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.

HW 2a - Existing opening sequence analysis (DYM)

My chosen movie: Back to the Future, is a fantasy, science fiction film. We can come to this conclusion due to the title that appears as it is quite bright and flashy, showing fantasy, and the font is quite futuristic, showing science fiction.
This movie is set in America (as we can tell from the accents) in 1985 (information that we also find out in the opening).

The opening:

The first thing we see is Steven Spielburg's name which immediately sets a high standard for the movie (due to the large success of 'Jaws' in 1975). The audience expects the movie to be good and this builds tension.
To add to the tension there is the ticking sound of clocks in the background, this is effective as usually when you are paying particular attention to time you are most likely waiting for something exciting. this also makes it quite intriguing for the audience as it creates the desire to find out the cause of the sounds.
Then we see the title, this is quite impressive as it bold and brightly coloured, it shows that the movie will be exciting, the futuristic font also builds on the idea of time travel as the title clearly gives away the theme.
When the clocks finally appear on screen there would have undoubtedly been some confusion; there's such a large number of random clocks that it's very odd - usually only one or two clocks would be necessary, so the fact that there are dozens of them is just excessive. But this acts as vital symbolism for the main character as we understand that he is clearly quite eccentric but also has an obsession with time. Obviously, time is a very important element as the whole movie pivots around it. Some of the clocks are also very weird and not something you'd see every day and this highlights how unique the main lead is.
As the camera pans we get an insight to the characters past with several articles, we find out his name (Brown) and also that he experienced hardship as his mansion was destroyed. As the articles are framed it is clear that this was a very big event in his life and one that greatly impacted him.
The radio then proceeds to inform us that we are in 1985, this was done to establish the setting and further add to this fixation on time.
It then pans to the coffee machine which is just spurting boiling water. This shows that the person that lives in this place is not there, making the coffee look very much like a failed experiment.
The TV then automatically turns on by a small alarm clock, this reveals how inventive and innovative the person that made that is. But the TV also acts as a source of information, revealing to us that a lot of plutonium was allegedly stolen by terrorists.
Then we see the toast and the dog food: the toast is burnt black and the dog food is over spilling from the bowl, just like the boiling water this shows the absence of the owner but also how the experiments can be considered a failure. As well as this, using mechanisms to open a can of food can be seen as slightly excessive and unnecessary which could imply that the main character is a little bit dramatic. The food bowl has the dogs name 'Einstein', people always say that dogs are a reflection of their owners and so the audience begins to form this image of a mad scientist as the main character.
But despite his eccentricity the protagonist is still quite a normal man, living a normal life. This is represented by the key hidden under the mat, it is something that is very common and that most people do.
As the new character comes in through the door he calls out "Doc" and so we can deduce that the protagonists name is 'Doc Brown'. Although we haven't yet seen him we are quite familiar with the character due to the morning routine we see; the man is quite odd and eccentric but also very smart as he managed to create machinery to aid him in the mornings. He seems quite organised as everything works continuously (such as the coffee or TV) but this is also represented through the on-going pan. His whole morning routine is taken in just one shot which shows how smoothly it works.
The new character that comes in has a skateboard and so we expect him to be quite generic, conforming to the norm. But as he pushes the board back it bumps into a box of plutonium (linking to the report on TV) and this creates juxtaposition. It's metaphorical for how normal people will be thrust into an unexpected situation.
Throughout the whole opening there is a build up of tension, firstly by showing Doc Brown's morning routine and expecting him to appear and then seeing a new character come through the door but never actually seeing what he looks like. This tension is shows through a visual metaphor - the buttons and dials on the amp accompanied with the increasing electrical hum. And eventually when we do see the character this is seen with a large explosion of the speakers.
The opening ends with the shelves falling down onto the boy which could link in with the other failed experiments.

Conclusion:
In the opening quite a lot is revealed about the personality of the main character, this is done to allow the audience to connect with him and so that the movie can move onto all of the action without leaving the audience dissatisfied that they do not know enough about the protagonist. The audience finds out that there will be some trouble with plutonium (as on the news it claimed that terrorists were involved and so this automatically creates an element of danger) but they also see this fixation on time and how important it is to the plot. As well as this juxtaposition is used to show that whatever strange things will occur in the movie will occur to completely normal, average people.
This is all the audience need to know as this leaves an element of wonder and curiosity as to what is yet to happen in the movie.

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

Our Film Still
(Featuring Noa and myself. Taken by Emilio)

From this film still the audience could deduce that the movie is most likely to be a horror due to the element of darkness and unnatural lighting in the frame. The frame within a frame acts as a signifier, perhaps suggesting that the movie is a psychological horror - the main character could be creating the 'monsters' for herself and they don't actually exist in real life.

Technical choices:
First of all, to create the desired effect we had to find a dark space; to ensure that no extra light was seen in the frame we closed all curtains and turned off all lights.
Noa acts as the main character and she is in a medium close-up, this makes the audience feel more involved in the story. In the background, however, you can see me creeping up on her, to be able to fit into the frame I had to stand on a bench but also crouch a little.
We used one light which was held by the 'camera man', we did this in order to only shine light upon the main character in the foreground and keep the rest of the frame very dark. We used a filter over the light to give it a blue tone in order to create that unnatural atmosphere.
We found a small prop and used that to create a frame within a frame, Noa had to hold this herself and so we conveniently cut that out of the frame.

Interpretations:
Using this film still we hoped that our audience would interpret:

• The use of a frame within a frame is metaphorical for how all of the nightmares are just in the main characters head, they're not real, they only exist in her world. This puts the film in the sub-genre Psychological horror. It symbolises the mental cage she has created for herself.
• The main character isn't looking directly at the monster and has no fear on her face which could suggest that she isn't aware of what is behind her, she's only just about to find out. But the audience could also interpret it differently - they could see her as being curious instead of scared and that this is metaphorical for 'fighting your own demons' and that the lead has to face her fears.
• The lighting used is very unwelcoming as it is not a soft, yellow light, instead it is quite harsh and cold. This could highlight to the audience that this is a dangerous scene but also quite unearthly and unnatural. The light only focuses on the protagonist , almost like a spotlight, this reveals that the monster is only focused on her and no one else. It also creates this image of good vs bad, the dark around her representing evil and the light representing good.
• The 'evil' in the background is hard to make out due to the darkness, this shows the mystery that we do not yet fully know what it is that's chasing the main character.
• Another small detail the audience  may have picked up on is the fact that the frame encasing the protagonist is slightly crooked. As the small frame is something that the character looks through it could be interpreted as her view on the world, as it's a little crooked this shows that she perceives the world differently to other people. As already established the movie is a phychological horror and so the frame could be a visual representation of the mental illness that has caused the lead to hallucinate, or it could also be interpreted the trauma that the character has experienced has made her 'crooked' and therefore quite unwell.

Conclusion: 
To summarise, I think we worked very well in a team and managed to integrate all of our individual ideas together.Personally I think the most successful aspect of our shot was the use of lighting in order to set the tone and also the use of a frame in a frame to create deeper meaning to the shot.
If we were to re-do the task I would probably want to use more lighting technique to accentuate the monster in the background a little bit more. In order to create a bit more mystery or suspense i would probably used a coloured light (such as blue, purple, or green) to shine in the background to create a bigger threat and feeling of danger.

HW 1a - Existing film still analysis (DYM)

Film still from the movie "Gravity"

The Narrative:

• In the foreground you can see Sandra Bullock, who plays the main character Ryan Stone, it's quite obvious that her facial expression shows signs of distress and we immediately get the sense that she is in trouble. The dull, unsaturated colours also show this as it sets the atmosphere, leaving the audience feeling quite cold and hopeless.

• The colour scheme also symbolises her loneliness; the colour blue is quite ofter associated with sadness and depression which further emphasises how much trouble the protagonist is in.
• The buttons and dials act as a signifier and we understand that they could very much be the solution to Ryan's problem. However the connotation that we get from this is that this issue is not an easy one to solve. This is because the quantity of the buttons and dials add to the complexity of them - as an average audience would definitely not have had experience with the controls on a spaceship so they would find it near impossible to be able to use them correctly. This despair and helplessness would be reflected onto how the audience emphasises with the main lead and they would share the emotion of powerlessness with her.
• The blue theme of loneliness also links with the background where there is a window which reveals Ryan's surroundings - nothing. There is nothing but empty outer space around the protagonist, meaning she is all alone. This highlights how alienated and secluded she is. As outer space would be completely out of the audiences comfort zones they will definitely be able to emphasise with the remoteness and desolation of the scene.
• Again we get to really understand and connect with the character as this still uses a medium close-up. Therefore, we feel as if we are within the spacecraft with Ryan and see things a little bit from her perspective.

Audience and Genre 

• The obvious setting of a spacecraft shows that this movie is a science fiction. But due to the dramatic use of colours and atmosphere this movie is also a drama. In addition to this, the composition of the film still and the theme of loneliness in a foreign environment suggests that the movie is also a thriller, pivoting around the ideas of how a person reacts to a life-threatening situation.
• Since the movie is only rated 12A it creates space for quite a large target audience. The themes of space and NASA would attract many young viewers as well as older ones, many people are interested in space as it is something new and exciting. The movie also tries to engage the audience with different techniques to make them empathise with the lead (as explained above), therefore this movie would be very interesting and intriguing to watch.