Art Of The Title

Screenplay for our thriller opening

Screenplay are ultimately scripts however they also include camera shots. The screenplays are completed before the storyboard and are adapted as the filming process continues.

When writing a screen play:

• Include location, setting and time of day.
• Introduce characters and include a short description of who they are/what they look like.
• Include key dialogue between characters and details of their action and expressions.
• Include details of where the camera is in each scene.

The role of the screenwriter in the opening sequence of 'Jaws'.

Within the opening sequence of Jaws the screenplay is important as its the first blueprint of the film, it gives an indication of what will happen within the scene. It also gives the cameramen the different shots needed by the numbers written on the side. Therefore gives an indication of the storyline for the director to follow and improve on. This is shown when we watched the clip from the final product of Jaws, parts of this screenplay were followed through whilst other parts were removed and replaced with other ideas.

Convection of thriller films

Typical conventions:

• Low key dark lighting
• Dark clothing
• Dark house - often empty and abandoned 
• Phone ringing - often loud with an unpleasant ringtone
• Lights are on or flickering with no on in the building
• Usually lots of noises and movements
• Non-diegetic sounds 
• Often stated that it is a true story
• Isolated location
• Reverse zoom is frequently used

Thriller = This is a broad genre of literature, film and television. It includes numerous, often overlapping sub-genres.

Ingredients of thrillers:

• Fast paced, frequent action and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains. Literacy devices are used, such as suspense, red herrings and cliff-hangers.

Types of thrillers:

• Joy thrillers
• Conspiracy thrillers
• Psychological thrillers
• Political thrillers
• Medical thrillers
• Horror thrillers
• Military thrillers
• Forensic thrillers
• Action thrillers

Hyprias = there is not just one type of thriller.

Cheap surprise = an early shock generated by a sudden unexpected action/movement/sound,

Lighting Practice

3-point fill lighting

3 lights is used to create a normal-looking scene with soft shadows and average colours. Using a 3-light setup to provide normal lighting across an entire object, the exact opposite of chiaroscuro. This is used in the most 'normal' scenes with any object in focus.

Chiaroscuro lighting

Chiaroscuro is characterised by harsh lighting that creates an extreme contrast between different areas of shot so that there is extreme blacks and whites.

High key lighting
High key lighting uses harsh, bright lights to reduce contrast in a scene. Giving the scene a white-washed, clean look and does not have any shadows in frame. Low key lighting is the opposite of this.

Backlighting
Backlighting is when the scene is lit directly from behind, where it is used to create a silhouette. It is often used to make a scene seem romantic.

Natural lighting
This can either be the natural light coming from the sun but can also refer to a light source that has a light yellow or white hue.

Artificial lighting
A light that comes intentionally from man-made light sources, for example light bulbs. They often have orange or a blue-green hue.

Gender textual analysis of a clip from 'The Fall' . Click to view

Although I completed this as part of my study of the representation of gender for my AS exam, it is relevant to the my coursework as, in planning for this, I will need to consider how the representation of gender is constructed through the use of camera shots, mise-en-scene, editing and sound. This will hopefully enable me to represent characters in a variety of different ways in my film opening.

Preliminary evaluation

This is a short video answering five questions which reflects what we have learned whilst making our video.

Question 6:

The final question we were asked to completed was to evaluate our contributions to the group work.

My role within the group was to take the camera shots and film. I really enjoyed doing this as I learnt a lot about continuity and the importance of 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot and match on action. I also helped with the editing and learn't about the software, as well as how to comply these techniques and use it to make our video better. Therefore this task has taught me an arrange of new skills i did not know beforehand.

The final two days we had to complete our task, I was away on a field trip. Therefore believe i was not very flexible on these days and i was not able to help complete the finishing touches.

Finally i believed we worked extremely well as a group as we all got along great. Each of us added our own input and made the decisions about the film together. We had our own roles but we still worked together and helped one and other out.

The final result from our preliminary task!

After two weeks we completed the task and this is the final outcome:

Location for our preliminary task:

Before we started filming our preliminary task we took photos of where we thought our clip should take place. In the end we decided to use the school corridors and a store cupboard in order to set the scene. We thought that we would make the bully storm up the corridor and the stairs in order to create tension. In order to make the victim look worried and frail, we thought that a small dark room  would be the best place for the exchange of dialogue to occur as it emphasises the loneliness of the victim. Furthermore as the room was quiet so it was easy to hear what the characters were saying as well as having great lighting for our camera shots. 

Storyboard showing our preliminary task

Before we started our preliminary task we planned and organised our ideas into a storyboard. This is done in order to help us film as we know exactly what camera shots to use, the location we are filming at as well as the props needed.

Storyboard 1

Storyboard 2

Storyboard 3

How TV series Utopia got it comic book look:

Post Production 

This is the tasks that must be completed or executed after the filming or shooting ends. Post production isn't used for correcting mistakes but for editing, sounds and titling. This is the final stage of film creation and is always completed after filming or recording has taken place.

Post production is used throughout the series of Utopia to make the colours within the scenes turn into the palette of 1950s Hollywood. The three-strip Technicolor process used, comprise the opposite colours of yellows, cyan and magenta's in order to create boldness and achieve the comic book look the creators were after. For example the skies shot were often grey so within post-production were turned into the bright blues. This same technique was used in order to make the grass greener and to turn a blue van yellow.

Furthermore there is now plans to make series two even bolder and brighter as they now have more money to dress the scenes in yellows,cyan and magenta's.

Before post-production

After post-production

Article used: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/utopia-channel-4

Exploring techniques to use in our preliminary task:

We have been given a continuity task to complete. This involves filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down on a chair opposite each other with them exchanging a couple of lines of dialogue. To make our pieces effective we have to use Match on Action, 18 Degree Rule and Shot Reverse Shot.

Match on Action:

This refers to when the editor cuts from one shot to another that matches the first shot action, even though they have been shot hours apart. This is a continuity editing technique which presents the scene in a linear and chronological order.

180 Degree Rule:

This is a base guide line 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 connecting the two subjects crossing the line it will look like the characters aren't looking or talking to each other.

Shot Reverse Shot:

This is a technique which shows what the character is supposed to be looking at, followed by a reverse angle shot of the character themselves looking at it. This is a continuity technique which also gives the audience a sense of location and where the characters are within the shots.

Action Scene:

For our first task we created a knife scene whilst using many camera shots for the first time. This is the first piece of filming I have completed and the first time I have ever used a tripod. This task allowed me to learn the basics of filming.

 

Camera shots:

In groups of three we went  around the school and took our first attempts at camera shots.

Long Shot:

The first shot we used was a long shot, this is used to set a scene. Its usually shows the location and landscape so that the audience knows where the clip is set.

                                                                                        Low Angle Shot:

This shot is from a low angle, this is done to make to object or person seem larger than they actually are. The effect of this is that it gives the illusion that the person is of high power or importance. Therefore the audience can learn about the character before they are introduced into the scene.

                                                                                        

Extreme Close Up:

The next shot is when the camera is extremely close to the object or person being filmed. This is done to show detail so that the audience can understand whats happening easier so is therefore more engaging. For example an extreme close up on a face can show the expressions and emotions of what the character is going through.

              Tilt Shot/Canted Angle:

The next shot we created was at a titled angle. This is usually used to make a scene more dramatic or disorientated. The effect of this is to make the scene more intriguing and interesting for the audience.

Over The Shoulder Shot:

Next we used an over the shoulder shot which is generally used during conversations between two people. Its effective as it sets the location as well as being able to see both characters point of view of the conversation. 

                                                                                          Establishing Shot:

An establishing shot is generally a wide shot at the beginning of a scene to show where the action is taking place to the audience. The effect of this is that the audience can understand the location of the scene.

Three Different Views Of The Same Shot:

Finally we used three different shots of the same object.This is effective as it shows how camera angles can make things look larger, smaller or wider. These shots therefore can be used according to the atmosphere needed to be created within the scene.

Welcome to my blog!

I am looking forward to start studying Media as I have not done it before.I think it will be particularly interesting to see how to production of films and programmes are made. I love to be creative therefore believe I will enjoy this course.

The task is to create a 2 and a half minute film, which will be exciting. I am eager to developing my editing skills and learn how to create a great piece of film.

I hope you will enjoy my film story!