Question 5 part 2

Question 6;

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

What technologies have you used?
Throughout making our opening sequence we used a number of different techniques which helped us to improve our piece expanding our skills and gain a better grade. We used blogger, screengrabbing, screencast, tripod, fig rig, live type, final cut pro, da font, youtube, freesound and imovie. When filming the tripod and fig rig helped us to sustain a steady shot to avoid camera shake or to make our shots smooth and interesting. We managed to get some good shots with both equipment by adjusting the height of the tripod to get various levels (ground or high) or using the fig rig during out running shots to give a more jolty effect. Live type, final cut pro, da font, free sound and imovie basically created our opening helping us edit and change different things like the sound to get the result we wanted and to emphasise our piece. Using imovie, blogger and youtube we made our piece a video format and uploaded it making it easy and viewable. Blogger helped us keep track of our work e.g. planning etc and kept us organised keeping it all in one place.

www.youtube.com

What technologies are brand new to you?
Using Imovie was new to me as even though I knew roughly what it was I wasnt completely sure how to use it. Whilst creating our opening sequence I learnt a lot about effects and sound making our opening a good standard and allowing us to expand our techniques coming to a final piece which portrayed our storyline and atmosphere.


What technologies have you developed your skills in?
 Throughtout planning and constructing our opening I feel i've mainly developed my skills in filming and general camerawork but more so editing and working with the macs. I think I have improved alot in using imovie and understand it a lot more now and am able to do basic editing skills using effects and sound techniques. I also feel I have improved using the macs in general e.g. knowing where everything is and being able to find what im looking for on my own.

What technologies have allowed you to produce something really creative?
Imovie was the main thing that helped us produce our opening. The effects or transitions etc and colour change really linked to our storyline and helped us portray the atmosphere and feeling we wanted to give.

What technologies have allowed you to display your work in a certain way?
Blogger has been the best and most effective way of showing and displaying work. It keeps your work in a neat and tidy format which is easy to use and understanding making it easy to find your work as its displayed in order over time. Youtube has also been effective when displaying work. When finished with a video we would render and upload keeping our videos together and uploading them so they are easy to access and availible to look at.

What technologies need careful planning?
Using the camera when filming needs careful planning for booking equipment
because you cant use the camera in the rain. You also need to plan what your doing and what your going to film to ensure your doing the right thing and get everything done that needs to be achieved. Editing also needs to be planned to have a rough idea of your film/opening which also helps when filming.

Were there any times you had to do something again because you didnt do it correctly?



What have new technologies allowed you to do that old ones didnt?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

 Our opening sequence is a thriller about child abduction and kidnapping so the age of our viewers would be 18-24. Our opening is mainly aimed at young people and students who can quite easily associate and relate to it because it is about a young girl and it helps young people be aware of dangers. We have aimed it at young people because we feel these will be the best at watching our film and thinking of it in a creative way and remain focused because they will be intrigued and interested. We want them to understand our piece and enjoy it making them ask questions and feel involved with whats happening. We decided to focus on a feminine/female audience because we feel these can best relate mainly because of the female characters within our film. We also hope that as a female audience they will understand and feel the emotion involved and possibly become emotionally attached to the characters.

My media opening sequence

Opening Sequence: Second Draft

Question 3;

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Pathe is the distributor of our film. It is a french company which became the worlds largest film and equipment company. We chose Pathe because we felt it best suited our film and genre. Pathe mainly distribute low budget, low key films and aim on films with a creative or interesting streak/twist. Pathe normally focus on films with hidden meaning making them entreging and exciting for the audience. It normally distributes creative film linking with the conventions of our genre.

We very much focus around the idea of family within our thriller even though its aiming on something that is distressing and bad, we have very much aimed it around the idea of family and relationships/bonds. Because of the connections and bonds between each character e.g. the two young girls being sisters it displays the emotion em-phasing the abduction and the traumatic happening. Because our film is about teenagers and child abduction and crime within young adults our film is aimed towards this age group as they could have best possible understanding and it raises awareness for them speaking for victims of such crime.  This is why we feel Pathe best displays this as it works for thrillers which is our genre and is best for creative film e.g. hidden meaning which is good because ours very much links to mystery but at the same time displays to certain people/age group.

127 hours is another film which Pathe have distributed which is similar to ours. It includes life and survival which links to ours as ours is also based around life or death situation. It displays the family view as he often talks of home and his family life showing his love for his life linking with emotions. The film isn't just a crime that needs to be solved but also gives a meaningful story to emphases him as a person and whats going on, this also links with our film.

Question 1;

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In an opening sequence there are 8 different conventions these include titles, soundtrack, establish mood/theme, establishing shot, giving the audience clues, prompting the audience to ask questions, equilibrium or disequilibrium and a production/distribution logo. Titles are used to introduce the film and show the name which could lead to knowing what the films about. It could also tell who’s in the film and the director or camera crew etc. to give main information on the film in general e.g. the film ‘Brick’ clearly says the title to let the audience know the name of the film. The writing is in clear white font. It is quite plain and not very colourful which makes us focus on the text and what it says. The soundtrack helps to enhance the atmosphere and feel of the film and usually links with the genre and what the films about. It normally creates a feeling for the audience to gain a response or reaction. By giving the audience clues it makes the film more interesting and exciting because it doesn’t give the full information and leaves the audience wondering about certain aspects e.g. why is the character there? What’s happening? It gains their full attention throughout so they remain intrigued and focused on the film. A production/distribution logo lets the audience know who’s responsible for creating the film and getting it well known. It is more for the benefit of the production team so people know who helped make it reach the cinemas or become public etc.

The genre of our film is thriller. The conventions within a thriller include Cinematography; Characters; Theme; Sound/Music; Mise en scene and editing. These are used within a thriller to help emphasis what is happening making it more exciting and what it’s about etc. We used a range of conventions within our opening including including close-up’s and distant shots (When shannen is running and when I’m in the kitchen turning the kettle on). We showed our characters in a natural way but kept the girl and the man hidden to avoid showing their true identity. We wanted to do this to keep the audience interested and excited about the opening as they didn’t know who the characters were making them wonder and ask questions. We used a wide range of different shots to make it more exciting from different angles and to show it in different aspects e.g. from each character. We decided not to used any talking as we thought it may be easy to understand for the audience and we wanted it to be secret and a sense of mystery so the use of faint, spooky, eerie music gave a unnerving atmosphere and feel to the opening fitting with the story. Our fast paced editing and cuts between two different scenes built tension reaching a climax.

Question 2

  How does your media product represent particular social groups?

We have shown a number of characters through our opening involving a young girl (teenager), her mother and the abductor committing the crime. These are a range of ages to make it more interesting and not just the same thing or appeal to a specific age group. We have used a range of age groups also to emphasise the fact the young girl is somewhat innocent and vulnerable making it more interesting. By using a young character it gains the audience attention as they feel sympathy for her because there is a sense of innocence and vulnerability. We show this when she is running because this tells us she is in danger and essentially the vulnerable one. We show the mother as a stereotypically viewed mother in the kitchen, cleaning and making tea. We thought that this will also make it easier to understand and work out who she is.

Opening Sequence First Draft

Producing a shooting schedule

Portrail of roles

Hannah- The mother of the teenager that gets kidnapped. She is in the clips where it is set in the kitchen, Hannah will be dressed in normal, casual clothes because it is a mundane atmosphere. Shannen- I will play the teenage girl running in the field away from the kidnapper because i have clothes that fit the costume that my group wants her to be wearing. Lewis- Lewis will play the role of the kidnapper because he is the only male in our group and we envisioned the kidnapper to be a man. He also needs to help with the camera work while me and Hannah are in the frame because the kidnapper is the character that appears least.

Producing an animatic

Producing a storyboard for our opening sequence.

Producing a script in our opening sequence.

In our thriller opening, the use of dialogue is somewhat minimal, this is deliberate as although dialouge is a much faster way of bringing points across, visually portraying dilemmmas/themes portrays a more lasting appeal.

[Radio]: ‘So that’ll be coming up.

Breaking news on today, there has been a significant rise in the recent child abductions mainly effecting young women aged in their mid-teens. We would like to take this opportunity to alert both parents and children to be aware of their local neighbourhood for this recent incident. Mandy Corfeild was the last recorded victim abducted in London, her parents are avidly searching for her.'

Our script is based off a radio report which would diageticlly play through the first few moments of the opening sequence. Considering this line of dialogue is being produced by a radio, we plan to edit the audio quality by dropping the bass and eq level, and adding in a low level of white noise to create a more immersive atmosphere.

All the editing will be done on a free music editing program called Audacity

When planning the dialogue to be a radio broadcast, we wanted a convincing V/O artist to record the lines, the head of the Media department, Mr Metacalfe has previously worked in the radio buisness, announcing news bulletins, I decided to Email him about recording several lines for this broadcast. 

Designing a production Logo

In our opening, including our titles we had to produce a logo for our mock-up production 

company which has developed the film opening. 

The logo designed is influenced by the electronic soundtrack and historical decades in which the film is set in.

The logo itself uses a series of complimentary colors which create a contrast between the forms in the logo, much like the contrast between the mother and daughter in the film.

Props and costume;

Props;

- Radio

- Newspaper

- Kettle

 

Our opening starts with the newspaper and focuses/aims on the title as this plays a big part in our storyline. It then pans from the newspaper to a radio in the kitchen whilst following the mother. The next major important prop is the kettle as this plays a big part in creating the scene and building tension/excitment.

 

Costume;

Because our opening is set in 1995 the fashion and clothing will be a bit behind to show and represent the timing of our story. We want the mother to appear and show shes older and somewhat 'stuck in the past' represented by the classical, outdated, 70's look to portray the character and time set. We want to show the daughter more young and free by giving her more updated and recent clothing to also show and represent her age and somewhat innocence.

 Post 4 - Sound;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX0-FSZuHww

I quite liked the sound of this clip and thought it would fit and work well with our piece. Its quite scary, jumpy but also mysterious creating a spooky and on edge atmosphere. It very much portrays the emotion of fear working well with our theme of kidnappying and abduction esspecially with the scream of a girl. I think alot of this could be used towards the beginning to start and set the atmosphere and like how it starts calm and builds to a climax. It also uses the natural idea of weather well e.g. making it more scary by having thunder and rain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZAn-gIiqfY

For some reason I really liked the sound and feel of this one. Its more natural and calm and actually saw it working well at some parts of our opening. It was a general one of what could possibly be the surrounding area of a certain place maybe where the girl is or when she goes home to discover her mother isn't there. Its calming and soothing but also gives an empty and quiet feel and makes you question and wonder if anything is going to happen suddenly because it works well creating tension and for a tension builder. It also contrasts with the other sounds and music I chose which I think could work effectively and make the opening more interesting and exciting.

What titles;

Distribution logo;

The distributer is the logo of a company which helps promote and get a film out into the cinema or on DVD. The more famous and well known the distributer the more succesful it my be because people will know who they are and how the film may be, making them want to watch it.

Cast;

Cast are often shown in the order of their importance/priority. The most important actresses and actors etc are often shown first and then the others follow. Their importance also depends on their role and how long they are shown for. For child actors their name is always put afterwards because of their age being young so even despite being a main character they will be put after the adult characters e.g. 5th onwards.

Crew;
A film crew is a group of people hired by a production company for the purpose of producing a film. The crew are shown/introduced in the opening sequence normally after the cast. The crew are the main people to have organised and created the film.

Title sequence VS trailer;

 

Title sequence;

A title sequence normally introduces what your watching e.g. film, show or programme. It normally includes titles, main cast, and key production often following opening credits but doesn't give full information like storyline etc but does relate and link to what the programme or film is about.

 

 

 Trailer;

A trailer is more of an advertisement if anything of a featured film that will appear in the cinema, showing clips and scenes from the film and gives a rough idea of what its about e.g. storyline. It introduces some of the characters and gets the audiences attention making them want to see/watch it. Trailers are often shown before a film so the audience will see them.

 

 

 

The difference between a title sequence and trailer is that a title sequence introduces and informs you about the film e.g. characters and production however a trailer actually shows and advertises the film using clips from it giving more of the storyline.

Brief;

For our activity the task we were set was to make an opening sequence for a certain genre like thriller in a group of three. Together we would create a 2 minute opening which introduces the start of our film and possibly the main story line. This opening must include titles, logos and anything we feel should be included e.g. tension builders and a main plot/story. All materials e.g. music/audio must be our own or from a copyright free source.

Film synopsis;

In our opening sequence we are basing it around the disappearance/kidnapping of a young girl and how the mother deals with it. At the beginning we show the view of an ordinary life in contrast to an exciting/scary event e.g. a young girl getting kidnapped. We have the use of a jump cut between scenes to build tension and create a climax. We shell remain calm at first showing a lady in her home doing everyday events possibly cleaning or pottering around etc and change it back to the character of a young girl and show the relationship and link between characters by fading and zooming on a frame/picture of the both of them. We shell show the girl in a dark place, alone and scared to make the audience ask questions such as whats happened? Where is she? Whos behind it? and to raise attention to the character herself e.g. is there a reason she in paticular is there? We will reveal some and basic information or details to give a rough idea but not all information to make it exciting and interesting and to gain the audiences full attention making them engage and become intreagued as to whats happening. The film fits into the thriller theme because its exciting , using the emotion of fear and has the use of making you jump or become on edge.

The year is 1995, in a southern eastern London neighbourhood. The daughter of the mother is kidnapped by a mysterious stranger and the mother has a breakdown.The mother spends most of her time searching for her daughter alone, without the help of anyone including police.
Several years pass, the daughter is still alive and now lives a different life from before. During the years of her kidnapping she is now adapted and become used to her life and dilemmas she has had to live. Living in a world almost alien to her. She learns the tragerties and mystery of her previous family.
During the end of the film, she returns home which is turned into drug dens and the streets are paved with papers and debris. She finds her old home, and nothing more.

Initial ideas;

These are our initial ideas for our opening sequence which involves the kidnapping and disappearance of a young girl and how the mother reacts.

Three possible locations for opening;

 

A dark, deserted alley way/car park could be good because it creates a spooky atmosphere as its empty and echo's which could be effective for noises.

By a river or dark lake because it links to a possible murder and is also scary.

A deserted, empty and quiet street causing questions and because its behind bars could link to police and investigation or crime such as prison.

Analysing our genre through VoxPops

In this we found most people liked and enjoyed thrillers for the fast paced music and sound creating tension and atmosphere. They also liked them because they are exciting as they make you ask questions about whats happening and the characters emotions etc gaining your full attention whilst watching as you want to know whats going to happen. Most people agreed that a thriller needs to be spooky and jumpy to build tension possibly starting with a scary/jumpy scene and remain fast paced throughout to build and continue the feelings and emotions of the audience. Some people didn't enjoy thrillers because they didn't like being scared or on edge and prefer to not watch them.

Survey

This pie chart shows the majority of people that participated in our survey were male. 

The ages of the females that took the survey ranged from under 10-25.

The ages of the males that took the survey ranged from 11-25.

This shows that grim quiet music is a convention because more people expect to see it 

making it more popular.

This pie chart shows that many people expect to see low key lighting and is more popular

with men.

Spiderwick chronicles;

 

 

Mise-en-scene;

At first we see the production etc and we can see it says nickledeon suggesting its a kids film representing magical and fictional things. We are mainly shown close-ups and extreme close-ups of the room e.g objects and jars etc. This intrigues and interests audience making them ask questions and gaining attention. We also see the images in the book of creatures and dragons etc yet again telling us its a fictional and make believe story. When the book is closed and we see the house we can see its deserted on its own in the middle of nowhere giving quite a spooky and scary effect and it leaves us wondering where this house is? and why its on its own? Towards the end when we the music fades and we see headlights we feel at some sort of ease as there is actually life and the lights of the car suggest comfort/hope and that these people might bring life back to the house etc.

Editing;
The first thing we see is the logo of the distribution company whilst slow music fades in. The shots become quicker and more fast paced as the opening continues building to a climax when we hear the roar. The main title of the film 'spiderwick chronicles' shows in big, old fashioned, gold lettering. It appears sparkling through the tree's and somewhat emerges and camoflages into the tree e.g. some of the letters look like branches and spiderwebs to match and link with the name. The use of having gold lettering links to the idea of adventure/treasure creating a magical feel. It is also similar to the gold ray of light shown from the book thats being written in. When the title is shown the background is zoomed out of focus e.g. has the use of blur to make us centerise and focus our attention on the title and what it says. The annimation of some of the plants is effective and is made to look as real as possible to relate to life. A cross fade between inside and out links the relationship, and is also effective when it shows a long shot of the house and fades into a more recent image of the house saying 80 years later.

Sound/music;
The sound in the opening starts as a faint drumming noise and fades/builds into high and low pitch throughout. The music is like harp/chimes with a mixture of natural sound using the effect of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Because of the chimes it gives the impression of a mystical/magical feel relating back to the genre of the film. It often switches between high pitch notes to low pitch and bangs, starting sinister and changing between linking to the idea of good (fairies) and evil e.g. twinkle and thunder suggesting whats going to happen in the film.The music builds becoming faster and faster with the opening of the door and the sound of footsteps. When the music starts to build it creates tension and captures the audiences attention watching every movement and happening. It continues to build until a sudden bolt of thunder and a loud roaring noise is heard when the book is closed, startling the audience and causing a reaction. It then slows back to the chimes giving the magical atmosphere again and slowly fades the engine of a car approaching eventually coming to a halt.

Camerawork;
Throughout the opening it often uses the effect of closeups and extreme closeups when showing the room filled with jars and insects etc to give a detailed view of the items and avoids actually showing us the man, making it more exciting and building tension. It also uses the rule of thirds when showing the titles (towards the beginning) has the title on the left and the natural surroundings of the room e.g. jars etc on the right. It uses a birds eye view from above the house to emphasise the riples/shock waves radiating from the house when the book is closed representing power and the strength of the book. It also has many jump cuts meaning it doesnt completely flow smoothly and often jumps from a long shot to a closeup. This builds and creates tension and excitment as the pace of the editing quickens, speeding up time and linking with the eratic editing and pace.

Bridget Jones diary;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D0zfB1l1x0

Mise en scene;

In the first scene of Bridget Jones diary's we see her at a gathering/family event dishing up food. By the surroundings and area we assume its that of an older person maybe a mother or grandparent and by what shes wearing we can tell its that of an older generation because women wouldn't often chose to wear this. We are then shown a long shot of a tall dark building on a grey/blue, dull evening conveying a sad and gloomy atmosphere. Because its dark and blue meaning cold we assume its winter and with this it causes the emotions of sorrow. This could possibly reflect back to the character herself and how shes feeling. The next image we are shown is of  a party hat on its own covered in snow this may represent sorrow and the feeling of loneliness. Its also contrasting because we associate party hats with fun and happy days but this one is on its own outside making us ask questions like who's it is and where its come from? The use of low key lighting makes it a mysterious and lonely surrounding. Its snowing meaning its winter and makes us think of Christmas which is supposed to be a happy and joyful time especially for children. When the long shot is shown of Bridget sitting on the sofa in her living room we quickly learn a lot about her as a character. Because she is laying on a sofa alone smoking and watching TV we immediately assume shes lonely and this is emphasized because of the shot type and her positioning in the room. The fact she is smoking links to addiction and that shes possibly not the healthiest of characters or one to necessarily care a lot about her appearance. Because shes wearing red Christmas pajamas we assume its Christmas or near that time making it unusual that shes on her own because Christmas is often about family and friends etc. When she stands up to check her phone we get the impression that shes wanting or waiting for someone to contact or phone her also representing loneliness and that she maybe doesn't completely want or chose to be this way. We know she likes alcohol and may use this to pass the time or a way to get emotions out because she practically downs a glass of wine in no time. When she starts joining in with the song it could show she knows it well and maybe often plays/listens to it. She starts to sing and dance to it, it could be her way of getting her emotion out or because she links or relates to the song in some way. She looks quite pathetic and sad meaning she could be depressed or upset about a certain situation.

Editing;

The first shot is quite long and lasts for about 11 seconds. Its effective when it freezes on a certain spot when Bridget says 'and that was the moment, right there'. By doing this is emphasizes this moment and makes that certain point stand out more then the rest. The fact it freezes and she says 'that was the moment' it gives the impression of her being trapped or stuck in that moment like she cant get away and its somewhat haunting her. It then fades into 3 different shots of the low key lighting, gloomy outside and stays on each one for roughly the same amount of time. The pace of the shots speed up with the music and each one mainly fades/cross dissolves working effectively in a couple shots because the room doesn't change but Bridget's movements around it does. When Bridget starts drinking her wine it stays on the same shot for a large proportion of time making us focus more on her movements and the lyrics of the song shes miming too. It only goes back to a long shot when the music builds up into a climax making it capture the audiences attention and remaining in perfect time. The text within the opening is quite a happy, bubbly funny text and is shown in a faint orange colour. Its positioning within the screen is often good and shown clear and bold and never hides or overlaps her face or important parts within the shots.

Sound/music;

The music fades in just when Bridget starts talking. As she continue's to talk about her life and the changes she wants to make (acting as an audio overlay) the music slowly builds and goes from a humming to more drums. The words of the music only come in when the inside of her house is first shown, yet again being perfectly in time. When the music fades out again the sound of Bridget's answering machine comes through saying 'you have no messages' emphasizing the fact shes alone and no one has contacted her. At this point in time we assume that its just as (the audience) who can hear the music, as we cant hear her TV and she was at first watching it, but when Bridget starts miming and dancing we know that she can also hear it too. This leaves us confused as to where the music is coming from e.g. has she got a CD player playing which we didn't originally see or is it simply in her head? reflecting her emotional state and how she feels. The song often repeats the words 'All by myself, don't want to be all by myself' which relates to Bridget and possibly how shes feeling at this moment. This is effective because the song reflects and gives the message instead of Bridget actually saying it making us concentrate and possibly understand more.When the music builds so does Bridget's actions and she along with us really get into the song captivating the audience and their attention towards the detail and happenings at this point.

Camerawork;

The camera first follows Bridget showing its attention to her every move and making it obvious to us that shes the main character in the situation. It then pans down and across and then up using a low angle shot making the building we are looking at big and causing us to be smaller. It pans from the front door up to a window possibly indicating where Bridget lives as it then shows her within her apartment/house. The long shot of her laying on the couch shows her surroundings and what shes doing and yet again emphasis's the fact shes alone. By giving a closeup shot of her TV it shows what shes watching and what she can see giving the impression from the character making the audience feel more involved. By then fading to a more close up view of Bridget we can see shes smoking etc. It often changes from close ups to long shots over the period of the next minute or so and doesn't change (e.g. pan or zoom) much or regularly, remaining simple and basic making you focus more on Bridget herself.

Wallander;

(Firewall, 7th December 2008)

 

 

Mise en scene;

We are first shown a shot of the sea from a birds eye view. This makes the sea look very large and over powering. It then pans up towards green hills and fields and zooms in Because we arent shown much else to start with it raises many questions like where they are? Who they are with? Whats going to happen? Why are they here? etc etc. We are then shown the back of which appears to be two young girls. The fact they are on their own and walking in the middle of what seems to be nowhere raises suspicions and worries. They are not talking to eachother and remain silent which causes an awkward and nervous atmosphere. It makes you wonder whats happened for them to be so quiet and why there is no general or friendly conversation. The one on the left has red strips in her hair which isnt considered that of the 'natural/normal' kind, indicating she could be different, unique or maybe considered a rebel. When we are shown a window with red on it we assume its blood. Blood only occurs in a situation of death or injury telling us that something dangerous or scary has happened and someone has been hurt making us curious as to whats actually happened. When we are shown the girls again, we can see their faces. Both remain silent and focused with a straight facial expression and looking ahead, refusing to look back. This could suggest they have no intention of helping or saving whoevers hurt and feel no remorse possibly meaning they are careless/heartless or have done this before. The one with the red strips in her hair has stained clothes and dirty marks on her face which look like blood making us wonder whether shes guilty or links to whats happened.

We can then see half of a mans swollen, bruised and cut face telling us hes the one whos been hurt. His eyes are closed showing hes unconcious or possibly dead. When we are shown the girls again, it becomes clear they are walking away/escaping from a stranded/deserted vechile because we can see it behind in the background of the both of them. A taxi driver card is covered in blood giving us more information that the person whos been injured is a taxi driver and also an image of a man and younger boy is shown also covered in blood. This indicates the man is a family person with children ultimately making him more innocent and having an effect on us because we feel sympathy and sorrow for him as a character. The last shot is of a blood covered hand dropping a weapon (knife) and because the hands similar to the older girl, we assume its her whos guilty of the whole situation.

Sound/music

The first sound we hear is a blowing/breeze wind sound huming and fading in. As the camera pans up towards the hills it faintly fades into music and gets more fierce and louder as the camera movement speeds up, building tension. It comes to a sudden hult/stop when the camera zooms closer to a deserted car and people walking. Then we hear diegetic sound of the footsteps of the girls walking and the crunch/rattle of their shoes. A radio echos once the shot of inside the car is shown giving a somewhat more laid back and average atmosphere, but quickly changes back to the natural diegetic sound when showing the girls. Each time the girls are shown their breathing becomes louder and more fast paced almost powering over the music indicating a sense of panic or rush ulitmately making the audience feel on edge. Despite all of this, faintly in the background you can hear the quiet humming of birds giving a more peacful and gentle feel. A sharp building high pitch twang/stab sound is sudden when the shot is shown of the girl dropping the knife, making us jump and react at that moment.

Editing;
The length of the shots vary and change throughout starting with quite a long shot and speeding up as tension builds. The cuts between each shot are quite sharp and quick and it often uses the effect of cross cutting between each place e.g. the girls to the car etc showing the relationship or link between each character. There are no titles throughout this short opening untill after the weapon is shown confirming something sinister has happened but because there is no titles or wording it makes you focus souly on whats happening.

Camerawork;

The camerawork is very effective and the first shot is good because the distance ranges making it far away and zooming in showing more of the surrounding area etc. An over the shoulder shot is also effective because it prolongs you seeing the characters straight away making it more interesting and exciting because we are unaware of whats happened or whats going to happen and it also gives the view from the characters opinion. The use of closeups is often showed which works effectively because it shows you things in detail without giving the full information e.g. who it is and whats happened. The use of bluring/fading the outside or background also works well because it again  raises questions making it more exciting etc.

The brick;

(Johnson, 2005 us)

(1.34)

Mise-en-scene;

We are first shown a shot of someones feet. They are dressed quite casually and are knealing/bending down over what looks like a curb. This first shot automatically causes the audience to ask questions such as who is this person? Why are they here? What are they doing? It then fades and focuses on a closeup of a boys face, whos wearing glasses and appears to be focused on watching something. We are given more of whats going on when it shows a long shot of the boy knealing to the side and watching an object. The surrounding area is quiet and dull. We are in what seems to be a river bank or possible sewers. This automatically creates an atmosphere and makes you feel nervous or on edge because you dont feel safe and know its not somewhere that is associated with comfort or safety. Even when we are quite clearly shown the boy he still remains hidden/covered because he has his hands cupped infront of his face. This could be to prolong the identification of who he exactly is, or he himself might want to remain unknown or he could be innocently lost in thought.We are first shown the boy and then we are given closeups of what appears to be a young girl with blonde hair laying on the side. Because she is not moving and laying in an uncomftable position we know she is unconcious, possibly hurt or even dead. This again raises questions such as who she is? Whats happened to her? And if the boy we are being shown too is in any way involved. Raising such questions makes it more exciting and intriguing to the audience because they want to know whats happening and ultimately feel more involved. The use of going back in time is really effective because it shows the situation from an interesting way and gets you thinking instead of all the answers and picture being easy to work out. There is a sudden change in atmosphere, making a sudden change in mood.When we are shown lockers we get the feeling of a school atmosphere making us question how old these characters are and if they hold a more young/innocent role. At first it often tries to avoid showing the boys face maybe to keep him unknown as it yet again only shows his shoes when he walks up to the locker. Maybe he doesnt hold any relevance or importance at the moment and therefore doesnt need to be shown just yet. When we see the note we already know it was left there by a female character and most likely to be the same one as shown at the start (because of the use of showing the same braclets) we know these two characters have a connection in some way because they clearly know eachother, its just not obvious what it is yet. By showing small personal aspects of each character we learn to know of them without knowing who they actually are. We know the boy has glasses and often wears these type of smart shoes and we know the girl has blonde hair and wears blue braclets. Therefore we can identify them as time goes on even though we dont know their actual name.

Editing;

At first the clip is quite slow paced remaining on each shot for roughly 10 seconds. It switches between each character first the boy then the girl and back again. This shows us theres a bond/link between two characters as the use of this somewhat binds them together. When the girls hand in the water is shown, the use of a graphic match is really effective as it switches and changes scene reversing back in time to a couple days before using her hand as a change. We are then given a title 'brick' in big, old fashioned capital letters. The lettering is white and the background black making it plain and simple but also stand out. The writing zooms out making it look like its moving away from you becoming distant. It then says '2 days previous'. To give a clear indication of the time change and make it understandable for the audience as to when this is.

Sound/music;
The  music is very much there at all times right from the start untill the end of the opening. It sounds like a high and low pitch melody/tinkling sound. It remains there untill the bell of the school fades in ringing acting as a sudden stop/break in the sound. Then sudden silence and the continuing average, normal noise of the school comes into role and continues in the background even when the title appears.

Camerawork;
The camerawork varies and changes throughout starting off quite random and shaky for effect and pans up when it fades into and focuses on his face. It then shows a long shot to give the atmosphere and feel of the surrounding area and to show roughly where they are. It slowly zooms into the shots when showing both characters and pans down towards to boys feet when hes walking towards the lockers coming to a sudden halt when reaching the floor. It also uses the effect of a long shot (yet again to show the surrounding area making the change in atmosphere) to a closeup of the bit of paper hes reading.

The sixth sense;

(shyamalan, 1999, US)

Mise en scence;

We first see a shot of a light bulb which isnt actually easily visible to the audience making us at first wonder what it is we are looking at. The fact the area surrounding the light bulb is dark tells us its the only light source in the room meaning its dark and dingey and not well or naturally lit e.g. doesnt have big windows. Also the fact the lightbulb doesnt have a shade tells us its not often used and somewhat neglected or not cared about. Because its literally just a light bulb hanging from the ceiling with know it has no homely or comforting feeling linking back to the dark and lonely atmosphere of the room. We then see a women coming into the room on her own ultimately making her vulnerable and defensless and the fact shes dressed nice with her hair and makeup done etc suggests shes going out which could explain why shes looking for wine. The wine bottles are dirty and dusty as she wipes off the dust when she picks the bottle up. This also gives an un-used and neglected feeling. Because they are dusty it gives the impression of them being old or forgotten about telling us this room isnt often used adding to the lonely and deserted atmosphere. We can tell by her sudden change of facial expression and the fact she slightly glances over her shoulder that she feels uneasy and uncomftable being inside this room because she senses that something is not quite right. The fact she turns round to look behind her shows she feels or is aware something is there as we hear an unexplained noise causing us to question what it is and putting us in her situation of feeling uneasy or possible scared. The shadow on the wall first makes us jump because we dont realise straight away that its hers raising tension. She then shivers telling us the atmosphere has suddenly/quickly changed or a cold draft/wind has caused her to have that reaction, yet again raising questions as to where it came from or what caused it. She clutches herself possibly seeking for comfort or safety and then results in running towards the stairs to escape the room as she somewhat cant bear to be in there any longer. The fact she runs shows shes in a rush to get out or is possibly running away from something in particular although that isnt obvious to us or even her yet. We are then somewhat thrown off track when we are shown a warm and well lit room with lots of candles contrasting to the original place we first found ourselves. Also the fact it has many cards with kiddy drawings on represents a sense of innocence and love also contrasting to the feeling we got from the other room.

   

Editing;

The titles at the start are in quite block, clear, old fashioned writing and zoom out to make it look like its coming towards you. They start as white and fade out to an ice-blue represnting cold and the emotion of sorrow. It also mainly stays in time with the music.The shots throughout the opening are quite fast paced and dont stay on a certain shot for too long. It starts as low level lighting making a scary and uneasy atmosphere and quickly changes when the surroundings e.g. room does.

Sound/music;

The music is quite a slow, spooky, opra style melody and sounds like something from a horror type movie. The music slowly fades out when the light bulb fades in and for a moment its almost peaceful/calm until we hear the sudden noise of the door we catches our attention and intrigues us as to whos there. We then hear the diegetic sound of footsteps which gets louder as the lady comes closer. We hear a background noise which isnt caused by the character making us uneasy and somewhat scared/nervous because we dont know what caused the sound. The sound of her breathing becomes louder and more paced in timing with her shiver as she shakes, this also builds tension as we dont know whats going to happen to her or who else is in the room. There is no music during this, making us completely focus on the diegetic and main sound and helping us to notice details like the pace of her breathing etc.

Camerawork;

The first shot is shown behind the wine rack giving a sense of someone being hidden and watching her without her knowing. It pans up and down with her movements and follows her suggesting and linking back to the fact of there being someone else in the room thats not easily visible. It tracks into her face to show her emotion and make you focus on the moment she feels or notices something is not quite right. By the zooming it makes that moment stand out in comparison to the rest. The shot that follows is really effective because it uses the rule of thirds technique and shows her shadow makeing it look like there should be or is someone infront of her. The fact she turns means she then puts her back towards what seemed like the direction of someone watching her meaning she can no longer see whats there making her at advantage and vulnerable. The use of the long shot under the stairs shows her full body and what shes wearing emphasing the fact shes dressed up and because its under the stairs making it low and hidden also again gives the feeling of her being watched esspecially because its the direction the sound came from. Because its at this angel it also makes the fact she ran up the stairs more obvious showing shes scared and wants to get away.

  

Momento analysis;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cifPv4QWTH0

Mise en scene;
For most of the opening we are shown the same image e.g. it doesnt change often and mainly shows the same shot of a hand holding a picture. Its only as time goes on do we notice the image is infact changing/fading with every flick of the hand which could represent a forgotten memory like its somewhat been erased linking back to the title 'momento'. The titles during the opening stay at the same steady pace. We can also see writing on the hand which isnt easily readable but could represent a secret message/meaning to the character or image. When the man places the image back into the camera we notice its an old camera giving an impression of the setting being a while ago e.g. past event and not a recent or future accurance, or it could represent the character himself e.g. he may be stuck in time (like a photo/memory) or possibly not aware of his surroundings and changes. When we first see the blood we know something has happended and most likely something bad like a murder or accident etc. Its only obvious that its infact rewinding/going backwards when the bullet moves to go back in the gun and the glasses move onto the victims head. The fact it rewinds back in time could also link to him having an old camera because the shots about time and the past. When he shoots the gun we also notice that the windows of the place he's in are covered in white sheets indicating an isolated, lonely or hidden room that not many people would often be in. This creates a mysterious and somewhat scary atmosphere and makes the audience ask questions such as how and why he's there. Just before it shows him shooting the man the gun goes to shots to his hand and because its reversed we know that he must of chucked the gun after he shot this man. This could mean its not his weapon giving him some credit because he may not be a totally bad or evil character as first presumed or it could represent the end of everything as he chucks the gun like he no longer needs it.

Editing;
The text/titles in the opening remain the same and stay at the same rythm/speed. The colour of the titles are ice-blood meaning a cold and lonely feeling. The titles are in time with the music always fading in and out whilst remaining in the centre.The director of this film has chosen to show the ending at the start which works really effectively as its unique, different and catches the audiences attention making them want to continue watching to see what happens. It somewhat first confuses them so they are left asking questions and wondering whats going on. The use of this is very quick, snappy and sudden in comparison to the slow, steady and calm beginning. It somewhat happens in a blink of an eye. The sudden change in pace builds tension and excitment to the point of the gunshot acting as a climax. The exaggerated sound also adds excitment and fear because it causes a reaction from the audience making us jump when the man shouts.

Camerawork;
The first shot, the closeup of the picture and the hand is effective because it doesnt give all information straight away and also leaves you asking questions like whos hand is it? Whats the picture for or of? making it more interesting. It uses a range of closeups a couple of times like when it shows the glasses and bullet on the floor. The use of these closeups are good because it gives the situation from another angle/perspective. When it first starts filming it shows him putting the image into the camera and then back into his pocket. The camera somewhat follows his actions gaining our full attention on what hes doing and making us notice details then pans up towards his face to show his facial expresion of shock. The further away shot of him standing when he reaches for the gun is slightly at a lower angle making him look taller or bigger. This makes you as the audience feel intimidated or small by this character unltimately making him bigger, of a higher status and possibly more powerful.

Sound/Music;
The sound within the opening starts calm and soothing and then speeds up becoming more upbeat and stops the second it flashes causing the atmosphere to change instantly, leaving the audience feeling shocked and nervous but also intrigued.

Job site video.

This is my 10 shot story of finding a locket.

Push a little button.

voilla What went well: Our video included all the continuity editing rules- mastershot, shot reverse shot, match on action, 180 degree rule and eyeline match. We used the 180 degree rule and remained on the same side to not confuse the audience. We used match on action when handing over the files and used shot reverse shot whilst talking during the conversation. Even better if: We could have made it more exciting and interesting and acting could have been more convincing. Also some shots could be more professional e.g. maybe when we passed the paper over as its not always showing the paper and the rule of thirds does'nt always apply.

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