A silent film has no recorded sound synchronised with the performance of characters within the story. There is no spoken dialogue in it although diagetic sound can be used. The only type of diagetic sound there may be in these films are screams or breathing. Silent films will often use the non diagetic sound of music just to portray and set the atmosphere, fun jumpy music may be used for example to reflect a happy mood, or slow and scary music may be used to reflect an situation where tension is built.
Dialogue in silent films is shown through gestures and mime. This also usually meant body language and facial expression were sometimes exaggerated in these films because it was one of the only ways to show the audience how the character was feeling, or the relationship between two characters.
I believe silent films are good for the comedy genre because you don't necessarily need dialogue to be funny, actions speak louder than words in that sense. My film is a much more serious and dramatic one, I feel like I need some form of dialogue to help my audience understand the situation as its much more complicated than a general 'funny film', due to this I don't feel like filming my opening idea in the style of a silent film is very fitting or suitable, I also don't personally enjoy silent films as I like for a film to have dialogue and therefore, I will not be using it.
Tuesday 30 December 2014
Thursday 25 December 2014
Looking into Drama #1
Looking into drama I have decided to focus on one of the most dramatic and intensely emotional films I have ever watched; Titanic. The opening has no dialogue in it what so ever however I personally believe that it is immensely powerful.
The scene starts with the sound I can only describe as the shore on a stormy beach, this sound lasts for about 3 seconds before we hear a very low base instrument and a woman who begins to sing. As she is singing one note she goes into many keys, however on the third as they are getting higher a sound of a base drum hits.
On this base note, a sepia film appears where we see a cruise ship (the titanic) thats about to depart as there are masses of people waving goodbye on land- they are the first thing we see as the camera zooms up to the boat and the people on it. Knowing the the tragic story this film follows, a sense of irony appears as the camera zooms up, in an upward shot as this would usually signify importance and high status of the people on this cruise ship - which in order to afford this holiday they thought they were, however we know the real end, which is even more upsetting.
The shot then moves to masses of people on the boat waving goodbye, with joy and their hats in the air and then focuses on more specific parts of the boat for example the deck, then the corner, then people at a stairway and so on. I believe this is because the film shows how this disaster affects many people, old couples, upper class, lower class and young families. One very well done thing in this film opening was showing people waving goodbye as a close up rather than many in a widescreen makes the film become more personal, making people emotional and causing them to connect more with the film.
The opening carries on with music throughout and its significance is almost beautiful when shown in an emotional light. Everyone knows titanic is an emotional and romantic film, revealing a beautiful, tragic, heartbreaking yet heart warming storyline. It is a juxtaposition. Just like the film, the music can be portrayed in this light too, the background instruments are low and convey an underlying sadness that is about to come whilst the higher singing voice can be seen as calming and happy - together they create something very bittersweet. I think this is definitely a positive as it immediately gives off this atmosphere letting us indirectly know how this film might make us feel as the audience
This opening also talks brings history into the scene, as it is also common knowledge that Ireland was the titanic's last port of call, the tune being sung particularly up until 11 seconds is extremely comparable to traditional Irish music. The sepia effect (filter) also emphasises that it is an old event as this and black and white were the colours people would watch the tv in, in the olden days - almost making us feel as though we were back there with them.
Another thing noticeable with the music is that it is very in time with the camera movements, at many of the higher notes there is a transition, either from masses of people or individual people. This is particularly meaningful as soon after the shot moves from daylight to darkness of the sea where we can see its movements in the wind and can guess that this disaster will have something to do with the water, which they show for 11 seconds all together after finally revealing the title of the film above this water 'TITANIC". As this appears the woman singing is at her highest note in the section of that song as well as the song all together, this is highlighting the importance of the actual titanic in this film, almost honouring it or the people inside it, again rising emotions.
As the womans voice continues we hear the sound we heard at the beginning again beginning to almost overpower it, and we see that the shot has moved into the deeper parts of the sea with a submarines lights as the shot gets higher and begins to be a downwards shot looking down on the submarines. After a few seconds, with now two submarines with many lights on them almost looking for something under the water it becomes clear to us that this is due to an accident and the voice then drowns out for almost five seconds before continuing and coming to an end as these submarine become further and further into the distance.
This five second pause also portrays a message of silence, respect and -you could say- sympathy. Similar to the two minute silence, it is almost something honorary and it is something whereby people feel connected to what has happened and feel the sorrow and effects of the accident through this emptiness.
Overall I think it is an outstanding opening and can not be competed with. I can genuinely find no fault whatsoever apart from that I would have liked to get a glimpse of the shipwreck at the end of the opening as it could add to reason and complete and answer the question we've been contemplating throughout the opening - if there was a disaster, what was it? However I believe the producers decision to not put this in was clever as it doesn't reveal everything right away, it lets us wonder and fear and feel for the people we saw at the begining more for a while longer.
Any inspiration I would take from this film would be the use of angles to portray different kinds of emotion and contradictory/ironic emotion as explained above, and the use of music to deliver the message of the story. Both of these are very powerful.
A brief plot synopsis idea for a film in this genre
Two 11 year old twins who are also the best of friends find out that they're being evacuated, but separately as it is the only way they can be safe. They live for 5 years with no contact allowed and both go on a desperate journey to find one another at last.
Sunday 21 December 2014
Looking into Documentary #1
The documentary film I have decided to look into is 'This is Us" by One direction. This is a documentary about each of 1D boys and their tour life.
The documentary stars off with a blank screen and Niall Horan talking about his life, this then leads on to each of the other boys doing the same thing. They initially talk about their life as young children and their background and Niall perfectly starts this off as the voiceover begins with "When I was small I had a desk", he goes on to say that on this desk he had carved "when I grow up i wanna be a singer" into it. This sets the rest of the opening up very well because each of the boys begin to talk about something when they were younger in relation to their career now, for example "When I was little, I knew I wanted to entertain" - and they are now entertainers.
When each boy begins to speak a picture of where they were brought up is shown along with a signpost for the place, for example when Louis Tomlinson comes on the train station sign of Doncaster comes up. After the pictures of their location appear, baby pictures or videos follow with relevance to what they are saying - when Harry Styles talks about how he always wanted to perform a clip of his younger self singing on a school stage is shown and when he talks about his sister, pictures of them together as children are included.
As each boy has their turn we hear faint screams from adoring fans and a guitar strum, signifying they achieved their musical dream as we see the production for their tour being set up with hundreds of seats only on the floor. There is slightly more background to their lives delivered to us through another voiceover and the guitar strums at a higher key when a photo of one of the boys standing on a stage looking out to a very big crowd comes onto the screen. We are then shown more pictures but of the boys as older children, we hear more screams and the guitar strums at a higher key again. There is then a pause where each of the boys are having a group moment on stage as they put their hands in together, after this there is a very fast montage of photos of them all from their childhood up will now and it is at this point where the voice over ends with Zayn Malik saying "That is when the dream started".
I really like that the guitar strum got higher and higher in key in the opening at each stage, the first strum, like i said, was when the set for their tour was being set up. I think this is very clever as it is meaningful and marks the beginning of their musical career as well as the fact they achieved all those childhood dreams they were talking about just seconds before in the voiceover and photo montage. The second strum was when one of the boys were facing a crowd with thousand of people screaming in excitement that adore him and his band, this is in a higher strum from the tour because its more personal and individual to that specific member. The third, final and highest key strum is before there is a pause where the boys all group together, showing their friendship and the emotional journey they have all had together through their dream. These three strums signify three elements to the film, the boys growing up and reaching their dream, how each individual boy's life changed and their friendship and life together. It gives an amazing and inspiring story emotion as you see these stars as real life people rather than robots who sing - and so the plot is revealed.
I wouldn't say there were any cons to this film opening because it is very emotional and enticing, especially for fans of this band. I would have said it could be improved by everything happening in order for example all pictures and stories to be shown then moving onto the tour rather than going backwards and forwards, however I feel like this adds to the emotion and intensity as showing the present day are just little flashes to constantly remind us how far these ordinary boys have come.
Like i said for the twilight film, I also really like the idea of voiceovers, whether it is to give thoughts away or things that have happened - I think it adds a more personal touch from the characters to the film, without breaking the fourth wall. However in a documentary it is almost necessary to break the fourth wall because it is real and therefore people expect a bigger connection to the people in it, this is mainly done through interviews during the documentary etc.
A brief plot synopsis idea for a film in this genre
Casie is 16 years old getting bullied by not only her peers, but by her work colleagues and customers too. Get an inside look as we follow this young girl letting her express how society has destroyed her confidence and investigate why body weight is something society feels is important enough to judge someone by.
Looking into Fantasy #1
The film I will be looking into for the fantasy genre is the first film of the series Twilight, this film was released in 2008 with the key character revealed in the opening being Bella Swan - played by Kristen Stewart.
This films opens in quite a 'dark' manner, however not dark enough to be considered a horror.
The first words we hear are "I'd never given much thought to how i would die". This immediately tells us that this isn't a typical happy and joyful fantasy film, it is clearly intense - we can also see this from the nervous and uneasy tone in her voice. She continues her monologue with "dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go". This tells me that the underlying base of the film will be about romance and possibly not a healthy relationship if it were to cause her so much pain.
As she is giving this monologue about death we see a hunting scene between a wolf and a deer. The deer is unsuspecting and alone when the wolf jumps up at her she runs away as he runs faster towards her, they change directions and suddenly when the deer reaches 'the light at the end of the tunnel' the wolf jumps out and kills her. We know that this must be significant in order to have made it into the cut however different meanings can be interpreted from it leaving a few questions in the audiences heads. My interpretation of it is that she is the deer and her lover is the wolf, initially when she sees him she tries to avoid him because she senses that he is dangerous and she begins to run however when she thinks she has gotten away she realises she loves him and he takes her on this almost dangerous relationship ride where she ends up getting physically hurt - or worse - dead.
The deer also symbolises innocence, vulnerability and being scared which can all relate back to Bella in terms of the hunting scene, which is the producers way of revealing the character indirectly.
In the opening we also hear Bella talking about leaving home to be with her dad, the last words she says in the opening is that its a "good thing, I think". The 'I think" doesn't give us any reassurance that the story line will be happy, instead it sets the story line on a more negative foot because Bella herself isn't sure that this is the best thing for her. The voice over could also be in the present as she's telling us a story about her past which we could then relate what she said back to the relationship she may find at her dads and that she thinks whatever she sacrifices for it is a good thing, because like we found out at the beginning she would sacrifice herself for love.
In this opening a voice over is used whilst clips are playing in the background, like the hunt. To emphasise the danger in this hunt the voice over is paused so that the audience are 100% focused on it. We also see a clip of her and her mother hugging before she leaves with her step father saying he loves them both in the background, this is used to show us the close bond she has with them and that leaving them is a big step.
I personally really like the way this film has opened, it has given us indirect information about the character. The voiceover and clips enable the baseline of the story to be revealed to us without too much being given away, there is a mysterious feel about it and the fact a deer and a wolf were used add to the fantasy element because both of these animals in different forms are known to be magical e.g. a reindeer and a werewolf.
I don't think there are any negatives to this film opening because enough characters have been revealed and we are briefly shown Bellas strong thoughts about love so it is enough for us to have an idea about what the film will entail. The only negative could be that a voice over was used for the entire opening however this is made up for by the fact there was none in the hunting scene and there was conversations being had by the step father, mother and Bella in a quieter volume over the voice over.
From here, I have taken the inspiration to include a voiceover into my final opening as i feel it is a perfect way to start the story off and give people an idea of what is happening but still having the capacity to be mysterious.
A brief plot synopsis idea for a film in this genre
Natalie can read minds, this is passed through every fourth generation in her family and she is unaware of this until she sees that her father has committed a terrible crime that could jeopardise the entire families lives. Will she stick by her fathers side or will she do what is really the best thing for them all?.
The deer also symbolises innocence, vulnerability and being scared which can all relate back to Bella in terms of the hunting scene, which is the producers way of revealing the character indirectly.
In the opening we also hear Bella talking about leaving home to be with her dad, the last words she says in the opening is that its a "good thing, I think". The 'I think" doesn't give us any reassurance that the story line will be happy, instead it sets the story line on a more negative foot because Bella herself isn't sure that this is the best thing for her. The voice over could also be in the present as she's telling us a story about her past which we could then relate what she said back to the relationship she may find at her dads and that she thinks whatever she sacrifices for it is a good thing, because like we found out at the beginning she would sacrifice herself for love.
In this opening a voice over is used whilst clips are playing in the background, like the hunt. To emphasise the danger in this hunt the voice over is paused so that the audience are 100% focused on it. We also see a clip of her and her mother hugging before she leaves with her step father saying he loves them both in the background, this is used to show us the close bond she has with them and that leaving them is a big step.
I personally really like the way this film has opened, it has given us indirect information about the character. The voiceover and clips enable the baseline of the story to be revealed to us without too much being given away, there is a mysterious feel about it and the fact a deer and a wolf were used add to the fantasy element because both of these animals in different forms are known to be magical e.g. a reindeer and a werewolf.
I don't think there are any negatives to this film opening because enough characters have been revealed and we are briefly shown Bellas strong thoughts about love so it is enough for us to have an idea about what the film will entail. The only negative could be that a voice over was used for the entire opening however this is made up for by the fact there was none in the hunting scene and there was conversations being had by the step father, mother and Bella in a quieter volume over the voice over.
From here, I have taken the inspiration to include a voiceover into my final opening as i feel it is a perfect way to start the story off and give people an idea of what is happening but still having the capacity to be mysterious.
A brief plot synopsis idea for a film in this genre
Natalie can read minds, this is passed through every fourth generation in her family and she is unaware of this until she sees that her father has committed a terrible crime that could jeopardise the entire families lives. Will she stick by her fathers side or will she do what is really the best thing for them all?.
Saturday 20 December 2014
"Looking into..." Disclaimer
I will be doing a series of blogposts 'Looking into' many different genres so that I can get more of a feel for the kind of opening i would like to make, as well as taking inspiration from different elements of film that I would like to incorporate into my own.
You will see I have already done textual analysis' of some student and professionally made films all in different genres, looking at how much of the plot was revealed in the opening, the characters introduced in it, the dialogue and more, however in this series although i will also be looking at the plot, i will also look for meaning and some techniques used to portray meaning of the story in the opening. I will also decide what i liked or disliked from these openings and may include pro's and con's of films and making them in that genre.
In addition to this I will also give a brief plot synopsis for a basic idea that I have for an opening in each genre, but this is just an idea - not final by any means.
Within these posts I may talk about the sound in them or the camera angles too, however they may not all be labelled.
You will see I have already done textual analysis' of some student and professionally made films all in different genres, looking at how much of the plot was revealed in the opening, the characters introduced in it, the dialogue and more, however in this series although i will also be looking at the plot, i will also look for meaning and some techniques used to portray meaning of the story in the opening. I will also decide what i liked or disliked from these openings and may include pro's and con's of films and making them in that genre.
In addition to this I will also give a brief plot synopsis for a basic idea that I have for an opening in each genre, but this is just an idea - not final by any means.
Within these posts I may talk about the sound in them or the camera angles too, however they may not all be labelled.
Friday 19 December 2014
Planning and Pitching Practice
In a media lesson we were given the opportunity to practice planning and pitching a film idea in groups as if it was our own final film idea. I was in a group with James Huxtable and Harriet Watson. In our groups we were given 4 elements to a film that we had to incorporate into our opening, these were:
- Character: 'Jack' 26 years old
- Character: 'Jane' 20 years old
- Genre: Horror
- Prop: a Knife
We immediately decided we wanted the location to be a working environment and that Jack and Jane would be romantically attracted to each other. From this, many ideas spiralled and below is our final one. We all had the same basic idea, however due to lack of time together during this lesson we may have come up with different character names (not types) and slightly different ways in which each character dies and how, although the idea of 'stages' remained the same. Below is the final idea.
Location
Relatively small call centre in a skyscraper building in New York.
Characters
Jack= Jack is well liked, he blends in within his workplace and has a romantic interest in his new colleague, Jane, who he knows from outside the job.
Jane= Jane is new to the call centre and no one knows her however, respect her. Jane got the job mainly her skills however unknown to her, as a trusty employee Jack recommended her to their CEO, Joseph.
Jimmy= Physically weak and angry due to the fact he is always underestimated. He turns to crime and is the criminal mastermind behind all the deaths.
Dominic= Office bully, not particularly liked. Dictates to and intimidates other workers in the centre, particularly Jimmy. Has a love interest in Kate who he has had a one night stand with previously but admits to genuinely liking. Aside from this he does have a sensitive side revealed in the film
Stan= One of Dominic's side kicks. He enjoys violence, power and feeling important.
Philip= Phillip is gentle and emotionally week, however likeable and kind.
Mary= Mary is the mother figure within the call centre, she is elderly and close to retirement.
Patrick= Patrick is the calm and level headed supervisor who is very much liked.
Kate= The 'attractive' secretary, she has a history with Dominic and reveals she still has genuine feelings for him.
Joseph= Joseph is the CEO of the call centre, he is the ultimate boss. He is friendly, a straight talker and very good at his job.
Plot
The opening scene shows it is a Monday morning, it is Jane's first day in the office and as the CEO introduces and welcomes her she appears exited and he appears normal. Ridley is being teased by Dominic and his sidekicks and casual conversation starts. A scream is suddenly heard from the Boss's office, workers walk in to find Joseph hung dead in the cupboard which is put down to a suicide, everyone tries to call the police and escape the building but for some reason are unable to.
In the first stage a pre-recorded message plays from a tannoy explaining that the 27 in the room must go down to 9. Suddenly the real reason behind Joseph's death is played on every computer scene, followed by a covered+masked face and body from an unknown location showing that it wasn't actually a suicide, but a murder. Stan goes on a murderous rampage as Jack and Jane manage to hide in the small bathroom connected to the room. As he is about to kill someone for the last and 17th time making Kate his newest victim, Dominic decides to step up, deciding enough is enough and risks being killed for her, prevailing and choking Stan to death.
In the second stage workers are given a few minutes to breathe whilst they wait to see what happens next, as Phillip goes to the bathroom his weak and sensitive nature gets the better of him as well as fear, causing him to jump out of the window due to trauma and the unknown of what will happen next. The voice from the tannoy returns explaining the 9 remaining must turn to 3 and workers are told to find a letter in a draw next to where Joseph was murdered in order to find a twist. Jimmy steps up to try and prove himself and in a letter it is revealed that there is an electric chair made to slowly kill at least one of the workers that they must use in this stage, also revealing that the one brave enough to open the letters life should be spared...in order to try and show a form of twisted decency. Mary sacrifices herself as she declares she has had a wonderful life and is satisfied with her decision, she asks Patrick to pull the trigger and even though he relents, he knows it is for the best. This is one of the saddest points of the film and also the point where Dominic and Kate decide to tell each other how they really feel, that they do love each other. Much to Dominic's distress this results in Kate sacrificing her life because all she wanted to do was make him happy. Dominic becomes increasingly distressed and begins ordering others to sacrifice their lives just as the one he loved did, particularly the other forming relationship, aiming his anger towards Jack and Jane. It is at this point where Jack lies to save Jill by saying that she is pregnant and therefore should be saved, everyone is agreement and therefore Dominic himself decides to take the slow painful death of sitting in the electric chair and so 2 more need to go. Charlotte is deeply wounded by an attempted attack from Stan earlier in stage 1 and is loosing blood quicker now, she deciders it is time to give up as with the locked doors she is not going to make it, she pulls the trigger on a gun for a quicker and easier death after saying goodbye and good luck to the remaining workers. Patrick, Jack, Jane and Jimmy are now in the room and they know one needs to go out of Jack and Patrick. Patrick see's that Jack cares for Jane and could possibly be the father of her baby, and so being the level headed man he is, decides it is his time to go.
It is finally the third stage where only 3 are left, Jack, Jane and Jimmy. Jimmy feels sick and runs to the bathroom to be sick, it is at this point when Jack and Jane look at the computer screens with the frozen image of the killer...they notice a watch...the same watch that Jimmy is wearing. As Jimmy realises they have discovered he is the killer, he shoots Jack in the head before he can confront him, Jane is helpless and distraught as Jimmy explains how powerful and clever he is and as Jane insults him we hear a bang and see Jimmy walk out wiping blood off his jacket.
Friday 12 December 2014
Dialogue in an opening
Rather than using music or a monologue, some films are opened jumping straight into dialogue, 'Mean Girls' is an example of this.
The film opens with a low angle shot of Cady's parents looking and talking to her, her dad passes her her lunch and tells her she can "ask one of the big kids" where she can buy milk, and her mum passes her a note with her phone number on it. Her mum then asks if she is ready to which Cady replies with "I think so". From the dialogue we would assume Cady is starting her first day at school, and as a voiceover starts we learn that she is.
The voiceover lasts for around 30 seconds where Cady tells us about her experience in africa and why she lived there and as it stops theres more dialogue as she nearly gets hit by a bus but turns to tell her parents that she is ok.
A good thing about dialogue here is that it allows you to see the relationship between characters, we can see that Cady and her parents have a close relationship and that they still see her as a baby but care for her a lot. Even though there is only a bit of dialogue in the opening two minutes, it is a very good introduction to the film as the entirety of it is about an innocent homeschooled girl joining a 'scary' high school and the dialogue between the parents and Cady at the start show this, as well as the patronising low angle as Cady's parents are looking down at her.
In this particular opening there is a very good mixture of techniques, there is dialogue to start with, then a voiceover with flashbacks and towards the end of it there is music too. However, a problem with an entire film opening consisting of 100% dialogue is that it doesn't set a mood, it only delivers information either through the conversation between characters or their relationship, that is part of why I think the opening and entire 'mean girls' film is so successful, the different techniques used and the layout of it makes it interesting to watch.
The film opens with a low angle shot of Cady's parents looking and talking to her, her dad passes her her lunch and tells her she can "ask one of the big kids" where she can buy milk, and her mum passes her a note with her phone number on it. Her mum then asks if she is ready to which Cady replies with "I think so". From the dialogue we would assume Cady is starting her first day at school, and as a voiceover starts we learn that she is.
The voiceover lasts for around 30 seconds where Cady tells us about her experience in africa and why she lived there and as it stops theres more dialogue as she nearly gets hit by a bus but turns to tell her parents that she is ok.
A good thing about dialogue here is that it allows you to see the relationship between characters, we can see that Cady and her parents have a close relationship and that they still see her as a baby but care for her a lot. Even though there is only a bit of dialogue in the opening two minutes, it is a very good introduction to the film as the entirety of it is about an innocent homeschooled girl joining a 'scary' high school and the dialogue between the parents and Cady at the start show this, as well as the patronising low angle as Cady's parents are looking down at her.
In this particular opening there is a very good mixture of techniques, there is dialogue to start with, then a voiceover with flashbacks and towards the end of it there is music too. However, a problem with an entire film opening consisting of 100% dialogue is that it doesn't set a mood, it only delivers information either through the conversation between characters or their relationship, that is part of why I think the opening and entire 'mean girls' film is so successful, the different techniques used and the layout of it makes it interesting to watch.
Thursday 11 December 2014
Flashbacks/Forwards in film
In a film opening, flashbacks/forwards can be used to make the audience aware of time or events that have happened. For example, there may be a flashback to a time in the characters childhood that is relevant to the current scene, or there may be a flash forwards showing an event in the future, or even a montage of future events so that the film opened in the past but by the end of the montage they are well into the future and the films narrative remains in that time.
Mean Girls
In this film there is a brief flashback as Cady tells us about her time in africa. Rather than inserting clips of the time Cady lived in africa, there are photos and at the transitions between these photos there is a flash which i think is very original and different. The voiceover also matches with what the pictures show, for example when she says she had a "great life" she is smiling, but when she talks about her mum getting offered a job she looks confused and worried.
The use of flashbacks here are to inform us and give us insight into what her life was like, but there are different ways of using flashbacks/forwards to portray meaning, as you will see below.
Up
In this film there you can the little boy taking a picture and at the flash of the camera, there is a flash forwards to the day of their wedding, both characters are young and in the montage we see them grow older until the mans wife dies. The montage isn't really a flash forward as such its just like a fast forward of their lives, however the camera flashing with the wedding scene after it definitely is.
The use of flash forwards here is very touching because we see that the two characters were childhood friends that grew up together and fell in love, the gap of what happened between then and their wedding day doesn't need to be filled. The montage is also very touching as it is portraying a message that the love these characters have for each other is timeless.
As you can see from the two examples, flashbacks/forwards can be used for different purposes, showing time and change or showing how someones life used to be. There are also many different and unique ways they can be used but the two above are my favourites.
Mean Girls
In this film there is a brief flashback as Cady tells us about her time in africa. Rather than inserting clips of the time Cady lived in africa, there are photos and at the transitions between these photos there is a flash which i think is very original and different. The voiceover also matches with what the pictures show, for example when she says she had a "great life" she is smiling, but when she talks about her mum getting offered a job she looks confused and worried.
The use of flashbacks here are to inform us and give us insight into what her life was like, but there are different ways of using flashbacks/forwards to portray meaning, as you will see below.
Up
In this film there you can the little boy taking a picture and at the flash of the camera, there is a flash forwards to the day of their wedding, both characters are young and in the montage we see them grow older until the mans wife dies. The montage isn't really a flash forward as such its just like a fast forward of their lives, however the camera flashing with the wedding scene after it definitely is.
The use of flash forwards here is very touching because we see that the two characters were childhood friends that grew up together and fell in love, the gap of what happened between then and their wedding day doesn't need to be filled. The montage is also very touching as it is portraying a message that the love these characters have for each other is timeless.
As you can see from the two examples, flashbacks/forwards can be used for different purposes, showing time and change or showing how someones life used to be. There are also many different and unique ways they can be used but the two above are my favourites.
Wednesday 10 December 2014
Music in Film
Bride Wars
You can see the opening of bride wars by clicking here
This opening starts with a fun up-beat tune and then a close up shot of a wedding scrapbook covered in fun colours and materials is shown, there is then a montage of shots all relevant to a wedding shown for example a bride and groom cake stand. Throughout all of this the fun music is playing and that too is also relevant.
The first lyric is "I found so many things I dreamed of" followed by lyrics including "days go by and were still laughing" and "he's all mine and were never alone". All of these lyrics are positive and are strongly linked to romance, as well as weddings (from the shots and clips as the music is playing). This immediately tells the audience that the story is upbeat, like the tune, and is about love.
Aside from the lyrics, the tune itself is infectious, it instantly makes you feel happy and positive, it sets a light hearted and fun atmosphere and personally, would make me want to continue watching.
Titanic
I have done a post about this film opening and I talk about music a lot in it you can find that here however to summarise, the music is very depressing, it has a low base and instead of singing lyrics, notes are sung in a very slow but moving way. Unlike the opening for "Bride Wars" it doesn't make the audience feel happy and it isn't upbeat, however still very powerful and informative along with the shots in the background telling us it will be a sad story as the sad music plays in the background of people on the titanic waving goodbye to their families. Another thing I mentioned in the post is that at most of the higher notes there is a transition in shots moving from different people on the ship waving to their loved ones, it heightens the emotion and sets the mood making us feel as if the film and storyline itself may not have such a happy ending due to the strong focus of the 'goodbyes' in the opening. Finally, the music resembles traditional Irish music and Ireland was the last 'port of call' before the titanic set sail, so it is very fitting
Music does an incredible job of setting the atmosphere and mood, it is something people listen to everyday and they will listen to different songs depending on their mood, which is why I think having music in an opening is a very good way of letting the audience know what the overall mood, atmosphere or feel of the film may be, people strongly connect to music and therefore I believe its a powerful thing to include.
The only disadvantage to using music for the whole opening is that it may not give enough information about what the film is going to entail, the titanic is a very well known story across the world therefore it isn't really a problem in the film's opening, however if a less known film only had music in it for the first few minutes the audience may get bored or make an instant judgment about the whole film based on the music, therefore I think in an opening it would be better to only have music in the first half.
You can see the opening of bride wars by clicking here
This opening starts with a fun up-beat tune and then a close up shot of a wedding scrapbook covered in fun colours and materials is shown, there is then a montage of shots all relevant to a wedding shown for example a bride and groom cake stand. Throughout all of this the fun music is playing and that too is also relevant.
The first lyric is "I found so many things I dreamed of" followed by lyrics including "days go by and were still laughing" and "he's all mine and were never alone". All of these lyrics are positive and are strongly linked to romance, as well as weddings (from the shots and clips as the music is playing). This immediately tells the audience that the story is upbeat, like the tune, and is about love.
Aside from the lyrics, the tune itself is infectious, it instantly makes you feel happy and positive, it sets a light hearted and fun atmosphere and personally, would make me want to continue watching.
Titanic
I have done a post about this film opening and I talk about music a lot in it you can find that here however to summarise, the music is very depressing, it has a low base and instead of singing lyrics, notes are sung in a very slow but moving way. Unlike the opening for "Bride Wars" it doesn't make the audience feel happy and it isn't upbeat, however still very powerful and informative along with the shots in the background telling us it will be a sad story as the sad music plays in the background of people on the titanic waving goodbye to their families. Another thing I mentioned in the post is that at most of the higher notes there is a transition in shots moving from different people on the ship waving to their loved ones, it heightens the emotion and sets the mood making us feel as if the film and storyline itself may not have such a happy ending due to the strong focus of the 'goodbyes' in the opening. Finally, the music resembles traditional Irish music and Ireland was the last 'port of call' before the titanic set sail, so it is very fitting
Music does an incredible job of setting the atmosphere and mood, it is something people listen to everyday and they will listen to different songs depending on their mood, which is why I think having music in an opening is a very good way of letting the audience know what the overall mood, atmosphere or feel of the film may be, people strongly connect to music and therefore I believe its a powerful thing to include.
The only disadvantage to using music for the whole opening is that it may not give enough information about what the film is going to entail, the titanic is a very well known story across the world therefore it isn't really a problem in the film's opening, however if a less known film only had music in it for the first few minutes the audience may get bored or make an instant judgment about the whole film based on the music, therefore I think in an opening it would be better to only have music in the first half.
Friday 5 December 2014
Secret Intelligence Service - Student textual analysis
'Secret intelligent service' is a student made film coming under the genre of sci-fi/mystery/spy. You can see the opening for this below.
In the opening to this film we see there is a Sci-fi element to it between 0:7-0:11, we can also take a guess that the plot may be sad as well as mysterious as the sad music plays in the background of this ident as if something devastating has occurred. The shot then cuts to a man writing what seems to be a very important letter headed 'SIS Intelligence Report: Potential London Threat' with the date of 2005. From this we can tell that the film is quite serious and could be about a spy. We then hear a baby cry and the atmosphere appears to be stressful for the man due to this and the fact that, unknown to him, the important letter did not save. We are shown a clip of a bombing that cuts straight to news reports overlapping each other emphasising the stress levels by doing so and showing devastating pieces of news, we also see an ambulance come in. This is all done in black and white which is very clever as it shows something in a raw and plain state where emotions are heavier and duller, there is more focus. We then hear an alarm clock go off and this man we think could be a spy, get ready. After he is ready there are establishing shots of London showing iconic buildings and the classic red London busses, letting the audience know the exact location. There are also very good shots and angles, particularly as the man is crossing the bridge in order to get to his final destination. We see a big building and at this point the title comes up across it with 'Secret Intelligence Service' so we therefore assume this is a spy building - especially as the man comes up to it and we get a point of view from a security camera.
The plot theme is revealed that the film is all about mystery and secret intelligence, it is very enticing as the London Bombings are such an important topic, so when brought up and people are given the directors theory or take on a story behind it, it is likely they will want to watch - even if they know it is not a true story. We can see that the plot will most likely revolve around these bombing and that some form of a secret mission is included later.
Only one key character seems to have been introduced, being the man, there is also a shot with his wife or girlfriend sleeping beside him who could become a key part later on in the story, however as far as the opening is concerned the main character is the man who appears to be a spy, as we see that this 'secret intelligence service' plays a critical part in the story. We see that this man is also a family man because we hear his baby cry through the baby monitor at night and he gets up from writing the letter to attend him/her. So overall, 3 possible key characters have been revealed.
There is no dialogue except for the news reports, this also emphasises and highlights their importance, especially due to he fact it is the only thing the audience can here and have a full understanding of. In cases like this, less is definitely more as a lot of the plot or themes of it are not hard to guess, so I think that the silence is a good thing here.
A way in which this film challenges the usual conventions of a Sci-fi film is that at the start there is no harmony, it jumps straight into an issue and stress unlike others which usually slowly build up to it. It conforms to the usual genre because straight away we see there is some kind of a fight between good and evil right from the start where we see the potential spy write a letter to the intelligence service about a threat. Another way it conforms to the usual conventions is that the lighting is dark, which emphasises the dark intentions and situations of what the film is based around (the bombings).
I really like the use of angles here and the fact that only relevant speech is used. I also like the use of lighting, again to only highlight the important things such as the bright computer screen with a letter about a potential threat. Even though I find sci-fi and mysterious spy films enticing, I don't personally want to use this as a genre in my final film opening as so far it is not my favourite. I also feel like in order for any sci-fi film to be good, it has to be professionally made with professional equipment and access to certain locations or tools to make it, as technology plays a big part in it and as students we don't have access to this kind of material therefore I would rather make an excellent film in a different genre that appeals to me more.
In the opening to this film we see there is a Sci-fi element to it between 0:7-0:11, we can also take a guess that the plot may be sad as well as mysterious as the sad music plays in the background of this ident as if something devastating has occurred. The shot then cuts to a man writing what seems to be a very important letter headed 'SIS Intelligence Report: Potential London Threat' with the date of 2005. From this we can tell that the film is quite serious and could be about a spy. We then hear a baby cry and the atmosphere appears to be stressful for the man due to this and the fact that, unknown to him, the important letter did not save. We are shown a clip of a bombing that cuts straight to news reports overlapping each other emphasising the stress levels by doing so and showing devastating pieces of news, we also see an ambulance come in. This is all done in black and white which is very clever as it shows something in a raw and plain state where emotions are heavier and duller, there is more focus. We then hear an alarm clock go off and this man we think could be a spy, get ready. After he is ready there are establishing shots of London showing iconic buildings and the classic red London busses, letting the audience know the exact location. There are also very good shots and angles, particularly as the man is crossing the bridge in order to get to his final destination. We see a big building and at this point the title comes up across it with 'Secret Intelligence Service' so we therefore assume this is a spy building - especially as the man comes up to it and we get a point of view from a security camera.
The plot theme is revealed that the film is all about mystery and secret intelligence, it is very enticing as the London Bombings are such an important topic, so when brought up and people are given the directors theory or take on a story behind it, it is likely they will want to watch - even if they know it is not a true story. We can see that the plot will most likely revolve around these bombing and that some form of a secret mission is included later.
Only one key character seems to have been introduced, being the man, there is also a shot with his wife or girlfriend sleeping beside him who could become a key part later on in the story, however as far as the opening is concerned the main character is the man who appears to be a spy, as we see that this 'secret intelligence service' plays a critical part in the story. We see that this man is also a family man because we hear his baby cry through the baby monitor at night and he gets up from writing the letter to attend him/her. So overall, 3 possible key characters have been revealed.
There is no dialogue except for the news reports, this also emphasises and highlights their importance, especially due to he fact it is the only thing the audience can here and have a full understanding of. In cases like this, less is definitely more as a lot of the plot or themes of it are not hard to guess, so I think that the silence is a good thing here.
A way in which this film challenges the usual conventions of a Sci-fi film is that at the start there is no harmony, it jumps straight into an issue and stress unlike others which usually slowly build up to it. It conforms to the usual genre because straight away we see there is some kind of a fight between good and evil right from the start where we see the potential spy write a letter to the intelligence service about a threat. Another way it conforms to the usual conventions is that the lighting is dark, which emphasises the dark intentions and situations of what the film is based around (the bombings).
I really like the use of angles here and the fact that only relevant speech is used. I also like the use of lighting, again to only highlight the important things such as the bright computer screen with a letter about a potential threat. Even though I find sci-fi and mysterious spy films enticing, I don't personally want to use this as a genre in my final film opening as so far it is not my favourite. I also feel like in order for any sci-fi film to be good, it has to be professionally made with professional equipment and access to certain locations or tools to make it, as technology plays a big part in it and as students we don't have access to this kind of material therefore I would rather make an excellent film in a different genre that appeals to me more.
Thursday 4 December 2014
Insanity - Student made analysis.
Below is a horror student made opening called 'Insanity'.
From the start of the film we can tell that the main character is taking a journey, we can see this from the backpack and the map he pulls out pointing to his destination. When he reaches his destination he looks up at it as if it is highly important, almost with hope and fear. As he trips up the entrance steps we see a silhouette figure behind him, as if they caused him to fall. As he turns around a scary, possessed looking face appears making the audience jump. The only part of the plot revealed is that he was on a journey and as he reaches it a dark character appears, the only question we are left asking is 'where was he on his way to?' because everything else seems basic and predictable, there's some form of a 'monster' that will harm him in some way. Due to this it is not something that really creates suspense, instead it just causes the audience to jump a little bit. Even though the story may unfold to be very good, I don't feel like the opening is very enticing and not enough of the story is revealed to make me personally want to watch.
There are two key characters revealed, one the man that is shown for the majority of the film and the second being the 'monster'. This isn't usually a bad thing because in a horror film these are the only two really important characters (the protagonist and villain, good/evil) and in the first two minutes we can be shown a possible reason behind this however in this opening we aren't given much insight, which I think is important, even if it is just a bit.
There is no dialogue except for when the man falls and expresses his pain, there is a very quiet tense background noise playing that is unidentifiable however it is not complete silence. I do believe this goes well with the horror genre as it doesn't emphasise fear alone, it shows something bad may be coming and there are other things going on through this minimal noise. The man is unsuspecting, therefore complete silence would be portraying the wrong message - that he was afraid.
Even though the idea of showing contrast between good and evil or rich and poor (Barthes symbolic codes) appeals to me and that is a big part in horror movies, I have decided that for my own media opening I will not use a Horror film as I don't enjoy watching them and I find them quite predictable and pointless, I don't feel as though the opening can give the audience much insight in order to entice them like other genres can and for that reason I am not interested in looking further into this genre with the intention of making a Horror myself, although I may look at some for inspiration in terms of the narrative.
Inner Evil - Student Textual Analysis
Inner evil is a student made thriller opening, you can see the video for it below.
In terms of how much is introduced, there is not a whole lot however it makes us ask questions and learn a bit about the character. There are two assumptions that we can make from this plot
We have only been introduced to two characters, one being the paranoid girl you can see for the majority of the video and the other being someone we are unsure of resembling that girl who we can guess that is either a figment of imagination, inner evil character or a real life replica of her out to get her.
There is no dialogue in this opening, it is mainly heavy breathing and gasping. I personally believe this is effective because silence emphasises fear, when you are quiet it is like you're constantly listening out for something or someone to jump out at you, just like the girl seems to be. It fits in well with the story.
Usual conventions or themes of a thriller is that no answers are immediately revealed, once one question is answered another appears, it keeps the audience on constant edge. I would usually expect a mystery to have been solved, new information to cause a rage or a fight between the good and evil. This film seems to conform to this aspect due to the fact there is an obvious line between who the good and evil is, especially due to the evil wearing dark and the good wearing light clothes, however it challenges the typical element of this genre as it seems that the good and evil are the same person and the girl is fighting a battle against herself, which I find very interesting.
I really like the use of flash-forwards and flashbacks to visions that this girl has whether they may be real or not, for example in the video above from 1:55 - 2:05 where we are shown the girl being kid-knapped for a second as she turns round the corner and then realise that we were seeing a worry she had after the real life version of her turned the corner and there was no one there. This is a clever technique as it causes the audience to believe something bad has happened when in fact it hasn't, causing the constant 'rollercoaster' of tension, suspense and relief. This is a flash-forward, an example of a flashback to a vision or a dream she may have had is from 1:36 - 1:43 where she seems to remember seeing someone cut her throat with her key and looks down at it as if she feels she is about to have de-ja-vu.
Overall I think this is an excellent film opening, I like the concept of a thriller however if I decide to incorporate the element into my film opening I would only mildly include it as I would like there to be suspense however I wouldn't like the audience to be strongly on a constant edge as I personally feel the film becomes less enjoyable.
In terms of how much is introduced, there is not a whole lot however it makes us ask questions and learn a bit about the character. There are two assumptions that we can make from this plot
- The girl is constantly paranoid, she has scary visions or dreams where she is getting or has been abused that we can not yet tell apart in terms of whether they could happen or are only her imaginations, the plot could be about this girl constantly living in her own fear worrying about things that could happen and 'what if's and that is the concept behind her idea of the inner evil - she is her own worst enemy.
- The girl is living in fear due to consequences of her own actions, she may have done something where she knows she will be taken vengeance to and for that reason is always on the look out.
We have only been introduced to two characters, one being the paranoid girl you can see for the majority of the video and the other being someone we are unsure of resembling that girl who we can guess that is either a figment of imagination, inner evil character or a real life replica of her out to get her.
There is no dialogue in this opening, it is mainly heavy breathing and gasping. I personally believe this is effective because silence emphasises fear, when you are quiet it is like you're constantly listening out for something or someone to jump out at you, just like the girl seems to be. It fits in well with the story.
Usual conventions or themes of a thriller is that no answers are immediately revealed, once one question is answered another appears, it keeps the audience on constant edge. I would usually expect a mystery to have been solved, new information to cause a rage or a fight between the good and evil. This film seems to conform to this aspect due to the fact there is an obvious line between who the good and evil is, especially due to the evil wearing dark and the good wearing light clothes, however it challenges the typical element of this genre as it seems that the good and evil are the same person and the girl is fighting a battle against herself, which I find very interesting.
I really like the use of flash-forwards and flashbacks to visions that this girl has whether they may be real or not, for example in the video above from 1:55 - 2:05 where we are shown the girl being kid-knapped for a second as she turns round the corner and then realise that we were seeing a worry she had after the real life version of her turned the corner and there was no one there. This is a clever technique as it causes the audience to believe something bad has happened when in fact it hasn't, causing the constant 'rollercoaster' of tension, suspense and relief. This is a flash-forward, an example of a flashback to a vision or a dream she may have had is from 1:36 - 1:43 where she seems to remember seeing someone cut her throat with her key and looks down at it as if she feels she is about to have de-ja-vu.
Overall I think this is an excellent film opening, I like the concept of a thriller however if I decide to incorporate the element into my film opening I would only mildly include it as I would like there to be suspense however I wouldn't like the audience to be strongly on a constant edge as I personally feel the film becomes less enjoyable.
Wednesday 3 December 2014
Fast+Slow paced film openings
Jurassic Park
In the opening of jurassic park, particularly for the first two minutes the editing is quite slow paced, the first shot for example of the leaves rustling lasts for 5 seconds and then from 1:12-1:19 there is a zoom shot of a man holding a gun. This pace lasts up until about 2 minutes into the opening, however this isn't a bad thing, it adds to the intensity of the mood and atmosphere and audience as they wait to see what it is the army of men are waiting to fight.
The fast paced editing style begins around 2:44 as one of the men fall and gets attacked by the monster, there are high levels of suspense and stress at this point, therefore the editing style fits in with the story. You will see this below.
Fast and Furious
Below you will see a one minute clip from the film 'Fast and Furious', the fast paced editing begins around 0:25 seconds where we see many different short shots of different parts and angles of the car, for example we see the man accelerating, changing gear, the car moving off, a different angle emphasising the car's speed, the speedometer and so on.
Unlike some films, in this particular clip the editing style doesn't increase tension or stress, instead it is used to emphasise how fast the car is going and rather than being something negative causing the audience to worry for a character, its positive and brings excitement.
However, before all the fast paced editing begins, from 0:00-0:17 in particular the editing style used is quite slow with one pan shot lasting 12 seconds followed by a slow downwards tilt lasting the remaining 5. This sets the scene and time of day as we see night has just passed during the pan, letting us know it is the morning. It is also useful as its an establishing shot, we know the location of it is in the city due to all the buildings and lights we can see.
In the opening of jurassic park, particularly for the first two minutes the editing is quite slow paced, the first shot for example of the leaves rustling lasts for 5 seconds and then from 1:12-1:19 there is a zoom shot of a man holding a gun. This pace lasts up until about 2 minutes into the opening, however this isn't a bad thing, it adds to the intensity of the mood and atmosphere and audience as they wait to see what it is the army of men are waiting to fight.
The fast paced editing style begins around 2:44 as one of the men fall and gets attacked by the monster, there are high levels of suspense and stress at this point, therefore the editing style fits in with the story. You will see this below.
Fast and Furious
Below you will see a one minute clip from the film 'Fast and Furious', the fast paced editing begins around 0:25 seconds where we see many different short shots of different parts and angles of the car, for example we see the man accelerating, changing gear, the car moving off, a different angle emphasising the car's speed, the speedometer and so on.
Unlike some films, in this particular clip the editing style doesn't increase tension or stress, instead it is used to emphasise how fast the car is going and rather than being something negative causing the audience to worry for a character, its positive and brings excitement.
However, before all the fast paced editing begins, from 0:00-0:17 in particular the editing style used is quite slow with one pan shot lasting 12 seconds followed by a slow downwards tilt lasting the remaining 5. This sets the scene and time of day as we see night has just passed during the pan, letting us know it is the morning. It is also useful as its an establishing shot, we know the location of it is in the city due to all the buildings and lights we can see.
Tuesday 2 December 2014
Editing Styles
Editing is mainly categorised into two parts in terms of speed; fast paced and slow paced.
Fast pace editing: This is where quite short clips are put together lasting no more than around 2 seconds perhaps of different things to give an effect of speed, or to show high action levels for example in a chase scene - it is mostly used in action and thriller movies
Slow paced editing: Here relatively long clips will be used giving the film a more relaxed feel in comparison with fast paced editing, it'll consist of shots that are around 5 or more seconds long, it can be used to portray intimacy between characters or a serious conversation as well as showing any emotions the character might have.
Other types of editing are...
Continuity Editing
This aims to create a sense of reality with time moving forward. It has been nicknamed 'Invisible Editing' because the technique doesn't draw attention to the process of editing.
Jump Cut
This is an abrupt cut in the middle of a continuous shot where the action is very noticeable and advanced in time and/or cut between two similar shots, this is usually done to create an artistic effect of discontinuity
Cross Cutting
This technique either alternates, interweaves, or intersperses a narrative action (scene, sequence or event) with another that's usually in a different location or place, combining the two.
This technique most often suggests parallel action (events simultaneously taking place) which can be used to build dramatic tension, for example in chase scenes
Cutaways
This is a brief shot that momentarily interrupts continuous action by briefly inserting another action related to it, its followed by a cutback to the original shot.
Freeze frame
This is an effect where the frame is temporarily frozen in order for the focus to be on one particular element or event
Eye-Line Match
This type of edit cuts from a character to what it is they've been looking at, it can be compared to a point of view shot
Graphic Match
This is an effect such as a transition where two different objects of the same shape are dissolved into one another
Juxtaposition
This is the placement of two opposed images on either side of either side with contrasting meanings in order to create an effect, this can be done in the editing process as well as placement of objects before they're filmed
Montage
This is a rapid succession of shots that show events moving through time, for example there can be a montage of someone training for a race which would consist of different shots from different times of the person training which would give the overall effect of showing this person has been training over a long period of time.
Fast pace editing: This is where quite short clips are put together lasting no more than around 2 seconds perhaps of different things to give an effect of speed, or to show high action levels for example in a chase scene - it is mostly used in action and thriller movies
Slow paced editing: Here relatively long clips will be used giving the film a more relaxed feel in comparison with fast paced editing, it'll consist of shots that are around 5 or more seconds long, it can be used to portray intimacy between characters or a serious conversation as well as showing any emotions the character might have.
Other types of editing are...
Continuity Editing
This aims to create a sense of reality with time moving forward. It has been nicknamed 'Invisible Editing' because the technique doesn't draw attention to the process of editing.
Jump Cut
This is an abrupt cut in the middle of a continuous shot where the action is very noticeable and advanced in time and/or cut between two similar shots, this is usually done to create an artistic effect of discontinuity
Cross Cutting
This technique either alternates, interweaves, or intersperses a narrative action (scene, sequence or event) with another that's usually in a different location or place, combining the two.
This technique most often suggests parallel action (events simultaneously taking place) which can be used to build dramatic tension, for example in chase scenes
Cutaways
This is a brief shot that momentarily interrupts continuous action by briefly inserting another action related to it, its followed by a cutback to the original shot.
Freeze frame
This is an effect where the frame is temporarily frozen in order for the focus to be on one particular element or event
Eye-Line Match
This type of edit cuts from a character to what it is they've been looking at, it can be compared to a point of view shot
Graphic Match
This is an effect such as a transition where two different objects of the same shape are dissolved into one another
This is the placement of two opposed images on either side of either side with contrasting meanings in order to create an effect, this can be done in the editing process as well as placement of objects before they're filmed
Montage
This is a rapid succession of shots that show events moving through time, for example there can be a montage of someone training for a race which would consist of different shots from different times of the person training which would give the overall effect of showing this person has been training over a long period of time.
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