Se7en - Opening Titles

This is a good example of effective thriller opening titles. This makes the audience feel disorienated an it feels very chaotic. This is very effective because it fits in with the atmosphere of the feel.

Vantage Point title sequence

The titles for Vantage Point look very effective.

Thriller Genre Conventions

Camerawork

Typical shots:

• Establishing shots - this shows location
• Mid Shots - Introducing characterisation
• Close-Ups - Disorientation, Claustrophobia

Composition/Framing:

• Key Props
• Creates Suspense

Camera Movements/Angles:

• High/low angle shots - this shows power/status 

Perspective

• 1st person - empathy

Editing

• Dual Narrative shows complex narrative/tension - as story converges 
• Straight cuts - pace - tension
• Flashbacks - gives us background - key moments/connections

Thriller Openings Conventions

• Drama/Tension
• Use of music
• Titles - name of film, actors, directors, company identity
• Confusion - Questions
• One significant event
• Atmosphere

Sound

• Use ambient sounds - music/noises - fade in/out - atmosphere
• Voice over to create back story
• Avoid dialogue

Mise-en-scene

• Setting - realistic/isolated
• Costumes - realism
• Actors - Males - protagonists/antagonists - Females usually victims
• Props - weapons - realism
• Lighting - Low key lighting, shadows

Narrative

• Disorientating - start halfway through an event - audience questions
• Chronological? Flashbacks/flashforward?
• Introduce main characters/plot

Sub-genres

• Action
• Crime 
• Psychological
• Conspiracy
• Religious
• Disaster
• Eco
• Dystopia
• Medical

The Evaluation of the Prelim Task

The preliminary task was to film and edit a sequence of a person entering a room, using match-on-action, and speaking to someone else, using shot reverse shot. This task should also demonstrate the 180 degree rule and continuity.

Camerawork

The camerawork for this task was quite successful. My group used a range of shots including: long shots, mid shots, medium shots and close-up. An example of a effective mid shot in the video is:
This shot also shows the angles we used as well as the movement in the video. Some of the movement was a bit slow for moving with Libby's movements and next time we do follow the movements of a person we will make sure the camera person has a better reaction time. The angles are not varied and are the same angle in most of the shots. Most of the shots are steady but there are some shots that are a bit shaky in areas. To improve this we will make sure the camera is steady or is in a environment that will make sure the camera stays steady. Most of the framing is good but there are some shots like the one above that cuts off a part of the person in focus. To improve we will make sure the camera person knows where the person is going and can do the shot without cutting off the persons head.

Editing

The editing for this task was also quite successful. My group stuck to the 180 degree rule all through the video and we also used effective match-on-action through the door scene. The shot reverse shot we used was pretty good but it may not have been completely clear so we could improve by making sure it is clearer that the conversation is taking place. The continuity in the video is pretty good but some areas could be improved by making sure the props don't suddenly move hand or that random new hand gestures or body movements appear that weren't in the previous shot. We used visual effects quite effectively and the only improvement I would suggest making is making the freeze frames a bit quicker then we used in the prelim task. Our use of titles could be improved by knowing where would be the best place to put them in is.

Lighting

The lighting in the video is effective and well used. We used light in the room by turning on the lights in the room to make sure the camera would pick up the characters and we turned the lights in the hall off to create mystery and tension as the audience does not know who the character walking down the hall is.

Technical

In terms of technical camerawork I have learnt that some shots don't work very well and that you have to sometimes put the camera in awkward positions to get the right angle or shot that you want. In of editing I have learnt that it is harder than it looks to get the music exactly where you want it and that continuity editing is quite difficult as it is very easy to make a mistake.

Prelim Task

Plan for Prelim Task

Shot list

1. Long shot of Hope walking down hall
2. Mid shot of Libby Opening cupboards
3. Long shot of Hope walking down hall
4. Mid shot of Libby Opening cupboards
5.  Long shot of Hope walking down hall
6. Mid shot of Libby Opening cupboards
7. Long shot of Hope walking down hall
8. Mid shot of Libby Opening cupboards
9.  Medium shot of Hope walking down hall
10.  Mid shot of Libby Opening cupboards
11. Close up f Hope opening the door
12. Mid shot of Libby Opening cupboards
13. Close up f Hope opening the door
14. Mid shot of Libby Opening cupboards
15. Over the shoulder mid shot of Hope
16. Medium shot of libby
17. Over the shoulder mid shot of Hope
18. Medium shot of libby
19. Over the shoulder mid shot of Hope
20. Medium shot of libby
21. Over the shoulder mid shot of Hope
22. Medium shot of libby
23. Fade to black as libby is walking backwards
24. Two shot of hope and libby sitting down

Glossary of Terms for Editing Techniques - Isl Task

Continuity Editing - This maintains the spatial relationships in any film. It also gives the film rhythm and shows action and reaction as well as allowing the film to shift through time.

Cross-Cutting - This is when action cuts between two sequences to create links, parallels or contrasts between the two storylines and their setting
Diegetic Sound - This is sound that is heard on and recorded from the location of the film e.g. speech
Dissolve - This is a gradual transition from one shot to another shot with one shot fading into another one
Fading in/out- This is when a shot is faded in or out from black or white
Jump Cut - This is when two shots are abruptly cut between the shot
Match Cut/Graphic Cut - A cut between two different shots where the focus of the shot graphically matches.
Match on Action - This is when two shots are edited together to show how actions progress through time
Non -diegetic Sound - This is sound that was added to the film when it was edited to add to the atmosphere of the film.
Shot Reverse-shot - Usually a cut between two people having a conversation. The camera focuses on one person and then cuts to the other person in the conversation.
Transitions - The ways two shots are joined together. This is used to keep continuity and pace in the film.
Wipe - This is when a line moves across the creen which shows a transition from one shot to another

No Country for Old Men Analysis

This shot is an establishing shot showing a bleak, barren landscape. This gives the idea to the audience that nothing goes on in this place and there isn't really anywhere to go. There is also a narrative by a main character. This narrative helps build tension and confusion as the audience wonders what is going on and who the character is. 

This shot is a medium long shot showing a road to what seems like nowhere as there is nothing around but the barren landscape and a police car with two men walking towards it. The narrative continues building up tension as the audience wonders what happened and why is it significant to the character narrating.

This shot is a close up image of an oxygen tank. The close up shows the audience that his image is important to the story and is a key item that presumably belongs to the guy getting arrested. The audience becomes confused as they don't know why the item is important or why the character has it. The audience then whats to know why it would be important.

In this shot the audience see a shadowy figure behind the bars in the police car. This causes a mysterious atmosphere as the audience wonder why the figure is getting arrested and who the figure is. The fact that the presumed villain is in shadow and the policeman is in the light gives symbolism to the idea of good against evil, giving the audience an idea of who is good and who is bad in this shot. The shot is a medium shot.

This shot is a long shot and shows a road to what appears to be nowhere. It gives the audience the feeling that if something bad happens here there will be no help. This shot reinforces that this place is barren to the audience and that when something happens here it is very strange.

This shot is a medium shot of the police officer. The audience can see that the villain is behind him and the police officer doesn't know that someone is behind him. This causes tension as the audience wonder what is about to happen to the police officer and who the villain is. Again the audience is shown the good against evil symbolism as the police officer is in the light and the villain is in shadows.

This is a low angle of a struggle between the unknown villain and the police officer. The audience can see this is very violent and the police officer is most likely to be killed. This shot is mostly trying to give the audience a look at the struggle that is taking place and disorientate them as they are on the same level as the struggle between the two men.

This shot is a close up of the villains face. This is the first time the audience see the villain clearly and is shown that the villain is slightly crazed looking as well as being quite ugly. The villain is still in slight shadow symbolising to the audience that he is evil and/or dark.

This shot is a birds-eye view of the struggle taking place. The audience can see that the villain is using a lot of force to strangle the police officer with the handcuffs. The audience are now very sure that the police officer is not going to survive this. This also creates tension and suspense as the audience wonder what the villain is going to do next.

This is a shot of the villains hands and the handcuffs. This is shot shows the audience that the villain has most likely done this before as he managed to get the hand cuffs off and killed the police officer. It also makes the audience realise that he can handle a lot of pain as his wrists are covered in blood and this doesn't seem to faze the villain

This shot is a shot of the police officers feet after the struggle that had just taken place. This shot shows the audience just how violent the struggle was as the audience can clearly see the marks their shoes left on the floor.

This is a close up shot of the oxygen tank being picked up by the villan. The audience again wonders why this item is so important to the villain and what he is going to use it for. This creates suspense and tension as the audience begin to think about whether or not this item is the villains weapon of choice or whether there is a different reason he wants it back.



Se7en Analysis

The first shot is a close up of a gun, a pen, a badge and some other items. this shows that whoever arranged the items is very organised and possibly a little too over-organised. The audience can make a judgement that the owner may be in some kind of police force because of the the gun and badge which suggests that the owner is someone who is used to doing his/her job and is well established. The scene is in low lighting which suggests a darker tone to the movie and is typical to the thriller genre

 

In this shot we see the outline of a dead body lying in a pool of blood which sets up the crime genre as it is showing what looks like a homicide. The darkness of the scene sets up mystery as the audience can barely see what is going on properly and the only light there is is a natural light that outlines the body making the body the key focus of the audience. It also gives the audience an idea that the owner of the items in the previous still shot has this job.

This shot is giving the audience a clearer look at the outside setting of the crime scene as there is police tape near a building. The setting shows the audience that this is happening in a dark, gritty and seedy place as there is an abandoned sofa next to the building and what looks like a homeless person in the right corner. The audience can then make the link that it might be downtown. The shot is a mid shot/long shot and looks like the camera is angled up to look at the place which might make the audience feel vulnerable.

In this shot we see a mid shot of a character. The audience can make out that this is not the owner of the items in the the first shot as this guy looks a lot less experienced as he is wearing a leather jacket and chewing gum. This shot also makes him look slightly naive as he looks like he is not taking the job completely seriously. The audience can then realise that this guy is not suited to the owner of the items and is most likely younger. 

This shot is a mid shot of another character. The audience can already figure out that this is most likely to be the owner of the items as he looks a lot more experienced and organised than the previous guy which suggests he is serious about his job as well as being used to doing it. The audience can also figure out he is a detective as the character has a film noir detective get up on. The shot is also very dark which suggests the character may have darkness in him.

This is a mid shot as well as a two shot to show the character are working together as well as not being connected to each other. The audience can tell they are not connected to each other but are working together because of the body language of the actors. They are not looking at each other as one is looking at the floor and the other is looking towards the right and you can tell they are working together because the are obviously walking together. The shot is very dark even though they are outside and is raining. This is pathetic fallacy as the weather symbolises the darkness of the movie.

 

This shot is a close up of a metronome ticking. This is the focus point of the shot as the audience can't really see much else in the shot. The audience can tell this is the organised detectives room as in the shot after we can see him looking at the metronome. This suggests that the only way he can sleep is through trying to filter everything else out with the metronome. This also suggests that the detective doesn't really like his job anymore as he has to use a metronome to filter out everything so he can sleep.

In this shot the audience gets a look at the killers record of what the killer is doing and they get a look at his/her life. The audience don't get to see a lot but they do get to see paper/fabric, blood, black ink and some sort of mark or symbol over the fabric/paper. There is chaotic music to add to the atmosphere and this leaves the audience tense and slightly disorientated.

Analysis of ‘Psycho’ shower scene, exploring how film techniques are used to create effects

Camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene are used effectively in the shower sequence in ‘Psycho’.

The camerawork helps show the vulnerability of the victim and the chaotic image of the killer. There are a number of camera shots and angles that are used in the scene, for example there are many ECU shots as well as CU, Medium Shots and a canted angle. The mise-en-scene also helps show how vulnerable the victim is in the scene and gives the audience a realistic representation of how it would have happened for example the victim is naked and the killer is in a wig and shabby clothing. The sounds in the scene help create tension and chaos. Both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds are used to create tension e.g. stabbing sounds, dramatic music, water of the shower etc. The editing disorientates the audience as well as giving them a sense of confusion as the murder is taking place but then gives them a sense of peace after the killer works away. 

Canted angles are used effectively in the scene. For example, a canted angle shot of the killer’s knife is used after we see the killer through the water of the shower. Dramatic music starts to play during this shot as well. Canted angles are rarely used as they create confusion, chaos and can be disorientating for the audience. The shot is trying to create chaos and disorientate the audience as it shows an unnatural angle of kitchen knife that the killer is holding up. Dramatic music in this scene is used to help create the feeling of chaos and disorientation as it is in time with the stabbing that takes place after this shot.

Point-of-view shots are used effectively in the scene. For example, a point of view shot of the killer walking away through the water of the shower is used after the murder sequence is finished. This shot is similar to the shot of the killer before he started to murder the victim. POV shots are used quite often as it puts the audience in the shoes of the character and shows them what the character is seeing. The POV creates tension as the killer walks away after his work is finished and the audience knows the victim won’t survive. The shot is slightly blurred as the audience can only see the silhouette of the killer walking away. This is effective because it shows the audience that the victim is slowly fading away as well as being realistic as looking through water would slightly blur the killer as he walks away.

 

Close ups are used effectively in the scene. For example, a CU of the newspaper that the victim’s money was in was used after the camera moved away from the victim’s body in the bathroom to the main room of the hotel. CUs are mainly used to show the audience a close up of an important detail, usually the emotion on one of the actors face. The CU creates tension as the audience are shown that the killer didn’t kill the victim for money. This creates tension as the audience wonder why the killer killed the victim