Sunday 29 December 2013

Main Task : Mise-En-Scene

Colour/Grading-
We want to colour grade our video so that it was a creepy/cold feeling that we’ll achieve through using blue/dark/ grey tones
Composition-
ACTORS: The Visitor is dressed so that it contrasts from the setting. Our actor mimics the age that we want for the Visitor and carries through with her appearance e.g. long dark hair-dank, Very little make up-not glamorous, ankle length dress.
SETTING: over cast, grey, foggy (we want the setting to have an ominous)m


Lighting-
We need to have lighting that is twilight e.g it’s still light but vision is impaired due to the poor ligt quality this will give us a creepy feeling to our piece and will help to emphasise the mystery of the girl that appears in our film opening. (half light )

Object (props)-
No props

Setting-
We have two settings within the same location. The first is in the woods and is where we first see the girl the second is in a dilapidated shed just down the road it has a sinister/ mysterious edge to it that provides the film with the feeling we need.

Saturday 28 December 2013

Main Task : Research on Thriller genres

Researching for Thriller genres was crucial for us to understand and get hold of as we wanted to know what people likeed from Thriller, what people didn't like from Thrillers, what they wanted more of etc...

Primary Elements:
•       The protagonist(s) faces death, either his and/or her or somebody else's.
•       The force(s) of the antagonist's must initially be cleverer and/or stronger than the protagonist's.
•       The main storyline for the protagonist is either a quest or a character that cannot be put down.
•       The main plotline focuses on a mystery that must be solved.
•       The film's narrative construction is dominated by the protagonist's point of view.
•       All action and characters must be credibly realistic or natural in their representation on screen.
•       The two major themes that underpin the thriller genre are the desire for justice and the morality of individuals.
•       One small, but significant, aspect of a thriller is the presence of innocence in what is seen as an essentially corrupt world.
•       The protagonist(s) and antagonist(s) may battle, themselves and each other, not just on a physical level, but on a mental one as well.
•       Either by accident or their own curiousness, each character is dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve.
Story and Setting:
The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The cover-up of important information from the viewer, and fight and chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own unique characteristics and methods. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces – the threat is sometimes abstract or unseen. An atmosphere of creepy menace and sudden violence, such as crime and murder, characterize thrillers. Thrillers often present the world and society as dark, corrupt and dangerous.

Thriller and Mystery:
Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must stop the plans of an enemy rather than uncover a crime that has already happened. Mystery thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments.
Thriller and Crime:
Pure crime films/novels focus on a specific crime or set of crimes, and solving the mystery or tracking down the criminal(s), with no or little violence but more drama throughout. Thrillers are usually fiction-based and fast in pace, while crime fiction tends to be more leisurely paced, dramatic and realistic. Generally, violence is also lacking in crime fiction, but this depends on whether the work is based on the mafia, where violence is intense.

Tuesday 24 December 2013

Main Task : Location and Ideas.

Location for our opening sequence was very important as our idea was based around the location.
Our initial idea was about a girl getting tortured at 'Crockham Manor' Newbury (picture 1). We wanted her to have a older man that would drag a girl through a corridor (picture 2) and into a bathroom (picture 3), where she would be tied to the radiator on the left while the male subject pours water into the bath. Then he takes the female character and drowns her in the water.



(Picture 1)

(Picture 2)


(Picture 3)

Unfortunately, after doing research into this location by contacting people (i.e. http://trevbish.co.uk/crookham-court-manor-newbury/ ) who had already been to this place, they told us that we could not film in this location due to the high security that has just been placed. Some sources even got a chance to speak to the owner and he said that he didn't like people coming into the area and put CCTV around the area so they could charge others for trespassing.
So as we said that wasn't a possibility to work with - we had to chang our idea, concept and also genre. So we decided to look for other areas, one of my collegues knew areas around Maidenhead and Bray which 

Monday 23 December 2013

Analysis :Director #2 : Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese Cannes 2010.jpg
NAMEMartin Charles Scorsese
OCCUPATION: Director, Producer
BIRTH DATE: November 17, 1942 
EDUCATION: New York University
PLACE OF BIRTH: Flushing, New York


 
Early Life
Scorsese's parents, Charles and Catherine, both worked part-time as actors, helping set the stage for their son's love of cinema. Because Scorsese was afflicted by severe asthma, his childhood activities were limited; rather than play sports, he spent much of his time in front of the television or at the movie theater, where he fell in love especially with stories about the Italian experience and films by director Michael Powell. By the time he was 8 years old, Scorsese was already drawing his own storyboards, often complete with the line, "Directed and Produced by Martin Scorsese."


Career Highlight
After completing his MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in film directing at NYU (New York University) in 1966, Scorsese briefly worked at the university as a film instructor. His students included Jonathan Kaplan and Oliver Stone. In 1968, Scorsese completed his first feature-length film, Who's That Knocking at My Door?
In 1973, Scorsese directed Mean Streets, his first film to be widely acknowledged as a masterpiece. Also introduced Scorsese to Robert De Niro, sparking one of the most dynamic film making partnerships in Hollywood history. 
The 1990s saw the release of two of Scorsese's most important Mafia movies to date: GoodFellas, a 1990 film based on the life of former gangster Henry Hill. Scorsese believes that "there is no such thing as pointless violence" on-screen. "Deep down you want to think that people are really good—but the reality outweighs that."



0:35 - 1:36 shows the honour that De Niro has for Scorsese.




0:17 - 1:50, a few years later and De Niro still seems to be close with Scorsese. We can see that through the humour that he deliver to the audience and Scorses himself finds it humorous. This tells us that not only have they been working together but they built a strong bond of friendship.


Leonardo DiCaprio has become Scorsese's go-to actor recently for lead roles, starring in Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006)—which won Scorsese his first Best Director Oscar, Shutter Island (2010) and now The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013). "He saved me," DiCaprio said. "I was headed down a path of being one kind of actor, and he helped me become another one. The one I wanted to be."





 


1:53 - 2:59, Leonardo gives an inspirational speech about Scorsese past movie making that highlights the truth of his words before when he meant ''He saved me''. You can hear and see his facial expressions that show his delightfulness of working with such a great actor.


Personal Life

Scorsese has been married five times. Recently, Scorsese has been married to Helen Schermerhorn Morris since 1999 and has 3 daughters.
Scorsese is very involved with his long term actors such as Robert De Niro that he is continuing his passionate work with him to create and develop more upcoming films

Noticable Work

Good Fellas
 

 
Goodfellas is a 1990 American Crime Drama. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book 'Wiseguy' by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The film is about the troubles and successes of the Lucchese crime family over a period from 1955 - 1980
 
 
The Wolf Of Wall Street
 

 
 The Wolf Of Wall Street is a 2013 American black comedy, based on Jordan Belfort's memoir of the same name. Based on a New York stockbroker who runs a firm that engages in securities fraud and corruption on Wall Street in the 1990s.
 
 
 

Analysis : Director #1 : Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg Masterclass Cinémathèque Française 2 cropped.jpg

NAME:  Steven Allan Spielberg
OCCUPATION: Director, Producer
BIRTH DATE: December 18, 1946 
PLACE OF BIRTH: Cincinnati, Ohio
Religion: Judaism
Notable work(s):Close Encounters of the Third Kind
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Jaws
Jurassic Park
Lincoln
Munich
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List

Early Career
He became one of the youngest television directors for Universal in the late 1960s. A highly praised television film, Duel (1972), brought him the opportunity to direct for the cinema, and a string of hits have made him the most commercially successful director of all time.

Career Highlight
His films have explored primeval fears, as in Jaws (1975), or expressed childlike wonder at the marvels of this world and beyond, as in ET (1982). Spielberg has also tackled literary adaptations and audiences around the world were riveted by the continuing adventures of his daredevil hero, Indiana Jones
Spielberg is also known for his impressive historical films. The Holocaust drama Schindler's List (1993) starring Liam Neeson as a businessman who helps save Jews won seven Academy Awards, including Spielberg’s first win as Best Director. He accepted no money for his work on Schindler's List, and instead donated his salary and all of his future profits from the movie to The Shoah Foundation.
His first film company, Amblin Entertainment, which was founded in 1982, produced several other successful films, notably Back to the Future (1985) and its two sequels, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).

Personal Life
From 1985 to 1989 Spielberg was married to actress Amy Irving. In their 1989 they had a divorce settlement. Spielberg subsequently developed a relationship with actress Kate Capshaw. He now has 6 kids and lives in LA, California.
Spielberg has been an avid video gamer. He owns a Wii, a PlayStation 3, a PSP, and Xbox 360, and enjoys playing first-person shooters such as the Medal of Honor series and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.


Sunday 22 December 2013

Main Task : Conventions


We tried to find something that we all wanted and put it on a mind-map (not all of our ideas are on it). We firstly said ideas and put it on a white board such as a hall and someone getting tortured. Then we saw a rough photo of a bathroom in a derelict location that we loved and wanted to shoot there (this is before we found out the location was not available )

This lead us to the thought of a Thriller - Horror genre. We were all happy with the theme as it linked to the location we wanted. So we knew that we wanted some Enigma to be created to make our audience have an suspense and intense reaction.

That meant that we needed quick cuts to emphasis the hype and intensity. We wanted effects which were grainy or black and white, which give a colder feel to the connotations we are trying to portray.



Tuesday 17 December 2013

Learning Tasks : Mc/Macguffin and Tom Hanks Forrest Gump

We were set to think of things that associated with particular objects. These are what I came up with:


A Ball
American Dream
Playing with fathers
Sunny Days
Happy Days
Cricket - India





'Extra' Gum
Mint
Green
School
Tables
Ice-cream
'Humdinger' (the business)



Buzzlight Toy figure
Childhod
Toy Story
Inspiration
Space 
TV
Fun






These are connotations of the objects.



Connotations : Non-literal meanings we interpret of something



Then we did a feather



Feather

Light

Air

Space
Freedom
Angel
Heaven
Wings

We linked this to Tom Hanks Forrest Gump opening scene where the feather floats around until it lands near a person.


The simplicity of the feather really interprets the main character as the feather floats around carelessly, getting close to people but moves around is exactly like the character - Forrest Gump.
Forrest goes around and meets people but moves around until he finds himself.

This is a Mcguffin: An object or device in a film or a book which serves merely as a trigger for the plot


Wednesday 11 December 2013

Analysis : Goodfellas



Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.





From 0:00 - 0:12, Warner Bros Picture (WBP) appear by a shot of a studio land and it having a ripple effect until the outer circle of the WBP comes across of the screen and the logo is shown to us and the background is a bunch of clouds. Then it follows for 2 more seconds until 0:14 which it says Warner Bros Pictures Presents. Then it runs for another 3 seconds saying 'A Irwin Wrinkler Productions'. This leads to another 3 seconds until 0:20 which says 'Martin Productions' in white behind a black screen. This presents the director which most films commonly use. From 0:20 until 0:39 (19 seconds), the cast is presented by their names swiping across the screen in expanded and faded typeface and then in an ordinary bold font the cast name appears. During this (it actually started at 0:12) we can hear multiple vehicles zooming past so they are trying to present each name as a car that zooms past. 'Based on a true story' comes on the screen but not as a swipe across. 
Then at 0:43, visuals present a vehicle driving but the camera starts off as it is follows the car but pans to the side of the car and passes it. This continues until 0:53 which then takes us to a black screen which has the statement 'New York, 1920'. From 0:57 - 1:20, we see a dark setting assuming it is night and we are situated inside a car. There are 3 men in the car, 1 driving and 2 asleep passengers that wake up to a sudden suggested broken tyre and this is presented by a medium close-up. There are sounds of bashes and the car seems to slow down, there are 'New York accents'. At 1:20, all 3 men get out to check the rear tyres and the faces shown by red reflection of the rear lights (mid shot) and there are also sounds of footsteps and car door slamming shut. Between 1:29 - 1:33 (4 secs), quiets bangs from the boot continue and there is a zoom of the boot shaking as if there is someone in there trying to get out. From 1:33 - 1:43 (10 secs), there is a pan of characters getting out their weapons and there is still a quiet bangs from the boot. Then from 1:43 - 1:48 (5 secs), there is a cut-in of hands unlocking the boot and a blood-covered man that can barely move is in there. From 1:48 - 1:52 (4 secs), 1 character stabs the knife into the man several times then there is a rection shot for 2 seconds of the 3rd character which unlocked the boot. After, the 1st character gets his gun and is about to shoot. Then at 1:55 - 1:56, there is a quick reaction shot and the shooting visuals and sounds begin at 1:56 and carries on until 2:00.

The opening was AMAZING, out of the 6 that I analysed this opening kept me on my feet the whole time. The creative idea of the diagetic sounds in the background of the car shooting past is a phenomenal way of setting the 'scene' (in a way). I loved how they made the credits zoom past while the sound of zooming cards were created and then the names stayed - it was very effective. The fact that the film got straight onto it, for example, they started to hear a jolt in the boot and they all got out to torture him. It was all straight to the point and although it was stereotypical mobs, the audience knew what was happening and who these people were without any sense of unknown but it still created enigma.

Saturday 7 December 2013

Analysis : Captain America (edits)


It's 1942 and America has entered WW2, and sickly but determined Steve Rogers is frustrated after being deemed unfit for military service. Rogers then volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending USA ideals. the film starred Hollywod greats such as; Stanley Tucci, Chris Evans and Samuel L. Jackson. It was dirceted by Joe Johnston, and was first released in July 2011.







 Between 0s-18s the Paramount logo and soundtrack appears, this is followed by a blank screen until 0:21 seconds. From 0:21 to 0:33 seconds the Marvel logo appears, followed again by a blank screen for 3 seconds. At this point the film starts, it is unclear as too what is happening as the scene is foggy suggesting to the audience that the climate is cold, at 0:47 seconds headlights can  be seen coming closer towards the camera until they expand to the full screen at 0:52 seconds, it then cuts to a POV shot from the car and we can see a man holding a stick with a light on it, presumably to find his and the people in the car's way to what they have discovered, seen as this is super hero movie we expect it be to be supernatural and big, however it it is still unclear as to why anyone is out in this climate. At 1:12 dialogue starts and they have been introduced as 'the guys from Washington'. The scene continues with various different camera shots and angles. At 1:47 the zooming effect starts on the spaceship and here also the music becomes louder as the space ship is reviled on camera


Wednesday 4 December 2013

Analysis : Love Actually


Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.





The film starts with the 'Universal Pictures' visual and soundtrack which is one of the productions for 21 seconds then 'Studio Canal' follows this for another 17 seconds until  0:38. 'Studio Canal' has a shot of a cloud and then turn into a black screen with a particular type face that says 'Studio Canal'. 'Working Title' follows by a black screen with animated drawing of yellow circles and then the writing of 'Working Title' appears with a slight very dark blue background. This takes 11 seconds until 0:49 secs and there is no sound added to this.
We are presented with a women walking to her presumed partner and hugs him at an airport. Meanwhile, this is happening we see the writing (which is overlayering on the bottom left hand corner) 'Universal Pictures and Canal Studio Presents'. This takes 5 seconds until 0:54. At 0:49 we are presented with music that seems reflective which does not stop until 1:13.The women is still hugging her partner until 0:59, but while this is taking place between 0:54 and 0:59 (5 secs) we see the writing 'Working Title Productions' Between 0:59 and 1:50, the screen changes to different people greeting friends, family and loved ones in the airport. While this happens, 'In association with DNA films' comes on the screen. at 1:13 we hear a diolgue that starts (Hugh Grants monologue) and it stops at 1:50. Between 1:50 - 1:58 we see the same typeface (as the other productions are presented in) that fades in which states 'Love actually is all around us' and there is no sound from here on to the 2 minutes. Then at 1:58 until 2:00 the word Love Actually appears with a black background. Love is in a red colour and Actually is in a white colour.

The opening seems to capture the excitment of seeing that person for a very long time and shows how important love is. The way they present the different people greeting each other  they make it a simple but effective. Normally films make a big deal about the productions and directors and put them on a black screen and have their typeface very large a bold whereas is 'Love Actually' they seem to lack the boldness of the productions but simply put it on the side where they are noticeable and doesn't distract the audience. I prize the first 2 minutes of this film because it gets straight into it, Hugh Grant starts his diologue explaining the greatness of 'Love is all around us'. Especially at the end where they put the 'Love Actually' seperate but 'Love' was in red truely captured the essence of what the film was going to be about.
Although the opening sequence seems to lack a good music choice from the first 2 minutes, they use a presumed reflective music where there is nothing to reflect on apart from the people in the airport either kissing or hugging. It didn't have a great effect on me, it was only the visuals that made by heart warm up. If they had used something like a well-known love song such as 'Love, Love, Love' by The Beatles, I think it would of had a bigger effect on the audience to capture the essence of love!

Friday 29 November 2013

Analysis: Inception


A skilled extractor is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible.




From 0:00 - 0:11 we see a dark background that appears with the words 'Legendary Pictures' and fades out then it follows with a fade in of a maze that appears with the words 'Synacopy' from 0:11 - 0:18 so for 7 secs. From 0:00 - 0:18 there is a presence of dark music maybe foreshadowing the film.
Then we are straightly taken to the context of the film on a expectant beach as there is a medium close-up of waves between 0:18 and 0:30 and then there is another but different medium close-up shot of waves between 0:30 - 0:32 so this altogether takes 14 seconds and in this period we here wave sounds.
We are then awaken by the first character who is a man that is vaguely seen by the camera and he lifts his face only so ever slightly. There is this soft close-up of his face which is interrupted by a sharp sight of the waves which is between 0:32 and 0:37 so 5 seconds and there is a slight quiet waking up noise. Between 0:37 and 0:40 (3 secs), there is a point of view medium close-up of a little boy throwing sand away from his face and there is a blurred sound of children playing. From 0:40 - 0:45 we see a man that lifts his face up even more slightly which is a close-up. Between 0:45 - 0:47 for 2 secs there is a point of view cutaway of a girl that is running to a boy who is playing with a sand castle. From 0:47 - 0:52 is reverts back to a close-up of a man lifting his head upwards and moving his fingers slightly. Then 0:52 - 0:53, there is a point of view shot and a medium shot if a girl running away and there is a slight scream as she does that.Then from 0:53 - 0:58, the same man drags his head down back to the sand and water (close-up). Between 0:40 and 0:58 we have a mystical curiosity music soundtrack playing. We then see the back of that same man but a gun is poking him from the back and this is from 0:58 - 1:00 but we can only hear waves.


At 1:00 - 1:01, the sunlight blocks the visual of the characters face but between 1:01 and 1:02 we see the man that has poked the first character in the back and he seems to have an Chinese/Japanese/Asian appearance and here he is blocking the sun and he is wearing dark clothing. Between 1:02 - 1:05, the second character moved a lot of the first male characters clothing upwards in which we see a gun (this is a point of view and over-the-shoulder shot). Between 1:05 - 1:07 the same character calls his presumed superior which is a low mid shot and between 1:07 - 1:12, there is a very wide shot of the superior responding and entering the building. This might be considered as a point of view shot. Then from 1:12 - 1:23, there is a translation on the bottom of the screen and we are taken what is speculated to be inside the building the superior entered and it is a long room with a table in the middle with 2 (assumed) guards and a character sitting on a chair (long shot and a mid shot). Between 1:05 and 1:23, Chinese/ Japanese/ an Asian language and dialect is heard. Among 1:23 and 1:28, there is a mid shot of putting a gun on the table and the character sitting on the table about to pick up a glass of wine when suddenly at 1:28 - 1:30 there is a cut-in of the character putting the gun and a plastic object on the table. Again, there is Chinese/Japanese/an Asian language is heard. Between 1:30 and 1:37, there is a medium shot of the character sitting on the table backing his hand away from the glass and turning his head. 1:37 and 1:41, there is a mid shot of bringing the first male character by his shoulders/dragging him and there is a sound effect of the feet of the first male character and the guards' weapons. From 1:41 - 1:49 there is a cut in of a guy's hand eating his food (noodle soup etc...) with a fork and the sound is of his slurp. Between 1:49 and 1:55, the original character that sat on the table starts to speak English. From 1:55 - 1:56, there is a movement of his head which is a close-up and from 1:56 - 2:00, there is a cut in of the hand movement from the gun to the plastic object.

What went well with the film opening is that I was kept on my feet until 1:12. This was because there was constant hazy movement between the mysterious male character, the children and the sergeants. The POV shot and the hazy effect stood out and made the audience feel like the male character when watching the children. Also, the huge amount of enigma was inflicted until 1:12 which is hard to do, the essence of not knowing made it enticing to watch the film opening.
What they could of changed is the Chinese/English speaking male character that was originally sitting on the table and first original male character coming into the room scene. There was no plot to it so it felt like i was not watching much and it seemed quite boring after that because there was nothing to watch apart from them talking and eating. The long shot of the 2 guards and one person sitting on the table wasn't as spectacular.

To entice the film opening a little more, they could of revealed more. As everything was a haze and nothing was given away, they overdid it. So revealing why they were here or how they could of helped the audience to not only understand what is going on here but enjoy the first few minutes of the film rather than bore them

Friday 22 November 2013

Analysis : Inglorious Basterds (Video)


In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.



Between 0 seconds and 0:12 secs, there is the logo of 'Universal' where we start with the Earth and the stars and then 'Univeral' comes across the Earth. Then the 'Weinstein Company' appears from 0:12 - 0:24 for 22 seconds and there is no sound until this point. Then 'Company Titles' appear from 0:24 - 0:32 which is for 8 seconds and after that between 0:32 and 0:36 there is no visuals at all! Then it starts again at 0:36 to 0:40 which is for 4 seconds where the visual is the directors name : Quetin Tarintino and there is a black screen behind the writing. Then the film title appear in a different typeface (like someone who would write the title) 'Inglorious Bastards' which occurs between 0:40 - 0:46 so for 6 seconds. Then from 0:46 - 1:46 the cast appears but there are different sections of cast for example, there is the 8 starring main case which is written in yellow western typeface and is fro 0:46 - 1:14 so for 28 seconds and then there is the co-starring cast which has like a calibri typeface which is yellow as well from 1:14 - 1:23 so 9 seconds. Then, there is the Guest starring cast from1:23 - 1:46 so 23 seconds which is normal white but a different typeface.
Then from 1:46 - 1:58, we see the writings on a black screen 'Nazi occupied France'. From 0:20 - 1:58 a soundtrack is playing, it seems like a traditional piece of music and you know it sets the scene and gives context as  that type of music would be played in WWII and the music fades out by the end. From 1:58 - 2:00 we see the year '1940' on a black screen.

I think the opening sequence sets the scene in a clear and obvious way which really helps the audience understand where we and be prepared for what's coming up.The music really helps us to set ourselves into the mood so we are prepared for what happens. Also, there is subtle transitions between each credit of name so you feel patient and relaxed and you get the chance to know who is in this film rather than normal films which speedily race through the names.
Although, I think the credits went on for too long just to drag things out which was boring and it made me almost turn off the film. This is very a negative thing and a tip to not drag on the credits because it turns away the audience. 

They could have made more location shots instead of having a black and white background and put the names on the side of the screen with transitions.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Learning Task : Enigma

The definition on Google of Enigma is:
A person or thing that is mysterious or difficult to understand.

We came up with key ideal connotations of Enigma firstly which were:


1) Wanting to get somewhere

2) Mystery
3) Curiosity
4) Strive
5) Unknown
6) Questioning the Unknown
7) Break it by unrevealing
8) Suspense

In class we decided to create our own definition which incorporates all these elements:

The mysterious strive to question the unknown suspense to therefore reveal.

We also discussed about how you create it and these are some ideas we came up with.


1) By stereotypes

So we purse stereotypes such as murders are psychopathic white males, aged between 18 and 32,  and normally anti-social and struggle to 'hold' relationships with family and friends. 

2) Editing


3) What it can be? 

So is it an object (Click here for the RED BOX where enigma was made), phrase that is repeated, a person (commonly found in films/books) or an idea.

4) The UNKNOWN

Maybe not knowing something is what builds enigma (much like the movie clip underneath)

5)Shrinking Time


6)Excluding/Including certain elements

For this picture:














you could say including just seeing the lips is enough to understand but create suspense

But for this picture:















you could say excluding the eyes and anything above the top of the nose creates the suspense.


7)Hidden Meanings

In the clip below, we have a hidden meaning that hasn't been presented yet and therefore it creates suspense.

8) Lying

We in particular looked at this Bourne Identity clip due to the suspense as you have no clue what's going to happen. You have an idea of the strange fast-paced story and you know something if going to happen but you have no clue what. If you get that feeling when you watch this clip, then you are inflicting enigma.








Friday 15 November 2013

Learning Tasks : Editing: Cinematic/Real Time, Shrinking Time, Expanding time and Finding Rhythm

Cinematic/Real Time
Time that a given sequence takes to play on the screen as opposed to 'real time'. In film time can be compressed or expressed.
When Match -On-Action happens, Cinematic time is the same as real time.

Shrinking Time
Through a series of fast paced cuts we can see things that would take a long time in a few minutes or seconds. Instead of watching a character get in a car and drive for 20 minutes we see them get in and then get out, letting us assume that the journey has taken place.
This can also confuse the audience if the film has constantly shrunk time and we have no ability to process what's happened.

Expanding Time
The editor can expand time by adding additional detail. For example, someone is sitting I a chair waiting for the phone to ring. In real time this might only last half a minute. But the editor can build up tension by including shots of the person's eyes, taping fingers (to show impatience) etc..., drawing the scene out to a minute or more. We are looking at 'film' time, not real time

Finding Rhythm
Editing sets the rhythm or pace of  scene. This could be dictated by either the music used behind a scene or the mood that the editor is trying to create and the pace that you edit. To build up tension in a scene you might cut from one shot to another very quickly. However, in a relaxed scene the editing will progress at a much slower pace, dwelling longer on each shot.


For example, watch between from 17:16 - 19:45



Cinematic : When watching this film, you have one part where between 18:54 - 19:24. The comparison between filming it and real life is the same. The Millionaire setting only took 30 seconds and it would only occur for 30 seconds in real life. This has an impact on the audience as you get to relax a bit and take in what you have previously watched to understand what is happening. As if you were taking a bit of a break from the tension of the film.


Expanding : Between 16:09 - 16:25, time expands to tell the context of the story. So you know that it is a developing country and it may be India because at those days and still now people used to clean their clothes in the same place they bathed in and played it so it was very unhygienic. Not only is the context created but the character characteristics are presented. We see the little boy and a women who we can only presume is his mother so we know something about the people in the shot.


There isn't any spacial area which hints the lack of hygiene.


The use of the pool playing maybe creates a happy connotation compared to the surroundings


They are cleaning the clothes in the same place where the children are playing. 



We see a female character looking at another person.



The other person in a child which is playing to his hearts' content.

Shrinking: We saw it between 16:25 - 16:40. We can see the mother's reaction shot of the train as if it is foreshadowing something. This quick shot of the mother and the train shrinks time and gives this tension building curiosity that makes our hearts start to race.


Looking away as she may hear something strange


Normal 'Indian' packed train that passes by with people walking beside.


Curious about behind what's in the train. (Between the first OSS shot to the mid-shot, timing wise it has been about 1-2 seconds)


The mother might of understood what's happening and that has reacted to it which again looking at someone.


The coincidence of her heart beating fast and looking at her child may suggest he will be apart from her or she will part away from him in some way.


She looks again at the train that's passing by. 


Then the fear comes to life after the train passes by and a lot of angry men come out screaming.



Saturday 9 November 2013

Learning Tasks : Sound

We did sound in class and looked at particular terminology such as :
Diegetic Sound - Any sound, voice or piece of music that comes from within the world of the narrative.
Non-diegetic sound - Sounds, such as music or a narrator’s voices that come from outside the space of the narrative.
Soundtrack - a recording of the musical accompaniment of a film
Theme music/tune - a piece that is often written specifically for a television programme usually played during the intro, during title sequence and/or ending credits.



Sound effects - a sound other than speech or music made artificially for use in a television programme.
Ambient sound – atmospheric sound and noise pollution. Background noise.
Dialogue - a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a television programme.
Voice Over - a piece of narration in a television programme not accompanied by an image of the speaker.
Sound bridge - When the scene begins with the carry-over sound from the previous scene before the new sound begins.
Parallel sound - When the sound we hear goes hand in hand with the image on screen.
Contrapuntal sound – sound which does not fit with the scene or images you are watching
Direct Address – when a character or narrator speaks directly to the audience.



Then we started to put it into context with theme tunes and how it makes us feel and the programme that we expect it to target.


Fresh Prince Of Bel - Air




Makes us feel : Happy, bouncy, jumpy, joyful, dancing mood, hyper and upbeat.




Type of programme we would think it would target : Rap - 'chavvy' and stereotypical black, young people, funny audience, American origin (by accents), West Philadelphia and Bel Air.

The A-Team





Makes Us Feel: Heroical, Happy, Calm, Safe, Dangerous, Upbeat, Dancing mood, Hysterical, Funny? and proud



Type of programme we would think it would target: Heroic people/characteristics, American/English origin, for English older/middle men, action and associated armed force.


Doctor Who?



Makes Us Feel: Mystical, Curious, Annoyed, Synthesised.



Type of programme we would think it would target: Men in their early 30's. People who are into scientific things. American/English/Australian audiences.



Eastenders




Makes Us Feel: Calm, Homely, Christmasy, Family and Swaying




Type of programme we would think it would target: for family and English Origin

HollyOaks


 


Makes Us Feel: Upbeat and Annoyed




Type of programme we would think it would target: American/ English Origin and Family or young teenagers