Preliminary Task

The preliminary task is our first assignment we need to complete for our media studies coursework. Our short sequence must include someone opening a door and walking through it and also them sitting down and exchanging dialogue with a another person. These are the requirements of OCR. The preliminary task allows us to get familiar with different camera shots and angles and also allows us to practice different ways of editing. My group consists of four people; Dom, David, Maddy and me. We work well together as a group because we all have different ideas and skills which help us to make our work successful.


Planning
Once we were familiar with the different camera angles and shots, and were told what we needed to include in our preliminary, we brainstormed some ideas that we liked on a piece of paper. We decided as a group which idea we liked the most and made sure that the idea included all the requirements that were needed in order for the preliminary piece to be successful.We then began to draw up a simple storyboard, so that we knew the exact camera shots and angles we were going to use in our preliminary. Some of the camera angles and shots we decided to include in our preliminary piece were: Close up, Mid shot, Over the shoulder, Shot reverse shot, Point of view shot and Long shot.


Close-up
A close-up tightly frames a person or an object. They are standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots.Close-ups display the most detail and can help to show a characters emotion or body language.

Mid shot
A mid shot shows a certain part of the character in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as if they were looking at the whole picture.

Over the shoulder
This is when the camera is over looking someones shoulder and the back of their head is in the image too. It is commonly used when two characters are having a discussion and usually a establishing shot is used after it to help the audience to place the characters in their setting.

Shot reverse shot
A shot reverse shot is when one character is shown looking at another character and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. The audience automatically assume that the characters are looking at each other as they are both shown facing in opposite directions.

Long shot
A long shot is a camera shot which is taken from a distance, it shows the entire object or human figure. A long shot is used to show the audience all the elements within the scene, so they understand who and what is involved and where they are located.

Point of view shot
A point of view shot is a short clip that shows what the character is looking at, which is represented through a camera. It is usually positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction.




We also had to think about what type of Genre we wanted our short film to be. There are various types of Genre categories, the main ones being: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Historical, Horror, Musicals, Science fiction, War films and Westerns.




Action

Action films include high big-budget physical stunts and chases, with rescues, fights, escapes, destructive crises and non-stop motion. They usually include a 'good guy' and a 'bad guy' which are designed to create audience suspense. Die hard is a good example of a action film.


Comedy

Comedies are light-hearted plots which are designed to amuse and encourage laughter by exaggerating the situation, language, relationships and characters. The Hangover is a good example of a comedy.


Crime

Crime films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters who steal and murder their way through life. Criminal and gangster films are often categorized as film noir or detective-mystery films, because of the similarities between the two cinematic forms. The usual suspects is a good example of a crime film.


Drama

Dramatic films are one of the largest film genres. Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations which portray realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories that involve intense character development and interaction. A good example of a drama is The shawshank redemption.

Historical

The Historical genre usually includes costume dramas, war films or medieval romps. Historical films often share the same elements that the adventure film genre does. They take a historical or imagined event, legendary or heroic figure, and add a outrageous setting and costumes. A good example of a historical film is saving private Ryan.

Horror

Horror films are designed to frighten the audience they often include our hidden worst fears and have a terrifying ending. Friday the 13th is a good example of a horror film.



Musicals

Musical films are cinematic forms that emphasize full-scale song and dance routines in a significant way. Musicals can also be films that are centred on different combinations of music, dance and song. Moulin Rouge is a good example of a musical.



Science fiction

Sci-fi films are often very visionary and imaginative, which usually include heroes, aliens, distant planets, villains and futuristic technology. Sci-fi films share some similarities with action films. A good example of a Science fiction film is knowing.



War films

War films show the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the audience experience what it was like in the dangerous battles. The Hurt locker is a good example of a war film.




Westerns

Westerns are said to be the major defining Genre of the Americans film industry.Westerns are one of the oldest Genres which have very recognizable plots, elements and characters such as cowboys and Indians. The good the bad and the ugly is a good example of a western film.

Match on action


In order for our preliminary piece to be successful we had to include Match on action editing. Match on action is a technique used in film editing, its a cut that connects two different views of the same action at the same moment in the movement. By matching the movement across the two shots, it seems that the motion continues uninterrupted.

The 180 degree rule

It was important that we applied the 180 degree rule whilst filming our preliminary piece.

The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline in filming that states that two characters in the same scene should ALWAYS have the same left/right relationship to each other. If the camera passes over the imaginary axis that connects the two subjects, it is called Crossing the line. The new shot from the opposite side is known as a Reverse angle. The 180 degree rule enables the audience to visually connect with unseen movement that is happening around and behind the immediate subject.

Here is a video explanation of the 180 degree rule:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdyyuqmCW14

Our final idea's main plot:

David is a patient who is waiting anxiously, at the doctor's, in the waiting room for his test results. Dom (the doctor) calls David in to get his results and gives David bad news, David leaves the room upset.

We had to think carefully about the location, costume, props and lighting we used if we wanted our opening sequence to look authentic. We decided to use a interview room in school for the Doctor's office and a long isolated corridor for the waiting room. These locations were both relatively new and modern, so they worked well in our sequence and helped it to look authentic.

It took more than one day of filming to complete our sequence so we had to make sure that both David and Dom wore the same clothes each day we filmed, in order for it to all fit together. We used chairs, a table and some paper as props, these worked effectively together and made our sequence look more realistic.

We discovered different ways of editing and picked up new skills. This allowed us to become more comfortable with editing and was good practise for our main opening sequence. We decided to overlap most of the cuts so they would fit together. This created a fade effect, which successfully linked one cut to the next. We also decided to use a black and white effect which emphasises the sad emotion and tension in our sequence.

Evaluation
I am pleased with how well our preliminary piece went. The edits, camera shots and angles we used helped our sequence to look both effective and authentic. The black and white effect emphasised the emotion and tension in our piece whilst the overlap of each clip created a faded effect, which allowed each clip to fit together. The close ups allow the viewers to understand the emotions the characters are feeling and the over the shoulder shots explain to the viewers that the characters are having a conversation whilst showing the reaction of the listening character. My group worked well together, because we all listened to and discussed suggested ideas, this is a key reason as to why our sequence went well. A weakness of our preliminary piece was the sound changes. Because we filmed at different times and in different locations some places were noisier than others, this made the link from one clip to another more obvious. We also discovered after audience feedback that it was hard to hear what the two characters were saying, so we will keep this in mind for when we work on our opening sequence, and make sure the characters speak clearer and louder.

Research Into Opening Sequences

We have been researching opening sequences in media studies, we did this by completing a detailed textual analysis for each TV drama and film opening sequence we looked at. This helped us to practice essay writing and also allowed us to get familiar with the style of writing we were comfortable with. The textual analysis we completed for each TV drama and film opening sequence identified a opening sequences main features:
-Characterisation
-Setting
-Mise en scene
-Ideology
-Music
-Soundtrack
-Lighting
-Camera shots
-Genre
-Representation

These features combined together make a opening sequence hugely effective, they allow the audience to experience suspense and help the audience to take interest in the rest of the film.

Here is a example of a textual analysis I completed for The usual suspects:

Analyse the effectiveness of the opening sequence of ‘The usual suspects’ (1995)

The opening scene of ‘The usual suspects’ is set on a boat in the middle of the night. This is clear to the audience because of the use of close-ups on different parts of the boat. The dark setting adds a sense of mystery and also shows the secretiveness of the characters. The lighting on the boat is dull with the fire helping to dimly light it, this adds eeriness and suspense as the audience are aware that anything can happen in the dark. The fire is what stands out to the audience the most, because of its bright colours, and because it appears to be the only sense of light and brightness in the opening scene. The fire emphasises danger and uneasiness, and helps the audience to conclude that the scene isn’t going to end well. By using close ups on the fire and the oil the audience can immediately see that these are key factors in the scene and again danger is represented.
The opening sequence introduces the audience to two different characters the protagonist and the antagonist. The killers identity is hidden throughout the scene as the audience never get to see his face but his gender is confirmed when we hear him speak. By using a long shot, the audience see that the killer is fully dressed in black, and is wearing a long heavy coat and a hat that helps to cover his face. This emphasises his secretiveness and fits in with the dark setting by also adding mystery and curiosity. This contrasts with the other character in the scene, who is also dressed in what appears to be a heavy coat and dark clothes, but instead his identity is confirmed when the audience hear the killer say his name ‘Keaton’. Also by using close ups on his face and effective lighting the audience get a clear picture of what he looks like and of who he is. It is clear that both characters are careless when they are seen smoking even though they are aware that there is oil surrounding them. The audience see a juxtaposition between the killers carelessness and carefulness, his carelessness is shown to the audience when he drops his cigarette knowing that the boat is going to go up in flames, and his carefulness is shown when the audience hear that he has used two shots to kill Keaton, which shows he is being careful in making sure that he has defiantly killed him.


The scene opens with the diegetic sounds of oil dripping, fire flames and matches being lit, this along with costume and setting adds a sense of danger to the film, because of the tragic outcome these things could bring if they are put together. Sound is one of the most important things in the scene, as it helps to add tension and anticipation, this is shown throughout the scene such as when the non-diegetic low pitched background music is heard. The background music quickly changes after the gun shots have been made, from a low pitched music, to a dramatic high pitched music, this adds more tension and also confirms that Keaton has been killed. The sound of the killers heavy footsteps and the loud gunshots help the audience to understand the crime genre of the film and also add uneasiness to the scene.


Towards the end of the scene all of these elements come together, which helps to make the scene hugely dramatic. The audience see the killer trying to escape from the boat, but his identity is still a mystery, he is head to toe in black and looks shadow like which helps to give the audience an uncomfortable feeling about him. The whole boat lights up when there is the explosion of the fire, the high pitched music fits in perfectly, and creates a hugely dramatic effect on the audience, leaving them shocked and surprised about what has just happened. This is an example of how effective the scene is, the effectiveness is made by making sure things such as the costume, music and lighting fit together which help to create tension, anticipation and mystery, without these fitting together, the scene would be extremely boring and less effective.