with authority and sensibility.
Overall the opening of MASH succeeds in:
• Setting the location of the film
• Establishing the film’s mixed genre of comedy and parody of war
• Introducing the main characters
• Reflecting on the film’s sketch like characteristics
• Allowing the audience to think freely
• Establishing its anti-war message (and the beginning of the anti-war film)
Genre – Comedy/War
Distributor – 20th Century Fox
Cast – Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall
The opening of MASH is split into 4 scenes (as part of one sketch since there’s no actual plot to the film); the first part gives the audience an idea of what it’s about, the second part gives the fact the movie is split into two genres and the third and fourth parts introduce the characters and set the tone for the rest of the movie.
Part 1
The opening starts off with an aerial shot of a helicopter flying over what appears to be the countryside of Vietnam (this movie was released during the Vietnam War). What we also see during this shot is that hanging off the helicopter is the arm of a horrifically injured soldier from some sort of battle which would get the audience thinking that this movie is probably some kind of bloody war movie in the light of ‘Platoon’ (1986) or ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987). This and the film’s theme song ‘Suicide is Painless’ establish the film’s dark approach though it does contrast with the use of light music adding a satirical element to the film’s genre.
The location is next to be established (partially) when we get an aerial view of a hospital camp out in a field which we can assume is where the action is going to take place. The film’s approach also contrasts that of the TV series that followed two years later since the film’s opening is more graphic and darker in tone (due to its anti-war message). This scene is held for about 2 minutes and the lighting is very high key which is out of context (high key lighting is normally associated with light hearted comedies) with an opening as dark as this.
Part 2
The film then changes location to the camp area for a short scene (of about 30 seconds) where we are introduced to two of our characters, Colonel Blake and Radar O’Reilly. What’s notable about this sequence is the abrupt shift in tone from dark and, apparently, serious to lightly comic in one scene where the two characters are talking at the same time. The shot used in this is a mid-long shot (the helicopter cutting them off at the torso might confuse the viewer into thinking it’s a mid shot) which may get the audience up close with the characters, even the character in white (Painless) who doesn’t do much in this sequence (a group shot).
Part 3
In the third scene, the location is finally revealed as Korea during the Korean War via a piece of text that says ‘And then there was Korea…’ Originally Robert Altman intended not to state that this movie was set in Korea so that the audience would mistake the setting for Vietnam. Following that is an extract from statements by General Douglas MacArthur and President Eisenhower. The use of a statement by General MacArthur further enforces the anti-war message since MacArthur was very unpopular due to his ego during the war. The satire is also used in this scene too since there is a character wandering around as if lost while heroic music (spoofing the composer Susa) plays in the background making it very out of context. The scene is also where we get a glimpse of the set for the first time, its appearance is dirty and run down which is what you’d expect crudely built Vietnam War Camps to look like.Part 4
In this sequence we are introduced to two of our main characters, the character that is seen wandering around as if he’s lost during the third scene is revealed to be Captain Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland). Here he is presented as a sort of rebel-like character in the sense that he doesn’t take the army seriously as he proves by acting all ‘king in the castle’ to the Sergeant who runs this area of the camp. At one point Hawkeye actually removes his ‘Captain’ buttons making it seem to the audience that he is very much an anti-authority figure. The next main character to be introduced in this scene is Captain Duke Forrest (Tom Skerritt); he too is also presented as some kind of rebel character which is further demonstrated when he and Hawkeye steal a jeep to travel to the camp in the distance. The thievery of the jeep results in a fight between the commanding Sergeant and the two MPs which completes the descent of the film’s tone from dark and bleak in the credit sequence to a mixture of farce and slapstick at the end.
There is also a lot of dialogue in this sequence which is basically Hawkeye talking to various characters, this would convey the impression that Hawkeye is acting as the audience thus we get closer to the various characters he speaks to. The rest of the mise-en-scene of the opening consists of army related objects such as helicopters and jeeps; the entire camp is also a big part of the mise-en-scene since it is where all the action is taking place. The costume of the opening is soldier uniforms however, they are not clean and well kept as presented in various other war films, some of them are tattered or missing some of the items of clothing you normally expect in a soldier’s uniform (such as Hawkeye not wearing a proper Captain’s hat) which also reinforces the theme of rebellion since uniform is connected with authority and sensibility.
Overall the opening of MASH succeeds in:
• Setting the location of the film
• Establishing the film’s mixed genre of comedy and parody of war
• Introducing the main characters
• Reflecting on the film’s sketch like characteristics
• Allowing the audience to think freely
• Establishing its anti-war message (and the beginning of the anti-war film)
Friday, 4 February 2011
Editing of the Video - Tuesday 25th - Friday 28th January 2011
The process of editing the task consisted of us showing that we could perform a good task of using continuity editing to make a smooth flow of sequences in our media piece. Josh Hansan worked on the title sequences of the video, Bradley trimmed down the clips, so that the calls of action and cut were edited out and the sequences had a continuous flow, and I added in the sound and music to the preliminary task video. I assisted Bradley on the cutting down of the clips for the sequence since I had done a piece of continuity editing in Moving Image Arts. Overall I believe that the task went well (even though I already knew some of the things we did from past experiences) since I was able use my strenght behind the camera and learnt to work as a group . However if I were to do this task again I would be to give advice to those in front of the camera to improve on their delivery of the of their lines (Bradley's delivery did seem a little on the verge of laughing) and would try to use my expanding knowledge of film to my advantage next time I do this task.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Tuesday 1st February
Today, we planned out what our two minute openings we will create. My plan is to have it as either a film noir (a genre I am doing for my five minute film piece in Moving Image Arts), a Hitchock-style thriller or both. Three films that I have seen in these genres, and could draw inspiration from, are 'Chinatown' (1974), 'The Usual Suspects' (1995) and LA Confidential. I intend to work independently so for actors, I will need to find volunteers with theese qualifications:
- Must be skilled in Drama
- Must have Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings off
- Must be local to this area
- Be familiar with the type of genre I have in mind
For the selection of mise-en-scene, I will be experimenting with low-key lighting and monochrome cinematography. I will also try my hand at experimenting with a variety of camera shots, including improved panning and over the shoulder shots (OTS shots are hard, in my opinion, to pull off since it's hard to keep the tripod steady), and varied shot transitions.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Tuesday 18th January 2011 - Main Task
Mr. O'Hara showed us four various title sequence in preperation for our main task (to create a short openning to a made-up film) which included '8 1/2' (dir. Federico Fellini), 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' (dir. Shane Black), 'Layer Cake' (dir. Matthew Vaughn) and 'Se7en' (dir. David Fincher). Part of the main task also involves researching three film opennings of various movies, my Empire Film Guide has a list of the 'Top 10 Openning Credit sequences' so I will be using that for my research (I have already chosen two, I just need to choose a third).
Friday, 28 January 2011
Tuesday 25th January 2011
Due to the tape containing the original film becoming corrupted on the computer (even though it looked fine on the camera), the media piece had to be reshot. Bradley Dalton and Jake Smallwood did the acting once again and I worked behind the camera alongside Josh Hanson, who was absent when the original media piece was shot. Like the first attempt we had to experiment with the 180 degree rule, match on action and shot-reverse-shot. There was no mise-en-scene needed for the media piece, the lighting was high-key and the only equipment we needed was the camera and various objects in the classroom (such as a table and chairs).
Moral from today: Check to see whether the tape will work on the computer (check for signs of corruption), start recording just after action is said and finish filming as soon as cut is said (without them being heard on the finished piece).
Moral from today: Check to see whether the tape will work on the computer (check for signs of corruption), start recording just after action is said and finish filming as soon as cut is said (without them being heard on the finished piece).
Friday, 21 January 2011
Preliminary Task - Friday 21st January 2011
The task we were given (as stated in my previous post) is the following:
Film and edit a character openning a door, walking into a room, walking across the room, sitting down and having a 2 line conversation with another character in the room. I will also be demonstrating my use of match-on action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180 degree rule (keeping the camera on one side of the action).
Shot list - Description
1 Tilt shot behind a person walking up the stairs
2 Aerial shot from the landing of the person climbing to the top of the stairs
3 Reverse tracking shot up to the door (almost)
4 MS showing person's hand turning door knob
5 CU of the person's hand turning the knob
6 LS of other person looking at his mobile then looking up at the camera surprised
7 POV - Door starting to open
8 MS behind person openning door
9 Pan in room showing person walking in and over to the person sitting down
10 MS - Person saying: 'Have you been waiting?'
11 MS - Other person: 'I nearly fell asleep. What time do you call this?'
12 CU - Person: 'You won't believe this - but I just discovered Elvis is still alive!'
13 CU - Other person looking shocked
The actors involved are two males playing male parts, they are Jake Smallwood playing the person walking into the room and Bradley Dalton as the person in the room. No props will be used, the settings are the hallway downstairs, the landing leading to the Media classroom and the Media classroom itself and the lighting is most likely to be high-key.
Filming began soon after this post was originally published. Bradley operated the camera for the first half of the shoot (the sequence involving Jake walking up the stairs to the classroom). Some difficulties faced during filming was the tripod not being useful for the aerial shot so it was done hand-held. Another difficulty faced by us was the tracking shot was hard to pull off since Bradley fell on the stairs during one of three takes we did before nailed it. The final problem we faced was a bad panning shot I did as I had forgot to loosen the tripod so it ended up moving jerkely. The film I think would have turned out to have been a good one had it not been for a problem mentioned in my next post.
Film and edit a character openning a door, walking into a room, walking across the room, sitting down and having a 2 line conversation with another character in the room. I will also be demonstrating my use of match-on action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180 degree rule (keeping the camera on one side of the action).
Shot list - Description
1 Tilt shot behind a person walking up the stairs
2 Aerial shot from the landing of the person climbing to the top of the stairs
3 Reverse tracking shot up to the door (almost)
4 MS showing person's hand turning door knob
5 CU of the person's hand turning the knob
6 LS of other person looking at his mobile then looking up at the camera surprised
7 POV - Door starting to open
8 MS behind person openning door
9 Pan in room showing person walking in and over to the person sitting down
10 MS - Person saying: 'Have you been waiting?'
11 MS - Other person: 'I nearly fell asleep. What time do you call this?'
12 CU - Person: 'You won't believe this - but I just discovered Elvis is still alive!'
13 CU - Other person looking shocked
The actors involved are two males playing male parts, they are Jake Smallwood playing the person walking into the room and Bradley Dalton as the person in the room. No props will be used, the settings are the hallway downstairs, the landing leading to the Media classroom and the Media classroom itself and the lighting is most likely to be high-key.
Filming began soon after this post was originally published. Bradley operated the camera for the first half of the shoot (the sequence involving Jake walking up the stairs to the classroom). Some difficulties faced during filming was the tripod not being useful for the aerial shot so it was done hand-held. Another difficulty faced by us was the tracking shot was hard to pull off since Bradley fell on the stairs during one of three takes we did before nailed it. The final problem we faced was a bad panning shot I did as I had forgot to loosen the tripod so it ended up moving jerkely. The film I think would have turned out to have been a good one had it not been for a problem mentioned in my next post.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Tuesday 18th January 2011 - Pre-Preliminary Task
Period 4 - Preliminary task was given to me by Mrs. Stephens. The task involves me filming and editing a character going into a room, walking across it, sitting down and having a conversation (consisting of 2 lines) with another character. During this task, I will demonstrate my use of match-on action, shot-reverse-shot and the 180 degree rule (keeping the camera on one side of an action). I consider this easy since I did a piece of film similar in my other A level subject Moving Image Arts.
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