END OF THE LESSON

• we achieved everything we wanted to complete
• we organised the questionnaires and typed them up
• we also wrote and posted our treatment
• a lesson right on target

TASKS IN LESSON 31.1.12

•  get the treatment finished and posted
•  type up results for questionnaire

PRELIMINARY TASK EDITTING

For our preliminary task we had to produce story board and film an opening to a conversation. We started off by making the story board, we planned 13 frames to explain our intentional idea and then we used a sony hand held camera to film.

Hufan and Sophie were the actors in our task, we filmed Hufan walking through a corridor/ pathway towards a door with a hand held tracking shot. During this we added in a soundtrack to a song that was called 'heartbeat', it had a tense tone to it, slow moving and had a spooky era to it, this fit well with our idea of Hufan feeling scared and nervous of the interview, the 'heartbeat' song did actually have a beat running throughout the soundtrack which fit well as it sounded like the projection of Hufans heartbeat racing. We did find the task quite stressful at times as our organisation wasnt too great and we were very undecisive but once we got the hang of things we worked really well and fast. Raye and Immad filmed the actual shots that were shown but we all had a go at filming. We all did little parts of the editing each when we had finished all our shots and Sophie and Hufan were our actors in the task and improvised the speech to give it a more natural look.

Overall we all really like our piece and are pleased with how it turned out.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Editing-

In comparison to A clockwork orange there are many various types of editing used in this title sequence. You could possibly relate this to the fact that both the films have a big generation gap in between them and over the years the stereotypes for thrillers have changed. The fact that in A girl with a dragon tattoo there are many fast and short shots and the fact that they are very rapid allows the audience of today to feel uneasy.

Fade- Fades are used throughout the title sequence which allows the image on screen to be portrayed in a darker way. The fact that we are barely able to see anything allows us to feel uneasy and makes us apprehend for something bad to happen.

Dissolves- Dissolves are usually slower in comparison to cuts and wipes and therefore there was only one dissolve in the whole title sequence which was near the middle. It was slower than the other edits and it showed the connection between the fire and the eagle.

Cuts- Cuts are used throughout the opening sequence as well as wipes. Cuts were used in order to show the development of the sequence and also to add confusion, because every cut was very rapid the audience were barely able to see the image and as a result they wanted to know more. Cuts added enigma as well as tension because it was as if the audience were in a different place.

In the image above the audience is in a place where they are trying to work out what is happening, however the next shot which is again through a cut puts the audience’ in a vulnerable place as they are the victims now.

The fact that the man is blind folded allows the audience to feel helpless because even they do not know what is happening.

Sound-

There was only one track being played throughout the title sequence. The fact that there was no other non diegetic sound or dialogue allowed the audience to concentrate on the song. Therefore there was continuity in the sound and although the mise-en-scene was disturbing the sound allowed the audience to gain some sort of sense.

Shots-

There are very short shots throughout the title sequence which keeps the audience curious. The majority of the shots are close-up which allow the audience to feel uneasy. This is typical of thrillers conventions as to keep the audience anxious directors use close-ups. Close-ups also show the importance of what’s in the screen.  An example being the last shot where the audience feel tense as the head comes near the screen. (See link).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcp9Ysi75f0

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

The title sequence begins with a close up of the man where, the focus is deeply on the eyes. The fact that the left eye has eyelashes whereas the right doesn’t automatically adds fear to the audience. Similarly the hat camouflages with the background, and because the face is hidden, we assume that maybe the character has something to hide. The costume again is very bland which makes us suspicious towards the character, and we assume that he is possibly the protagonist.

The close up then develops into a mid shot where the protagonist begins to drink a glass of milk. Now the focus becomes the glass of milk. Usually milk is symbolic of purity and cleanliness. This contrasts with the clothes the protagonist is wearing because they look very dirty. Kubrick uses the glass of milk to create enigma which allows the audience to remain interested in the film.

As the title sequence develops, the camera zooms out and the mid shot then turns into a wide shot. The audience begin to join pieces of the story line as the camera allows us to see more and we become aware of the surroundings.  It’s almost like a jigsaw where the audience are trying to find out more as the camera is revealing more. The shot above highlights the bizarre mood Stanley Kubrick tries to create. The satorical code is very monotone, and although the costume is not white its like a dirty cream, which shows that none of the characters are pure. Likewise the red lipstick and blood on the clothes of the characters also adds suspense and in the monotone shot, red stands out. Kubrick uses red to emphasise danger.

Finally as the title sequence nears to an end, the characters are further away from the screen, and more of the surrounding is shown. The wigs of the women statues add to the enigma, as it stands out in the monotone of the setting. As the characters go further away, the audience can relax because it was due to them the tension was being created.

Editing-

Usually you would expect the editing to be very fast paced, as that usually creates tension. However Kubrick smartly uses very long shots which allow the audience to think about the storyline. The only fast editing in this title sequence was right at the beginning, where there were fast cuts between the credits. This corresponded with the non deigetic sound at the time too. As the credits end and we see a close up shot of the protagonist, there is a very rapid cut which makes the audience wary to the protagonist.

Sound-

Non-diegetic-We can hear the non-diegtic music prior to anything else being seen. At the beginning of the sequence its just a red background with very slow music. This not only builds tension but also makes the audience feel enigmatic to what will be shown next. The music sets an anxious tone and as a result we apprehend for something to happen. As the title sequence keeps rolling the music becomes faster and again we begin to feel nervous. This is a stereotype for most thrillers, as directors often use sound as a catalyst to help build enigma and tension in their film.

Diegetic sound-There is no diegetic sound in this title sequence, this is because Kubrick wants his audience to remain interested and he needs to keep building up tension and suspense in order to do that.

THE DARK NIGHT

Here we have a distance shot- Hitchcock used this in many of his films. The shot then leads to a major close up the building in the centre and there is a close up shot of a window in the building smashing which takes us straight to the action. I think this is really clever as you are directed from a distance shot to a close up and introduced to the story line straight away.

This is the next shot which is a close up of Heath Ledger playing the Joker. He is standing in the middle of the shot making him the centre focus. We are drawn to him as he looks mysterious as his back is to the camera and we can’t quite see what he’s holding. I really liked this shot and thought it was interesting.I was drawn to finding out who it was.

We are then taken to a slow zoom close up of what the man is holding we can see it is a mask- this is scary, mysterious and creepy. When we are taken right to the mask we can see it’s a clown mask- clowns are mostly put into the category of phobias, a common fear is clowns suggesting that this person is someone to fear.

This shot is taken about a minute into the film when two people are zip wiring from one building to the other. This is a bird’s eye view of a distance shot. I think this shot is incredible and really interesting.

Instead of having titles there is simply the batman sign shining through a cloud of smoke. I think this is a brilliant way of showing the title as batman is so well known they can get away with only showing the symbol. This batman sign is also shown as a light in the sky during the film and is interesting that it connects.

This is a close up of two of the robbers in the scene. This is quite an intimidating shot as they are wearing masks to hide their identities, possibly showing people have something to be afraid of. I also like the way the people have been placed in the shot, we get a close up on one of the guys faces and the other is slightly out of focus, this brings our attention to
the guy in front to distract us from the man benhind.

Here we have another close up. This is of a man holding a bomb, this brings the audiences attention away from everyone else to notice what has just been placed in his hand, the fact that we can see nothing else in the shot makes the situation more alarming.

Here we have a man standing in the centre of the shot holding a gun. The fact he is in the middle makes him the central focus and more important to the audience, the light shining through the windows gives him a creepy shadow giving him a mysterious glow that could represent his character.

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

I recently watched ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ and thought the opening sequence was a perfect start tot eh film. It starts with a woman (played by Jodie Foster) running through a misty wood. At first I thought she was running away from someone as she constantly looked frightened and exhausted. There was also dramatic orchestral music with a very dark, scary and mysterious tone to it, it also gets more and more dramatic as time progresses, this made me think that something bad was going to happen to her as the tension with the music grew. We also get mostly back shots of her and close ups on her face making us pay attention to the fact this woman will be a main character in the film.

I then noticed she was wearing an FBI jumper which made me slightly confused and then after running for a while we see she is on an FBI obstacle course when someone comes up to her. I really enjoyed this opening as I felt worried and scared right from the start; I was also tricked into feeling an emotion that was not needed which I thought was very clever. The text for the titles is bold, thick and white with a black outline which I think suited the film but it took up the whole of the screen. This actually annoyed me as I was enjoying the excitement of feeling scared but the text took me back and made me bounce back to reality.

SE7EN

The soundtrack used is slow but speeds up towards the end of the title sequence. The speed of the music and shots stimulate the viewer's mood such as high level of anticipation. Also the writing used in the title sequence has different font and sizes which disorientates the auidence. I like the way simple things Such as a book or cutting of paper is used for effect. This helped me realise that its the little things that can make a big difference when making your title sequence

BLACK SWAN

The font used in the title sequence is white agaisnt a black background, which could be symbolic of a black swan vs a white swan e.g. good and bad. the words "black swan" appear in white font which is quite ironic.  The Black Swan starts of with  ballerina in a white,  with a feathered costume. She is alone surrounded by darkness. The panning camera shots are following her every step as she dances gracefully. However her face is kept hidden from the audience, this is effective as it makes her identity a mystery. the music used is ballet music very slow and isnt frighening. However the mood in the music changes as  she turns, a beast in black feathers suddenly appears. the use of custome and make up build tension as and they thrash together as the feathers fly off of her costume. The next scene opens with the dancer discussing this dream which was the dance with the beast with her mother. I think the beginging was very cliche as it was all a dream but also very powerful as it built up tension for the viewer from the begining.

SLEEPY HOLLOW

The music we are introduced to is a foreboding and compelling sound with a combination of deep angelic voices and soprano choir, accompanied by a powerful string orchestra. Danny Elfman is one of my favourite composers, his music is distinctive and captivating and I would most defiantly consider this soundtrack whilst searching for/creating my own.



I like the idea of simple opening credits. These credits appear on a black background with smoky white text. Simple but effective, combined with the eerie music this is a subtle way of creating tension



Symbolism is effective during the opening of a film as the subtle details foreshadow the themes of the film and give indication as to what to expect. Here for instance the technique of wax sealing represents blood whilst providing expository detail as wax sealing would have more likely been used by upper class people in the early 1900's

Letters and photographs are typical features of the Thriller convention. This shot creates tension; the character Peter Van Garret, for the moment is a name without a face, this is an enigmatic technique and creates suspense. Furthermore the parchment and calligraphy give further indication to the time period the film is set in

I like this shot as it displays a sense of comfort. Here the viewer presumes some kind of jeopardy within their relationship as they cling to each other for a sense of security. This deems these two characters as vulnerable and indicates trouble in their lives and perhaps foreshadows depature/separation

There are aspects of this image I like; the head protruding from the carriage foreshadows decapitation (decapitation being the form of the infamous murderous rampage) However personally I'm not too keen on the concept of jumping straight into the chaos. The gore begins a mere 3 minutes into the film. I prefer the rise of tension/build up to the action; for example in Cape Fear we are provided with hints of violence and death, a rise and fall of tension. I find this method more compelling and thought-provoking, therefore am more likely to apply it to my own work

This shot stood out to me as the camera angle is extremely successful in evoking/thrilling the viewer. At this point a man is fleeing through a corn field in terror, this shot is from the man's point of view, which puts the viewer in the midst of the action and panic

The pumpkin is a symbol of Halloween/terror. Here the pumpkin is used as a scarecrow which serves as a warning. Pathetic fallacy is key within the opening title sequence of Sleepy Hollow; dark, lightning, it's foggy (suggesting secrecy/concealed truth) Pathetic fallacy is a key concept of the thriller convention; a necessity, as it helps to sustain the foreboding ambience

CAPE FEAR



Eagle - American, bird of prey, power, deadly, agility, lofty spirit, symbol born by men of action, symbolises ingenuity (Inventive skill or imagination; cleverness) The bird represents Cady, who is free from prison to seek revenge. Music begins; suspenseful, slow, eerie 

Water has specific symbolic significance for Christians to them it represent cleansing or purity; foreshadowing Cady’s faith as he longs for retribution/ revenge. The water could also represent danger (drowning) it foreshadows the death of Max Cady and the epic boat scenario toward the end of the movie.The music gradually becomes louder, more compelling, more threatening as the title "Cape Fear" appears, suggesting Cape Fear is a significant source of destruction

Spooky face, not being able to completely see the face creates suspense and mystery. The spooky laughing man is enigmatic and the fact he is laughing makes him all the more intimidating as he comes across as possibly insane. The viewer is forced to question, who the man is and what he finds amusing. The angle of the water rotates and becomes more rapid, this altering of the shot is unconventional and conveys themes of chaos and  abnormality

The water produces a blurry effect. The black decent could represent death, violence, mystery; it looks quite like a tunnel representing a journey or struggle. The blood is an evident foreshadowing of the brutal violence to come (suspenseful) 

The black and red deliberately combined to symbolise themes fitting the general Thriller conventions Droplet could symbolise “the ripple effect” one small thing influencing a magnitude of significant events (Sam Bowden not revelling information which could have saved Cady from prison lead to gradual torment, to horrific, fatal events) The red water, representing death at sea (Foreshadowing Cady's death) The red water consuming/concealing the blue water showing a corruption of purity/goodness 

Shadow is enigmatic

Suspense, fear, mystery 

The hand is prominent in this shot. The hand denotes a pledge of faith and also symbolises justice, justice being a key concept of “Cape Fear”  (Cady has the Holy Cross, and “Justice” tattoo into his back image11)

The music settles as we are introduced to a female narrator. This shot has been edited red (representing blood) and also has been altered in a negative setting; unconventional, unusual, ghostly

Eyes are engaging and represent omniscience, in this part of the movie the girl is speaking directly to the audience (there is a story to tell) she holds the information 

The girl is placed centre of the shot indicating her importance

She is wearing a white blouse, the white is significant as is contrast with the hefty violent colours prior to this moment suggesting the girl could be a victim of the toil. Also white represents purity and innocence, and honesty

She is showing no flesh indicating further highlighting her purity that is soon to be challenged as Cady constantly tries to corrupt her 

This is a descending panning shot. The images on the wall show that Cady has aspirations, something to live for. Infamous dictations like Stalin as motivation; showing Cady's twisted mind and distorted view of the world.

Cady is working out; conveying determination and indicating he has violent intentions. The tattoo of the Crucifix and scales is an early indication to Cady's intentions. Justice and Truth (key themes of the movie) this hint at redemption creates tension and suspence 

Bars/Jail cell - Isolation. We are introduced to our villain. Covered in tattoos sign of rebellion, creativity and aspirations

People starring at him putting at the centre of attention highlighting the fact he is a main character, also the gaurds surrounding him convey this