To whom it may concern,
As sole copyright holder for the original composition "Fragile" ((C) Dan Lank 2007), I give permission for it to be used by Charlie Meaden, Luke Hawkins and Arran Smith in their Thriller production, and waive any royalties due for this.
Regards,
Dan Lank
number:07545544221
email:dan.lank@me.com
Friday, 24 April 2009
Charlie's Evaluation
Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The conventions of the thriller genre are to do with sound and editing. E.g. quick cuts and camera angle changes, music that gives tension and has pace when appropriate. It can be to do with lighting especially the use of shadow. Mirrors and stairs are also conventions of thriller movies.
Se7en arguably one of the best thrillers ever made probably has almost every convention you could think of putting into a thriller, not that they overdone it when making the film. Like our film the introduction of the main protagonists are very similar as they are both represented as mysterious characters, both calm in a way even though both have obviously been through a lot.
Phonebooth in particular is a thriller that does not play to the conventions, it avoids darkness and shadow etc. The one way to link it to standard conventions is to say that you hear and see the story from the killer’s point of view, you are made to feel sorry for the male protagonist and that you are told a story with the use of flashback and quick passed editing. Otherwise the this film is unlike most thriller movies and avoids the main conventions and may even not be classed as thriller but psychological thriller as it plays with your mind rather than shows you like a conventional thriller. I feel that this movie gives the film enigma which makes the viewers ask questions throughout the film. For example some of the mise en scene used will basically make you ask certain questions. Photobooth uses the binary opposition of the main protagonist and makes the antagonist criticise him for it throughout the film, and uses it as a reason to hold him hostage in the photo booth. This is because of the dominance the protagonist has normally, but when he picks up the phone the dominance switches.
Like Photobooth I feel that our thriller opening didn’t play on all the typical conventions of a thriller. In our opening we also avoided darkness and shadow. For example the funeral was held on a sunny day. In the planning and throughout filming and editing we were trying to create enigma, as it was an opening we didn’t want to give much away, but at the same time you see enough to get an idea of were the movie is going. About 80% of the opening was set in a church at the funeral.
The immediate question that we were hoping to be raised was; “who is this girl in pictures and flashback” and “why, is she dead? Is this her funeral? And if so how did she die.” I feel that we made the viewers think in one way or another about these questions. Although in our peer evaluation feedback we got some negative feedback where people were saying it didn’t feel like a thriller/lacked conventions of a thriller. Because we got so much feedback like that maybe they were correct, but I feel that as it’s an opening our group didn’t want to fall into the trap of giving away too much and simply making it harder for the movie to continue. Apart from the lack of “thriller-esque” we got positive feedback about our use of mise en scene, and lighting etc.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In our opening we decided to only represent one social group, white middle class. We felt that the plot didn’t hinge on the social group of our characters. By this I mean that unlike a typical gang film, which can include young black males as the antagonists - a social stereotype used commonly in films, we felt that we needed a stereotypically normal looking protagonist. Social stereotyping tends to depict middle class white men as normal and therefore we used them for this purpose.
In the opening we only wanted you to get an idea about the main protagonist, and how his mood and body language change between flashback and present time at the funeral. Even though the character seems to be fairly normal we wanted him to be fairly mysterious and have a distinct change when he is with Frankie and without her. In the first line of the non-diagetic sound track, “this is me and this is you”, it cuts to a flashback of the main protagonist and the girl being happy giving the impression that there is a relationship between the two. We purposely decided to put that shot in as that line was said to give the audience the idea that they are/were together. The happiness depicted between the two is used to give the impression that they are together in a loving, happy relationship, not one marred by stress/guilt/mistrust.
When Frankie’s death is later implied, this two shot of them both adds to the enigma of the film by removing one potential reason for her death, i.e. revenge for an affair, and most importantly acquitting the main protagonist of being involved in her death. Although this shot is intended to remove blame for her death from the main protagonist, we could also use the impression given of the protagonist to add to the shock of a potential plot twist revealing that he was not as innocent as he was made out to be. For example the killing could have been intended to hurt him for something he has previously done.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
In my opinion with a low budget film like ours we would need it just to get out there and get as many views as possible, this being “A Bad Boy Productions” second piece, we would not expect it to get it to get onto the big screen. But I think with the correct budget it has the fundamentals for a blockbuster film. I and my group had not come to a final decision but we had been talking about who we would like to get to distribute our film and I personally think that Pathe would be a good choice.
Pathe is one of the UK’s leading impendent film distributors, Pathe distribution releases around 20 titles each year, ranging from quality and specialised films to crowd-pleasing mainstream movies and genre titles.
The Reason Pathe stood out for me was that they are prepared to distribute movies such as The Blair Witch Project which had a low budget and was filmed by amateurs.
But as that is not a realistic way of us getting our movie distributed I would say that we should put it on Youtube and make some more openings etc to get as many subscribers as possible because then we may be able to get sponsors and then have a real budget to make and produce our films. That could help lead us to getting our movie signed by a well recognised distributing company.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
We would be looking to target people aged 16-24, one to maximise the profit as this the age range of people that watch the movies especially big blockbuster. This is also the case because of the age of the main protagonist so the viewers between these ages will be able to relate to this character with less difficulty than if the main protagonist was older.
I really think this would be a movie that would be promoted like the movie twilight, as it has some similarities that could be used to promote it to that range of viewers. Like Twilight, although the genre isn’t really the same, it could still be promoted for people aged 16-24 but more predominantly towards the female market. Maybe a film that a girl would drag her boyfriend to.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The normality and realism is where we would look to be grabbing our viewers’ attention. We would use the characters emotion and passion of the main protagonist to attract the female viewers. The idea of revenge would be a way we could keep the male side of the market happy and interested in our film. Apart from that you will have the enigma which we would like to think we would have maintained throughout the film to keep all viewers on their toes and thinking. If that isn’t enough we have gone for the vulnerable girl with strong protagonist male.
How distressed the main protagonist is?
Whose Funeral is this?
The two protagonists together?
Then the same place but empty, does this mean anything?
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Throughout this task I used the following technologies:
- iMovie
- Video Recorder (Camera)
- Garage Band
- Tripod
- Various Lights
After our preliminary and the practice shoot of this piece, we felt really comfortable about shooting different shots. For example the tracking shots of the protagonist’s feet are hand held and there were some pans that took some skill setting up and shooting. Looking back at the task I feel that as it progressed I became more aware of which camera technique to use for a particular shot in order to give the most effect. As a group we discussed every shot beforehand and had at least three practices using different shots in order to select the right one. As our understanding increased though less practice shots were needed as we already had a good idea, from previous shots, of what technique would give us the best results. Other than this, tasks such as white balancing and mounting the tripod were known to us before the task began and therefore I don’t feel I learnt anything here.
As I added the soundtrack and played around with different sound levels by myself, I gained knowledge in how best this should be set up in order to maximise impact and yet not become the focus point. After editing the piece for the first time, I decided to change the length of certain shots in order to time other shots with relevant sections of the music. For example the first shot of Frankie and the main protagonist appears during the words “This is you and this is me”. This second draft flowed much better and the soundtrack had more impact. This knowledge gained in how to maximise sounds during the film sequence led to me deciding to add the sound effect at the end where the gun shot goes off which I feel adds enigma.
As a group I feel that it was a success I enjoyed working with Luke and Arran as they are friends outside of the classroom. We had good communication throughout and it helped the production come together smoothly. At the start of the production I crashed my car which resulted in me missing a couple lessons, but I feel that I wasn’t “carried” at the start because I was there when we did important stuff such as the synopsis and the storyboard. I attended all filming and editing sessions with Arran and Luke, plus I was able to get the church as a venue and got Shortfall to give us permission to use their song Fragile. Overall I think we worked well and everyone put effort in despite my low attendance of lesson time at the start of this production.
As I already mentioned above in the peer evaluations people felt that it wasn’t like a thriller, but I think there is a floor in there thinking as it was an opening, not a short film or trailer. It was simply setting the scene and introducing the main protagonist and Frankie whose funeral it may be. The gunshot at the end of our opening gives away maybe even how she died if she is dead.
Apart from that the peer evaluations said that every area of our opening was at least good, things like: “well edited”, “very steady shots” and “music very good, blends well with dialogue”
Some of the bad points were: “not really a thriller”. I agree with that comment but at the same time it did what it was meant to do and that is open the move up. “Possibly music too loud” I agree strongly I noticed in one part the music goes way to loud, but I didn’t notice until it was played in class.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
In our preliminary task we showed great continuity editing and match on action. It lacked any sort of understanding or storyline. Also in the preliminary we felt that we didn’t note down on the blog what we did and we were told about how important blogging was and I think we made improvements in managing the blog. This production we took more time when filming, as we shot the whole of the church scene un-costumed before shooting the real thing. Out panning and tracking shots were really nice. Experiments using higher angled shots were introduced. But at the same time we kept a high standard of continuity and our match on action shot of the main protagonist leaving the church couldn’t of went better.
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The conventions of the thriller genre are to do with sound and editing. E.g. quick cuts and camera angle changes, music that gives tension and has pace when appropriate. It can be to do with lighting especially the use of shadow. Mirrors and stairs are also conventions of thriller movies.
Se7en arguably one of the best thrillers ever made probably has almost every convention you could think of putting into a thriller, not that they overdone it when making the film. Like our film the introduction of the main protagonists are very similar as they are both represented as mysterious characters, both calm in a way even though both have obviously been through a lot.
Phonebooth in particular is a thriller that does not play to the conventions, it avoids darkness and shadow etc. The one way to link it to standard conventions is to say that you hear and see the story from the killer’s point of view, you are made to feel sorry for the male protagonist and that you are told a story with the use of flashback and quick passed editing. Otherwise the this film is unlike most thriller movies and avoids the main conventions and may even not be classed as thriller but psychological thriller as it plays with your mind rather than shows you like a conventional thriller. I feel that this movie gives the film enigma which makes the viewers ask questions throughout the film. For example some of the mise en scene used will basically make you ask certain questions. Photobooth uses the binary opposition of the main protagonist and makes the antagonist criticise him for it throughout the film, and uses it as a reason to hold him hostage in the photo booth. This is because of the dominance the protagonist has normally, but when he picks up the phone the dominance switches.
Like Photobooth I feel that our thriller opening didn’t play on all the typical conventions of a thriller. In our opening we also avoided darkness and shadow. For example the funeral was held on a sunny day. In the planning and throughout filming and editing we were trying to create enigma, as it was an opening we didn’t want to give much away, but at the same time you see enough to get an idea of were the movie is going. About 80% of the opening was set in a church at the funeral.
The immediate question that we were hoping to be raised was; “who is this girl in pictures and flashback” and “why, is she dead? Is this her funeral? And if so how did she die.” I feel that we made the viewers think in one way or another about these questions. Although in our peer evaluation feedback we got some negative feedback where people were saying it didn’t feel like a thriller/lacked conventions of a thriller. Because we got so much feedback like that maybe they were correct, but I feel that as it’s an opening our group didn’t want to fall into the trap of giving away too much and simply making it harder for the movie to continue. Apart from the lack of “thriller-esque” we got positive feedback about our use of mise en scene, and lighting etc.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In our opening we decided to only represent one social group, white middle class. We felt that the plot didn’t hinge on the social group of our characters. By this I mean that unlike a typical gang film, which can include young black males as the antagonists - a social stereotype used commonly in films, we felt that we needed a stereotypically normal looking protagonist. Social stereotyping tends to depict middle class white men as normal and therefore we used them for this purpose.
In the opening we only wanted you to get an idea about the main protagonist, and how his mood and body language change between flashback and present time at the funeral. Even though the character seems to be fairly normal we wanted him to be fairly mysterious and have a distinct change when he is with Frankie and without her. In the first line of the non-diagetic sound track, “this is me and this is you”, it cuts to a flashback of the main protagonist and the girl being happy giving the impression that there is a relationship between the two. We purposely decided to put that shot in as that line was said to give the audience the idea that they are/were together. The happiness depicted between the two is used to give the impression that they are together in a loving, happy relationship, not one marred by stress/guilt/mistrust.
When Frankie’s death is later implied, this two shot of them both adds to the enigma of the film by removing one potential reason for her death, i.e. revenge for an affair, and most importantly acquitting the main protagonist of being involved in her death. Although this shot is intended to remove blame for her death from the main protagonist, we could also use the impression given of the protagonist to add to the shock of a potential plot twist revealing that he was not as innocent as he was made out to be. For example the killing could have been intended to hurt him for something he has previously done.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
In my opinion with a low budget film like ours we would need it just to get out there and get as many views as possible, this being “A Bad Boy Productions” second piece, we would not expect it to get it to get onto the big screen. But I think with the correct budget it has the fundamentals for a blockbuster film. I and my group had not come to a final decision but we had been talking about who we would like to get to distribute our film and I personally think that Pathe would be a good choice.
Pathe is one of the UK’s leading impendent film distributors, Pathe distribution releases around 20 titles each year, ranging from quality and specialised films to crowd-pleasing mainstream movies and genre titles.
The Reason Pathe stood out for me was that they are prepared to distribute movies such as The Blair Witch Project which had a low budget and was filmed by amateurs.
But as that is not a realistic way of us getting our movie distributed I would say that we should put it on Youtube and make some more openings etc to get as many subscribers as possible because then we may be able to get sponsors and then have a real budget to make and produce our films. That could help lead us to getting our movie signed by a well recognised distributing company.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
We would be looking to target people aged 16-24, one to maximise the profit as this the age range of people that watch the movies especially big blockbuster. This is also the case because of the age of the main protagonist so the viewers between these ages will be able to relate to this character with less difficulty than if the main protagonist was older.
I really think this would be a movie that would be promoted like the movie twilight, as it has some similarities that could be used to promote it to that range of viewers. Like Twilight, although the genre isn’t really the same, it could still be promoted for people aged 16-24 but more predominantly towards the female market. Maybe a film that a girl would drag her boyfriend to.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The normality and realism is where we would look to be grabbing our viewers’ attention. We would use the characters emotion and passion of the main protagonist to attract the female viewers. The idea of revenge would be a way we could keep the male side of the market happy and interested in our film. Apart from that you will have the enigma which we would like to think we would have maintained throughout the film to keep all viewers on their toes and thinking. If that isn’t enough we have gone for the vulnerable girl with strong protagonist male.
How distressed the main protagonist is?
Whose Funeral is this?
The two protagonists together?
Then the same place but empty, does this mean anything?
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Throughout this task I used the following technologies:
- iMovie
- Video Recorder (Camera)
- Garage Band
- Tripod
- Various Lights
After our preliminary and the practice shoot of this piece, we felt really comfortable about shooting different shots. For example the tracking shots of the protagonist’s feet are hand held and there were some pans that took some skill setting up and shooting. Looking back at the task I feel that as it progressed I became more aware of which camera technique to use for a particular shot in order to give the most effect. As a group we discussed every shot beforehand and had at least three practices using different shots in order to select the right one. As our understanding increased though less practice shots were needed as we already had a good idea, from previous shots, of what technique would give us the best results. Other than this, tasks such as white balancing and mounting the tripod were known to us before the task began and therefore I don’t feel I learnt anything here.
As I added the soundtrack and played around with different sound levels by myself, I gained knowledge in how best this should be set up in order to maximise impact and yet not become the focus point. After editing the piece for the first time, I decided to change the length of certain shots in order to time other shots with relevant sections of the music. For example the first shot of Frankie and the main protagonist appears during the words “This is you and this is me”. This second draft flowed much better and the soundtrack had more impact. This knowledge gained in how to maximise sounds during the film sequence led to me deciding to add the sound effect at the end where the gun shot goes off which I feel adds enigma.
As a group I feel that it was a success I enjoyed working with Luke and Arran as they are friends outside of the classroom. We had good communication throughout and it helped the production come together smoothly. At the start of the production I crashed my car which resulted in me missing a couple lessons, but I feel that I wasn’t “carried” at the start because I was there when we did important stuff such as the synopsis and the storyboard. I attended all filming and editing sessions with Arran and Luke, plus I was able to get the church as a venue and got Shortfall to give us permission to use their song Fragile. Overall I think we worked well and everyone put effort in despite my low attendance of lesson time at the start of this production.
As I already mentioned above in the peer evaluations people felt that it wasn’t like a thriller, but I think there is a floor in there thinking as it was an opening, not a short film or trailer. It was simply setting the scene and introducing the main protagonist and Frankie whose funeral it may be. The gunshot at the end of our opening gives away maybe even how she died if she is dead.
Apart from that the peer evaluations said that every area of our opening was at least good, things like: “well edited”, “very steady shots” and “music very good, blends well with dialogue”
Some of the bad points were: “not really a thriller”. I agree with that comment but at the same time it did what it was meant to do and that is open the move up. “Possibly music too loud” I agree strongly I noticed in one part the music goes way to loud, but I didn’t notice until it was played in class.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
In our preliminary task we showed great continuity editing and match on action. It lacked any sort of understanding or storyline. Also in the preliminary we felt that we didn’t note down on the blog what we did and we were told about how important blogging was and I think we made improvements in managing the blog. This production we took more time when filming, as we shot the whole of the church scene un-costumed before shooting the real thing. Out panning and tracking shots were really nice. Experiments using higher angled shots were introduced. But at the same time we kept a high standard of continuity and our match on action shot of the main protagonist leaving the church couldn’t of went better.
Evaluation - Luke Hawkins
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
In producing the opening to our thriller production we were drawn to certain points that needed to be followed to create the atmosphere required in order to create suspense. One of these elements required is enigma, enigma code refers to the devices used by a narrative in order to create questions in the mind of the viewer. The main questions that were raised from our production are “what happened to the female character” and “how did she die?”. While in the church the main character experiences a series of flashbacks showing him walking through a wood with his girlfriend, the viewer is given an impression that this is where the female character died however her death is not shown during this opening. We originally intended to show the murder scene during these flashbacks but then decided not to as it leaves the audience with unanswered questions that will be revealed if they continue to watch. This technique is called restricted narration, where certain aspects of the narrative are omitted to the viewer in order to create intrigue, as opposed to unrestricted narration which allows us to see everything that happens.
Mise en scene is a very important part of any thriller as it helps to establish the mood of the scene, the costumes of the characters in the church helped to show that it is a sad occasion as all of the characters are wearing black indicating that it is a funeral. It is also clear who the vicar is, as he is dressed in a black robe, dog collar and carries a bible. The mood is sombre in the church, created by the music and the facial expression and body language of the characters.
We used shots of different features of the church including the image of Christ on the stained glass windows and the golden statue of the eagle are used as iconography to give dramatic effect as the window signifies the death of Jesus by showing his crucifixion and by the eagle being a large bird of prey.
The main protagonist is the main character who experiences the flashbacks of his girlfriend, at the end of the opening he makes an early exit from the funeral suggesting that he is determined to resolve the situation. The antagonist does not make an appearance in the opening so is yet to be exposed which adds to the enigma. Black and white was used for the flash backs to make them distinguishable from the present and also to suggest that not all of the events are clear to the protagonist.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our product generally represents white, British, young adult citizens. Both males and females take part in our production, one of the female characters is only present during the flashbacks and it is clear that she is in a relationship with the main protagonist. This is shown by them holding hands while walking through the wood, the male characters reactions during her funeral which indicate that he has strong emotions for her and the lyrics in the music “This is you and this is me” strongly define their relationship.
From their appearance during the flashbacks they look like two very ordinary people, we represented them in this way in order to raise further questions in the viewers minds as to why she was murdered, and also so the audience may empaphise with the death of a seemingly innocent person.
All of the actors in the church scene are wearing black which shows that they have respect for the deceased girl, their facial expressions during the ceremony backs this up and gives the impression that they are good people.
After each flashback that the main protagonist experiences his body language shows his increasing distress as a result of the events that he is reliving. This tells the audience something very important about this character, that he will not let it rest until there is justice. This is also where the binary opposition becomes clear between the protagonist and the antagonist who has not yet made an on screen appearance.
What kind of media institutions might distribute your media product and why?
Two of the thriller films that we researched in order to make our product were “What lies beneath” and “Se7en”, These were distributed by 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks and New Line Cinema. This shows that these distributors would be good distributors for our product as they take films from this genre, however these are very large distribution agencies which means that it is unlikely that our thriller would be distributed by these companies. On the other hand Pathé have distributed films such as “The Blair witch project”, this is a low budget production which used amateur film footage, showing that they are interested in more than just high budget, high profile film makers. Internet distribution is also a possibility for our product, for example it could be uploaded onto Youtube. This is completely free and gives the film a global audience and the opportunity to become recognised and possibly sponsored.
Who would the audience be for your media product?
The main target audience for cinema is 16-24 year olds who are predominantly male, meaning that this would be a good age range to target. Also because of the psychological elements of our product as well as the murder scene shown later on in the film it would be suitable to give it a certificate 15, however the content is not overly violent and there is an element of emotion which could attract the female audience as well as males.
How did you attract/address your audience?
We aimed to target both males and females between the ages of 16-24 as this is a popular age group to view films in this genre. The fact that all of the characters present in our production were between these ages, should help to achieve this as they would be sympathetic to their peer group. Viewers may also be drawn in by the mystery of what happened to the female character (how and why she was killed) etc, and therefore may want to continue watching in order to discover the facts. The audience may also sympathise with the situation of the main character after he loses his girlfriend which may attract them into watching.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I feel that my knowledge of filming and editing has improved as a result of constructing this product. I used a dolly for the first time while filming which allowed us to film tracking shots of the character much more smoothly than if it were a hand held shot. I also feel that my skills in editing have developed as my understanding of continuity has improved. Although we did not use Garageband in our final production we did experiment with it which taught me many things about the program and its value as a tool. My ability to use the different features on iMovie has increased, for example I now know how to adjust the different volume levels of each track in the video.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that the general quality of our work has increased since the preliminary task, the planning for the foundation production was much more in depth and thought out more thoroughly. We spent longer choosing appropriate locations to shoot our footage and paid more attention to mise en scene aspects such as character costume and body language. A higher variety of shots were used to make the product more interesting, for example the tracking shots. One very important thing that we made sure of was to film each shot more than once, this was essential as it allowed us to choose the shots that fit together continuously and that were to the standard that we wanted. A problem that we encountered with our preliminary task was that the camera wasn’t white balanced at all times, so we made sure to check this continuously during the filming of our final product.
Luke Hawkins
In producing the opening to our thriller production we were drawn to certain points that needed to be followed to create the atmosphere required in order to create suspense. One of these elements required is enigma, enigma code refers to the devices used by a narrative in order to create questions in the mind of the viewer. The main questions that were raised from our production are “what happened to the female character” and “how did she die?”. While in the church the main character experiences a series of flashbacks showing him walking through a wood with his girlfriend, the viewer is given an impression that this is where the female character died however her death is not shown during this opening. We originally intended to show the murder scene during these flashbacks but then decided not to as it leaves the audience with unanswered questions that will be revealed if they continue to watch. This technique is called restricted narration, where certain aspects of the narrative are omitted to the viewer in order to create intrigue, as opposed to unrestricted narration which allows us to see everything that happens.
Mise en scene is a very important part of any thriller as it helps to establish the mood of the scene, the costumes of the characters in the church helped to show that it is a sad occasion as all of the characters are wearing black indicating that it is a funeral. It is also clear who the vicar is, as he is dressed in a black robe, dog collar and carries a bible. The mood is sombre in the church, created by the music and the facial expression and body language of the characters.
We used shots of different features of the church including the image of Christ on the stained glass windows and the golden statue of the eagle are used as iconography to give dramatic effect as the window signifies the death of Jesus by showing his crucifixion and by the eagle being a large bird of prey.
The main protagonist is the main character who experiences the flashbacks of his girlfriend, at the end of the opening he makes an early exit from the funeral suggesting that he is determined to resolve the situation. The antagonist does not make an appearance in the opening so is yet to be exposed which adds to the enigma. Black and white was used for the flash backs to make them distinguishable from the present and also to suggest that not all of the events are clear to the protagonist.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Our product generally represents white, British, young adult citizens. Both males and females take part in our production, one of the female characters is only present during the flashbacks and it is clear that she is in a relationship with the main protagonist. This is shown by them holding hands while walking through the wood, the male characters reactions during her funeral which indicate that he has strong emotions for her and the lyrics in the music “This is you and this is me” strongly define their relationship.
From their appearance during the flashbacks they look like two very ordinary people, we represented them in this way in order to raise further questions in the viewers minds as to why she was murdered, and also so the audience may empaphise with the death of a seemingly innocent person.
All of the actors in the church scene are wearing black which shows that they have respect for the deceased girl, their facial expressions during the ceremony backs this up and gives the impression that they are good people.
After each flashback that the main protagonist experiences his body language shows his increasing distress as a result of the events that he is reliving. This tells the audience something very important about this character, that he will not let it rest until there is justice. This is also where the binary opposition becomes clear between the protagonist and the antagonist who has not yet made an on screen appearance.
What kind of media institutions might distribute your media product and why?
Two of the thriller films that we researched in order to make our product were “What lies beneath” and “Se7en”, These were distributed by 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks and New Line Cinema. This shows that these distributors would be good distributors for our product as they take films from this genre, however these are very large distribution agencies which means that it is unlikely that our thriller would be distributed by these companies. On the other hand Pathé have distributed films such as “The Blair witch project”, this is a low budget production which used amateur film footage, showing that they are interested in more than just high budget, high profile film makers. Internet distribution is also a possibility for our product, for example it could be uploaded onto Youtube. This is completely free and gives the film a global audience and the opportunity to become recognised and possibly sponsored.
Who would the audience be for your media product?
The main target audience for cinema is 16-24 year olds who are predominantly male, meaning that this would be a good age range to target. Also because of the psychological elements of our product as well as the murder scene shown later on in the film it would be suitable to give it a certificate 15, however the content is not overly violent and there is an element of emotion which could attract the female audience as well as males.
How did you attract/address your audience?
We aimed to target both males and females between the ages of 16-24 as this is a popular age group to view films in this genre. The fact that all of the characters present in our production were between these ages, should help to achieve this as they would be sympathetic to their peer group. Viewers may also be drawn in by the mystery of what happened to the female character (how and why she was killed) etc, and therefore may want to continue watching in order to discover the facts. The audience may also sympathise with the situation of the main character after he loses his girlfriend which may attract them into watching.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I feel that my knowledge of filming and editing has improved as a result of constructing this product. I used a dolly for the first time while filming which allowed us to film tracking shots of the character much more smoothly than if it were a hand held shot. I also feel that my skills in editing have developed as my understanding of continuity has improved. Although we did not use Garageband in our final production we did experiment with it which taught me many things about the program and its value as a tool. My ability to use the different features on iMovie has increased, for example I now know how to adjust the different volume levels of each track in the video.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel that the general quality of our work has increased since the preliminary task, the planning for the foundation production was much more in depth and thought out more thoroughly. We spent longer choosing appropriate locations to shoot our footage and paid more attention to mise en scene aspects such as character costume and body language. A higher variety of shots were used to make the product more interesting, for example the tracking shots. One very important thing that we made sure of was to film each shot more than once, this was essential as it allowed us to choose the shots that fit together continuously and that were to the standard that we wanted. A problem that we encountered with our preliminary task was that the camera wasn’t white balanced at all times, so we made sure to check this continuously during the filming of our final product.
Luke Hawkins
The Evaluation - Arran Smith
The Evaluation
By Arran Smith
1). In what ways does your media project use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real products?
Our media product uses many of the technical conventions that a thriller requires. Enigma codes are used throughout the sequence. The first couple of shots prove this because the zoom-in-shot to the picture to the picture on the wall raises awareness and confuses the audience. No one knows anything about her, who she is or what role she plays as of yet. More questions are raised later on in the sequence, we find out that it is her funeral, but the audience has no knowledge of why she is dead or for what reason. Restricted narration is used in the scene where the girl’s boyfriend begins to feel uneasy in this situation and gets up to leave to setting. This adds more confusion to the thriller as his unpredictable actions lead the viewer to carry on watching. From what is show so far there is no clear protagonist or antagonist, because it is unnecessary, but the binary opposition occurs when the boyfriend leaves the church presumably to do something about the death of his girlfriend. The three stages of narration are: Firstly, the setting of the scene involving the church funeral;
The second stage is when the man begins having flashbacks of his girlfriend’s death, which disturbs him. This leads to the final stage where he gets up and leaves. The mise on scene helps create the right atmosphere and also creates reality. Low-key lighting is used, so it is appropriate, which also creates a sad atmosphere. The costume used also adds affect and creates reality, with everyone wearing black it tells the audience that it is a funeral, therefore they can get into the right mood.
2). How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In our media production, social groups such as: gender, emotions and relationships are being represents. The main characters in our thriller production, so far, are a young couple in there 20’s, but unfortunately the girlfriend has been murdered. They are represented as an average couple that love each other this is shown in the flashbacks. We can see that in the first two flashbacks the couple is presented as a medium long shot, they are holding hands; this gives us the implication that they are in love. As the flashbacks happen to the man, of him and his girlfriend in happiness, we begin to see him feel stressed and uneasy. We can see his personal emotions clearly from the close ups, and rid close ups of his reactions. We showed the man becoming stressed with close ups so the audience can feel emotion due to the use of sad non-diegetic music, which creates a sense of empathy for the audience. The close ups of also show the mans anger. I think if he was shown becoming stressed and angry in a longer shot such as a mid shot, the audience wouldn’t get to see all the emotions he is feeling, especially the anger, which is important.
3). What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?
I have done some research on film distribution; the majority of thriller films I looked at have been distributed by Paramount, Columbia, Touchstone and Warner Brothers. Film distribution is referred to as the ‘invisible art’ because film distribution is the most important factor for bringing to film to screens and making the money. The possible places where a film can be viewed is in the cinema, or at home either on television or DVD or even downloaded, or even film festivals where certain places get licenses to show their film privately to selected members of the public before that film gets shown in the cinema. Most top rated films generally come out on Christmas and summer holidays because then there is no reason for holding people back to go see the film. There is also a downfall though to this because other films will be released during this time increasing rivalries between filmmakers. Advertising is also an important part in distribution many prints need to be made of the film so they can be sold world wide. Also advertisements are made so everyone knows when the film is coming out and whether they want to see it or not.
Using top company distributors is not always the best choice, I also looked at other amateur thriller productions such as “The Blair witch project” which was distributed by Pathe. Since our thriller production uses amateur footage and a small budget we have decided to go for Pathe as they aren’t always interested in expensive films, where as Columbia, Paramount etc. are. Another idea is that we could use ‘Youtube’ to distribute our thriller as it free and as anyone around the world can access it easily, this would be a great chance to get ourselves known if our production became successful. People have been known to become famous off of ‘Youtube’, and been globally known due to their videos.
4). Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our thriller production is targeted at an older audience aging from 15+ both male and female. It requires an older audience because it includes restricted narration that will lead the audience into confusion, it will be solved during the resolution. The from will get the audience thinking and will conclude with a psychological twist.
5). How did you attract you attract/ address your audience?
Our audience will be attracted to our thriller production because the will want enjoy watching thriller films with a twist such as “The Machinist” starring Christian Bale, and “Secret Window” starring Johnny Depp. Both of those films involve men that see imaginary people, which turn out to be themselves in the resolution of the film. Our thriller opening is slow paced so it will be easier to follow and also allows tension to build up quicker in certain scenes, such as when the man becomes stressed. This will lead on to a disruption event, which will cause the audience to carry on watching.
6). What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing this product.
I used many devices and technologies during the making of the thriller production, such as: Imovie and garage band. These technologies allowed me to cut, edit and create music for the thriller production. Our group didn’t use garage band as we got permission from a band to use one of their songs, which was suitable for our type of thriller. At the beginning of the term I didn’t have any idea how to edit footage, but now I know how to edit footage, connect scenes, successfully upload footage and save it. I have also used tools that help to create steadier filming when tracking or dollying in a shot. I used a hand held device that allowed filming Point-of- view shots easier. Also in the shot where we can see the mans legs and feet walking to the location of the funeral, we used a dolly where the tri-pod can be placed and wheeled along whilst filming smooth steady filming
7). Looking back at your preliminary task what do u feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I have improved in many ways since the preliminary task. Firstly, I made more effort to blog after every session, due to the lack of blogging during the preliminary task, I felt as if not as much was blogged as there could have been. I also took the characters details into more depth, meaning I thought about their characteristics and decided what type of clothing they should wear, therefore giving the audience the right impressions of them. I also made sure we added more shot types and introduced more varieties e.g. the dolly shot outside the church and inside using the dolly, which we did not use in the preliminary. One major fault in the preliminary task was that the camera wasn’t always white balanced, so in the main task I made sure that the camera was always white balanced before we started filming. I also wanted to make sure that our group was up-to-date on work, so we could meet every deadline. I think overall the main task thriller is much better than the preliminary and many improvements have been made. From the marking criteria of other students that watched our production and evaluated it, the majorities of the products main faults were the choice of music. I don’t see a problem with the music as it creates a sad atmosphere for the funeral, which is what we wanted to achieve. We didn’t want to build up tension using a fast pace beat, but to create tension and make the audience feel saddened, which I think we did using this choice of music, and it works as an opening.
Arran
By Arran Smith
1). In what ways does your media project use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real products?
Our media product uses many of the technical conventions that a thriller requires. Enigma codes are used throughout the sequence. The first couple of shots prove this because the zoom-in-shot to the picture to the picture on the wall raises awareness and confuses the audience. No one knows anything about her, who she is or what role she plays as of yet. More questions are raised later on in the sequence, we find out that it is her funeral, but the audience has no knowledge of why she is dead or for what reason. Restricted narration is used in the scene where the girl’s boyfriend begins to feel uneasy in this situation and gets up to leave to setting. This adds more confusion to the thriller as his unpredictable actions lead the viewer to carry on watching. From what is show so far there is no clear protagonist or antagonist, because it is unnecessary, but the binary opposition occurs when the boyfriend leaves the church presumably to do something about the death of his girlfriend. The three stages of narration are: Firstly, the setting of the scene involving the church funeral;
The second stage is when the man begins having flashbacks of his girlfriend’s death, which disturbs him. This leads to the final stage where he gets up and leaves. The mise on scene helps create the right atmosphere and also creates reality. Low-key lighting is used, so it is appropriate, which also creates a sad atmosphere. The costume used also adds affect and creates reality, with everyone wearing black it tells the audience that it is a funeral, therefore they can get into the right mood.
2). How does your media product represent particular social groups?
In our media production, social groups such as: gender, emotions and relationships are being represents. The main characters in our thriller production, so far, are a young couple in there 20’s, but unfortunately the girlfriend has been murdered. They are represented as an average couple that love each other this is shown in the flashbacks. We can see that in the first two flashbacks the couple is presented as a medium long shot, they are holding hands; this gives us the implication that they are in love. As the flashbacks happen to the man, of him and his girlfriend in happiness, we begin to see him feel stressed and uneasy. We can see his personal emotions clearly from the close ups, and rid close ups of his reactions. We showed the man becoming stressed with close ups so the audience can feel emotion due to the use of sad non-diegetic music, which creates a sense of empathy for the audience. The close ups of also show the mans anger. I think if he was shown becoming stressed and angry in a longer shot such as a mid shot, the audience wouldn’t get to see all the emotions he is feeling, especially the anger, which is important.
3). What kind of media institution might distribute your product and why?
I have done some research on film distribution; the majority of thriller films I looked at have been distributed by Paramount, Columbia, Touchstone and Warner Brothers. Film distribution is referred to as the ‘invisible art’ because film distribution is the most important factor for bringing to film to screens and making the money. The possible places where a film can be viewed is in the cinema, or at home either on television or DVD or even downloaded, or even film festivals where certain places get licenses to show their film privately to selected members of the public before that film gets shown in the cinema. Most top rated films generally come out on Christmas and summer holidays because then there is no reason for holding people back to go see the film. There is also a downfall though to this because other films will be released during this time increasing rivalries between filmmakers. Advertising is also an important part in distribution many prints need to be made of the film so they can be sold world wide. Also advertisements are made so everyone knows when the film is coming out and whether they want to see it or not.
Using top company distributors is not always the best choice, I also looked at other amateur thriller productions such as “The Blair witch project” which was distributed by Pathe. Since our thriller production uses amateur footage and a small budget we have decided to go for Pathe as they aren’t always interested in expensive films, where as Columbia, Paramount etc. are. Another idea is that we could use ‘Youtube’ to distribute our thriller as it free and as anyone around the world can access it easily, this would be a great chance to get ourselves known if our production became successful. People have been known to become famous off of ‘Youtube’, and been globally known due to their videos.
4). Who would be the audience for your media product?
Our thriller production is targeted at an older audience aging from 15+ both male and female. It requires an older audience because it includes restricted narration that will lead the audience into confusion, it will be solved during the resolution. The from will get the audience thinking and will conclude with a psychological twist.
5). How did you attract you attract/ address your audience?
Our audience will be attracted to our thriller production because the will want enjoy watching thriller films with a twist such as “The Machinist” starring Christian Bale, and “Secret Window” starring Johnny Depp. Both of those films involve men that see imaginary people, which turn out to be themselves in the resolution of the film. Our thriller opening is slow paced so it will be easier to follow and also allows tension to build up quicker in certain scenes, such as when the man becomes stressed. This will lead on to a disruption event, which will cause the audience to carry on watching.
6). What have you learnt about the technologies from the process of constructing this product.
I used many devices and technologies during the making of the thriller production, such as: Imovie and garage band. These technologies allowed me to cut, edit and create music for the thriller production. Our group didn’t use garage band as we got permission from a band to use one of their songs, which was suitable for our type of thriller. At the beginning of the term I didn’t have any idea how to edit footage, but now I know how to edit footage, connect scenes, successfully upload footage and save it. I have also used tools that help to create steadier filming when tracking or dollying in a shot. I used a hand held device that allowed filming Point-of- view shots easier. Also in the shot where we can see the mans legs and feet walking to the location of the funeral, we used a dolly where the tri-pod can be placed and wheeled along whilst filming smooth steady filming
7). Looking back at your preliminary task what do u feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I have improved in many ways since the preliminary task. Firstly, I made more effort to blog after every session, due to the lack of blogging during the preliminary task, I felt as if not as much was blogged as there could have been. I also took the characters details into more depth, meaning I thought about their characteristics and decided what type of clothing they should wear, therefore giving the audience the right impressions of them. I also made sure we added more shot types and introduced more varieties e.g. the dolly shot outside the church and inside using the dolly, which we did not use in the preliminary. One major fault in the preliminary task was that the camera wasn’t always white balanced, so in the main task I made sure that the camera was always white balanced before we started filming. I also wanted to make sure that our group was up-to-date on work, so we could meet every deadline. I think overall the main task thriller is much better than the preliminary and many improvements have been made. From the marking criteria of other students that watched our production and evaluated it, the majorities of the products main faults were the choice of music. I don’t see a problem with the music as it creates a sad atmosphere for the funeral, which is what we wanted to achieve. We didn’t want to build up tension using a fast pace beat, but to create tension and make the audience feel saddened, which I think we did using this choice of music, and it works as an opening.
Arran
Monday, 30 March 2009
Production Deadline
Today's the day of the deadline of our foundation production, we will finish adding titles and then burn our video to a DVD and then we will be finished.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Friday, 27 March 2009
Updates
We have now given our opening a name, which is "Fragile". The editing stage is now almost complete as we have now added the music that we were given permission to use. We are now in the process of adding titles to the video and it will then be complete.
Luke, Charlie and Arran.
Luke, Charlie and Arran.
Monday, 23 March 2009
Music for our thriller
Charlie: i got permission from the band shortfall.....I'm going to scan the letter giving us permission to use as soon as i receive it.
We can use any of their music, but we are still not sure what we will use.
their myspace: shortfall
We can use any of their music, but we are still not sure what we will use.
their myspace: shortfall
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
16/03/09 and 17/03/09
Yesterday we began to film shots of the church. The rest of the filming will be completed today as all the costumes and extra characters are now ready to be used.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Feedback on rushes
Feedback: Unsure of the set up of the film what is the motivation for the person to jump out and attack? It this plausible?
Shame some of the church footage is unsteady but looks okay perhaps hold still in the final film. Why is Arran not in costume would a vicar really wear a bright green t-shirt. It would be better if you could re shoot and get some costumes for the actors. Would brother James really be wearing a coat?
Answer: This was only a practice shoot as the vicar and many extras were unavailable at the time, this is also why the characters were not in costume. We will re shoot this scene with more extra characters and costumes.
We have also decided to leave out the attack scene and just show the couple walking through the walk way. This is to create enigma and the audience will be able to make assumptions as to what happened.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Shame some of the church footage is unsteady but looks okay perhaps hold still in the final film. Why is Arran not in costume would a vicar really wear a bright green t-shirt. It would be better if you could re shoot and get some costumes for the actors. Would brother James really be wearing a coat?
Answer: This was only a practice shoot as the vicar and many extras were unavailable at the time, this is also why the characters were not in costume. We will re shoot this scene with more extra characters and costumes.
We have also decided to leave out the attack scene and just show the couple walking through the walk way. This is to create enigma and the audience will be able to make assumptions as to what happened.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Monday, 9 March 2009
Editing part 2
We are editing the footage that we filmed last (it was a practice run of the real church scene that we couldn't do due to the vicar and other extras being to busy to film before the rushes).
Charlie, Luke, Arran
xx
Charlie, Luke, Arran
xx
Friday, 6 March 2009
Filming Part 2
We have now filmed the church scene of our production, however due to certain circumstances we were not able to use the correct costume or have as many extras as we would like. Because of this we plan to re-shoot the church scene next week using more characters.
Luke, Arran and Charlie
Luke, Arran and Charlie
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Editing Part 1 (Flashbacks)
Today we cut out the shots that we did not need, and then joined the remaining footage together in a logical order to resemble the flashbacks. We took out the sound and made it black and white to show that it is in the past and the character is struggling to remember the events exactly.
Once we have filmed the church scenes we will then integrate them with the flashbacks to complete the sequence. We will then add titles and sound to complete the editing.
Luke, Arran and Charlie
Once we have filmed the church scenes we will then integrate them with the flashbacks to complete the sequence. We will then add titles and sound to complete the editing.
Luke, Arran and Charlie
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Opening Title Analysis
Titles can either be separate to the opening of a film or incorporated into them in some way.
They can either add something to the narrative or add nothing and simply show the titles.
The Orphanage: The opening credits are shown separately to the opening of the film. They show children's hands ripping off wallpaper to reveal the titles. This probably has something to do with what happens later on in the film and implies that the characters will try to uncover something.
Vertigo: The opening starts off with an extreme close up of a woman's face, the title "Vertigo" appears in the characters eye in a very a very small font and then grows. Then as the camera goes into her eye and we see more titles in a separate screen. The shapes in the middle of the screen give the impression of falling.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
They can either add something to the narrative or add nothing and simply show the titles.
The Orphanage: The opening credits are shown separately to the opening of the film. They show children's hands ripping off wallpaper to reveal the titles. This probably has something to do with what happens later on in the film and implies that the characters will try to uncover something.
Vertigo: The opening starts off with an extreme close up of a woman's face, the title "Vertigo" appears in the characters eye in a very a very small font and then grows. Then as the camera goes into her eye and we see more titles in a separate screen. The shapes in the middle of the screen give the impression of falling.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Monday, 2 March 2009
Filming part 1 (flashbacks)
On Sunday we filmed the flashback/murder scene, we believe that we got the footage that we need however we have decided to cut some of it out.
We will be filming the second half (church scene) this Thursday evening.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
We will be filming the second half (church scene) this Thursday evening.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Analysis of Se7en
Luke:
A thriller is a film designed to keep the viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. I will be looking at how editing and mise en scene are used in the opening two minutes of “Se7en” to show us what we can learn about characters and their situation. Mise en scene is everything that we can see in a frame. This includes lighting, props, setting, make-up, body language, body movement and costume. These can all be used to give us impressions about characters and the situations that they are in. Camera work includes the type of shot, camera movement and positions. This can allow us to understand character and their relation to other characters in the frame.
The scene begins with a medium long shot of a character with his back against the camera. From the mise en scene visible in the shot it is clear that he is in a kitchen possibly early in the morning as when he turns to face the camera he starts to fasten his cuffs showing that he may be getting ready for work. In the third shot we are shown an overhead close up shot of a table, possible from the characters point of view. The items that the character is about to pick up suggest that he is a policeman as there is a gold badge, a knife and a pen, which he proceeds to store in his pockets.
The bedroom shot of the character shows the lower half of his body as he goes to pick up his jacket from his bed. His jacket is neatly laid out and as he bends to pick it up he takes a small piece of fluff off the jacket, showing the audience that he is a meticulous person and also very organized. This is also shown in the previous shot by the way he puts the objects in his pockets. The camera then pans to the right, following the character as he walks over to the bedside table and switches off the light, implying that he is leaving.
The next shot shows a high angle shot of a body. From the position of the body and the blood surrounding it, it is clear that this person is dead, and has possibly been murdered. The camera tilts up slightly to reveal more of the body however the identity of the person is still unclear. It then cuts to a long shot of the character previously shown at his home. Because of his coat and hat we automatically get the impression that he is a detective who has been called to the case. The character then walks towards the camera while observing the walls as if he is looking for clues, as he stops the shot is a mid close up to show the characters facial expression revealing his interest in something that is on the fridge. The camera is at a low angle and looking up at the detective which suggests that he is an important character, which is again shown when the camera tilts down and back up again to follow his movements. The lighting in the scene is very dark which gives the impression that something sinister is going on. In the background of the shot there is also blood on a window blind which is revealed as the other character in the shot moves forward. This again suggests that this is a murder scene.
In the next shot the character that was previously present in the background is revealed as before he was out of focus. This character also appears to be a detective because of his clothes and gun, although his is dressed more untidily which suggests that he is less involved and is very different in attitude to the other detective.
We are soon introduced to a third character as he comes up the stairs, he is shown at a medium shot and we are able to see that he is much different to the other two characters. The camera is again angled to look up at him possibly to suggest importance. His clothing is also smart and also slightly more casual showing that he might be “cool” and because of his age and inquiring look he might have only recently started working as a detective.
Throughout the two minutes all the scenes are dimly lit giving a sense of mystery and possibly building suspense, confusion is instantly put into the viewers mind as within the first two minutes they already have questions about the death of the character. Mise en scene shows us the differences between the detectives and gives us ideas as to how they might work.
Charlie:
In my independent research I will be researching and looking at the mise en scene, and sound used in the opening two minutes the in the thriller Se7en.
The opening shot starts as a block shot of the kitchen in the apartment of the main protagonist, his kitchen looks like it has never been used, everything looks clean, in the correct place and well presented. The mise en scene gives you a good impression of the characters personality. For example he has a chess board in the kitchen, this could give you viewer the impression of him being a precise and likes to solve puzzles. There are also some sculptures of what looks like African animals, such as Elephants which could show a side of culture from his African roots, not to mention his appreciation of art which also goes back to the initial precise view of his personality.
When it cuts to a close up of the mirror, which reflects him putting his clothes on you can tell from the mirror and how he much time he spends putting his tie on that he cares about his appearance. You get the idea that in his work place he makes sure that people think he is together and completely in control.
When he goes to pick up the stuff he carries with him when he goes to work you can see that he laid them out the night before, all parallel to each other, this all enforces his precise personality.
He has a single bed, made obviously when he first got out of bed because he had his coat laid perfectly on the bed. The single bed could show that he lives alone and that could give the impression that he is lonely. That could be the why he has everything so perfect.
In the second opening shot you get an instant contrast between this protagonists home life to his work life. The second opening shot opens, as at a light low angle to the dead body on the floor, the old thing you can really see as it opens is the dead body and the victim’s blood.
The house/apartment looks run down, with stained wallpaper. You get the impression that the place were this movie is set is not a nice place, it seems to be set in a run down city with a high crime rate, as the detectives don’t seem bothered by the murder that has taken place.
The other detective has his gun clearly on display, and doesn’t carry himself as well as Somerset, his body language and the way that his clothes look like he has thrown them on just before he left his home unlike Somerset who spent time and effort getting ready for his day at work.
Another detective that is younger enters. He is wearing a leather jacket and is somewhat scruffy unlike Somerset. He is also chewing gum which shows a kind of disrespect to the victim, and I don’t imagine Somerset chewing gum at a murder scene. The use of mise en scene gives the impression that this young detective is arrogant and maybe naïve.
The sound in movies and TV programmes are divided into two types, diegetic and nondiegetic sound. Diegetic sound is the sound that the characters can hear, different methods of mise en scene can be added to make out that the character can hear, for example a radio if a song is on or dogs if you can hear barking, but sometimes you have to just presume that the character can hear. Nondiegetic sound is the things that only the viewers can hear, such as voice over, theme tunes and most of the sound tracks that are played during films.
In Somersets apartment you can hear a lot of diegetic background noise, which is used to fade the clarity and tranquil environment of Somersets apartment. The noises include sirens, beeping of horns, loud voices. This gives us the viewer an idea of the type of city he lives. The way that Somerset acts even though there is so much noise is making hard to make out what the character is thinking, but I came to the conclusion that he either blocks it out because it doesn’t bother him or he has dealt with the noise for so long that it doesn’t bother him.
In the second sequence of shots at the murder scene consist of two detectives talking, while in the background you can hear police radios, and the same nauseating sound of the background traffic, horns and people as the first shots. A 3rd detective walks up the stairs. The stairs are squeaking, this could have been used to demonstrate the poor and ran down environment of the city that this movie in set in.
When it moves the Somerset and the young detective (Mills) walking outside into the raid the get the sound of it raining, it’s not that important as it would be normal to hear the rain when you can see it.
I think that the constant sound of traffic and other background noises are used in this film the add the effect of a hectic lifestyle, this has been used to give the viewer and idea of what its like to be living in Somersets world.
ARRAN:
A thriller film aims to entertain and intrigue its audience in many different ways. The thriller film “Se7en” does this, and uses many methods to ensure that the viewers are intrigued. The methods I will be looking at will be the use of sound and camera work that are used throughout the first 2 minutes of the thriller film. The use of sound will create the right type of atmosphere and mood for the scenes, and build up suspense it. There are many methods of sound use such as: diegetic which is sound characters are able to hear (background noise, phone ringing (, non-diegetic which is sound characters can’t hear (voice overs, narration), parallel sound which is music that fits in with the scene (children playing would have nice positive music) and contrapuntal where music doesn’t fit the scene often used when an antagonist is approaching (beach scene from ‘Jaws’). Camera work can help give us impressions of the character, so we can learn more about them as the film progresses. Camera work includes the type of shot, camera movement and positions. This helps the viewer see the relation between characters in the frame.
The scene begins with a medium long shot of the character however; his back is facing the camera. Immediately we hear background noise, which consists of cars beeping, the noise you would hear in traffic jams in major cities such as New York. This is an example of diegetic sound, sound that would normally be found in scene as if it were real life. We can clearly see that character is in his kitchen, he then turns around and walks around the camera to another room. In the frame objects such as chess board, and some wooden cats that could be from another country suggest he could have cultural origins. We get the idea that this character is wise because he plays chess, and we normally associate activities such as chess with humble thoughtful people. We still have not seen the characters face, and as he turns around it is still shadowed. As he walks closer to the camera the top of his body is out of frame due to the camera position. It then cuts to the second shot which is an over-the-shoulder shot of this character buttoning himself up and doing up his tie in the mirror. As he does up his tie the camera tilts up so we can see his face this is presented as a medium shot. This is the first time we see the characters face. The third shot begins as a point-of-view shot of a table underneath his mirror where 5 of his possessions are neatly placed. This tells the audience that this character likes to be smartly dresses and also likes to keep his belongings in place and tidy. We can make out that one of his possessions is a police badge, which we see, picked up; then as the camera cuts back to a medium shot of his torso, put into his shirt pocket. This suggests he is serving in the police service as someone of high authority due to the suit he’s just put on. Still while all this is happening we can hear the faint background noise of traffic and people working.
The camera then cuts to a low angle shot showing his jacket neatly laid out across his bed. This also enhances the fact that this character is tidy. The camera then pans along with the lower half of his body as he reaches to switch off his bedside light. Immediately the next shot cuts to a high angle shot of a body, which we can see might be dead because of all the blood around it. We then hear a man talking to someone off-screen, then the camera cuts to a medium shot of the character we saw getting dressed walking towards the camera slowly down a small hallway, he pauses and then stops to look at a drawing or picture on the wall. We get the idea that this character is a detective and he asks about the dead person kid, the camera then cut to a mid shot of another man, the man that was talking at the beginning of the scene. He replies with something along the line of “Why do you care?” This reveals something about the detective’s characteristics, as he is concerned about the dead persons family whereas the other man obviously doesn’t care. The shot is still on the other man maybe a detective as well but we are unsure, as he moves around we can see a bloody splatter on the wall behind him suggesting that this is quite a gruesome murder, raising awareness to the audience. We then learn as the man carries on talking that this is the main character, he is about to retire. The detective continues looking around for clues, the camera cuts to a mid close up so we can see the detectives facial expression, he hasn’t said much as of yet which reveals more about his personality, he keeps to himself and won’t say anything unless its of relevance. The other man walks into a room around the corner of the cameras position, then another character enters the scene he comes up the stairs looks side to side, and catches the detectives attention and greets him he says “Detective Somerset… I’m Detective Mills.” We have learnt that these two men are detective and their names. As detective mills comes up the stairs and greets detective Somerset, a shot-reverse-shot takes place so we can see Somerset’s’ reaction, he looks up slowly. We can learn a few characteristics of detective mills as well in this scene. He is chewing gum, which suggests he’s cocky; he seems confident by the way he walked up the stairs and looked for Somerset. We also get the idea that he is important character because the camera tilted up to amid shot of his body as he came up the stairs.
The next shot is at slight low angle of an open door, moments later the two detectives walk out together talking, we can see from their facial expressions and gestures what kind of character they are. Mills seems to be moving around and making hand gestures, however, Somerset is still and keeps his and to himself. We can also hear police sirens in the background to ensure that the viewer knows that this is a crime. We can also hear the sound of the rain, this is another example of diegetic sound, the weather is gloomy to add effect to the scene, and it makes the film seem more sinister.
Throughout the two minutes of Se7en, enigma codes have been raised, such as why is this man dead. This has been created by the camera work. Dim lighting is used to fulfil the genre (crime scene). We get an understanding of the two main characters personalities and the environments that surround them. Sound has been used to create reality, in case the main sounds have been background noises. Suspense, confusion and awareness have been raised throughout these two minutes, which is what a thriller film wants.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Analysis of What Lies Beneath
Luke:
A thriller is a film designed to keep the viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. I will be looking at how editing and mise en scene are used in the trailer of “What Lies Beneath” to show us what we can learn about characters and their situation. Mise en scene is everything that we can see in a frame. This includes lighting, props, setting, make-up, body language, body movement and costume. These can all be used to give us impressions about characters and the situations that they are in. Editing creates meaning, lets the story be told in a logical order and is used for the manipulation of time.
The first shot in the trailer sets the scene of the film, it shows a large house in the countryside situated by a lake. There is a car outside which suggests that there are people living in this house, and they may be the main characters. The sun is setting on the horizon meaning that it will soon be night, which prepares the audience for the thriller and possible suspense. We can also tell that the film is set in modern day America.
In the next shot we are introduced to the main characters of the film, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. He is holding onto her and her body language suggests that she is happy, this may be to show that these characters are in a relationship.
Editing has successfully been used to show the manipulation of time in this short trailer. Many of the shots have been joined with the dissolve transition to show that the joined shots are not the same as they would be in the actual film. This manipulation allows for the showing of shots from the whole film to be shown in the two minute trailer. Throughout the entire trailer the speed of the cuts are generally very quick, setting a quick pace for the film and creating suspense in the viewer.
A quick montage of editing is used to show that a family member (possibly the daughter) is leaving the household, possibly for a long period of time. Because of this we know later on the female character is “alone” in the house, which again creates the opportunity for suspense and thriller.
The overall lighting for the shots in the trailer is very dark especially when involving the house and most of the trailer appears to be set at night. This aspect of mise en scene builds up the atmosphere that something bad will happen as darkness is often associated with evil.
Later on we see the two character meet, the facial expression of the female gives the impression that she is scared while the mans shows concern. Behind the characters are shelves containing beakers and other equipment suggesting that this is the mans workplace and she has come to him because of something that has happened at the house. The shot soon cuts to the next using a dissolve transition. The two characters are now with another couple having a meal. This other couple are well dressed and wearing jewellery, therefore they appear wealthy and the main characters would value their opinion. It is clear that they are out in a restaurant as there are waiters and other tables present. This is where we learn that the female character has been aware of another presence in the house. The woman finds a newspaper article hidden in the back of a picture which falls from the wall unexpectedly and reveals the search for a missing girl. Due to the nature of the film the audience automatically assumes that this is the ghost that is in the house, this shows that the mise en scene has been successful as this idea is instantly put inside the viewers head.
The shot showing the steamed up mirror with the words “you know” written on it appears to begin the sequence of shots building the climax of the film. The words appear like dripping blood, could imply murder has taken place. The cuts now come at very quick intervals with fades used after each possibly to show the sinister side of the husband. This is again backed up by the use of titles coming up between shots, these are all aimed at the husband. They summarise who he was and how he made a mistake and make the viewer want to watch on to see the consequences. The facial expression of the characters during this sequence shows their anxiety
Because of the actions of the female character it would appear that she has now been possessed by a ghost or another supernatural being. Towards the end of the trailer the pace of the cuts becomes even quicker than before which helps to increase the tension felt by the viewer. We are constantly shown scenes of the characters submerged underwater this may be to show that this is an important part of the film and maybe the girl drowned. The possessed character also appears to have a knife during this sequence suggesting another murder may take place although we are not shown this in the trailer, which makes the viewer want to watch the whole film to find out what happens.
The mounting tension built up by this trailer makes it a good example for a thriller film as we able to learn a lot about the plot and the characters but without giving too much away, questions are still left unanswered. The mise en scene is very successful in establishing the mood of the film and characters, to begin with they appear to be a normal affluent American family but by the end of the two minutes the circumstances changes it to a suspense filled film, enough to intrigue an audience.
ARRAN
I chose to analyse the Mise en scene and the editing used in the “What lies Beneath”trailer
“What lies Beneath” is a thriller movie directed by Robert Zemeckis in the year 2000. It stars Harrison Ford, Michelle Pseiffer, Diana Scorward, Victoria Bridewell, Joe Morton and James Remar. “What lies Beneath is a rousing tale of doubt, deceit and murder. Norman (Harrison Ford) and Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) are a seemingly happily married couple who uncover a terrible secret… a secret so disturbing it threatens them. Claire begins to see ghostly images and hear mysterious voices in their home, her husband Norman suspects them to be her imagination – until the images become real. Together they uncover the truth and find out “What lies Beneath”
The mise en scene used throughout the trailer of “What lies Beneath” is similar and creates an atmosphere of a slightly creepy house in America. Household paraphernalia is used throughout the thriller trailer such as sofas, beds, chairs etc. This would show reality and keeps the viewer interested in the film. As many of the scenes in the trailer are set clearly in the night which adds to the eerie atmosphere that creates a thriller. From watching these quick cuts the viewer can get a chill running down their spine created by mise en scene. The cloths worn by the characters in the thriller trailer create reality in the trailer. The husband Norman is a research scientist for a university and he is wearing a smart shirt and trousers throughout the trailer. This leads the viewer to believe that Norman is a real university researcher. We can learn some personality details about him from this; he must be clever and well educated to be working for a university. Claire is also an intelligent, and a mature woman as she is a retired concert cellist. In the trailer she is shown wearing formal clothing, this would also suggest that if she had to solve a problem she would be capable to do it.
Many uses of editing are used in the trailer of “What lies Beneath”. Firstly many fading cuts are used for multiple reasons, the fade helps to change from one scene to another in another setting/location. It also creates a thrilling and dramatic atmosphere that a thriller movie wants to create. The editing helps intrigue the targeted audience by quick cuts of intriguing scenes. At 1 min 28 montage editing is used in the thriller trailer, 7 shots take place in around 10 seconds. This sequence creates a fast pace which make the audience compelled and enticed into the thriller trailer. This montage sequence is used to reflect tension and some disturbance, and build up a slight threat. The editing used creates an idea of what the characters personalities are. We can see there is a seductive woman, she gives off a negative vibe and the editing used such as the shots of her face proves this, which are threatening and spooky.
Overall I feel this trailer has done very well to preview “What lies Beneath”. It portrays the main characters well, and adds a twist to the trailer that will make people that enjoy solving the twists (or try to) want to watch the whole film. Towards the end of the trailer the mood created by mise en scene is dramatic and creates tension and the use of editing backs this up.
Charlie
Analysis of what lies beneath
This thriller is one that will keep you on guard and asking questions throughout. There is obviously a relationship between the protagonists. Maybe married or just in a long term relationship, we know they live together.
The use of conventional thriller techniques using dark lighting, a strong male protagonist and the female protagonist venerable at time but still has confidence and not at all feeble. Mise en scene at concerning house hold items and costumes shows and represents the realism of the couple in their every day lives.
The body language of the two protagonists definitely show a distinct difference between the male and female as he seems very much in control. When she finds out about the girl he had an affair with she starts to panic but he stays calm and in control.
The sound used in this trailer really gives it the thriller feel, and enforces the suspense as the trailer goes on.
Note: my poor attempt to re-write after losing my original, would of been better but i had just finished my evaluation and was tired
Actors
Actors involved in our production:
Arran Smith - Murderer
Charlie Meaden - Main male character
Frankie Lusty - Main female character (girlfriend)
Gary Simmons - Vicar
Luke and Arran
Arran Smith - Murderer
Charlie Meaden - Main male character
Frankie Lusty - Main female character (girlfriend)
Gary Simmons - Vicar
Luke and Arran
Planning and permission
We have permission to film in Slaugham church as we personally know the victor there and asked if this would be okay before hand.
Luke and Arran
Luke and Arran
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
11/02/2009
Today we will be going out to take pictures of the locations that we will be using during the filming of our production.
Edit: It turns out that we were unable to take pictures on this day as the church was being used.
Luke and Arran
Edit: It turns out that we were unable to take pictures on this day as the church was being used.
Luke and Arran
11/02/2009 Media AS Foundation Production
Synopsis
It begins at a church where a funeral is taking place. While the vicar is talking, one character appears to be disturbed and distraught. He then begins having a series of flashbacks showing the male character walking together through a wood with his girlfriend. From the flashbacks questions are raised; What happened to both characters, where is this girl now, and is it her funeral? As the funeral goes on the male character becomes distressed and leaves the church. As the film goes on he experiances more flashbacks that torments him but at the same time reveals what happened in the wood.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
It begins at a church where a funeral is taking place. While the vicar is talking, one character appears to be disturbed and distraught. He then begins having a series of flashbacks showing the male character walking together through a wood with his girlfriend. From the flashbacks questions are raised; What happened to both characters, where is this girl now, and is it her funeral? As the funeral goes on the male character becomes distressed and leaves the church. As the film goes on he experiances more flashbacks that torments him but at the same time reveals what happened in the wood.
Luke, Charlie and Arran
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Peer Reviews
We went through everyones videos on mondays lesson and evaluated them.
The main factor(s) that we need to improve on is lighting, and check white balance everytime we start filming.
Arran, Luke, Charlie
xxx
The main factor(s) that we need to improve on is lighting, and check white balance everytime we start filming.
Arran, Luke, Charlie
xxx
Friday, 9 January 2009
Day Seven
Today, we burnt our thriller movie onto a blank DVD. We gave it new background which involves an old fashion record player, we integrated a picture of the Grim Reaper to make it relelvant to our movie.
Arran, Luke, Oli
Arran, Luke, Oli
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Day Six
We added music and credits to the video using iMovie. We also re-shot the scene that had problems with continuity and edited it back into the movie.
Overall the filming and editing of our video went very smoothly. We had very few problems with the filming, and the only problems with editing were some continuity mistakes. We quickly sorted this out though, and it all ended out ok! YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!
Luke, Arran, Oli
xx
Overall the filming and editing of our video went very smoothly. We had very few problems with the filming, and the only problems with editing were some continuity mistakes. We quickly sorted this out though, and it all ended out ok! YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!
Luke, Arran, Oli
xx
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