Thursday 15 December 2011
Films that inspired me
Recently i have been watching many crime related programs & films and i came across 'The Wire'. Within the opening sequence the mise-en-scene of specific shots inspired me and gave me some good ideas for my thriller opening.
This shot is a low angle close-up of a CCTV camera. My thriller opening is about a crime that has taken place & caught on CCTV. This has inspired me as it has visually showed me a way in which i can make it clear to the audience that the footage being played is through CCTV.
In this high angle shot it shows the recording of the CCTV footage, camera is tilted from a higher perspective & is in black & white. This has helped me gain ideas on how the CCTV footage in my thriller opening should look like & how we can make it clear that it's CCTV footage (black & white)
This frame from the movie Batman: The Dark Knight has inspired me in many ways, from the costume to the mise-en-scene. I like this image as it's dark. Batman is dressed in dark clothing despite him being the protagonist character; representing the current state of the situation he's in. This inspired me to use different camera angles to get this epic feel within a frame.
Wednesday 7 December 2011
The Usual Suspects - Opening Scene
The opening sequence for 'The Usual Suspects' starts with a close-up shot of a set of matches being lit. The room starts of dark, giving the impression to the audience that something may of happened; or that there's a form of evil in the area. Both diegetic and non-diegetic audio is used, the sound of the match sticks being lit and a leaking sound are both coming from the world of the story. While a background melody is being played, bells are used for this non-diegetic soundtrack & the volume is very low. The genre is exposed to the audience as tension is built through enigma codes. This film is a thriller.
The following shot is a medium shot, of a man using the matches that he lit to light up his cigarette. The room is still dark while the characters face is lit by the flame. This shows the importance of the character and keeps the audience aware of his presence. Only half is his face is on show at this point of the shot, the camera then tilts up giving full exposure of his face to the audience. Eventually the camera stops and we are able to see a fire set behind this character. Instantly it shows the audience that this man isn't our protagonist, he's dangerous & is definitely a fire starter. He also sits comfortably with the fire set behind him, this shows the audience he is experienced and this isn't his first time doing bad.
Another medium shot appears of a liquid leaking from a tank, to me it looks like an oil tank. the camera tilts from the top of the tank to the bottom showing the oil leak onto the floor. The room is very dark, restricting the audience to know for sure if it's an oil tank. This was done effectively as i personally found it difficult to know for certain what it is in the shot. This shot also creates meaning through cross cutting as the audience will instantly know that fire and oil do not get along very well; & if they meet it can cause a very serious problem. Diegetic audio is used for the oil leaking down onto the floor.
The shot then changes into a long shot of this mysterious smoker, his face and his right hand is more lit then the rest of his body, bringing the audiences attention to the two body parts. The male character then uses his cigarette to set fire to a piece of paper, he then casually drops the paper onto the floor. At this very moment disaster occurs as the fire grabs hold of the helpless oil on the floor; creating a action code as this action leads to another (fire being set). Diegetic audio occurs once the flame is set. The audience should now be sure that this mysterious character is the villain of this film due to the fire he just started. The character doesn't seem to have any intention to move away from the flame or leave the building before it gets burnt down, this shows the audience that this character may be attempting suicide.
A medium shot takes place right after, following the flame as it travels down the oil, it then quickly changes to a close/medium shot of the flame going past a dead man. The man is laying helplessly on his stomach with worn out clothing and blood all over his face. This brings up an enigma code as the audience question who killed this man? Did he deserve to die or is he innocent of his death? These questions are yet to be answered as the shot quickly changes to another medium shot of the flame.
In this shot diegetic audio occurs of a liquid hitting down on the flame. The camera tilts up towards the leakage to show a male urinating onto the flame. This mysterious character manages to stop the flame from burning down the entire place. It's unclear to see what type of character he is but the darkness around him shows that he's mysterious and most likely a villain despite the stoppage of the flame. He is higher up then the first character that we have been shown, this represents his power as he stands tall above the other character. non-diegetic audio occurs as we see this new character appear, a low key melody is being played, representing the darkness within this mysterious man.
In conclusion the opening sequence to 'The Usual Suspects' manages to build a lot of suspense through enigma & action codes; as the audience are left questioning many things. Edits are normal paced until the camera follows the trail of the flame; the editing gets quicker, building tension on what's going to happen. Darkness represents power in this sequence as the more mysterious and shady character we meet (second character) is put above the first character we meet. The audience should be left biting their nails as this movie builds tension & suspense at every given opportunity.
Another medium shot appears of a liquid leaking from a tank, to me it looks like an oil tank. the camera tilts from the top of the tank to the bottom showing the oil leak onto the floor. The room is very dark, restricting the audience to know for sure if it's an oil tank. This was done effectively as i personally found it difficult to know for certain what it is in the shot. This shot also creates meaning through cross cutting as the audience will instantly know that fire and oil do not get along very well; & if they meet it can cause a very serious problem. Diegetic audio is used for the oil leaking down onto the floor.
The shot then changes into a long shot of this mysterious smoker, his face and his right hand is more lit then the rest of his body, bringing the audiences attention to the two body parts. The male character then uses his cigarette to set fire to a piece of paper, he then casually drops the paper onto the floor. At this very moment disaster occurs as the fire grabs hold of the helpless oil on the floor; creating a action code as this action leads to another (fire being set). Diegetic audio occurs once the flame is set. The audience should now be sure that this mysterious character is the villain of this film due to the fire he just started. The character doesn't seem to have any intention to move away from the flame or leave the building before it gets burnt down, this shows the audience that this character may be attempting suicide.
A medium shot takes place right after, following the flame as it travels down the oil, it then quickly changes to a close/medium shot of the flame going past a dead man. The man is laying helplessly on his stomach with worn out clothing and blood all over his face. This brings up an enigma code as the audience question who killed this man? Did he deserve to die or is he innocent of his death? These questions are yet to be answered as the shot quickly changes to another medium shot of the flame.
In this shot diegetic audio occurs of a liquid hitting down on the flame. The camera tilts up towards the leakage to show a male urinating onto the flame. This mysterious character manages to stop the flame from burning down the entire place. It's unclear to see what type of character he is but the darkness around him shows that he's mysterious and most likely a villain despite the stoppage of the flame. He is higher up then the first character that we have been shown, this represents his power as he stands tall above the other character. non-diegetic audio occurs as we see this new character appear, a low key melody is being played, representing the darkness within this mysterious man.
In conclusion the opening sequence to 'The Usual Suspects' manages to build a lot of suspense through enigma & action codes; as the audience are left questioning many things. Edits are normal paced until the camera follows the trail of the flame; the editing gets quicker, building tension on what's going to happen. Darkness represents power in this sequence as the more mysterious and shady character we meet (second character) is put above the first character we meet. The audience should be left biting their nails as this movie builds tension & suspense at every given opportunity.
Why genre is so important.
Genre allows movies to be categorized, making it easier for the audience to have a rough idea of what to expect. e.g. if a viewer is looking to have a laugh he/she will go watch a movie under the genre 'comedy'.
There are many different genres, for example:
-Comedy
-Horror
-Thriller
-Romantic
-Action
-Sci-fi
These genres can also be mixed together to create a hybrid genre, e.g. romance / comedy (romcom) is a hybrid genre. This is used by directors to try create unique films that are not often made. An example of a movie that does this is 'Knocked up', conventions are used from both genres to create a new unique film. This film is full of comedy yet has a story line full of love & romance.
Genre is important as it allows production companies to create a target audience very easily. E.g. if Warner bros. was to develop a new movie which involved action based scenes, they will instantly state that their target audience is anyone who enjoys films under the genre 'action'.
Genre, audience & industry are all linked together, creating a triangle. The industry will chose a genre depending on the demand of the audience. The selected genre will instantly do well on the big screens as the demand is already there. This will make the audience happy that a film of their demand has been distributed; which then leads to the industry receiving a large amount of money from the total sales of the film. This triangle is unstoppable and will always bring the audience & the industry happiness; due to costumer satisfaction & the money being sent do the industry from the audience.
There are many different genres, for example:
-Comedy
-Horror
-Thriller
-Romantic
-Action
-Sci-fi
These genres can also be mixed together to create a hybrid genre, e.g. romance / comedy (romcom) is a hybrid genre. This is used by directors to try create unique films that are not often made. An example of a movie that does this is 'Knocked up', conventions are used from both genres to create a new unique film. This film is full of comedy yet has a story line full of love & romance.Genre is important as it allows production companies to create a target audience very easily. E.g. if Warner bros. was to develop a new movie which involved action based scenes, they will instantly state that their target audience is anyone who enjoys films under the genre 'action'.
Genre, audience & industry are all linked together, creating a triangle. The industry will chose a genre depending on the demand of the audience. The selected genre will instantly do well on the big screens as the demand is already there. This will make the audience happy that a film of their demand has been distributed; which then leads to the industry receiving a large amount of money from the total sales of the film. This triangle is unstoppable and will always bring the audience & the industry happiness; due to costumer satisfaction & the money being sent do the industry from the audience.
Certificate
These are the certificate ratings for films that are published in the cinema & on DVD. These help the audience know what to expect from the movie, the older the age rating the more inappropriate for children the movie is.
I did some research on films similar to the thriller opening me and my group are working on. This research helped me decide on what age certificate my opening thriller should be given.
Fugitive - PG, this means the movie hasn't got much disturbing scenes and is suitable for anyone with parental guidance up to the age of thirteen.
The Dark Knight - 12A, this film is suitable from anyone that's aged twelve plus, but parental guidance will be needed if the viewer is aged twelve.
We have decided that our film will be a 12A as we feel parental guidance will be appropriate to watch the film. If we made the age certificate a 15 we would attract a smaller audience as not everybody will be able to gain access to watch it. By making it a 12A we are able to target a wider audience allowing sales to be larger.
Our film 'Dream Chaser' will have some harsh scenes which will include a form of torture, this scene is definitely not suitable for an audience under the age of 12. We want to make certain scenes slightly gothic, through the behavior that the secret agency carries out. All these scenes will be shown in minimal detail to the audience; keeping it visually unclear what's going on. This is going to be done to keep the criteria of the 12A certificate rating in line with our movie.
Our film doesn't involve drugs, sex, nudity or foul language & we feel that our film fits the criteria for a 12A movie perfectly. Despite a torture scene that is kept in minimal detail, our film doesn't break the criteria of being a 12A film. As a group we have officially decided that our film will be a 12A.
Monday 5 December 2011
Narrative
Narrative conventions - While processing a narrative in order to find the meaning there are a series of codes and conventions that need to be considered. When we look at a narrative we look at the conventions of
-Genre
-Character
-Form
-Time
We put these conventions together to work out the media text within a narrative. There are many narrative theories, these theories give us a rough idea on a film is plotted as each section is categorized; for example
Todorov's theory :
The equilibrium - All is set as should be, everyone is living happily as they would in their mundane life. At this stage there's no occurring problems, it's normally used to build emotion & a deeper understanding towards certain characters.
The disruption - A disruption occurs, normally from an antagonist of some sort. Todorov believes this is when transformation within the characters occur most.
Recognition - The disruption is recognized, normally by the protagonist. This recognition builds tension & can be left with an enigma code; as the audience question how the protagonist is going to act according to the recognition of the disruption.
Attempts to repair the disruption - The protagonist attempts to repair the situation, normally by confronting evil. This is the stage where peace can be determined depending if the protagonist manages to repair the disruption.
New equilibrium - A new equilibrium is formed, despite the losses made during the journey. The characters normally become stronger through experience of the disruption though there's normally a huge sacrifice along the journey.
Many movies go by this five point breakdown, such as 'American Psycho' & 'The Outsiders'.
Roland Barthes:
Enigma Code - This controls how much the audience should know about the narrative in a movie. Directors create enigma codes to make the audience question things within a film. For example if a murder has taken place without the audience seeing who the killer is, the first enigma code would be 'Who killed this man?' or 'Did this man deserve to die?'. This gives the director full control on how he wants the audience to feel.
Action Code - This is when a action takes place within a movie, which then leads to another action taking place. For example, if a man gets put into prison, this action may lead to him trying to brake out. Action codes help direct the narrative in the way the director chooses.
Vladimir Propp
Vladimir broke up fairy tails by putting them into sections that he felt are most important to build a narrative, he made a character list and felt that all narratives will need at least a few of the characters on this list:
-Hero - also known as the protagonist, normally repairs the disruption
-Villain - also known as the antagonist, normally starts the disruption
-The donor - Prepares the hero to confront the disturbance
-The princess - The reward for repairing the disturbance, normally marries the hero
-The helper - Normally helps the hero repair the disruption, can also be looked at as the sidekick.
-The Dispatcher - Warns the villain about the Hero's existence
-False Hero - Tries to take the Hero's credit and tries to take his reward by marrying the princess.
He also feels that without at least a few of these characters, a narrative will not be able to run as these character roles carry the narrative forward.
Todorov's theory :
The equilibrium - All is set as should be, everyone is living happily as they would in their mundane life. At this stage there's no occurring problems, it's normally used to build emotion & a deeper understanding towards certain characters.
Recognition - The disruption is recognized, normally by the protagonist. This recognition builds tension & can be left with an enigma code; as the audience question how the protagonist is going to act according to the recognition of the disruption.
Attempts to repair the disruption - The protagonist attempts to repair the situation, normally by confronting evil. This is the stage where peace can be determined depending if the protagonist manages to repair the disruption.
New equilibrium - A new equilibrium is formed, despite the losses made during the journey. The characters normally become stronger through experience of the disruption though there's normally a huge sacrifice along the journey.
Many movies go by this five point breakdown, such as 'American Psycho' & 'The Outsiders'.
Roland Barthes:
Enigma Code - This controls how much the audience should know about the narrative in a movie. Directors create enigma codes to make the audience question things within a film. For example if a murder has taken place without the audience seeing who the killer is, the first enigma code would be 'Who killed this man?' or 'Did this man deserve to die?'. This gives the director full control on how he wants the audience to feel.
Action Code - This is when a action takes place within a movie, which then leads to another action taking place. For example, if a man gets put into prison, this action may lead to him trying to brake out. Action codes help direct the narrative in the way the director chooses.
Vladimir Propp
Vladimir broke up fairy tails by putting them into sections that he felt are most important to build a narrative, he made a character list and felt that all narratives will need at least a few of the characters on this list:
-Hero - also known as the protagonist, normally repairs the disruption
-Villain - also known as the antagonist, normally starts the disruption
-The donor - Prepares the hero to confront the disturbance
-The princess - The reward for repairing the disturbance, normally marries the hero
-The helper - Normally helps the hero repair the disruption, can also be looked at as the sidekick.
-The Dispatcher - Warns the villain about the Hero's existence
-False Hero - Tries to take the Hero's credit and tries to take his reward by marrying the princess.
He also feels that without at least a few of these characters, a narrative will not be able to run as these character roles carry the narrative forward.
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