Sticking to the Story board
I am very impressed my with our groups ability to stick to what we had planned to do in our film. The time lines and story boards that we had prepared enabled us to easily shoot our film and helped in putting it all together as we already had an idea of how we wanted everything done and where it would all go.
Editing
After watching our Rough Cut of our Thriller film I am pleased with our editing. We learnt how to crop shots so as we could eliminate any unwanted things in the film and this has helped our film to look a lot more believable. We also learnt differnt ways to put our shots together so as they would flow more liquidly and not look so "jumpy".
Special effects
In our Rough Cut we tryed to incorporate differnt effects, after watching the film back I am very pleased with these effects as they do not look tacky or fake which was a worry of ours as we wanted it all to look very real and believable. I think that the effects we used are subtle and effective. I think that the use of puting crucial shots into slow motion is very good because it not only helps the audience to see what is going on but also makes it all look more creepy.
Sound
As of yet our film does not have any music which results in it not looking as if it flows together so well as there is not something constantly linking it. We have however made a theme tune and so when we put this into our film I think that it will improve vastly.
Showing posts with label Abi Maskall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abi Maskall. Show all posts
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Monday, 18 January 2010
Previous Media Studies Pupils Thriller Film Analysis
The return
This clip introduces to the audience who the main character of the film is going to be from the very first shot; the way that the figure is just plainly standing in a field is very simple and yet very effective because the way that the camera has been edited makes it look as if we as the audience are looking through an eye, thus putting us in the eye of what can only be assumed to be the murderer. The way that we are watching as the camera zooms into a closer and closer up shot of the boy's face gives me the impression that we are stalking our prey, there for giving the impression to the audience that the boy is going to be the victim of whatever crime is going to happen. After this shot the camera changes to view the opposite angle, this gives the impression to the audience that this is what the boy is seeing and we, as we now can assume that we are looking from the eyes of the main character, are now looking at the murderer. This is very effective because it creates suspense and tells enough about what the themes of the film are to be without giving a great deal away.
The flashing images that are next shown are quite frightening and as a result of the flashing, disorientating for the viewers; this is effective because it confuses the audience and therefor frightens them more as they feel themselves loosing control of the situation. The way that the camera looks like something shown on a cervalance camera is also very frightening because you can imagine the events to be real as opposed to just acted scenes and the abstract shots of people seemingly in distress crouching on the floor is very unerving as the audience asks themselves, what is happening to them?
The cervalance camera also suggests the theme of a crime thriller because the audience would immediately make the link fro this shot to CCTV and therefor the police. This is good because again it introduces the themes of themes of the film. The white noise and blank screen that the film has used also introduces the theme of crime because I think that the blank screen suggests to the audience that something has gone wrong to stop the events from being seen, cutting the cords for example.
The shot of the instruments that the audience can infer are murder instruments such as saws ad knifes also makes the film seem much more brutal and sick as you see a hand maticulously picking out their weapon of choice which gives the audience the impression that the murder is not meerly a disgusting act of anger but perhaps a hobby that the muderer actually cares about and enjoys. This makes the film so much more terrifying because if from the film you got the impression of some kind of remorse from the murderer for an accident then the chance of being murdered seems so much less likely where as a murderer that kills people for fun seems much more likely for them to seek out the audience.
The font that has been chosen for the credits is interesting because the regular words featured in credits such as "film" and "by" are in clear writing whilst the words such as who the film is by and the students second names are in a font that almost looks as if it has been carved in, this again suggests the theme of murder to the audience and also makes everything seem more gruesome and creepy as opposed to just clean-cut.
The music used adds to the creepy atmosphere because it is very eerie and un-suggesting, meaning that anything could happen. This also suggests to the audience that anything could happen in the events that would take place in the film, leaving the audience tense and nervous as they can not guesse what is going to come.
The candles that duplicate refer to the title "the return" as the audience is flickering back to life, becoming stronger as two. The referance back to the eye at the end ties the clip all together and introduces the title "The Return" as the killer's eye is returning, in some way this gives the impression that the film is a sequal which also suggests that the murderer is still not caught which scares the audience as they can infer from this that the killer is obviously skilled in their diseptions.
This clip introduces to the audience who the main character of the film is going to be from the very first shot; the way that the figure is just plainly standing in a field is very simple and yet very effective because the way that the camera has been edited makes it look as if we as the audience are looking through an eye, thus putting us in the eye of what can only be assumed to be the murderer. The way that we are watching as the camera zooms into a closer and closer up shot of the boy's face gives me the impression that we are stalking our prey, there for giving the impression to the audience that the boy is going to be the victim of whatever crime is going to happen. After this shot the camera changes to view the opposite angle, this gives the impression to the audience that this is what the boy is seeing and we, as we now can assume that we are looking from the eyes of the main character, are now looking at the murderer. This is very effective because it creates suspense and tells enough about what the themes of the film are to be without giving a great deal away.
The flashing images that are next shown are quite frightening and as a result of the flashing, disorientating for the viewers; this is effective because it confuses the audience and therefor frightens them more as they feel themselves loosing control of the situation. The way that the camera looks like something shown on a cervalance camera is also very frightening because you can imagine the events to be real as opposed to just acted scenes and the abstract shots of people seemingly in distress crouching on the floor is very unerving as the audience asks themselves, what is happening to them?
The cervalance camera also suggests the theme of a crime thriller because the audience would immediately make the link fro this shot to CCTV and therefor the police. This is good because again it introduces the themes of themes of the film. The white noise and blank screen that the film has used also introduces the theme of crime because I think that the blank screen suggests to the audience that something has gone wrong to stop the events from being seen, cutting the cords for example.
The shot of the instruments that the audience can infer are murder instruments such as saws ad knifes also makes the film seem much more brutal and sick as you see a hand maticulously picking out their weapon of choice which gives the audience the impression that the murder is not meerly a disgusting act of anger but perhaps a hobby that the muderer actually cares about and enjoys. This makes the film so much more terrifying because if from the film you got the impression of some kind of remorse from the murderer for an accident then the chance of being murdered seems so much less likely where as a murderer that kills people for fun seems much more likely for them to seek out the audience.
The font that has been chosen for the credits is interesting because the regular words featured in credits such as "film" and "by" are in clear writing whilst the words such as who the film is by and the students second names are in a font that almost looks as if it has been carved in, this again suggests the theme of murder to the audience and also makes everything seem more gruesome and creepy as opposed to just clean-cut.
The music used adds to the creepy atmosphere because it is very eerie and un-suggesting, meaning that anything could happen. This also suggests to the audience that anything could happen in the events that would take place in the film, leaving the audience tense and nervous as they can not guesse what is going to come.
The candles that duplicate refer to the title "the return" as the audience is flickering back to life, becoming stronger as two. The referance back to the eye at the end ties the clip all together and introduces the title "The Return" as the killer's eye is returning, in some way this gives the impression that the film is a sequal which also suggests that the murderer is still not caught which scares the audience as they can infer from this that the killer is obviously skilled in their diseptions.
Monday, 11 January 2010
Micro Elements of "7"
Colour and lighting
In the beginning of the clip the lighting was extremely bright and vivid white, a lot of items in Morgan Freeman's character's room were also white which I think was to show his purity as a character and let the audience know he was a "good" person. After this quick period when the audience saw the room, the scene immediately turned much darker, showing a dead body. I tihnk that the room was turned dark to mirror the event that had occured and set the scene for the film, the dark room made everything a lot spookier and creepier for the audience and also introduced the "dark" element of the film.
The lighting continued to stay in this dark way throughout the rest of the clip, disreguarding the fact that the characters were now outside; this showed the audience the sincerity of the police work and also made things seem more realistic, if the clip had been wildly airbrushed and covered in light then the film would have seemed alot further away from real life and there for been less relatable and scary for the audience.
In the beginning of the clip the lighting was extremely bright and vivid white, a lot of items in Morgan Freeman's character's room were also white which I think was to show his purity as a character and let the audience know he was a "good" person. After this quick period when the audience saw the room, the scene immediately turned much darker, showing a dead body. I tihnk that the room was turned dark to mirror the event that had occured and set the scene for the film, the dark room made everything a lot spookier and creepier for the audience and also introduced the "dark" element of the film.
The lighting continued to stay in this dark way throughout the rest of the clip, disreguarding the fact that the characters were now outside; this showed the audience the sincerity of the police work and also made things seem more realistic, if the clip had been wildly airbrushed and covered in light then the film would have seemed alot further away from real life and there for been less relatable and scary for the audience.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Film Certificates
15
Theme: No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.
Language: There may be frequent use of strong language; the strongest terms are only rarely acceptable. Continued aggressive use of strong language and sexual abuse is unacceptable.
Nudity: There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex: Sexual activity and nudity may be portrayed but without strong detail. The depiction of casual sex should be handled responsibly. There may be occasional strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence: Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain, and of injuries. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.Imitable techniques: Dangerous combat techniques such as ear claps, head-butts and blows to the neck are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be no emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons (in particular, knives).
Horror: Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but clear instructive detail is unacceptable. The film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use
Theme: No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate to 15 year olds.
Language: There may be frequent use of strong language; the strongest terms are only rarely acceptable. Continued aggressive use of strong language and sexual abuse is unacceptable.
Nudity: There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.
Sex: Sexual activity and nudity may be portrayed but without strong detail. The depiction of casual sex should be handled responsibly. There may be occasional strong verbal references to sexual behaviour.
Violence: Violence may be strong but may not dwell on the infliction of pain, and of injuries. Scenes of sexual violence must be discreet and brief.Imitable techniques: Dangerous combat techniques such as ear claps, head-butts and blows to the neck are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be no emphasis on the use of easily accessible lethal weapons (in particular, knives).
Horror: Sustained or detailed infliction of pain or injury is unacceptable.Drugs: Drug taking may be shown but clear instructive detail is unacceptable. The film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug use
The shining micro elements
Close up's
The shots rotate from showing you the man and the woman's faces; by doing this the audience has a clear view of the characters expressions and therefor can feel more involved with the scene. The close-up of Jack shows how psychotic and creepy he has become and is there to frighten the audience. The close up of the woman screaming and pleading helps the audience to see how terrified she is; as the scene is obviously frightening from the audiences perspective, the close ups of the woman help the audience to feel compassion towards the character and share her desperation.
The close up of Jack's hand when he tries to unlock the door builds tension and also makes the viewing of the woman cutting his hand much more exciting because you can see what is happening in detail. When the audience is watching Jack through the broken door frame this also adds to the scariness as it is also what the woman would be seeing. It also helps the audience to see what side they are on, if it was not already obvious, because they are being put in the position of the woman.
Mise-en-scene
In this clip of The Shining, the mise-en-scene is very clever; even when both characters are sort of in the same room, the camera never shows their faces together. This is because the whole time throughout the clip the camera focuses on the differnt characters point of view and so when you see Jack you know that that is what the woman would be seeing. By keeping the mise-en-scene very simple, only showing the characters, it helps the audience to focus more on the event that is taking place as opposed to becoming side-tracked at an important period in the film.
Establishing shot
The establishing shot in this clip is very fast but you can see that it is the house from the outside. This is very creepy because when you just see that you do not know what is going on inside the house; the shot erouses the saying "you never know what goes on behind closed doors" because the house just looks like it always has. The establishing shot does not actually set the scene in this clip because you do not know what is going to happen however you do know that something is going to happen inside the house.
Sound
The music in the clip is extremely eerie, it is very subtle so unless you listen for it you would not notice it was there. However, it really adds to the tension in clip and keeps the creepy theme of the film in place. The music actually just sounds like a horrible concotion of the wind outside and screams that get progressively louder as the scene continues and becomes even more terrifying. The music becomes slower and lower when the axe is making its appearance through the door to emphasise what is happening.
The sound is diagetic and just of the woman screaming and Jack speaking. This is another way of having no distractions for the audience.
Lighting
In most thrillers you would expect the lighting to be bleak however, the lighting in this clip is just like how you would expect the lighting in a bedroom and a bathroom to be; this helps everything seem much more realistic and relatable for the audience and because of this aspect, also makes the clip a lot more scary.
Character types
In this clip the characters are both very relatable for the audience which helps the film become more terrifying, the way that the characters are both dressed in normal clothes and, by a glance if you did not see what was going on, do look perfectly regular, makes the scene even more frightening because it emphasises the point that Jack has just gone crazy and so makes the audience think that anyone could be a murderer. As the "villain" of this film, if Jack were to have been dressed up in an outfit that would have made him look like a typical villain the scene may not have been quite so scary as it is the fact that he was just a normal person that is the most terrifying.
The shots rotate from showing you the man and the woman's faces; by doing this the audience has a clear view of the characters expressions and therefor can feel more involved with the scene. The close-up of Jack shows how psychotic and creepy he has become and is there to frighten the audience. The close up of the woman screaming and pleading helps the audience to see how terrified she is; as the scene is obviously frightening from the audiences perspective, the close ups of the woman help the audience to feel compassion towards the character and share her desperation.
The close up of Jack's hand when he tries to unlock the door builds tension and also makes the viewing of the woman cutting his hand much more exciting because you can see what is happening in detail. When the audience is watching Jack through the broken door frame this also adds to the scariness as it is also what the woman would be seeing. It also helps the audience to see what side they are on, if it was not already obvious, because they are being put in the position of the woman.
Mise-en-scene
In this clip of The Shining, the mise-en-scene is very clever; even when both characters are sort of in the same room, the camera never shows their faces together. This is because the whole time throughout the clip the camera focuses on the differnt characters point of view and so when you see Jack you know that that is what the woman would be seeing. By keeping the mise-en-scene very simple, only showing the characters, it helps the audience to focus more on the event that is taking place as opposed to becoming side-tracked at an important period in the film.
Establishing shot
The establishing shot in this clip is very fast but you can see that it is the house from the outside. This is very creepy because when you just see that you do not know what is going on inside the house; the shot erouses the saying "you never know what goes on behind closed doors" because the house just looks like it always has. The establishing shot does not actually set the scene in this clip because you do not know what is going to happen however you do know that something is going to happen inside the house.
Sound
The music in the clip is extremely eerie, it is very subtle so unless you listen for it you would not notice it was there. However, it really adds to the tension in clip and keeps the creepy theme of the film in place. The music actually just sounds like a horrible concotion of the wind outside and screams that get progressively louder as the scene continues and becomes even more terrifying. The music becomes slower and lower when the axe is making its appearance through the door to emphasise what is happening.
The sound is diagetic and just of the woman screaming and Jack speaking. This is another way of having no distractions for the audience.
Lighting
In most thrillers you would expect the lighting to be bleak however, the lighting in this clip is just like how you would expect the lighting in a bedroom and a bathroom to be; this helps everything seem much more realistic and relatable for the audience and because of this aspect, also makes the clip a lot more scary.
Character types
In this clip the characters are both very relatable for the audience which helps the film become more terrifying, the way that the characters are both dressed in normal clothes and, by a glance if you did not see what was going on, do look perfectly regular, makes the scene even more frightening because it emphasises the point that Jack has just gone crazy and so makes the audience think that anyone could be a murderer. As the "villain" of this film, if Jack were to have been dressed up in an outfit that would have made him look like a typical villain the scene may not have been quite so scary as it is the fact that he was just a normal person that is the most terrifying.
Friday, 8 January 2010
What I would expect in a Thriller
Thriller films have a lot of very specific factors that you would relate to a Thriller when you saw.
In a Thriller I would expect to see binary opposites that are more grusome or evil than you would see them in genres such as romantic comedy or children's film.
The joker, for example conforms exactly with the image you would relate with the "villain" in a thriller film; this is because of his creepy and extremely odd ways which is in obserdly amazing detale down to his manorisms. I would expect a character like this to be involved with a thriller film because it is obviously the "bad" character that creates the problem and thriller films are always very tense and obviously solving a problem, whether it is saving some ones life or running away from something. The fact that "The Joker" is displayed as a character that is extremely frightening in appearance is however not always what I would expect from a Thriller film; there is a fine line between a thriller and a horror and in a thrillor I would just expect the "villain" to behave badly but in a horror I would generally expect the "villains" physical appearance to be frightening also.
In a thriller film, just like any other film, I would expect there to be a counterbalance to the "villain". However, this would not always have to be the "hero". Although in many thriller films such as The Dark Knight there is some one that "saves the day", not all thriller films do contain this aspect.
In the thriller Phone Booth, for example, Collin Farrel's character who is obviously supposed to forfil the role of "the good person" he is more of a victim to the "villains" evil as opposed to a hero that saves the day.
The location of a Thriller can obviously vary as it is a very vast genre, however, I personally would associate a Thriller with a bleak setting that would show the audience the severity of the situation. However, this is obviously not a necessity as in films such as Speed you witness the location to be extremely normal. However, it is a very clever factor to include a certain point of normality to a Thriller film as it helps the audience to relate to the storyline and therefor becomes much more exciting and tense.
In a thriller film I personally do not invision many props when I think of them; perhaps weapons or forms of travel or a specific prop that will follow with the story line such as the telephone booth in Phone Booth. I think this because I generally think that when you watch a Thriller film there is very little to distract the audience from the storyline as a result of the story being often complex or difficult to follow. Costumes however are often a big feature of Thriller films. A brilliant example is the costume and makeup Heath Ledger wears when he plays The Joker in The Dark Knight; this all adds to how frightening he is. However, a lesser example is the straight-jacket woarn by the main character in Hannabal Silence Of The Lambs.
The music used in Thriller films is generally used when setting and between scenes and obviously when important events are occuring. The music used generally builds tension and keeps the audience involved because it tells them when the exciting parts are going to happen. in this clip of The Shining the music used to build tension is extremely subtle, so subtle infact that you barely notice it being there. However, it really helps to set the scene and definately adds to the tense atmosphere, it also makes everything seem more eary and deperate.
In a Thriller I would expect to see binary opposites that are more grusome or evil than you would see them in genres such as romantic comedy or children's film.
The joker, for example conforms exactly with the image you would relate with the "villain" in a thriller film; this is because of his creepy and extremely odd ways which is in obserdly amazing detale down to his manorisms. I would expect a character like this to be involved with a thriller film because it is obviously the "bad" character that creates the problem and thriller films are always very tense and obviously solving a problem, whether it is saving some ones life or running away from something. The fact that "The Joker" is displayed as a character that is extremely frightening in appearance is however not always what I would expect from a Thriller film; there is a fine line between a thriller and a horror and in a thrillor I would just expect the "villain" to behave badly but in a horror I would generally expect the "villains" physical appearance to be frightening also.
In a thriller film, just like any other film, I would expect there to be a counterbalance to the "villain". However, this would not always have to be the "hero". Although in many thriller films such as The Dark Knight there is some one that "saves the day", not all thriller films do contain this aspect.
In the thriller Phone Booth, for example, Collin Farrel's character who is obviously supposed to forfil the role of "the good person" he is more of a victim to the "villains" evil as opposed to a hero that saves the day.
The location of a Thriller can obviously vary as it is a very vast genre, however, I personally would associate a Thriller with a bleak setting that would show the audience the severity of the situation. However, this is obviously not a necessity as in films such as Speed you witness the location to be extremely normal. However, it is a very clever factor to include a certain point of normality to a Thriller film as it helps the audience to relate to the storyline and therefor becomes much more exciting and tense.
In a thriller film I personally do not invision many props when I think of them; perhaps weapons or forms of travel or a specific prop that will follow with the story line such as the telephone booth in Phone Booth. I think this because I generally think that when you watch a Thriller film there is very little to distract the audience from the storyline as a result of the story being often complex or difficult to follow. Costumes however are often a big feature of Thriller films. A brilliant example is the costume and makeup Heath Ledger wears when he plays The Joker in The Dark Knight; this all adds to how frightening he is. However, a lesser example is the straight-jacket woarn by the main character in Hannabal Silence Of The Lambs.
The music used in Thriller films is generally used when setting and between scenes and obviously when important events are occuring. The music used generally builds tension and keeps the audience involved because it tells them when the exciting parts are going to happen. in this clip of The Shining the music used to build tension is extremely subtle, so subtle infact that you barely notice it being there. However, it really helps to set the scene and definately adds to the tense atmosphere, it also makes everything seem more eary and deperate.
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