Monday, 28 November 2011
Definition of a thriller
The Wikipedia page for 'Thriller (genre)' states that "thrillers are a genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements." Clearly these are all elements that we need to include in our opening. I am hoping that the lack of direct information given to the audience will incite tension and suspense whilst the idea of an assassination about to take place and the cold opening of the black screen with muffled screams will provide excitement whilst adding to the suspense and tension.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Today's Production Meeting
Today, we started putting our finished shot list into a table, however we had to stop briefly to discuss how we wanted to finish the opening because we hadn't actually completed the plot yet. In the end, we completed about half of the shot list as well as adding a few shots to it. For homework we redrew our story boards, incorporating the new shots.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Film Opening Ideas
In order to come up with an idea for our film opening, my classmates and I each came up with two ideas which we then shared with each other. From these we came up with a final idea.
The concepts I came up with are as follows:
The first was three simultaneous story-lines which all centred around drugs. A man is shown sitting at a café and is approached by a second man. The second man is shown tucking a package into a newspaper and he sits down opposite the man in the café. He says nothing and slides the newspaper over towards the first man. We then cut to two teenagers walking down a road. A police siren is heard and one of the boys looks very concerned. He darts into a nearby public toilet.We then cut to a woman snorting a line of white powder. She then rings somebody and asks for "some more". We show here waiting for a few hours before she goes to leave. However, just as she is about to leave somebody knocks slowly and ominously on the door.
The second began with an establishing shot of an office before centring on one employee. He is about 30 and is an average-looking man. He is shown interacting briefly with a fairly attractive woman also working in the office who is about the same age as him. We then cut to the end of the day and the man and woman are leaving together. They say goodbye and go separate ways. As soon as the woman is out of sight, a look of urgency comes across the man's face and he begins walking briskly. We show him making his way towards a destination whilst simultaneously showing the woman catching the bus home. Through this it is made clear to the audience that the man has gone a different route to the woman's house. He is shown outside, assembling a large camera with a telephoto lens like a rifle. He then darts behind the house as the camera cuts to a shot of the woman entering the bathroom on the top floor. As she looks at herself in the mirror, she hears the faint sound of a camera shutter and looks round in alarm. She then hears three more shutter sounds, each louder than the previous one. Finally we hear a gunshot.
I think my ideas were solid but need developing, especially the first one. I would also need to think about how exactly I would film them, as filming some of the shots in the second idea could be tricky.
My two classmates also shared their ideas. I thought that Kayleigh's first idea was very suspenseful (if a little clichéd) and would be a safe option to go with, especially as it would be relatively straightforward to film. I really like Kayleigh's second idea, with the masks being very unnerving (very Eyes Wide Shut-esque) and the dramatic irony as well. Again, it would be quite straightforward to shoot and would allow easy manipulation of lighting and sound.
I thought that both of Christoph's ideas were really interesting. The ambiguity and how the audience is left in the dark in the first one is really intriguing. It still keeps the viewer's interest, however, as there is a lot going on and the action is intense. It could potentially be quite difficult to film and get all the elements such as sound right as it is so dense but it is certainly doable. The second idea really stood out for all of us and is the idea we eventually we decided to go with as the basis for our opening. I really love the location as the DLR around the canary wharf area at night can look really beautiful. It was also very suspenseful and left the viewer with a great deal of intrigue and an urge to find out more. Hopefully it will turn out to be a thrilling, aesthetically competent, fluent opening.
The concepts I came up with are as follows:
The first was three simultaneous story-lines which all centred around drugs. A man is shown sitting at a café and is approached by a second man. The second man is shown tucking a package into a newspaper and he sits down opposite the man in the café. He says nothing and slides the newspaper over towards the first man. We then cut to two teenagers walking down a road. A police siren is heard and one of the boys looks very concerned. He darts into a nearby public toilet.We then cut to a woman snorting a line of white powder. She then rings somebody and asks for "some more". We show here waiting for a few hours before she goes to leave. However, just as she is about to leave somebody knocks slowly and ominously on the door.
The second began with an establishing shot of an office before centring on one employee. He is about 30 and is an average-looking man. He is shown interacting briefly with a fairly attractive woman also working in the office who is about the same age as him. We then cut to the end of the day and the man and woman are leaving together. They say goodbye and go separate ways. As soon as the woman is out of sight, a look of urgency comes across the man's face and he begins walking briskly. We show him making his way towards a destination whilst simultaneously showing the woman catching the bus home. Through this it is made clear to the audience that the man has gone a different route to the woman's house. He is shown outside, assembling a large camera with a telephoto lens like a rifle. He then darts behind the house as the camera cuts to a shot of the woman entering the bathroom on the top floor. As she looks at herself in the mirror, she hears the faint sound of a camera shutter and looks round in alarm. She then hears three more shutter sounds, each louder than the previous one. Finally we hear a gunshot.
I think my ideas were solid but need developing, especially the first one. I would also need to think about how exactly I would film them, as filming some of the shots in the second idea could be tricky.
My two classmates also shared their ideas. I thought that Kayleigh's first idea was very suspenseful (if a little clichéd) and would be a safe option to go with, especially as it would be relatively straightforward to film. I really like Kayleigh's second idea, with the masks being very unnerving (very Eyes Wide Shut-esque) and the dramatic irony as well. Again, it would be quite straightforward to shoot and would allow easy manipulation of lighting and sound.
I thought that both of Christoph's ideas were really interesting. The ambiguity and how the audience is left in the dark in the first one is really intriguing. It still keeps the viewer's interest, however, as there is a lot going on and the action is intense. It could potentially be quite difficult to film and get all the elements such as sound right as it is so dense but it is certainly doable. The second idea really stood out for all of us and is the idea we eventually we decided to go with as the basis for our opening. I really love the location as the DLR around the canary wharf area at night can look really beautiful. It was also very suspenseful and left the viewer with a great deal of intrigue and an urge to find out more. Hopefully it will turn out to be a thrilling, aesthetically competent, fluent opening.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Prelim
This is my preliminary task. The task was to show someone opening a door and walking into a room with a match on action before crossing the room, sitting down and having a short conversation with the person opposite them. I think I managed the match on action well as well as the rest of the editing and it mostly looks quite smooth. However, the shot/reverse shot of the conversation doesn't look quite right. I believe this is because I broke the 180 degree rule which is illustrated here: 
The sound is also not perfect. There is a hiss of unwanted ambient noise in the background and the levels vary between shots. This is because I was using an on-camera microphone. In terms of the environment, I was in a narrow room with lots of carpeting, so this would be as good as it gets. Therefore, when I record in less suitable environments with worse acoustics and more ambient noise, I need to make sure that I am using a suitable microphone that will record good sound.
The sound is also not perfect. There is a hiss of unwanted ambient noise in the background and the levels vary between shots. This is because I was using an on-camera microphone. In terms of the environment, I was in a narrow room with lots of carpeting, so this would be as good as it gets. Therefore, when I record in less suitable environments with worse acoustics and more ambient noise, I need to make sure that I am using a suitable microphone that will record good sound.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Audience Research
Yes. 30
No. 0
This result suggests that films are universally popular. We did ask a range of age groups but the majority were in the 16-25 range.
2) Where do you watch your films?
Cinema 17
DVD/Blu-Ray 17
Television 12
Online/iTunes 17
Cinema, DVD and online downloads appear to be the most popular ways to watch films. The reason that downloads are now as popular as going to the cinema may be because the 16-25 age group that watch the most films are taking advantage of the large amount of films available to download illegally.
3) How many times per week do you watch films?
Once a week 16
Twice a week 8
Three times a week 5
Four plus times a week 1
Once a week appears to be the most common film-watching frequency with only a small amount of people watching three times a week or more.
4) Which cinemas do you go to?
Arthouse 16
Multiplex 20
West End cinemas 2
City centre cinema 4
Considering that most of the people we asked lived in the suburbs, it is not surprising that they mostly visited arthouse and multiplex cinemas which are generally placed in suburbs. I think to get a better idea of which cinemas are most popular we would have to ask people in a range of different areas.
5) What food/drink do you get when you go to the cinema?
Sweets 13
Popcorn 16
Fizzy drinks 8
Nothing 6
Hot food 0
A lot of people buy popcorn and sweets as they are the classic cinema staples. A surprising amount of people buy nothing but that could well be because they buy food beforehand as the food in cinemas is generally quite highly priced. Food and drink contribute greatly to a cinema's profit.
6) What persuades you to see a particular film?
Word of mouth 21
Critical reception 15
Advertising 14
Favourite actors 19
Favourite directors 9
Word of mouth seems to be a very common way if persuading someone to see a film. This is probably because people trust their friends' taste from whom they generally receive word of mouth recommendations. Favourite actors was also high probably due to people being familiar with the actors and that helping them to enjoy the film and know that there will be a certain degree of quality because of them.
7) What kinds of films do you prefer?
Rom-com 17
Science fiction 16
Thriller 24
Musicals 8
Horror 10
War 16
Drama 15
Comedy 23
Thrillers, comedies and rom-coms were very popular, possibly because people like to use films as a way to relax and as a form of escapism and don't necessarily want to watch something as cerebral as war films or dramas quite as frequently as comedies etc.
8) What do you like about thrillers?
Fast paced, clever, suspense, action, realism, escapism, plot twists, thought provoking, ambiguous, interesting, exciting, stylish.
9) Do you have any favourite actors? If so, which ones?
Blake Lively, Tom Hardy x5, John Cusack x2, Megan Fox, James Franco, Leighton Meester, Beyonce, Ashton Kutcher, Ryan Gosling x4, Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Kirsten Dunst, Sofia Coppola, Christian Bale x2, Gene Hackman, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Tom Selleck x12, David Lynch, Daniel Day Lewis, Chris Tucker x2, Malcolm McDowell, Britney Spears, Jack Nicholson, Tom Sizemore x2, Mark Ruffalo, David Cross, Clint Eastwood, Mark Paul Gosselar, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte x2, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, Jesse Eisenberg, Anton Yelchin, Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson x3, Steve Carrel, Tom Cruise, Zoe Saldana, Robert Downey Jr, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Caan, Michael Fassbender x2, Benedict Cumberbatch.
There is quite a wide variety of favourite actors although a lot of them can be grouped together into similar roles. There are the young, attractive girls, the attractive, charismatic leading men and the comedians.
There is quite a wide variety of favourite actors although a lot of them can be grouped together into similar roles. There are the young, attractive girls, the attractive, charismatic leading men and the comedians.
A Clockwork Orange Opening
A Clockwork Orange begins with a short title sequence which is followed by a 15 second close up of the protagonist. This immediately establishes a protagonist and suggests that we will be following this character closely throughout the film and that it will be about him and his actions. A synthesiser plays an ominous score which gives the film a dark tone but also suggests that it is not a contemporary setting. This becomes more obvious when the camera slowly zooms out and reveals that the protagonist, Alex, is in a milk bar with he and his friends all dressed in white with black hats. The nude mannequins dotted around the milk bar in provocative positions suggest the film will have a sexual tone. We hear Alex doing a voiceover in which he suggests that they are drinking spiked milk and will proceed to go and be violent towards people. We can see that the film is dealing with mature themes and that violence and sex may be important parts of the film. There is a lot of white and black colouring in the milk bar which matches with the dress of Alex’s group and makes them seem at home there. It also makes us focus on those characters.
Suddenly we cut to a close up of a homeless man’s hand holding a bottle of whisky. An empty bottle of whisky beside him and some scraps of food suggest he is an alcoholic and living a squalid life. Once again, the camera zooms out to show that the homeless man is in a dark underpass lit only by what seems to be light from streetlights streaming into it. This makes the homeless man seem very isolated. We then hear footsteps and long shadows appear, half covering the homeless man. This is very ominous and suggests that these people are going to confront the man and he seems even more isolated.
We then cut to a reverse shot in which we see Alex’s and his “droogs” approaching the man with a cocky swagger, holding weapons. This long shot carries on showing the long shadows projected by the gang, prolonging the ominous tone. The scene is still only lit by harsh, blue-ish lighting from behind Alex and his droogs.
As the homeless man finishes singing his drunken song, we cut to a closer wide shot of the gang and the homeless man as they sarcastically clap him. The editing remains very slow paced, adding to the ominous tone. The homeless man is lying on the ground while the gang stand in front of him in a very weighted frame, making him seem defenceless and vulnerable. He asks for some change to which Alex prods him forcefully with his cane.
We switch to a more intimate, high-angled mid shot as the homeless man tells him Alex should just kill him as he doesn’t want to live in a world where the young attack the old like they are doing. As Alex questions him, there is a sideways close up on Alex’s face as he looks down at the old homeless man. We see his breath illuminated by the blue light which is almost scary as this ominous tone seems to emanate from him. We cut back to the old man as he laments about how there is no more law and order before cutting back to the close up on Alex as a maniacal look comes across him. We then cut back to the reverse long shot as the gang shout as they beat up the old man with canes and chains, illuminated from behind by the harsh blue light. We stay on one shot for the beating up of the old man which suggests that this is a normal thing for Alex and his droogs and is not a panicked frenzy worthy of fast paced portrayal.
Overall, all the elements of the opening create a dark and ominous tone that suggest that themes of sex and violence will run throughout the film. Just before we reach 5 minutes in, we see the beginning of another gang raping a young girl which obviously adds to this. The strange costumes, music and dark colours and tones suggest a dystopian setting. The gang, dressed in white, stand out against this but it’s more as a tool for us to focus on them more than to make them seem positive in comparison. They appear to revel in the darkness, almost enjoying the dark irony of their dress.
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Film Openings
Casino Royale
-Location established by text (spy/thriller archetype)
- Black and white makes the scene more gritty and ominous
- High and low angles of man give us distorted view of him, suggest he may be duplicitous etc.
- POV shot in room builds tension
- Flashback cuts suspense with action, keeping audience on their toes
- Music is eerie and builds tension
- Hero is cool and collected despite murdering someone
- Continuous threat of death
- By the first few words, we are immediately thrown into the world of espionage
- Sudden changes from quiet to loud is "thrilling"
- In fight scene, the camera is right in there with the action
- ECU of Bond's face during the killing is intense
Casino Royale Opening (Embedding disabled by request)
Collateral
- Lots of CUs on action immerse the audience straight away
- Shallow depth of field focuses on action
- Sound bridge at the beginning takes us straight into it (in media res)
- Very audible footsteps build tension
- Establish setting and foreshadow events by showing NY taxi
Collateral opening:
Shifty
- Introduced to 4 characters, intriguing
- Drugs are quickly introduced, illegality is thrilling
- Build up to opening of the door builds suspense and tension
Shifty trailer:
London to Brighton
- Location and time immediately established, precise time suggests time is important and the characters are against the time
- We see a small girl which, given we were just told it was 7 past 3 in the morning, makes us ask questions
- Violence is evident. Again involvement with small child is shocking and intriguing
- First scene set in public toilet, seems dirty
- Harsh strip lighting
- Mother is hysterical, angry, aggressive - something bad must have happened
- It becomes apparent that the mother is a prostitute
- Ominous mentioning of Derrick - mother assures girl he's not on the train
- Lots of CUs - intimate, scary
- Wide shot as they run across station, makes them seem vulnerable and out in the open
- CU on chips in bathroom emphasises dirtiness of bathroom - not somewhere ideal for a meal
- Shaky camerawork on train
- Whip pans
- No sound bridge at start - in media res
- Sounds of train amplified
- Naturalistic lighting
London to Brighton trailer:
Pulp Fiction
- Begins with a couple sitting in a diner speaking very matter-of-factly about their occupation as robbers for about 4 minutes
- Shots comprised mainly of two-shots and POVs, conversation seems quite mundane despite subject matter
- They decide it would be a good idea to rob the restaurant they are in and immediately start doing so, pulling out a gun and screaming at the customers - a stark contrast to the preceding 4 minutes
- Faint ambient sound of other customers talking, music playing lightly and the clinking of crockery, the substantial sound heard apart from the two characters talking is the man slamming the gun down on the table which cuts right through the low-key, mundane mood
- Man is wearing a hawaiian-esque shirt, making him seem carefree and easy going despite him initiating a robbery
- They share a kiss before starting the robbery - contrast between standard couple and criminals, shocks viewer
Pulp Fiction Opening:
-Location established by text (spy/thriller archetype)
- Black and white makes the scene more gritty and ominous
- High and low angles of man give us distorted view of him, suggest he may be duplicitous etc.
- POV shot in room builds tension
- Flashback cuts suspense with action, keeping audience on their toes
- Music is eerie and builds tension
- Hero is cool and collected despite murdering someone
- Continuous threat of death
- By the first few words, we are immediately thrown into the world of espionage
- Sudden changes from quiet to loud is "thrilling"
- In fight scene, the camera is right in there with the action
- ECU of Bond's face during the killing is intense
Casino Royale Opening (Embedding disabled by request)
Collateral
- Lots of CUs on action immerse the audience straight away
- Shallow depth of field focuses on action
- Sound bridge at the beginning takes us straight into it (in media res)
- Very audible footsteps build tension
- Establish setting and foreshadow events by showing NY taxi
Collateral opening:
Shifty
- Introduced to 4 characters, intriguing
- Drugs are quickly introduced, illegality is thrilling
- Build up to opening of the door builds suspense and tension
Shifty trailer:
London to Brighton
- Location and time immediately established, precise time suggests time is important and the characters are against the time
- We see a small girl which, given we were just told it was 7 past 3 in the morning, makes us ask questions
- Violence is evident. Again involvement with small child is shocking and intriguing
- First scene set in public toilet, seems dirty
- Harsh strip lighting
- Mother is hysterical, angry, aggressive - something bad must have happened
- It becomes apparent that the mother is a prostitute
- Ominous mentioning of Derrick - mother assures girl he's not on the train
- Lots of CUs - intimate, scary
- Wide shot as they run across station, makes them seem vulnerable and out in the open
- CU on chips in bathroom emphasises dirtiness of bathroom - not somewhere ideal for a meal
- Shaky camerawork on train
- Whip pans
- No sound bridge at start - in media res
- Sounds of train amplified
- Naturalistic lighting
London to Brighton trailer:
Pulp Fiction
- Begins with a couple sitting in a diner speaking very matter-of-factly about their occupation as robbers for about 4 minutes
- Shots comprised mainly of two-shots and POVs, conversation seems quite mundane despite subject matter
- They decide it would be a good idea to rob the restaurant they are in and immediately start doing so, pulling out a gun and screaming at the customers - a stark contrast to the preceding 4 minutes
- Faint ambient sound of other customers talking, music playing lightly and the clinking of crockery, the substantial sound heard apart from the two characters talking is the man slamming the gun down on the table which cuts right through the low-key, mundane mood
- Man is wearing a hawaiian-esque shirt, making him seem carefree and easy going despite him initiating a robbery
- They share a kiss before starting the robbery - contrast between standard couple and criminals, shocks viewer
Pulp Fiction Opening:
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