I have learnt a lot from the films that we have watched in Media, and from the past films that we have made. Our initial filming in year 12 Media Studies was a rather poor example of our abilities, and it was merely a show that we could use the camera. It was a very linear exercise, based around using a mobile phone, and re-enacting a phonecall between two people. We did not have much freedom during this piece, but it did secure our knowledge of camera angles and shots from the year before. We were able to cut between shots effectively, and we learn not to zoom in unless it was absolutely necessarily, as the effect is often jerky motion that does not compliment the film.
The second piece that we made we had much greater freedom over, and I perhaps prefer it to our Preliminary Task. We were asked to advertise something, to design a TV advert to express a particular need to buy or witness the product within. We as a group, (Ian, Ellis, John and myself) put our all into this production, and we made the product Internet Paedophilia, and how not to be a victim of it. We used all of the camera angles that we were asked to, yet gave the piece our own unique flair by using posters dotted around the classroom as the reaction shots to what was going on. We created a mock MSN Messenger conversation, with the Paedophile represented by Ian, who has become one of the main actors within our productions. From this piece, we learnt what we could achieve with the camera and with freedom to go our own way with what we made. We learn that music could make or break a film, and that we have to choose the right sound effects at the right time to make a production worth having.
The Preliminary task has been spoken of already, and we learn from our last-but-one piece that we could incorporate good humour within our filming, if it was done tastefully. We keep to the briefs, but expand upon them, trying to incorporate our own unique take on things to make the narrative flow well. We tightened up our camera angles and shots from the previous piece, with more variety over what we could accomplish. We utilised over-the-shoulder shots, reverse angle shots, and even a low-angle shot when I leave the room. As well as profile shots and medium shots used throughout, mainly focusing on Ian, slightly off centre, we managed to create our best production yet, even if the idea of the advert I myself prefered. However, in terms of mastery, we have learnt much since our initial piece.
From the Bourne Ultamatum, we have decided to use flashbacks in our final product. I enjoyed the fast-paced look of this film, though we have decided that our thriller opening will be slower and require more thought. How it plays out at the moment is not yet clarified, but we will try and keep to the low-key lighting incorporated in the Bourne Ultamatum, and the gritty realism established to create an almost Film Noir set-up.
From Double Indemnity, we will focus ona monologue in our final production. We have learnt a lot from this film, and will base a lot of our final piece over conventions used within Double Indemnity. The main point that we will express here is that for much of the opening of the film, there is no speech, and merely actions being shown. We will incorporate this into our final piece, with little to no talking during the beginning parts, leading into conversation after the credits show, to make our final piece an opening rather than a trailer. From I Walked with a Zombie, we will recognise a need for a good soundtrack, with diegetic sound taking control of the atmosphere of our production. Anything from heavy breathing, to footsteps walking, to doors closing, we will add over the top of the soundtrack if needs be, to make a chilling sense of disturbance for the audience.
We will use the information that we have gathered from the films we have seen, in conjuction to the work that we have done in terms of production, in order to make a collaboration of all techniques learnt during our final production. At this point in time, we are just looking forward to getting out there and filming it!
Sunday, 30 November 2008
What is Film Noir?
Film Noir is a term to describe dark, gritty Hollywood movies, mostly conceived between the early 1940's and the late 1950's. Film Noir originally started in France (Noir being 'black', in French), and was adapted shortly after for an American audience. A lot of the time, low-key lighting is incorporated, as well as black and white imagery to create a distorted tension to the cinematic. Film Noir is difficult to define, as there are a broad spectrum of tendencies within Film Noir productions to make them so. Often these stray into other genres, and they are not concrete to Film Noir, and so describing a film that fits this trait is not an easy task. However, Film Noir does generally feature crime fiction, based upon real scenarios that could in fact happen in real life. Double Indemnity, for example, did not happen in real life as a case study, but probably has happened sometime in the past. Often Film Noir pieces are realistic and could potentially be real, which draws the audience into the piece more fluidly. However, this is not always the case, as 'I walked with a Zombie' is rather unrealistic, especially as the title character of the piece, the 'Zombie', is impossible to account for in real life. Nevertheless, there are several points, similar to Vladimir Propp's proposal of the structure of narrative, that can be affiliated with the Film Noir convention. Most Film Noir productions contain:
A crime - Often true to life, perhaps with slight exaggeration, but often a Film Noir piece will begin, or result, in a crime that could be committed by real people in a real life situation. This crime is usually the undoing of the characters, as they struggle to deal with what they have done. In early Film Noir productions, the criminal always had to be caught in the end, else the audience would be made to believe that they could get away with conducting these crimes themselves.
The perspective of the criminals, and reversed roles - Often in Film Noir productions, the criminals point of view is taken. All of a sudden, the criminal is seen as the character to sympathise with, whilst the police assume the role of villain, at least to the cause that the audience is supposed to relate to. In Film Noir, the antagonist becomes the protagonist, the characters swapping roles. There is also the inclusion, if police are present, of the 'Good cop, Bad cop' effect, wherein one of the police or law enforcers will receive more sympathy than the other. Due to the reversed roles, when the criminals are found out and caught, the audience feel sympathy for them, perhaps wishing that they had gotten away with their crime. The police are expressed as the villains of the piece, and can often be seen as corrupt in the eyes of the audience, creating an inverted view on existing roles in society.
Unstable alliances - A lot of the time in Film Noir productions, the main character finds people that he once confided in slowly turning against him, even if they are not initially aware of it. For example, in 'Double Indemnity', Keye's starts off as Neff's friend and collegue, though he eventually susses out what he's trying to do, and the two of them become enemies. In Film Noir, no relationship is absolute, and there is a lot of betrayal and false allegiance present in the narrative.
The Femme Fatale - A real nasty piece of work, the Femme Fatale character is prominant in most Film Noir productions, and they are almost always the cause of the crime, the storyline, and the subsequent death of the lead character. They use their good looks and sexuality to entice the men of the narrative, and after taking them under their spell, they use the men to commit crimes on their behalf. The Femme Fatale usually plays the role of the lead heroine, though they are still villainous in approach. They are beautiful and sexual, and have the ability to control men within the piece. Often in Film Noir, the men initially start out as innocent and simply doing a job, such as Postman (The Postman always rings Twice) or Insurance Salesman (Double Indemnity). However, they soon fall under the Femme Fatale's trap, and are corrupted and made to carry out their bidding. Often the Femme Fatale's sympathy comes from them being trapped in loveless marriages, and often, the men are employed to kill off the husbands, with the reward of being with the Femme Fatale afterwards. However, their intentions are usually unclear and dishonest, and many play around with many men, and simply abuse their power. Ultimately, they are often killed or imprisoned, usually by the men that they enslave, but it does show women as in control, and able to dominate men to their will.
Brutal violence - Often violence is heavy within Film Noir pieces, especially for the time. There are a lot of sadistic deaths involved, that often dismiss conventional methods. For example, though guns are used, often people are brutally murdered with weaponry that would not be seen to be used for such a purpose. Shovels, for example, or even machinery can be used to kill people off. In Double Indemnity, there is a large portion of the storyline devoted to the killing of Phyllis' husband, but greater emphasis on how they deal with his body. In Film Noir productions, it's not always how they kill the person that's shocking, but how the body is then dealt with. For example, in Double Indemnity, the body is thrown onto a railway track, after an elaborate ploy to make it look as if he fell of the observation deck. However, deaths are often misinterpretated by others within in the narrative, and the usual reason for the criminals to be found out is due to the recovery of the body, and the evidence presented. However, the gritty atmosphere and realism of Film Noir definately creates dark and often sinister violence to the production.
A crime - Often true to life, perhaps with slight exaggeration, but often a Film Noir piece will begin, or result, in a crime that could be committed by real people in a real life situation. This crime is usually the undoing of the characters, as they struggle to deal with what they have done. In early Film Noir productions, the criminal always had to be caught in the end, else the audience would be made to believe that they could get away with conducting these crimes themselves.
The perspective of the criminals, and reversed roles - Often in Film Noir productions, the criminals point of view is taken. All of a sudden, the criminal is seen as the character to sympathise with, whilst the police assume the role of villain, at least to the cause that the audience is supposed to relate to. In Film Noir, the antagonist becomes the protagonist, the characters swapping roles. There is also the inclusion, if police are present, of the 'Good cop, Bad cop' effect, wherein one of the police or law enforcers will receive more sympathy than the other. Due to the reversed roles, when the criminals are found out and caught, the audience feel sympathy for them, perhaps wishing that they had gotten away with their crime. The police are expressed as the villains of the piece, and can often be seen as corrupt in the eyes of the audience, creating an inverted view on existing roles in society.
Unstable alliances - A lot of the time in Film Noir productions, the main character finds people that he once confided in slowly turning against him, even if they are not initially aware of it. For example, in 'Double Indemnity', Keye's starts off as Neff's friend and collegue, though he eventually susses out what he's trying to do, and the two of them become enemies. In Film Noir, no relationship is absolute, and there is a lot of betrayal and false allegiance present in the narrative.
The Femme Fatale - A real nasty piece of work, the Femme Fatale character is prominant in most Film Noir productions, and they are almost always the cause of the crime, the storyline, and the subsequent death of the lead character. They use their good looks and sexuality to entice the men of the narrative, and after taking them under their spell, they use the men to commit crimes on their behalf. The Femme Fatale usually plays the role of the lead heroine, though they are still villainous in approach. They are beautiful and sexual, and have the ability to control men within the piece. Often in Film Noir, the men initially start out as innocent and simply doing a job, such as Postman (The Postman always rings Twice) or Insurance Salesman (Double Indemnity). However, they soon fall under the Femme Fatale's trap, and are corrupted and made to carry out their bidding. Often the Femme Fatale's sympathy comes from them being trapped in loveless marriages, and often, the men are employed to kill off the husbands, with the reward of being with the Femme Fatale afterwards. However, their intentions are usually unclear and dishonest, and many play around with many men, and simply abuse their power. Ultimately, they are often killed or imprisoned, usually by the men that they enslave, but it does show women as in control, and able to dominate men to their will.
Brutal violence - Often violence is heavy within Film Noir pieces, especially for the time. There are a lot of sadistic deaths involved, that often dismiss conventional methods. For example, though guns are used, often people are brutally murdered with weaponry that would not be seen to be used for such a purpose. Shovels, for example, or even machinery can be used to kill people off. In Double Indemnity, there is a large portion of the storyline devoted to the killing of Phyllis' husband, but greater emphasis on how they deal with his body. In Film Noir productions, it's not always how they kill the person that's shocking, but how the body is then dealt with. For example, in Double Indemnity, the body is thrown onto a railway track, after an elaborate ploy to make it look as if he fell of the observation deck. However, deaths are often misinterpretated by others within in the narrative, and the usual reason for the criminals to be found out is due to the recovery of the body, and the evidence presented. However, the gritty atmosphere and realism of Film Noir definately creates dark and often sinister violence to the production.
Friday, 28 November 2008
Preliminary Exercise Evaluation
Our Preliminary Piece Overview:
Who was involved?
Alex: Actor/Sound Effects
Ian: Actor
Ellis: Actor/Editor
John: Actor/Writer
We were asked to produce a conversational piece between two people, with a variety of camera angles to be incorporated. Other than the initial linearity, we had great freedom in the final production that we would produce. We settled upon a comedy-based piece, wherein my character would meet a celebrity, realise that it's not a real celebrity, and then humour would ensue. We started off outside one of the classrooms within the college, and I noticed a poster on the door. It read that I could meet a celebrity for £50 a minute, but the drive was that any celebrity could be met. So I entered the room and paid the fine, approaching the table and meeting my first guest. Both Angelina and Tony Blair were played by Ian, and he did a great job in keeping to the script and not laughing during scenes. He remained far more collected than the rest of us, even when he had to climb through the cupboard. The effect that we used here was my favourite part of the piece, followed closely by Nelson Mandela at the end. When Ian entered the cupboard, we removed everything inside, so that it was possible for him to climb through. Interestingly, the cupboard scene where he enters one way and leaves another is one continuous shot, right until Ian is leaving the door. We had to incorporate another shot at this point to allow Ian to change masks to Tony Blair.
We made a couple of mistakes on our preliminary piece, which we would have to deal with during our final production. For one, there was a lack of continuity at two key points. During one scene, after Ian leaves the cupboard and is returning to the desk, I had to move out of the shot, which means that for a brief couple of second interval, I was not present in the shot, and the tripod was in my place as we performed an over-the-shoulder shot on Ian. I don't exist in this shot, yet when Ian sits back down, I magically reappear. This is only obvious after a couple of viewings, and upon showing our production to other members of our class, nobody realised until we told them that I wasn't in the shot.
The other lack of continuity came from a change in rooms near the end of the piece; we were given one lesson to film our preliminary task, and we found that near the end of the production, we ran out of time when a class needed to use the room we were in. Therefore, during the scene where Ian speaks of meeting his friends, and Lassy and Nelson Mandela are shown (John and Ellis respectively), we were actually in a different room to the original one. This is only really an issue when I storm out of the room at a low-angle shot, as I leave through a different door to the one I entered from. This is quite noticeable, but doesn't really detract from the humour of the piece.
Another minor issue was sound, where we did not place a voiced track over the top of the piece. We feel that the only place where this makes a real difference is during a couple of scenes where a faint sound of laughter can be heard (mainly the cupboard scene spoken of before), and where I storm off, as it's quite difficult to hear what I say. Nevertheless, we do also achieve a successful finish, we feel, and all music placed upon the film is from a copyright free resource CD, given to us by our teacher.
There are several points that we feel were good about our preliminary piece, however. For one, the idea is quite original, at least for the extent of the brief we met. It wasn't just a regular conversation between two people; instead we gave a surreal twist to the piece that makes it more engaging. We also think that the production itself was rather good, especially when Nelson was dancing at the end to the music. The pictures and credits were all edited in afterwards by Ellis, and he did a great job of making the credits last for the duration of the images. We also feel that the music cuts in at very appropriate times and fades out when it should, and ultimately we achieved what we set out to do; to meet the brief, and to generate humour in our production.
We're happy with how the preliminary piece turned out, and we will use some of the response we have received during our final production. For one, we will try and add any audio on afterwards, so that we don't pick up distortion or have any sort of interference. We will also make sure that everything is continous, and as we plan on filming our final production over a three day period, we'll keep everything in place as it was. As the rooms we are filming in will be used, we'll make a note of how everything was positioned between days, so that we can return them to their original state during filming on later days. We will also wear the same clothing and such to continue with the continuity. Our thriller opening will also be far more focused, having more time to edit and play around with effects, and hopefully we will create something special at the end of our filming.
Prop List, Continuity and Locations during Final Production
The final production will feature several props that will be used to add realism to the piece. All props will be real, but the more dangerous ones will be monitored carefully. Anything seen, no matter how damaging it looks, is not representative of the filming.
. Torch
. Knives
. Sheet
. Bloody cloth (red food dye)
. Various kitchen appliances
. Henry Hoover
. Hat, suit
Due to the nature in which the filming will occur (over three days estimated), possible continuity issues will arise. However, due to the fact that we only have one primary actor, who will most likely be wearing a suit, (the detective), the suit can be placed over existing clothing to avoid having different attire during filming. The other actors will wear similar suits for same effect, and so no real continuity issues exist, bar the clothing issue that can be dealt with. Whether we wear the same clothes, and get changed afterwards, or whether we place the suit over the top is not yet known, but we will be of the same appearance across the three days of filming.
The film will primarily be recorded at Ellis' house, with the kitchen, hallway, stairway, bedroom and bathroom all used in the filming. We do not as of yet have any plans to film any scenes away from the specified location, though our blog will be suitably updated if during filming we add a shot or two. But for now, all filming will occur at Ellis' house under the supervision of responsible adults.
. Torch
. Knives
. Sheet
. Bloody cloth (red food dye)
. Various kitchen appliances
. Henry Hoover
. Hat, suit
Due to the nature in which the filming will occur (over three days estimated), possible continuity issues will arise. However, due to the fact that we only have one primary actor, who will most likely be wearing a suit, (the detective), the suit can be placed over existing clothing to avoid having different attire during filming. The other actors will wear similar suits for same effect, and so no real continuity issues exist, bar the clothing issue that can be dealt with. Whether we wear the same clothes, and get changed afterwards, or whether we place the suit over the top is not yet known, but we will be of the same appearance across the three days of filming.
The film will primarily be recorded at Ellis' house, with the kitchen, hallway, stairway, bedroom and bathroom all used in the filming. We do not as of yet have any plans to film any scenes away from the specified location, though our blog will be suitably updated if during filming we add a shot or two. But for now, all filming will occur at Ellis' house under the supervision of responsible adults.
Risk Assessment/Health Hazards of Final Production
. Slipping or hurting ourselves in the shower. Water will be able to escape down the plug hole, but the risk still remains.
. Handling raw meat, if we re-enact a killing scene with the knife going into meat through a shirt. Our hands will be thoroughly washed if meat is used.
. Handling knives. Greatest care will be used, and we will be supervised by an adult during the filming process to avoid injury.
. Hurting selves on stairs; body is being dragged up, but will be placed on a sheet and pulled by the sheet, with just the legs visable on the camera, to avoid injury.
. Psychological damage; filming late at night could affect us mentally, but we won't do anything that can cause long-term damage.
. Handling raw meat, if we re-enact a killing scene with the knife going into meat through a shirt. Our hands will be thoroughly washed if meat is used.
. Handling knives. Greatest care will be used, and we will be supervised by an adult during the filming process to avoid injury.
. Hurting selves on stairs; body is being dragged up, but will be placed on a sheet and pulled by the sheet, with just the legs visable on the camera, to avoid injury.
. Psychological damage; filming late at night could affect us mentally, but we won't do anything that can cause long-term damage.
Shooting Schedule for Final Production
List of Shots in proposed order:
1. Opening credits - Editing
2. Medium shot - Day 1
3. Point of view - Day 1
4. Low angle - Day 1
5. Over-the-shoulder - Day 1
6. Point of view - Day 1
7. Close up\Point o view - Day 1
8. Close up - Day 1
9. Point of view - Day 1
10. Close up - Day 1
11. Close up - Day 2
12. Medium long - Day 2
13. Point of view - Day 2
14. Medium shot - Day 2
15. Side-on shot - Day 2
16. High angle - Day 2
17. Medium shot - Day 2
18. Profile shot - Day 2
19. Medium shot - Day 2
20. Reverse shot - Day 2
21. Low angle shot - Day 3
22. Over-the-shoulder - Day 3
23. Medium shot - Day 3
24. Mediumshot - Day 3
25. Point of view shot - Day 3
26. Close up - Day 3
27. Reaction shot - Day 3
28. Point of view - Day 3
29. Side on shot - Day 3
30. Credits once more - Day 3
31. Medium shot - Day 3
32. Close up - Day 3
33. Fade out, end - Editing
Possibility of an extra day if delays in filming. Possibility of fewer days if filming goes smoothly.
1. Opening credits - Editing
2. Medium shot - Day 1
3. Point of view - Day 1
4. Low angle - Day 1
5. Over-the-shoulder - Day 1
6. Point of view - Day 1
7. Close up\Point o view - Day 1
8. Close up - Day 1
9. Point of view - Day 1
10. Close up - Day 1
11. Close up - Day 2
12. Medium long - Day 2
13. Point of view - Day 2
14. Medium shot - Day 2
15. Side-on shot - Day 2
16. High angle - Day 2
17. Medium shot - Day 2
18. Profile shot - Day 2
19. Medium shot - Day 2
20. Reverse shot - Day 2
21. Low angle shot - Day 3
22. Over-the-shoulder - Day 3
23. Medium shot - Day 3
24. Mediumshot - Day 3
25. Point of view shot - Day 3
26. Close up - Day 3
27. Reaction shot - Day 3
28. Point of view - Day 3
29. Side on shot - Day 3
30. Credits once more - Day 3
31. Medium shot - Day 3
32. Close up - Day 3
33. Fade out, end - Editing
Possibility of an extra day if delays in filming. Possibility of fewer days if filming goes smoothly.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum
2007
Director: Paul Greengrass
The Opening:
The film starts off with instant action, enticing and drawing the viewer into the plot. We see the lead character, Jason Bourne, running through the streets, with low-key lighting and fast paced shots to represent the speed in which events are occuring. We see Russian soldiers chasing after him, with cars pulling up atop bridges looking down at him running. Diegetic sound is incorporated and emphasised as his boots hit the pavement, and he continues running from the soldiers. The camera is panning as he watch him run, the action side on to show his legs moving in quick succession. We as viewers wonder why he is running, and the 'Stop!' remarks of the Russian soldiers compound this fact. We see subtitles representing what the Russian's are saying, and it's very much apparent that the lead character is in grave danger. Eventually, the almost surreal greyness of the caste leads the main character to a building, where he pushes through the doorway to the building within. Guards pull up outside in armoured vehicles, and follow him inside.
All the while, flashbacks are showing up whilst he's in the building, showing clinically white labs where experiments are being conducted on him. We hear shouting, as if something bad has happened, and Jason is sweating, showing her nervousness. The audience is meant to feel confused with what's going on, and drawn in in equal measure, and it's clear that the plot will be revealed later on in the film. At this point, no credits are shown at all, and the film jumps straight into the action without a single piece of text. The guards chase him into the building, and we see Jason washing his hands in a sink at the toilet of the room, obviously distressed. Two guards enter the room as the next flashback ends, and they point guns at Jason. He keeps his back to them as they walk closer, and though the guards are clearly his enemy, they seem more intent on capturing him than killing him. Low-key lighting in incorporated, as well as medium shots showing the action. The guard steps forwards in a close-up, his face framed as he nears Jason in an over-the-shoulder shot, the viewer seeing Jason from behind. Then in one quick movement a burst of non-diegetic sound (creating a euphoric boom), Jason swings around, hits the gun from the guards hand and knocks him unconscious on the floor.
The second guard, lacking a weapon, begs not to be harmed as Jason recovers the first guards gun, pointing it at the guard. During the guard's speech, Jason is blurred out, though when Jason speak, the guard fades out of focus, to show his dominance over his opponent. The soldier asks not to be hurt, subtitles showing in Russian that he has a child and a wife. Jason replies in English, saying ''It's not you I'm after.'', and then he runs off, the scene ending, the name of the film coming up in big, silver bold lettering. The Opening ends on a mystery, with little explained, yet enough given to entice the viewer into finding out more.
2007
Director: Paul Greengrass
The Opening:
The film starts off with instant action, enticing and drawing the viewer into the plot. We see the lead character, Jason Bourne, running through the streets, with low-key lighting and fast paced shots to represent the speed in which events are occuring. We see Russian soldiers chasing after him, with cars pulling up atop bridges looking down at him running. Diegetic sound is incorporated and emphasised as his boots hit the pavement, and he continues running from the soldiers. The camera is panning as he watch him run, the action side on to show his legs moving in quick succession. We as viewers wonder why he is running, and the 'Stop!' remarks of the Russian soldiers compound this fact. We see subtitles representing what the Russian's are saying, and it's very much apparent that the lead character is in grave danger. Eventually, the almost surreal greyness of the caste leads the main character to a building, where he pushes through the doorway to the building within. Guards pull up outside in armoured vehicles, and follow him inside.
All the while, flashbacks are showing up whilst he's in the building, showing clinically white labs where experiments are being conducted on him. We hear shouting, as if something bad has happened, and Jason is sweating, showing her nervousness. The audience is meant to feel confused with what's going on, and drawn in in equal measure, and it's clear that the plot will be revealed later on in the film. At this point, no credits are shown at all, and the film jumps straight into the action without a single piece of text. The guards chase him into the building, and we see Jason washing his hands in a sink at the toilet of the room, obviously distressed. Two guards enter the room as the next flashback ends, and they point guns at Jason. He keeps his back to them as they walk closer, and though the guards are clearly his enemy, they seem more intent on capturing him than killing him. Low-key lighting in incorporated, as well as medium shots showing the action. The guard steps forwards in a close-up, his face framed as he nears Jason in an over-the-shoulder shot, the viewer seeing Jason from behind. Then in one quick movement a burst of non-diegetic sound (creating a euphoric boom), Jason swings around, hits the gun from the guards hand and knocks him unconscious on the floor.
The second guard, lacking a weapon, begs not to be harmed as Jason recovers the first guards gun, pointing it at the guard. During the guard's speech, Jason is blurred out, though when Jason speak, the guard fades out of focus, to show his dominance over his opponent. The soldier asks not to be hurt, subtitles showing in Russian that he has a child and a wife. Jason replies in English, saying ''It's not you I'm after.'', and then he runs off, the scene ending, the name of the film coming up in big, silver bold lettering. The Opening ends on a mystery, with little explained, yet enough given to entice the viewer into finding out more.
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