Saturday, 8 June 2013
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Evaluation on film opening
The brief that I was given was to create a thriller opening that lasted for a couple of minutes. Tom Jarvis and I toyed round with various ideas for a plot and eventually came up with the idea of the murder of a young woman. The storyline becomes more complex as we then show two young men hacking into the system of the police station and trying to cause chaos within. Enigma is created as the audience have no idea who the young woman is, the identity of her murderer and why the men are hacking into the police system.
For the production of this thriller opening we used a Sony Z5E camera to capture the footage and Final Cut software on an iMac to edit it.
The first scheduled day of filming had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, so was postponed until the following week. Although the snow was still on the ground the following week we decided to film regardless and so set to work with filming the woodland scene with the young woman. For this we started with an establishing shot of the wood to set the scene. We did a panning shot with the camera on a tripod so that the footage would be nice and steady. As we pan, the body of a woman is seen lying on the ground and at this point the audience has no idea what is happening. An edit is then used to cut to two male policemen discussing a murder case they are desperate to resolve. Over the shoulder, close up, shot reverse shots were used to allow the audience to witness the conversation and see the frustration in the faces of the detectives. We had the camera on a tripod to get an over the shoulder shot of the police detectives having a discussion. We filmed them going though the script about four times, two at on angle on one of the police detectives and the other two on the other police detective. We used the tripod because we thought this would make the scene smooth and steady. We then cut to the production logo followed by a short clip of the hackers working on the computer. We used an over the shoulder shot to get a close, high angled view of the computer screen as this gives the audience a clue as to what they're doing. The shot then reverts to a two shot of both hackers followed by an edit where the viewer is returned to the two officers discussing the case again using 'shot reverse shot' technique. Another edit transports the audience back to the woods and a close up shot of the dead woman.
We used a tracking dolly to follow the path of the woman walking in the woods so that we could follow her smoothy without it shaking. The viewer does not witness the murder of the woman so we then cut to our actress lying dead on the ground. To do this we asked the actress to lie on a rock, which we thought symbolised a grave stone, with her back to the camera. We knew that this would be a good idea as it adds suspense and tension. We used a close up shot of her phone with the message on it. The clip of the young woman walking was edited so that it was black and white and this hopefully indicated to the audience that this was a flashback of the moments leading up to her murder.
Non-diagetic sound in the form of a soundtrack was added during certain scenes, e.g woodland and hackers. I found it on Youtube and chose it because I thought it added to the suspense and enigma whilst also giving an eerie feel to the film.
Upon completion of the film opening I conducted a questionnaire with a focus group of 6 people of different ages to gather together feedback on the technical and creative successes and to find out which areas of the film they liked and which could be improved.
All of my focus group enjoyed the film opening, liking the way it set the scene for the rest of the film. Everyone said that it was a very good choice of music which added to the tension and built up the suspense. Some of them felt that there was slightly too much of the plot given away during the conversation between the two police inspectors while other people were a bit confused about what was going on (however this is a thriller so that is probably part of the point).
Asked, how my film compares to professional films of the same genre, most of the group agreed that although it looked quite obviously done by two 18 year olds with limited experience and not a group of professionals, with a bit more time and effort put into it, it would start to look professional. However they thought that the scene in the woods looked fantastic and was the highlight of the opening, appearing very professional in terms of the camera control, the atmosphere and the music chosen. Most of them agreed that it was filmed well enough to cause tension and suspense like professional thrillers do.
The general consensus was that there was a lot of creativity in the production. Everyone
liked the panning across the woods and felt that this is controlled well and sets the scene of the murder, the tension and suspense that is to follow. Most of them liked the technique that I used of having the victim walking on the very edge of the camera frame in the woods. One member noted that they liked the use of younger and older cast members as it made the film more appealing to a wider audience and the fact that the right age of person was given the appropriate role that they would more likely have in real life.
In terms of parts that people felt could be improved, some of the group felt that the way the two hackers were being filmed was a little bit confusing because it was not obvious where they were and some people thought they were actually in the police station. People thought that it would be better to have filmed the hackers in a bedroom or basement, somewhere that looked like an obvious change of scene and more secretive.
It was also mentioned that some of the film work was a bit jumpy and amateur, particularly with the credits - suggestions were having 'Presents'....with A Crocodile Film' fading in. Other improvements suggested were the use of better final cuts techniques, for example, fade in and out for the credits got a big mention. One of the other errors was not editing out the sound of the light switch in the police scene. This made it seem like someone had just turned off the light rather than it being a strange loss of power due to the hackers. One final point made was that the girl's scream in the woods sounded too much like a comedy scream from a spoof of a horror movie and it would have been either better acted by the actress herself or changed to something else like the sound of heavy breathing. Everyone agreed that making these changes would in theory make it look much more professional, adding to the overall suspense and tension trying to be portrayed.
In terms of the team work involved to produce the film, I thought it took too long to get it started and felt a little frustrated at this. However once it started to come together I felt it went very well as we got to grips with what we were going to do with the film. Tom and I made sure that we discussed and agreed on everything that we did. I had to communicate and think very carefully about how we were going to make the film as close to reality as possible. Although we had a few hiccups along the way, this just made the process more like directing and producing a professional film. The acting was pretty good considering no one had any acting experience and were persuaded to get involved.
To conclude, I would say that I enjoy producing the film and working as a team as it helped me to understand that patience is required, planning is important and time management is essential in order to meet deadlines. I am pleased with the end result however I do realise that the film opening is not to the standard of a professional job. I have had very little experience in this type of production but feel that I did the best that I could. My confidence in this area has improved and I have a greater knowledge and understanding of the filming process.
For the production of this thriller opening we used a Sony Z5E camera to capture the footage and Final Cut software on an iMac to edit it.
The first scheduled day of filming had to be cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, so was postponed until the following week. Although the snow was still on the ground the following week we decided to film regardless and so set to work with filming the woodland scene with the young woman. For this we started with an establishing shot of the wood to set the scene. We did a panning shot with the camera on a tripod so that the footage would be nice and steady. As we pan, the body of a woman is seen lying on the ground and at this point the audience has no idea what is happening. An edit is then used to cut to two male policemen discussing a murder case they are desperate to resolve. Over the shoulder, close up, shot reverse shots were used to allow the audience to witness the conversation and see the frustration in the faces of the detectives. We had the camera on a tripod to get an over the shoulder shot of the police detectives having a discussion. We filmed them going though the script about four times, two at on angle on one of the police detectives and the other two on the other police detective. We used the tripod because we thought this would make the scene smooth and steady. We then cut to the production logo followed by a short clip of the hackers working on the computer. We used an over the shoulder shot to get a close, high angled view of the computer screen as this gives the audience a clue as to what they're doing. The shot then reverts to a two shot of both hackers followed by an edit where the viewer is returned to the two officers discussing the case again using 'shot reverse shot' technique. Another edit transports the audience back to the woods and a close up shot of the dead woman.
We used a tracking dolly to follow the path of the woman walking in the woods so that we could follow her smoothy without it shaking. The viewer does not witness the murder of the woman so we then cut to our actress lying dead on the ground. To do this we asked the actress to lie on a rock, which we thought symbolised a grave stone, with her back to the camera. We knew that this would be a good idea as it adds suspense and tension. We used a close up shot of her phone with the message on it. The clip of the young woman walking was edited so that it was black and white and this hopefully indicated to the audience that this was a flashback of the moments leading up to her murder.
Non-diagetic sound in the form of a soundtrack was added during certain scenes, e.g woodland and hackers. I found it on Youtube and chose it because I thought it added to the suspense and enigma whilst also giving an eerie feel to the film.
Upon completion of the film opening I conducted a questionnaire with a focus group of 6 people of different ages to gather together feedback on the technical and creative successes and to find out which areas of the film they liked and which could be improved.
All of my focus group enjoyed the film opening, liking the way it set the scene for the rest of the film. Everyone said that it was a very good choice of music which added to the tension and built up the suspense. Some of them felt that there was slightly too much of the plot given away during the conversation between the two police inspectors while other people were a bit confused about what was going on (however this is a thriller so that is probably part of the point).
Asked, how my film compares to professional films of the same genre, most of the group agreed that although it looked quite obviously done by two 18 year olds with limited experience and not a group of professionals, with a bit more time and effort put into it, it would start to look professional. However they thought that the scene in the woods looked fantastic and was the highlight of the opening, appearing very professional in terms of the camera control, the atmosphere and the music chosen. Most of them agreed that it was filmed well enough to cause tension and suspense like professional thrillers do.
The general consensus was that there was a lot of creativity in the production. Everyone
liked the panning across the woods and felt that this is controlled well and sets the scene of the murder, the tension and suspense that is to follow. Most of them liked the technique that I used of having the victim walking on the very edge of the camera frame in the woods. One member noted that they liked the use of younger and older cast members as it made the film more appealing to a wider audience and the fact that the right age of person was given the appropriate role that they would more likely have in real life.
In terms of parts that people felt could be improved, some of the group felt that the way the two hackers were being filmed was a little bit confusing because it was not obvious where they were and some people thought they were actually in the police station. People thought that it would be better to have filmed the hackers in a bedroom or basement, somewhere that looked like an obvious change of scene and more secretive.
It was also mentioned that some of the film work was a bit jumpy and amateur, particularly with the credits - suggestions were having 'Presents'....with A Crocodile Film' fading in. Other improvements suggested were the use of better final cuts techniques, for example, fade in and out for the credits got a big mention. One of the other errors was not editing out the sound of the light switch in the police scene. This made it seem like someone had just turned off the light rather than it being a strange loss of power due to the hackers. One final point made was that the girl's scream in the woods sounded too much like a comedy scream from a spoof of a horror movie and it would have been either better acted by the actress herself or changed to something else like the sound of heavy breathing. Everyone agreed that making these changes would in theory make it look much more professional, adding to the overall suspense and tension trying to be portrayed.
In terms of the team work involved to produce the film, I thought it took too long to get it started and felt a little frustrated at this. However once it started to come together I felt it went very well as we got to grips with what we were going to do with the film. Tom and I made sure that we discussed and agreed on everything that we did. I had to communicate and think very carefully about how we were going to make the film as close to reality as possible. Although we had a few hiccups along the way, this just made the process more like directing and producing a professional film. The acting was pretty good considering no one had any acting experience and were persuaded to get involved.
To conclude, I would say that I enjoy producing the film and working as a team as it helped me to understand that patience is required, planning is important and time management is essential in order to meet deadlines. I am pleased with the end result however I do realise that the film opening is not to the standard of a professional job. I have had very little experience in this type of production but feel that I did the best that I could. My confidence in this area has improved and I have a greater knowledge and understanding of the filming process.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Monday, 25 March 2013
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Meeting four
Meeting four
Date of meeting 21 March 2013
Present in meeting
Tom Jarvis
Will Storey
This is the final meeting and all the preparation work has been done.
The call sheet and shooting schedule marry up.
Equipment and props are organised and we are ready for filming.
Shooting can go ahead as planned with continguency plans in place. These being; change of location, back-up actors in the event of accident or illness. Make up and wardrobe has been organised.
All documentation relating to the planning is complete and gathered together. Everyone is familiar with their role and happy with what they have to do.
Actors are familiar with their scripts and ready to go.
Date of meeting 21 March 2013
Present in meeting
Tom Jarvis
Will Storey
This is the final meeting and all the preparation work has been done.
The call sheet and shooting schedule marry up.
Equipment and props are organised and we are ready for filming.
Shooting can go ahead as planned with continguency plans in place. These being; change of location, back-up actors in the event of accident or illness. Make up and wardrobe has been organised.
All documentation relating to the planning is complete and gathered together. Everyone is familiar with their role and happy with what they have to do.
Actors are familiar with their scripts and ready to go.
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Evidence of video experimentation
I experimented with some filming techniques that I would need in the filming of my thriller opening and evidenced this above.
One of the techniques that I experimented with was a tracking shot. In order to to this I mounted the camera onto a tripod and placed this on the tracking dolly. After familiarising myself with the camera and the workings of the tripod, I had a few practice runs, without filming, of guiding the tripod and camera along the tracks without it running off the ends. When I was confident with this I then started to record Alison walking across the room. I directed Alison to walk quite slowly to start with so that it gave me the chance to keep up with her. After a short time, she was instructed to walk at a normal pace and I soon mastered the art of moving the camera swiftly along the track in order to keep up with the walking pace.
The next technique that I practiced was the 'over the shoulder shot' and 'shot, reverse shot'. This was because one of the scenes for my thriller opening is of two policemen sitting either side of a desk and having a conversation about the murder of a girl. To do this I needed to consider the careful positioning of my tripod and camera so that I could get each of the actors in view. I found this reasonably easy after learning that I did not have to keep moving the camera from one actor to another throughout the conversation. I learnt about the most basic of continuity rules, which is the 180 degree rule. This is important when filming dialogue between two actors.
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Minutes for meeting 3
Minutes for meeting done on the 14/2/13
People present - Will Storey and Tom Jarvis
We have finished off the treatment and the story board and have started going about making the animatic. The actors we decided were people we know will be good at playing the various roles for example we want Tom Hackney to play the criminal who hacks into computer as we know Tom knows about computer wires. All the cast still keen to take on the role and start filming. We have decided on locations for the filming based on how accessible they are to get to and how good they will look in the scene. We have also visited each location and done recce shots and looked at possible risks each location could give us. We have asked when some off the people are free and have gone about arranging dates and times for the filming. This is also based on when the equipment that we need to hire is available to do so.
The planning is going quite well and although we might have fail to reach one deadline we feel that with hard work and more work done in our free-time then the planning will get done in order for us to get on with the filming. In order for it all to be done by the final deadline of the 25th March. Some of the members have been ill and unable to make it to lessons meaning that the others have been left without them for a few lessons. This is something the individual can not help but will need to catch up with there fair share of the work load
People present - Will Storey and Tom Jarvis
We have finished off the treatment and the story board and have started going about making the animatic. The actors we decided were people we know will be good at playing the various roles for example we want Tom Hackney to play the criminal who hacks into computer as we know Tom knows about computer wires. All the cast still keen to take on the role and start filming. We have decided on locations for the filming based on how accessible they are to get to and how good they will look in the scene. We have also visited each location and done recce shots and looked at possible risks each location could give us. We have asked when some off the people are free and have gone about arranging dates and times for the filming. This is also based on when the equipment that we need to hire is available to do so.
The planning is going quite well and although we might have fail to reach one deadline we feel that with hard work and more work done in our free-time then the planning will get done in order for us to get on with the filming. In order for it all to be done by the final deadline of the 25th March. Some of the members have been ill and unable to make it to lessons meaning that the others have been left without them for a few lessons. This is something the individual can not help but will need to catch up with there fair share of the work load
Monday, 11 February 2013
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Recce shots
These are the recce shots that we took of each location to work out whether that particular place is suitable and to think about how it might look in the film. Photographs one and two are off the wood in Wem that we are thinking of using. Photos 3,4 and 5 are of the HighStreet we are thinking of using outside of the police station. 6 and 7 are to show the entrance to the police station though a side door used in the scene. 8 and 19 is of the room used for the police office when the police are discussing the murder case. 16, 17 and 18 are of the room used for where the criminals hack into the computer using the wires.
1.
Locations for filming of thriller opening
After careful consideration and much discussing, we have decided that we will film in the following locations;
The outside of Wem Police Station showing 'police station sign' on New Street in Wem will be used to locate the audiences mind to a police station
I will use the room in college as the office in police station, used by the two police officers discussing the murder case.
I will use the room in college as the office in police station, used by the two police officers discussing the murder case.
I will use the woods in Wem for the forest scene when the girl is attacked.
For the scene in the high street out side of the police station I will use the high street in Wem on a Thursday as this is market day when it is at its busiest.
For the scene with the hackers hacking into the computer I will use the cupboard off the media room in Wem Town Hall.
I has chosen these locations as they are all easy to get to only being, at max, ten minutes walk from my base in Wem Town Hall. I also think they will provide the necessary needs that I need for the filming.
I has chosen these locations as they are all easy to get to only being, at max, ten minutes walk from my base in Wem Town Hall. I also think they will provide the necessary needs that I need for the filming.
Monday, 28 January 2013
Cast List
DCI Smith - Mr Daniels
DCI Jones - Mr Telford
Victim - Becci
Victim - Becci
Hacker 1 - Will Storey
Hacker 2 - Tom Hackney
Thriller Opening Sequence Treatment
Treatment for our film called
'Hacking the Woods’'.
The film starts with an establishing
shot of a dead body of a woman in a forest with sounds of deer and squirrels
coming from behind the trees. The scene cuts to a room which comes clear it is
off a police station where there is two police officers talking about a brutal
murder that they are in charge of investigating. As the camera pans around the
office the talking is getting clearer and the audience can hear what is being
said.
"I know who did it, I just need
the evidence to prove it"
"Everyone knows the man who did
it, I know him personally for gods sake'
"Well if only our job was made a
little easier'
"If only'
Then the camera zooms out showing the
whole room. The talking is getting dimmer and suddenly stops. The camera will
then cut to a busy shopping street where people are talking, walking and
generally going about their daily lives. The camera will pan down the street
then eventually go inside a building to show two men, laughing who are hacking
into a computer system and it shows their red masked faces. The camera cuts
back to the police investigation room where the policemen are still talking and
discussing the case. The camera zooms into a mid shot of them and shows there
angry and shocked faces as if they know something bad is going to happen to
them. The camera zooms out so to show both of the talking
'That is it then'
'You need to get more evidence, we
need get this killer locked up for a long time'.
The two men finish the chat and get
up to leave as they do so the lights go out. The door is locked and they
suddenly get very cold. The camera shows a tiny bit of light coming from one
small window this is when the police realise that this is linked to the
murder.The camera shoots back to the men hacking into the computer, they are
laughing even louder then before a mad evil laugh. Both of these men then
suddenly stop and look towards the door of the police station and they see the
handle of the door twitching.
‘Shhhhh, don't say a word’ says one hacker to the other
The camera then does a flash back to
the scene of the girl walking in the forest, before she was murdered. As she is
walking through the forest she can hear leaves rustling and twigs snapping.
The girl thinks nothing of this and carries on walking and the camera zooms in
to her texting her boyfriend saying ‘be there in 10’
The scene then cuts to a still shot
of the path where the girl was walking. The camera goes back and you hear the
very loud scream of the girl. The Camera cuts to a shot of the girl lying face
down on the floor with her phone on next to her. The camera cuts to a close up
to the phone and it shows an unfinished text saying ‘This woods is creepy, I
don't like it, please com.................’
The opening credits then plays with
the title 'Hacking The Woods' fading in from black to bright white.
Throughout the opening
sequence there is a dark eerie soundtrack playing underneath the visuals,
This will build up suspense throughout the opening sequence until the opening
credits start to roll when the music became louder and also becomes more
cheery.
The theme that this opening sequence portrays is
quite a dark sense but when the music becomes more happy and cheery you can
tell that it is going to tell the story from before the girl was killed and
why. This film will be very reliant on the audience being able to follow the
story even though there is a lot of backtracking and flashbacks showing the
past and present.
This will be a fairly steadily paced edit because
this will tell enough of the story for it to be understood but short enough to
build suspense.
The colours in the opening sequence will be fairly
subdued because it is fairly dark and gloomy as it shows the crime. After the
opening sequence the colours will change and be quite happy and bright as this
shows before the crime happens and it’s a sort of back story. When the main
story reaches back to the crime then the colours will slowly change back the
the subdued colours as it reaches the crime being solved and the
killers/hackers get caught and arrested
Target audience
The film is a crime thriller which we think will
appeal mostly to older teenagers and younger adult audience of around 16-25
year olds. It is fast pace and includes themes and a storyline we think this
audience will enjoy. The film overall will have a 12 rating because some people
below this age will not be able to follow the film and get its full effect and
the violence and language that this film contains will be too much for them to
see. Over 25s are likely to also enjoy this film but it may be a little too
fast paced and youthful for their liking.
Minutes for meeting 2
Minutes for meeting on the 1/2/13
Present - Will Storey and Tom Jarvis
Items discussed -
Today we finished the starting ideas for the opening scene idea and went about writing a treatment for our film we have decided to call 'Hacking the Wood'.
We had to think clearly about what was going to happen and what would be said and how the whole opening would hang together as well as we could possibly make it.
Actors and actress agreed to play the role so all names in meeting 1 on board.
While working on the storyboard is giving us an idea about how each scene would look in the opening and how it would all hang together.
Props - Phone - We had a think about the objects and things that we would need in the film and made sure these are all accessible for when we wish to film.
So far the planning is going well there have been a few hiccups and some members feel they are doing more work then the others however everyone has agreed to do a fairer amount and not leave it all to one person. We feel we are working towards the final deadline well and feel we should hopefully have done all the planning beforehand when we can start the filming.
Present - Will Storey and Tom Jarvis
Items discussed -
Today we finished the starting ideas for the opening scene idea and went about writing a treatment for our film we have decided to call 'Hacking the Wood'.
We had to think clearly about what was going to happen and what would be said and how the whole opening would hang together as well as we could possibly make it.
Actors and actress agreed to play the role so all names in meeting 1 on board.
While working on the storyboard is giving us an idea about how each scene would look in the opening and how it would all hang together.
Props - Phone - We had a think about the objects and things that we would need in the film and made sure these are all accessible for when we wish to film.
So far the planning is going well there have been a few hiccups and some members feel they are doing more work then the others however everyone has agreed to do a fairer amount and not leave it all to one person. We feel we are working towards the final deadline well and feel we should hopefully have done all the planning beforehand when we can start the filming.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Meeting 1
Meeting to discuss brief from client - Thriller opening
Date of Meeting - 8 January 2013
Attended by - Will Storey and Tom Jarvis
Deadline for completion of planning - 28 Jan 13
Deadline for completion - 25 March 13
Today we met to discuss our various ideas for a thriller opening
Agenda 1 - Initial ideas
Agenda 2 - Treatment
Agenda 3 - Identification of production roles
Agenda 4 - Storyboard
Agenda 5 - Recce shots
Agenda 6 - Animatic
Agenda 7 - Risk Assessment
Agenda 8 - Soundtrack experiment
Agenda 9 - Video experiments
Agenda 10 - Shooting schedule
Agenda 11 - Call Sheet
The above items on the agenda to be discussed and allocation of roles be finalised. Realistic dates for deadlines to be discussed and agreed on.
We talked about several different ideas that we both had and talked about each one in detail. Some of the ideas would have been quite fun but on our low budget and time constraints we had to dismiss most of them.
Ideas
1. Hacking the Wood - body found lying in woods, police investigate, hackers try to hinder the investigation
2.Car Smash - Loud crash, body seen by pedestrian but car not seen (Is it the car)
3.The Darkness - Person held to ransom but no one to rescue him
Hacking the Wood - this is our final choice as we feel that it can be achieved with the budget and time that we have. The story is something that we can work on and gives us scope to create real mystery and enigma.
Roles identified - Will - Ideas
Tom - Storyboard
Will and Tom - Filming
Will and Tom - Directors
Tom - Editing
Foley Artist - Will Storey
Recce Shots - Will and Tom
Treatment - Will and Tom
Risk Assessment - Will
Video and Sound experiments - Will and Tom
Animatic and Shooting Schedule - Will and Tom
Call Sheet - Will and Tom
Discussion regarding cast - Actors to be approached for the roles - Mr M Telford, Mr J Daniels, Tom Hackney, Will Storey, Rebecca Malone
Date of Meeting - 8 January 2013
Attended by - Will Storey and Tom Jarvis
Deadline for completion of planning - 28 Jan 13
Deadline for completion - 25 March 13
Today we met to discuss our various ideas for a thriller opening
Agenda 1 - Initial ideas
Agenda 2 - Treatment
Agenda 3 - Identification of production roles
Agenda 4 - Storyboard
Agenda 5 - Recce shots
Agenda 6 - Animatic
Agenda 7 - Risk Assessment
Agenda 8 - Soundtrack experiment
Agenda 9 - Video experiments
Agenda 10 - Shooting schedule
Agenda 11 - Call Sheet
The above items on the agenda to be discussed and allocation of roles be finalised. Realistic dates for deadlines to be discussed and agreed on.
We talked about several different ideas that we both had and talked about each one in detail. Some of the ideas would have been quite fun but on our low budget and time constraints we had to dismiss most of them.
Ideas
1. Hacking the Wood - body found lying in woods, police investigate, hackers try to hinder the investigation
2.Car Smash - Loud crash, body seen by pedestrian but car not seen (Is it the car)
3.The Darkness - Person held to ransom but no one to rescue him
Hacking the Wood - this is our final choice as we feel that it can be achieved with the budget and time that we have. The story is something that we can work on and gives us scope to create real mystery and enigma.
Roles identified - Will - Ideas
Tom - Storyboard
Will and Tom - Filming
Will and Tom - Directors
Tom - Editing
Foley Artist - Will Storey
Recce Shots - Will and Tom
Treatment - Will and Tom
Risk Assessment - Will
Video and Sound experiments - Will and Tom
Animatic and Shooting Schedule - Will and Tom
Call Sheet - Will and Tom
Discussion regarding cast - Actors to be approached for the roles - Mr M Telford, Mr J Daniels, Tom Hackney, Will Storey, Rebecca Malone
Shooting Schedule/Call Sheet
Shooting will began once will have finished the planning of all of it will take place throughout late Feb and March and hopefully be completed by the 8th March.
4 March starting with the forest scene of the girl walking in the wood there have some people jumping out on her them. this will take a few cuts for we will allow around an hour and a half. We will also get the shots of her texting and the phone.
Will need the victim for 1/2 an hour, Hacker 1/2 an hour
Then we will shot the bit with her lying dead in the forest, This will take around 10 minutes to get the few shots of her
Will Need Victim
8 March shot the scene in the police station (in a quiet room in the town hall).
Will Need 2 DCI's for this shot
12th scene with hacker hacking into a computer (use iMac/Macbook in room town hall)
By the 20th will should have done all the filming and be able to start editing it.
4 March starting with the forest scene of the girl walking in the wood there have some people jumping out on her them. this will take a few cuts for we will allow around an hour and a half. We will also get the shots of her texting and the phone.
Will need the victim for 1/2 an hour, Hacker 1/2 an hour
Then we will shot the bit with her lying dead in the forest, This will take around 10 minutes to get the few shots of her
Will Need Victim
8 March shot the scene in the police station (in a quiet room in the town hall).
Will Need 2 DCI's for this shot
12th scene with hacker hacking into a computer (use iMac/Macbook in room town hall)
By the 20th will should have done all the filming and be able to start editing it.
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Identification of production roles
Ideas- Will
Storyboard- Tom
Filming- Will and Tom
Directing- Will and Tom
Editing- Tom
Sound- Will
Storyboard- Tom
Filming- Will and Tom
Directing- Will and Tom
Editing- Tom
Sound- Will
Risk Assessment
As the appointed health and safety manager for this project I am carrying out a risk assessment as follows.
Tripping and slipping: Medium Risk - There is a risk of tripping whilst filming in the woods due to the following; twigs, exposed tree roots, boulders, stones, wires and cabling from the filming equipment, dolly tracking, slipping on muddy, icy, wet and uneven surfaces. Tripping may also occur in the studio when filming inside, editing and meetings etc.
Plans to reduce risk - Locate a reasonably clear and easily accessible path in the woods. Clear away debris or obstacles that may pose a risk to the actors and filming crew. Check weather forecast to establish the chance of hazardous weather. To reduce the risk of tripping/slipping during filming and all indoor locations, I will ensure that all flooring is free from obstacles and moisture. Cables from computers and equipment will be secured and not left hanging or dragging across paths. Signs will be put out to warn cast and crew of any hazards.
Theft of equipment: Low risk - All equipment will be signed for and signed back in to a locked location. Equipment will not be left unsupervised when not in use.
Accident or illness to cast and crew - Low to medium risk - Little can be done to prevent accident/ illness, however there are people on standby who are willing to stand-in if called.
Weather conditions - Medium Risk - Again, nothing can be done about the weather, however dates for further filming have been penciled in, in the event of bad weather.
Equipment failure - Low risk - All equipment will be checked thoroughly by experts prior to filming,editing etc and back ups on standby in worse case scenario.
Monday, 17 December 2012
Mind map of initial ideas
These are the ideas of films that I came up with for a crime thriller.
Hacking The Wood
Idea one
The scene opens with a dead women body lying in a forest sounds and sighting of deer and squirrels. then shoots to two detectives who are talking over a table about a murder case. It becomes clear there are talking about the dead body and wish to investigate it. They are in an office room off a police station. They talk about the case someone else enters and thens leaves before being seen. some people hack into the controls for the building and turns everything off. The lights go off and the room suddenly gets very cold and they get to up leave but the door will not open. It is locked. They shout for help and someone hears them but can't help they hear shouting from outside and the policeman look very scared.
Car smack
Idea two
Someone is walking down a alleyway towards a building and he hears a big crash behind him. He looks around and sees someone lying over the fence they are bleeding and look unconscious he knows that they was no car coming a few minutes so assemes they were going very fast.
The Darkness
Idea three
Someone is caught and hold ransom in a unknown location. They have no family and so no one to pay for it. The scene starts with an establishing shot of a man walking along a street when a big group of thugs jump on him, beat him up and put him into a van. Someone on the other side of the road sees this and phones the police. The camera cuts to this being shown on the news and someone who knows the victim phoning up to give information. Before the friend can give any information, he gets a text message 'i know where you live' from unknown sender. Then there is a knock at the door, he opens it and before anything is said. He is shot. The title shows and the main film begins.
Hacking The Wood
Idea one
The scene opens with a dead women body lying in a forest sounds and sighting of deer and squirrels. then shoots to two detectives who are talking over a table about a murder case. It becomes clear there are talking about the dead body and wish to investigate it. They are in an office room off a police station. They talk about the case someone else enters and thens leaves before being seen. some people hack into the controls for the building and turns everything off. The lights go off and the room suddenly gets very cold and they get to up leave but the door will not open. It is locked. They shout for help and someone hears them but can't help they hear shouting from outside and the policeman look very scared.
Car smack
Idea two
Someone is walking down a alleyway towards a building and he hears a big crash behind him. He looks around and sees someone lying over the fence they are bleeding and look unconscious he knows that they was no car coming a few minutes so assemes they were going very fast.
The Darkness
Idea three
Someone is caught and hold ransom in a unknown location. They have no family and so no one to pay for it. The scene starts with an establishing shot of a man walking along a street when a big group of thugs jump on him, beat him up and put him into a van. Someone on the other side of the road sees this and phones the police. The camera cuts to this being shown on the news and someone who knows the victim phoning up to give information. Before the friend can give any information, he gets a text message 'i know where you live' from unknown sender. Then there is a knock at the door, he opens it and before anything is said. He is shot. The title shows and the main film begins.
deadlines for work
all to be done by the 28th Jan
deadline
Mind map of initial ideas 19th Dec
Treatment 12th Jan
I.D of production 8th
Storyboard 14th
Recce shots 16th
Animatic 19th
Risk Assessment 20th
Have a go at soundtrack 24th
Have a go at video 25th
Shooting schedule 28th
Call sheet 13th
Go other everything 28th
4 lots of meeting minutes dates to be arranged
1 done by 10th
2nd done by 15th
3th done by 22nd
4th done by 28th
because we started just before christmas it made it hard to fit any thing in before
deadline
Mind map of initial ideas 19th Dec
Treatment 12th Jan
I.D of production 8th
Storyboard 14th
Recce shots 16th
Animatic 19th
Risk Assessment 20th
Have a go at soundtrack 24th
Have a go at video 25th
Shooting schedule 28th
Call sheet 13th
Go other everything 28th
4 lots of meeting minutes dates to be arranged
1 done by 10th
2nd done by 15th
3th done by 22nd
4th done by 28th
because we started just before christmas it made it hard to fit any thing in before
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
AOB2; analysis of six thriller openings
Analyse 6 openings by Thursday 20th December. Bullet point:
The Dark Knight
The film starts with the maker of the film logo 'warner bros picture' and then runs through a few pages of a comic book. Mise en scene is established immediately as the camera pans over the rooftops of a busy American city, possibly New York. The camera then zooms in towards the windows of a building where we see a man inside wearing a mask who smashes one of the windows. This sound is loud and impacts on the audience, grabbing their attention. He proceeds to shoot a zip wire across to another building. This immediately grabs the attention of the viewers. Then the camera shoots to do a zoom in of an identical mask that someone is holding who is waiting for someone. Quietly a vehicle pick him up and just as he is getting in, the camera shoots back to the man getting ready on the zip wire. The camera does an overhead shot of the two men going across. Then the camera shoots back to the car with guys wearing the same style mask and you become aware they must be part of the same group. They talk about shares they are going to take when they rob a bank, believing they will all get a share. While this is going on, there is tense thrilling music goes on in the background. The music gets quieter as they run into the bank and start shooting and scaring people. You can hear their foot steps as they run in and the sound of people screaming as bullets go off. Then the camera shoots back to the other man who is messing around with the security wires. The music starts to get louder as the man sorting the wires is shot. You hear voices in the background to the tense music.
Skyfall
The credits start when Bond has just been shot and is drowning, music at the very start is very hard hitting then the softer Adele music starts. Black and white imagery contrasts and other colours contrast, there is a mix of sea stuff, and shots of a grave yard adds to the tension and dramatic atmosphere. There is a link between visual and music as the glass shatters.
Inception
The film opens with tense music and subtitles. Everything feels very uneasy and you know something is wrong. It is dark but the outline of objects are lit up to keep you guessing what is going on. We hear voices talking about how the brain works when dreaming. Then things start shaking and you know something is going to happen. There is a clock ticking and then the setting jumps as a bomb goes off, as if the ticking clock was a countdown to the bomb going off.
The Fast and the Furious
The film starts with an establishing shot of the cars getting ready to drag race at night and then cuts to the back of the revving cars with flames streaming out of the exhausts. At this point we can really see how much the cars are fast and furious. The camera moves through each of the cars as the drivers line up ready to race. There is a large crowd of people cheering. The camera then cuts to an inside view of the car engine working. The camera moves through the engine very quickly to pull you right into the action as the cars suddenly start racing. There is no music at this point, just the loud roar of the car engines.
Triple X
The film starts with the film title xXx, then the camera goes to a night scene with light coming through the building, then to a foot shot of a man walking towards a corner of an important looking building. The camera does an over head view of the man walking and then a face shot of him walking down a corridor as if he is looking for someone. Two people are hiding from him who then jump on him and beat him up. They rob an object from him and we realise that this is of some importance. One of the robbers tries a door and can get though, the other tries another door and can't get in. The camera then follows the man that went through the door as he comes into a room where a rock band is performing to a huge crowd. He seems to be looking for someone. After 2 1/2 minutes of the opening, the music goes quiet but there is still some sound it wants you to focus on as the camera shot pinpoints someone. There is some spooky horror heavy metal music playing which makes the audience feel uneasy.
- Codes and conventions
- How suspense and enigma are conveyed
- Titles?
- Narrative construction and storyline/plot
- Music/soundtrack
- Camerawork
- Editing techniques and pace
- Setting
- Characters
The Dark Knight
The film starts with the maker of the film logo 'warner bros picture' and then runs through a few pages of a comic book. Mise en scene is established immediately as the camera pans over the rooftops of a busy American city, possibly New York. The camera then zooms in towards the windows of a building where we see a man inside wearing a mask who smashes one of the windows. This sound is loud and impacts on the audience, grabbing their attention. He proceeds to shoot a zip wire across to another building. This immediately grabs the attention of the viewers. Then the camera shoots to do a zoom in of an identical mask that someone is holding who is waiting for someone. Quietly a vehicle pick him up and just as he is getting in, the camera shoots back to the man getting ready on the zip wire. The camera does an overhead shot of the two men going across. Then the camera shoots back to the car with guys wearing the same style mask and you become aware they must be part of the same group. They talk about shares they are going to take when they rob a bank, believing they will all get a share. While this is going on, there is tense thrilling music goes on in the background. The music gets quieter as they run into the bank and start shooting and scaring people. You can hear their foot steps as they run in and the sound of people screaming as bullets go off. Then the camera shoots back to the other man who is messing around with the security wires. The music starts to get louder as the man sorting the wires is shot. You hear voices in the background to the tense music.
Se7en
The film starts with the opening credits over a moving image. It is very spooky and makes the audience freak out at the sight of edgy, actors names in white writing on a black background. The spooky music then gets louder. No plot is given away at this point but there are lots of quick, dark images of razor blades, photo negatives and paper cuttings to increase the suspense. In one room, there is a close up of someone sewing both edges of a page together and crossing off names and faces with a black felt tip pen. At the end of the theme tune you hear something like 'you get me closer to die'.
The film starts with the opening credits over a moving image. It is very spooky and makes the audience freak out at the sight of edgy, actors names in white writing on a black background. The spooky music then gets louder. No plot is given away at this point but there are lots of quick, dark images of razor blades, photo negatives and paper cuttings to increase the suspense. In one room, there is a close up of someone sewing both edges of a page together and crossing off names and faces with a black felt tip pen. At the end of the theme tune you hear something like 'you get me closer to die'.
Skyfall
The credits start when Bond has just been shot and is drowning, music at the very start is very hard hitting then the softer Adele music starts. Black and white imagery contrasts and other colours contrast, there is a mix of sea stuff, and shots of a grave yard adds to the tension and dramatic atmosphere. There is a link between visual and music as the glass shatters.
Inception
The film opens with tense music and subtitles. Everything feels very uneasy and you know something is wrong. It is dark but the outline of objects are lit up to keep you guessing what is going on. We hear voices talking about how the brain works when dreaming. Then things start shaking and you know something is going to happen. There is a clock ticking and then the setting jumps as a bomb goes off, as if the ticking clock was a countdown to the bomb going off.
The Fast and the Furious
The film starts with an establishing shot of the cars getting ready to drag race at night and then cuts to the back of the revving cars with flames streaming out of the exhausts. At this point we can really see how much the cars are fast and furious. The camera moves through each of the cars as the drivers line up ready to race. There is a large crowd of people cheering. The camera then cuts to an inside view of the car engine working. The camera moves through the engine very quickly to pull you right into the action as the cars suddenly start racing. There is no music at this point, just the loud roar of the car engines.
Triple X
The film starts with the film title xXx, then the camera goes to a night scene with light coming through the building, then to a foot shot of a man walking towards a corner of an important looking building. The camera does an over head view of the man walking and then a face shot of him walking down a corridor as if he is looking for someone. Two people are hiding from him who then jump on him and beat him up. They rob an object from him and we realise that this is of some importance. One of the robbers tries a door and can get though, the other tries another door and can't get in. The camera then follows the man that went through the door as he comes into a room where a rock band is performing to a huge crowd. He seems to be looking for someone. After 2 1/2 minutes of the opening, the music goes quiet but there is still some sound it wants you to focus on as the camera shot pinpoints someone. There is some spooky horror heavy metal music playing which makes the audience feel uneasy.
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Monday, 19 November 2012
AOB1.5; Legal and Ethical issues
There are several legal and ethical issues which affect T.V programme or film content and sets out guidelines for what is acceptable for their audience. The first of these is copyright
Copyright
This is set out to protect someone's literacy, dramatic, musical, artistic, and broadcast material from being copied by someone who wants to use the work as their own. Within the film and T.V. industry, copyright has several components e.g. the original screenplay. If someone was to produce the film then you would usually get the rights or at least permission to use the works which relate to the film. For example in the film I have looked at, High Crimes, everything connected with the film like the plot or original characters, even the name of the film itself, is the legal property of the film makers. This protects the film makers from other people profiting from their ideas without permission e.g film piracy, burning DVDs of the film to sell on. Copyright laws in America are very similar to the UK however they appear to be a little stricter on certain things such as, in Britain you are allowed to copy an image from the internet and use it on your desktop in America you are not.
The same would apply to Doctor Who which is particularly well known as a series but also for its spin off shows and then products like action figure toys, books etc. Without copyright the show's reputation could be damaged and it would not the same Doctor Who that we know and love.
If copyright did not exist then we would not have the high standards of creative film and T.V making that exist.
Defamation
This is more relevant to the one show because it deals with real life current affairs and topics that need to be backed up with facts. It means that the one show is not able to say several things that could offend or harm someone's reputation and therefore open itself to legal issues e.g being sued. In terms of being ethical it is very important that it is only factual or harmless opinion made by the presenters so that no one becomes upset by any of the comments made on the show. The main presenters on the show I watched were Chris Evans and Alex Jones. Both these people will have signed contracts to make sure they behave in a suitable way both on the show and outside of it as they have a duty to protect the BBC reputation.
BBC editorial guidelines
The BBC has a duty to provide the highest quality creativity programmes while staying in line with the editorial and ethical standards. They therefore must be careful to balance out the quality of a programme and the freedom of expression with their responsibility. The BBC reflects certain values that its audience come to expect like honesty, reliability and fairness. All the programmes and anyone connected with the BBC must meet these expectations. For example Doctor Who is prime time family viewing so content be suitable for all ages as it is on before the watershed. The same applies to the One Show.
Certification
The British Board Of Film Classification is a non government and independent body which is funded through people who submit films, video games and programmes which are to be released on DVD or Blu- ray. The recording act of 1984 means it is a criminal act for video content to not be classified. A works classification is based on the strength of several things the most common being language used, violence, sexual content, discrimination, drugs, horror and bad behaviour which is likely to be copied.
When it comes to the classification of 'The One Show' this would be very easy to work out it contains content suitable for all. With 'Doctor Who' I think it would be much harder because although it is broadcasted when anyone could be watching T.V, when it comes to it being on DVD, it would take some thought to what certification it should be. However with 'High Crimes' the BBFC has given it a 12. The film content contains no swearing and little violence.
In conclusion, it is clear that are lots of things that have to be considered from a legal and ethical point of view and on many levels as there are whole industries who deal with these issues and make sure film and T.V is broadcasted responsibly.
Copyright
This is set out to protect someone's literacy, dramatic, musical, artistic, and broadcast material from being copied by someone who wants to use the work as their own. Within the film and T.V. industry, copyright has several components e.g. the original screenplay. If someone was to produce the film then you would usually get the rights or at least permission to use the works which relate to the film. For example in the film I have looked at, High Crimes, everything connected with the film like the plot or original characters, even the name of the film itself, is the legal property of the film makers. This protects the film makers from other people profiting from their ideas without permission e.g film piracy, burning DVDs of the film to sell on. Copyright laws in America are very similar to the UK however they appear to be a little stricter on certain things such as, in Britain you are allowed to copy an image from the internet and use it on your desktop in America you are not.
The same would apply to Doctor Who which is particularly well known as a series but also for its spin off shows and then products like action figure toys, books etc. Without copyright the show's reputation could be damaged and it would not the same Doctor Who that we know and love.
If copyright did not exist then we would not have the high standards of creative film and T.V making that exist.
Defamation
This is more relevant to the one show because it deals with real life current affairs and topics that need to be backed up with facts. It means that the one show is not able to say several things that could offend or harm someone's reputation and therefore open itself to legal issues e.g being sued. In terms of being ethical it is very important that it is only factual or harmless opinion made by the presenters so that no one becomes upset by any of the comments made on the show. The main presenters on the show I watched were Chris Evans and Alex Jones. Both these people will have signed contracts to make sure they behave in a suitable way both on the show and outside of it as they have a duty to protect the BBC reputation.
BBC editorial guidelines
The BBC has a duty to provide the highest quality creativity programmes while staying in line with the editorial and ethical standards. They therefore must be careful to balance out the quality of a programme and the freedom of expression with their responsibility. The BBC reflects certain values that its audience come to expect like honesty, reliability and fairness. All the programmes and anyone connected with the BBC must meet these expectations. For example Doctor Who is prime time family viewing so content be suitable for all ages as it is on before the watershed. The same applies to the One Show.
Certification
The British Board Of Film Classification is a non government and independent body which is funded through people who submit films, video games and programmes which are to be released on DVD or Blu- ray. The recording act of 1984 means it is a criminal act for video content to not be classified. A works classification is based on the strength of several things the most common being language used, violence, sexual content, discrimination, drugs, horror and bad behaviour which is likely to be copied.
When it comes to the classification of 'The One Show' this would be very easy to work out it contains content suitable for all. With 'Doctor Who' I think it would be much harder because although it is broadcasted when anyone could be watching T.V, when it comes to it being on DVD, it would take some thought to what certification it should be. However with 'High Crimes' the BBFC has given it a 12. The film content contains no swearing and little violence.
In conclusion, it is clear that are lots of things that have to be considered from a legal and ethical point of view and on many levels as there are whole industries who deal with these issues and make sure film and T.V is broadcasted responsibly.
Friday, 16 November 2012
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Role of Jobs
Unite Production Manager
This individual has a responsibility for managing all of the production as well as regulating the costs to set in with the budget of the film. The UPM is hired by the film producer. Production Managers are in charge of the expenditure of the 'below-the-line' budget. Before starting the production Production Managers will work closely with the Producer, Line Producer, First Assistant Director where they will work on breaking down the script as well as preparing the a provisional schedule. The Production Managers will then talk with several Head of Department to estimate what is going to be needed and work out where money will be spent. After the overall budget has been signed off, they will work with the Producers in selecting crew and supplies needed for the production. They will also help to negotiate the rates of pay between the crew members. They also have the responsibility that all payments are paid, that tasks are delegated properly, and that people work as they should. The role of Production Manger is very business related.
Art Director
This is someone who works right below the production designer, on the same lines as the set decorator and above the set designers. There duties include; the administration involved with the art department, assigning tasks to the other workers e.g. the Art Department Coordinator, to keep track of the budget and timetabling for the art department for example Pre/Wrap Schedule.
The individual who is responsible for buying all the set has the obvious title of Set Dressing Buyer. They need to buy all of the objects that are seen in the film.
Storyboard Artist
This is someone who is a professional storyboard creator when it comes to making film productions. When making storyboards they tend to use some of the following; pencil sketching but modern-day advantages allow them to use computer software like flash and photoshop and more recently with the use of the digital camera.
Steadicam Operator
This person will put a filming camera on a stabilising object. This is to make a smoother shot as possible when filming over dumping surfaces.
Camera Loader-
The camera loader may be responsible for two things: Control the clapboard, used to give off a reference information and for inserting stock into film magazines.
Script supervisor
This is a member of the film crew who has the duty of continuing the film's but also the recording of the production within the daily progress of the screenplay being filmed.
Chief Lighting Technician
This individual has the job of organising the lighting technicians who are needed for many different things; the rigging stage and location set.
Stunt Performer
This is some one who is highly trained. There job is to take the place of a member of the acting cast in times in the film of danger or when specific skills are needed like boxing and diving. Before a stunt can be preformed the individual will have to go though checks to ensure they can do it as effectively and as safely as possible.
Stunt coordinator
They have the role of organising all the stunts
Best boy
Has the other name of Assistant lighting technician. They have the very demanding job of working with other members of the crew with such roles like checking the lighting teams time sheets to check the works each member has worked and to assist the gaffer in organising the other members of lighting.
Key Grip
Have the job of building and maintaing all the equipment needed to support the camera including tripods, dollies etc.They have to ensure that all movement and positioning is achievable.
Rigging gaffer
Are whose in charge of the electrical. They have to lead the team who install lighting and
http://www.creativeskillset.org
This is some one who is highly trained. There job is to take the place of a member of the acting cast in times in the film of danger or when specific skills are needed like boxing and diving. Before a stunt can be preformed the individual will have to go though checks to ensure they can do it as effectively and as safely as possible.
Stunt coordinator
They have the role of organising all the stunts
Best boy
Has the other name of Assistant lighting technician. They have the very demanding job of working with other members of the crew with such roles like checking the lighting teams time sheets to check the works each member has worked and to assist the gaffer in organising the other members of lighting.
Key Grip
Have the job of building and maintaing all the equipment needed to support the camera including tripods, dollies etc.They have to ensure that all movement and positioning is achievable.
Rigging gaffer
Are whose in charge of the electrical. They have to lead the team who install lighting and
http://www.creativeskillset.org
Monday, 22 October 2012
Film analysis - High Crimes
High Crimes is a 2002 American crime thriller directed by Carl Franklin. The main characters are Attorney, Claire Kubik played by Ashley Judd, her husband Tom played by James Caviezel, Morgan Freeman as Charlie Grimes and Adam Scott playing the role of First Lieutenent Terence Embry.
When husband Tom is arrested for murder, Claire Kubik's world is turned upside down. He is also revealed as living under the false name of 'Tom' and it appears that he is escaping the crimes committed under his real name, Ron Chapman. His wife sets to seek out the truth and enlists the help of lawyer Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman). She is very certain with herself that she is doing the right thing and that her husband has been set up. The story takes on a number of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Target Audience
The age rating for the film is 12 as it contains adult themes with the subject matter of murder and slight sexual and violent content. This is due to the fact the director did not want to take anything away from the message in the film being a more serious matter than just having violence. Very early on in the film we realise that the two main characters are a young couple in love, who are trying for a baby. In this scene there is reference to sex. There are a number of courtroom scenes and the film is serious and hard-hitting except for a little humour scattered throughout someone a younger viewer may find upsetting. The film is targeted at fans who like to solve crime thrillers and those who are interested in twist plots. I would say a more mature audience aged 35 to 60 years. However it would be enjoyed by younger viewers who like thrillers but I think a younger viewer would want more action. Fans of Morgan Freeman who does a range of genres and Ashley Judd are both well known actors meaning their fans would probably watch the film. The scenes of violence and scene of sexual content would make the film unsuitable for the younger viewer. The only language used is there to give the audience an idea of the characters personality.
Camera work and editing
There are several action shots one of the main ones being the car crash where the camera is mounted on a motor bike which travels behind the vehicle taking in everything that is happening. This adds to the excitement of the production and makes the audience wonder what is happening. They use establishing shots to show the location of a scene e.g at the beginning of the film to show that they are in a village in the middle of no where. This gives the audience a sense of the place and makes them wonder what is going to happen in this scene. There is a pan of the camera which reveals the dead bodies so that the audience know that people have been killed. As with a lot of thrillers the camera shoots from scene to another scene very quickly. This adds to the tension of the film, for example when the camera shoots from the dead bodies to the credits and then goes to a pan of Toms and Claire's house. There are many close ups of the faces from those who are talking to show facial expression and help the audience understand the characters point of view. At times in the film the camera is placed in a certain position from which we then follow the movement of the character. This is used to give the audience a feeling that there is someone following that character who wishes them harm . This adds a lot to the film making it feel very spooky and makes you feel very uneasy. This adds to the suspense of the film especially when the camera shows their outline. All the camera work is used to not only tell a story but also to add to the suspense and the tension of the film. Within the camera work there is lots of little transitions from one clip to another which adds to the tension and leaves the audience wanting to know more about that bit. The camera shoots from scene to scene very quickly at time a little to fast leaving the audience wanting to know more. This is something film's use to add to the suspense of the film and make the audience want to find out more.
Sound
There is a lot of fast and up pace music especially when the scene is building up to an action scene, this helps to build up the suspense and tension in the audience so that they know, before it happens, that action is coming. In scenes that are more frighting or upsetting the music is much slower this gives the audience an insight to the story and also to make them feel how the characters are feeling. There is sudden bursts of sound that do not last very long. This is to emphasise on what is happening, it also is to get the audience time to take in what's just happened. For example in the scene with the fight in the shed we hear a loud gunshot and then everything goes quiet, we hear nothing. Near the end the sound adds a lot to the film as we come to realise who Tom really is. The sound is very eerie and tense which makes one feel uneasy. It gets tenser as the truth really starts to come out.
Representation of the characters
The characters in this film are represented in very different ways, Tom's character at the start seems a nice gentleman who is deeply in love with this wife, Claire. However as the story continues and he is arrested for murder, the audience start to believe that maybe he is not the guy we first thought. As the story goes on we come more and more convinced that he has been set up for the crimes. However from the point of being found out our perception of him changes into a ruthless killer.
Towards the end of the film we become aware that Ron is a psychopath who murdered the civilians and some of the witnesses. He is able to not only lie about it but make up a new identity for himself under the name Tom to hide behind the truth just to make himself look innocent towards his wife who really loves him. The fact that at the end he seems to show no emotion when his wife finds out the truth. This is not how I think a normal person would act. The things he put Claire through and how he acts to the whole situation with no sorrow suggests he does not really care about anything or anyone including his wife and just wants to ensure he does not go to jail. The fact he tries to defend himself for murdering the villagers to his wife and even tries to be big headed about it also suggests that he is a psychopath.
Claire is a strong woman who knows what she wants and how she is going to get it. She is deeply in love with her husband and really sure he is the man to raise a family with, however it is not until the end that the audience are quite certain she has made a mistake. She has a bright, full of energy and passionate personality and is not afraid of standing up to anyone who she feels is trying to undermine her. For example when she is speaking to General Marcs and she says 'the question is general, you snob son of a bitch, will you survive me'.
Her love and support for her husband, the fact that she is a lawyer and for her own personal needs she really needs him to be innocent. In some ways she will go to extreme measures to ensure this. e.g 'We can do this, I will not allow them to do this'. For example she stands up to the judge to get the tape to be counted and she gets quite aggressive about it. However as the end comes into mind and Tom is found out maybe Claire's strong personality blinded her from figuring out the truth that was really very simple.
Charlie is an ex-alcholic lawyer who has several social problems however he is obviously a kind person who has a wonderful interaction with Claire. He very wants to help her and as such treats her with lots of kindness and respect. It is not until the end when we realise that Charlie really is friendly will Claire and as such really wants to help her.
Misc en scene
The misc en scene is a very important part of the film as it adds a lot to the storyline of the film and without the right lighting, props, costumes being used it would not have the same effect and make the film not hang together well.
The lighting in the film is used to a very good effect of making that scene meaningful and it gives off the mood of the scene. The first scene with the 'happy' couple is very bright and sunny there is light going in though the window and every thing is jolly and nice. Furthermore in the next shot in the office it is very bright sunshine. In the working office there is light all around her which relates to her happy life and shows she has a good important job. At the break in it is night time and obviously a little dark but bright enough so you can see all the objects. When they go Christmas shopping it is night but there are Christmas lights up and we know from this and the props that it is near Christmas. When the FBI come there is a lot of flashing lights. In the cell where he is doing the polygraph it is very dark. In court there are no windows and this gives the impression of how trapped they are. When he is released from prison it is very light and all is good. When the camera shoots to a very dark scene and they are talking about who was murdered we know some thing is very wrong.
Props are used well to show the time of year and to help the audience understand the turns in the story. For example we know it is Christmas from the Christmas tree in their house and the lighting and people wearing santa hats.
The film takes on a lot of different setting as it jumps from place to place. The opening scene is set in a middle of no where villiage in Mexico is shows how far the civilians are from others and how helpless they are as a result. All the setting play a big part in the film and add to the way the storyline goes as a way of adding to the tension and suspense in the film. Near the end the sound adds a lot to the film as we come to realise who Tom really is. The sound is very eerie and tense which makes one feel uneasy. It gets tenser as the truth really starts to come out.
The costumes throughout the film are obviously relevant to the location and mise en scene. The start of the film shows the characters dressed in smart casual, everyday wear. We see the couple enjoying a shopping trip together, laden with bags. From their dress the audience is able to identify the social status of the couple e.g. they are wearing nicely cut, good quality clothes that lets the audience know that they are a professional couple who are not short of money. As the story progresses and the past life of Tom is revealed we then see the US military uniform which represents their career, power and authority that the character has. The courtroom scenes include a mix of the military uniforms together with characters in smartly dressed power suits. The costume of the very laid-back Charlie Grimes gives an idea of his character and personality. He wears very casual and untidy clothes and this matches the image that they want to give of him. His costume during the main body of the film fits with the fact that he is a heavy drinker. However, at the end of the film when he is in his office with the newly appointed lawyer, Claire Kubik, he is more smartly dressed and this tells the audience that he is obviously turning over a new leaf and kicking his bad habits. Tom goes from being a very smartly dressed and a professional looking gentleman to looking very vulnerable and unhappy in the 'prison clothes'. The flashbacks that we see of the murder scene shows people who are very dirtily and shabbily dressed and this tells us that they are very poor and helpless against the attack by the military.
Age range and gender of cast
The age of the characters varies of both men and women of around 28-58 years old. Tom and Claire are quite young and wish to start a family together and as such the director has chosen characters of this age.
Titles
The opening titles in the film are shown just after the opening clip which shows the dead bodies. The director wishes to draw people in and get them thinking about the storyline within the film. The opening titles are shown once the film has gone to a pan of Tom and Claire's house and continues going until Tom and Claire are talking. At the end of the film the music starts to play and the screen goes black and the ending credits run down the screen this lets the audience know the film has ended and shows everyone involved with the film, starting with the main stars.
The effects of the film with all the camerawork and misc en scene makes for an exciting and tense film which is good at leaving the audience on the edge of their seat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)