My prelim Evaluation

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

HW 4a - Plan your prelim video (BLK)

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

This scene from 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' uses many continuity techniques in order to create narrative flow, such as:

• Despite how busy the action is there is always match on action between all of the shots. A good example of this would be when Elizabeth falls into the sea and then we switch to Jack, but you can still see her falling. Similarly to this, when Jack jumps in to save her we get the 'seamless' shot of him jumping in from a perspective both in and out of the water.
• There is also quite a lot of cross cutting between the sets of Elizabeth in the water, the soldiers on the dock, and the soldiers running to Elizabeth. This gives the audience an understanding of what all of the characters are doing and creates narrative flow.
• The use of elipses allows the audience to fill in the missing bits themselves - such a the soldiers running to the docks - this means that the shots focus only on the important bits that are vital to the plot.
• There is a small use of shot-reverse-shot when Jack it handing all of his items to the members of the navy (at 0:30). This emphasizes how sudden and quick the actions are but also builds tension as we then expect Jack to jump.
• Another continuity effect is that there is always eye-line match. This means that the audience always knows who is talking to who and where everyone is standing.
• As well as this the 30° and 180° rules are never broken. This makes the scene coherent and gives it a polished feel.

HW 3a - Continuity task evaluation (BLK)

The story is simple; a girl walks out of a lift and on her way out manages to bump into someone. She then makes her way down a corridor and as she is preoccupied with her phone she bumps into a closed door.
In order to create narrative flow we tried to film all of our shots from different angles to give the audience a sense of space but at the same time we had to ensure that there were no jump shots, so none of our shots jumped from a close up to a long shot, for example.
However, despite our best intentions the video was still full of continuity mistakes like:

• The board that the girl walks past in shot 4 is the very same one that she walks past in shot 5. This reveals how between the shots the subject obviously took several steps back.
• Also in shot 4 you  can see that one of the doors is open, however is shot 6 the door is closed.
• The speed of the walking also changes throughout the video.

Mistakes such as these could have been avoided if we had more time and also if we filmed the entirety of the video from 6 different camera positions and then just used software to edit it all together.
But if we still had the same rules by which we had to film (only using 6 shots and piecing them all together on the camera) then i would still make several changes:

•  We could have placed shot 5 in between shots 3 and 4 in order to add more variations.
• Shot 4 could have also been filmed a bit more over-the-shoulder in order to establish that the girl is on her phone earlier on.
• perhaps to tell the story more effectively we could have replaced a shot by a completely different one after shot 6. This could have been a close up or a medium close up on the girl actually hitting herself on the door. This would have added more impact and made the audience feel more involved in the storyline.

HW 2c - Sound in film openings (DYM)

Music
The scene begins with a soundtrack which is quite slow and almost eerie due to its twinkling sound. Layered underneath this is a low bass line hum which makes the atmosphere quite mysterious, if not scary.
When we see the first character the music immediately gets louder and quicker, this reveals that the man is an important character and is the reason why it has been unnaturally quiet - he is not meant to be here, he's out of place.
The music highlights how important the arrival of the motorbike is and creates a sense of fascination.
The slow music engages the audience and makes them sympathise with Hagrid's sniffles.
The music ends and this brings the audience back to reality and normal life.

The music is all non-diegetic and is only used as an element to add atmosphere to the scene.

Sound Effects
An owl flies by and you can hear the flap of its wings which emphasises how silent the setting is (as an owl is one of the most silent fliers) and this also adds the eerie feeling that's something's not right - its unnaturally quiet.
We hear the man's footsteps and this draws our attention to him, we understand that he is quite important to this scene.
The sliding sound of the device he is holding is slow and deliberate to build suspense. the clicking and 'whooshing' of the lights being turned off shows that its unnatural and adds to the tone of mystery and displacement.
As we see the shadow of the cat transforming into a human there is music accompanying it  which makes the process seem very mythical and almost magical. But the sound effect also adds to the feeling that she is misplaced, she should not be in such an ordinary setting.
The sound of the engine breaks the quiet that has been present since the beginning of the scene - this is the reason why these strange characters are gathering in such a normal setting.
The skidding of the bike shows that it was in a hurry and adds a sense of urgency.
We can hear sounds the baby is making and this reveals it's vulnerability.
We clearly hear the crinkling of the letter and it highlights the importance of it as well as giving us a location (from the address on the letter).
The thunder accompanying the title foreshadows danger that will occur later in the movie.

All of the sound effects are diegetic and makes the audience feel involved in the scene.

Dialogue
The "Meow" is the first vocal sound and it breaks the silence, giving the audience a sense of normality. But then the man proceeds to speak to the cat and this is very odd, further continuing the theme of abnormality.
As the man and woman begin a conversation we get an insight to their world, we hear about 'rumours' and this captivates us but we also hear about 'the boy' and understand that he is a pivotal part to the story.
We are introduced to 'Hagrid' before we seem him by the other characters' speech. We already form an opinion on him - understanding that he is clumsy but also kind-hearted.
Hagrid's voice also adds to the sense of normality as it breaks the quiet and engages in a casual conversation.
"Good luck, Harry Potter." These words are significant as they introduce the main character and makes us wonder what will happen to him now.

All of the dialogue is diegetic and gives the audience insight about what is happening in the scene.

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

In 'Coraline' it starts with the credits on a simple background. At first the Production companies are introduced, then the main title, and then the actors. These titles are placed on a blank background to highlight their importance, making sure the audience pays attention.
Then it switches to an animation with the titles put over as a layer. Now the audience doesn't focus as much on the titles, instead their attention is drawn to the action behind them. This part of the opening features the crew. The titles alternate between corners where they can be clearly read.
The last title to appear is the Director and is placed in the centre of the screen, once again this just emphasises the title to the audience.
The titles also set the tone (along with the scene) as they are in a simple but elegant font, hinting at the fonts used in fairy tale books. The titles are also accompanied by eerie music which also helps to set the tone.

Unlike 'Coraline', 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events' begins by showing the names of the crew. The titles are intelligently placed to interact with the animation of the background, this effect makes it more interesting for the viewer.
The actors are only introduced much later in the opening when there is an evident change in music, animation, and colour scheme. This notifies the audience that a new set of titles are appearing.
The scene ends by introducing the production companies.