Rebecca Gooch Media

Evaluation

2010-04-05T04:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.slideshare.net/secret/347D48PgCR2hWD

Unforgotten Soul

2010-04-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

This is our final opening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZeQEAg5waU

Prelim Task

2010-03-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

Media Lesson 26th February

2010-02-26T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today we edited our thriller opening. We finished importing all of our selected scene from the footage we recorded and then begun to place them on the timeline sorting the timing. We also got onto editing some of the scene e.g. removing sound from clips then adding other sound from other clips over the other clip also changing the colour of the clip to black and white to give the effect of the clip being old.

Media Questionnaire

2010-02-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

We have finished our rough edit of our thriller opening. We are going to ask people to view this and ask their opnion on what they thought by asking them to fill out our questionnaire as shown below.

We have asked precise questions so we can get certain answers that can be important to making our thriller opening a success and so we are able to make the ammendments to make the opening better.

Story Board

2010-02-25T09:44:00.001-08:00

Scene one and two

Scene one
- Jodie sitting in the graveyard, drinking by herself silly with a bottle of alcohol.
- Camera pans around to get the full image of her and the surroundings.
- Close - up of her drinking
- High view looking down on her to show how she is feeling, and it would appear to the audience she is not very important either.
Scene two
- Ryan sees Jodie drunk and starts to take advantage of this.
- Point of view shot from Ryan looking at Jodie
- Wide shot of them both flirting with each other
- Low angle shot to get the expressions

Scene three and four

Scene three
- Ryan and Jodie make out, but Jodie soon reaslises what she has done.
- Wide shot of them sharing intermacy.
- High view of them kissing.
Scene four
- Jodie gets scared and scratches Ryan and runs away.
- Point of view shot from Jodie
- Pan (180 degrees) from Ryan to Jodie

Scene five and six

Scene five
- Jodie runs down an alley way and Ryan is at the other end. He tries and rapes her (pushes her against the wall)
- Close - up on Jodie's face (so audience can see her facial expression)
- Mid - shot of Ryan tying to rape Jodie.
Scene six
- Jodie changes into her alter ego (her eyes go red). She grabs Ryan by the neck and smashes his head on teh bars. Ryan is killed.
- Close - up of Jodie as she changed into her alter ego.
- Camera pans of Ryan on the floor dead.
- Point of view shot from Jodie's alter ego as she is killing him.

Scene seven and eight

Scene seven
- Jodie is then back and realises what has happened; she is upset and scared.
- Panning of her crying near Ryan's body.
- High angle zoom out as Ryan has just been killed.
Scene eight
- Black screen to identify new day

Scene nine and ten

Scene nine
- Jodie walks into school in same outfit and looks rough, pale, hair a mess, she is in a complete and utter state, who has bags under eyes.
- She walks towards the toilets where she finds Chantelle there too.
Scene ten
- Chantelle and Jodie talk for a while until the female begins to get angry.
- A shouting match then occurs between the two girls which causes Jodie's alter ego to appear.

Scene eleven and twelve

Scene eleven
- Chantelle is then pushed against the mirror which cracks and is then dragged into a cubical of the toilet by Jodie's alter ego.
- Chantelle begins to scream.
Scene twelve
Lights cut on and off and their is a lot of shouting until the scene cuts to silence which is when Jodie appears.
- She has blood covered hands and a scared face.

Scene thirteen

Scene thirteen
- Jodie looks into the mirror and sees her alter ego smile back at her.
- Jodie then screams and backs away from mirror.

Media Lesson 22nd February

2010-02-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

Today we started editing our work to the opening to our thriller film. Having imported all our clips from the camera we have now started to import them onto a timeline and going through the clips choosing the best acting and location.

My input to the thriller opening

2010-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

The brain storm including initial ideas was a group effort between myself, Toni and Jonny.
My input: I put together the brief synopsis of the plot, this was a description of what the plot would be for our thriller opening. The planning edit includes the shots we will have and the transition effects between each of the shots. I also listed a number of transitions we could include in the opening on the basis that they were appropriate and effective. Effects have also been listed. I have evaluated a few songs/sounds for our soundtrack all of which are unsigned and have not been coyrighted. The equipment we will be using throughout the production I have listed and the brand name of each item. On each of the documents throughout this project I have included my own view on what we have done with a description and why we have done it.

Questionnaires

2010-02-02T08:53:00.001-08:00

Ideas for locations

2010-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

These are pictures we have found to show an idea of a possible location and to see whether that location would fit into a thriller film. We have mainly found locations that are quite dark and a remote, these types of scenes would build suspense and tension.

Filming Schedule

2010-02-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Week one -
Monday start filming at 12:45 till about 2:15 this is becuase David who plays Ryan and Chloe who plays Jodie has some private study to do. We will film the first scenes which Ryan appears in as it is the hardest scene to film.

Wednesday we will shoot the scene where Jodie and Chantelle are in the toilets together. This will be filmed at 3:30 till 4:30. This is providing on the weather and that the characters can make it.

This is all we are able to film on week one as there is a sociology exam the friday. Which two of our four characters are taking.

Week two -

We want to film the same times and day as before. As we want to repeat what we have done a few times. This gives us enough footage to edit down to enough time for our opening thriller sequence.

We are on a very tight schedule as there are exams which our crew are in, this limits our time as people need to revise.

General Outline

2010-02-01T11:21:00.001-08:00

Photos for possible locations

2010-02-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

These are possible locations we could film in and around our college. They include the toilets, open areas and stairwells and classrooms and areas outside and around college. These locations would fit in with our initial storyline.

Brain storm for Thriller opening sequence

2010-02-01T06:18:00.001-08:00

These were our intial ideas on what our thriller could be about. Between our group we came up with several ideas that would be an ideal plot for a thriller opening.

Media Lesson 25th January

2010-01-25T07:04:00.000-08:00

We did some more filming to our opening thriller film. I filmed the mother of Jodie sharing her view which will help the audience understand the reason why Jodie is the way she is. After this scene it would then go onto the main opening.

Costumes, props and make - up

2010-01-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Costumes

Jodie- very high maintenance – pencil skirt, with dark top, black tights, flat shoe, handbag and with hair straightened .

Ryan-thinks he is hard and every girl wants him – Jeans, blouse, v-neck jumper, and black shoes (smart as he thinks a lot of himself).

Chantelle- like Jodie she is very high maintenance- she will have a similar outfit to Jodie as they like to look much dulled up and over the top.

Jodie’s alter ego – Jodie’s alter ego is very dark and devious she wears very dark clothes, black top, leggings and black leather boots, hair all back combed and messy.

Make-up

Jodie – to begin with Jodie’s make-up is very glamour’s and over the top, but after she has killed ryan her make-up is then very dirty and messy. When Jodie has killed Chantelle she will have blood on her hands to show the audience that she ahs killed Chantelle

Ryan- To begin with Ryan will have no make –up on but as Jodie slaps him there will be a red print, however when Jodie’s alter ego comes out she kills Ryan. There will be blood all over Ryan’s hair and all over the path way that Jodie’s alter ego has killed him.

Chantelle- At the beginning Chantelle make-up is like Jodie’s very glamour’s and over the top. But when Jodie’s alter ego comes out she ends up killing her best friend there will be blood all over the floor and over Chantelle’s head.Jodie’s alter ego – Jodie’s alter ego will be very dark but also a little glamour’s this will make it seen less tacky and UN real. All her make-up will be black( black eye shadow ,black lipstick ect.)PropsHere are the props used throughout the film opening –Bottle of alcoholCameraTri-podDollyTapeBags for Jodie and ChantelleVarious different make-upClothing for characters

Script

2010-01-22T05:19:00.000-08:00

Jodie is sitting on the grave yard bench drinking all her sorrows away and then Ryan turns up.

Jodie: - (Smiling and acting drunk) Hey there Sexy!!!!

Ryan: - Well Hello (looking really pleased and happy)

Jodie and Ryan move close together and Jodie leans up against a tree whilst Ryan is kissing her neck. She there looks very scared as she realises what is happening.

Jodie: - NO, no leave me alone (whilst pushing Ryan off her)
Ryan: - come on baby (pulling her closer)

Jodie: - No (trying to pull away)

Jodie then turns and scratches Ryan across the face

Ryan: - You Bitch (holding his face)

Jodie the runs off scared and frightened. As she is going home she decides to take the short cut through the alley way and at the other end Ryan is waiting for her.

Ryan: - No-one gets away from me that easily!

He grabs her by the shoulder and forces her against the wall.

Jodie: - Leave me alone (screaming and frightened)

Jodie Alter ego then comes and grabs Ryan by the back of his neck and smashes his head against the metal railings. Ryan is killed!!! She then changes back into her innocent self and then realises what has happened.

Jodie: - NO NO PLEASE NO (crying hysterically)

The next day and Jodie walks in to college with her same clothes on as last night looking extremely rough. She walks directly to the toilet and her best mate Chantelle follows.

Chantelle: - Jesus you look rough (looking shocked)

Jodie: - Yeah thanks for that (still really frightened)

Chantelle: - Oh MY GOD , Jason is so sweet he took me out last night for a meal and then went back to his and let me just tell you it was the most AMAZING sex ever !!!

Jodie: - SHUT UP SHUT UP IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT YOU ISNT IT. (Angry and scared)

Chantelle: - What the hell is wrong with you just because you can’t get no-one what happened to the boy Ryan you liked!!! (Looking annoyed)

Jodie: - I SAID SHUT UP DIDN’T I (Getting really angry)

Chantelle: - What the ……….

Jodie: - SHUT UP!!!!!

Jodie then changes into her alter ego; she grabs Chantelle by the hair and smashes her face against the mirror she has a large cut across her face. She then grabs her hair and pulls her into the toilet. There is a lot of screaming and banging in the loo. As the alter ego exits the loo you see Chantelle lying on the floor dead. It then changes back to Jodie.

Jodie: - NO NO PLEASE NO (crying hysterically) CHANTELLE PLEASE I AM SORRY PLEASED. (Crying look scared and frightened)

She gets up all worried and shaky stumbling over and looks in the mirror and then at her hands realising there is blood on it she quickly puts the tap on and tried scrubbing the blood of and then she looks in the mirror crying.

Jodie: - NO (crying) PLEASE NO WHY ME???????????Then appears the alter ego, and just smiles back at Jodie.

Media Lesson 18th January

2010-01-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

Today we did some more filming in the graveyard we recorded this scene a second time so that Jodie had a bottle of alcohol so the audience can understand she is drunk and is not in her right mind. Another place we filmed was near the college which is the death scene of Ryan. We will compare the death scene of Ryan in the alleyway and near the college and view which location is better and decide what our final location will be for the death scene of Ryan.

Case Study - Transporter 2

2010-01-12T03:59:00.001-08:00

Poster Analysis

The quote “one hell of a ride” shows the audience that they are in for a action packed, thriller film and it is going to be an exhilarating ride. Also at the bottom another quote “The best in the business is back in the game” may mean that this quote refers to the actor on the poster as he is smartly dressed (business type dress).

The most eye-catching thing about this poster is the title and the flames and the actor holding the two guns this would grab the audience’s attention because of the layout which is very effective. I like how the car is coming gout of the flames just after the title, the audience would read the title and then seethe car so they may gather from this that the car shown will be the transporter in the film. The flames and the guns represent action and danger so this would how the audience that there will be fights, possibly explosions hence the flames but overall drama, and action packed sequences.

The way the two actors are posing on the front may mean as if they would do anything to get their shot. The title being in all caps lock is eye catching and definitely stands out from the poster.

Case Study on Transporter 2

The thriller film I have chosen to research is Transporter 2, directed by a Frenchman named Louis Leterrier and produced by Luc Besson. The production company is Europa Corp. Transporter 2 was released November 25, 2005 and was made in France. The genre of this film is action, crime and thriller. Louis Leterrier had a budget of $32 million to create this film. The gross revenue was $85,167,639. The film was located in France but made in the USA. It is preceded by Transporter and followed by Transporter 3.

The type of target audience I think this film is aimed at is an audience that enjoys action packed films with car chases and thrilling fights, which entertain them with all action sequences. Using the IMDB (internet movies database) website I found some user ratings mainly ranging between 5 to 8 out of 10 quoting “A great action movie”, “Story full of adrenaline”, “highly stylised action” all great feedback showing the movie has been a success and is highly liked.

Technology is constantly changing which enables the user to access the film easier. The audience can watch the movie on DVD or Blu Ray or can watch or download the movie online. Using new technology you could download it on to an iPod and can watch it on the move.

Camera movement/angles in the opening to Transporter 2
It opens with the camera circulating a black Audi parked in the middle of a car park, as the camera circulates it also gets closer to the car, it finally then zooms into the drivers seat so the audience is able to see the driver. The camera shot of the driver who is Frank Martin played by Jason Statham is a close up so we can see his facial expression.

The next shot is of his watch which is a close up so the audience can see what the time is but just before this shot we hear his watch alarm go off which then cuts to the shot of his watch. A girl who is also in the car park approaches the car and we see a reflection of her in the driver’s window the camera is over her shoulder so we kind of have a point of view shot almost just from a different angle. The next shot then cuts to an angle that is from within the car on the passenger hand side of the girl outside the car.

The next shot is a close up of Frank with the girl holding a gun to his head, the shot is close up so the audience are able to see his facial expression and get an idea of what he may be feeling at this time. This shot is then cut to a wide angle shot of Frank and the girl standing nearby the car and then four other guys rush into the shot and they then jump in his car. Whilst the four guys are in the car Frank and the girl are talking as they do so the camera alternates between them as they speak, the audience can then look at who is talking and can see their body posture and their expression as they talk. The shot then cuts to a wide shot of the four blokes getting out of the car, which then cuts to a medium close up showing their expressions this then gives the audience a chance to get an idea on what the characters are feeling and an idea of their emotions on the situation.

The next shot is an action shot which includes a fight, the camera moves side to side and quickly cuts to different angles of the fight. Once the fight has finished Frank gets back in the car and there is a close up shot of him which then cuts to a medium to long shot of the four blokes on the floor to show what has just happened. The final shot is the camera looking down at the sea and moving towards the coast line which is an unusual but different shot.

The opening to this thriller begins which slow beat music that builds suspense until the camera finally reaches the car this is an example of non-digetic sound. As the camera circulates around the car the title appears on the side of the car. The title is a basic font and is all in capital letters to stand out; the writing is probably in white so that it fits in with the car being black which is the prefect background colour for the title to stand out.

The car is in the middle of a car park, bright lights have been used to reflect on the car to make the light really reflect on the paint work and also to show how clean the car is, which shows the driver clearly cares for the car and keeps it clean and has self respect. Frank’s watch alarm goes off an example of digetic sound which is then shown in a close up camera shot of him turning the alarm off this notifies the audience what the time is and makes the audience think where he should be going as his alarm has just gone off. Another noise which follows after the watch going off is the buttons being clicked, and a screen moving out of the centre piece in the car this would show the audience that he is getting ready to live his present location.

The audience the can hear and see the window moving down, the directed has made use of digetic sound a lot and not so much music in the opening scene. A girl appears standing the drivers side she is wearing a low cut top ad a short skirt and appears to be a student. The clothes she is wearing gives the audience and insight to what she might be like and what her personality is so before she even speaks the audience could guess what her character type is. She has basic make up on nothing to drastic and over the top. Whilst the girl and Frank are talking we hear the faint noise of car wheels squeaking in the background and seem as if they are approaching the vicinity they are in, which then is followed by the voice echoes of several guys approaching this alerts the audience and makes them wonder who it is and what will happen next, the effect of this shot is to grab the audiences attention. These four guys jump into the car; the four doors slam quite abruptly and echo through the empty car park, this shows that they are alone and no one is around to help out if something were to go wrong.

A fight then breaks out a knife has been brought out, the camera is then focusing on the knife which is shining in the light the effect to this shot shows the audience that this scene may end in disaster and how dangerous knives are. As the fight kicks off the bloke with the knife starts swivelling it in his hands making a noise as it cuts through the air which alerts the audience again, making them focus on every movement to find out what happens the effect of this noise builds suspense to that particular shot. The camera shots during the fight cutting from each shot also builds suspense and makes the audience want to find out what will happen in the fight. All four blokes are left on the floor, and then quiet music begins then followed by the next shot leading into the next scene.

The four boys who start the fight are dressed in t-shirts, jeans and shorts, baggy clothes, easy going type people, do anything probably don’t have a job and don’t care about anything or what they do and the consequences of their actions. Where as Frank Martin is smartly dressed in an ironed suit all neat and tidy and clean the complete opposite to the four blokes, Frank has self respect he appears as if he is going to work which would explain why the alarm on his watch went off because maybe going by his alarm he will arrive to his destination on time.

The genre is utilised and the audience can see what genre the film is, just by watching the opening scene. The audience can clearly see that Transporter 2 is a thriller and an action packed film because a fight kicks off which this particular scene contains a lot of action and characters stunts. It also has a genre of crime because during the fight one of the thugs reveals a knife and he would be breaking the law which is a crime. Through these elements the audience is able to discover for themselves the different kind of genres this film relates to.

The narrative structure of this film is a mixture of sequences a few shots from various characters point of view but also the film is in present tense and never refers to any past experiences.

The four blokes getting into the car would represent lower to middle class because of their clothing and attitude, where as Frank Martin a polite person, would represent the upper class because of his clothing, attitude and personality. This film clearly distinguishes between the various classes and does so but using their personalities and the clothing each character wears in doing so the audience would be able to work out for themselves what type of person each character is.

This shot is at an angle from within the car on the passenger hand side of the girl outside the car. This shot would make the audience feel as if they were in the car as well.

This shot is an action shot which includes the fight between Frank Martin and four blokes, the camera moves side to side and quickly cuts to different angles of the fight.

This shot is of Frank Martin’s watch which is a close up so the audience can see what the time is but just before this shot we hear his watch alarm go off which then cuts to this shot. This may indicate to the audience that he may have to be somewhere on time which explains why his alarm went off.

Case Study - National Treasure: Book of secrets

2010-01-12T03:50:00.000-08:00

Poster Analysis

This poster is full of images put together to give the audience a clue of what the film may be about or where it is located in. The buildings like Big Ben and the Eifel tower give a clue that at some point in the film the characters will be in France, London and the USA. This would mean they are travelling from place to place in the world searching for clue to find the treasure.

Nicolas Cage appears to be the main character as he is the only actor in the poster. He is clutching on to a torch in his right hand and holding a dairy in his left hand. The torch looks similar to that of the Statue of Liberty so this landmark may have some reference in the film but the torch may also mean he has to go underground to find clues or look for the treasure. The diary may be the key to finding the treasure it may contain notes from the past or a code that needs clues to work out a location of the treasure.

In the background on the poster a faint image of an open diary with pages containing writing in the font of old hand writing which may indicate something in the film relates to the past. The film may be about something that has happened in the pas and even though the film is set in present tense it may relate to something that has happened in the past.

Main title is in caps lock and is in gold which goes with the word treasure usually meaning gold. And the sub title “Book of secrets” is in caps to but in white and is a sub title.

Case Study on National Treasure Book of Secrets

The thriller film I have chosen to research is National Treasure Book of Secrets and was directed by Jon Turteltaub and American film director. The production company for this film was Walt Disney Pictures. The release date in the UK was 8 February 2008. National Treasure Book of Secrets was filmed in the USA and the UK at Buckingham Palace, but was made in the USA. Jon Turteltaub had a budget of $130,000,000 and made total gross revenue of $457,363,600. It is preceded by National Treasure.

The type of target audience I think this film is aimed at is an audience that enjoys action packed films, containing adventures and mysteries that need to be solved which entertain them with comedy throughout the film. Using the IMDB (internet movies database) website I found some user ratings mainly ranging between 6 to 8 out of 10 quoting “good entertainment” and “kept the first movie in consideration and have not brought many new characters”.

Technology is constantly changing which enables the user to access the film easier. The audience can watch the movie on DVD or Blu Ray or can watch or download the movie online. Using new technology you could download it on to an iPod and can watch it on the move. This film is available on the internet, on DVD or Blu Ray.

Camera movement/angles in the opening to
National Treasure Book of Secrets
The opening to this film begins with a very dark picture so it is hard for the audience to work out the location and what is happening leaving everything a bit of a mystery to the audience which is the purpose to this shot. A title then appears “Washington D.C. April 14th 1865” so the audience are now aware where the scene in set and that they are going back into the past. Another title then appears reading “5 days after the end of the Civil War” so the audience are no aware the particular time they are taken back to.

Then next shot is a long shot of the town the purpose and effect of this shot is so that the audience can see where the location is and the characters surroundings. It then cuts to inside the building and the camera in panning down the audience can clearly see the hanging candle and this reminds us how times have changed and how technology has been created and developed over the years. A medium shot of the characters is then cut to a character known as Thomas Gates this shot is a close up, which then cuts to a close up shot of a diary with a message in. it is know clear to the audience what Thomas Gates is capable of which is cracking codes and solving the mystery. Most shots in the opening scene are quite dark so the audience are unable to make out their faces. One character then departs the room having looked at his watch which may make the audience think has he got to be somewhere.

The camera then follows the character who has left the room, the purpose and effect of this shot is so that the audience feel as if they are there to and in on the action and what will happen next. The next shot is a close up of a door handle and this mystery/unknown character opening it slowly and quietly as if making it clear to the audience he is up to something or sneaking up on someone and doesn’t want them to know he is present.

A high angle shot is next of the unknown character entering the room and him standing behind two people who are sitting down unaware he is behind them. The camera then pans up so we see the unknown character holding a gun to another characters head getting ready to shoot him. This then cuts to a close up of the gun being fired the audience then discover that is was President Lincoln that has just been shot. A quick sequence of shots happens as the unknown character makes a very quick escape, the purpose of the quick shots as he moves quickly makes the audience feel as if they are actually in that room witnessing all of what has just happened.

The camera then cuts and zooms in on the character as he speak (who has shot President Lincoln) as he makes his escape out of the room the camera shakes as he gets away so it feels like you are in the room as well and everyone is pushing their way out.

The next shot cuts to the two gentlemen left in the room, the shot is a close up of their faces showing their emotions as Thomas Gates hears the news of President Lincolns death and cracks the message in the diary just as he finds out the two gentlemen are working for the K.G.C. the camera shakes as Thomas gets up and puts the diary in the fire, the purpose of this shot is there is a bit of action going on between the two gentlemen as the agent shoots Gates. As Thomas is dying in the room left with his son by his side the camera slowly zooms out and the music fades out which goes well with him dying and fading out of the film as well.

Natural lighting has been used throughout the shots but most shots have been quite dark anyhow. Jon Turteltaub has used both digetic and non-digetic sound in the opening. Under digetic sound the noises that the audience can hear are fireworks and town people talking and screaming in the background. Glasses being served, the noise of the bottom hitting the counter or glasses clash against one another. As the unknown character makes his may to the room where President Lincoln is situated his metal heel slams against the wooden floor this grabs the audience’s attention and may give them a clue that he is bad and up to no good. Also the sound of horse’s hooves this is when the unknown character makes his escape and rides off on the horse the sound of the hooves echo through the town.

The gun shot is very loud and would most certainly grab the audience’s attention that one single bang going off. As he slides down the curtain we can hear the curtain being ripped quickly as he needs to make an escape. Non-digetic sound – throughout most shots there is background music. It is quiet and builds suspense and tension and gradually increases in volume until the point where something will happen; where the action begins. The audience only know it is set in Washington because of the sub-title shown at the beginning of the opening scene but if they weren’t it would remain a mystery until all would be revealed.

Character types
Thomas Gates comes across to the audience as a friendly and approachable person as we find from when the two agents ask him to crack the secret message. He appears to do what he is told and doesn’t ask any questions. He is wearing dirty clothes which represents he is poor and does what he can to survive and probably fits in with the lower class.

The two gentlemen working for the K.G.C. wear jackets, the boss out of the two (one who shot President Lincoln) is wearing dark clothing which may give a hint to the audience he is the bad guy and can be dangerous. As he looks at the time we see the watch is gold plated which indicates he is rich or definitely has the money to buy a watch like he owns this could indicate he is in the middle class. At first they both appear normal just asking Thomas Gates to help them figure the message out in the diary but once the president has been shot the audience can clearly see they are bad people and are only there to cause trouble and hassle.

From watching the opening the audience can see what type of genres the film is. The diary and the coded message points out a mystery – what could this lead to – an adventure. When Lincoln is shot this shows action and a thriller. Just from a few shots we see what type of genre the film is.

The narrative structure refers to the past which may indicate this plays a key point in the rest of the film. Also going back to the past can help the audience understand the plot more and this scene back in the past will most likely be referred to later on in the film. These points definitely strengthen the film and make the plot more understandable for the audience.

A message that the film may be communicating towards the audience could be “never under estimate anyone” I suggest this because Thomas Gates never thought her would be shot, he just took the diary cracked the code and thought the two gentlemen who approached him were normal and didn’t think that they were indeed up to no good. Another message that could be communicated through the film is “don’t do something for nothing if you don’t know them” I suggest this message because Thomas Gates just took the diary and revealed the message and did it for those two people who he had never met before and hadn’t got a clue who they were and where they were from.

This is the first shot in the opening the main title is in caps lock and is in gold which goes with the word treasure usually meaning gold. And the sub title “Book of secrets” is in old hand writing which may indicate a book that is very old from decades ago. The picture is dark and you and the audience would only be able to make out the body outlines and it is not revealed who they are and where they are until the sub titles appear what year and date it is and their location.

Case Study - Italian Job 2

2010-01-12T03:46:00.000-08:00

Poster Analysis

The quote “Get in, Get out, Get even” suggests their will be quite a bit of action as probably the group of characters on the poster will be involved in some plan. They will have to get in, get even suggests they may want something back that has been stolen from them and then get out. All characters appear as if they are posing and don’t look to happy, they look as if they want to get a person back for something that has happened.

The two yellow lines down the middle may mean the two sides come together as one to get that someone back or they come from completely different backgrounds and work together on this one. The title is all in caps lock but the word “JOB” is in yellow which really stands out from the black background and is eye-catching. It appears that the two main characters are the two at the front on the poster. They are all wearing casual clothes so this must mean its nothing business related it is something they may well be doing or planning for in their own time.

Case Study on Italian Job 2003

The thriller film I have chosen to research is Italian Job 2003 this film follows on from the Italian Job original. The director of this film is F. Gary Gray an American director. The production company is Paramount Pictures. The release date for this film in the UK was 19 September 2003. The film was made and filmed in Los Angeles and California in the USA. The gross revenue was $176,070,171. The genre of this film is action, crime and thriller. It is preceded by Italian Job original.

The type of target audience I think this film is aimed at is an audience that enjoys action packed films with car chases and thrilling fights, which entertain them. An audience that enjoys all action sequences. Using the IMDB (internet movies database) website I found some user ratings mainly ranging between 6 to 9 out of 10 quoting “non – stop action film” and “special effects are stunning”.

Technology is constantly changing all the time which enables the user to access and watch the film easier when ever they desire. The audience can watch the movie on DVD or Blu Ray or can watch or download the movie online. Using new technology you could download it on to an iPod and can watch it on the move.

Camera movement/angles in the opening of Italian Job 2003
The opening begins with credits and various shots of maps and a location. The first shot we see is a close up of a sparkling necklace the purpose of having this shot may suggest to the audience that the buyer is rich and has plenty of money to spend. It then cuts to a medium close up of the phone the purpose of this is to show that someone is trying to contact Stella (the women in bed.) the effect of this shot is to show the audience that maybe the person who is buying the necklace is contacting Stella.

We then see a medium shot of Stella in bed having answered the phone and we find that it’s her dad on the end of the line, so the audience can gather from the dialogue that the necklace he has just bought is for his daughter Stella. The effect of this camera angle is the audience will be able to see her reaction to their conversation. The next shot (medium shot) cuts to John (Stella’s Dad), throughout the conversation as each character talk the camera alternates and cuts to each character the purpose and effect of this is so that the audience can see who is talking and can see their body language and their reaction to what is said throughout the conversation. As John then reveals he is in Venice the long shot fits in with the dialogue as the audience will then see his surroundings.

A new character is then unveiled the camera begins at the floor then pans up revealing who this new character is, it then zooms in so it ends up being a medium shot of his face this new character known as Charlie. The effect of this shot is it builds suspense as the camera pans up because it is unknown to the audience who this other character is and they would want to know who he is. It then cuts to a close up of Charlie’s face which is an over the shoulder shot from John’s side. As John and Charlie talk the camera alternates so when one of them is talking the shot is from over the shoulder of the opposite character.

The last shot in the opening is a long shot of both John and Charlie walking the purpose off this shot is so that the audience can see their location.

Throughout these shots only natural lighting has been used. Digetic sound has been used in the film when John is walking through the square whist on the phone to Stella there are conversations in the background from the public and also the sound of pidgeon’s wigs flapping as they fly away. There is also non-digetic sound most of the opening has quiet music in the background.

The soundtrack – while the credits at the beginning are being played there is quiet music in the background, the music seems as if a mystery is about to be unfold, it builds tension as the audience would want to find out what will happen in the film. The music makes what ever will happen is a secret. The music that is playing in the background when John and Stella are talking fits in well with the dialogue ad example when Stella finds out John is in Venice and isn’t in the USA the music rises up a note as she jumps out of bed over the news.

The music is constantly playing throughout the dialogue but fades out at the end. There is a new type of music being played when Charlie is then revealed in the opening. This type of music is more upbeat and as if the plan of what ever they are now about to do is now going to be revealed to the audience. The audience found out the location (Venice) through the dialogue.

Character Types
John Bridger comes across at first as a bit smug because he has just bought a necklace which looks very expensive as it was neatly being wrapped in a special case. He is wearing informal/casual clothes which appears at first if he is on holiday appearing as a tourist. Through the dialogue the audience discover that he is the kind of person that doesn’t play by the rules and he is his own person and does what he wants, where and when. An example of this he didn’t notify his parole officer he was leaving the USA hence not abiding by the rules and doing what he wants which probably means he has past criminal activity.

Stella Bridger, the audience can see she is a cautious person from when she responds (from her having found out she has got a necklace being sent to her) “does it have a receipt” and also when she finds out her dad is in Venice she suddenly jumps and said “your parole officer approves of course?” the audience cant really tell her true personality from just this piece of dialogue but they can gather a little information from the conversation on the phone.

Towards the end of the opening Charlie appears; he is more formally dressed; business type dress he is wearing black trousers, blue shirt and a black leather jacket. He appears at first laidback and calm but he doesn’t reveal too much about himself, so the audience will have to see his true personality come out in the rest of the film, so for the time being his personality remains a mystery towards the audience.

The audience can discover what type of genre(s) the film may be. They could gather it may be about crime because it has been revealed John should have notified his parole officer he is currently in Venice therefore probably meaning he has past criminal activity. Throughout the opening the music and dialogue builds suspense and tension which may give a clue that there will be action to be revealed later on.

The narrative structure strengthens the appeal of the film. It does this by having point of view shots and over the shoulder shots which seems to let the audience get more involved and understand the plot of the film easier.

The characters in this case represent the different social classes. Both Charlie and John represent the upper class because John has the money to spend on what appears to be an expensive necklace for his daughter and Charlie is more formally dressed and looks smart. I think a message that appears through the film is you only have one shot at life and shouldn’t waste time John proves this point by doing his shopping before what ever is to happen next and also through his dialogue and attitude towards life.

As John and Charlie talk the camera alternates so when one of them is talking the shot is from over the shoulder of the opposite character. So the audience almost have a point of view shot from each character.

Case Study - Fast and Furious 4

2010-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Poster Analysis

This poster is simple and has a good layout. There are the four main characters and then the car. The four people in the background appear to be the main characters the two men and the two women. They appear and pose as if they are going to be working as a team. The two men are quite serious looking and the two women look not so serious. In the foreground of the poster is the car, possibly the one that is in the film. The car is shiny light has been shone on the body work to make the light reflect, the effect of this is it makes the car stand out and shine. It makes it look expensive and a very fast car.

Case Study on Fast and Furious
(Also known as Fast and Furious 4)

I have chosen to research the thriller film Fast and Furious directed by Justin Lin a Taiwanese American film director and written by Chris Morgan an American screen writer. The production company was Universal Pictures. The release date for this film in the UK was 10 April 2009. Fast and furious was made in the USA. Justin Lin had a budget of $85million. The box office returns made a total of $359,264,265. This is preceded by The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

The type of target audience I think this film is aimed at is an audience that enjoys action packed films, containing crime and drama, exhilarating car chases and fights, adrenaline pumping action. Using the IMDB (internet movies database) website I found some user ratings mainly ranging between six to ten out of ten and quoting “the best of the series by a mile”, “better than the first movie”, “best one yet”. Very positive feedback overall.

Technology is constantly changing which enables the user to access the film easier. The audience can watch the movie on DVD or Blu Ray or can watch or download the movie online. Using new technology you could download it on to an iPod and can watch it on the move. Fast and Furious is available on the internet, on DVD or Blu Ray.

Camera movement/angles in the opening to Fast and Furious
The opening begins with a blur picture, the shot then becomes in focus the purpose of beginning with a blur picture is to make the audience think where it is set and what is going to happen. A truck then appears and the camera is moving as if it was on the vehicle in front and the truck is travelling closer to the camera, the audience would get the feel as if they were in the vehicle in front of the truck looking back. The truck then moves past the camera, the camera pans left as it drives by as if you were being overtaken by the truck. It then cuts to a close up shot of Vin Diesel playing Dom Toretto, which then cuts to a women climbing out of the car.

All these shots are from outside of the car the purpose and effect of this is to make the audience feel as if they were driving beside them and are in on the action and are part of the plan. The camera then zooms in from a high angle shot of all the cars, the purpose is so that we can see all angles of what is going on. The next shot is cut so we now see two new characters that are in another car the shot is a medium close up so the audience are able to see their faces clearly. The next two characters are shown in a medium close up as well.

The characters communicate using a radio control/walkie talkie as each characters talks the camera alternates so that the audience can see who is talking the purpose is so the audience can see who is talking and can learn more about their personality from the dialogue. As the women jumps from the car to the truck there are quick shots of her and Dom driving the car beside her. As they are driving down the road the camera pans along to the truck driver side to get the feel as if we were in the vehicle beside the truck. It then cuts to a point of view shot from the cab when Dom pulls in front of the truck driver. The audience then see a low angle shot in the cab from the camilian’s point of view which is sitting on the cab passenger seat.

The previous shot then cuts to a long shot of all the vehicles which then zooms in. The next shot cuts to the two characters, which then cuts to a sequence of quick shots showing the pedal, gear stick and speed dial, the purpose of showing these shots is so the audience know that something is now about happen and know that the car is most likely to speed up and get involved in the chase of the truck.

As the car pulls the stunt of a 180 degree turn and reverses to the truck we see a close up of the bar slamming down connecting to the containers on the truck. This close up notifies and shows the audience that they are stealing the containers on the truck. The next shot leads on from this shot of a close up of the truck driver’s face this is so the audience can see his emotions and can tell how he feels about the situation. As the action builds up the shots don’t last long and cut from one shot to another in seconds this helps build suspense and the audience know something will happen.

A high angle shot is then shown from above the truck which then zooms in to the end of the road showing the sharp right hand turn at the very end, the purpose of this shot is so that the audience know there is danger ahead, it may end in disaster and also time is running out for the crew to get what they want. Throughout the opening there are no still shots the camera is either panning or changing quickly from one shot to another as the pace of the action gets quicker.

Towards the end of the scene once the women has got into back into the car having had to jump off the truck and also the driver of the truck had jumped out we then see Dom pull a 180 degree turn then stop, the camera is then behind the car showing one of the containers off the truck coming towards them. It then cuts to a close up of Dom cutting to the wheels spinning abruptly then the car sets off fast and then as it gets closer to the container and is about to go under it the camera is at the side of the road and the audience see in a slow motion medium shot the car drive straight under the container and live to tell the tale.

The camera then pans down as the container goes down the cliff edge. The opening then ends with the camera going closer to the smoke created from the explosion of the container and then fades out in the black smoke and the scene ends.

Justin Lin mad made use of digetic sound more than non – digetic sound. The digetic sound that was used in the opening was from, car wheels screeching showing that the car is building speed up or pulling stunts, the camilian makes a noise whilst sitting in the cab of the truck. The horn of the lorry showing the truck driver is annoyed with what is going on and signals this through the horn notifying the other drivers.

As the crew are stealing the containers we hear the hook slam down abruptly which really grabs the audience’s attention and makes them aware what the crew are doing. As the woman is spraying ice to break the lock to free the containers we hear it being sprayed. The truck driver fires several rounds from a gun which is loud, and makes it clear he is not happy with the situation and what Dom’s crew are up to.

As the car changes gears we clearly hear this showing they are in a hurry and want to get it over with. The last noise is the loud explosion of the truck as it falls down the cliff edge. The soundtrack (non-digetic) the music in the background can be heard through most of the opening and is being played. The music is upbeat and builds suspense and gets louder and gets faster as they get closer to the action or the something big that will happen.

In the opening there are a couple of CGI’s (Computer Generated images) or special effects included. One being the lorry going over Dom’s car with the fake flames this was a computer generated image as this shot/stunt would have been to dangerous to properly do so for health and safety reasons this shot was a special effect. The other special effect is when the lorry takes the fall down the cliff edge exploding all the way down. Again this shot would have been dangerous to film because of health and safety and taking into consideration the environment it is easier just to do a special effect because also with these types of shots if you were to actually see them through and film them you would only have one shot at filming.

Character types
All of Dom’s crew are dressed in informal/casual clothes and they are geared up with all their equipment needed, they are well organised and planned and ready to get the job done. They are all confident and are aware of the dangers involved in the job they pull at the beginning. They speak in both English and Spanish. Dom is in control of the crew. They do it for the money and make the plan as they go along according to the situation they go with the flow and just stick to a basic plan and not a detailed plan. All these characters in the opening would most likely to fit in the middle class because of the casual cloths and what appears to be their occupation.

The audience can tell from the opening what type of genre the film is.
Thriller/action can be seen from the car chase and the stunts pulled whilst trying to get a hold of the containers. Crime can be seen from Dom’s crew stealing the containers from the truck.

Narrative structure strengthens the film by having the point of view shots from more than one character; the audience are able to see it from each person/side. Certain camera shots make the audience feels as if they are involved and are in and driving a vehicle beside the action that is happening making them feel part of the team and joining in.

The message that the film appears to communicate with the audience is “people will do anything for money” I suggest this because Dom’s crew are stealing the containers to get money for them most likely to pay for their rides/cars. Another message that may be communicated is “women and men are both the same and both genders are capable of getting the job done” I suggest this because the women jumps off the car and goes onto the lorry do the main job of separating the containers from the truck.

Hear we can see she needs to get off the lorry as soon as possible because it is getting near the end of the road. It is a medium shot so the audience are able to see both her on the lorry and where she has to jump to which is Dom’s car.

Hear we can see her having jumped off the lorry and is now on the bonnet of the car and now has to jump into the car. It is a medium shot so we can see both characters in the shot as they are both involved.

Media Lesson Monday 11th January

2010-01-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

In our double media lesson today we begun our filming to our opening to a thriller film. Having researched and recorded possible locations we chose to film in Reepham. We filmed the scene in the graveyard and also the death of the first character. We all took it in turns to film using the equipment which included the tripod.

Media Lesson 14th December

2009-12-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

14th December

In our Media lesson:

We took photos of our characters and also ran and acted out the script (practice run)
We then also looked at possible soundtracks, and chose several and now need to evaluate them and come to a final decision on what our final soundtrack will be.

Planning opening to a thriller feature film

2009-12-13T06:22:00.000-08:00

The points i have researched and undertaken to plan for our opening to a thriller film are:
- A brief synopsis of the plot

The main parts of the opening have been listed.
- Planning Edit
This includes the plot outline with transition effects that could be used between each shot during editing. Various transitions and effects have been listed that we could possibly use.
- Soundtrack
I have chosen a few sound tracks that would be appropriate to the various scenes in our opening.
- Equipment list
I have listed the pieces of equipment we will be using during filming and the type of brand each piece is

Brief Synopsis of the plot

Jodie sitting on a benchJodie drinking a bottle of VodkaRyan turning upThem kissingJodie slaps/scratches himEvil side shown Jodie sitting in graveyardJodie runs from RyanGoes down alleyway,Ryan is waiting for herArgues, pushes him he bumps his head and diesNext day Jodie walks into school Chantelle they talkJodie traps them both in toiletsKills ChantelleLights flashing loud shoutingBlood over her handsEvil side looks in mirror and smiles good side stares.

Planning Edit

Jodie sitting on a bench
1 - Cut to
Jodie drinking a bottle of Vodka
2 - Camera swivels around to
Ryan turning up
3 - Cut to
Them kissing
4 - Zoom out to
Jodie slaps/scratches him
5 - Cut to
Evil side shown Jodie sitting in graveyard
6 - Camera pans to
Jodie runs from Ryan
7 - Cut to
Goes down alleyway, 8 - Zooms in to Ryan is waiting for her
9 - Cut to
Argues, pushes him he bumps his head and dies
10 - Fade in from black
Next day Jodie walks into school Chantelle they talk
11 - Cut to
Jodie traps them both in toilets
12 - Cut to
Kills Chantelle
13 - Fades out to (black)
Lights flashing loud shouting
14 - Cut to
Blood over her hands
15 - Camera pans up to
Evil side looks in mirror and smiles good side stares

The reason why i chose each of the transitions.

Transition 1: i chose to cut to Jodie drinking the bottle of the vodka becuase we could have a long shot of her sitting on the bench and then perhaps cut to a close up of her drinking the bottle of vodka so this would be the most effective transition.

Transition 2: The camera would swivel/turn around/pan from Jodie to Ryan turning up. I think this would be an effective transition because the whole shot flows into one instead of having two shots one being of Jodie which then would cut to Ryan turning up.

Transition 3: The next shot would be cut to Jodie and Ryan kissing as the previous shot could be a long shot and with this shot being them kissing a close up shot would be preferred so the best transition would be to cut to this shot.

Transition 4: The next shot would then zoom out to a long shot of Jodie slapping Ryan then the camera will be able to pan as Jodie runs away which will be the most effective shot.
Transition 5: The next shot will be cut to the evil side of Jodie shown this would be an appropriate transition becuase it is the evil side being shown.
Transition 6: the camera then pans as Jodie runs away, this would be appropriate because the audience could feel as if they were really there and watching.

Transition 7: the next shot is cut to the scene in the alleyway this is the most appropriate transition as its a new location to the opening.
Transition 8: Ryan is waiting for Jodie to turn up down the alleyway so the camera zoom into his face which will be a close up shot of him, this is so that the audience can see the expression on his face and can try and understand how he feels about the situation.

Transition 9: the next shot is cut to the argument and Ryan being killed. The reason i chose to cut is becuase you have a close up of Ryan's face but then you would need a long shot of Ryan and Jodie argueing and resulting in Ryan's death and then fades out to black as he dies, becuase as he is dying he is leaving the opening so this would be an appropriate transition to use.

Transition 10: The next shot is then faded in from black as Ryan has just died. The following shot is Jodie walking into school the next day so the fade in from black is appropriate it as it is a new day.

Transition 11: From the previous shot this next clip is cut to of Jodie trapping Chantelle in the toilets. As both characters are in a different place in school it seemed appropriate to cut to this shot instead of using other transitions.
Transition 12: the next shot to is cut to Chantelle's death. I chose this transition again because we could cut qucikly from shot to shot building suspense and tension to the moment where Jodie kills Chantelle.

Transition 13: As Jodie is killing Chantelle the shot could fade out to black which fits in with her dying.

Transition 14: The next shot is then cut to Jodie with the blood over her hands. We could also fade in from the black again but i think cutting to this shot would be more effective.

Transition 15: From the blood on Jodie's hands the camera then pans up to see her evil side reflection in the mirror.

List of video transitions
Cut - one shot is then cut to another, quick change over.
Dissolve - one shot would dissolve into another adding effect to the scene and shot.
Shapes expand from centre of screen - one shot can expand over the old shot from the centre.
Fade in/out - this is quite effective becuase when it fades in or out the audience have got to wait to see what will happen in the next shot to follow.
Pixelate - one shot pixelates into a new shot, making the shot distorted from one to the other.
Wipe - one shot moves off the screen e.g. left to right and the new shot follows onto the screen.
Camera pans - As a character is moving in a shot the camera can pan and follow that character, it is effective becuase the audience coud feel as if they are actually there looking and watching.

List of Effects
Zoom in - this allows the audience to see more detail for an example a characters face, the audience could see the characters facila expression and can understand the emotions they are feeling.

Zoom out - zooming out, the audience can see more of the location in that scene getting an idea of where a location is and what is going on.
Gray Scale - gray scale is usually used to go back in the past to represent the past (many years ago)
Film grain/age - gives the scene more age, showing the audience perhaps the scene is from the past etc.
Hue - change the colour, hue and contrast of a shot making it abnormal.

Soundtrack

Song evaluation
Thriller film

These songs are not copyrighted.
They all came from www.freeplaymusic.com

Song: A bad feel
- Upbeat soundtrack
- Sounds as if someone is in a rush (perhaps running away from something/someone
- This may fit in with our thriller opening but seems a bit too upbeat and we don’t really have a proper chase just one of our characters running away from another character but that scene I don’t think would really go well with this music.

Song: After Sundown
- Begins quietly
- Builds tension
- Music comes across a bit mysterious
- Perhaps someone or something is watching something or someone else.
- I don’t think this would fit in with our opening as it appears to sound like a mystery piece of music and we don’t have anything along those lines in our opening

Song: Dark times
- Mysterious music
- Loud
- Builds tension
- This music may go with the scene in the toilets after the death has happened
- This music may even go with the scene down the alley way building up to the point of the death.

Equipment List

Item of equipment and Brand
Camera Sony-----HDV
Tripod---------------Manfrotto
Microphone--------Rode
Dolly------------------Manfrotto

Films: Vacancy and The departed

2009-11-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

Film: Vacancy – thriller
Sub-genre – horror
The film vacancy is directed by Nimród Antal who had a budget of $19,000,000 to create this film. It includes the actors Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale and Frank Whaley. The plot of the film is a young married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel and finds hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film.

The titles at the beginning are all in red this may represent danger as they are dark colours, the titles also stretch in size which makes the audience think of dripping blood, this is an effective way and may give a clue to the audience that there may be blood, gore and deaths. The title has an urban effect to it which looks a bit like graffiti. The background music is intense and increases in speed which builds suspense within the audience living them to wonder what the opening to the film will be. The opening scene to the film we know that this is set in California because we see a licence plate reading California on it.

There is faint background music whilst we see the car driving on the road. A typical road scene that is used what has been included in this film is a car driving along, dodges an animal, nearly causing a fatal road accident, which makes the audience think what might happen next. Whilst driving there are dark surroundings with night time noises e.g. an owl this effect helps build suspense to the moment. There us just a car in the middle of a road in the middle of know where which gives the impression something bad is going to follow later on.

The two people in the car cannot pick up any radio stations, which implies they are isolated from society and are very much alone. When we first see the characters their faces are partly hidden so the audience can’t see their whole face and when the couple starts talking to each other, the audience can clearly see there is tension between the two of them; much deeper than the average couple. The male jokes about a bit and both call each other a rude name, which proves the point they both have several issues maybe because of something that has happened in the past. Wide angled shots are used on the couple which shows the separation between them one person on one side of the car and the same but for the other person.

There are no shots/frames where we can see the couple in the car looking at each other; they are constantly looking else where. Throughout the opening of Vacancy there is a reoccurring image of the male in the car who keeps rubbing his eyes which implies tiredness, which makes the audience wonder whether there will be an accident due to this.

Film: The Departed – thriller
Sub-genre – Gangster

The film The Departed is directed by Martin Scorsese had a budget of $90 million to create this film. It includes the actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, Ray Winstone, Anthony Anderson and Alec Baldwin. The plot of the film is two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy's identities.

The opening to this film begins with violence a fight has broken out so straight into the film there is action which may startle the audience because they might have not been expecting violence for the opening scene. The character that appears to have a bad personality is seen in dark scenes and you can’t really see his face which disguises what he looks like and is hiding the film uses the surrounding shadows to cover his face.

The music in the background is faint to begin with then becomes louder which builds suspense for the audience leaving them thinking what might happen next. The young lad we first see sitting in a public place has an innocent face and looks quite emotional which makes the audience feel sorry for this young lad. The setting to this film is in Boston which includes fighting as we saw from the opening and from what we have seen this makes us believe there may be corruption between the characters in The Departed.

Cutting it

2009-11-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

Cutting it created by Debbie Horsfield, it a TV drama featuring twenty five episodes starring Sarah Parish, Jason Merrells, Angela Griffin, Sian Reeves, Ben Daniels and Amanda Holden. It is about the traumatic life of a hairdresser named Allie Henshall, alongside her lovers, her rivals and her dysfunctional family. It has four series unravelling the story of the hairdresser; Allie Henshall, but tragically at the end of series four there is disaster when Allie goes into hospital and receives new that she is beating her ovarian cancer but then walks out to tell Gavin the good news but she is struck down by a car, we don’t see this happen because in the scene it happens behind a bus, but the audience see’s Allie’s final moments in the arms of Gavin.

Cast
Sarah Parish, Allie Henshall
Jason Merrells, Gavin Ferraday
Amanda Holden, Mia Bevan
Christine Stephen-Daly, Melissa Devereux
Angela Griffin, Darcey Henshall
Sian Reeves, Sydney Henshall
Ben Daniels, Finn Bevan
Lucy Gaskell, Ruby Ferris
Annette Badland, Brawdie Henshall
Bill Thomas, Tom Henshall
Pearce Quigley, Eugene Eubank
Cherie Lunghi, Zinnia Raggitt
James Midgley, Shane Ince

Series one is about the introduction of Allie and Gavin, who are partners in love and business. Together they own a hair salon where Allie’s sisters work with them.
Series two is about the return of Allie, where she finds out she is not welcomed back at the salon having spent a month in Naples with Finn. Finn tells Allie at her dad’s 60th birthday party he wants to have another baby together. Allie then becomes Blade Runner’s (new salon) new owner so Gavin can not take over. Then later on both salons are burnt to the ground.
Series three is about Allie secretly ties the knot with Finn and is now running a new salon; Mia hasn’t been sited since the fire broke out in both salons. Gavin has left for Manchester having been paid by Finn to do so and now lives in the countryside in a converted barn.
Series four is about a fresh start between Allie and Gavin, they are back together and Brawdie and Tom are renewing their wedding vows together. Allie’s new salon is thriving and thinks of expanding by opening a hairdressing academy. Later it is revealed that Allie has ovarian cancer when she thought she was pregnant, Gavin finds out about Allie’s cancer. Both go to the hospital where Gavin is told to wait outside for Allie to return hoping she is given the all clear from fighting the cancer. As Allie comes out and is about to cross the road she is struck down by a oncoming vehicle and is left laying on the path Gavin urgently rushes to her and she spends her final moments with Gavin.

Production Tips

2009-10-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

Diegesis:
Digetic material is a natural sound e.g. thunder. Digetic material is used so that the characters are aware of it. Non-Digetic material is added for the audience e.g. sound track music. Some types of sound are both digetic and non-digetic material e.g. a characters thoughts in a voice-over are digetic in that the character is aware of them, but non-digetic in the sense that other characters are not.

Micro and Macro origination:
To shoot appropriate material for a film you need to use the micro – macro strategy. If the fiction film follows the conventions of a particular genre, they should use the micro elements – types of camera work, music, style of titles, dialogue, setting and place – will ad up to a macro theme and set of representations. You need to spend time storyboarding and development of ideas before beginning the main task.

Camera work and framing
You should mostly use a tripod for a steady shot unless a hand held effect is required for a certain scene. Most shots are filmed with the camera not moving, unless movement of the camera is an effective exception to the norm. You should rarely use the zoom in and out on a camera and mostly use mid to long shots using close – ups shots sparingly. “Rule of thirds” principle is a useful effect for framing a particular shot. Combining various shots and different distances is essential to the “language of the film”, e.g. long shots to mid shots then finally to close – up shots. This enables the audience to establish the action etc. You need to consider using high and low angled shots depending on the characters power and authority, a high angle shot reducing the characters power and authority and a low angle shot increases it.

Mise En Scene
Mise en scene is all about the atmosphere and continuity of a film. Mise en scene is the most difficult element in the production of a film, but if this element is just right there is a far greater reward. It is essentially about the detail and you need to be careful choosing costumes, lighting, locations and props etc. this also needs to be maintained in each shot unless a change of location etc.

Lighting
Five tips to overcome the problem of not having the standard professional lighting equipment.
1. Use natural light – sunlight, use shadows, in mist, through rain – depends on the effect that is required
2. Use cheap and cheerful artificial light – make use of candles, firelight, torches, car lights, neon signs and street lighting. Keeping in mind health and safety.
3. Create colour filters – can easily shine light through coloured liquids and vases etc.
4. Position the light source for effect – lighting a scene from above, below or in an obscured way will create various types of atmospheres.
5. Ultimately lighting a scene is a scientific process.

Combining sound, image and title
Careful decisions need to be made on titles that will be added to the film. The title needs to have an appropriate font, colour and size. Using trial and error you should end up with pleasing timing if titles for the audience. The title should be in a correct and appropriate place on the screen; it could be on black between shots or over action and then decide how long the title stays on the screen. A question that should be asked, “does the title contribute to the film?” whether it helps the audience’s understanding of the narrative. Music could be added to add ambience to the start of a film.

The grammar of non-linear editing
You need to choose the correct transitions between each shot. Avoid exciting transitions stick to simple and straight forward. Your job is to make the editing invisible to the audience’s eye and so that the viewer believes in the reality of the fiction that is unfolding. Editing is all about the manipulation of time and space. You will manipulate space by editing between two simultaneous pieces of action and manipulate time by editing between two shots to move the narrative forward.

Somers Town After Viewing

2009-10-27T03:27:00.000-07:00

Genre

4) I would say Somers town has a genre of a comedy and also drama. Comedy because at times the film is funny and also there is some drama in it to like when Tomo fist arrives in London and has to run away from a group of boys who will beat him up. This film in particular doesn’t seem to remind me of any other films I have watched before.

5) The film’s appeal to the audience is the comedy and drama of the film shot in black and white making it different to other films.

6) When the film is subtitled during the conversations in Polish between Marek and his father; and there are also some sections in French, these factors affect the audience by them having to read the subtitles which means they will miss the expressions the characters are acting out. The audience can understand what the characters are talking about keeping the audience in the loop.

7) Similarities between Somers Town and This is England
- Both have Thomas Turgoose as a character in the film
- Both have a genre of drama
- Two characters in both films meet somehow and become best friends

Representation

8) The audience would be uncomfortable when both Tomo and Marek are vulnerable and intoxicated because this means trouble for the two characters which is when the audience may become uncomfortable.

9) Marek travels around his home environment taking photographs and Tomo follows him.

10) A message the audience could take away from the film about childhood and adolescence is you will always need your family around you because Tomo left his family for London and even though he met Marek he got into trouble which didn’t do him any favours.

11) Throughout the film my reactions towards the two boys did change at different points in the film.
a) When Tomo gets beat up for no particular reason by a group of boys
b) When the boys fight over who likes Maria the most.

Lecture given on Somers Town

2009-10-17T03:16:00.000-07:00

The notes below are from the lecture given about Somers Town

Somers Town is similar to films from 1960’s films with similar genres. It was the first film to be filmed in London whilst the Euro star train tunnel was being built. It is about outsiders, social realism and showing the identity and class of the characters in the film. Shane Meadows the director is a working class director, showing his identity through the film. Somers Town is about two boys, one from the Midlands who had travelled to London because there is no one there for him back in the Midlands, this character is known as Tomo, The second boy (Marek) has travelled from Poland with his dad because his dad his helping in the construction of the Euro star tunnel. Tomo has lost his identity, and Marek is a photographer, because whilst his dad is at work he travels around his local area in London taking many photos. The genre of this film is comedy, the theme is of the Euro star signified by Maria the sophisticated French women who works in the café but then moves back to France.

Before viewing Somers town

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1) A modern director may choose to produce a film in black and white rather than colour because he may want to take to audience back many years ago to show them what in might have been like back then.

2)
Clerks

Director:
Kevin Smith

Release Date:
5 May 1995

Genre: Comedy

Plot:
A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.

The man who wasn’t there

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Release date 2001

Genre:
Crime Drama

Plot:
A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.

Raging Bull

Director:
Martin Scorsese

Genre:
Biography, Drama, Sport

Plot:
An emotionally self-destructive boxer's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring, destroys his life outside it.

3)
a) Traffic because London is a busy place, also a lot of people shouting in the streets.
b) The character may be old fashioned.

Once upon a time in the west

2009-10-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Digetic sound is sound that is natural to a film e.g. a door slamming
Non-Digetic sound is sound that has been added to a film e.g. music

The film “Once upon a time in the west” fits into the thriller sub genre which is Western. A thriller sub-genre means, a thriller genre can include many sub-genres like western.

The opening to this film “Once upon a time in the west” begins with an old wooden door slowing being opened whilst creaking, then the station master an old man writes on a chalk board in doing so creating a horrible chalk sound while scratching it down the board. A cowboy then walks through the creaking door. The background noise is a bird. The camera starts filming from the cowboys feet to his head, this kind of shot implies he is powerful and is prepared and ready to fight. The old station is then surrounded by a few more cowboys, which stand still and very quietly whilst the only noise is the bird chirping in the background. The first person to talk in this opening is the ticket master at the station, we see he is scared off the cowboys because he was going to charge them for a ticket but then backs down and gives them one.

Throughout this opening the cowboys do not talk but the audience can guess what their personality is and the role in the film by their actions and the way they are dressed. The three cowboys take over the station and lock the ticket master away in a cupboard clearly to keep him quiet and out of the way. There are a few wide shots to show the desolate landscape, to show they are in the middle of now where, it’s just them and no one else and no help available if needed. Throughout the opening there is a constant background noise; whether it is a bird or a fly etc. The cowboys wait for the train patiently, one clicking the bones in their hand, the other amused with a fly, and the last cowboy fills his hat with water that he drinks in the end tat has fallen from a leak in the ceiling above. Finally towards the end of the opening we hear the train on its way to the station, the cowboys get ready and line up spaced out hands on the guns as if they are ready for a fight which may begin, but the only thing that happens is a wooden box is thrown out of one of the carriages onto the floor., this is now the end of the scene.

Iconography in the film
The guns that are shown show that the cowboys are powerful, string and can are dangerous. The bullets around their waists showed that they are well prepared for a fight if one breaks out; the long coats also imply they are strong and are in control. Their hats hide the characters/cowboys face. The ticket masters clothes and hat, show he is only the worker who is small and weak, who abides by the rules or what he is told to do.

No country for old men

2009-10-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

In what ways does the opening to “No country for Old men” conform to the conventions of a thriller film?

We discover that by seeing the opening to “No country for old men” that this film is a creepy thriller film. It shows the location where the film is set by using a wide angle shot to show the desolate landscape, and how dry and baron it really is, this means the characters are isolated from a society/community.

The opening of this film begins with silence to build up suspense leaving the audience wondering what will happen next. The first two characters we see are the police men and what seems to be a normal guy driving a car who has been stopped by a police officer. The police officer takes the guy in with a tank of oxygen the guy had with him, the oxygen tank might have been show because it may be used later on in the film. Whilst the officer is on the phone the guy who has been cuffed sneaks up behind him and using the hand cuffs he strangles him, they both drop to the floor and finally the officer dies after his neck had been cut by the cuffs, this scene is about how the officer was caught unawares a convention with a thriller film. The psycho then releases himself and taking his oxygen tank with him he takes the officers car and becomes a cop pulling a member of public in. The psycho then gets out with the oxygen tank and walks to the car he has just pulled in which is highly deceptive because the member of the public believes he is an officer of the law, but then the psycho kills him by putting a tube to his head which is connected to the tank which blasts pressurized air through his head, making him drop to the ground.

This person, like the officer was caught unawares and then has been killed a few moments later. The next scene is a hunter, hunting antelope, there is a wide angled shot again showing the desolate location again. Between this scene and the one before they both have a theme of hunting, using weapons to kill, and catching people and animals unaware, they don’t know what will happen next. In this scene the hunter shoots one of the antelope but it doesn’t kill it straight away, he follows it. There is a wide shot of the hunter walking towards the camera with a background with hills and the sky is grey which means that something he may come upon is going to be possibly shocking, through the weather this builds to the scene which reveals what exactly the hunter has found. Using the weather to build suspense is another convention of what a thriller film could include.

Thriller research

2009-10-12T09:49:00.001-07:00

A thriller film can contain many things; it is a genre of literature, film and television. They contain fast pacing, with frequent action and hero’s and powerful people. A thriller always builds suspense using various elements in doing so. Five films I have watched are Casino Royale, Fast and Furious, 2 Fast, 2 Furious, District 13 and Bad Boys all of which are thriller films, each containing fast pacing and frequent action whether it is fighting or chasing. My favourite film out of the five is Bad boys because the opening to the film really builds suspense and leaves the audience thinking what will happen to a certain character whether they will survive and where they go from that point onwards. It is an exhilarating film with non stop action overall an entertainer.

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Labels

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Labels

Final Cut Express

2009-10-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

Final cut express is video editing application software that allows the user to edit and manipulate any video of their choice. It features a timeline; all the user has to do is just drop the video on it and then edit and manipulate the video with the many effects and filters final cut has to offer, to make the video professional looking.

Final cut can easily capture DV and HDV. There is an option for the user to choose what parts of the video they want to edit and then put all of these clips together to create a final video. To do this you press “I” to start importing and the “O” for out to stop importing. You can watch frame by frame of the video using the option buttons at the bottom of the screen. You can watch videos simultaneously, as it offers two screens for the video to be watched and edited.

Final Cut is easy to use and is easy to work around. It is user friendly and the layout is set out well so that everything is clear.

On the 09/10/09 we learnt how to capture video from our camera. Pressing the "Capture Now" button, a screen was brought up which was the video from our camera and when we wanted to capture a scene we pressed escape to end and capture that scene and on the left hand side of the screen, that clip would appear and then we put it in a folder we had created, so we know where we had saved it.

We also looked at a range of different effects we could apply to our clips to either enhance the quality or add an effect e.g. rays of light, to add a new perspective to it.

New Blog

2009-10-01T02:39:00.000-07:00

This is my new blog