MAIN TASK: INFLUENCES

So, in our film we decided it would be a hostage scene, having a school girl been kidnapped and held. 

The above clip is the movie opening for Saw 1. After watching this in sparked off the idea of been trapped and tied up. For example they are chained in this example, and in our movie we intend on having the school girl tied up, hands behind back etc. 

I AM LEGEND VIDEO

In this video we really liked how as the production titles etc were showing, the sound of the news reader speaking was going on in the back ground talking about an irrelevant story, and then as the newsreader comes into view, they begin to talk about the subject of what the film focuses on. And so this is what we decided to do at the beginning of our film, having irrelevant speech about the recession etc, and then when the titles have finished and Ethan comes into view, he is speaking about this kidnap. This allowed us to let the audience know what was going on in an unusual way. 

MAIN TASK: INITIAL PLANNING

For the final, and main task of our coursework, we have to make a two minute film opening. Our group decided to carry on with the thriller genre side of things. We found that typical conventions of thrillers are that they are  deliberately ambiguous, they start with a shocking/ significant event, they have low key lighting and setting, and a non chronological narrative so the consequences happen first. 


So from here, before we could even think more specifically as to what was going to happen in our film opening, we had to watch some film openings in order for us to become familiar with what is included and different approaches/layouts of film openings. 


Things we had to consider and take note on was things such as noticeable mise en scene, camera shots, editing and sound.

PRELIMINARY TASK: FINISHED PRODUCTION

VIDEO HERE

PRELIMINARY TASK: EVALUATION

After having the brief of what we must include in the film, to do an interrogation scene seemed the most suitable thing to do, and I think it worked well overall. We did thorough planning, and stuck to the bulk of it, however did add extra things in as the film progressed as ideas sparked within the group during production and editing, such as the strategic establishing shots at the beginning to be used in conjuction with the opening credits, which obviously included our names etc, but the shots also hinted to the audience what was to follow in the film.
Also during filming we decided to do the point of view shot as an extreme close up, where James is leaning right over the table into Ethan's face, interrogating him to the extreme, giving him big postional power and building yet more tension and fury in the film.
I think successful planning leads to a successful film, as the more prepared for the filming you are, the easier it is as you are following a well detailed plan, but still allowing new ideas to develop during filming and for slight changes to be made.

We stuck to the 180 degree rule, although at times we are right on the edge of it and were very close to going over – more forward thinking in regards to camera placement needs to be addressed in future filming.
Another shot I did like however was the high angle shot from the corner of the room representing a security camera looking down on the suspect (Ethan) – which was actually just James stood on a chair! But we were then able to use an effect on Sony Vegas Movie Studio to make it look like a real security camera and seem more realistic. This also gave the hint that he was weak in comparison to the detective as he was being looked down on in a number of shots. With only 30 secs of footage to fill, we tried to give as many suggestions and conotations to the audience as possible in this short time. We also repeated the sound of a clock ticking by, this repetitive sound builds up and coincides with the multiple establishing shots . We used the clock ticking as an image of a clock going is the first thing we see as an audience. Building tension is essential in the crime/thriller genre and this sound editing was a key element in helping us a achieve that (small) amount of tension.

So far, I think our group has worked very well as a team, communicating easily, listening to ideas, and developing eachothers inputs further to reach the best outcome. We shared the workload evenly, all having different roles within the group. I had the role of Mise en scene, so I put thought into setting, and props etc into making the interrogation as realsitic as possible. Including stuff such as James having the folder and papers which he  slams on the table during the speech, which added to the detective like interview essence. James' main job was music and although we all listened to different pieces of music and helped decide what fits best, it was his call where to put the music and if we couldn't agree he had the final say. Ethans' main job was editing and we all had equal chance to use the editing software but it was his job to think ahead of time how we wanted the finished task to be edited which helped all other aspects fall into place. Isabella had the role of focusing on camera shots, ensuring we had a variation of shots etc.

I don't think we have had any major problems so far, however I do think we need to improve our time management, although we do meet deadlines, we could use our time more effectively, and maybe even do more in our own time and not just in lessons.

THE RULES OF FILM PRODUCTION

DO's

• Always follow the 180 degree rule.
• Storyboard/ plan.
• Avoid continuity errors.
• Make sure you have all props and equipment to hand.
• Make sure you have permission to film where you plan to film in advance.
• Use a tripod for fixed shots.
• Use a range of shot types.
• Film a shot more than once.
• Record lots of footage. It is better to have more than less as a lot will end up being cut down during editing.
• Make sure edited footage cuts well and looks right.

DON'Ts

• Have extra sound in the background. Someone talking could ruin the whole shot.
• Film with the sun or other strong light to the actors back.
• Film freehand with a shaky hand.
• Forget to charge the camera.
• Leave your footage on a shared memory card as it could be wiped.
• Use copyrighted sound.
• Forget to follow the brief.
• Not have an idea of how you want the finished production to look.
• Have the camera man's reflection in shots.
• If you are working in a group make sure your voice is heard but also don't over look people who aren't pulling their weight

PRELIMINARY TASK: SETTING

 Whilst trying to identify suitable places to record our interrogation scene, we found an interview room which was fitted with a security camera which ignited the idea of having a shot of the camera, which acted as a security camera and so audience knew someone was been watched. The above shot is similar to the shot used in the film, however we payed particular attention to the framing of the shot, so that we could use it on the opening credits. The camera is situated in the right hand camera, in order for the titles to be on the bottom left corner.

We then filmed the interrogator walking up these stairs from the top of the stairs, not revealing his face until the point when he walks through the door into the interrogation room. We did this to create tension and mystery as is typical of the crime genre. This shot is also used for credits as a credit name is positioned on one of the stairs.

As the interrogator continues up the stairs we shot from this angle so that we could pan the camera around and continue to follow the interrogator, still not revealing his face

Then, a shot of the interrogator, still walking up the stairs, through this grid printed door which gives the effect of being trapped, which fits well with our crime genre in the preliminary task.

And part of the brief is to have two characters sat at a table so we set up the table and chairs like this. We blacked out the room and used a spotlight as low key lighting is a typical convention of the crime genre.

PRELIMINARY TASK: INFLUENCES

As we decided to do an interrogation scene for the preliminary task, we needed to think about mise en scene. The first clip is taken from "Zoo York". This is a more confrontational scene and we decided to incorporate this into our preliminary exercise. As our preliminary exercise is only short and the characters exchange only a few lines of dialogue we made it as confrontational as possible as a typical convention of the crime genre is a gripping hook. The main shot from this clip we made sure to get into our preliminary exercise was the interrogator standing over the suspect to show his position of power.

Instead of going down the formal route and having the interrogator dressed stereotypically in a suit, we decided he should be dressed casually like in the first clip from "CSI". Similarly to this clip our suspect denied knowing anything about the situation which normally happens in scenes like this.