Preliminary task Shot list

This is a small but important list me and my group created together which highlights the shotlist for our preliminary task. We will only need 30 seconds but the preparation is still key. We will film this in school and we will have a brief conversation within the scene that we will need to write a script for.


 Floor shot of Joes feet


Over the shoulder


Inside room looking through glass


inside room looking at door as Joe walks in


Close ups


Shot/reverse shot

Final piece for preliminary task

The following short video was produced to the set task of film someone walking through a door, walking across the room sitting down and having a small dialogue. There were some essential components we had to consider when making this short video, that I have spoken about in previous blogs. They were match on action, 180 degree rule and rule of thirds.

Preliminary Task Script by Raffy, Ellis, Jack and Joe. This is a brief script of the 30 second preliminary task we will produce.

Doc Martin

Doc Martin by Doc Martin on Scribd

preliminary task important definitions

For my preliminary task there are a number of different techniques I will need to focus on. These include; Match on Action, The 180 degree rule, the rule of thirds and shot/reverse shot. Using all of these will make my task be as good as it can be. Below is a definition and a short clip explaining what each one of these are.


Match on Action This is where the action is cut from one shot to another in a very short space of time. It creates a sense of continuity so the viewer doesn't realise a cut has been made. It has to be done perfectly  otherwise actions could overlap and the audience will realise the shots are not all one shot and will get confused.

The 180 Degree Rule

This is a rule that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another, when the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects. This needs to be done well so it looks as though the two actors are having a real conversation.

Rule of Thirds

This is where you divide your shot equally into 9 parts and place your point of focus on the lines where the lines intercept which is meant to add more energy or interest to a shot. This has to be done correctly so the viewers attention is on the character or subject I want it to be not elsewhere in the shot.

Shot/Reverse Shot

This is a film technique where one character is shown looking at another character followed by the other character looking back. This will be important when I am filming the dialogue bit of my clip to make sure that it is fluid and fits the 180 degree rule.

preliminary task brief

As a class we were given our first assessed practical task called the preliminary task. This is designed to help us see where we go wrong and what we can improve on for our main task

 The Brief: Continuity task involving filmed and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, where he/she exchanges a couple lines of dialogue with the person they are sat opposite to. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot, the 180 degree rule and rule of thirds.

 we were shown a few videos of other peoples preliminary tasks online to give us an idea of what the examiners are looking for. we also looked at a clip from the film Flashdance, which demonstrates good examples of all of these features they are asking for in my preliminary task.

Dexter Fletcher interview-BFI

On Friday 11th November 2016 we went to the British Film Institute in London for a talk on film opening sequences and an interview with Dexter Fletcher, an English actor and director. During the talk we looked specifically at opening film titles and how to create the perfect film title which gets the viewers attention but doesn't tell them the full story of the film.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_Fletcher




During the interview I learnt a variety of different things on how to make a good film opening sequence including;

• don't give away too much about the film but don't not give anything away
• don't use too many different locations when shooting
• keep a simple colour palette

We were also shown some of Dexter's opening sequences these included, Wild Bill, Sunshine on Leath and Eddie the Eagle. Throughout all of these we saw a number of different ways Dexter intrigued the audience, he used the same colour pallets and also set up the story line of the film whilst not going into detail about what the film is about.

Casino Royale

The soundtrack going throughout the scene is thrilling and dramatic and has the recognizable theme tune of James Bond, to make it adapted to this specific film.


Furthermore many sound effects, such as sirens, tires screeching to a halt, planes flying over and more are used to add effect to the scene and make it more realistic. This allows the audience to easily connect with the clip and get a good understanding of what is going on in the scene.

Foley sounds are also used in the clip to make it more real. These include; footsteps in rain, body hitting the floor, and fists hitting skin are used

moonrise kingdom- Camera movement and shots

After watching this clip of Moonrise Kingdom, i saw it showed a different way in which camera movement are used. it is easy to see how the changing of the shots can have an effect on the audience. For example it helps the audience feel as though they are actually there with the characters in the scene, as the camera throughout the majority of the clip just moves along the scene as the main character walks and examines different things.
It makes the film seem really realistic and gives a good and different view on the film unlike most other films. 

Hustle Write Up

Hustle

In this write up I will be looking at mise-en-scene, sound, camera and editing in the tv programme Hustle.

Mise-En-Scene

The opening to the clip is set in a very feminine shop with lots of very expensive clothes I gathered this as the shop owner or person who was working at the shop, who came across as a gay, feminine person due to the way he was speaking and by the way he was acting, said that a £700 dress was at the lower end of their price range. In the shop, we see 2 female characters, one who is in not very in revealing clothes and is wearing a less expensive outfit, compared to another woman who is in the shop who is wearing slightly revealing clothes which seem to be more expensive. This is proven when the women in the less expensive outfit can’t afford a dress worth £700 whereas the woman in the more revealing, more expensive looking outfit can afford a dress worth £3000. The male character also comes across as very two-faced. I can see this as when he is talking to the woman in the lesss expensive outfit he is very up-tight and a bit snobby and rude, but when he is talking to the woman in the more expensive outfit he is very polite and friendly. Throughout the scene we go into lots of different scenes, the second place we go is into what looks like a gentlemen’s bar. I can tell it’s a gentlemen’s bar because all the people there are predominately male and they are all smoking and drinking. This is a very stereotypical way of two men who seem to be upper class to have a conversation and to meet up. We also see another person who is in on the hustle, this character comes across as a very masculine character as he is in a nice suit and has a lot of style.

Sound

Firstly, the male character in the shop is very sarcastic and rude to the first women in the shop who is wearing less expensive clothes. This is because he realises her price range isn’t big enough to buy anything in the shop so therefore is trying to get rid of her. This suggests that he is not prepared to deal with the lower/middle class people who have a low budget but only the higher-class people who have a very high budget which is why he is so nice and friendly with the woman who is wearing more revealing and expensive clothes. Secondly, we see the female hustler who is the person in the expensive clothe who is wanting to buy an expensive dress talk very well spoken and being very polite and proper to the shop worker. This is because she wants him to think that she is an actual customer and not involved in any ‘hustle’. Moreover, there is a constant soundtrack which is played throughout the clip, this gets quicker and slower at different stages of the hustle. For example, in the bit where the woman has ‘lost her ring’ the soundtrack goes very fast. This makes the audience feel as though she has lost a ring and makes the nervous and lets them indulge more into the clip. The soundtrack the suddenly stops as the panic is over and the woman leaves the shop without her ring.

Camera

There are lots of different camera shots and angles throughout the clip. Firstly, one camera angled used was a close up when the male hustler found the ring. This was used because the makers of the programme wanted the audience to know that the male hustler had swapped the rings and that the female character had never lost a ring in the first place. This is also used to make sure the audience know that the ring is going to be the focus of the entire scene, so therefore the makers want to let people know from quite early on. Another shot used is a high angle shot. This was used when the male shop keeper is talking to the woman in the less expensive clothes, this is used because it shows the male is in control and overpowering the female in the situation. Another camera angle used and one of the most noticeable ones was breaking the 4^th wall. This happened because the producers wanted to make the audience feel as if they were in on the hustle, so made the characters look directly at the camera at the audience.

Editing

 One editing feature is a swipe screen to when we get to see different story lines. This is effective as it clearly distinguishes when the story line Is changing making it easy for the audience to keep up with what is going on in the clip. Finally, there are plenty of quick cuts when the man and women are panicking in the shop after the woman has lost her ring. This is to indicate just how much panic there is in the shop between the two.

Dr.Who

Mise-En-Scene

Costumes:

In the clip we see 5 different sets of characters, we see Martha who is wearing smart, non revealing clothes. This shows us that Martha is a serious character in the scene and isn't just there for the men to look at which is contrast to the women who is standing in the back of the scene not saying much but instead just standing there trying to look good. The women is in a red revealing dress which suggests to us that she is just there to look good and isn't a crucial character. we also see the master who is wearing a black suit and is portrayed as a very masculine character, he is the main character during the scene. The scene suggests he is the one with all the power and is the dominant person in the clip as he is standing over everyone speaking down on them. Further more we see 2 or 3 women standing at the back of the room wearing maid outfits, this suggests they are not very important people and are only considered to be there to help clean and not to say anything. We also see the Doctor in a very vulnerable position as we see him locked up in a cage as a very small helpless creature.

The master is shown to have the control as he has the sonic screwdriver which holds all the power which the doctor usually has but since he hasn't got it the doctor is shown to have zero power. although at the end the doctor gets the sonic screwdriver back and the roles are reversed.

throughout the clip the doctor is shown to be in very bright light even though he is vulnerable and is helpless, this suggests that he is the good person and is trying to stop the master who is the bad person, as he is shown in a dark light, from doing what he was planning to do which was destroy the Earth.

Sound:

Throughout the clip there is a lot of non digetic and digetic sound. the non-digetic sounds are things like; the soundtrack, robots talking, people talking around the world and the sound bridge which signifies the flashbacks. Where as the digetic sounds are things such as; laughing, talking, the countdown and the sound of the sonic screwdriver. the sound of the countdown is important as it gives the audience a sense of actually being there when its happening and therefor they start to feel tense and start to watch the clip closely to see what will happen next.

Camera work:

There are a variety of different camera shots that occur in the clip, for example; low angle shot, high angle shot, establishing shot, wide angle, medium close up and reverse angle shot. All these different shpts are useful as it gives a sense of purpose to the scene and allows the audience to know who is vulnerable and who is in charge.

Camera shots in Primeval

    
Camera angles and shots-Primeval

High angle shots

This shot implies the woman is in trouble and is vulnerable and needs help and to be saved. Which is stereotypical of the men saving the women.

Tracking shot

Tracking shot implies that Abby isnt just a stereotypical women and is willing to do the dirty work

Wide shot

This shot implies he is reastablishing himself as a hero figure confirming his masculinity.

Close up

This shot allows us to see and understand the emotion the character is feeling and lets us understand what is going on

Camera Movement

Tilt- The camera body swivelling upward or downward on a stationary support. Scans the space vertically

Pan- Used more often, however, for the purpose of foloowing action or of giving movement to a scene that otherwise would be static.

Handled camera, steady shot- The use of a camera body as a camara support, either holding it by hand or using a gyroscopic stabilizer and a harness.

Tracking shot-  Also known as a dolly shot, usually follows a character or object as it moves along the screen.

Crane shot- A shot with a change in framing rendered by having a camera above the ground.

This is a video we made to practise some editing skills. We were given the task of filming two people walking up to each other and then bumping into one another. We were then told to film their reactions. Here's our attempt:
 

Film language editing

Last lesson we looked at editing in films and how they play a crucial part in the making of a film and what the purpose of editing is.

We looked at this scene from the Bourne Supremacy to help further our understanding of why editing plays such a crucial role in film making.




Editing is a crucial part of film language. It helps structure the film properly and makes the narrative easy to understand. It also helps links scenes and events together which makes it easy for the audience to follow and keep up with and understand what is going on in the film. Editing also makes it easy for the film to be put in chronological order making sure the film makes sense and is not just all jumbled up.




There are also many different types of edit cuts: change scene, compress time, vary points of time, montage which helps build up an image or idea for the audience. Cutting an action which shows a subject moving, cut away, cross cutting which will occur when switching locations, jump cut which shows the passing of time, matched cut which match  action or composition, verbal matched cut, cutting rate which is how many cuts are in a scene, cutting rhythm and buffer/insert.


There is always a research for a cut, this makes sure that the scenes are always ordered together correctly and the film makes sense. The more research done means the film and the cuts will be better this also means that the transitions are less abrupt which are achieved with a fad, a dissolve or a wipe.


 Editing transitions


Fade in and out
Dissolve
Iris
Wipe
Smash cut
Invisible cut
Combinations
Whip pan
Object entering
L-cut
J-cut

superman returns reviewing camera shots

Analysing superman returns 

We used our knowledge of camera shots to study how the different types of positions of the camera changes the way we think about what's happening. In this clip we see Lois Lane's fiancé asks her how she feels about Superman, and she has trouble answering. We can tell the conversation is intense because of the way the camera goes from one angle to another in a short space of time. the camera goes from us seeing superman looking into the house straight to the woman's face, this lets us know that the conversation is serious.

prime evil

https://vimeo.com/14838962


In this blog I will be reviewing a short clip from Primeval we watched in class. I will be looking at the characters, the relationships between them, the roles of them and how they are portrayed throughout the clip. I will be Mise-en-scene to help me identify these factors. Above is a link to the clip we watched.


Characters/costumes


There are a total of seven characters in the clip. There are five men and two females.




Men


The men are all in smart casual wear apart from 1, one of the men is wearing a suit, another a shirt and another is in just everyday clothes that he is prepared to get dirty, this may suggest that the men are predominantly the ones doing the dirty work in this scene. Four out of the five men are all portrayed as masculine men and people who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and do the dirty work, but there is also one man who comes across a more feminine male who is happy to just watch over the others work and doesn't like doing the dirty work. We can see this as he is wearing a hat and fingerless clothes, this portrays he cares more about his looks rather than doing any dirty work. It also follows the stereotypes of a gay man. He is also seen looking on to the other men doing the work. The 'gay' man is also seen picking up a shovel where as the other men are seen picking up a gun which is seen as a more manly weapon. The other men also come across as superior and more physically strong this is portrayed later in the scene as we see the men holding a gun which come across as strong, manly weapons.


Women


There are two women in the clip. one of the women is dressed in a revealing dress, this portrays the women are there to look good and watch the men do the work. Although to counter this one of the females is in not so revealing clothes but rather in everyday clothes she is not afraid to get dirty. this suggests the women are not only there to look good for the men but are instead actually there to help the men and do their own thing and do the dirty work. The woman in the more revealing and classy clothes is straight away portrayed as a weak character where as the woman in the more scruffy clothes is portrayed as being stronger and more hands on, this is because she is shown as helping one of the men catch the sabre-toothed tiger.   

American Gangsta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-UHhpF86S8

Above is the link to the opening scene of American gangsta. In this blog I will be reviewing the relationships of the characters, the location and the characters themselves. I will be summarizing what I have learnt from the opening couple of minutes of the clip.


In the clip there are 2 African American males who look to be in charge of the torturing the man, there is also another unknown man who is watching over the men torturing and pouring petrol over the whiter foreign man.




Costumes


The man standing in the back, watching on is in a hat and very dark, mysterious clothes. this is to represent his power and the fact that he does not need to carry out any of dirty work. The wearing of the hat also symbolises his importance early on in the film.
The man being tortured is wearing very basic clothes, nothing that stands out. this portrays the irrelevance of this man and how the men killing him don't care who he is.
The two men who carry out the torturing and murder of the man are not in very smart clothes that stand out but at the same time are not in scruffy clothes, this represents that they are the middle men who carry out the dirty work for the man in the mysterious clothes.


Location


At the start of the video there are many suggestions that the film is set in America, for example, the sounds of the American police sirens and the steam coming up from the vents which is a very American thing to happen, particularly in New York. The streets are very deserted but there are plenty of well developed buildings in the surrounding areas, this helps us understand that the film is set in a well developed location.


Relationships


This opening scene clearly shows us the relationships from early in the film. we see the 'boss' stood at the back doing nothing and just watching over the two people who are lower down the ranking than him. there is a clear 2nd in command as well. this is the person who lights a cigar and then throws the flames over the man on the chair and eventually shoots him dead.

my first blog

My First blog


www.bfi.org.uk


www.artofthetitle.com


www.bbfc.co.uk


www.vimeo.com


www.guardian.co.uk


www.marlboroughschool/mediastudies