Ok, so I have now finally finished my preliminary video. Our Brief: Man opens a door, closes a door, dialogue occurs, the end. So that's what this is:
We set it in our schools music department as this we thought would be the most suitable area and would allow us to create a partial story line. We casted a boy and a girl (Courtney & Ollie) to create a more even mix of actors and so create a more relaxed mood. If we casted two boys/girls, the scene may have been seen to be more of a bully situation (in our opinion). However, with this mix, we consider it comes across as a more friendly environment between two friends. We did 6 takes in all, two in the opening corridor and 4 in the main piano playing scene. We changed the camera position with each take so as to ensure best camera coverage of the action and make the final video more interesting with more camera angles/shots. The idea being the more material we hold, the easier it is to edit into a decent video. The end result we believe is an effective video full filling the set criteria.
Previously in the year, we had completed a similar task with maybe a little more intricacy. It is a scene from the film 'Love Actually' where Bill Nighy is being interviewed about his new song 'Come on and let it snow':
The scene went with great success for us and really helped broaden our ability to blend different shots and audio together into one product. We set it in our schools music studio for extra effect from the real film. We intended to cast two male actors for the roles, but unfortunately we were only able to get one so had to make do with a female actress for the interviewee, which actually turned out just as good.
In this post, we are looking at various different techniques used in film to help tell the story of the film. These include: Use of Narration, Use of Sound, Camera Angles and Editing styles.
Narration: Narration is used typically to add either a particular characters perception of the film, or to add an outsider's view of the events and portray to the audience the deeper levels of what the characters are thinking/what they've done while we haven't been watching. They can be set at any time during the film e.g. they may be spoken as if the film events have already happened and gives the audience an idea of where the film is going. Equally, narration can be set at the same time as the film and simply helps tell the story as the film goes on. Basically, it voices the events of the film in more depth than what we as the audience can see or hear from only watching the film.
Through the opening sequence of American Beauty, the main character (Lester Burnham) tells us through narration, the key facts about him and his family that we as the audience need to know. We learn how he is a run down, very low adult man. He has a wife and child, both of them despise him, and how he has ambitions to change this. His narration is set from his future e.g. he is telling the audience about his past as we watch it.
Another, slightly different use of Narration which is used in films can be found in the film "Big Fish". Narration does not necessarily have to occur only at the beginning of the film. Through out the film, narration is used to tell Edward's story's as we watch them.
The narration of these stories also creates a happier feeling to the film and makes it more of a familiar sensation to the audience, how they had parents/relatives telling them story's of their lives similarly to how Edward is telling his story's to his child.
Sound: Sound I feel is the second most important key element in a film, second only to the actual video. If you ever watch a film without sound, the film itself becomes very difficult to understand/follow/keep interest in. There's two types of film sound, there's diegetic and non-diegetic sound, the difference being diegetic sound is the sound within the film that the characters can hear e.g. the sound of a passing car. Non-diegetic is all the sound which the characters cannot hear e.g. background music. Background music is particularly important. The music can express the feelings/mood of the scene far better than the dialogue/facial expressions of the characters. A film without background music makes the film feel strangely empty. It makes it seem bland and uninteresting. There are awkward silences in the sound when you would expect noise. Its what turns an amateur video to a professional masterpiece. Anyone can film a decent sequence of shots on a given location for a set film plot, but its much harder to get the sound just right to compliment those video shots and to make them work together, with the diegetic sound still coming through clear enough to be audible.
An example of how this perfect blend of sound can be seen in almost every film/TV drama. My favourite is from the film Chariots of Fire.
When Britain has just won the race, the sound is perfectly balanced to capture not only the sound of the cheering crowd, but also the footfalls of the runners and the dialogue from the members of the audience. Then this balance is also continued when the narration of the winning runner comes on over the top. Then the main theme music comes on which takes over the main body of sound, but still the sounds of the crowd and commentators continue in the background, adding to create a much more realistic scene and keeping the audience's attention on the film and not creating awkward silences. This all adds up to create the desired feeling of happiness in the audience that Britain has won the Paris Olympics.
Sound can also be used to break the 4th wall. This is the divide between audience and characters. The 4th wall creates a separation from film and audience and keeps the audience separate from the action. When this wall is broken, it means the characters in the film/media being shown have acknowledged the audience watching the film, like what you would find in a pantomime where the characters are constantly aware of the audience watching them. My favourite comes from the TV comedy show "Two and a half men" in the following clip:
At the end of this clip, Alan looks directly into the camera and says "or can we?(!)". This implies he is talking directly to the audience of the show asking if they could indeed vote on who's dinner was the worst. This includes the audience in the action and makes for amusing watching when we are shown that non of this is real (which of course we realized from the beginning, but is amusing how we are reminded about it).
Camera Angles: "The function of camera movement is to assist the story telling. That's all it is. It cannot be there just to demonstrate itself"-Mike Figgis. The use of camera angles is key to showing the viewer what they are required to see, how they are supposed to see (e.g. from who's perspective) and from where. There are a variety of different camera angles which can be used to change the viewers view point of a situation. They allow the producers to control what the audience sees, how much of it they see and for how long. This can all add to create different emotions/feelings in a particular scene. This video I found illustrates this very well (excuse the music). It visually shows different types of camera angles/shots and what their general use is.
Editing Styles: Editing styles are how two different shots merge together in a film. There are different types of 'cuts' for different scenarios. This video I think illustrates this point very well (again, apologies for the music).
These are the most common cuts within a video and are very few other's worth mentioning which are used.
Again, been asked to analyze some examples of film openings I have watched, so here I go:
First example: Inside Man
I believe the opening sequence to this film is perfect example for expressing what almost every film opening does except in a much more obvious manner. It tells you who the main character is (Dolton Russell), where they are ("Could be readily described as a prison cell"), roughly when they are (We can tell this from the modern day shelving and building materials) and also a rough idea of what's going to happen in the film ("Which only leaves us with the how, and therein, lies the rob"). It is a perfect film opening giving the audience all the information they require to understand the rest of the film in a much more unconventionally open manner but also not too much so they still want to watch the rest, which I find to be quite refreshing. Maybe why I like the film so much. Either way, this film is a perfect example as to what information I want my 2 minute film opening to contain.
Second example: The Graduate
In complete contrast to this, the film "The Graduate" is verbally mute, e.g. has no spoken dialogue from the character being portrayed. Instead, the verbal communication we see/hear in Inside man is now shown through visual aids. Such as the fact the graduate (Dustin Hoffman) is shown wearing a formal suit, suggesting to us that he's going to/coming from a prestigious event. In the very first shot of Dustin on the plane, we see him on a white background, perhaps suggesting innocence, or cleanliness against the rest of the world, which as we know by the end of the film he is anything but. Another amusing hint towards the rest of the film shown within the first 2 minutes of the film is when he is in baggage reclaim. As his bag passes through the metal barrier, a sign is shown saying "Do they Match?" perhaps suggesting that this film is a love story between two people which we may think do not belong together. The use of Simon & Garfunkel's 'Sound of silence' is also an interesting choice of music for the first few minutes of this film. It perhaps sets up the film so that there may be some mis-communication between the characters, that perhaps there are some secrets being held that are being held "In the Sound of Silence".
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Well, this is the first part of my planning and I've been asked to answer a few questions, which are as follows:
What is a film opening?
A film opening is the primary/establishing shot of a film, the section which sets the scene for the viewer. It tells the viewer where they are, when they are and who they're with. It basically sets it all up for the rest of the film.
How much is revealed about the storyline/characters etc. in the film opening?
Generally in a film opening, we learn who our main characters, where and when the film is set and also from who's perspective we are seeing the film from, be it our own or a particular character's. In terms of how much we learn about the characters themselves, we learn very little. Yes we learn who they are, maybe their name and where they're from etc. but in general we do not how they have come to be where they are, what their past experiences are or what they are planning to do/how they're going to do it as that's where the film gets it plot. This is also true for the storyline, we only know from the film opening where its set, who's involved with it and a rough idea of when it is. For what's going to happen, we generally know very little. This is because the whole point of the film opening is to draw in the viewers attention and keep them interested as to what's going to happen so as to keep watching the rest of the film.
In general then, we only learn the bare essentials about a film in its opening, only because if we knew more than that, we'd get bored and so wouldn't want to see the rest of the film.
Genre-what types are there?
There are over 20 popular genres in the film industry, examples include:
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Erotica, Faction (A fuse of factual events and fictional representation of these events), Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Mystery, Paranoid, Philosophical, Political, Romance, Saga, Satire, Science Fiction, Slice of life (A section of a persons life, can be ordinary with no plot at all, just stands to present part of somebody's life), Speculative (A type of fantasy where worlds indifferent from our own are portrayed and how they may run, like a parallel universe), Thriller & Urban. Then of course you have your spin-off's and fusions of these genres to create sub-genres such as Rom-Coms, Horror-Mystery etc.
Today we're studying the different types of characters portraid in a film, and how these characters can be significant in building a film by means of their appearance. Below are the different types of characters normally portraid in a film.
In every story (or most storys), we have 6 types of characters. Let me run past you8 what they are:
Protagonsits: These people are the heros of the story, the lead narrative whos the one who carrys out whatever quest has been set for them
Antagonst: These are the villans of our story. They try to prevent the Protagonist from completeing his or her quest
Heroine: This is the prize of the protaginists quest. Usually a woman, this is the damsal in distress of the story
Father: This character is the person who supplys the support and guidance to the Protagonist and often offers the reward (The Heroine).
Helper: The aid to the Protagonist. Easiest example of this is Donkey in the film Shrek. They help the protagonist complete their quest.
Donor: These characters give the protagonists something, be it physical or moral/intellectual guidance, to help them complete the final bit of their quest.
Following on from this, we were then asked to write up our own synopsis of a film, mentioning all these types of characters based upon the features of a single picture. I chose this picture (above) to write up my synopsis of a film. Looking at this, it looks like a typical hard-core action film, where the baddy interrogates the goody. The scene here I associate with this idea of thinking and so built up a possible film synopsis for how this scene could eventually be incorporated into it:
The mans name is John Brice. He's 67, divorced with two grown up daughters and just retired from working at the C.I.A. He knows every secret America holds and would be a serious security threat if he talked. Hence why now he's retired from the C.I.A, the C.I.A are trying to retire him. He will have to break every rule he has every abided by to save not only his own life, but also his closet family.
Protagonist: John Brice
Antagonist: Bruce Fawkes (C.I.A Operative)
Heroine: John's Daughters
Father: John Brice
Helper: N/A
Donor: Lewis Day (Old comrade)
