- Props
- Setting
- Location
- Lighting
- Costume, hair and makeup.
- Facial expression/body language
- Colour
Mise en Scene
Mise en Scene is everything included in the shot. This includes:
Props-In our scene we wanted all of the props to fit in and be believable in place. So we decided that we should have objects that would be in place in an ordinary office. We decided that these would include a laptop, a coffee mug, folders and paper work etc. and, in the modern-day part, the brown paper package that we were given, to include in our short-film.
Setting-Our setting was given to us in the script. It stated that the scene was set in the reception office of the law firm of "Simon and Garfunkel". We knew that it had to look like an office, and so we decided that our setting would be a small office in our school, which had a desk and seats in there.
Location-Our location was the small office at the top of our school. We believed that this was a good location, as not only was it a good setting, but it was also a good location, as it is on the top floor, so there is not much commotion around the area, so we should not be disturbed whilst filming, so this should make our sound quality much better, and means that we will be able to have more un-interrupted takes.
Lighting- The lighting in the room was mainly from the artificial,_____ lights in the room, we also played with opening and closing the blinds, as we wanted some more natural light in the room, to balance out the artificial lighting, but in the script it states that it is raining outside, whereas at the particular moment of filming, it was not. We tried to make it look like it was raining by spraying the window with water, but the effect was not very realistic. In the end, we decided that we would slightly close the blinds, so that we could still get the natural light that was desired, but also that we could not the window pane clearly enough to be able to spot that it was not actually raining.
Costume, hair and makeup.- For the receptionist, we decided that we wanted her to look more professional, and so she should look like the typical, quite cliche'd woman. We portrayed this by dressing her in quite formal and smart clothes, that would be quite fashionable in a modern day office, which also shows the time setting, her hair was tied back in a slick ponytail, and the make-up was neat. The other, whom would actually end up to be the "good guy", was portrayed as the slightly less typical portrayal of a woman, quite edgy and not perfect.We portrayed this by dressing her in more edgy clothing, such as converses. her hair was roughly pulled back in a messy ponytail, and her make up was not done very neatly.
Expression/body language.- as a lot of the shots are either point of view shots, or close-ups, there was not a lot of body language included. There were a few shots, such as when BAZ stands up and looms over ANNA in a threatening manner, that show that she was more powerful, but other than that, it was mostly facial expression that was key.
Colour-
Filmatic Time
We learnt that, in editing, the film clips can be manipulated in order to "slow down", "speed up" or keep in "real" time. These are known as "expanding time" and "shrinking time".
Real Time:
In a clip, if the action shown happens in 2 minutes, then the time it would take to happen in real life would also take 2 minutes. For example, if a clip shows somebody getting into their car and going on a ten minute journey, then it woud take that long.
Expanding Time:
This is used to make time seem as if it is taking a while, and dragging out. It makes the scene (seem) much longer, as extra shots are added in, such as close ups of things like the subjects' eyes, tapping fingers, a clock ticking etc. For example it is often used when someone is bored/waiting for something, and is becoming impatient. If time was expanded in a clip, if the action being shown would normally take 30 seconds to complete in real life, it may take 90 seconds to show in the film, and can be used to build suspense and tension.
Shrinking Time:
Shrinking time is used to make the time the action is happening seem as if it is going by more quickly. It is not decreasing the action time. For example, if the action shown woud normally take 5 hours, the clip shown could cut this down to about 5 minutes, and would only show the "highlights" of what happened. For example, if someone got into a car, and drove for an hour, the editior would shrink this time, and only shown the subject getting into the car, driving for a very short period of time, if any, just to establish with the audience that the journey has happened, and the subject getting out of the car. This relies hugely on the audiences' assumpion that the actionhas happened without them being shown. It can create a sense of urgency and panic, and uses lots of quick, different shots being edited together.
Real Time:
In a clip, if the action shown happens in 2 minutes, then the time it would take to happen in real life would also take 2 minutes. For example, if a clip shows somebody getting into their car and going on a ten minute journey, then it woud take that long.
Expanding Time:
This is used to make time seem as if it is taking a while, and dragging out. It makes the scene (seem) much longer, as extra shots are added in, such as close ups of things like the subjects' eyes, tapping fingers, a clock ticking etc. For example it is often used when someone is bored/waiting for something, and is becoming impatient. If time was expanded in a clip, if the action being shown would normally take 30 seconds to complete in real life, it may take 90 seconds to show in the film, and can be used to build suspense and tension.
Shrinking Time:
Shrinking time is used to make the time the action is happening seem as if it is going by more quickly. It is not decreasing the action time. For example, if the action shown woud normally take 5 hours, the clip shown could cut this down to about 5 minutes, and would only show the "highlights" of what happened. For example, if someone got into a car, and drove for an hour, the editior would shrink this time, and only shown the subject getting into the car, driving for a very short period of time, if any, just to establish with the audience that the journey has happened, and the subject getting out of the car. This relies hugely on the audiences' assumpion that the actionhas happened without them being shown. It can create a sense of urgency and panic, and uses lots of quick, different shots being edited together.
Editing
Although the rest of the production process is also extremely important, the editing stage is vital, as without it, you would just have a load of separate clips, and would not have a proper, structured and flowing film sequence. I the editing process, all of the footage that has been recorded is sorted through and the most suitable clips are selected to make it to the final cut. These are then pieced together much like a puzzle, and then edited to ensure that they flow together swiftly and create the right mood etc. for the film.
Slumdog millionaire:
We were shown the following clip from the film "Slumdog Millionaire".
We were then asked to watch it again, considering the following the question:
"How does the Editor create a sense of Chaos that is occuring in the Riot?"
In our group, we decided that the ways in which the editor achieved the chatioc atmoshpere in the clip by the following:
The Transitions:
At some points in the clip, the editor uses different editing effects. Some of these include:
Slow motion:
Slumdog millionaire:
We were shown the following clip from the film "Slumdog Millionaire".
We were then asked to watch it again, considering the following the question:
"How does the Editor create a sense of Chaos that is occuring in the Riot?"
In our group, we decided that the ways in which the editor achieved the chatioc atmoshpere in the clip by the following:
The Transitions:
- By using quick and choppy transitions, the editor creates a sense of confusion, which adds to the chaotic atmosphere that he is trying to achieve.
- By showing the audiene lots of different quick flashes of what is going on, you are showing the full impact of what is occuring, rather that just part of it, which shows the extremity of the situation.
- Due to the fast transitions, the filmatic time is shrunk, and so the action seems as though it is sped up.
- There are three different narratives in this clip: The actual riot, which is a flashback. When he is in the police custody, being questioned. When he is on the gameshow, and is having the flashbacks to fetch the answers to the questions.
- The use of the different narratives creates a sense of chaos, as there is a huge contrast between the scenes in which the riot is happening, and the other two. In the riot scenes, time is shrunk, making it all appear to happen very quickly; whereas in the police interview scene, time is expanded, to make it seem as if time is going by very slowly,and on the gameshow, it is shown in real time.
- The contrast between the three time frames results in the riot scenes looking extreme next to the other two, and so creates a sense of chaos.
At some points in the clip, the editor uses different editing effects. Some of these include:
Slow motion:
- The editor slows down the action in some of the clips. This creates the impression that the two young boys, whom are the protagonists of the scene, are extremely shocked, and so cannot take everything in.
- It aso makes it easier for the audience to take in all that is happening, for exampe, the part where there is a man being set on fire is in slow motion. This creates a sense of chaos, as it give the audience the chance to proccess the information that they are being shown, and so they can whitness the chaos and extremity of everything.
- The gentle "shimmery" movement of the camra was added in post-production and editing, and, we believe, has been used to draw attention to the subject; the Blue God Rama. This is because the god is symbolic of courage and bravery, wich could be interpretde as what the two boys need. It is also drawing attention to the God, as the question that he is being asked is in relation to the God.
All in all, the way in which the editor creates chaos is very effective. The use of all of the different effects captures and keeps the audiences attention. But also creating te required and desired effect.
The Perception of Women in the Media
In class, our teacher asked us to come up with as many female singers/ bands as we could in 10 minutes. The list i came up with are :
We then had to come up with at least one word that came to mind when we thought of these artists. These are written in Red.
We then had to think up a word to describe what we thought would describe their album cover. This is written in Green.
In our film, we have our two main characers, both female, and so had to take into consideration when filming, how thye should be portrayed to the audience. We took into consideration that they were two very different charcters, one a receptionist for a law firm, and the other a normal, undefined character. We decided that in order to portary this difference clearly to the audience, we would portray them at the opposite ends of the spectrum. For the receptionist, we decided that we would portray her as being the "typical" woman percieved in the media, with her being typically beutiful, her appearance being very polished and cared for. Whereas for BAZ, we showed her as the edgy, quirky and rebellious end of the spectrum. As it was a psychological thriller genre that we were trying to portay, we decided that we should include a twist ending, much like those those used by M. Night Shyamalan. We wanted to portray the receptionist, whom would end up to be on the "bad guy's" side, to be the typical, quite cliche'd woman, so that she felt familiar to the audience, and so they would percieve her as the lead protagonist, and would feel comforted by her presence. The other, whom would actually end up to be the "good guy", was portrayed as the slightly less typical portrayal of a woman, quite edgy and not perfect. This slight unfamiliarity causes the audience to feel slightly weary of her, but then within the twist, she becomes the character that the audience takes side with and roots for.
- Hayley Williams - Powerful, inspiring, beautiful Unique, Artistic, Quirky
- Amy Lee - Unique, Beautiful, unconventional Gothy, dark
- Lucy Rose -Unique, Passionate Unique, Delicate
- Joan Jett - Original, Rebellious, unconventional Edgy
- Adele- Powerful, Inspirational, Classic
- Gwen Stefani- Unique, inspiring Quirky
- Imogen Heap- unconventional Rocky, Indie, Edgy
- Little Mix- Mainstream Cliche
- Cheryl Cole- Untalented (as a singer) skinny, (typically) beautiful. Cliche, expensive
- Aretha Franklin- Soulful, Powerful, inspirational Classic, simple
- The Saturdays- Attractive, Catchy big budget, simple
- Girls aloud- Pretty(typically), Cliche Eye-catching.
- Britney Spears- Cliche Very posed, big budget.
- J-Lo- Hip-hop Cliche, glamorous
- Christina Aguilera- Beautiful, SoulfulGlamourous
- Birdy- Alternative Quirky
- Beth Ditto- Unconventional, talented Alternative
- Cassadee Pope- trying to be like other bands, talented Punky
We then had to come up with at least one word that came to mind when we thought of these artists. These are written in Red.
We then had to think up a word to describe what we thought would describe their album cover. This is written in Green.
In our film, we have our two main characers, both female, and so had to take into consideration when filming, how thye should be portrayed to the audience. We took into consideration that they were two very different charcters, one a receptionist for a law firm, and the other a normal, undefined character. We decided that in order to portary this difference clearly to the audience, we would portray them at the opposite ends of the spectrum. For the receptionist, we decided that we would portray her as being the "typical" woman percieved in the media, with her being typically beutiful, her appearance being very polished and cared for. Whereas for BAZ, we showed her as the edgy, quirky and rebellious end of the spectrum. As it was a psychological thriller genre that we were trying to portay, we decided that we should include a twist ending, much like those those used by M. Night Shyamalan. We wanted to portray the receptionist, whom would end up to be on the "bad guy's" side, to be the typical, quite cliche'd woman, so that she felt familiar to the audience, and so they would percieve her as the lead protagonist, and would feel comforted by her presence. The other, whom would actually end up to be the "good guy", was portrayed as the slightly less typical portrayal of a woman, quite edgy and not perfect. This slight unfamiliarity causes the audience to feel slightly weary of her, but then within the twist, she becomes the character that the audience takes side with and roots for.
Conventions of the Genre:Psychological Thriller
The genre that our production group will be filming our short clip in, will be in the style of a Psycological Thriler. In order to portray our chosen genre to the audience, we decided to find out some of the stereotypical conventions of the genre.
Stereotypical conventions:
Themes that can appear:
Examples of Psychological Thrillers:
Black swan:
Black swan is the story of how Nina, a professional Ballet Dancer, who is cast as the lead part in the production of Swan Lake, gradually starts to lose her sanity as she struggles to compete with a fellow ballet dancer, who fits the part of the Black swan, as she is more sexy and sassy, whereas Nina is the perfect example of the white swan, as she is more pure and innocent The pressure of the role, and trying to perfect herself so that she fits both roles, which are very contrasting, slowly but surely start to take their toll on her, and cause her to lose her grip on reality.
I think this film is very successful, as it plays on a theme that most people can relate to; trying to be perfect, even if it means trying to be someone you are not. The film concentrates on some of the key themes in Psychological thrillers; Death, although in this film, the death part does not come until the very end, but there is also an element of suicide and self-harm. The film also plays around the theme of reality, as most of the goings on are happening as a result of her mental instability and so would not have happened in reality.
Se7en:
Seven is about an experienced, about to retire detective, whom is partnered with a newer, younger, more hot-headed detective, to solve the case of a murder. As the plot unfolds, it is discovered that the murderer is infact a serial killer and all of his murders and victims depict on of the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy and Wrath. the story follows the two detectives through their cat and mouse chase of trying to solve the murders.
The film is so successful, as it plays on people's genuine fears, of murder. We also go along the path of the film with the two protagonists:the detectives and are initially shrouded in ignorance and mystery as they are.
Donnie Darko:
Donnie Darko is a very highly regarded film. It tells the story of a teenage boy, Donnie, whom is "mentally disturbed" and his story following the incident of an aeroplane engine falling onto his house and destroying his bedroom, which he narrowly escaped death, as he was not actually in the house, but woke up instead in the middle of the road atop of a hill overlooking his neighbourhood. Donnie was awoken by a figure in a "horrific" rabbit suit, named Frank, whom tells him that the world will end in "28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. The film follows his journey over this time period and his trying to decipher the meaning behind his starnge visits from Frank.
I believe that this film is so successful because it leaves the audience surrounded in enigma; you never truly understand what the film is about, but you can take away from the film what you like, and there have been many different interpretations of the film, as it can mean something different to everyone who watches it. I have watched the film about five times now, and i still do not fully understand it, but the more times i watch it, the more i take away frm it. Some of the shot that they use are also very intresting and captivating to the audience, such as the scene where the camera starts on the ground facing sideways, and then as Donnie steps out of the bus, the film turns so that it is upright, and starts to tilt upwards and track him.
Memento:
Memento is a psychological thriller about a man whom has short-term memory loss and has to track down the man whom raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that all of the information that he discovers, he has to either take a photo and leave himself a note, or tattoo his own body, in order to remember.
I believe that this film is so successful, as it is shown in reverse, you start at the end of the film, and work your way backwards, so only small parts of the plot are revealed at a time, and it is only in the last few minutes that the story is revealed, so the audience is kept guessing right up until the end.
The Sixth Sense:
The Sixth Sense is about a child pschopherapist, Dr. Malcome Crowe whom, after being shot by an ex-patient, returns to work and begins working with a young boy, Cole, who claims that he can "see dead people". At first Crowe believes that Cole is delusional, but following his path through the film, he discovers that thhe young boy is infact telling the truth, and this is the same issue that the ex-patient that shot him had. |I wont give the ending away, because i believe that it will ruin the film to anyone who has not seen it.
I believe that this film is so sucessful, as there is a suprise twist right at the end of the film, which is the common convention of all of M. Night Shyamalan's films, which changes the audience's perspective of the whole film. Another reason that the film is such a success is the fact that the audience is draw to, and genuinely feels for the young Cole, as he is the only poerson who can see the terrors that haunt him, and so he is isolated from the world and feels all alone. This along with the brilliant effects, sound effects, non-diagetic music and the jumpy elements that the ghosts bring themselves all combine to make a fantastic film; and the audience can really relate to at least one of the characters in the film; Crowe-struggling to balance his work life and marrige, which is slowly falling apart, all the while battling his self demons. Cole-who is teriffied of the world and of being alone with his fears, whilst also trying to connect with his mother. Cole's mother herself, whom is trying very hard to understand her young, troubled son, whilst struggling with the task of being a single mother. Being able to connect with these very realistic and human characters helps to make a very effective Psycological Thriller.
As our film's genre is Pshycological thriller, after watching all of these films, there are many points that we could take inspiration from. These points that i believe we could use as starting points/ inspiration for our peice have been highlighted in blue.
Stereotypical conventions:
- Sub-genre of the collective genre thriller.
- Focus's and plays on the mental state/unstability of the characters mental and emotions
- Can also usee mystery to play on the unstable mental state.
- A first-person narrative is often used, so that the audience feels more involved with the character and the action happening in the film, wich also helps the audience to understand the mental state and unstability more.
Themes that can appear:
- Reality
- Death
- Perception
- Mind
- Existence
- Purpose
Examples of Psychological Thrillers:
- Black Swan- Darren Aronofsky
- Se7en- David Fincher
- Zodiac- David Fincher
- Fight club- David Fincher
- Vertigo-Alfred Hitchcock
- Rear window- Alfred Hitchcock
- Psyco- Alfred Hitchcock
- Donnie Darko- Richard Kelly
- The Shining- Stanley Kubrick
- The clockwork orange- Stanley Kubrick
- Memento- Christopher Nolan
- Inception- Christopher Nolan
- Shutter Island- Martin Scorsese
- Taxi Driver- Martin Scorsese
- The Sixth Sense- M. Night Shyamalan
- The Others- M. Night Shyamalan
- Unbreakable- M. Night Shyamalan
Black swan:
Black swan is the story of how Nina, a professional Ballet Dancer, who is cast as the lead part in the production of Swan Lake, gradually starts to lose her sanity as she struggles to compete with a fellow ballet dancer, who fits the part of the Black swan, as she is more sexy and sassy, whereas Nina is the perfect example of the white swan, as she is more pure and innocent The pressure of the role, and trying to perfect herself so that she fits both roles, which are very contrasting, slowly but surely start to take their toll on her, and cause her to lose her grip on reality.
I think this film is very successful, as it plays on a theme that most people can relate to; trying to be perfect, even if it means trying to be someone you are not. The film concentrates on some of the key themes in Psychological thrillers; Death, although in this film, the death part does not come until the very end, but there is also an element of suicide and self-harm. The film also plays around the theme of reality, as most of the goings on are happening as a result of her mental instability and so would not have happened in reality.
Se7en:
Seven is about an experienced, about to retire detective, whom is partnered with a newer, younger, more hot-headed detective, to solve the case of a murder. As the plot unfolds, it is discovered that the murderer is infact a serial killer and all of his murders and victims depict on of the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy and Wrath. the story follows the two detectives through their cat and mouse chase of trying to solve the murders.
The film is so successful, as it plays on people's genuine fears, of murder. We also go along the path of the film with the two protagonists:the detectives and are initially shrouded in ignorance and mystery as they are.
Donnie Darko:
Donnie Darko is a very highly regarded film. It tells the story of a teenage boy, Donnie, whom is "mentally disturbed" and his story following the incident of an aeroplane engine falling onto his house and destroying his bedroom, which he narrowly escaped death, as he was not actually in the house, but woke up instead in the middle of the road atop of a hill overlooking his neighbourhood. Donnie was awoken by a figure in a "horrific" rabbit suit, named Frank, whom tells him that the world will end in "28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. The film follows his journey over this time period and his trying to decipher the meaning behind his starnge visits from Frank.
I believe that this film is so successful because it leaves the audience surrounded in enigma; you never truly understand what the film is about, but you can take away from the film what you like, and there have been many different interpretations of the film, as it can mean something different to everyone who watches it. I have watched the film about five times now, and i still do not fully understand it, but the more times i watch it, the more i take away frm it. Some of the shot that they use are also very intresting and captivating to the audience, such as the scene where the camera starts on the ground facing sideways, and then as Donnie steps out of the bus, the film turns so that it is upright, and starts to tilt upwards and track him.
Memento:
Memento is a psychological thriller about a man whom has short-term memory loss and has to track down the man whom raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that all of the information that he discovers, he has to either take a photo and leave himself a note, or tattoo his own body, in order to remember.
I believe that this film is so successful, as it is shown in reverse, you start at the end of the film, and work your way backwards, so only small parts of the plot are revealed at a time, and it is only in the last few minutes that the story is revealed, so the audience is kept guessing right up until the end.
The Sixth Sense:
The Sixth Sense is about a child pschopherapist, Dr. Malcome Crowe whom, after being shot by an ex-patient, returns to work and begins working with a young boy, Cole, who claims that he can "see dead people". At first Crowe believes that Cole is delusional, but following his path through the film, he discovers that thhe young boy is infact telling the truth, and this is the same issue that the ex-patient that shot him had. |I wont give the ending away, because i believe that it will ruin the film to anyone who has not seen it.
I believe that this film is so sucessful, as there is a suprise twist right at the end of the film, which is the common convention of all of M. Night Shyamalan's films, which changes the audience's perspective of the whole film. Another reason that the film is such a success is the fact that the audience is draw to, and genuinely feels for the young Cole, as he is the only poerson who can see the terrors that haunt him, and so he is isolated from the world and feels all alone. This along with the brilliant effects, sound effects, non-diagetic music and the jumpy elements that the ghosts bring themselves all combine to make a fantastic film; and the audience can really relate to at least one of the characters in the film; Crowe-struggling to balance his work life and marrige, which is slowly falling apart, all the while battling his self demons. Cole-who is teriffied of the world and of being alone with his fears, whilst also trying to connect with his mother. Cole's mother herself, whom is trying very hard to understand her young, troubled son, whilst struggling with the task of being a single mother. Being able to connect with these very realistic and human characters helps to make a very effective Psycological Thriller.
As our film's genre is Pshycological thriller, after watching all of these films, there are many points that we could take inspiration from. These points that i believe we could use as starting points/ inspiration for our peice have been highlighted in blue.
Filming Journal
1/10/12: Day one.
On our production day we planned our piece. We made a list of all of the things that we needed to plan in order to make our filming more effective and easy to film.These included:
On our script, it states that the scene is set interior, so we knew that we needed to film indoors, or at least make it look like it is indoors.
Set:
We decided to use one of the empty offices at our school, as it looks very similar to an ordinary office, and with a bit of readjustment of the furniture, would also be a very easy and convenient place to film, as it is in an area of the school that is not that busy, so we would not get disrupted whilst filming.
Characters:
In the script there are three listed characters:
We decided that the original opening shot that we filmed was possibly not the best choice. The original was a point of view shot from BAZ's perspective. We, as a group decided to re-shoot the scenes we had filmed previously, as we wanted to be able to introduce the charcter to the audience before introducing the point of view shots; however we wanted to maintain the initial enigma surrounding the character that the point of view shot created. We did this by using close-ups of different parts of the characters body; for example, in the shot where she is walking up the stairs, we used a tracking shot to follow her, whilst using a close up to show just her feet from behind. This way it is still clear to the audience that the character is walking up the stairs, but is also a lot clearer in the shot point, as it is a smoother shot, due to the Steadicam and there is still an air of enigma, as you have not yet been properly introduced to the character, as the audience has not yet seen her face. We then went on to film the scene in the corridor, which we had originally planned to start with a close up of BAZ's hand (empty in present-day, or holding the parcel in the flashback) to emphasise the difference, and then zoom out to a whole body shot whilst also moving back in a tracking shot. Unfortunately the corridor in which we were filming was too short for us to be able to do the whole of our shot. We overcame this problem by deciding that instead of zooming out we would stay focused on the hand, to draw the audience's attention to it even more than we had originally planned, and instead follow the hand thorough the corridor. We did this by using a combination of the camera on a Steadicam-cam, and the cameraman sitting on a wheelie-chair, being dragged by another member of the group, to enable that it was a very smooth shot.
Problems that occurred whilst filming:
On our production day we planned our piece. We made a list of all of the things that we needed to plan in order to make our filming more effective and easy to film.These included:
- Location
- Set
- Characters
- Shot list
On our script, it states that the scene is set interior, so we knew that we needed to film indoors, or at least make it look like it is indoors.
Set:
We decided to use one of the empty offices at our school, as it looks very similar to an ordinary office, and with a bit of readjustment of the furniture, would also be a very easy and convenient place to film, as it is in an area of the school that is not that busy, so we would not get disrupted whilst filming.
Characters:
In the script there are three listed characters:
- BAZ- the main character
- ANNA,-the receptionist at Simon and Garfunkel's, the law firm that BAZ has gone to.
- MR RIPLEY - an unseen character, whom you only hear the voice of.
- Our shot list consisted of all of the shots that we needed to film in their chronological order that they will be shown in the final cut, but due to continuity, we will not film them in this order.
- Our original idea was for the first shot to be a point of view shot of my character (BAZ) walking up the stairs. We filmed this using a handheld camera, held at eye-level, and we decided against using a Steadicam as we believed that the more raggedy look added to the effect we were trying to create for our psychological thriller.
Problems that occurred whilst Filming:
Whilst filming, as it was our first attempt and experience of filming, there were a few issues that we had to overcome. Some of these included:
- Reflections: As one of the shots we used was a close up of a hand opening a door, in our first recording, we noticed that we could see the reflection of the camera in the glass, so had to overcome this by slightly moving the camera so that it was lined up with the wooden frame, and consequently out of shot.
- Continuity: As we had to film over a number of days, we had to ensure that all of our factors included in the frame were identical to how we had it before. these included costume; hair and make-up; positioning of subjects; positioning of camera etc.
We decided that the original opening shot that we filmed was possibly not the best choice. The original was a point of view shot from BAZ's perspective. We, as a group decided to re-shoot the scenes we had filmed previously, as we wanted to be able to introduce the charcter to the audience before introducing the point of view shots; however we wanted to maintain the initial enigma surrounding the character that the point of view shot created. We did this by using close-ups of different parts of the characters body; for example, in the shot where she is walking up the stairs, we used a tracking shot to follow her, whilst using a close up to show just her feet from behind. This way it is still clear to the audience that the character is walking up the stairs, but is also a lot clearer in the shot point, as it is a smoother shot, due to the Steadicam and there is still an air of enigma, as you have not yet been properly introduced to the character, as the audience has not yet seen her face. We then went on to film the scene in the corridor, which we had originally planned to start with a close up of BAZ's hand (empty in present-day, or holding the parcel in the flashback) to emphasise the difference, and then zoom out to a whole body shot whilst also moving back in a tracking shot. Unfortunately the corridor in which we were filming was too short for us to be able to do the whole of our shot. We overcame this problem by deciding that instead of zooming out we would stay focused on the hand, to draw the audience's attention to it even more than we had originally planned, and instead follow the hand thorough the corridor. We did this by using a combination of the camera on a Steadicam-cam, and the cameraman sitting on a wheelie-chair, being dragged by another member of the group, to enable that it was a very smooth shot.
Problems that occurred whilst filming:
- Sounds of footsteps: It was fine for there to be one set of footsteps in the scene, as this would be part of the diagetic sound elements, as the shot was a close up of the feet of someone walking up steps. However, we realised when we were watching the playback, that we could also hear the footsteps of the cameraman.To overcome this problem we decided that the person operating the camera should take off her shoes, so that her footsteps were not as heavy, and not as audible.
Production day- Creative Process
On the production day we also got to use some practical skills, and got to practice some of our new found skills.
Steadicam: We learnt what a Steadicam is, the disadvantages and advantages of how it could help us in our film-making processes, and we got to have a first hand experience with how it works and how we use it.
Steadicam: We learnt what a Steadicam is, the disadvantages and advantages of how it could help us in our film-making processes, and we got to have a first hand experience with how it works and how we use it.
- Steadicam is used to get rid of all of the "jerky" movements that could occur if the camera was just hand held, an so creates a more smooth and flowing shot.
- It is often used for tracking shots, mainly when the surface on the ground is very uneven, and s tracks cannot be used.
- However the Steadicam cannot totally remove all movement.
Production Day-What I learnt.
On Monday, we had a Production day, where we were taken off time-table, and spent the whole day working on our media, and started developing our ideas for our short-film, and eventually started to film some of our shots. In the morning of the day, we had a "mini-workshop" with one of the teachers at our school, as he has over 25 years experience in the film-making industry, where he worked as an assistant director of a number of different films. He taught and explained to us a few key techniques that we could use to help us to improve our shorts, as well as helping us to understand what working in the film industry is actually like. some of the things that we learnt about were:
Focus: We learnt two different types of focus: Sharp and Soft focus. The differences in focus are used to draw attention to and from certain subjects in the shot, as to portray different meanings.
Overall the day was a lot of fun,but at the same time i also learnt a lot. Thanks to Gerard Wall who helped us all alot.
- Continuity
- Focus
- What a "set-up" is
- How you can use zooming in and out, combined with moving the camera backwards and forwards on a track to make an effect.
Focus: We learnt two different types of focus: Sharp and Soft focus. The differences in focus are used to draw attention to and from certain subjects in the shot, as to portray different meanings.
 |
| Soft Focus |
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| Sharp Focus (the leaves) |
What a Set-up is: All of how you arrange/position the subjects in the frame, the lighting, the camera angles, the zoom etc. is the set-up. Everything in the set-up is done for a reason, and has a meaning or purpose for doing so. If even the smallest detail is changed/ altered, even in the slightest, can make a huge difference to how the frame is interpreted.
How a use of a combination of techniques can create effects:
You can use zooming in and out, combined with moving the camera backwards and forwards on a track to make an effect. For example, In the Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo, in order to overcome the problem of being able to portray to the audience the sensation of vertigo. As the film was made in the 50's, Hitchcock did not have all the fancy technology that we have nowadays, and so had to figure out a way to overcome this glitch. He did this by moving the camera back and forth along tracks and zooming in and out at the same time. The effect he created has since been used in a number of different films. The effect can be seen in this short clip below:
Overall the day was a lot of fun,but at the same time i also learnt a lot. Thanks to Gerard Wall who helped us all alot.
Knowledge Vs Creativity
We were asked the question "Does the amount of knowledge you know and skills you have restrict you creativity?" at first it was a simple "Yes" or "No" answer, and we either agreed or disagreed with the statement. But then as we discussed our opinions as a class, we discovered that it wasn't as simple as that. Some of the things that we figured out were that:
Agree:
Agree:
- You get into habit and routine of doing things a certain way, so do not try to be more creative and imaginative.
- You could be taught a certain way, and so, because you have been taught this way, you believe that is the correct way, and so do not attempt to do it any other way.
Disagree:
- If you know more knowledge and skills, then you will gain the confidence to go out of your comfort zone, and become more creative.
- Going through and learning how to do a process "properly" you may become inspired by it, and therefore become more creative in what you do with your knowledge.
What is Creativity?
The task sounds really simple doesn't it? Define Creativity. But if you try it is actually very hard. When i googled the definition of creativity it defined it as "The use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work." I actually disagree with this statement, as i believe that something does not have to be original to be creative.
For example, we did a task in class today, where we were given a piece of paper, and elastic band and a pair of scissors, and were told to make a flower with just those items. The final products that we came up with were not necessarily original, as people probably have made flowers in this way before, but everybody in the room was creative in the way in which they made the tasks, and all of the flowers were unique, as no-one else would make a flower that was identical to the products we made.
Things that we came up with as a group that we are envolved in Creativity:
The definition that i came up with for creativity was "creativity is the process of turning a personal vision/idea into something that will catch the attention of others and is affected by your personal experiences, upbringing and environment. It does not have to be original or new" this is what i believe is the definition of creativity for me, but i believe that creativity can mean different things to everyone, so there is no right answer.
How creative do I think I am?
I believe that i am quite creative, but then i believe that everyone in the world is creative, just in their own ways. For example, someone could be creative in an artistic way, whereas someone else could be creative in writing, so it all just depends. Also, if someone tells me to be creative, i find it very hard to do so, so i believe that creativity is a spur of the moment thing, that cannot be brought up on cue.
What are my Creative Influences?
Everything around me acts as an influence to me. The music I listen to. The Films I watch. My Friends and Family. The Places I go and the experiences I have. They all affect me and my outlook on life, and this is what I believe affects creativity.
For example, we did a task in class today, where we were given a piece of paper, and elastic band and a pair of scissors, and were told to make a flower with just those items. The final products that we came up with were not necessarily original, as people probably have made flowers in this way before, but everybody in the room was creative in the way in which they made the tasks, and all of the flowers were unique, as no-one else would make a flower that was identical to the products we made.
Things that we came up with as a group that we are envolved in Creativity:
- Innovation
- Designing
- thinking differently
- Overcoming Problems
- Not being affraid to do things differently
The definition that i came up with for creativity was "creativity is the process of turning a personal vision/idea into something that will catch the attention of others and is affected by your personal experiences, upbringing and environment. It does not have to be original or new" this is what i believe is the definition of creativity for me, but i believe that creativity can mean different things to everyone, so there is no right answer.
How creative do I think I am?
I believe that i am quite creative, but then i believe that everyone in the world is creative, just in their own ways. For example, someone could be creative in an artistic way, whereas someone else could be creative in writing, so it all just depends. Also, if someone tells me to be creative, i find it very hard to do so, so i believe that creativity is a spur of the moment thing, that cannot be brought up on cue.
What are my Creative Influences?
Everything around me acts as an influence to me. The music I listen to. The Films I watch. My Friends and Family. The Places I go and the experiences I have. They all affect me and my outlook on life, and this is what I believe affects creativity.
Why i chose Media Studies
I decided to chose Media studies because i love films. I love watching them, i love making them, and it is something that i am very interested in taking up as a career. The subject really interests me, as we look at all things that i really enjoy and would love to be a part of in the future, such as films, journalism and music videos.
The subject goes hand in hand with some of the other subjects that i am taking for AS ( Theatre Studies and English Literature) and so would work well in helping to achieve where i want to go and get into a career in media. Making films, Being in films, it all seems magical to me, and to someday be a part of that process would be a dream come true to me.
The subject goes hand in hand with some of the other subjects that i am taking for AS ( Theatre Studies and English Literature) and so would work well in helping to achieve where i want to go and get into a career in media. Making films, Being in films, it all seems magical to me, and to someday be a part of that process would be a dream come true to me.
What is Media Studies?
Media Studies is often, and incorrectly lablled as a "Mickey Mouse" subject, often being slated by people as a waste of time and effort that will "not get you into a top university" As it states in the online article i have found, linked below, students should "avoid studying more than one "soft" subject, e.g. Media Studies, Art and Design, Photography, Business Studies, Photography and General Studies. As a rule, any subject that includes the word "studies" should be avoided like Smallpox." This paints Media in a very negative view and is totally incorrect in my opinion. These people whom are sayin that media is a "soft subject" have obviously never studied the subject and a re talking out of ignorance. We are in the 21st century, where the world around us if effectively run by the media, with wherever we turn, an aspect of media faces us. T.V, films, music, magazines, Newspapers; all of these are aspects of the media, and so the study of it could not be more relevant.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100074686/its-official-if-you-do-a-levels-in-media-studies-or-law-you-wont-get-into-a-top-university/
Media studies to me is the study of the different types of media, such as films, newspapers, online websites and music videos, and dissecting them, so as to try and find out what they are trying to portray, and what messages the maker was trying to get across. It is also looking at how the types of media were made and have been produced, developed, and have been turned into the end products we see every day.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100074686/its-official-if-you-do-a-levels-in-media-studies-or-law-you-wont-get-into-a-top-university/
Media studies to me is the study of the different types of media, such as films, newspapers, online websites and music videos, and dissecting them, so as to try and find out what they are trying to portray, and what messages the maker was trying to get across. It is also looking at how the types of media were made and have been produced, developed, and have been turned into the end products we see every day.
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