I will be working with Ladan for my film production.
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Topics most likely to be: Urban Life,
Plot
The film could be based around a group of bored teenagers who invent an extreme version of 21 dare's, where whoever is dared has an hour to change the course of their life by doing something they normally wouldn't dare to do .i.e. standing up for themselves, robbing a store. However, the game is taken too far when one of the player's, who is psychologically unstable, kills a person which leads to a chain of events.
(Will be updated and slightly changed to make it more suitable for the actual coursework)
We would like there to be a lot of interesting cinematography, editing etc. in the production to fit the conventions of an art-house film, as from research I have found that an art film is "intended to be a serious artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal".
Tuesday 24 November 2015
Friday 20 November 2015
Preliminary exercise evaluation
Our preliminary exercise task was to produce a short clip that involved filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. In this task we also had to make sure that we demonstrated match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.
In my preliminary exercise I worked in a group with Sunny, Ladan and Mandev. Overall I think we worked well with planning and completing tasks. Sunny and I shared the storyboard between us, I did the first ten shots and he did the last ten. Mandev wrote the script and Ladan completed the shot list. When we did our planning I think our communication skills were quite good we would let each other know when we completed each task in order for the next person to complete their own one. However when it came to actually filming and editing not all of us had put in effort and some were doing the majority of the work. So to improve for next time when we do our real production I believe we should plan filming and editing tasks for each other so the work is split up equally.
The strengths of our production were that we had a good selection of shots and our editing was quite good. We used a number of close-ups and extreme close-ups in order for the audience to get a good glimpse of the character’s facial expressions and emotions. I also think our script was really good too as the dialogue fitted in really well with the concept of our short film. I think our production would fit into the genres: drama, action and comedy. Although it was an intense, gruesome scene there were some parts that were quite humorous for example when the security guard waited outside and listened to his headphones. The use of the non diegetic sound of the music playing in his headphones was contrapuntal to the clip which made it quite humorous for the audience.
I believe the weaknesses of our production again were that we could have split the filming and editing tasks more equally in our group. Also we did not do the 180 degree shot correctly. We noticed that our main character looked like he was speaking to himself, so we know how to edit and film this shot correctly for next time. Also I noticed that the lighting continuously changed in one scene. In one shot the lighting would be facing away from the main protagonist’s face and then in the next shot it would. So next time we would make sure that the lighting is the same continuously in these shots. Another weakness I noticed was that the sound echoed quite a lot in that particular room that we shot in. so next time we need to consider where we are shooting properly and do tests on filming sound to enable that it is correct.
In terms of mise-en-scene i think we could do better with props. The use of blood and scissors was a good addition to our production as it helped the audience understand the concept which was heavily based on the concept of the film ‘reservoir dogs’. However I do think we could have done better with costumes for example the main protagonist could have worn a suite and maybe have a cigar in his hand to make him look more serious and superior. I also think the character being held for ransom should have had proper ropes around his hands and legs in order for the audience to take the production more seriously. Lastly I believe we could consider a change of location for our next production for it to fit with the concept better.
In my preliminary exercise I worked in a group with Sunny, Ladan and Mandev. Overall I think we worked well with planning and completing tasks. Sunny and I shared the storyboard between us, I did the first ten shots and he did the last ten. Mandev wrote the script and Ladan completed the shot list. When we did our planning I think our communication skills were quite good we would let each other know when we completed each task in order for the next person to complete their own one. However when it came to actually filming and editing not all of us had put in effort and some were doing the majority of the work. So to improve for next time when we do our real production I believe we should plan filming and editing tasks for each other so the work is split up equally.
The strengths of our production were that we had a good selection of shots and our editing was quite good. We used a number of close-ups and extreme close-ups in order for the audience to get a good glimpse of the character’s facial expressions and emotions. I also think our script was really good too as the dialogue fitted in really well with the concept of our short film. I think our production would fit into the genres: drama, action and comedy. Although it was an intense, gruesome scene there were some parts that were quite humorous for example when the security guard waited outside and listened to his headphones. The use of the non diegetic sound of the music playing in his headphones was contrapuntal to the clip which made it quite humorous for the audience.
I believe the weaknesses of our production again were that we could have split the filming and editing tasks more equally in our group. Also we did not do the 180 degree shot correctly. We noticed that our main character looked like he was speaking to himself, so we know how to edit and film this shot correctly for next time. Also I noticed that the lighting continuously changed in one scene. In one shot the lighting would be facing away from the main protagonist’s face and then in the next shot it would. So next time we would make sure that the lighting is the same continuously in these shots. Another weakness I noticed was that the sound echoed quite a lot in that particular room that we shot in. so next time we need to consider where we are shooting properly and do tests on filming sound to enable that it is correct.
In terms of mise-en-scene i think we could do better with props. The use of blood and scissors was a good addition to our production as it helped the audience understand the concept which was heavily based on the concept of the film ‘reservoir dogs’. However I do think we could have done better with costumes for example the main protagonist could have worn a suite and maybe have a cigar in his hand to make him look more serious and superior. I also think the character being held for ransom should have had proper ropes around his hands and legs in order for the audience to take the production more seriously. Lastly I believe we could consider a change of location for our next production for it to fit with the concept better.
Wednesday 18 November 2015
LR - Film language test
WWW- Detailed answers with a lot of media termonalogy used.
EBI- Re - do question 4.
EBI- Re - do question 4.
In the beginning of the clip there is only continuity editing used throughout, this made the pace of the scene really slow which created a little tension as the audience felt as though something would suddenly happen. While this continuity editing was used we were shown shots of oil dropping and shots of the man who is tied up which may signify how his life is slowly ending. In addition a lot of straight cuts were used throughout the scene from long shots of the protagonist walking to extreme close ups of the dying man's face. This Creates tension as well as straight cuts speed up the pace and the used it extreme close ups and long shots showed us how the dying man became nervous and frightened when the main protagonist walked towards him. This also gets the audience more engaged with the film as they start to wonder what will happen next. Enigma codes are created as they begin to ask questions like 'why is he so afraid of him ?' And 'what will he do to the dying man'.
Tuesday 10 November 2015
Preliminary exercise
Group : Mandev, Sunny,Ladan,Rashida.
Shot list and script
story board
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19OcWuU9eRNXq2rmLzD_BICmW2GMUD4EaRvY-e8QcYyU/edit
Shot list and script
story board
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19OcWuU9eRNXq2rmLzD_BICmW2GMUD4EaRvY-e8QcYyU/edit
Editing task
this short extract of 'catch me if you can' Steven Spielberg uses a number of editing techniques to create tension for the audience. To begin with the scene starts off with non-diegetic sound which is a mysterious kind of music , creating tension for the audience as it tells us something dramatic may occur very soon. While this non-diegetic sound is played we can see a medium shot of the two male characters as they argue with each-other and a tracking shot then occurs as they both walk across the room. The use of the panning shot makes the audience feel more engaged with the movie as they feel as though they are the characters themselves, as the characters move across the room the audience feel as though they are too. In this situation it would cause the audience to feel tension as they feel as though they are the characters themselves so they begin to feel nervous as they think the gun is actually being pointed at them. Steven Spielbreg also uses a number of close-ups in this extract which again engages the audience with the movie as it allows them to see things in greater detail. For example when the detective goes into the other detective's wallet there is a close up of the wallet allowing the audience to see what is inside it . This showed us that the wallet was filled with fake cards and no type of id ,which gave us a hint that the other detective was not real.The use of this extreme close-up also creates enigma codes as the audience begins to ask questions like 'whose wallet is that?' and 'is he a real detective?'. By creating enigmas code it engages the audience even more making them want to keep watching on in order to find out what will happen next.Steven also used point of view shots when the detectives were looking out of the window allowing the audience to see through the characters view, which again makes the audience feel as though they are the characters themselves. The use of straight cuts in this extract also speed up the pace of the film as first we can see an over-the-shoulder shot of the detective holding a gun at Leonardo Dicaprio then suddenly we can see a close-up of the letter in his hands. This may be trying to tell the audience that the letter in his hand is going to be significant in the events leading to the aftermath.
Monday 2 November 2015
Media awards : Favourite productions
The experiment
The experiment was one of my favourite year 12 productions because of the use of different camera shots , diegetic and non-diegetic sounds which created a lot of tension for the audience. The 2 minute clip begins with a non-diegetic sound which is a voice over , this instantly signifies to the audience that a story was going to be told. As the voice over is played a number of shots are also played at the same time , allowing the audience to understand the concept of the story clearly. One of my favourite shots in this short production was the panning shot of the main character 'Alissa Garcia' when she was running away. The panning shot allows the audience to feel as if they are the main character themselves as instead of seeing her run off out of the shot and out of our sight we continuously see her running which makes us feel like we are going wherever she is going. This creates tension as we are now more engaged with the film and we know that she is in danger so we feel as though we are in danger too. In terms of cinematography in the beginning of the short clip we are shown text on the screen which again engages the audience as we are basically forced to read it as if we don't ,we may feel as though we missed some important key aspects of the film. I also noticed the contrast between the dim and bright lighting in different scenes. At first when we are introduced to the main character and her story a lot of things are in black and white and dim lighting however, when we see her in the big green field this shot is in colour. I feel as though this was done to show the contrast between her dark past and her 'new beginnings' , perhaps her running away from her problems will be her new life. In terms of editing I noticed a lot of straight cuts were used in order to speed up the pace of the film , this is a great technique if you want to create tension and make the audience more engaged as they are eager to find out what will happen in the end.
Labrat
Labrat is my second favourite year 12 production. To begin with in terms of mise-en-scene we can see a lot of props being used which helps the audience to understand the film narrative more clearly. The use of the lab coat, glass beakers and other scientific equipment tells the audience that the main character may actually be a smart boy with hidden talents. This creates enigma codes as they may ask questions like 'what will he do with the equipment?' and 'does he have hidden talents?'. The use of the non-diegetic sound , which was the main character's voice over, allows the audience to understand the film's narrative clearly as he begins to tell us his story. I can also see a number of different camera shots such as close ups, long shots and medium shots. The use of close-ups of the main character's hands shaking and his black eye shows us great detail of his emotions. We could easily tell that he was nervous when his hands were shaking and the extreme close-up of his black eye signifies that some violence may have occurred which may tell the audience that the genre for the film is action or drama. I personally really liked the main characters acting , his body language and facial expressions contrasted very well with the film narrative. In the beginning of the short film he looked very distressed and upset whereas towards the end where he was in his own quite space he looked very happy. He seemed very hesitant and shaky in the beginning , especially when he was being physically abused. However when he entered the lab his shoulders were up-straight and he seemed very confident in what he was doing. In terms of editing I noticed that a lot of straight cuts were used to create a quick pace for the story and to quickly jump into different scenes. There were also some fade in shots used to go into different scenes in order to portray a flashback to the audience.
What Makes A Good Practical Production
In order to have a good/successful production I think a lot of planning has to take place and everyone must make a good contribution to the work. If you are working in a group I believe everyone should contribute to ideas for planning and have equally set tasks. Having a group leader would be a good idea too as they can check on the rest of the group's progress and make sure that everything is running smoothly. Judging from the two productions that I've picked I've noticed that 'the experiment' was better in terms of causing tension drawing the audience in. A simple and clear narrative was portrayed with-out overdoing the amount of clips and different shots they used. I think keeping it minimal is important because if you add too much to the story you may begin to confuse your audience or even give away the whole story. The less you give them , the more they want. Another aspect of a good practical production is the props you use and the way the characters act. Using props in your film is a must as your scenes will basically be boring without them. Things like weapons, bags , bottles etc. make a difference in your film especially if close-ups are used on them as they could be significant later down in the In terms of characters acting I think a lot of emotion has to be put into it to make it more realistic , the characters must act as though they are really in that position in order to sell the film narrative to the audience.Lastly always remember to save your work every few minutes , as loosing a lot of hard work would take a lot of time and energy to do all over again.
The experiment was one of my favourite year 12 productions because of the use of different camera shots , diegetic and non-diegetic sounds which created a lot of tension for the audience. The 2 minute clip begins with a non-diegetic sound which is a voice over , this instantly signifies to the audience that a story was going to be told. As the voice over is played a number of shots are also played at the same time , allowing the audience to understand the concept of the story clearly. One of my favourite shots in this short production was the panning shot of the main character 'Alissa Garcia' when she was running away. The panning shot allows the audience to feel as if they are the main character themselves as instead of seeing her run off out of the shot and out of our sight we continuously see her running which makes us feel like we are going wherever she is going. This creates tension as we are now more engaged with the film and we know that she is in danger so we feel as though we are in danger too. In terms of cinematography in the beginning of the short clip we are shown text on the screen which again engages the audience as we are basically forced to read it as if we don't ,we may feel as though we missed some important key aspects of the film. I also noticed the contrast between the dim and bright lighting in different scenes. At first when we are introduced to the main character and her story a lot of things are in black and white and dim lighting however, when we see her in the big green field this shot is in colour. I feel as though this was done to show the contrast between her dark past and her 'new beginnings' , perhaps her running away from her problems will be her new life. In terms of editing I noticed a lot of straight cuts were used in order to speed up the pace of the film , this is a great technique if you want to create tension and make the audience more engaged as they are eager to find out what will happen in the end.
Labrat
Labrat is my second favourite year 12 production. To begin with in terms of mise-en-scene we can see a lot of props being used which helps the audience to understand the film narrative more clearly. The use of the lab coat, glass beakers and other scientific equipment tells the audience that the main character may actually be a smart boy with hidden talents. This creates enigma codes as they may ask questions like 'what will he do with the equipment?' and 'does he have hidden talents?'. The use of the non-diegetic sound , which was the main character's voice over, allows the audience to understand the film's narrative clearly as he begins to tell us his story. I can also see a number of different camera shots such as close ups, long shots and medium shots. The use of close-ups of the main character's hands shaking and his black eye shows us great detail of his emotions. We could easily tell that he was nervous when his hands were shaking and the extreme close-up of his black eye signifies that some violence may have occurred which may tell the audience that the genre for the film is action or drama. I personally really liked the main characters acting , his body language and facial expressions contrasted very well with the film narrative. In the beginning of the short film he looked very distressed and upset whereas towards the end where he was in his own quite space he looked very happy. He seemed very hesitant and shaky in the beginning , especially when he was being physically abused. However when he entered the lab his shoulders were up-straight and he seemed very confident in what he was doing. In terms of editing I noticed that a lot of straight cuts were used to create a quick pace for the story and to quickly jump into different scenes. There were also some fade in shots used to go into different scenes in order to portray a flashback to the audience.
What Makes A Good Practical Production
In order to have a good/successful production I think a lot of planning has to take place and everyone must make a good contribution to the work. If you are working in a group I believe everyone should contribute to ideas for planning and have equally set tasks. Having a group leader would be a good idea too as they can check on the rest of the group's progress and make sure that everything is running smoothly. Judging from the two productions that I've picked I've noticed that 'the experiment' was better in terms of causing tension drawing the audience in. A simple and clear narrative was portrayed with-out overdoing the amount of clips and different shots they used. I think keeping it minimal is important because if you add too much to the story you may begin to confuse your audience or even give away the whole story. The less you give them , the more they want. Another aspect of a good practical production is the props you use and the way the characters act. Using props in your film is a must as your scenes will basically be boring without them. Things like weapons, bags , bottles etc. make a difference in your film especially if close-ups are used on them as they could be significant later down in the In terms of characters acting I think a lot of emotion has to be put into it to make it more realistic , the characters must act as though they are really in that position in order to sell the film narrative to the audience.Lastly always remember to save your work every few minutes , as loosing a lot of hard work would take a lot of time and energy to do all over again.
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