This is the video of mine and Arianna Tipper's edit of the title sequence from the movie Reservoir Dogs.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Dexter Preliminary Evaluation
The most important conventions in this task, were the fact that you needed to be able to see the titles (size and placement), and they should be on the screen for a sufficient and equal amount of time. They also needed to be kept in the same colour, font and size throughout, to maintain the same theme and institutional identity. It is important to include all the names legally required (director, actors, producers, etc.), however since we were not using the actual names, this did not matter in this task.
2. How did your group plan to edit the title sequence? (consider timings, industry requirements etc).
We planned to edit the title sequence to include 11 credits, to appear over parts of the sequence which we felt had the space and the need for a title. We used moments where the screen is partially empty, or filled with a block of colour, where a title would look effective, and easy to read, we also used the action taking place, such as the swirling of coffee, or the swiping motion of a knife to coincide with the appearance of our credits. We knew that the titles needed to be on screen for relatively equal amounts of time, though we did not specifically time this, something which would need to be done in a real title sequence, due to the legalities related to TV productions.
3. Explain the creative decisions made by your group.
We used a font called 'Insomnia', which was a blocky capitalized font, with slashes through the letters, we thought this was appropriate for the style and genre of the title sequence. We made the titles white, as this colour stood out dramatically, no matter what the image behind would be. The effects we used were different for each title, as we wanted to relate them to the image behind, we had some credits lurching, which is typical for the crime genre, and other credits followed the motion of the action taking place, for example a knife slicing across the scene.
4. How does your re-edit compare to the original?
Compared to the original, our edit had significantly less titles, and we had not included the job titles of each name appearing, apart from the director at the end. While we had used a white font, to show up, the original used a dark red font, which was more clean cut, we can see that this font works in synergy with the title used at the start and finish of the title sequence, and this links the whole clip together. However, I did think that some of these titles were hard to read during the sequence. Like our edit, the original contained titles appearing in relation to the action taking place, but since we were not working with sound, the original also responded to the aural cues.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
PRELIM EVALUATION
1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?
Arianna Tipper and Anna Rawe. We split up the responsibilities with each of us taking on different roles in order to complete the task. We took turns filming and editing, and divided the planning, with a different person working on the shoot schedule, storyboard and shot list.t
We planned our sequence thinking about the genre we wanted to create, the events we wanted to show taking place, partially acting it out and working out locations. We decided on the Horror/Thriller genre, so we thought about films of this genre we'd previously seen. From this, we established we would use a dark setting, with high key lighting, with clear characters which are associated with this genre. From our brief we knew we needed to include particular shot types, so we devised a shot list appropriately.
3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?
A video camera (Canon DV30) and tripod- to film the sequence,
Adobe Premier Pro- to edit the sequence,
A PAG light- to light our shots, since we were using a dark setting.
4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?
We had to think about what was possible, within the constraints of the time we had and resources available. This meant considering our actors, props, costumes, locations and events when planning out sequence. During shooting we had to be aware of our spacial allowance, the natural lighting of the location, background noise, keeping to the rules and the time in which we had to film. Since we were working on continuity, this was a very important thing to think about when shooting, as we had to ensure the location and costumes would not differ between shots, we also had to follow the plans we'd already made. During editing we again had to be aware of continuity, editing the shots together in the correct places to achieve a match on action, and ensuring the sequence made sense. Another thing we had to consider was whether what we'd story boarded would actually work out in a video, and whether we'd have to make any changes.5. How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?
I think our sequence was successful, as it made sense, and the Horror/Thriller genre was obvious. We achieved a match on action, shot reverse shot and complied with the 30degree, and 180degree rules. All our shots fitted together well, and without delay between dialogue. A problem we encountered was the fact that due to our location, we were unable to film the two characters in relation to each other, however we felt that the location was something we needed to concentrate more, as the confined space added to the tension of our piece along with establishing the genre. In hindsight, I think we would film a wider variety of angles of the same shot, so that there would be a greater variety between the shots in the sequence, however we would need to plan this in advance. Another thing which could improve our sequence, would be a better quality of acting, this could be achieved by rehearsing in advance, and having a greater number of actors to pick from.
6. What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?
From this task, I've learnt more about filming and editing, from the point of view of us creating a film, rather than an advert, which is all the video work we'd previously done. I realised that in this task, we had a lot more to think about in terms of the order we shot in, and whether or not we'd altered anything between scenes. It was a lot harder than any video work we'd previously done, and I think this prepared us well, and was a good learning task before we have to make our film openings. Any problems we encountered this time around, or mistakes we made can be rectified and improved as we work on the rest of our coursework.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
DYM3- Sound Analysis of Opening Sequence
ANGUS, THONGS AND PERFECT SNOGGING
In this clip we see the main character (our heroine, Georgia Nicholson), going to a fancy dress party as a stuffed olive, and getting angry and embarrassed when the rest of her friends have failed to come in their 'original h'orderves' costumes. She leaves the party and runs home whilst the opening credits appear on the scene.
The scene opens with dialogue between Georgia and her father, the father sounds like a concerned parent, wanting to drive her to a party, while Georgia acts like a typical sulky teenager, too embarrassed to be seen with her dad. She uses slang throughout such as 'zillienth', and uses a sarcastic tone of voice. The scene also includes humour, as she refuses to get in the car as she 'doesn't want her costume to get crushed', but we then hear the sound effect as she bumps her costume into a lamppost. BACKING MUSIC: Repetitive beats, create a casual, everyday setting as the characters are introduced.
When Georgia arrives at the party, we hear gasps and whispers, followed by a shaky sound effect as Georgia awkwardly smiles, followed by laughing and dialogue from the 'villain'. We then hear the original non-diadetic soundtrack from the first part again, again followed by dialogue between Georgia and her friends as she asks why they have not come dressed like her. One friend says 'But boys don't like girl's for funniness', which connotes to the fact that as teenage girls, finding a boyfriend is very important, and this is one of the main themes of the film. The song 'She's So Lovely' starts to play as Georgia rushes out, we hear sound effects as she knocks over things, people laughing at her and dialogue from her friends calling "Sorry Georgia".
As Georgia runs home along the streets of Eastbourne, the song 'She's So Lovely' by Scouting for Girls is played, this is very upbeat and modern, with catchy memorable lyrics, very suitable to the genre of this film. We hear sound effects as cars honk at her, and bicycles ring their bells, due to her large size and hilarious attire, plus more laughs. As she runs home, Georgia gets in the way of an old woman on a mobility scooter, and sound effects of the Georgia trying to squeeze past and a baby crying are all included. All these sound effects create a humourous opening scene whilst the credits are appearing, and links with the images we are seeing before us as Georgia's embarrassing experience is played out.
Finally, whilst 'She's So Lovely' is still playing, we hear the diadetic sounds as Georgia stamps on her costume, and loudly cries, while her little sister giggles. As the song ends, Georgia cries into her pillow, while the song fades to the sounds of seagulls.
(The clip I analysed lasts until around 4,20)
In this clip we see the main character (our heroine, Georgia Nicholson), going to a fancy dress party as a stuffed olive, and getting angry and embarrassed when the rest of her friends have failed to come in their 'original h'orderves' costumes. She leaves the party and runs home whilst the opening credits appear on the scene.
The scene opens with dialogue between Georgia and her father, the father sounds like a concerned parent, wanting to drive her to a party, while Georgia acts like a typical sulky teenager, too embarrassed to be seen with her dad. She uses slang throughout such as 'zillienth', and uses a sarcastic tone of voice. The scene also includes humour, as she refuses to get in the car as she 'doesn't want her costume to get crushed', but we then hear the sound effect as she bumps her costume into a lamppost. BACKING MUSIC: Repetitive beats, create a casual, everyday setting as the characters are introduced.
As Georgia runs home along the streets of Eastbourne, the song 'She's So Lovely' by Scouting for Girls is played, this is very upbeat and modern, with catchy memorable lyrics, very suitable to the genre of this film. We hear sound effects as cars honk at her, and bicycles ring their bells, due to her large size and hilarious attire, plus more laughs. As she runs home, Georgia gets in the way of an old woman on a mobility scooter, and sound effects of the Georgia trying to squeeze past and a baby crying are all included. All these sound effects create a humourous opening scene whilst the credits are appearing, and links with the images we are seeing before us as Georgia's embarrassing experience is played out.
(The clip I analysed lasts until around 4,20)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
BLK4- Continuity Principles
This clip is from one of the most popular movies of all time; The Shawshank Redemption, made in 1994, by Frank Darabont, the screenplay is adapted from the book by Stephen King. The film is about the bond formed between the protagonist Andy Dufrense and Red over the years they are in prison. This clip shows the warden discovering Andy Dufrense's escape from prison.
The Shawshank Redemption - Escape from Andy Dufrense
1. The clip opens with an establishing shot of the whole prison block, as the guards walk in.
2. Then we cut to a CU of the cell doors opening, and Red (Morgan Freeman) exiting his cell.
3. We then see from Red's POV, the view down the corridor, we see here that the 180 degree rule is not broken, as we remain on the same side of the wall, simply facing the opposite direction.
4. The action then cuts back to the first shot, which accurately shows the guards standing in position, in conjunction with the time which has passed between shots (the guards are all where they should be).
5. We then see the guard from the opposite angle, this is a shot-reverse-shot.
6. Return to 1.
7. Return to 2.
8. Return to 3.
9. Cut to CU of the warden, zoomed in shot of the set up from 1 (establishing shot).
10. Return to 5.
11. Return to 1.
12. Camera sweeps past the cell doors as the guard walks past, the mise-en-scene matches up, with the same cells and order of prisoners.
13. Internal shot from cell, we see the guards and prisoners in the background, exactly where they should be for the scene to continue to make sense, and stay accurate to the surroundings, we also see a match on action when the guard turns from the previous shot, and ends up at the doorway.
14. Cut to the warden in his office, tying his shoes as the alarm bell goes off.
15. Back to the set up of 2, but without the men outside, and the cell doors are closed, this is accurately following the storyline.
16. CU Red's face through the bars, same costumes etc. THE WARDEN USES A DIFFERENT HAND TO POINT AT RED IN SCENE 15 AND 16.
17. Warden inside Andy's cell, exactly the same look of the character (costume, hair), and the accurate lighting for the setting and time of day.
18. Two guards speaking, the room is seen to be the exact same set up as previously seen.
19. Return to 17.
20. Return to 18.
21. Shot reverse shot, other side of guards, looking to the warden, the room has the exact same set up.
22. Return to 18.
23. Return to 17, but further away.
24. Return to 18, but with a match on action as the warden walks forward from the previous shot into this, posters remain the same position, Red is brought into the room.
25. Return to 17.
26. CU Red
27. CU Warden
28. Return to 26.
29. Return to 27.
30. Return to 26.
31. Return to 17.
32. Return to 26.
33. Doesn't break the 180 degrees rule from the shots of the warden, makes geographical sense.
34. Poster on the wall- seen previously in the film, remains in the same place.
35. Return to 26.
36. Return to 33.
37. Return to 26.
38. Return to 33.
39. Return to 26.
40. Return to 33.
41. 26, Stone is thrown from out of shot at Red, we see and hear the stone, relative to the time it is thrown.
42. Return to 33.
43. Return to 26.
44. 33, stone is thrown towards the camera, where the poster would be.
45. Return to 26.
46. Return to 33, sound of the stone falling is heard.
47. Return to 26, camera zooms back, and the warden walks forward into the scene, this makes sense due to his positioning within the scene.
48. Attempted match on action, as the warden rips the poster away the camera has moved to the inside of the wall, looking out from the escape hole at the warden, the guard and Red, in Andy's cell. Andy's pictures are seen to be in the same places on the walls. HOWEVER- THOUGH IN THE PREVIOUS SCENE THE WARDEN PUSHES HIS WHOLE ARM THROUGH THE POSTER, IN THIS SCENE HE ONLY USES HIS HAND TO PULL IT AWAY FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
OVERALL:
The costumes and hair and make up do not change, and the set up of Andy's room remains the same too.
The Shawshank Redemption - Escape from Andy Dufrense
1. The clip opens with an establishing shot of the whole prison block, as the guards walk in.
2. Then we cut to a CU of the cell doors opening, and Red (Morgan Freeman) exiting his cell.
3. We then see from Red's POV, the view down the corridor, we see here that the 180 degree rule is not broken, as we remain on the same side of the wall, simply facing the opposite direction.
4. The action then cuts back to the first shot, which accurately shows the guards standing in position, in conjunction with the time which has passed between shots (the guards are all where they should be).
5. We then see the guard from the opposite angle, this is a shot-reverse-shot.
6. Return to 1.
7. Return to 2.
8. Return to 3.
9. Cut to CU of the warden, zoomed in shot of the set up from 1 (establishing shot).
10. Return to 5.
11. Return to 1.
12. Camera sweeps past the cell doors as the guard walks past, the mise-en-scene matches up, with the same cells and order of prisoners.
13. Internal shot from cell, we see the guards and prisoners in the background, exactly where they should be for the scene to continue to make sense, and stay accurate to the surroundings, we also see a match on action when the guard turns from the previous shot, and ends up at the doorway.
14. Cut to the warden in his office, tying his shoes as the alarm bell goes off.
15. Back to the set up of 2, but without the men outside, and the cell doors are closed, this is accurately following the storyline.
16. CU Red's face through the bars, same costumes etc. THE WARDEN USES A DIFFERENT HAND TO POINT AT RED IN SCENE 15 AND 16.
17. Warden inside Andy's cell, exactly the same look of the character (costume, hair), and the accurate lighting for the setting and time of day.
18. Two guards speaking, the room is seen to be the exact same set up as previously seen.
19. Return to 17.
20. Return to 18.
21. Shot reverse shot, other side of guards, looking to the warden, the room has the exact same set up.
22. Return to 18.
23. Return to 17, but further away.
24. Return to 18, but with a match on action as the warden walks forward from the previous shot into this, posters remain the same position, Red is brought into the room.
25. Return to 17.
26. CU Red
27. CU Warden
28. Return to 26.
29. Return to 27.
30. Return to 26.
31. Return to 17.
32. Return to 26.
33. Doesn't break the 180 degrees rule from the shots of the warden, makes geographical sense.
34. Poster on the wall- seen previously in the film, remains in the same place.
35. Return to 26.
36. Return to 33.
37. Return to 26.
38. Return to 33.
39. Return to 26.
40. Return to 33.
41. 26, Stone is thrown from out of shot at Red, we see and hear the stone, relative to the time it is thrown.
42. Return to 33.
43. Return to 26.
44. 33, stone is thrown towards the camera, where the poster would be.
45. Return to 26.
46. Return to 33, sound of the stone falling is heard.
47. Return to 26, camera zooms back, and the warden walks forward into the scene, this makes sense due to his positioning within the scene.
48. Attempted match on action, as the warden rips the poster away the camera has moved to the inside of the wall, looking out from the escape hole at the warden, the guard and Red, in Andy's cell. Andy's pictures are seen to be in the same places on the walls. HOWEVER- THOUGH IN THE PREVIOUS SCENE THE WARDEN PUSHES HIS WHOLE ARM THROUGH THE POSTER, IN THIS SCENE HE ONLY USES HIS HAND TO PULL IT AWAY FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
OVERALL:
The costumes and hair and make up do not change, and the set up of Andy's room remains the same too.
Monday, October 8, 2012
BLK3- Continuity Sequence
Our Accident
We planned to show a girl walking, and tripping onto a boy sitting down, ending with a tense romantic 'meeting'. Our first shot was a long establishing shot, showing the girl exiting the building, distractedly looking in her bag, followed by a MS pan as she continues walking past. The next shot is a tilted close up showing her foot tripping over an umbrella, followed by two shots of her falling, from different angles, with the second including the boy she is about to fall on. We finished with a close up shot of the boy and girl looking at each other.
POSITIVES
We attempted to create a match on action.
Tilted shot creates a sense of disorientation and adds diversity
The shots linked together quite well, and the overall story did make sense.
The first shot established setting, and story (distracted rummaging leading to a trip)
Continuously kept on one side of the action.
I think our panning shot as the girl walks past is good, and effectively conveys what is going on.
NEGATIVES
On either end of each shot, there was more time than needed, leading to awkward cuts and lack of synchronicity leading to us not creating an exact match on action, though we tried to.
Jump cut to last shot.
Last shot is too static and doesn't fit in with the other shots of movement.
The falling shots are too similar
&FINALLY
This is an edited version of our continuity sequence, as you can see it makes a lot more sense, as most of the excess video between each shot has been edited out, allowing the whole sequence to flow a lot better and make a lot more sense.
I think we did quite well for a first attempt, especially as I thought this task was quite difficult. However there are obviously a lot of improvements to make, and I will bear these in mind in our next project.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
DYM2- Opening Sequence
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
-2004, RomZomCom
"A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living."
Shaun of the Dead -Intro
ENIGMA CODE
- Why are they in a pub?
- Why is the couple out with their friends on what appears to be a date?
- Why are they ALWAYS in the pub?
- Will their issues be resolved?
- Will Shaun 'change', as he promises?
- Why has Shaun not let Liz meet his mother yet?
- Why are these ordinary workers shown?
- What is the relevance of their 'zombie-like' state?
ACTION CODE
- Serious relationship conversation- but in the presence of both their friends, with their input.
- How will the date at the 'Place That Does All The Fish' go?
- What will happen next to all the people shown?
- How will these people connect to the main character?
SEMIOTIC CODE
- Pub
- Relationship
- Everyday lives of the working class
CULTURAL CODE
- Recognisable 'unskilled', boring jobs
- Everyday activities
- Mundane life
- 'Stuck in a rut'
- Relationship troubles
SYMBOLIC CODE
- Zombie people- comments on the mundane everyday lives of the working class. Boring repetitive jobs, teens listening to music, people waiting for a bus, shows how the people of today are like zombies, as they go about their lives. Dialogue shows that Shaun is stuck in his boring repetitive life in the same way (mentioned how much time they spend in the Winchester with this same group of people), then his sleepy stagger and yawn create a funny end to the opening scene, whilst clearly stating that the clip of all the zombie-like strangers is a comment on his own life.
-2004, RomZomCom
"A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living."
Shaun of the Dead -Intro
ENIGMA CODE- Why are they in a pub?
- Why is the couple out with their friends on what appears to be a date?
- Why are they ALWAYS in the pub?
- Will their issues be resolved?
- Will Shaun 'change', as he promises?
- Why has Shaun not let Liz meet his mother yet?
- Why are these ordinary workers shown?
- What is the relevance of their 'zombie-like' state?
ACTION CODE
- Serious relationship conversation- but in the presence of both their friends, with their input.
- How will the date at the 'Place That Does All The Fish' go?
- What will happen next to all the people shown?
- How will these people connect to the main character?
SEMIOTIC CODE
- Pub
- Relationship
- Everyday lives of the working class
CULTURAL CODE
- Recognisable 'unskilled', boring jobs
- Everyday activities
- Mundane life
- 'Stuck in a rut'
- Relationship troubles
SYMBOLIC CODE
- Zombie people- comments on the mundane everyday lives of the working class. Boring repetitive jobs, teens listening to music, people waiting for a bus, shows how the people of today are like zombies, as they go about their lives. Dialogue shows that Shaun is stuck in his boring repetitive life in the same way (mentioned how much time they spend in the Winchester with this same group of people), then his sleepy stagger and yawn create a funny end to the opening scene, whilst clearly stating that the clip of all the zombie-like strangers is a comment on his own life.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
BLK2- Film Clip Analysis
MEAN GIRLS
This is a well known American comedy film starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, the clip I've chosen is one of the most memorable and famous scenes from the film.FILM-MAKING CONVENTIONS
-Set in an American high school cafeteria- typical setting, white, clean, set with tables and chairs.-Students look typical of an American high school- clip features a voice over narrative explaining the types of social clique, these cliques are typical of the comedy, rom com genre, and will be familiar to teenagers across the world.
-Upbeat musical track
-Voiced over by character: Janis Ian
-Begins with a hand drawn map, fades into actual film of the students
-High school slang clique names
-Centres around stereotypes of highschool cliques
-Ends with the most important and influential group, leading into the next scene and dialogue exchange
-Quick blurred sweeping camera motion between groups of people
CULTURAL CODES
-High school, fitting in-Sterotypical 'Queen Bee'
-Stereyipcal behaviour from each table eg. Girls eating, couples kissing- entire clip is based on recognisable stereotypes, these are recognisable to audiences from all over the world, not just those already exposed to the American high school environment
-Heroines attire: shirt and jeans, tomboy, dressed down, shy, doesn't want to draw attention to herself
-Plastics attire: fashionable, tight clothing, perfectly styled hair and make up- effort taken in their appearance, clearly are the girls who everyone aspires to be like (esp, the 'wannabees')
-Cafeteria, an everyday regular setting
Monday, September 17, 2012
DYM1- Analysis of Film Still
-The main focus of the shot is Jim Carrey- Truman Burbank, it shows him in his normal home environment- his bathroon, but shown on a tv monitor. He looks normal, as is wearing pajamas and has messy hair, and from this still seems just a regular American man in his 30s, which is how the film wishes to present him, and this is the main appeal of the 'Truman Show' everyone tunes in to watch. Having this image shown on a TV monitor highlights the main story of the film, and ultimately sums up the film within one still. It shows how he is constantly being watched, and from a such high-tech, scrutenised way, which can slightly startle or freak-out the audience.
-The lighting of the central part of the shot is very bright, connoting the happiness of Truman's safe carefree life. However, the darkness of the monitor suggests he is surrounded by something a lot less positive and bright, something he is blissfully unaware of.
-Finally, the framing of this shot causes the audience to feel outside and unattached with the character of Truman, and makes us feel part of the production team, who he is fighting against. This causes the audience to feel sympathetic towards Truman's plight, and can ultimately cause the audience to question reality, and what we see around us.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
BLK1- Film Stills &Evaluation
My shot depicts a teenage boy roughly being pushed against a brick wall by a pair of hands. It is a close-up shot, focusing in on his facial expression and the action taking place. I think this represents my chosen genre of 'Thriller' as it has very dark colours, with dim lighting, and half of his face shadowed.
To achieve this effect I asked my actor to look scared, whilst another actor held him roughly against the wall, I then framed this to only show the face and the hands, so a lot is unclear. The shot is low angled, so he seems more powerful, despite him being threatened. I made the shot dark, to create a feeling of mystery and danger, and the boys face is half shadowed, which suggests he may have something to hide. The actor looks slightly scared, but also seems quite strong and in control, without breaking his gaze, which gives him a persona of strength, presenting him as the hero (or anti-hero) of the film. Wearing the colours black and red communicate darkness, mystery, intensity and danger to the audience. The setting, with the brick wall in the background shows this incident takes place on the street, which is an appropriate and common setting for the Thriller genre.
I think the most successful thing in this shot is the framing, as this really draws the whole image together, and also the lighting. However in hindsight, I might change the position of the actors to create more tension, such as a tighter hold on the collar and a more emotional facial expression.
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