Editing.

Editing –how raw material is taken and prepared to be broadcast or published. For example, after filming something, you can transfer the film to a computer, cut bits you don’t need out, rearrange it, and add things like opening credits and special effects. 

Composition

To extend my skills and knowledge, I researched aspects of Composition.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is how a film or other forms of media place an object/s in order to make sure they are the key focus of the scene. For instance in Memento the main character's body is positioned in the middle of the shot, in order to draw specific attention to his tattoos on his torso and arms. Another example is in Fightclub where the two main characters are facing each other, where the characters fit into two separate sections of the rule of third. This particular example of Rule of Thirds is very relevant to the storyline as the characters seen on screen are in fact the same person, who has a split personality. The composition of this picture is demonstrating juxtaposition.

Looking/Lead Room

Well-composed shots leave space in the direction the subject is moving, this is called looking room. It refers to the space left in front of the object in order for the audience to see where the object is moving to, whereas if the leading room was behind the audience would not, plus in the event that the lead room is the wrong side of the object, it makes the image out of proportion.

Depth of Field

Depth of field refers to the focus of the camera, as you can see in this picture, the red car is in focus and 'the depth of field' whereas the other two cars are blurred as they are out of focus.

Narrative Techniques.

Narrative is telling a story, for instance tv, radio, films and forums. It is a sequence of events that are organised into a story with a particular structure.


Narration: How the story is shown on the screen/told.


Forms of Narrative: 
Story - The events in the narrative that are explicitly presented and the ones that the viewer infers. These events occur in chronological order. Story can also be referred to as 'Fabula'.


Plot- Plot is used to describe everything visually and audibly present in the film before us. This is the way the story is told throughout the text, and may include non-chronological order and flashbacks. Another way of referring to the plot is 'Syuzhet'. 


Techniques:
Linear
The linear narrative is a storyline in which is shown in chronological order, therefore it progresses from beginning, middle and end. 


Non-Linear
The non linear narrative is a storyline in which is not shown in chronological order, therefore it can include flashbacks. This technique is used to heighten suspense, drama and intrigue and to engage the audience. Non - linear is a process of revealing the story by not showing the events in chronological order but by revealing the events in a way that carefully controls the information the audience receives. This means the revelations are very dramatic. An example of this is Pulp Fiction:

Omniscient
In the Omniscient Narrative we know everything in which is happening. This narrative is not just tied to one character, therefore the audience knows more than the characters in the story.


Restricted
Restricted narrative is where the narrative is tied to only one character, therefore the audience only sees 'one side' of the story. We do not know everything. This helps to elaborate on their feelings. An example of this is in Taxi Driver (1976), Robert De Niro plays mentally unhinged cab driver Travis Bickle. Throughout the film, the camera follows this character and no one else. The effect is that all we know is what Travis knows, and nothing else.

When a movie is filmed by the point of view of only one character making it so that we know only as much as him or her.


Enigma code: The code is associated with the French narrative theorist; Roland Barthes. His theory refers to the mystery or question that is established in a narrative, normally towards the beginning, for instance an example of a question could be; who is the murderer?

Se7en Interpretation

Here is my interpretation of the Se7en Opening Title, I have used surveillance shots that Mr Barton gave to us to use for this task.

Film Noir Research: What is it?

Following the production of my group's preliminary task, and due to the fact it was edited to be black and white, in the film noir style, I researched film noir and the modern film noir, neo noir.

Film noir means'black film or cinema', and are in black and white. It is not a genre but the mood, style, point-of-view, or tone of a film. When studying Film Noir during my time at college, I was taught the word chiaroscuro which is two words, it  means light-dark, therefore relating to film noir, it is referring to the use of contrasting light and shade, which is most likely generated by low key lighting or high contrast lighting.

The primary moods of classic film noir were sadness, alienation, disillusionment, pessimism, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.There are many characteristics and paradigms of Film Noir films, such as smoking, fast pace talking, a femme fatale and the signature black and white. An example of a film noir film is Double Indemnity which was released in 1944.A femme fatale is 'a woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising or dangerous situations, an example of a femme fatale is Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity who seduces an insurance rep into helping her commit the murder of her husband so she can get the money from his life insurance.

Not only is there film noir but there is neo noir which means 'new black', so in effect neo noir films are more modern films with updated visual, style and themes. Neo Noir films incorporate film noir characteristics, an example of a Neo Noir film is Se7en which incorporates moral corruption, the same dark downbeat tone. Plus, the in depth plot which includes murder and corruption with very original styles of murder, the insurance scam in Double Indemnity where Walter (the insurance rep) pushes Phyllis' (the femme fatale) husband off of the back of a train and then poses as him and in Se7en where every crime committed is carefully executed by John Doe for each of the seven sins. In Se7en the femme fatale could be seen as Detective Mills' wife Tracy as she becomes caught up in the murders and eventually, the downfall of her husband follows. In both Double Indemnity and Se7en we are seeing the murders through the killer's eyes in a manner of speaking, in Se7en the murders are thoroughly planned and in Double Indemnity we have the main character Walter Neff, the murderer, confessing to his crime and telling the backstory and planning to the murder.

 

My Evaluation of My Group's Preliminary Task

Here is my evaluation of my Group’s Preliminary Task:

The Planning Process:

What planning did you do and why?

We all took roles in our preliminary task, for example, I took charge of lighting and Connie filmed the preliminary.

How well organised were you?

Truthfully, we were organised to an extent, for instance we had composed a shot list which Connie and myself worked on to follow and the script which Connie wrote, however, we did not plan beforehand the direction we were going to film from, so this is most likely the reason why 180 degree rule was broken.

How could you change next time?

Next time we could plan the stage directions better so that we know what angle to film from and the actors know their directions clearly. Also, we could compose a storyboard in order to follow from.

The Video Production:

The production itself could have been better as we were in a noisy environment which made it hard to set an atmosphere efficiently whilst filming. Also due to the errors we made, the production failed in some aspects of filming.

What did you do, does it work, do the edits (match on action) work well?

I think the match on action did work well seeing as it was our first task as a newly formed group, however, we did break match on action when George walked in without a suitcase and then had a suitcase when he sat down.

Have you stuck to the 180 deg rule?

We tried to stick to the 180 degree rule however we did not manage to as after we successfully use a shot reverse shot, we then filmed the scene from the opposite side, therefore breaking the 180 degree rule.

Are the shots & angles well framed (rule of 3rds)?

In some shots the object in which is important is cut out, for instance, the mug is out of view in part of the clip.
Does it look convincing as a conversation?

Yes it does, the actors maintained eye level contact and the shot reverse shot made the conversation even more convincing, plus we used an over the shoulder shot which added one of the characters point of view.

What would you change to improve it?
To improve in future, we should ensure we keep to the 180 degree rule and match on action, plus, the camera was very shakey at times therefore we would address this by using a tripod. Also, the framing could have been better as the vital objects were sometimes either out of view or not framed correctly. In future I would ensure I edit out the background noise if possible to help create the atmosphere we were missing for this task.

Overall -  how well have you completed the preliminary task?

In all, for a first group effort, I think we did as we planned and brought along props which included a fake gun, a briefcase and a mug. Also, we performed a shot reverse shot efficiently, so in all a good try.  

End of Module 1: Evaluation.

The reasoning behind the level I have given myself is due to the planning and research I have posted onto my blog is incomplete, however the information I have posted are detailed and in my own words. My research into the thriller genre is detailed to an extent but could be improved by including visual examples of some of the thrillers I have watched in my own time. 

My time management was poor to be honest, however I intend to put in extra hours for the topics unaccounted for in my blog. I will do this to ensure I can obtain a higher grade. 

I have the relevant task outlines in my draft blogs, however I am as of yet to physically post the completed blogs to my profile, such as iconic soundtracks. Plus, some of the posts I have included on my blog are incomplete or in the drafts, I need to ensure they are complete! 

The overall presentation of my blog is well laid out, but at a closer glance, I need to make sure the work is more interesting rather than essay like and boring, so I propose to rectify this by adding edits, voice overs and more analytical techniques. I have used storyboards, mind maps and mood boards which I think does improve the presentation a little, but the storyboard needs text added to it. 

Overall, my self evaluation would have to be 10 marks out of the possible 20 marks, which coincides with Level 2. The level is out of the range of levels in which we could achieve for this module, from Level 1 to Level 4.

In all, to get to the next level or higher, I need to plan my work initially in order to ensure I know the ins and outs of what I am gong to do and how to achieve it. For instance, I will make a list of the tasks I need to do and post them to my blog. Also, I will manage my time very wisely as I have learnt time management is key to success. 

This module has taught me a lot about the paradigms of Thrillers, the skills I will need to make a Thriller film, such as how to use a camera properly and efficiently, plus the different factors which are vital to make the film such as continuity, composition and framing. Also, how to work in a team has played a vital part in my learning,  I found that due to my group coming together last, we had a harder time getting the work done, however by putting the time and effort in, we prevailed. I am proud of my achievements in this module and I hope to progress further and complete the tasks at hand.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Storyboard.

For this assignment, following our storyboard of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, we chose 9 shots from the films, which we print-screened, in which to film. During the process, we ensured we payed close attention to the shot at hand and the elements within the shot, for example, what angle the shot was shot at, which type of shot it is, such as a close up or mid-shot and reconstructed each shot as close as we could to the actual movie.  After processing the shots into a short sequence in Final Cut Pro, we noticed that two of our shots had gone missing, therefore if I was to do this task again, I would ensure we labelled the tape and had saved the files in a safe place.

Group Blog.

ccfthriller.blogspot.com

9 Frame Analysis: Opening title of Dirty Harry

1) what is the purpose of the opening of a film?
The purpose of this opening, establishes the setting with the extreme long shot of the city and introduces the main character, setting the mood of the story and the mystery. 
2) how does it set up thriller conventions of characters, story, mystery, Enigma code? 
There are many genre conventions in this opening title, for instance, there is a gun, an assassination/murder, a bullet and a city setting. At first we see a gun aiming at a woman in a swimming pool, the man with the gun takes a long time to pull the trigger, therefore creating the enigma code of, will he pull the trigger? It introduces the audience to the main character, who from what we have seen is a detective, setting up the story and the sub-genre of crime thriller.
3) What makes the audience want to watch the rest?
It denotes to the audience that there will be many other killings, which will entice them to watch on, the enigma code of why this woman has been murdered and why the murderer has left a note.  

9 Frame Analysis: Taxi Driver

For my 9 frame analysis of the opening title sequence to Taxi Driver I will go through each one separately.