Charlotte's AS Coursework Blog

Tracker - Final Evaluation

2009-05-12T01:57:00.000-07:00

Before embarking on the production of our thriller opening our group conducted extensive research of the typical codes and conventions of a thriller movie and it’s many sub-genres, such as spy, action, physiological etc. We did this to enable us to make the best decision on what type and style of thriller we were aiming to achieve, We did our research by watching other thriller openings such as the Bourne identity, and the thriller classic, Hitchcock. This gave us a good bases of what features such as camera angles and editing styles are similar amongst the openings and what aspects are more specific to the directors individual styles and preferences. We settled as a group on an action and spy hybrid thriller. This decision then enabled us to do more specific research into forms and conventions of an action/ spy thriller opening. After re-watching some of the thriller openings with a more specific intent, such as the Bourne ultimatum, we established that a city setting would be most conventional and appropriate to our genres so decided in that instance to comply with set codes and conventions. However by casting an Indian lead character as our lead and “hero” we certainly subverted typical stereotypes and connotations of Indian men, specifically those who harbour a turban. This is because in this current terrorist driven society often all Muslims are assumed terrorists and scarcely deemed heroic.

The pace of editing, along with the sound throughout also fitted with the conventional codes of a spy/thriller genre. With the editing this is apparently as the shot pace speeds up dramatically once the action commences, this is common in most action thrillers as it shows a direct contrast and development of the narrative. Again with the sound, slow and steady music was used to build tension throughout along with the use of crescendos to develop the narrative. These were used for scenes when characters were introduced or key scenes were commencing. Therefore I believe predominantly throughout our product both
used and challenged forms and conventions of existing media products.

For my thriller opening, as previously mentioned, I decided to go with the conventional setting of a city scene. Also by choosing Gerrards cross I wanted to make sure that my actor’s complied with the sleek and professional atmosphere and social status portrayed by the upmarket town. I did this by focusing a great deal on their costumes and props. Both characters were dressed in business like attire with the lead character adding emphasis on this point through the use of a briefcase. Also through watching other thriller openings such as Casino Royale, I established that this sort of look was very prominent across the spy/ action thriller genre. For example Daniel Craig, like previous Bonds, is rarely seen not wearing a suit. Also through the use of an up-market coffee shop as a setting, teamed with one of my actors reading a broadsheet as opposed to a regular newspaper within the opening minute continued the sense of a stylish and professional atmosphere.

Along with costumes and props the use of camera angles also helped to establish a prominent male figure. This was done through a variety of CUs and the occasional high angle to help represent the dominance of the male characters. This again is seen frequently across the spy/thriller genre and also in all film openings that wish to portray the dominance of a male character whether, the use of CUs especially is very effective.

Initially we made our media product with the hope of it being a large Hollywood production and successful Hollywood film. This would make sense as Hollywood has released some of the most spectacular films of all genres especially that of action/ spy thrillers.

I think that a production company such as universal studios would be a suitable option for the production of my thriller movie. This is because they have also produced such movies as psycho along with the Bourne trilogy. This shows that they already have experience and a good back catalogue of production in my genre to justify being chosen. Also a conglomerate such as Universal studios will have a large budget for producing movies of this style. There would also be the possibility of synergy. From our media product we could produce merchandise such as action figures and collectables based on the movies narrative. This would be appealing to both a mass market and a niche market as it is mainly film fanatics that are likely to pay the price for collectables but the production of action figures as well will appeal to a far wider audience as they are likely to be inexpensive and in high demand. This allows further opportunities o develop our media product and give extra incentive to the media institutions to produce our movie as it will increased profitability.

We developed our media product around the age bracket of 15years and over. This allowed us scope to be more adventurous and less limited than that of a 12 movie but to have wider appeal by being less explicit than an 18 movie. Also the key narrative of our media product is likely to be too complex for a younger audience. This is because it takes a fair amount of second guessing the characters and also requires the ability to follow a deliberately vague storyline at the start. Also the genre/sub-genres of my thriller opening have a very male dominated market and for this reason we decided to exploit that by using a male hero to appease their expectations and stick to the common conventions. Although a lot of media products with the same direction in the action/spy thriller genre such as the Bourne trilogy, tend to opt for a 12 certification. This allows them to be viewed by a younger audience when first released aside from the fact that they are usually too complex and unsuitable for that age bracket. Therefore as we always intended to appeal to a market of 15 and above we decided to be true to our intensions and honest to our audience base by awarding our opening a 15 certification.

To attract our audience of predominantly males from the age of 15 and above we opted for both a male hero and villain. This does not only fit the regular conventions of an action/spy thriller but enables us to massage the audiences ego’s showing all the action aspects of our thriller such as duping their opponents using male actors, as opposed to manipulating that image through use of a female sidekick like there is in many action/spy thrillers such as James bond. Also the use of a POV shot towards the middle of the opening enabled the audience to gain their own perspective of the villain whilst helping to engage the audience by making them feel more involved in the action.

The costumes and props we used were predominantly of dark tones with no revealing aspects. This allowed us to create a mystery about the characters, which also appeals to our audience.

The sound is another aspect of appeal to our audience. This is because it is a very masculine piece with low tones and the absence of any fancy compilations. It also helps to build tension through use of skilfully placed crescendos which is a large aspect of a thriller and often why people go to see them is to be kept in mystery and suspense.

The presence of a chase is a very common aspect of an action/spy thriller. This is because it always successfully portrays the hero character escaping the villains whilst helping to build suspense at whether they’ll be caught. This is done successfully in many similar media products especially movies such as the Bourne trilogy and James Bond. Finally the editing is cut successfully to mirror the narrative, slow paced at the start allowing the narrative to develop, then it became a lot quicker as the chase commenced. All these aspects were used to induce tension whilst engaging the audience in the narrative.

Through the making and development of our media product I learned to use several foreign technologies. One of these was premier pro. I had never used this software before and it took a while to get the hang of how to do more than just trim the clips. However I eventually got the hang of all the different tools and was soon able to shave unwanted dietetic sound from clips without deleting any footage. I also learned how to loop the music to help me when adapting the crescendos in the music to the narrative of opening.

I also learnt to use software called adobe effects. This was very useful as in the first draft of my opening we only used custom premier pro titles, which ended up looking unprofessional and garish. However by developing my knowledge of the other software available I was able to, with help, produce a range of far more professional looking titles with a much more attractive entrance method called bullet train.

However there were some aspects of the filmmaking, which were simply uncontrollable. The predominant issue for us was the lighting. With our limited range, of fairly low specification equipment we were unable to have any control over the lighting. The only way for us to work around this problem was to aim to film and roughly the same time each day. Maybe if we had a few high quality pieces of lighting equipment this problem could have been far more easily manipulated. Also the weather was a massive issue for us during our early filming process. Due to an unpredictable few weeks of snow and sleet we were set extremely behind schedule. Unfortunately this aspect of the process would have been uncontrollable even with the best equipment, although we may have been able to foresee the problem earlier to enable us a better chance of working around it.

Looking back at my preliminary task I realise how extensive the development of my skills has been. This is because the initial task itself was very basic and thus only required very basic skills to complete. Also the time taken to develop a narrative and shot list were non-existent as we were given the list of shot we had to include and the basic outline of the narrative we had to follow. This made it all a lot easier and quicker to complete.

However for the main task to produce, direct, edits and film a media product involved extensive research and brainstorming before the storyboard could even be produced. It took a lot of time and discussion to come to certain decisions such as the sub-genres we were going to adopt and how close to the typical codes and conventions we were going to stay. However once those big decisions had been made the shot listing and storyboarding all fell into place a lot easier. Although towards the beginning there were many drafts of the shot list made, I think that helped in making the final one the most effective it could be.

As the cinematographer I found that I had to pick things up fast to enable our media product to move forward. This was good as it left me with a good level of competency by the end of the project. This allowed me also to successfully execute shots such as the early tilt shot and the central POV shot to a high standard which all aids the realism and professionalism of the final product. However I was hindered at times due to my disbelief in my abilities even to a basic standard. This lead me to be very particular and at some points take up to 20 or 30 shots of a scene before I was sure I had one worth using. This as a result slowed us down to a degree but then it lead to a far higher quality of final filming. Also although it may have been excessive to a degree, in some cases it was only the 30th shot that was worth using.

Overall I am pleased with the progression I have made not only as a cinematographer but also, in all aspects of film production. I am now confident and able to both film and edit a media piece to a high standard and good level of professionalism. However in the future I would definitely intend to be more organised and regimental with the schedules I make for filming, storyboarding, editing etc. This is because although the final product worked out well and produced our group with an A grade our ability to meet deadlines throughout was virtually non-existent which always left us one-step behind our classmates. All in all though I am proud of what my group and me produced and honestly believe that we thoroughly deserve our A's.

Editing - uploading footage

2009-03-12T03:10:00.002-07:00

Today Me and Sophie spent that morning uploading our new footage onto a premier pro new project. We managed to eliminate all the undesirable shots and put the remainder of the shots in the right order according to our storyboard. By the time we had finished uploaded our footage we had run out of time to do any of the editing. However we will continue to edit during our triple media session this afternoon and continue to upload new footage as and when it is shot.

Charlotte.

Filming - 11th March

2009-03-12T03:10:00.001-07:00

Today the entire group went up to Gerrards cross to continue filming our footage. We got to GX at around 10.00 and intended to film through until 11.30. Unfortunately after taking only one shot our camera battery died completely. This was very disappointing as we felt like we had wasted our time and it also meant that we had to reschedule the session.

Due to this unfortunate incident we decided that we would go out that afternoon with Andy and film our shots of just him. We then intend to go out on 13th March to do some filming in the morning to finish off our shots of Sehb. We hope that we will get all the shots we want and need in these two sessions to make the 13th our final filming session. This will mean that we can spend the remainder of our time creating the sequence and editing our footage.

Charlotte.

Filming - 4th March

2009-03-06T05:15:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Gerrards cross after school to re-film our thriller opening. We needed to re-film due to shaky camerawork throughout and a distinct lack of narrative. Most of the group attended filming, however one member of the group was in GX throughout but didn't attend for social reasons. The overall session went well considering we had a tight time schedule as one of our actors needed to leave at 17:10.

The most difficult shots have definitely been the opening establishing shot along with all other panning shots throughout. I think that it is going to take a lot of retakes and a lot of practice to get these right however i think that it is vital that we put in the time to do so. This is because, where the establishing shot is concerned, it is the first shot seen and thus will provide the viewer with there important first impression of quality and narrative. Therefore i think it is vital that this shot in particular is perfectly shot.

Other than the panning shot i think we achieved some great POV and OTS shots throughout the session. I also feel that the communication was vastly improved with members of the group taking time to listen to each other and give feedback where necessary.

Charlotte.

Filming - Wednesday

2009-03-03T03:53:00.000-08:00

Me, Ryan and Sophie have decided that we will spend around 1 1/2 to 2 hour of filming from 4.00 tomorrow afternoon in Gerrards Cross. We are going to re-film our entire set of footage as the camera work is very shakey and unprofessional. Also we have a very undefined and confusing narrative, therefore we are going to simplify the shots and have some more descriptive sequences. This will make the narrative easier to follow, whilst hopefully giving the footage a more professional finish.

Charlotte.

Filming

2009-02-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

Due to the recent loss of our footage we have now scheduled a filming date for the Sunday 8th of February to re-film all of our lost footage. We have also now cast our final actors, these are Sehb Hundle as a tracker, and Andrew Johnson as the Protagonist. We have chosen these people to act as they have the right look and attitude for the roles, they are available when we need them to be and they are reliable. Therefore, there should be no need to cancel this filming session due to let downs and we also intend to go ahead regardless of the weather.

Charlotte.

Filming difficulties and cancellations

2009-02-04T06:54:00.003-08:00

Throughout this part of the project we have had many difficulties with our filming schedule. Many aspects contributed to this but the main culprits were clashes of schedules, the weather and a distinct lack of communication between group members.

Firstly, due to unforeseen weather conditions we were forced to cancel filming on several occasions. This was frustrating as it was totally out of our control. It also meant that we were being put further and further behind schedule each time. Secondly, there were many occasions where all members of the group, along with actors had a clash in their schedules. This was largely because none of us took all the same subjects and only two shared more than one in common. This meant that there were several occasions where only one group member was available for filming. This was unfeasible as one member of the group could not be expected to manage all 4 roles of production, whilst managing a group of actors simultaneously. Finally, the lack of communication between group members was appalling. On more than one occasion there were not only mix ups, but last minute cancellations that were not passed on. This resulted in a lot of irritation, especially for me, when on several occasions i was only informed of the changes after i had already left, and only once i myself enquired when other group members intended to arrive. However towards the end of our deadline communications started to improve slightly, with fair warning of cancellations given on Facebook and reschedules given at the same time. Unfortunately on the few occasions where filming commenced, we had the devastating experience of all our work being wiped by an extremely inconsiderate student to make room for her project. This has left us with no footage and a need to start from scratch. However hopefully this time round the communication, weather and schedules will work with us rather than against us.

Charlotte.

Filming Schedule

2009-02-04T06:54:00.001-08:00

What the shot list needs to include:

Date
Time
How long each shot lasts (duration)
Location
Who will be there (roles, actors)
Props/Equipment
Shots by number
Additional notes e.g. weather, changes...

Friday 30th January- initial footage deadline
27th February- no more filming
27th March- Finished film, evaluation, shown presentation of opening.

FILM NAME: as a group we have decided to name our thriller 'Tracker'. The reason simply being that it mirrors the narrative perfectly and also has further connotations with the train tracks. I personally think that this is a great choice of name and suits the thriller genre perfectly. This is because it is very ambiguous and the word tracker can hold many connotations. I also like that is is short and snappy and very memorable.

SONG CHOICE: The song we have decided upon to accompany the opening is 'sinnerman' by Nina Simone. The key link to the plot are the lyrics "oh sinnerman where you guna run to" as the key dialogue in our opening is "Run", said to a man who has committed a sin. The irony of this appeals to me greatly and is definitely complies with the thriller genre. Ryan Carroll, the director for our group intends to get in touch with the record label and ask for permission to use the song as it fits perfectly with our opening.

Thriller Opening - Animatic

2009-02-04T06:52:00.001-08:00

Today we presented our final animatic for our thriller opening - Tracker. We were late at submitting our piece due to frequent conflicts of interest between group members. We were eventually able to work together as a group to produce a piece that combined aspects of all our ideas, enabling us to satisfy everyones requirements. This malfunction allowed me to reasses how our group work together, making it clear that all future areas of the assignment would need to be discussed more thoroughly and for meetings between group members to be more scheduled and time efficient.

To maximize the effect of our thriller opening we have decided to make a few amendments following feedback from our subject teacher. To create a more vivid sense of environment we are now going to open with an establishing shot of the area, making sure that it is focused on the street corner which the protagonist passes round. We are then going to edit the speech said by the shopkeeper from "He's onto us" to "He's left the building". This will help to un-complicate the plot without removing the sense of realism and suspense. We are also going to include more titles and actors names throughout the production ensuring that the final title is the director. Also we have decided that we are going to close with an Establishing shot of the train leaving with the protagonist highlighted in shot. This will create a more definite and dramatic ending. Finally we need to make sure that we include more diegetic sound to reinforce the verisimilitude of the piece.

Costume/ Prop list - Actors

2009-01-15T05:37:00.001-08:00

The theme of our opening is Tracking. Therefore the image we are going for is slick, sophisticated business men. Therefore their attire and props will have to reflect that image upon the audience. To do this we are going to use the following actors in the following attire.

Protagonist:

Jacob Grimshaw - Black trousers, White Shirt, Black tie, Long Black coat and a bowlers hat.

- Jacob has the perfect image for the lead role. He has sleek black hair and is of a tall skinny build. He also happens to suit the business image perfectly and looks convincingly professional in his given attire.

Trackers:

------------- - Black trousers, Black tie, White shirt.

We have chosen this costume to help portray the sleek business man look we are aiming for with all three trackers.

Shop Keeper:

Sara Cracknall - Black skirt, White shirt, Name badge, high heels.

We have chosen this look to make sure that Sara blends in as a genuine shopkeeper whilst maintaing a business like look. We chose to use Sara for this role as she is an actual shop keeper for WH smiths on the weekends so was able to gain us access and play the role convincingly.

Amended shot list

2009-01-01T15:50:00.002-08:00

Shot List

2009-01-01T15:50:00.001-08:00

Tracker

Person A: Protagonist
Person B C D: Antagonists
Person X: Computer Guy and Voice of Caller

Basic Profile Stats to include:
Name:
Age:
Skills:
Years known to be active:
Evidence Against:
Missions Failed:

• Production company
• Black screen
• Tracker appears typed in, Central in stereotypical thriller font.
• Zoom in from behind a Person X using a high tech laptop
• Person X POV of the screen
• Clicking a file to open
• File loads
• Search comes up
• Types in T R A C K E R S
• Person Bs Profile opens
• Jump shot to Person B buying a newspaper
• Pause as he exits the store and folds the newspaper under his arm.

Actors Name Appears across screen

• Jump shot back to Person X POV of computer screen

Hear him press Spacebar

• Person Cs Profile Opens
• Jump shot to Person C Clearing Table outside a Café.
• Pause shot as Person C looks up towards the camera

Actors name appears across the screen

• Jump Shot Back to Person X POV of computer screen.

Hear him press Spacebar

• Person Ds Profile Opens
• Jump shot to Person D down a street smoking.
• Drops cigarette on the floor.
• Pause shot as Person D stamps it out and looks up.

Actor name appears across the screen

• Jump shot Back to Person X POV of computer screen.

See him Click the logo in the top left corner of the screen

• Search comes up
• Types in T A R G E T
• Clicks Search
• Profile appears
• Instructions are typed across the middle of the entire screen – DESTROY
• Zoom back to shot of the back of Person X head.
• CU of Person X reaching for his phone.

CUT TO

• Panning Shot of street

Person B,C and D all in Shot - LS

• Panning stops at a shot of Mans Feet.
• Tilt Shot from Person A’s feet up to torso
• Person A POV of watch

Actors name appears as watch make

• Person A’s phone Rings – Cutting all background music.
• CU of Person A taking phone from his inside Jacket Pocket
• CU of person A’s face answering phone

‘RUN’

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This is The amended version of our shot list. we decided to re-do our shot list after discussing our initial ideas with our subject teacher. He suggested that our filming intent was far too ambitious and virtually impossible to do well with the size of our production team and the equipment available to us. After taking his comments into consideration and examining our shot list thoroughly we agreed that not only was it ambitious, but was quickly forming the demeanor of an action movie as opposed to a thriller. Taking all point into account we concluded that it would be most effective to keep our opening as the ending and incorporate more technical features and imagery typical to that of a thriller and finally to cut out the chase scene altogether.

Location

2009-01-01T15:46:00.003-08:00

Audience Research

2009-01-01T15:46:00.001-08:00

Thriller Opening - Brainstorm

2009-01-01T15:45:00.001-08:00

Certificate Rating - BBFC

2009-01-01T15:44:00.002-08:00

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is the organization responsible for the classification of film, dvd and some music/video games within the united kingdom. Under the Video recordings act 1984, all videos must be classified. All videos and games rated by the BBFC receive an official and legally binding certificate, along with "consumer advice" detailing references to sex, violence and coarse language. If a certificate specifies that a film or video game is not suitable for someone under a certain age, then only people of an appropriate age may buy it. The difference in ratings is directly relevant to the themes and content of the media.'Bad', 'strong' language and sexual content can earn a film a more restrictive certificate, though BBFC policy states that there are no constraints on language use in films awarded an 18 certificate.

Certificate 15: suitable for people ages 15 years and older. Can contain, horror, violence and strong language but only in moderation and when it can be justified by the text. Controversial issues such as child abuse and rape, are also acceptable but only when they are represented suggestively. Also nudity is acceptable for use within a sex scene but has to be limited concerning content. finally it can contain strong language and heavy violence.

Certificate 18: suitable for people aged 18 years or older. It is basically recognized that all persons of 18 years and older have the right to view any form of content in any volume. However exceptions include the promotion of dangerous acts and in some cases portrayal of sexual assault which could endorse assault. Finally all sexual scenes must be justified within the text.

Our group have decided to base our opening around the certificate 15 rating. This will enable us to appeal to a far less restricted audience. Also our group are all of the age where our primary viewing is of the certificate 15 genre. This means that we will be able to relate and recognize the codes and conventions with far more ease and accuracy that with that of an 18 certificate.

Continuity Task

2009-01-01T15:44:00.001-08:00

For this area of the coursework i was unable to partake in the filming with the group due to illness. As a result it was unfair for me to take any credit for their work. Luckily a friend of mine had a similar situation with her group so we decided to team up for this section and film our own continuity task.

Firstly we had to write up our shot list. This had to include a number of specific shots given to us by our teacher. Once we had finalized our shots and checked that the piece flowed we had to cast our actors. For this we chose two drama/media students form the year above. This benefited us in two ways as it meant that the acting would be professional, they would know how to take direction and they would also be able to assist us if needed. After casting we then needed to clear with them their schedules to make a decision on when to film. once we had our actors and filming time in place we needed to book out the appropriate equipment and decide upon a location that would fit our shot list. Finally before filming could commence we needed to gain permission to film in our chosen location, and once we overcame that final hurdle we were able to start filming.

Filming ran relatively smoothly, with an excellent level of communication between both me and Jade and our actors. The good chemistry allowed us to film in a comfortable and relaxed environment, this feeling was reflected then in our work,thus resulting in a final set of footage that we were all happy with.

After we had wrapped up the filming we then had the exciting task of editing. This was good as we got to see our first bit of lengthy footage come together. The process of eliminating the dodgy shots and making sure we used the best footage to its full potential was satisfying, exciting, and due to the content extremely amusing. Therefore i feel that the group dynamic for this task was perfect and would be my first choice every time in any future endeavors where by i am given the option.

Practice Filming

2009-01-01T15:43:00.002-08:00

For this area of the coursework we had to film a conversation between two people. We were given a shot list to work from and all the recording equipment needed. During class Mr. Michie gave us all a brief tutorial as to how the equipment was set up, do's and don'ts etcetera. This proved extremely helpful once we were left to our own devices. Our group chose to film in a vacant english classroom and once we had gained permission for the use, we set up camp. We chose ryan and helen to act and myself and Sophie took charge of filming. However, due to the intent of the session being to 'practice filming', in areas where the actors were not used they each had a go at the filming. I think the dynamic of the group work well and the overall task ran smoothly. The final section of the task, editing, went OK but we did have a few recurring problems with the motion and sound being in sync. However, by working as a team and enlisting help from our subject teacher we were able to overcome those issues and also feel more prepared for next time.

Charlotte.

Conclusion - Thriller Openings

2009-01-01T15:43:00.001-08:00

After analysing all 5 thriller opening i noticed that they all had several common factors. They adopted a common colour scheme of black, red and white. The first two were used to connote danger with the latter implemented to add an element of innocence and purity. They also all used parallel sound to create the narrative and used a sinister tone to build tension. The most common shot used was a CU. This is to add emphasis on the key aspects of the opening. However the main variation was the amount of CGI they used. This largely depended on their time period of release. For example, Casino royal is relatively new so was predominantly CGI however Psycho was created back in the 60s so the only evidence of CGI was the titles, and those in themselves were extremely simplistic.

In conclusion i found that the majority of thriller opening all follow the same basic formula but each have their own unique twist to make it fresh, exciting and to set it apart from the others.

Psycho - 1960

2009-01-01T15:40:00.001-08:00

Directors: Alfred Hitchcock
Certificate: 15

Camera:

– CUs
– Jump shots

Editing

– Fast paced editing – mirrors sound
– Slow paced editing creates curiosity and builds tension
– Short bursts of narrative – element of mystery

Sound

– Parallel sound
– Sinister backing sound
– Non-digetic sound - radio – continues once out of shot – adds continuity to the scene.

Mise en scene

– Black signifying danger
– White representing purity
– Knife signifies danger - deaths
– Cigarette – lighter – fire – danger - death
– Pink and white cake – innocent – sweet
– Clock – time – running out of time
– Blood washing down the plughole – injury - death

Special effects

– Black and white titles

Casino Royale - 2006

2009-01-01T15:38:00.001-08:00

Directors: Martin Campbell
Certificate: 15

Camera:

– Signature gun barrel shot
– Little camera movement

Editing

– Slow paced editing

Sound

– Parallel sound
– calm soundtrack playing

Mise en scene

– Red blood – danger – death
– bond is in stereotypical attire – sets him apart from everything else
– Bond is black and white – stands out

Special effects

– Red blood against black and white background
– Simplistic font for the titles
– Casino imagery such as card symbols spiralling.
– Colourful background – mirrors title narrative
– Cartoon simulation of a fight scene

Se7en - 1995

2009-01-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

Directors: David Fincher
Certificate: 18

Camera:

– CU
– Jump Shots

The scene opens with a CU of a book laid vertically. This suggests that research of some sort has taken place. There are then several jump shots throughout the opening to black screens with only titles written on them. This not only introduces the actors but it also breaks up the opening into fragments. This is done to eliminate any fluency of the scene. The director has primarily used CU throughout the entire opening. No characters identities are revealed, and very little of the narrative itself is revealed either. This is done to create and build tension. It also invites a sense of curiosity from the audience and allows them to see everything in minute detail throughout.

Editing:

– Fast paced

The editing throughout the opening is fast paced and jumpy. This makes it difficult for the audience to grasp what is going on. There is also a high sense of realism and verisimilitude in the shot chosen and the sense of narrative portrayed. The fast paced editing also creates and builds a lot of tension, keeping the audience guessing at all times.

Sound:

– Sinister
– Strong, slow heartbeat
– Parallel sound

The sound used is very sinister. It opens with the sound of a strong, slow heartbeat. This suggest that the owner of this heartbeat is powerful, calm and in control. The sound is also parallel to the shots, with the continuous sound of creaking and fuzzy noises. This could be representing a squeaky chair, or old rusty equipment. The fuzzy sounds could also be that of an old radio out of signal. All these items are typical of those, which you may find in the office/lab type surroundings outlined in the opening.

Mise en scene:

– Books - research
– Red – blood
– Blacks/greys – sinister – dull
– Old school equipment – stuck in his ways – experienced
– Razor blade – removing fingerprints – removing identity
– Slow actions – contrast editing
– Precision – perfectionist – threads needle first time – expert

The frequent occurrence of books suggests that there has been a lot of research undertaken concerning the project being displayed. The red along the middle of the book represents blood. Blood signifies pain and anguish. Blacks and greys dominate the opening. These colours are dull and sinister and really help to set the sinister tone and narrative of the opening. The CU of the razorblade shaving off fingerprints represents shaving away his identity. The old school equipment and the characters precision of everything suggest that he is a perfectionist, an experienced expert who is stuck in his ways. This is then highlighted with a CU of the character threading a needle in one clean swoop.

Special effects:

– Titles

Minimal special effects are used throughout this opening. This creates a strong sense of realism and takes away any affiliation with fantasy. This suggests that it is aimed at an intelligent audience, with fast minds and those who like puzzles. However there has been CGI used where the titles are concerned. This does not take away any of the verisimilitude as they are already an unnatural aspect but the CG allows them to blend with the narrative.

Sin City - 2005

2009-01-01T15:03:00.001-08:00

Directors: Frank Miller
Robert Rodriguez
Certificate: 18

Camera

– Mid-Shot.
– Cu combined with an LS
– No movement
– Close ups
– OTS shots
– SRS of OTS
– Focus on cigarette being lit
– BEV Zoom out

The scene opens with an establishing shot of the lady in red. This encourages the audience to make judgements of the character on face value. CU and OTS shots then dominate the scene signifying closeness between the two characters. The CU and focus on the cigarette exchange stands out to me in particular as cigarettes carry numerous connotations. In this case I believe they are used to project a sexual and seductive image of the female. It also strikes me when the man, having been the one who offered the cigarette, does not proceed to take one himself, indicating that he needs both his hands to be unrestricted. The scene culminates with a BEV Zoom out of the woman on the floor being held close by the man. This denotes that the male character had a genuine connection to the female despite his drastic actions. The director has chosen this array of shots to allow the audience to connect to the characters beyond surface level by allowing them to draw conclusions based on the facial expressions and body language exchanged between them.

Editing

– Dress and lipstick only colour n the scene
– Cut to black and white cartoon still of the scene
– Primarily shot in black and white
– Windows left lit up
– Eyes flash between green and black and white
– Eyes in central frame
– Woman is primarily in central frame
– Slow paced editing

Slow paced editing has been used throughout to create suspense whilst putting forth a sense of calm and innocent intent. The scene is shot primarily in black and white, with only splashes of colour such as the red dress and lipstick. This colour is used for the sexual and passionate connotations attached. It also assists in the portrayal of both the man’s feelings and visions of the woman. The windows in the building are left brightly lit alerting the audience of the presences nearby. This induces anticipation at the knowledge that this zealous scene could be interrupted at any time. The woman’s eyes at one point in the scene also flash between their usual monochromic appearance and a vibrant green colour. There are many derivatives of the colour green but in this case it has been used, I believe, to symbolize bad spirits or omens within. They are also centrally framed which helps enforce their importance within the scene.

Sound

– Brief bursts of the same mysterious melody
– Non-digetic sound - narrative voiceover
– Digetic sound – gunshot

Throughout the scene there are frequent bursts of the same saxophone melody. This is used to create a romantic and calm atmosphere, setting the scene and encouraging assumptions of the young couples association and how the scene will pan out.
There is also non-digetic sound of the male narrative voice. This is used to establish the location, with a distinctive American accent attached to the voiceover. There is also non-digetic sound when the gun is fired, this adds to the verisimilitude of the action.

Mise en scene

– Red Dress, Red Lipstick
– Stood close
– He lights her cigarette – trust
– Formal attire – posh party
– Roof terrace – view of city – expensive area

Part way through the scene the woman allows the man to light her cigarette. this suggests a feeling of trust and also implicates vulnerability on her part. The colour red, used for both the woman’s dress and lipstick, is used to symbolise love, passion and blood and to make seemingly mundane aspects stand out and become of overpowering importance to the scene. Love and passion is used to connect the emotions expressed and exchanged between the characters. The denotation of blood is made relevant at the end of the scene, suggesting that the red dress will not only disguise her wound but also reflect how she feels within. By linking the dress to her facial expressions throughout connotes that she is broken inside and bleeding metaphorically within. Finally the formal attire and the large roof terrace overlooking the city suggests that they are at a posh party in an expensive area of the city.

Special effects

– Cartoon stills
– Cartoon motion of scene

CGI is used on several occasions when the scene cut to the cartoon stills and on one occasion a animated motion sequence of the scene. This flowed perfectly throughout and had the feel of a flipbook that had been created, with each scene being acted out immaculately. Also the black and white theme throughout creates a very sinister feel with the red connoting danger, both typical aspects of a thriller.

Bourne Ultimatum - 2007

2008-12-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

Director: Paul Greengrass
Certificate: 15

Camera

- Tracking of Protagonist
- Over the shoulder shots
- Mainly CU
- POV shots
- Jump shots
- Shaky camera mirroring Bourne’s demeanour

Tracking and OTS shots of the protagonist are used to emphasize his importance to the plot. This is mirrored by the fact that he is always positioned centrally. POV and jump shots are used to create tension and set the tone of the chase. Also by showing the audience both his position and theirs introduces a sense of dramatic irony. Shaky camera movement is used to reflect his demeanour and state of injury helping the audience to engage with the character and his needs. This is introduced as early as the opening shot when the audience is made to feel anxious for Bourne’s safety as he partakes in an ironically high paced chase whilst carrying a seemingly painful injury.

Editing

– Fast paced editing
– Flashbacks are used

There is an almost constant use of fast paced editing. This is used to create suspense and curiosity and is in keeping with the general codes and conventions of editing within the action thriller genre. Flashbacks are used to set the narrative and give the audience an insight into the characters thoughts to help explain his actions and persona. It is in essence a window for the audience to view a time, which came before what is now perceived to be present.

Sound

- Non-digetic suspense music, Orchestral
- Digetic sounds, gunshot, traffic sounds.

The suspense music looped throughout the opening sequence is very orchestral. It is high paced and used to create anticipation and mirror the narrative. Digetic sounds, such as gunshot’s and traffic noises are also used to create a sense of realism and continuity.

Mise en Scene

- Russian intelligence uniforms
- Dialogue mirrors expressions
- Lighting is dark and dull

Russian intelligence uniforms are used to help reinforce the location and who his enemy is to the audience. The dialogue also mirrors the expressions and personas of those within the scene. A good example of this is when the Russian officer fears for his life and his dialogue became needy and desperate. The black of the opening shot connotes darkness and evil, which is then reinforced in the dully-lit sequences and dingy surroundings.

Special effects

- Title and location appears as if typed in

The scene opens and closes with a black screen where writing, first the location the latter being the title, appear as if typed in. This done to reflect the presence of the government and the style of chase that is about to commence.

Titles

Opening text (Moscow, Russia) sets the scene and location for the sequence. The font is very simplistic and typical of that you see in many thrillers when government computers are involved. The text simplistic, white typed onto a black screen. This makes the writing take focus, using minimal text for suspense and effect.

What is a Thriller?

2008-12-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

A Thriller is one of the many categories of films in movies and TV today. Genres are used to define the characteristics of a film according to common elements of content, structure and technique. It is also used to create a visual to potential viewers to ensure that the right audience is attracted and the film can be best received. For example most would instantly associate westerns with cowboys and desserts.

The typical narrative follows the structure of Hero vs. villain. The protagonist has a duty to diminish the antagonist’ negative intensions and often destroy the antagonist himself. A common feature within the genre and its hybrids is for the protagonist to be outnumbered but to rise above it all and become victorious. There is also usually a love interest wrongly obtained and eventually becomes their Achilles heal.

Thrillers are often generic hybrids. For example you have Action Thrillers (The Bourne Ultimatum – 2007), Suspense Thrillers (Open Your Eyes - 1997), Comedy Thrillers (Clue - 1985), Political Thrillers (Shooter - 2007) even Psychological Thrillers (Enemy of the state - 1998).

The Characters you are likely to come across in thrillers include assassins, gangs, innocent civilians, government eyes – often manipulating the system, ex- cons, predecessors of the greats in their field a good example of this is James McAvoy in WANTED - 2008, and terrorists. Often it is the demeanor of the protagonist, which can develop the essence of the hybrid.

Typical locations include capital cities (such as London), airports, one of the 7 wonders of the world, government headquarters, exotic county’s army camps etc. In many thrillers, in particular Action Thrillers, there can be several different locations within the one movie, a good example of this is Quantum of Solace - 2008, there is in all 9 different country locations, totaling 28 different filming locations within those areas. The location I feel is the key when creating a thriller. This is because without it the plot and characters have no meaning or belonging, the genre is impossible to establish and the whole production would simply make no sense.

Overall the thriller genre is created to provide thrills and scares, create suspense and cliffhangers all with the intension of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats throughout.

Task 1 - Animatic

2008-11-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

Our first task as a group was to create a shot list, storyboard and animatic. We were given a brief to work from and a shot total of 30 seconds. This shot list had to comprise of several shots none exceeding more than 5 seconds. To do this effectively we started by reading our brief. This enabled us to decide which shot types and lengths would be most effective. Our initial shot list had shots ranging from 1 to 5 seconds. With each shot type and time we gave a brief description of the scene e.g. CU of the Vampires Teeth (2 seconds). This would then make it easier for our group members to translate the shot list into a storyboard. This job was enlisted to two members of our group who produced a storyboard perfectly to the specifications provided. Then as a group we had to convert the storyboard images into a live animatic. To do this we took pictures of each individual images on the camera provided and uploaded them on one of the Mac Books. We were then given a quick tutorial by our teacher, Mr Michie, on how to use the editorial software 'sound booth' and 'Premier Pro'. For the first evening i took the Mac Book home and re-uploaded better quality photos of the storyboard. I also added a few pre-set sounds and edited the shot lengths. It soon came apparent that to keep the realism and drama of the production the shots could not exceed 2 seconds. Unfortunately, having not taken home the original storyboard a few of the images had been placed in the wrong position on the animatic. Luckily The other three members of the group had set aside a free period and were able to rectify the errors made, and make improvements by adding original sounds using the 'Sound Booth' software. Overall i think the process went well and the entire group worked in sync as a team. Each member gave valid input throughout and we all learned a basic knowledge of the software and were able to identify individual strengths and weaknesses throughout.

Charlotte.