https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLDyrun_Cc
The opening credits of this film tell the story in brief with various animations. A convention of thriller is quite clear as the theme of 'identity' is there, as the main character is constantly changing his identity, giving a vibe of him being a con artist constantly trying to throw people and fool them. This is shown throughout the film. This also suggests to audience that if someone is changing their identity that someone is trying to seek or 'catch them'. The diagetic sound track reflects this as if has a 'mysterious' tone to it. The main animated character moves in a very distinctive way, making him appear shifty. This makes him appear as though he can keep calm under tense situations as expected from the protagonist in this genre. In the clip there is a lot of references to transport, this suggests the character impossible moving around a lot, suggesting he's constantly on the move. When it seems like he's going to get caught the music heightens, making the scene become tense for the viewer. although he doesn't get caught which makes the title 'catch me if you can' as he makes if difficult.
overall I think this title sequence is very effective as it gives a small insight to the film without giving to much away. its interesting therefore keeping the audience engaged without it getting boring. Spielberg successfully makes the title sequence have a dramatic flow.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Friday, 18 October 2013
Se7en opening credits analysis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEq-4fua3lM
The purpose of the opening credits to a film is to set the mood and atmosphere to give the audience an indication of the genre. In Se7en the credits are at the beginning rather than the end this give the audience no option but to watch and appreciate who put effort into making the film which I think is a very clever technique.
Se7en is particularly good at setting the mood and atmosphere with the creepy music, every so often we hear a screeching noise resembling a girls scream, this already suggests some type of horrific event will take place. we first see a hand turning pages of a book, the lighting upon it makes the hand look beastly and animal like. This is sets up the film as it gives a sense of mystery getting the audience thinking. We then move to a black screen with white titles reading 'Arnold Kopelson Production' the colours are very bold and purposely made to stand out, the colours could suggest there are antagonists as well as protagonists in the film. The font flickers slightly throughout the credits giving the audience a sense of feeling uncomfortable, the fact its looks like a child's handwriting also adds to the 'creepy' feel which is common in horror/thrillers.
The credits consist of disturbing images throughout which almost make you want to hide perhaps. although we don't see the figures face we are shown some hands throughout completing strange tasks. We as the audience quickly realise that this is a man due to the dirty, beaten hands that we wouldn't associate with a man. As they are so beaten it suggests to the audience he has been taking on some unusual activities.
The camera angles are effective within the credits as they don't use revealing shots such as mid shits as it would give away the mystery. this intrigues the audience which is what the director wants to achieve. The use of close and extreme close ups really emphasis the disturbing images, keeping the audience on edge. It is quite fast paced throughout to give a sense of panic and suggest the mind of this man is erratic.
The mise-en-scene gives the audience an idea of how the narrative will move forward, in the clip we see the male figure completing tasks such as developing photos, writing and reading. This implies he is planning something and thinking through it thoroughly and from our perspective it is something unpleasant. The colours throughout the credits are consistent of black, making it appear haunting. Red is the only bright colour that stands out, this is done to highlight the idea of blood also giving the audience more clues about how this man means no good.
The non-diegetic sound track has a dysfunctional and tense also linking back to the mans mind set. This also helps build up suspense for the audience.
Se7en is a great example of a thriller that takes on and successfully meets all the codes and convention's for a good opening of a thriller.
The purpose of the opening credits to a film is to set the mood and atmosphere to give the audience an indication of the genre. In Se7en the credits are at the beginning rather than the end this give the audience no option but to watch and appreciate who put effort into making the film which I think is a very clever technique.
Se7en is particularly good at setting the mood and atmosphere with the creepy music, every so often we hear a screeching noise resembling a girls scream, this already suggests some type of horrific event will take place. we first see a hand turning pages of a book, the lighting upon it makes the hand look beastly and animal like. This is sets up the film as it gives a sense of mystery getting the audience thinking. We then move to a black screen with white titles reading 'Arnold Kopelson Production' the colours are very bold and purposely made to stand out, the colours could suggest there are antagonists as well as protagonists in the film. The font flickers slightly throughout the credits giving the audience a sense of feeling uncomfortable, the fact its looks like a child's handwriting also adds to the 'creepy' feel which is common in horror/thrillers.
The credits consist of disturbing images throughout which almost make you want to hide perhaps. although we don't see the figures face we are shown some hands throughout completing strange tasks. We as the audience quickly realise that this is a man due to the dirty, beaten hands that we wouldn't associate with a man. As they are so beaten it suggests to the audience he has been taking on some unusual activities.
The camera angles are effective within the credits as they don't use revealing shots such as mid shits as it would give away the mystery. this intrigues the audience which is what the director wants to achieve. The use of close and extreme close ups really emphasis the disturbing images, keeping the audience on edge. It is quite fast paced throughout to give a sense of panic and suggest the mind of this man is erratic.
The mise-en-scene gives the audience an idea of how the narrative will move forward, in the clip we see the male figure completing tasks such as developing photos, writing and reading. This implies he is planning something and thinking through it thoroughly and from our perspective it is something unpleasant. The colours throughout the credits are consistent of black, making it appear haunting. Red is the only bright colour that stands out, this is done to highlight the idea of blood also giving the audience more clues about how this man means no good.
The non-diegetic sound track has a dysfunctional and tense also linking back to the mans mind set. This also helps build up suspense for the audience.
Se7en is a great example of a thriller that takes on and successfully meets all the codes and convention's for a good opening of a thriller.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Vertigo - opening analysis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CZfSc6nJ8U
At the start of the clip we see a close up shot of a woman. In thrillers women are often seen as vulnerable, this could link to the title of the film 'vertigo' as people with this may experience this feeling. The shot then moves up the woman's face to show an extreme close up of her eyes. I think this represents the suffering from vertigo as you have to see it to have the fear and anxiety. The clip then continues to show numerous spirals, this suggests the fear of falling described by sufferers of vertigo. This puts the audience in the sufferers position giving and insight to what they may feel like. The main colour running throughout the spirals is red which connotes danger, in the thrillers genre this is a common connotation.
The non diagetic sound track played throughout works very in creating the mood and atmosphere. It gives off a very disturbing vibe. As it progresses the music heightens becoming more jumpy. It helps create suspense, providing the audience with a hint that they are watching the thriller genre.
The credits are simple in the frame, I think this is perhaps done to let the audience focus more on the images in the frame. They aren't central apart from the main title 'Vertigo'.
The camera work, like the credits is very simple. the main shots used are extreme close ups followed by a slow steady pan. This again helps the audience stay focused on one thing without to much going on in the frame.
To conclude, I don't think this thriller is particularly that successful in meeting the connotations expected, apart from the music and colour red. As an audience we would expect to see more to give away what sub genre of thriller it is. This could cause confusion, as I think it would be hard for the audience to work out that they are watching a thriller.
At the start of the clip we see a close up shot of a woman. In thrillers women are often seen as vulnerable, this could link to the title of the film 'vertigo' as people with this may experience this feeling. The shot then moves up the woman's face to show an extreme close up of her eyes. I think this represents the suffering from vertigo as you have to see it to have the fear and anxiety. The clip then continues to show numerous spirals, this suggests the fear of falling described by sufferers of vertigo. This puts the audience in the sufferers position giving and insight to what they may feel like. The main colour running throughout the spirals is red which connotes danger, in the thrillers genre this is a common connotation.
The non diagetic sound track played throughout works very in creating the mood and atmosphere. It gives off a very disturbing vibe. As it progresses the music heightens becoming more jumpy. It helps create suspense, providing the audience with a hint that they are watching the thriller genre.
The credits are simple in the frame, I think this is perhaps done to let the audience focus more on the images in the frame. They aren't central apart from the main title 'Vertigo'.
The camera work, like the credits is very simple. the main shots used are extreme close ups followed by a slow steady pan. This again helps the audience stay focused on one thing without to much going on in the frame.
To conclude, I don't think this thriller is particularly that successful in meeting the connotations expected, apart from the music and colour red. As an audience we would expect to see more to give away what sub genre of thriller it is. This could cause confusion, as I think it would be hard for the audience to work out that they are watching a thriller.
Monday, 14 October 2013
Preliminary exercise evaluation.
http://vimeo.com/79603274
To show we understood the concepts of how to use a camera properly we completed the preliminary exercise that consisted on a short narrative including different shots.
We had never used a camera of this level before so it was a great way to learn how to frame shots properly in a good quality. Using the proper equiptment provided huge strength for us. The tripod made sure our shot were steady, not appearing hand held. It overall made it look more professional also making it easier for the audience to focus on what is happening in the frame. Another advantage of using the correct equiptment meant we could create tracking shots such as when Ashley is running towards the school.
However we faced some problems when it came to editing our clips. Firstly in one clip Lewis started talking so we had to cut the audio out all together which doesnt particularly follow the rule of continuity but on our actual film opening we will overcome this by making sure we dont talk when the camera is rolling. We then lost alot of footage when transfering it to the hard drive which meant we had to film on another sepreate day meaning our actor had to wear the same outfit and because he doesn't take media we had to fit it around his timetable which was alot of messing around.
When filming the coversation between myself and Ashley we had to follow the 180 degree rule this is basically an imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene. another rule we had to consider was match on action. This is "either an action commenced in shot A is completed in shot B, or an action in shot A is mirrored by an action in shot B". I think we followed these rules well for our first attempt at using camera equiptment.
To show we understood the concepts of how to use a camera properly we completed the preliminary exercise that consisted on a short narrative including different shots.
We had never used a camera of this level before so it was a great way to learn how to frame shots properly in a good quality. Using the proper equiptment provided huge strength for us. The tripod made sure our shot were steady, not appearing hand held. It overall made it look more professional also making it easier for the audience to focus on what is happening in the frame. Another advantage of using the correct equiptment meant we could create tracking shots such as when Ashley is running towards the school.
However we faced some problems when it came to editing our clips. Firstly in one clip Lewis started talking so we had to cut the audio out all together which doesnt particularly follow the rule of continuity but on our actual film opening we will overcome this by making sure we dont talk when the camera is rolling. We then lost alot of footage when transfering it to the hard drive which meant we had to film on another sepreate day meaning our actor had to wear the same outfit and because he doesn't take media we had to fit it around his timetable which was alot of messing around.
When filming the coversation between myself and Ashley we had to follow the 180 degree rule this is basically an imaginary line called the axis connects the characters and by keeping the camera on one side of this axis for every shot in the scene. another rule we had to consider was match on action. This is "either an action commenced in shot A is completed in shot B, or an action in shot A is mirrored by an action in shot B". I think we followed these rules well for our first attempt at using camera equiptment.
Preliminary exercise storyboard.
This is the storyboard for our preliminary exercise showing the different shots that will take place. We have made sure we have included the 180 degree rule and match on action shot to ensure we meet the standard to pass this task. The storyboard is only a rough copy and doesn't include every single shot which will be used in the short film.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Preliminary Exercise Script.
Wide shot of Ashley walking up the drive, the school is in the background. He has his headphones in and hums casually.
Close up shot of his watch.
Ashley: *Gasp* oh no I'm late! (close up of facial expression)
Various shots of Ashley entering and running down the corridors.
A match on action shot of Ashley opening and entering the room.
He sits down at a desk with Kate. (heavily breathing)
Ashley: Sorry I'm late Miss.
Kate: What are you doing here? (looking confused)
Ashley: I thought we had Media? (now also looking confused)
Kate: It's teacher training day...
Ashley: *eyes open wide* You've got to be kidding me! (puts head down on table)
-Fades out-
Close up shot of his watch.
Ashley: *Gasp* oh no I'm late! (close up of facial expression)
Various shots of Ashley entering and running down the corridors.
A match on action shot of Ashley opening and entering the room.
He sits down at a desk with Kate. (heavily breathing)
Ashley: Sorry I'm late Miss.
Kate: What are you doing here? (looking confused)
Ashley: I thought we had Media? (now also looking confused)
Kate: It's teacher training day...
Ashley: *eyes open wide* You've got to be kidding me! (puts head down on table)
-Fades out-
- The conversation will be a shot-reverse-shot, following the 180 degree rule.
- We wrote this in a group of two, as a planning brief before filming.
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