Saturday 26 November 2011

Preliminary film

Today we recorded a short scene for our Preliminary film using the techniques we have learnt in AS Media studies. Our location was set in the school hall, where we used a table and chairs and planed our camera views which followed the 180 degree rule. It was important that we filmed fluently so that the audience believe it was all in one sequence, so we continually looked over our last scene to see if the movements were correct. Overall i think we done a good job, as we followed all of the instructions given to us and tried our best to make it unique.



We feel that for future recordings that for the camera work we should be less harsh when it comes to panning across on the character (00:12). We have been told that when you do an action on one character, for example, when I zoomed in on Jack (00:19) I should keep the same camera view fothe other character so it doesnt disordinate the audience. (00:21). Also, the scenes when viewing both characters could of been closer, as the scene wasn't important to the plot and we could of focused more on the expressions of the character (00:26 ).  For a first time we think that it was a good run through and we have learnt through the experience.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Preliminary Research

Continuity editing is a style of film editing and video editing. The purpose of continuity editing is to smooth over the video recordings and make the transition from one scene to another coherent. The two categorises of Continuity editing are temporal continuity and spatial continuity. These techniques are all used as a stepping stone for the audience to follow the story. It is important that the viewer, when watching a film, understands the concepts of the story and the sequence taking place.

Temporal Continuity
Temporal continuity is when film makers make sure people/things move around over time. An example of temporal continuity is if their is a scene where two characters are having a dialogue, everytime the camera cuts to the smoker the director has to be sure that they make that the cigarette is the same size or just a bit shorted. If the cigarette is unconsistent and continually gets longer and shorter, this is called Discontinuity.

Spatial Continuity
Spatial continuity is when film makers make sure that nothing is moved within the space of narration. An example of this is in the movie Fargo. When the two characters are in the bar speaking to one another, due to the cuts, you can clearly see the glasses moving places. This is called spatial discontinuity as it isn't a smooth transition from one scene to another. There are rules that directors within media have to follow, one of them being the 180 degree rule.

The 180 degree rule is when the camera can not enter the left hand side of the person (from facing behind the actor) without showing the transition in a scene. This is because it would confuse the audience and disorient them. An example of this is the british TV presenters Ant and Dec, with Ant always standing on the left, and Dec always standing on the right. The director makes an invisible axis with a left/right character ratio at all times. If a car enters from the left side of the screen, it is important that it stays in the middle, or the left hand side of the screen.



 A film technique wherein one character is shown looking (often off-screen) at another character, and then the other character is shown looking "back" at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer unconciously assumes that they are looking at each other.

-Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin (2006). Film Art: An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill.


The shot/reverse shot focuses on the eye level from one character to another when off screen as the audience assumes they are looking at each other. Among other things, it also focuses on the 180 degree rule as it doesn't decieve the audience then.

 
The match on action within a film is a cut in film editing either between two objects, two different spaces, or two different compositions. This is to make the transition between cuts smooth often helping to make a strong continuity by linking two shots simultaniously.


I think continuity is very important when it comes to editing as it adds realism to a film. If you can notice the difference in every cut, films wouldnt be so popular, just like in the early 1900's.

Bibliography - Image supplied by http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.artoftheguillotine.com/index.php?page=shotreverseshot
Filmography - Fargo
Year - 1996
Director - Joel Coen
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116282/

Monday 14 November 2011

Final Decisions


Horror – Genre conventions. What would audiences expect from horror genre conventions? What are other successful films doing?
Our film. How will your group reflect genre conventions in choices? Will you follow expectations or go against them? How will the audience feel about your choices?
Costumes
In horror films, costumes can use two techniques. Either they can de-humanise a character and make him look abnormal and menacing (Prime examples being Frankenstein, Saw). Or they can go for an innocent looking character wearing old clothes. People look to this as being almost haunted and if a character acts too loving, it can be seen as being possessed.
In our film we will use sunglasses to hide the characters identity away from the audience as if they do not know who to trust within the film. Sharp suits will be used to show the professionalism of the character and also to insinuate how serious he is about his job.
Lighting
Horror lighting is usually low key to create tension and a sense of danger. I feel subconsciously, everyone is afraid of the dark even if they do not admit to it, and this is because they do not know what is in the dark. Directors can make any scene tense, but having a character walking through a haunted house without lighting adds an element of danger, even if there is nothing to worry about.
The decisions we have made for lighting consists of two types.  One lighting will be to put across the tension to the audience and they will be low key lighting, dark rooms. This makes the audience on edge wondering what is around every corner. The other lighting that we have decided to do is for our action scenes, which is fast paced camera action with bright lights constantly beaming into the scene.
Mise-en-scene
Mise en scene is usually a very stereo-typical way to display the setting within a film. Straight away an audience will know what the genre of the film is from the setting. If you see a castle towering above enchanted forest on a bright sunny day, you will think that it is a fairy tale. If a setting consists of a low key lighted room, with blood against the walls you will think it is a horror movie. Mise en scene is a way of telling a story through art or a design.
The scene that we will use is modern and sleek, as these are MI5 agents and it is an action thriller. We will try to go to the bullring and record their as it is a public area in the core of the city (similar to our film) with modern surroundings and innocents around. It is also important that we add lots of lighting effects after recording.
Props
Within a horror film, props are usually very gory and over the top. They make it the most horrific way to die as they know that is what their target audience is coming to see. For example a garden fork is unique and un ordinary, it is also a horrible way to be killed as a gun is fast and almost painless.
Our props consist of using a handgun and having the hankerchief. The handgun shows professionalism as it is a fast and tidy way to kill someone (Much like an MI5 agent) and because realistically it is the only replica of a gun we could get a hold of. The hankerchief is unique to the Agent as he leaves it on all his enemies after he has executed them, his catchphrase will be ‘Clean yourself up.’

Friday 11 November 2011

Updated Treatment

Our theory is the equilibrium. The film will start of normal with the protagonist talking to his friend about what they will do when they retire. The equilibrium we decided is when the government asks the soldier to kill his friend because he has information which can cause harm to society. The hero refuses to kill his friend trying to plead to the government that his friend will stay quiet. The government kill the friend, and accuse the hero of friendly fire, while dragging his name through the dirt.

The setting is an abandoned room which is bare. This symbolises that his life is empty and that everyone has left him, and he has nothing to lose while being interrogated by the US Government. As they interogate him, they continously drop hints that they know who he is by such phrases as 'You traitor!'. The action will take place in a park, as it avoids unneccassary attention being brought on themselves as they are doing the trade. The protagonist is an MI5 agent who is ordered to murder his own friend, which the government will cover up as a 'freak accident' to save information being leaked which could harm the governments reputation. The hero says no, which results in the government turning on him and killing his friend themselves. They then pin the blame on him in order to cover their own tracks, ruining the British patriot’s reputation in the process. The adversary is the government, as they hire an assassin to execute the hero’s friend, and then detain the agent himself.


Our binary oppositions consist of good and evil, which the audience can relate to. Everyone has a problem with the government due to conspiracy theories and over the odds taxes, and throughout this film, the hero is trying to fight a conspiracy of high stakes, a person’s dignity is at stake. The audience will be on our side because subliminaly they understand the concept of what is going on. Our costumes will consist of black and white, White being good and black being evil. We have done this so that the audience can stereotype the characters while watching it and straight away decide which side they are on. Binary oppositions are important to films as there is always a conflict, they are used to distinguish characters and it is also a good structural mechanism.



The three act structure forms the setup of the film, the confrontation and the resolution. The setup of our film is Agent Raiden being told that he has to execute a person, who is unknown to himself. The confrontation within our film is when the government tell the hero (Agent Raiden) that the person he has to kill is his close friend and colleague, Agent Grey Fox This is where things take a turn for the worst in his life, but surely it can only get better. No, instead the government kill the Grey and then pin the blame on him. The government have him imprisoned and he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Our resolution consists of Raiden proving his innocence and winning his families trust back, while avenging his friend by the real murderer being imprisoned for life.

Friday 4 November 2011

Narrative Theories Research Task

What is narrative?

A narrative is a spoken or written account of connected events, it describes a sequence of events varyings from fictional to non fictional. It dates back a 18000 years when cavemen used to draw paintings on the wall in a form of communications. A narrative describes a sequence of events varyings from fictional to non fictional.

Why are narratives important?

Narratives are important to help us make sense of the world. As a child, you are brought up reading fairy tales and myths, which helps the imagination to expand, but in reality you are just escaping into a dream world for the length of the movie. Religions and history is basically transferred through generations through narrative with books and tales that are re told.

Once upon a time can be seen as just an opening to a fairy tale, but it has a deeper meaning than that. 'Once' is past test and takes us into a different time. 'Upon a time' situates us into a world which we know is different from ours. This sets the mood for a fairy tale or myth as it becomes a regular occurance and it has the same effect on the reader.

There are three narative theories that studies the codes and conventions within a story.

Vladimir Propp


Vladimir Propp suggested that the 8 character roles and 31 functions within a narrative as I have covered above. These are used in many stories, but are also a reflection on life when u compare Princess Diana to Adolf Hitler.

Tzvetan Todorov



Tzvetan thought that that stories and started with an equilibrium (balanced) but it is disrupted throughout with a change of events. Problems are then solved by the hero, restoring normality to the novel.

Claude Levi-Strauss


Strauss looked at the narrative structure and noticed a series of binary oppositions. For example Good vs evil, Black vs White, Female vs Male. He saw the deeper meaning within the narrative, if he was looking at a Science Fiction novel, he would say;
Earth - Space
Good - Evil
Humans - Aliens
Past - Present
Normal - Strange
Known - Unknown

I feel the best one for when we create our film will be Claudes theory as we will try to have an opposite in every character.

The hero - Leads the narrative and is usually looking to solve something (a quest)
The Villain - Conflicts with the hero.
The Heroine - Usually a 'reward' for the hero triamphing.
The Father - An authority figure who offers a reward for the hero to complete his or her quest
The Helper - Assists the hero in completing his quest.
The Donor - Gives the hero something such as a special power to help him defeat the villain and win the reward.
The Mentor  The master/tutor towards the hero, teaches him the tricks of the trade along the way.

Many films contain these set guidelines, one example is The Matrix. The hero within the film is Neo, because he is fighting on behalf of Zion to save thousands of people. The Villain within this film is Agent Smith because he is the exact opposite of Neo, he is power mad and wants to destroy all humans as he believes that they are a virus. The father within this film is Morpheus, as he is an authority figure to Neo, and continually boosts Neos morale. The helper in matrix is tank, as he receives the phonecall to help them escape from the matrix. The donor within the matrix is the Oracle, as he is always giving Neo advice on what to do next to help him complete his 'quest'. Neos mentor is again Morpheus as he trained him up to fight against the agents and understand the world that they are living in at the start.



Bibliography - http://naridus.com/2010/08/23/why-narrative-and-identity-development-is-important/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/8332523/Narrative-theory-notes

http://www.imdb.com/

Filmography - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
Film - The Matrix
Year - 1999
Directors - Andy Wachowski
                  Lana Wachowski

Alien Movie blue screen

Thursday 3 November 2011

Final cut introduction

The idea for our role play was a sky sports news report outside the white house. It was a spoof with Paul Merson announcing a goal, through a worldwide television broadcast. It was a 29 second production with timing being important, as the last four seconds was the explosion outside the white house. We have one person on set to the left hand side of the blue screen, reporting on the UFO outside the white house and two people behind the set working the cameras and doing voice overs. A problem we came across with the compatibility of final cut, we couldn't upload our blue screen video through the SD. To get around this we converted the images to the correct file type. We used our 30 minutes rehearsal time to write up our script, and continuously time our act to make sure our movements were spot on.