Coursework Brainstorm

I will be working with Rashida 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. 

(This plot is likely to be updated and slightly changed to make it more suitable for the actual coursework)

I would like there to be a lot of interesting cinematography, editing etc. in the production to fit the conventions of an arthouse 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". 

Preliminary exercise evaluation

Brief

To produce 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. This task has to demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule.

Planning process and pre-production

When it came to planning we believed as a group that being organized was a fundamental part of the project. In order to achieve this we set each group member a task to do so everyone had a responsibility therefore we all contributed to the group. We as a group had a deadline for all the planning i.e. the storyboard, shot list and script to be all completed by Sunday. This enabled us to get on with the filming straight away as we had all the important elements for filming ready, and we knew how we wanted our final product to look. 

We also planned out our mise-en-scene by choosing a location within the school which we believed was suitable to fit the conventions of a typical "hostage" based film. We brought our own lighting in as we believed that it would give our film a better look. Make-up, costumes and props were used to make the film seem more professional i.e we used make up to make the victim look bruised and to create fake blood, costumes to make the antagonist look impeccable and props that fit the mise-en-scene such as scissors that were used to act as weapons. 

Strengths and weaknesses 

I believe there were several strengths and weaknesses within our final outcome.  The concept and storyline of our work was simple yet effective, and we put great effort into our mise-en-scene to make our scene fit the typical conventions of an interrogation scene.  During the course of our planning we decided to watch several film extracts to get an idea of what we want our final scene to look like. Reservoir Dogs came to our attention and influenced our work greatly, especially the murder scene where the camera tilts upwards to hide the horrific action. The use of several different shots instead of the usual such as P.O.V made our work more attention-grabbing, and we used our own lighting and different lenses to make our work look more professional. We made sure the editing was simple yet sleek, so everything was continuous and went in a good flow.

However, we did have some weakness that came to the attention of our viewers. Unfortunately, we were unaware of the fact that we broke the 180 degree rule, which made the protagonist look as if he was talking to himself rather than the hostage. The violence in the scene did not seem realistic which ruined the scene for some. We also lacked sinister music, which would have been more appropriate to the scene. There also was some static coming from the microphone which ruined it for some, and this could have been improved if we had edited the sound levels.

Overall, I believe our work was quite successful in terms of the concept and the overall outcome and look, and many people enjoyed watching it. However there could have been some major improvements such as not breaking the 180 degree rule.

Preliminary work - The Equation

Film Language test learner response

Feedback

30/48 - C
WWW: Some clear, focused writing, using theory/terminology
EBI: Re-do Q2

Camerawork 

Camerawork plays a vital role in introducing the audience to the two characters in the opening scene.

The use of a high angle on Keaton emphasises his powerlessness and foreshadows his death, and suggests to the audience that Keaton is of a lower status compared to the antagonist, who is represented as much more superior. High angles are often used to make a victim look more vulnerable, which is successful in this case as the audience are able to decode who is in power and who isn't in this scene immediately. In contrast to the high angle, a low angle shot of killer is used throughout the scene, this emphasises his power and control in the scene compared to Keaton who is inferior. 

The vulnerability of Keaton is emphasised as the audience are on level with him through the medium close up shots. This allows an emotional connection to be created for Keaton where the audience sympathise for him.  The medium close up also allows the audience to clearly view his bruises as Keaton is made up to look defeated and beaten up. The framing of the scene shows the dominance of the killer as he is visible in all the shots with the gun while Keaton is sitting down. This gives the audience the reminder of who is in power as this framing creates a threatening presence.

Throughout the scene the killer’s face is not shown as it is always cut out of the shot which makes the killer unidentifiable, and instead the audience get close-ups on his shoes, lighter and gun. The close ups of the gun create action codes which signal of what may come next, death. This emphasises on the danger of the scene. The close ups introduce the audience to the antagonist as someone who prefers to remain unknown, as we don't get a single shot of his face, probably due the crimes that he has committed. The fact that the killer is undentifiable also suggests that the killer always manages to get away with the crimes he commits. This engages the audience even more as enigma codes are present, making the audience want to know who the villain is. This can be successfully applied to Propp's theory of stock characters in narratives, as the villain is usually represented as sly.

Overall, the use of camerawork helps to introduce thee two characters and immediately shows who is more superior and who is inferior.

Script and Shot List

Script

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DgD9M2XEBpGV9ATj8p-fyq0aQ97guIlP8exSSw3UeDE/

Shot list

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mJ6D6bFnGw6_CBpdAdQLKJCoQE_PHJIXPUvujN6VX_k/

Storyboard

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19OcWuU9eRNXq2rmLzD_BICmW2GMUD4EaRvY-e8QcYyU/

Media Awards

Labrats

I've chosen Labrats as one of my favourite because of the quality of mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing used within their opening scene

Mise-en-scene techniques, such as the costumes and props, help to set the idea of the opening sequence being set in a school. The protagonist is dressed casually and wearing a hoodie which represents his youth and age, which the audience can identify with. He is also later on seen putting on a lab coat which fits the science lab setting which suggests that this theme of the protagonist having an alter-ego runs through the narrative. The use of make-up makes the bruise on the protagonists face seem more realistic which shows how mise-en-scene is used effectively to represent the characters.

Props such as conical flasks and beakers help to emphasise on this idea of the protagonist having an interest in chemistry as we see him working with different substances. This could also foreshadow the significance of science throughout the narrative as the audience begin to develop an understanding of the protagonist’s personality and intentions.

The dialogue is also a key element, as the audience get an idea of the narrative and this creates sympathy for the protagonist, several enigma codes also arise as the audience begin to wonder what the protagonist is planning to do, which entices the audience to keep watching. 

The lighting used is also effective. The start of the opening scene uses natural lighting i.e. sunlight, which links to the nature of the first two shots. Additional lighting was not used when inside the school building as they instead used the lighting that was already provided from the rooms as this helps to set the school setting. Towards the end of the scene, low-key lighting is used which creates chiaroscuro, strong contrasts of light and dark as we get different shots of the props. Filler lights however have been used to soften the shadows created; this allows a focus onto the props rather than the strong shadows taking up the audience’s vision. This use lighting helps to set the atmosphere of the scene, with the ending being more tense and mysterious than the beginning because of the darkness created by the shadows when compared to the beginning of the scene which is more bright and clear.

The cinematography of the scene was of great quality. Several interesting camera framing techniques were used. The scene begins with a close up of branches; the use of focus on the branches of the tree creates depth of field which helps the audience to focus onto the movement of the branches. We also get a similar close up of the grass which helps the audience to focus on the movement of the grass. There are several medium shots of the protagonist as he speaks, which makes the audience at level with the protagonist, this allows eye contact as if the protagonist is directly speaking to the audience. We then once again get close ups of the protagonists eyes and hand movements, which emphasises his focus onto trying to solve his problems, these shots link to the dialogue. Towards the end of the scene we get close ups of the props, but this time there are also point of view shots used as we see from the protagonists perspective as he pours substances into the conical flasks etc. 

The editing used was also vital in making this opening sequence great. Straight cuts were constantly used and it was almost unnoticeable because of its smoothness, these straight cuts allowed us to go from shot to shot which helped the audience to see the protagonist’s actions and understand him more as a character. There is a dissolve from the present scene to a flash back, in-between these two scenes is a white cut which when dissolved creates an interesting effect that suggests to the audience there is about to be a flashback. We then get a montage of the protagonist and his actions, which shapes the protagonist as a character as the audience begin to realise his life is almost revolved around school and he spends much of his time either in the library or the science lab.  There is also a jump cut from when the antagonist is about to beat the protagonist up to the welfare room, which shows the aftermath rather than showing it take place. This jump cut is successful because it suddenly shifted the audience’s focus onto something else. There is finally a fade out to the title of the film, and we begin to get a montage of the protagonist’s alter-ego who spends time in the science lab.

The sound used in this opening scene helped to set the mood and atmosphere of the scene. The scene begins with diegetic sound of birds, which has a calming and familiar effect as we begin to go into the narrative. Music begins to play, and the fact that the music is a piano playing at a slower tempo means that a tense and also emotional atmosphere is created, as this type of music is associated with melancholy. Music also plays towards the end of the scene as we go into the protagonist’s way of life as we see him in the science lab. The music throughout this scene is parallel. The protagonist gives the audience an insight into his life through a voice over, as several shots are seen of him struggling and being beaten up. This is useful as the audience begin to sympathise with the protagonist and understand his current situation and what he is going through. 

Overall, I believe this film opening was quite successful, which is most likely the reason to why it is won as the best cinematography.  It fitted the conventions of a school and a typical student, and also used all the elements of a film such as mise-en-scene and cinematography to bring out the best in the scene and make it look professional. 

Second Level South

The mise-en-scene of this opening scene was once again quite good. The scene started off with what seems to be the protagonist who is suffering from depression and attempting to commit suicide, who quotes an Abraham Lincoln quote which I believe makes this character more intriguing. The dialogue in the entire scene is quite important overall as the audience are introduced to several characters, which suggests that this scene is from a TV show as films usually introduce us to the hero and villain first. The audience are revealed to many small aspects of each character as we get hints of several issues between the characters through flashbacks etc.  The dialogue represents the language of the youth today as it is quite informal, it is also comedic and amusing rather than having a tone of melancholy or seriousness, which suggests that this TV show is a comedy.

Costumes were once again put into good use as casual clothing and accessories such as caps were worn, which reflects upon the youth of the characters in a typical suburban location. Props such as mobile phones were used which links back to the importance of social media amongst teenagers these days, as one of the characters also mentions how he wants to “snapchat” his friend jumping off. Natural lighting (sunlight) has been used to represent the outdoor setting which is more suitable as it helps to set the autumn afternoon. There also were some natural shadows created which is quite interesting.

The cinematography techniques used in this opening scene are quite effective. In terms of camera movements there were tilts when following the protagonist goes over the safety rails, and several tracking shots. This helps the audience to see where the characters are going and follow their movements. In terms of camera framings there are several types of shots used. For example a point of view is used, where the protagonist is watching his friend’s crowd around him. This makes the audience feel as if they are in his position and they are feeling his shame. A low angle is also used before the protagonist is about to jump to make him seem superior for a moment. These two shots have a clear contrast as the protagonist goes from being superior to inferior. Medium shots are mostly used when the audience see the other characters, and we get several close ups of the characters faces to emphasise their emotions. I believe a handheld camera was used in some cases which is quite experimental and also useful as the camera could be easily moved around.

The editing used was also vital in making this opening scene seem as if it is a TV show.  Straight cuts were once again used and these allowed us to go from shot to shot. There was a dissolve from the present scene to a flash back. The shot had a hazy and soft border which suggests to the audience it’s a flash back and in the past.  Slow-mo is used before the character goes into flash back, which emphasises on the moment he goes into this flashback. A wipe is used to cross cut between each location of the characters as they are engaged in their phone calls, this makes it seem more informal and relaxed compared to a film as films rarely use transitions such as wipes which makes it seem more like  a TV show. The fact that in the opening credits it states that the show is an “E4 exclusive” also supports how editing is important in making this opening scene seem as if it is from a TV show.

In terms of sound, piano music is once again played at the beginning of the scene to reflect upon the despair of the protagonist, and as music such as this is associated with melancholy it is appropriate for it to be used. Apart from that there isn’t much sound used apart from diegetic sound such as dialogue and the sound of the breeze etc.  At the end of the scene trap music is played alongside the title of the show, which links to the current music of today. This shows the relevancy of today’s society in the opening scene.Both songs are parrallel with the scene and their shots.

Overall, I believe this TV show opening was quite successful, which is most likely the reason to why it is won as the best dialogue.  The typical representations and conventions of the youth were applied and that the dialogue had a major importance in making this opening scene amusing and interesting.