'A Lover's Obsession' is the story about a young teenage girl who is coming home from being out. After taking off her coat, bag and shoes, she goes upstairs to get ready for bed. She receives a mysterious phone call from an unknown number and it is clear that there have been previous phone call incidents as she isn't happy with the other speaker. She goes downstairs but as she passes the front door, she thinks she has seen a light go on outside. Checking she hasn't been mistaken, she opens the door to investigate. After calling out to see if anyone is around, she notices a bunch of flowers on the driveway. A secret message on the attached note, startles the girl, but as she is reading, the front door slams shut behind her. Panic rises through the girl and she runs to the door, slamming on the glass and shouting. A figure strolls up to the glass as the girl tries fiddling with the door handle, and she only notices the figure when its face is pressed up to the window panel. She runs away, calling for help and turns down a road into an alleyway, where something unknown makes her let out a piercing scream.
As the film opening goes on, there are black and white clips of a body in a dead state, with the objects used in the other shots e.g. phone, note, necklace. These are meant to represent how each shot of the active girl is a flashback of the dead state. Finally, a shot of the girl's face appears and her eyes suddenly open as she lets out a deep breathe and the title appears over the screen.
Showing posts with label Coursework. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coursework. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Filming
Using our shooting schedule, we planned a date to film and below are photos of our practical filming.
Above, are photos of the first shots of the film. We used a range of lighting on the character, camera and scene.
We used an extension cable in order to access lighting from outside and achieve a good quality in our shots.
Again, a range of outside and portable lighting was used in this shot and we altered the tripod in order to get a level shot.
Here is a photo of a prop we used in our filming and it's bright lighting in the dark set.
Setting
Taking into consideration what our target market requested about setting, Claudia and I are using my family home (shown in the photos below) as our thriller setting. The house enables space to film as well as equipment and facilities for filming, such as household equipment to use as props, e.g. knife and extension leads, plugs for charging filming equipment and accessible lighting. Not only is the setting practical, but it aesthetically meets the demand on the market, it is a believable and relatable, fitting in with our plot. Down the road from the house, is a alleyway, a perfect setting for our climax scene. This area needs portable lighting and freehand camera work in order to get the right frame shots.
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Editing
Music
Music
Claudia and I wanted to find some music to
put into our film that wasn’t copyright. This was because it would be expensive
to use a copyright product if we weren’t able to get consent from the music
production company to use it on our film for no fee. This would also mean
having to explore the contact information would may be hard to find and having
to wait for a reply which we may never have got in the time limit that we had.
If we were producing the film on a large
scale, then this would obviously be a factor we would consider.
We researched into finding music on YouTube
and came across a track that didn’t require copyright. Lots of people were
commenting, explaining their interest and the user was happy to let others use
it. We downloaded the track and have used it over our film, adjusting it to fit
into the scenes. The music starts off with an eerie piano tune being repeated, with
the volume being deliberately lowered when the character is speaking. When the
door slams shut, the scenes get more fast-paced so we cut the music so that the
lower tune at a quicker and scarier pace was playing.
To keep the creepy atmosphere sustained
throughout the film, we cut out the part of the track with major chords that
have a lighter happier tune.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Storyboard
Below is a corresponding storyboard for the script showing hand-drawn images on each camera shot with annotations below each picture. The images were hand-drawn as we couldn't arrange a set date to collect images instead. The shots should match up with the ones on the script and although they are basic, should clearly represent each shot.
Shooting Schedule
It was hard to arrange days that everyone could meet and film, considering our limited time and everyone else's priorities such as work, school and extra curricular activities. We managed to arrange on Tuesday, to start filming Becky's main section, with her acting as 'alive', a scene which also features Jamie as the dark figure. On Sunday, Lauren is available to do make up for Becky's dead look so we will film the flashbacks on this day. Below is a copy of our shooting schedule listing our equipment, times and people needed on what day. We forgot to add in flowers for the equipment needed which will be included in the film.
Costume/ Hair and Make up
Costume
Costume isn't very extravagant in our film opening but will need a lot of consideration. Because our plot is in the present time and in a general family setting, the costume will just be 'everyday'. We have chosen pyjamas, a dressing gown and slippers because we are filming at night, so want to make the costume realistic for the conditions. Also, these types of garments are simple and basic so are easily recognisable and memorable, making it easier for the audience to distinguish characters throughout the flashbacks. The dressing gown will need pockets to keep the phone in. We also need a necklace for the girl to fiddle with when she is nervous and feature in a flashback.
Hair and Make up
The images around show the type of effect that Claudia and I want our character to have in her dead state. Cuts, bruises and scarring will create an abused look and that she is in a poor weak position. We think having a make up artist will help achieve this look and make the film opening seem more realistic and illustrate our ideas further.
Costume isn't very extravagant in our film opening but will need a lot of consideration. Because our plot is in the present time and in a general family setting, the costume will just be 'everyday'. We have chosen pyjamas, a dressing gown and slippers because we are filming at night, so want to make the costume realistic for the conditions. Also, these types of garments are simple and basic so are easily recognisable and memorable, making it easier for the audience to distinguish characters throughout the flashbacks. The dressing gown will need pockets to keep the phone in. We also need a necklace for the girl to fiddle with when she is nervous and feature in a flashback.
Hair and Make up
The images around show the type of effect that Claudia and I want our character to have in her dead state. Cuts, bruises and scarring will create an abused look and that she is in a poor weak position. We think having a make up artist will help achieve this look and make the film opening seem more realistic and illustrate our ideas further.
Script
Below is our script with basic directions and labels for our camera shots. There is not a lot of speech but the movement and perception that the audience has on the film is important so Claudia and I wanted to be sure of what we were doing, not only to make sure the film looks right but also so that we can be organized on the day of filming to reduce time loss and to make it easier and clear to the cast and crew.
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Cast and Crew
For
our film opening, Claudia and I wanted experienced cast and crew who could
fulfil the roles of as team to achieve the overall idea successful. However, in
the interviews we did, people said they would want to watch actors their own
age to relate to. We decided we would follow this idea through to the crew
members as well, choosing a make-up artist who could work with someone her own
age to gain experience and practice skills. We contacted both the people we
were interested in, explaining our plot, basic information and requesting them
in a role, and got a quick and eager response back.
Jamie Pike- Figure 1
Becky Ashley- Girl 1
Becky Ashley is a 16 year old student at Gordano Sixth Form.
She is a member of many drama and dance school such as Stagecoach and Bristol School of Dance, as well as being a
student for both GCSE and A-Level dance, drama, music and literature. She has taken
part in many school productions like Bugsy Malone and A Midsummer Night’s
Dream. This experience means that she is used to performing and has an
understanding about ideas behind the plot and how to move and act in front of an
audience. It will be beneficial practice for her to be part of our film opening
as she can improve her abilities on camera and not just on stage. We think she
will be a great character to have in our movie as she is reliable, organised
and flexible.
Lauren Hampton- Make Up Artist
Lauren Hampton is a
keen dancer and actress, being a GCSE and A-Level student in dance, drama and
English Literature. Being a member of Bristol School of Dance, Bristol school
of Performing Arts, cast in Bristol Hippodrome’s productions and annual
Christmas pantomimes and being a young character in a range of CBBC programmes
and BBC’s ‘Casualty’, she has developed
skills in make-up artistry and stage make-up, investing in high-end products
and brands to achieve flawless and creative stage make up. Lauren’s imaginative
and detailed ideas will be used to create a ‘dead’ effect, like the ones shown
in a previous blog post on costume, hair and make-up.
Jamie Pike- Figure 1
Jamie has offered to help with some basic acting in shots
where we need shadows as he is very tall. Only simple positioning and movement
will be needed as Becky is our main subject and focus in the film opening.
Questionnaire Anaylsis
After interviewing, Claudia and I decided that since we had successfully chose our target audience, we would investigate further into what the market would want. We asked a series of questions, open and closed, which included:
Gender? We already knew what age group we were targeting the film opening towards so we decided to ask the gender of the responder so we could conclude whether being male or female influenced the answers more.
What is your favourite sub-genre of thriller? (Including examples to help the responder establish what type of movie fits into what category.) We asked this question so we could take inspiration from some of the films' aspects and research further into this sub-genre.
What's your favourite type of aspects in a thriller movie? Claudia and I thought that this was an important question because we would consider including the most popular aspect in our film opening.
What attracts you to watching a thriller film? Again, we thought that this question would be an aspect of the film opening that would need to be included because the features will need to attract the target market to meet their requirements to make it successful.
What is the most important element in a thriller film? The options for this question were part of mise-en-scene, which is the look of what is on the screen. We want to make an enjoyable watching experience so all these options need to have lots of thought put into them. However, CLaudia and I could specialise on one of the elements to make it stand out to the audience.
How much of a plot should be revealed in the opening sequence of a film? This was a critical question for our film opening. It not only depends on how long the opening scene will be, but also the amount of characters and storyline we need to include.
What features do you like about thriller films? This open question would get us individual opinions about what different social groups of people enjoy.
What's your favourite thriller movie? Why? Like with the interviews, we thought this was a good question to ask because we could relate aspects of the films to previous thriller movies.
Analysis of answers:
(This analysis is based on the answers given from the questionnaire to the right.)
1) 'Female' Being a girl has some obvious effect on the answers, especially question 2.
2)'Rom-com' Unfortunately, romantic comedy isn't a sub-genre of thriller and we can't involve much comedy or positive representations of love to make it a thriller and fulfil the aims of being mysterious and cryptic. However, a romantic side is part of the focus for our film as it is based on a girl's admirer. However, it is a implication of negative ideas on love. Romantic comedies are normally aimed at girls, hence the female relation, but we have included a girl character as the main part for the audience to like and support.
3) 'Confusion' This aspect will be included in our film opening because the mystery of how the girl got from being alive to in a dead state is not revealed in the opening, leaving the audience confused about how she got there.
4) 'Advertisement' This attraction to the film isn't a big involvement in the task we are allocated. However, if we were making this film on a large scale, how we advertised the product would involve our choice of camera shots, costume, setting and mainly our plot in a trailer or posters.
5) 'Editing' The aspects of editing will be carefully considered, including depth of field, transitions and credits. However, with our knowledge, budget and software, our skills on special effects may be limited.
6) 'Very little' Claudia and I have decided to reveal hardly any of the story line to keep the audience anticipated and wanting to watch the rest of the film to find out what happens. The opening scene features flashback so the audience is left wondering what their significance is.
7) 'Fast pace' Our film will ensure fast pace, as the music, and camera shots will imply this. Also the plot involved a 'run and catch' chasing scene which will keep the atmosphere tense and gripping.
8) 'Bourne Identity' Aspects of the Bourne Identity can be adapted into our film. The first scene with the fisherman uncovering the body features creepy music and dark lighting which we will include.
(The next set of questions being analysed are shown on the left. For questions 5&6, please look at the analysis for the previous set of questions)
1) 'Male' Again, this response influences the answers to the other questions as male traits have the same general response.
2) 'Action' Our film opening features a chase scene which hopefully fulfils the requirement of action requested for but we can't display any action too over the top as we don't have the time, budget, space, knowledge or team to create a film solely around the sub-genre of action.
3) 'Hero vs. Villain' We have included a protagonist character, the main part who the audience is supporting and a dark mysterious figure playing the villain in the opening scene.
4) 'Challenging storyline' Claudia and I believe our storyline is challenging as there is a lot of mystery to be solved, revealed in the opening scene and leaving the audience left with lots of questions. For example, the character's names, backgrounds and motives are left secret and the scene just sets the atmosphere and plot for the rest of the film.
7) 'I like mind bending storylines with a medium amount of action' This statement works well with the ideas we have for our film, ensuring that the chase scene isn't too much motion in most action films. The storyline is interesting and will keep the audience confused and keen.
8) 'Inception- it provides a ..... storyline with a lot of good action sequences' Again, action won't be the main focus on the sub-genre included in our thriller film but we have the interesting a inquisitive plot that inception adapts.
(The next analysis of the questionnaire is below. Feedback to questions 1-3 are provided above and answers to question 5 & 6 are in the first analysis. There was no response to question 7 so is not included.)
4) 'Title' Claudia and I thought up the name 'A Lover's Obsession' for our title and thought this was interesting and catchy as it is a twisted adaption on a love story and reveals to the audience that the plot is a creepy take on a messed up love story. 'Obsession' implies to the audience that the love has gone too far and has a negative outcome.
8) 'Dark Night Rises' The costume in the Batman film matches the 'superhero' character and is well thought out. The crisis that Batman comes to is well thought out and creates a clear storyline. Claudia and I will ensure that costume and the disruption that the character faces is carefully considered
Gender? We already knew what age group we were targeting the film opening towards so we decided to ask the gender of the responder so we could conclude whether being male or female influenced the answers more.
What is your favourite sub-genre of thriller? (Including examples to help the responder establish what type of movie fits into what category.) We asked this question so we could take inspiration from some of the films' aspects and research further into this sub-genre.
What's your favourite type of aspects in a thriller movie? Claudia and I thought that this was an important question because we would consider including the most popular aspect in our film opening.
What attracts you to watching a thriller film? Again, we thought that this question would be an aspect of the film opening that would need to be included because the features will need to attract the target market to meet their requirements to make it successful.
What is the most important element in a thriller film? The options for this question were part of mise-en-scene, which is the look of what is on the screen. We want to make an enjoyable watching experience so all these options need to have lots of thought put into them. However, CLaudia and I could specialise on one of the elements to make it stand out to the audience.
How much of a plot should be revealed in the opening sequence of a film? This was a critical question for our film opening. It not only depends on how long the opening scene will be, but also the amount of characters and storyline we need to include.
What features do you like about thriller films? This open question would get us individual opinions about what different social groups of people enjoy.
What's your favourite thriller movie? Why? Like with the interviews, we thought this was a good question to ask because we could relate aspects of the films to previous thriller movies.
(This analysis is based on the answers given from the questionnaire to the right.)
1) 'Female' Being a girl has some obvious effect on the answers, especially question 2.
2)'Rom-com' Unfortunately, romantic comedy isn't a sub-genre of thriller and we can't involve much comedy or positive representations of love to make it a thriller and fulfil the aims of being mysterious and cryptic. However, a romantic side is part of the focus for our film as it is based on a girl's admirer. However, it is a implication of negative ideas on love. Romantic comedies are normally aimed at girls, hence the female relation, but we have included a girl character as the main part for the audience to like and support.
3) 'Confusion' This aspect will be included in our film opening because the mystery of how the girl got from being alive to in a dead state is not revealed in the opening, leaving the audience confused about how she got there.
4) 'Advertisement' This attraction to the film isn't a big involvement in the task we are allocated. However, if we were making this film on a large scale, how we advertised the product would involve our choice of camera shots, costume, setting and mainly our plot in a trailer or posters.
5) 'Editing' The aspects of editing will be carefully considered, including depth of field, transitions and credits. However, with our knowledge, budget and software, our skills on special effects may be limited.
6) 'Very little' Claudia and I have decided to reveal hardly any of the story line to keep the audience anticipated and wanting to watch the rest of the film to find out what happens. The opening scene features flashback so the audience is left wondering what their significance is.
7) 'Fast pace' Our film will ensure fast pace, as the music, and camera shots will imply this. Also the plot involved a 'run and catch' chasing scene which will keep the atmosphere tense and gripping.
8) 'Bourne Identity' Aspects of the Bourne Identity can be adapted into our film. The first scene with the fisherman uncovering the body features creepy music and dark lighting which we will include.
1) 'Male' Again, this response influences the answers to the other questions as male traits have the same general response.
2) 'Action' Our film opening features a chase scene which hopefully fulfils the requirement of action requested for but we can't display any action too over the top as we don't have the time, budget, space, knowledge or team to create a film solely around the sub-genre of action.
3) 'Hero vs. Villain' We have included a protagonist character, the main part who the audience is supporting and a dark mysterious figure playing the villain in the opening scene.
4) 'Challenging storyline' Claudia and I believe our storyline is challenging as there is a lot of mystery to be solved, revealed in the opening scene and leaving the audience left with lots of questions. For example, the character's names, backgrounds and motives are left secret and the scene just sets the atmosphere and plot for the rest of the film.
7) 'I like mind bending storylines with a medium amount of action' This statement works well with the ideas we have for our film, ensuring that the chase scene isn't too much motion in most action films. The storyline is interesting and will keep the audience confused and keen.
8) 'Inception- it provides a ..... storyline with a lot of good action sequences' Again, action won't be the main focus on the sub-genre included in our thriller film but we have the interesting a inquisitive plot that inception adapts.
(The next analysis of the questionnaire is below. Feedback to questions 1-3 are provided above and answers to question 5 & 6 are in the first analysis. There was no response to question 7 so is not included.)
4) 'Title' Claudia and I thought up the name 'A Lover's Obsession' for our title and thought this was interesting and catchy as it is a twisted adaption on a love story and reveals to the audience that the plot is a creepy take on a messed up love story. 'Obsession' implies to the audience that the love has gone too far and has a negative outcome.
8) 'Dark Night Rises' The costume in the Batman film matches the 'superhero' character and is well thought out. The crisis that Batman comes to is well thought out and creates a clear storyline. Claudia and I will ensure that costume and the disruption that the character faces is carefully considered
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Interview Film and Analysis
Claudia and I went out to interview members of our target audience. Because we are young adults, we decided to base our ideas around that age group as we have an idea of what teens are interested in and after research about thriller films, lots of sub-genres are aimed at young adults. The local sixth form was access easy to our market. We prepared a range of questions which we think would influence our film to be more attractive to the age group. The questions, answers and analysis are stated below:
What is your favourite thriller film? Why?- "House at the End of the Street" and "Sinister" because "it keeps you on the edge of your seat" and "the music" Seeing as music was an aspect of one of the favourite films, I thought it would be a good idea to research the music compositions used in these films which can hopefully achieve a 'scary' film which can keep a tense atmosphere to fulfil the aim of a film which keeps the audeince on 'the edge of their seats'.
What things would you like or expect to see in a thriller film?- "Comedy...adventure", "weird music...violence...someone jumping off a building...guns...kidnapping", and a summary of a gripping and scary film. Although the first interviewee requested 'comedy' and 'adventure', our research into thriller films weren't based around comedy. Adventure was featured in some of the movies but compared to the other responses, we have decided to go for a gripping and scary approach, with references to a music and possibly a kidnapping. Again, we didn't think that 'someone jumping off a building' and 'guns' fitted in with our brief because we don't have access to spaces that could occupy stunts, or the software to create professional special effects.
What is the most important feature of thriller film?- "To make it exciting", "...mystery, plot twist... a character that makes me want to like him", "setting... because it needs to be in a good believable place", "storyline...something that you can get really hooked on" and "music...makes you scared" We think it is important to consider all of these responses because this is what the audience ultimately wants to see. We discussed the setting in particular so that we could create a believable space to link in with our ideas. For this reason, we have chose to film in a family household which has access to different lighting settings and equipment to make a realistic setting. The house has surrounding areas that could be used for filming and separate research will need to be done for this. The mystery and plot twist will be included in our storyboard explicitly explaining our idea. The music will support the idea to make it 'exciting'. One of the interviewees requested the idea of a protagonist so we have chose to base our film mainly around one character.
Who do you think is the main target audience of thriller thriller films?- "Teenagers...people our age" and "young adults". These answers are reassuring responses because our ideas can therefore relate with the audience.
So would you like to see actors your own age star in the film?- "Yes...because we can see where they're coming from", "Yeah but if it was relatable to us...like a British thriller" Again, these answers mean that it will be easy to access cast and crew our own age and get feedback from the young market. Although young people won't have as much experience about starring in a film opening, it will help them gain knowledge, as well as our film meeting demands of the interviewees. The response about British thriller means that we will make as many aspects of the film as relatable to the region as possible, including cast, crew, setting and maybe the film production company.
What do you think is a good setting for a thriller film?- "In a house because it's personal to people so you get more scared because its more real life" and "in the woods...where its dark". Both these comments link in with previous responses to questions. We chose a house as a good believable setting which can also seem personal to the protagonist requested. Although access to a wooded area is far away from the filming location of the house, the 'dark' setting can contribute to the film and we can use the outside surroundings to make it more realistic and varied.
What do you think of the name 'A Lover's Obsession'?- "Sounds good, I would want to watch that" and "Pretty cool" These positive responses to the names that we have thought up, support going ahead with specific ideas that link with the title for our film opening.
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Interview Process
For our movie opening research, we decided to go out and record people and ask them questions about potential ideas for our film, as well as what aspects and features of films they like. We then edited them on the software we are using to edit our film opening, not only to gain and practice editing skills, but to clearly keep record of what our target audience are interested in to make sure we take on board their feedback to include it into our planning.
Sunday, 3 November 2013
Research: AS Thriller Opening Sequence- Till Death Do Us Part
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhfxn6zTQKQ
I think that this AS thriller opening is really effective in terms of creative ideas and planning. The background music builds suspense and sets the scene. The storyline is clever and uses the characters appropriately, e.g. right age, gender, etc. although the acting is poor at times due to unprofessional mistakes like correcting words.
I like the point of view shot from looking through the camera lens as we see it from the character's perspective as we piece together his personality and reason.
I would like to adapt the use of flashbacks from this film into my movie opening to create a sense mystery about the storyline. The flashbacks seem to be in darker, greyer lighting which show that there is a contrast in time phrases.
The overhead speaking links well what is the editing and there is a range of cutting techniques such as jump cuts and fading transitions which all work really well together.
The credits appear with a font that is suitable for the film, the typed style links well with the technological features such as the film camera effect. They appear in the right places and are clear, although they could be more creatively positioned, for example there are only a few credits shown and they are all placed at the bottom of the screen.
I think that this AS thriller opening is really effective in terms of creative ideas and planning. The background music builds suspense and sets the scene. The storyline is clever and uses the characters appropriately, e.g. right age, gender, etc. although the acting is poor at times due to unprofessional mistakes like correcting words.
I like the point of view shot from looking through the camera lens as we see it from the character's perspective as we piece together his personality and reason.
I would like to adapt the use of flashbacks from this film into my movie opening to create a sense mystery about the storyline. The flashbacks seem to be in darker, greyer lighting which show that there is a contrast in time phrases.
The overhead speaking links well what is the editing and there is a range of cutting techniques such as jump cuts and fading transitions which all work really well together.
The credits appear with a font that is suitable for the film, the typed style links well with the technological features such as the film camera effect. They appear in the right places and are clear, although they could be more creatively positioned, for example there are only a few credits shown and they are all placed at the bottom of the screen.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Research: Thriller Film Production Companies
Lionsgate
Lionsgate Films is a North American entertainment film company that produce many movies in the thriller genre, some of the most famous being Juno, Precious, Gods and Monsters, Twilight, The Expendables, Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The Impossible and Warm Bodies. I think that using Lionsgate to inspire and be the production company of my film opening would be a could choice because they target their audience of some movies to young adults and teenagers, e.g. Twilight, Juno, Perks of Being a Wallflower, which will be the age of the characters performing in our film. Also, they are producers of lots of Thriller films and would be a suitable consideration.
Film4
Another choice for an inspiring production company that could be considered as the producer for my film would be Film4, which is UK business owned by Channel 4. It has a special Film4 Thriller Season that makes it appropriate for our movie opening and specialises in showing films for all age groups.
Lionsgate Films is a North American entertainment film company that produce many movies in the thriller genre, some of the most famous being Juno, Precious, Gods and Monsters, Twilight, The Expendables, Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The Impossible and Warm Bodies. I think that using Lionsgate to inspire and be the production company of my film opening would be a could choice because they target their audience of some movies to young adults and teenagers, e.g. Twilight, Juno, Perks of Being a Wallflower, which will be the age of the characters performing in our film. Also, they are producers of lots of Thriller films and would be a suitable consideration.
Film4
Another choice for an inspiring production company that could be considered as the producer for my film would be Film4, which is UK business owned by Channel 4. It has a special Film4 Thriller Season that makes it appropriate for our movie opening and specialises in showing films for all age groups.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Research: AS Thriller Opening Sequence- Adoption
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUTd3X7iTIg
I think that this AS thriller opening credits film is very interesting and appeals to a wide range of audiences. I think that the production company they have used (Film 4) is a good choice because Film 4 are known for their 'Thriller Season'. The use of music flowing through from the production clip to the film sets the mood, it is a spooky sound which indicates a 'supernatural' theme. However, I don't think that the music stopping and starting between the beginning shots is effective as it isn't a fluent transition. The film opens with shots of cars driving past the camera. I don't like these shots because they indicate that they are establishing shots and where the scene is set but as the film carries on, the plot is set no where near a motor way and doesn't link with any of the main features further on in the film. However, I do like the clips switching from the titles to the film, although they do tend to jump at times and don't flow back and forth. The font is effective because it looks like the writing style on formal, computerised documents for a 'missing' poster. The lighting that the students have used is well chosen. Because it is dim and almost dark outside, it creates pathetic fallacy of something eerie happening. The lighting also causes the colouring on characters to be dark, so their faces are hidden, creating a mysterious effect. The costumes are thick winter clothing which suggests it is cold outside, also contributing to the atmosphere. The film goes on with some creative camera shots, e.g. the garage opening to outside so we, the audience, want to know what is behind us (the camera), and a rug being laid out and the shot finishing it with the camera view being covered by it. However, at 1:39, there is some poor editing skills where the film is frozen for several moments before playing the footage again. The opening carries on with a camera being set up and the couple holding hands. The final shot is of the characters putting on head masks and stepping out of the car. The film defiantly makes the audience want to carry on watching because there are many questions to be answered like who are the characters? what is the relation to adoption? what happens next? There are some other negatives of the opening sequence, such as there is no good use of the titles included and the clips that do use them aren't creative and are too quick to read. Having said this, I like this film overall and would take aspects of mystery and unrevealing camera shots to use in my film.
I think that this AS thriller opening credits film is very interesting and appeals to a wide range of audiences. I think that the production company they have used (Film 4) is a good choice because Film 4 are known for their 'Thriller Season'. The use of music flowing through from the production clip to the film sets the mood, it is a spooky sound which indicates a 'supernatural' theme. However, I don't think that the music stopping and starting between the beginning shots is effective as it isn't a fluent transition. The film opens with shots of cars driving past the camera. I don't like these shots because they indicate that they are establishing shots and where the scene is set but as the film carries on, the plot is set no where near a motor way and doesn't link with any of the main features further on in the film. However, I do like the clips switching from the titles to the film, although they do tend to jump at times and don't flow back and forth. The font is effective because it looks like the writing style on formal, computerised documents for a 'missing' poster. The lighting that the students have used is well chosen. Because it is dim and almost dark outside, it creates pathetic fallacy of something eerie happening. The lighting also causes the colouring on characters to be dark, so their faces are hidden, creating a mysterious effect. The costumes are thick winter clothing which suggests it is cold outside, also contributing to the atmosphere. The film goes on with some creative camera shots, e.g. the garage opening to outside so we, the audience, want to know what is behind us (the camera), and a rug being laid out and the shot finishing it with the camera view being covered by it. However, at 1:39, there is some poor editing skills where the film is frozen for several moments before playing the footage again. The opening carries on with a camera being set up and the couple holding hands. The final shot is of the characters putting on head masks and stepping out of the car. The film defiantly makes the audience want to carry on watching because there are many questions to be answered like who are the characters? what is the relation to adoption? what happens next? There are some other negatives of the opening sequence, such as there is no good use of the titles included and the clips that do use them aren't creative and are too quick to read. Having said this, I like this film overall and would take aspects of mystery and unrevealing camera shots to use in my film.
Momento opening sequence
Momento starts off as a black background with the main credits and film title displayed. The music is in minor and I think it works well with the black background because it sets a dark atmosphere for what is anticipated next.The black fades to a close-up shot of a polaroid photograph. The photo shows a corner of a room with blood-stained tiles and a head or body part in the bottom corner. The camera focuses on the shot of the polaroid for about 30 seconds, before the hand holding it starts to wave the photo, implying that they want it to keep on drying, that maybe they cant get over what the photo is showing up as, he doesn't want to believe it. The photo developing displays blood and as the audience, we are wondering who or what is showing up. However, the film opening is clever because the picture is disappearing, so we are left confused and want to watch on. As the opening goes on, we learn that the film is reversing so we want to learn what has happened to cause the image of the photo.
Thursday, 3 October 2013
'Dead Man's Shoes' opening sequence
'Dead Man's Shoes' starts off with a range of home footage and establishing shots. The opening sequence first uses the home filming of a baby and his happy life at home, and how we grows a few years older when his brother is born. Family shots at christmas and get togethers show the fun times the relatives would have together. As the audience, we know the footage is old as the setting is based decades ago and the flickers/scratching in the tape shows that it is a small low-quality super eight camera, popular in the 70's. The costumes and settings also establish when the decade the home footage was filmed.
The home tape switches to modern filming of two men. The first shot is an establishing shot of a field and the men walking through. One man is in front with a kit bag, maybe an army drawstring sack. He is also wearing a fitted cameo jacket. The man following him is younger, in a tracksuit. As the shots carry on, the relationship can be compared to the home footage of the two boys. People may argue that these shots show they have a close relationship and are brothers. The lead and follow directions show that one is more powerful or authoritative then the other, especially as his older age is more appaernt. The filming of these shots is the main core footage and uses modern technology. The setting is across the countryside and the weather is quite gloom, we, the audience, can tell that the filming is located in England from the weather and setting. The weather creates a pathetic fallacy of a dull atmosphere, contrasting with the happy home footage, implying that a situation has occurred over the years creating tension.
The home tape switches to modern filming of two men. The first shot is an establishing shot of a field and the men walking through. One man is in front with a kit bag, maybe an army drawstring sack. He is also wearing a fitted cameo jacket. The man following him is younger, in a tracksuit. As the shots carry on, the relationship can be compared to the home footage of the two boys. People may argue that these shots show they have a close relationship and are brothers. The lead and follow directions show that one is more powerful or authoritative then the other, especially as his older age is more appaernt. The filming of these shots is the main core footage and uses modern technology. The setting is across the countryside and the weather is quite gloom, we, the audience, can tell that the filming is located in England from the weather and setting. The weather creates a pathetic fallacy of a dull atmosphere, contrasting with the happy home footage, implying that a situation has occurred over the years creating tension.
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