My Prelim Evaluation

My Prelim Video

Q1: Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

I worked in a group of three, alongside Tom Brown and Emilio Francischelli, to complete this preliminary task.

Tom (left), Emilio (centre) and I (right)

We approached the task as a group and did not appoint anyone as a group leader; this meant we all had our chance to share our ideas and we came to a natural conclusion as to what our plot would be. Because we had no distinct roles to begin with, we could all have a say in every area when planning our prelim, and this meant that there were more of us to spot any flaws with our plan (e.g. if it did not fit the brief).

We also came to a conclusion on who would play the main roles in the film; as a Drama A Level student, I volunteered to be involved as an actor, and Tom and Emilio discussed between them to decide who should play the other role, whereupon Tom agreed to take up the part. This meant that on the shoot, Emilio was normally the one in the position of the cameraman, as most of the shots involved both Tom and I as actors, but we worked interchangeably in our roles to help direct, frame and shoot the film. Having the three of us work this way meant there was still opportunity to discuss ways to work with our set and make sure that we were being faithful to our storyboard and the brief.

When editing, we split off into two groups, with Emilio and I editing together and Tom editing on his own. It was helpful working in a pair, as it meant we could bounce ideas off each other when, for example, deciding the lengths of shots and  it was also good getting a second opinion when evaluating whether a certain editing technique was effective.It was particularly helpful for me as a beginner to the media course to have an experienced media student (since GCSE) helping me learn some fundamental editing skills and giving me a chance to practice them.

Looking back, I believe that the way we managed the task between us was important to our successes when completing the preliminary task. Having each of us contribute equally when discussing the process of planning, filming and editing, we could agree on the best course of action and end up with a final product with a high standard.

Q2: How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

My group and I took into account the various planning processes and film theories we have learned about during our foundation course when planning our sequence.

We initially approached the planning process by discussing our ideas about a potential plot that involved the expectations of the brief (i.e. involved someone opening a door, walking across a room, sitting down and having a conversation).When we decided on a basic plan involving what we decided would be a classroom setting, we noted some potential lines of dialogue, gags and shot ideas that would flesh out our idea on a rough script. 

Rough script

We planned a sequence that involved two teachers of contrasting personalities having a discussion (one of which is boring, the other very extravagant). Once we were all clear on our plot and our characters, we begun story  boarding our film, using rough drawings on post-it notes to visualise each of the shots, and using the different colours of the post-its to connote different frames (e.g. green post-it = long shot). We performed a recce of our set to help us block potential shots. The use of post-it notes made it easy to move the shots around if we wanted to change the order, and when we had agreed upon the order of our film, we annotated the frames with the dialogue and arrows to determine movement (thin arrows for character movement, thick arrows for camera movement).

Our final story board

When we had finished our storyboard, we compiled a shot list; this meant we knew which order we would shoot in to help speed things up when it came to filming.

Shot List

When planning our prelim sequence, we had to take into account some film theories and techniques. The brief outlined that our film had to be a continuity sequence, so we had to take into account continuity techniques, such as match-on action, We also had to follow some key film making principles, such as:

• The 180 degree rule - we planned our shots so that the camera would never cross the line of vision between the two characters to make sure that the set up of the film made sense. 

• The 30 degree rule - we planned our shots so that each shot was of a significantly different perspective of or distance from the object so that two consecutive shots did not transition to look like a jump cut (the use of coloured post-it notes helped keep our framing varied).

The colours of our storyboard helped keep our framing varied

• Master shot - we made sure early on in our planning of the shots that there was one that captured the key elements of the scene (e.g. the desk, the door, the teacher) to give the audience an idea of space.

Other principles we considered when planning were shot-reverse-shots, sound bridges and establishing shots. Narrative theory also came into our planning, and we marked places in the story board that showed the beginning (the disturbance), middle (the conflict) and end (the resolution) of our sequence, so we had a clear understanding for when we filmed the sequence how the plot was going to progress from the disturbance of Mr Spatula walking in the room, the conflict between the two teachers in their dialogue and the resolution of Mr Spatula leaving with the hole puncher.

In reflection, I believe that the planning process was the most important part of completing the continuity sequence. The material that we created during this part of the process was referred to throughout the filming and editing time to keep the final product to the guidelines of the brief and cut down on time deciding the look of shots during the filming and editing. 

Q3: What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

To complete this task, my group and I used the following pieces of technology to complete our final film:

Camera and Microphone

Canon Legria HFG30
Canon DM-100 Dirrectional Microphone

This camera was light and portable; this enabled us to move the camera easily to take shots from different camera perspectives, so we could take large range of shots in our sequence in our time limit. We also used it to playback shots we had taken to decide if we wanted to retake any of them - it was very useful having this option available during the shoot, so we didn't have to wait until the editing process to decide on a re-shoot, which would be a hassle and might spoil a lot of the continuity. 

The microphone did not require much attention as it was fixed to the top of the camera. It picked up the dialogue well and clearly enough for the narrative of our sequence to make sense to the audience. However, as the microphone was attached to the camera itself, it meant that the sound quality (i.e. of the character's dialogue) changed as the distance between the characters and the camera changed, which did not make every shot sound continuous. 

Tripod

Libec TH-650 HD Tripod

The tripod was useful for keeping every one of our shots still; the shaky framing of a handheld camera would've distracted from object in the shot (e.g. the conversation), and the tripod avoided this. It was also easily adjustable, both in height and pivoting the camera; this made it quicker to set up our tripod when changing the camera's location in our time limit. 

Editing Software

Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro was a very useful and easy to use editing software. It allowed us to cut down our shots to the length we wanted (using easy to use in-and-out markers to establish the beginning and end, and click and drag from the video clip to the timeline to place the edited clip in the sequence). This helped us quickly make a rough edit of our sequence in the time limit.

It also enabled us to uncouple the shot's visuals and audio, which allowed us to create sound bridges from one shot to the next (e.g. to have one character speak and continue speaking into the next shot), which also helped to the brief of continuity. We also used it to rename our footage, number the shot and take, and re-order the clips into chronological order to cut down on time.

Having applied these pieces of technology in completing this task, I believe that they were suitable in fulfilling the brief of the prelim. Although they did not give us a studio-quality film (e.g. in visuals/sound quality), they did enable us to create a sequence efficiently and, most importantly, in the time limitations of the prelim.

Q4: What factors did you take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

My group and I considered a variety of factors when we did our prelim so as to overcome these problems during planning, filming and editing:

LIGHTING

We identified during the planning process that, because we didn't have the resources for proper lighting, we would have to rely on the light sources available to us on location: these were the overhead lights and sunlight from the windows. To keep the light exposure consistent during our continuity sequence, we decided to use only the overhead lights as our light source. Therefore, during filming, we made sure that the curtains were drawn over the windows to block the sunlight.

The above shows how the light exposure looks between two consecutive shots; there is little difference, exemplifying that we managed to overcome this.

TIMING

We had an hour time limit for our shoot, with an additional ten minutes on either side for setting up and clearing up. We used this time efficiently during the shoot by making sure that we took all of our shots before taking any other takes; this meant that even if we could not achieve the best shots, we at least had it in some format. Although this did not hinder what we achieved, it meant that we couldn't have numerous takes of every shot like in a professional shoot, which did hinder our choices when it came to choosing our shots in editing.

Emilio and I choosing the takes to use in our final sequence

LOCATION

When shooting, we had to take into account the factor of ambient noise from our school, which was where we were filming; for example, the school bell rung during our filming time and there was noise from students on the field, which our set looks out onto. There was little we could do as a group to overcome these interruptions besides closing the windows to block out the noise from students outside and pausing the shoot to let the bell ring. However, it was not a major restriction to what we achieved as the mic didn't pick up any ambient noise. 

The below shows the location for our shoot:

We shared a portion of our set (the corridor outside our room) with another media group doing their own prelim. To avoid any disruptions, we corroborated with them to let them know when we could use the corridor or when we needed the other room to be quiet etc. Although this meant we also had to change around our shot list on the shoot, it did not majorly impede on our shoot.

Looking back on the factors that may have impeded on our video's success, I believe that my group and I considered with them and dealt with them effectively, so they did not restrict us from what we accomplished; we still managed to fulfill the terms of the brief and have a clear narrative to our sequence.

Q5: How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

The brief for our prelim task was to make a continuity task involving a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character to exchange some dialogue, AND it should demonstrate match-on action, shot-reverse-shot and 180 degree rule. 

What went well

• The final sequence we created was successful in showing someone opening a door, crossing the room, sitting down and exchanging dialogue with another person. This is because we stayed faithful to the original plot we planned, and kept the brief in mind when we filmed and edited the sequence. 
• We demonstrated the 180 degree rule by keeping our camera on one side of the line of vision (i.e. keeping to the story board)
• We demonstrated match-on action by walking through the action completely when shooting shots of the same focus; for example, when we filmed shots of my character walking past and peeking through the door's window, opening the door or walking into the room, I walked through the entire sequence each time.

This was what we did to fulfill the requirements of the brief. However, we also demonstrated some other key continuity techniques:

• We demonstrated shot-reverse-shot effectively (as demonstrated below) by placing the camera behind the shoulder of both teachers, whilst keeping the camera on one side of the line of vision. When edited together, this created three shots that showed the audience the both of the teacher's perspectives, demonstrating a clear shot-reverse shot.


• We demonstrated a master shot by placing the camera behind the teacher's right shoulder, with the effect of showing the audience the whole space (e.g. the space between the door and the teacher at the desk). When the sequence was pieced together in editing, this demonstrated our understanding of narrative theory by making the movement/direction of characters clear to the audience. 

Master Shot

What could be improved

• Our first three shots (which were cut from the final sequence) were a montage, which did not follow the guidelines of a continuity sequence. For the next continuity task in January, I would not plan a montage and waste valuable filming time taking these shots as they do not compliment the brief.
• We could've created more sound bridges in the editing time to add to the pace of the continuity sequence, and make the dialogue transition more smoothly between shots. This would also demonstrate more about our understanding on continuity.

Having evaluated the success of our piece, I know that, for the most part, my group and I created a successful prelim video. Our continuity sequenced exemplified everything that was required from the brief and demonstrated understanding of narrative theory to make the plot of the video clear to the audience. In hindsight, we could've improved by giving the video more pace in order to make the dialogue seem more fluid in transitions between shots.

Q6: What have you learned from completing your task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

HW 4b - Revise for your written assessment (DYM)

HW 4a - Plan your prelim video (BLK)

HW 3b - Existing film continuity sequence analysis (BLK)

The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part 1 (4:00-6:15)

Shot List

1. Est. Victor's Village wide, still camera
2. Est. Victor's Village, wide, very slow pan left (Katniss enters the square)
3. MLS inside house (Katniss enters through the main door), camera pans right then crabs left as (Katniss walks down hall) ends on VLS
4. MS (Katniss enters room), pans right to a MLS (Katniss goes to the table)
5. MCU, side on (Katniss gets coat)
6. CU of bottles (Katniss collects them), camera pans up to MCU (Katniss gasps, turns to right)
7. MS (cat enters window)
8. MCU reaction ("Figures"), camera pans right (Katniss goes to the cat)
9. MS on cat's eye level (Katniss catches it), pan up to MCU cat's new eye level (Katniss holding it)
10. CU Katniss ("do you want to see Prim?")
11. MCU high angle (cat is put into her bag)
12. MLS track behind Katniss (enters the living area), LS (Katniss walks to table) MASTER SHOT
13. MS low angle side on (Katniss picks up photo)
14. CU photo
15. MS low angle side on (Katniss takes phot, notices flowers)
16. Over the shoulder (flowers)
17. MS low angle side on (Katniss picks the white rose) 
18. BCU rose (turned in hand)
19. MCU low angle (Katniss reacts to rose), camera rises up to her eye level (she drops it)
20. VLS living area (Katniss looks behind her back)

Continuity Techniques

• Two establishing shots (shots 1 & 2) to begin establish the setting where the sequence takes place; shot 1 introduces the house where the audience will shortly be taken (including the door where she will enter through), and shot 2 also introduces Katniss to the sequence who will be the focal character of the sequence.
• Most of the camera movement is handheld (e.g. shot 3). This makes the audience feel 'in the moment' as they follow Katniss, making her journey around the house flow as naturally as if the audience were walking with her. 
• Transitions between shots appear seamless because the a lot of shots (e.g shot 3-4) begin where the actress ended up in the last shot (in shot 3, the camera shows Katniss from behind as she walks down the corridor - then in shot 4, the camera shows Katniss from the front as she walks from the corridor into the room). This makes shots flow naturally as Katniss moves from place to place.
• In contrast, some other shots intentionally take the audience to different places in the room without showing Katniss moving there (e.g. shots 5-6). This is creates an ellipse, which cuts out unnecessary shots of Katniss moving from set to set, but it still makes logical sense to the audience that Katniss is moving around the room (from the coat hanger to the bottles).
• Cuts do not break the 30 degree rule and change the perspective of the camera or the distance between the camera and the object  enough between shots that there is no risk of creating a jump cut, therefore the sequence feels continuous (e.g. although shots 3 and 4 are both of the corridor, the camera changes perspective between them from behind to in front of Katniss, and also changes from a very long shot to a mid shot). 
• The process of ellipsis is also helped by master shots (most notably in the transition between shot 11-12). In this transition, the scene cuts from a medium close up of the cat to a medium long shot of Katniss entering the living area. This second shot sets up the corridor leading to the living room, and the room itself, leaving the audience to understand that Katniss has left the previous room and is walking down another corridor to a new room. The master shot also introduces all the set pieces in the new room to give the audience a sense of space.
• Reaction shots are used, as it is logical for the audience to expect a shot of the character's face after a significant object is revealed (e.g. after the close up of President Snow's rose, there is a medium close up of Katniss' face to show the audience her shock at the rose).

HW 3a - Continuity task evaluation (BLK)

26/9/16 Continuity Task

1: The story of this sequence is simple; two school boys are walking towards each other down two paths towards, both of them pre-occupied; one of them is reading a paper (me), the other is on his phone (Emilio). Not seeing each other, they meet at the corner and bump into one another, causing the boy with the paper to drop his book.

2: To create narrative flow:

• We did not break the 180 degree rule; the camera never crossed the invisible line that joined the two characterises they walked towards each other. This meant that the perspective of the camera was always showing Emilio walking from left to right and me walking from right to left, so the audience is always aware of the characters' direction.
• Where there were two consecutive shots showing the same character, we made sure that the character landed on the opposite foot to the one they landed on in the previous shot to maintain a sense of continued movement.
• The actors began walking before the shot started to avoid the characters stopping and starting between shots, therefore maintaining the continuity of movement. 
• We made sure we had match-on action, so that the content of each shot matched exactly with the last (e.g. the props that the characters' were holding were in the same hand for each shot). 
• [similarly] We kept the character's moving for every shot, even if they were not present in the shot. This meant that the characters were where they would logically be in the narrative, and by process of ellipsis, the audience can identify that the characters were still walking between shots. 

3: I think we achieved full continuity for the most part of this task. There was continued movement between shots, the perspective of the camera made it clear to the audience that the character's were walking towards a collision and I think that we achieved match-on action by keeping the props identically positioned in all the shots. 

4: To improve the narrative flow:

• We could've avoided a lull in action at the beginning of shot 2 by beginning the shot with my character in the frame. This would improve the continuity of movement in this sequence and avoid the audience having to stare at an empty frame of a brick wall.
• We could've cut shot 4 a little sooner before we see the characters slowing in pace, so the speed of their movement would be continuous. 

Hw 2c - Sound in film openings (DYM)

The Dark Knight (2008) Film Opening Analysis (0:00-2:20)

• Silence as studio title cards play through neon blue light; establishes comic book genre, whilst also hinting through the omission of upbeat 'heroic' soundtrack that the tone of the film will be darker than the average movie inn the comic book genre.
• Long, drawn out screech of a cello is heard over a zoom towards a glass building; establishes an eerie tone to the city, even though the visuals show us nothing out of the ordinary; non diegetic music builds tension and hints to the audience that something bad is about to happen.
• Ticking sound is added to the soundtrack which adds to the foreboding of the opening shot.
• Music is interrupted with the sound of a smashing glass as the zooming shot ends with one of the windows being blown out with a harpoon; the non diegetic music creates a voyeurism (the audience feels like a spectator outside the movie), then the diegetic sound effect instantaneously sucks the audience into being 'involved' with the movie. 
• As the 'clown goon' sets up the harpoon, the methodical clicking of the machine and the sound of the harpoon firing are heard. The sound effects are not 'everyday' sounds, and this unfamiliarity couples well with the omission of familiar human faces, which are covered by clown masks; this pulls the audience into the world of these criminals and introduces us into seeing the opening from their perspective.
• The cello music returns as the film cuts to a long shot of a man standing on the curb of a street turned away from the camera as it zooms in on the clown mask he is holding. The sound of the cello is now established from the opening shot as being a non diegetic signal for something bad; the audience thus gets an uneasy feeling about this character. The grating, out of place texture of the cello screech also foregrounds the absurdity of the mask on the ordinary street to add to the audience's intrigue of the opening of the story (Who are these people? What are they going to do? Why do they wear the masks?)
• Again, the cello screech is interrupted by the screech of car tyres - the interruption of diegetic sounds over the non diegetic soundtrack could be described as an action code for this film (something the audience learns to expect)
• The soundtrack grows in texture with the addition of drums; this adds further tension onto the scene.
• Dialogue begins inside the car with the three clown goons, who discuss (over the top of the sounds of guns being loaded and the wheels of the car) the number of shares they are going to have; this sets up the story details and hints at the bank heist to follow and establishes a crime-drama genre. The sound effects on top provide more intrigue into the world of these criminals for the audience; these sounds are beginning to sound common place.
• "Don't forget the guy who planned the job." "He thinks he can sit it out and still take a slice. I know why they call him the Joker." - the dialogue is our first introduction to the film's antagonist. It establishes that at the beginning of the film, the Joker is not well respected by the people in the film. However, there is intertextuality in hearing the name 'Joker' as he is an infamous pop culture villain; by introducing the antagonist through dialogue rather than a visual introduction relies on the audience's pre-gathered knowledge of the character to incite tension - tension that is achieved whenever the character's mention the Joker.
• More dialogue from the goons on the roof to establish the Joker: "[he wears makeup] to scare people. You know, war paint." This provides story detail later down the line for the reveal of the Joker at the end of the scene.
• The soundtrack is low in volume, foregrounding the sounds of the door to the bank opening, the rushed footsteps of the goons on the floor - both of which are commonplace to the audience - before the loud bang of a gun being fired and the yells of the bankers breaks the familiarity of the soundscape; this does not necessarily cause shock to the audience, as the opening has been devoted solely to the criminal's perspective, but it does however cause the audience to re-evaluate whose side they're on. This is a major story point in the film, as the film challenges who the enemy really is.
• Over a soundscape of screaming, a goon shout "Alright everybody, hands up, heads down"; the command sounds very routine, establishing that Gotham city is often subjected to terror attacks of this nature and has grown akin to the interruptions of criminals (just like the audience has been)

Director: Christopher Nolan

HW 2b - Analysis of titles in film openings (DYM)

Coraline 2009

The Parent Trap (1961)

CORALINE TIMELINE:

• Distributor
• Studios
• Title of Film
• Main Cast
• Lead Animators
• Concept Artist
• Art Directors
• Storyboard Supervisor
• Editors
• Visual Effects Supervisor
• Music
• Supervising Animator
• Director of Photography
• Producers
• 'Based on the novel'
• Written for the screen and Directed by...

THE PARENT TRAP TIMELINE:

• Distributor
• Studio
• Main Actor
• Film Title (+ based on the book)
• Stars
• Co-stars
• Featuring...
• Director of Photography
• Art director/Film editor/Set Decoration/Sequence Consultant/Special Photographic Effects/Costume Designers/Costumers/Make Up/Hair Stylist/Music Editor/Sound Supervisor/Sound
• Associate Producer/Associate Director/Dialogue Coach
• Music/Orchestration/Songs
• Special Titles/Sung by
• Written for the screen and Directed by...

Similarities:

• In both film openings, the opening titles began by crediting the distributor, followed by the studio - in both, these credits occur before the title of the film is established. 
• In both film openings, the main cast are credited early on; around the time when the title of the film appears.
• In both film openings, the titles end by crediting the writer and director - coincidentally, in both films, the roles of writer and director are shared (the title 'Written for the Screen and Directed by...' appear).
• In both film openings, the titles are used alongside a puppet animation as an alternative focus (this is most likely because of the young demographic of these films, who might get bored if there is nothing to entertain them but credits).
• In both film openings, the credits for the main cast is followed by the credits for the artistic faction of the crew; in The Parent Trap, these include the set designers, costume designers and photography experts, and in Coraline, these were devoted to the lead animators and art directors. 

Differences: 

• The titles in The Parent Trap are (for the most part) in the centre of the frame and large; the titles in Coraline were to the side of the frame or in the corners.
• The titles in The Parent Trap were effected by the animation behind and moved around (e.g. moved on from the side by the curtains behind); the titles in Coraline faded on and stayed stationary, less distracting from the animation.
• In the opening of The Parent Trap, there were more titles, probably due to the old nature of the film, which put more emphasis on opening titles and made the crew and cast more overt for the audience than in current films; in the opening of Coraline, there were less titles, as more emphasis was put on the opening animation that sets up the iconography (dolls, buttons etc.) and story elements of the film. 
• In The Parent Trap, the titles were separate from the puppet animation and the theme song; in Coraline, the titles appeared on top of the opening animation.

HW 2a - Existing opening sequence analysis (DYM)

The Goonies (1985) Film Opening Analysis

1: The Goonies is an '80s family action-adventure movie.

2: The story is first introduced inside a prison, then establishes a coastal town setting during the car chase scene. It is set in the 1980s, as can be assumed by the dress of the characters, the look of the cars e.t.c.

3: The story begins with a warden finding a man (one of the Fratelli family) hanging from the bars of the window by the neck. Assuming the man is dead, the warden reads the note attached to the man's coat: To whom it may concern - You schmuck. Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to kill myself" The warden is then knocked out cold by the man who was really holding himself suspended by a piece of lead piping. The perspective then changes to the rest of other Fratellis outside; a man who is pouring gasoline in a ring outside the prison doors, and the mother sitting in the drivers seat of a car. The escapee runs from the prison, fails to open the car doors and instead crawls in through the car's overhead window. The male accomplice then fires his gun at the gasoline to trap the guards chasing the prisoner in a ring of fire, thus letting the car escape.

Police cars case the prisoner across a suburban town and passed the principle character's of the film (the Goonies) who, apart from Chunk, are oblivious to the car chase happening around them. The car then manages to escape the police by blending in with a car race on the beach.

By introducing the main antagonist's perspective before introducing the titular characters, the film can be kick-started with an intense, fast paced action sequence which establishes the genre and tone for the rest of the movie. It also provides a car chase set up that lends itself to introducing other elements of the story seamlessly, such as the setting and the main characters.

4: The events link very seamlessly; by following the narrative from the antagonists' perspective, there is a thorough line of action to keep each new event coming right after the last. It also allows everything to happen chronologically; by keeping everything in it's original order, the film can avoid too much confusion from jumping thee audience to earlier events.

5: We are first introduced to the Fratelli family, who act as the antagonists for the film. The audience can interpret this because we have seen one of the son's has just escaped from prison, and the rest of the family spend the car chase shooting the police cars from out the car windows.

As for the other characters the audience is introduced to, we only get fleeting glimpses of their character traits to get a feel for their roles in the film, because the focal perspective of the car chase keeps thee events moving very quickly. In chronological order, we are introduced to: Andy, who teaches the cheerleading squad and appears to be a silly, vivacious character; the family's Spanish housekeeper, who appears bewildered and frightened at the car chase around her; Mouth, who childishly drives a pretend car in front of the TV, yet talks back to his father like a moody teenager; Stef, who is washing her face in a barrel of water by the docks; Data, who uses an invention of his to pull a barrel towards him, hinting that his inventions will come into play later on in the film; and Chunk, who rushes to the window to see the police chase and accidently squirts milkshake all over him, suggesting he will be the butt of many jokes.

6: We learn very little from this opening, yet the intrigue of seeing these characters and the action of the car chase keeps our interest peaked at all times. We do learn that the three criminals are a family (mentioned when the mother of the Fratellis tells the sons to "Trust in your old mother, boys"), and we can learn from their carefully planned escape that they are formidable outlaws. We also learn that the film takes place on a coastal town during the car race at the end of the opening.

A lot of information is deliberately withheld; we know nothing about why the Fratelli son was imprisoned or whether he was guilty, for example. It would be unnecessary information to learn the finer details of his imprisonment, however, and would detract from the action of the opening. We also don't yet learn what ties the principle characters together, on what common ground do they stand - we don't even learn what 'the Goonies' actually means.

7: I believe that at the start of the film, the audience only needs to know enough information to set up an exciting mystery and hint at the events to come. I think this because for an opening to have emotional weight, it has to rely more on the audience's curiosity to keep them intrigued and watching to learn the answers by the end of the film. If too much is said at the beginning of a film, there is nothing for the audience to work out for themselves; however, there must be just enough information given so the audience does not understand any of the context (e.g. the location, the period, the characters)

Director: Richard Donner

HW 1b - Reflecions on my film still (BLK)

19/9/16 Film Still Analysis 

Q1: In what way can the film still be described as signifying your chosen genre?

• This film still depicts the silhouette of a man with his hands clasped to the sides of his head; this stance is typical of internal torment, signifying that the man is suffering from inner demons; this is a theme that is often explored in the psychological-horror genre. 
• The still is mostly shrouded in darkness, with rays of light highlighting the silhouette and the curtains, yet dissipating near the edge of the frame; a contrast is therefore made between the light and the dark, further insinuating via the overwhelming abundance of darkness in the shot, that the darkness is overpowering the light; this connotes the struggle between good and evil, another common theme in the psychological-horror genre.

Q2: How did you direct the shot to achieve the desired effect?

• A light source was placed behind the head of the man in the shot in order to create a silhouette of the man's torso; this achieved a light outline of the man's head and arms to obscure his facial features, but still outline his pose.
• The shot was framed as a medium-long shot, which meant that the man was the focus of the shot, but was far away enough from the camera in order to create a tunnel effect (or a frame within a frame), created by the light reflecting off the curtains.
• Enough space was left to the left/right/above the man so as to contrast the small size of the man with the enormity of the space and darkness that surrounds him; this had the effect of making the man appear overwhelmed by inner demons.

Q3: How did you intend the audience to 'read' or interpret your still?

• I wanted the audience to interpret the multitude of darkness (both surrounding the man and the darkness of the silhouette himself) to be symbolic of mental torment, or else any multitude of internalised feelings that are overwhelming and feel like they consume you (e.g. guilt, grief, self-doubt)
• I also wanted the audience to interpret the silhouette and the dark spaces around him to be significant to the character's mental state at that point in the film; it would seem, by the darkness and his frustrated stance, that perhaps the pressures caused by the film's disruption have finally began to take their toll on the character; maybe they are succumbing to insanity.
• I wanted the audience to interpret that the omission of the man's face connotes that the man is undergoing/ has undergone a change as a result of the mental conflict; he has lost what he used to be and is unrecognisable from the person he was earlier in the film.

Q4: What is successful about your shot?

• I think the silhouette, although not as pronounced as I would've preferred, successfully covered the facial expression of the man. This meant that the audience has little to interpret about this man from this part of the film, so his silhouetted pose is foregrounded to show his internal conflict.
• There is a nice balance of darkness and light in this film still which shows the audience a clear contrast that is commonly associated with good versus evil.

Q5: What would you do differently in hindsight?

• I would've used a larger, brighter light source behind the man to create a better defined silhouette and put more emphasis on the man's pose, thus foregrounding his torment. Also, I would change the medium-long shot to a very long shot if a brighter light source were available, so as to maintain a similar light/dark balance in the original film still.
• I would've cleared the set but for the curtains (i.e. take away the step ladder/turn off the lights to the corridor) so the audience's attention is only on the silhouette. This would also make the contrast between light and dark more pronounced and therefore make the subtext of mental conflict more pronounced.

HW 1a - Existing film still analysis (DYM)

Enemy (2013) End Film Still Analysis

Initial Analysis

NARRATIVE

• In the foreground, a suited man is turned away from the camera; this has the effect of hiding his expression/reaction to the spider in front of him.
• In the background, there is a massive spider against the opposite wall; it is not in a position that suggests it is about to attack, rather it's crouched body language and distance from the man in the doorway projects the opposite emotion of fear; this fearfulness juxtaposes with the spider's powerful body and implies that the man's character is a more terrifying monster than the spider. 
• The spider's fearful body language is also juxtaposed with the calm nature of the man; the spider seems to symbolise something the man has done/said that is enough to scare this creature.
• The scale of the spider adds to the sense of hyper realism; the spider is not there in the real world. The contrast of the absurd against the real demonstrates the binary opposite between the normality of the suited man and the absurdity of the fantastical spider to contrast the two potential dangers (the spider appears unreal and is therefore less threatening, leaving the man looking like a more viable threat)
• There is a dull, yellow/beige colour palette as a backdrop, which compliments the bland nature of the man's life emphasised by his plain suited appearance; this contrasts drastically with the  spider's inexplicable presence. 

GENRE

• Man is standing in the doorway in a neutral position; this adds to the effect of shrouding his true emotions and connotes that perhaps he is not afraid of the spider/the spider is not a physical monster, but exists metaphorically; the use of signs to illustrate a mental battle in film is a theme explored in psychological thrillers.
• The spider is barely visible through shadow, the man's black blazer/dark hair also denotes darkness and the confined room is empty; all this suggests the themes of darkness, deceit secrets, that bad things often happen alone where no-one can see them; these are also signifiers of a psychological thriller. 

AUDIENCE

• The small, confined room adds to the sense of claustrophobia and tension in the audience. 
• The perspective is from just behind the man's shoulder, which means that the audience experiences the spider at the same time of the man, but likely reacts to it in different ways; this pulls the rug from under the audience, whose role as the voyeur watching a film from a fourth wall has been shuddered by the appearance of such an out of place creature, yet the man in the film itself reacts nonplussed. 

Director Denis Villeneuve

Character in Shot Adam Bell (played by Jake Gyllenhaal)