Class comments - Continutiy Task

The sound was very basic and needed the levels mastered better, but the introduction of non-diegetic sound was very effective. The shot reverse shot was well framed and well edited. The mid shot was poorly framed. A variety of shots was picked up on but so did the issues with continuity.
Our Targets are

1. Improve framing
2. Improve the rate of continuity by adding more shots
3. Practise camera movements

Our continuity task achieved level two at 30/60.

Continuity Task

Practise Filming

Charlie, Steven and I have been out practising with the cameras and tripod. We were told to get a variety of shots whilst out filming.


ECU, CU, Panning, Tracking, ELS, LS, MS, LA, HA, BEV and more which weren’t needed as much as the above.

I think we did well as we all managed to get an example of each one, I think what also helped was that we knew what we had to do and we all worked together to get the shots needed.

Questionaire

Here is a link to the survey i created to gather information about audience preferences.

Click here to take survey

To create this survey i used an online programme called Survey Monkey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/

Se7en, David Fincher, 1995

Sin City, Robert Rodriguez, 2005

In the opening sequence to sin city we see the use of low-key lighting and that it has a slow pace, this film dose not have an opening sequence unike most of the market. It starts with an establishing shot of the city skyline, where one woman is smoking on the roof of a tall building. The colour scheme is black, white and red, with the only red items being the ladies dress and her lipstick, this may be to symbolise emotion such as passion or represent danger, the colour may symbolise danger but the dress she is wearing is backless so this may show that she is quite vulnerable.

We are then shown an ELS of a man who gradually walks through the centre then we are shown a mid shot, we can see that the man and woman are on an equal level showing that they are equal.

Music is a key part in the extract, we can hear non-diegetic jazz music which sets the passionate feel between them and then we can hear the ambient noises of the city which then reinforce the location where they are. We also have a voice over being played, this is useful to the audience as the voice over explains the narrative and lets the personas thoughts known.

The Village 2004, M. Night Shyamalan

We looked at the village and we can see that The Village has a simplistic yet very effective opening, which sets an creep/eerie tone which in turn makes the setting uncomfortable for the audience.

Shyamalan has decided to use, non-diegetic music which is being slowly played this seems to be played on a wind instrument but I am unsure of which instrument in particular although it sounds much like a flute.

Shyamalan has used the instrument against a low angle panning of some tree branches which makes the audience feel inferior. We also see some tracking of the branches which seem Silhouetted against the grey sky.

Because of the panning of trees it suggests that the film is set in the woods, some thrillers use the woods at some point in the film so woods are quite iconic to the thriller genre.

Shyamalan has also decided to shock the audience with the ‘the village’ title as it is introduced with a non diegetic sound of a drum. As in a walk on the wild side the use of white text against a black background may suggest this battle between good and evil.

A walk on the wildside, Edward Dmytryts - 1962

Camera: The extract opens with a CU of the cat appearing from some pipe. All the way through the extract we can see that the cat is centralised, we also see a variety of HA shots which tells the audience that the cat is powerful.
Titles: The opening titles for this film are white against black, the font is a serif font and is capitalised, this tells the audience that it’s part of the thriller genre.

Editing: The whole sequence is relatively slow which builds up the tension and suspense. This is because the audience tracks the cat, the suspense is added to by the use of dissolves between the shots. We see the pace quicken when the two cats begin to fight.

Mise en scene: At the beginning of the scene the audience shown the black cat which is walking down the street and around pipes, this may suggest that the cat is somewhere in which building is in process, the colour of the cat (black) also shows the audience that the cat in question may be evil, this is then contrasted when we meet a white cat which may show the audience that the cat is good, when the two cats fight it may suggest that the plot line in the film is about a battle between good and evil.

Sound: During the extract the sound is non-diegetic which gets louder and as the editing and action gets faster, towards the end the music is slowly faded out,

The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock 1963

The opening sequence of "The Birds" starts with a shot of silhouetted black crows on a white sky this is an example of binary opposition it gives the sense of a dark presence possibly evil against the white sky.

On top of the shots the titles have been placed, the font is simple and common in the thriller genre, the colour of the text is blue, it’s a cold blue which connotes a sinister feeling. Over the action and title we can hear non diegetic parallel sound of crows squawking frantic flapping this gives the audience a sense of ambiance and slight panic the sounds used are high pitched and not something that is nice to listen to making the viewer feel uncomfortable.

Next we see a fade cut, (fading is iconic to the thriller genre), and then an establishing shot of a woman, from her central position we can tell she is an important character. In this shot we can see that the camera pans along as she walks through the city into the bird shop, This gives the audience a connection with the action and makes the viewer feel as if they know what is going on

The BBFC

The bbfc have set out classification guidelines to help show people which films are suitable for certain age groups.

U - It is impossible to predict what might upset any particular child. But a ‘U’ film should be suitable for audiences aged four years and over. ‘U’ films should be set within a positive moral framework and should offer reassuring counterbalances to any violence, threat or horror. If a work is particularly suitable for a pre-school child to view alone, this will be indicated in the Consumer Advice.

PG - General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A ‘PG’ film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

12A/12 – Suitable for 12 years and over Exactly the same criteria are used to classify works at ‘12A’ and ‘12’. These categories are awarded where the material is suitable, in general, only for those aged 12 and over. Works classified at these categories may upset children under 12 or contain material which many parents will find unsuitable for them. The ‘12A’ category exists only for cinema films. No one younger than 12 may see a ‘12A’ film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult, and films classified ‘12A’ are not recommended for a child below 12. An adult may take a younger child if, in their judgement, the film is suitable for that particular child. In such circumstances, responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the accompanying adult. The ‘12’ category exists only for video works. No one younger than 12 may rent or buy a ‘12’ rated video work.
15 – Suitable only for 15 years and over No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.
18 - Suitable only for adults No-one younger than 18 may see an ‘18’ film in a cinema. No-one younger than 18 may rent or buy an ‘18’ rated video.

R18 - To be shown only in specially licensed cinemas, or supplied only in licensed sex shops, and to adults of not less than 18 years The ‘R18’ category is a special and legally restricted classification primarily for explicit works of consenting sex or strong fetish material involving adults. Films may only be shown to adults in specially licensed cinemas, and video works may be supplied to adults only in licensed sex shops. ‘R18’ video works may not be supplied by mail order.

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/downloads/pub/Guidelines/BBFC%20Classification%20Guidelines%202009.pdf

Adobe Premiere Pro

Over the last few lessons my group and I have been using Premiere pro on the MacBooks to edit film clips. I think the software is very good to use as it allows you do a wide variety of things with the tools to your work,

When we go to edit our footage we will be using these stages,

1. Import.
2. Ordering (re-naming).
3. Editing.
4. Adding transitions.
5. Adding titles.
6. Adding effects and animating (Which consists of positioning and setting key frames).
7. Adding sound effects and overlaying.

Before A-level media I had used premeire but only for sound editing, and the sound I edited was small. I think I developed many skills in the lesson which has made me feel a bit more confident using the software. One of the tasks in the lesson was to edit a collection of old A-level media studies film clips and edit them as if we were making a film/movie with them.

Secondary Research - What is a thriller?

For my secondary research I searched “what is a thriller?” into a search engine.

This is what came up…

A thriller is a book or film which is designed to keep the reader or viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. Thrillers have also been produced in the radio, theatre, and television media. This genre is incredibly large, and thrillers often overlap with pieces of work produced in other genres; mysteries, for example, are often thrillers. Many people find thrillers very enjoyable, and they appreciate the fast pacing and complex plots associated with this genre.Several characteristics help to define a thriller. Thrillers typically involve sudden plot twists and lots of red herrings, for example, keeping people unsure about what is going to happen.

This suspense can get almost unbearable, especially in a long piece or a television series. Thrillers also have a lot of action, which is often chaotic, and they typically feature resourceful heroes and exotic settings.The plots of thrillers can vary widely. Some are supernatural, for example, centring on mystical antagonists. Others are scientific or medical in nature, forcing their protagonists to contend with biological agents or mysterious scientific happenings. Some are simply straight mysteries with clever, horrific, or intriguing antagonists, while others be focused on the inner workings of the legal system, environmental threats, technology, or natural disasters.

One long-established thriller genre is the spy thriller, featuring an often heroic and dashing spy who must confront whichever enemy happens to be popular at the moment.Some thrillers are extremely intellectual and of very high quality, encouraging more educated people to enjoy them. Many such thrillers incorporate a psychological aspect, forcing people to examine the motivations and back stories of the characters to figure out the plot. Others are more simplistic, in the vein of the penny dreadful and designed to appeal to a much wider audience. Many thriller books are adapted into movies, and thrillers can also be turned into comic books and television shows. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-thriller.htm

What is a thriller?

In my opinion a thriller is something that thrills you, but keeps you interested in what you are watching, compared to a horror which I find is more supernatural or gory, both genres are enthralling and personally I like the Scary gory horror films to a thriller, however in some cases

I prefer thrillers for instance one of my all-time favourite films is 'the birds' by Alfred Hitchcock which is a thriller.Thrillers are known to include excitement, suspense, uncertainty, and nerve-wracking tension.

These are all sub-genres to Thriller
- Action
- Conspiracy
- Crime
- Disaster
- Drama
- Erotic
- Legal
- Medical
- Political
- Psychological
- Spy
- Techno