This is the storyboard for my film showing the main opening scenes.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Monday, 27 January 2014
Preliminary task
For our preliminary task we were told to make a short film showing the opening and closing of a door, a character sitting across the table from another character and then these two characters having a conversation together. In our group we decided it would be best to do a police interview, here you see joe open and close the door walking into the room, sit across the table from the interviewee and then interogates him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JIG80D4Qv4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JIG80D4Qv4
Plan
Time for change
My plan for the film is to start off with the camera pointing at the sky, from here it will slowly tilt down and you will see a car appear driving over a hill, the camera will then change a few times showing different angles of the car driving. From here the car will then advance to the first house where James will knock at the door of the first customer. He will ask her for a minute of her time but she will reject and close the door in his face, he will then walk back slowly to his car. After this James will advance to the second house and the same thing will happen again. Hopefully it will be raining ao it will make the mood look more despressing. There will then be a montage of loads of doors closing with people saying no and telling him to go away. From here James will then go home and we will see him on the phone to his boss, he will say that he doesn't want the job anymore and he feels its time for change. When he says this credits will appear and the opening will be over.
My plan for the film is to start off with the camera pointing at the sky, from here it will slowly tilt down and you will see a car appear driving over a hill, the camera will then change a few times showing different angles of the car driving. From here the car will then advance to the first house where James will knock at the door of the first customer. He will ask her for a minute of her time but she will reject and close the door in his face, he will then walk back slowly to his car. After this James will advance to the second house and the same thing will happen again. Hopefully it will be raining ao it will make the mood look more despressing. There will then be a montage of loads of doors closing with people saying no and telling him to go away. From here James will then go home and we will see him on the phone to his boss, he will say that he doesn't want the job anymore and he feels its time for change. When he says this credits will appear and the opening will be over.
Friday, 24 January 2014
My script
My script - Time for change
Key:
J - James Deany (Jake Doughty)
Mrs J - Mrs Jackson (Linda Doughty)
Mr S - Mr Saterlay (Jake Saterlay)
-Establishing shot: James Deany in the car, smiling, singing to the radio and being happy. Pulls up into location 1 (Mrs Jackson' house). Exits car and walks towards the door. Knocks on the door.
-Mrs J opens the door quickly and looking angry.
J: Hi there mam, im here today giving you the chance to buy something which could enhance your life style, is it alright if i just take a second of your time to explain this?
Mrs J: No, you can't have any of my time (turns and slams the door)
J:(Stands there for a second, looks down and then walks off back to his car)
More driving shots
location 2 (Mr Saterlays house)
J: Hi there sir, is it alright if i take a seconde of your day to explain why im here?
Mr S: (same reaction as Mrs J)
J: Fuck sake
Location 3: (Home)
J: (waking up, sits up, hands on head) its time for change
Roll on credits
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Who are the actors?
Who are the actors?
Throughout the whole of the two minute opening i plan for there to be a total of three different characters, these being James Deany, Mrs Jackson and Mr Saterlay. James Deany will be the most seen character so he will be the most important actor to try and get right. Mrs Jackson and Mr Saterlay will simply be standing in the doorway while James pitches to them, so these two actors are not quite as important.
James Deany (salesmen) - Played by Jake Doughty, age 18.
The actor playing the role of James Deany is in fact me (Jake Doughty), i was having problems trying to find an actor since the one i had originally planned on using backed out last minute. Due to this i had to make the decision to stand in for him. I would have preferred to have done this using someone else rather than me so i could concentrate on the filming side of it but this is something which had to be done. I think i suit the role of a salemen because i look quite smart when wearing a suit so hopefully will give off the impression im trying to sell something.
Mr Saterlay - Played by Jake Saterlay, age 18.
The actor playing the role of Mr Saterlay is Jake Saterlay. He is a close friend of mine and has offered to take the role. He is suited to the role because he can look very intimidating if he wants to be, this will help because when Mr Saterlay has to slam the door on James it will make Mr Saterlays anger look more realistic which adds to the experience of the film. He also has a variety of clothing so if one thing doesn't work we can try it again, not only this but he also has many different door ways we can film in so this can help with the multiple door slamming scenes needed.
Mrs Jackson - Played by Linda Doughty, age 50.
(Picture to follow)
The actor playing Mrs Jackson is my mother, Linda Doughty. I believe she will be well suited to the role of Mrs Jackson because of the similarities in age. My mum is able to make herself seem cross which will also help to the effect of showing that no one wants James Deany at their house selling things no one wants. There are also mulitple different doorways at the house and she will be willing to change trousers so i can film just the legs of peope and the doors closing. Filming just the legs with different trousers and different doorways will give the effect that their is multiple people rejecting James Deany when in fact it will be the same two actors.
Overall i am happy with the cast i have chosen, i would have preferred to have had an actor to play James Deany so i could film and direct however this is not a huge problem and despite my lack of acting knowledge i hope i can pull off playing the role or James. I think the other two actors will do a good job and i have chosen them well and they look how i want them to for the characters they are playing.
Mr Saterlay - Played by Jake Saterlay, age 18.
The actor playing the role of Mr Saterlay is Jake Saterlay. He is a close friend of mine and has offered to take the role. He is suited to the role because he can look very intimidating if he wants to be, this will help because when Mr Saterlay has to slam the door on James it will make Mr Saterlays anger look more realistic which adds to the experience of the film. He also has a variety of clothing so if one thing doesn't work we can try it again, not only this but he also has many different door ways we can film in so this can help with the multiple door slamming scenes needed.
Mrs Jackson - Played by Linda Doughty, age 50.
(Picture to follow)
The actor playing Mrs Jackson is my mother, Linda Doughty. I believe she will be well suited to the role of Mrs Jackson because of the similarities in age. My mum is able to make herself seem cross which will also help to the effect of showing that no one wants James Deany at their house selling things no one wants. There are also mulitple different doorways at the house and she will be willing to change trousers so i can film just the legs of peope and the doors closing. Filming just the legs with different trousers and different doorways will give the effect that their is multiple people rejecting James Deany when in fact it will be the same two actors.
Overall i am happy with the cast i have chosen, i would have preferred to have had an actor to play James Deany so i could film and direct however this is not a huge problem and despite my lack of acting knowledge i hope i can pull off playing the role or James. I think the other two actors will do a good job and i have chosen them well and they look how i want them to for the characters they are playing.
Character clothing
Character clothing
Location 1 (Mrs Jackson' house) - James Deany (Salesmen): - Grey suit jacket, white shirt, black tie, black skinny jeans and smart black shoes. This look will be smart casual. I chose to make it smart casual and not a full suit because i think a full suit could make him seem to formal. He will also be carrying a briefcase in hand which will have the products he tries to sell in it. Glasses will be optional.
Location 1 (Mrs Jackson' house) - Mr Jackson: - Mrs Jackson will be wearing very casual clothes, things she would be comfortable in, such as a light t-shirt and trousers, no shoes as she will be standing inside. She will also be wearing some jewellery on her hand and wrists which will be visible when closing the door on James.
Location 2 (Mr Saterlays house) - James Deany (Salesmen): - Grey suit jacket, white shirt, black tie, black skinny jeans and smart black shoes. This look will be smart casual. I chose to make it smart casual and not a full suit because i think a full suit could make him seem to formal. He will also be carrying a briefcase in hand which will have the products he tries to sell in it. Glasses will be optional.
Location 2 (Mr saterlays house) - Mr Saterlay: - Mr Saterlay will also be wearing formal attire similar to James Deany the salesmen, the large vocal point will be on the trousers he is wearing as the shot at this location will be based around both characters legs, and not their upper bodies, so trousers are vital for this scene.
Location 3 (James Deanys bedroom) - James Deany: - There will be a choice of two options for this depending on the weather on the day of filming, if it is warm then he will wear nothing other than underwear, this will give the best effect of looking like he has just woken up. If it is filmed on a colder day then there will be an option of wearing a light t-shirt so it looks like pyjamas. He will also be wearing bracelets and a necklace to add extra details.
Characters - detailed profiling/biography
Character biographys
Full name: James deany
Age:24
Marital status: Single
Occupation: Door to door salesman
Residency: Small 1 bedroom apartment
Family life: His mum and dad split up at a young age causing him to live with his mum and as a consequence he doesn't ever see his dad. His mum and him have a good relationship. No other siblings.
Friendships:James has very few friends, although the friends he does have a good ones. He feels he can trust his friends with anything and they will support him no matter what they do.
About: James is a very lonely person and he just wants to be appreciated, he feels he isn't living life how he wants to be and wants to change that.
Full Name: Mrs Jackson
Age: 49
Marital status: married
Occupation: N/A
Residency: Detached 6 bedroom house
Family life: 2 children, one is at Uni while the other at sixth form, he is happily married for 25 years and couldn't think of anything better.
Friendships: Not very many friends, keeps herself to herself.
About: -
Full name: Mr Saterlay
Age: 26
Marital status: single
Occupation: N/A
Residency: Semi detached house
Family life: unknown
Friendships: unknown
About: -
Full name: Mr Saterlay
Age: 26
Marital status: single
Occupation: N/A
Residency: Semi detached house
Family life: unknown
Friendships: unknown
About: -
Tuesday, 21 January 2014
Who is your target audience?
Who is your target audience?
My propose film is going to include drug use, fight scenes and also sexual images, so for this reason i believe my film is not suitable for anyone below the age of 18. The maximum age i would say that would want to view this film is people from 35-40 years of age. This film would be aimed more at males, however it would still be an appealing film to watch for women aswell. The reason for it being aimed more at men than women is because of the fact it is mainly based on men, the main characters are all men wanting to change their life so because of this it puts the appeal for woman to watch it down.
Venue
I would aim to get my film into cinemas as i believe it could be a big hit, if no cinemas would accept it then i would put it straight onto the online market and skip out the use of DVDs. DVDs are a dying market so rather than spending money on making them into DVDs i would sell the film on online movie stores such as Itunes or Netflix. Advertising would be done mainly online aswell, along with occasional posters dotted around the country.
My propose film is going to include drug use, fight scenes and also sexual images, so for this reason i believe my film is not suitable for anyone below the age of 18. The maximum age i would say that would want to view this film is people from 35-40 years of age. This film would be aimed more at males, however it would still be an appealing film to watch for women aswell. The reason for it being aimed more at men than women is because of the fact it is mainly based on men, the main characters are all men wanting to change their life so because of this it puts the appeal for woman to watch it down.
Venue
I would aim to get my film into cinemas as i believe it could be a big hit, if no cinemas would accept it then i would put it straight onto the online market and skip out the use of DVDs. DVDs are a dying market so rather than spending money on making them into DVDs i would sell the film on online movie stores such as Itunes or Netflix. Advertising would be done mainly online aswell, along with occasional posters dotted around the country.
Stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is a technique which makes static objects appear to be moving. This can be used on anything from clay to post-it notes. The static objects are made to move by filming one shot at a time and then moving the static object very slightly. When put together because the frames are so short it makes it looks as though the objects are moving very smoothly. There are a few main different types of stop motion, these are clay animation, toy-'mation, 2-D clay animation and paper animation.
Clay animation: The clip above is from one of the most well-known stop motion films ever, 'Wallace and Gromit'. In this clip we see Wallace getting out of bed using a contraption which gets him dressed and makes his breakfast all automatically. The whole of this film is made out of clay using stop-motion. They make the characters by firstly giving them a simple structure made out of wire, from here they then cover this in clay to make them look like this. In order to actually film this they took one frame shots and then moved the clay, they done this over and over again until they had enough shots to finish the film. Making a film with this method can take a very long time, altogether to create 'Wallace and Gromit: the curse of the wererabbit' it took a total of five years to make. This is a staggering amount of time which shows the amount of work and dedication that has to be put in to make this work.
Toy-'mation: The clip above is an example of 'Toy-'mation'. This type of stop motion is doing using toys, from this they then take thousands of single frame shots in order to create a smooth moving film. This example of toy-'mation is called 'GO MINIMAN GO - 30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure'. This tells the story of how minifigures started off in the prehistoric times and then advanced through time until the present state, including lots of historical things which happened such as Isaac Newtons discovery of gravity. This type of stop motion is very effective and it looks very good, this is less time consuming than clay animation as you do not have to make the characters or setting however it still takes a long time.
2D claymation: The clip above it a 2D claymation called 'The plum crazies'. This sort of stop motion is done using clay, the same as in normal claymation, however this time it is placed onto a flat surface, such as a table. In the clip above they used glass to put everything on top of. By using a flat surface to put the clay and background on it makes the claymation come out 2D and give a different effect to 3D claymation. This is still very smooth and hard to tell it is done using static objects. My personal preference between the two claymations is the 3D one, however i still like this.
Paper animation: Paper animation is done very similarly to 2D claymation, however this is done using paper or cardboard cut outs and then placing these on a flat surface such as a table. This clip above is a paper animation remake of the tale 'little red riding hood', in it we see litte red riding hood walking through the woods to get to her Grandmas house, while walking there a wolf follows her and gets to her Grandmas house before her. By the time she arrives her Grandma has been eaten by the wolf, finally a lumberjack comes and kills the wolf and the equilibrium is restored. Paper animation is the easiest of all the stop motions to do, it is the most time efficient and also it is easy to make the figures and back ground.
My opinion on stop motion is that it is very good, the fact that it makes static objects move is very fascinating however the time that it takes to do puts me off doing it, for this reason i have decided not to include any stop motion in my film at all due to time restrictions. However if i had a longer time to make my film opening then stop motion would become a serious consideration.
Stop motion is a technique which makes static objects appear to be moving. This can be used on anything from clay to post-it notes. The static objects are made to move by filming one shot at a time and then moving the static object very slightly. When put together because the frames are so short it makes it looks as though the objects are moving very smoothly. There are a few main different types of stop motion, these are clay animation, toy-'mation, 2-D clay animation and paper animation.
Clay animation: The clip above is from one of the most well-known stop motion films ever, 'Wallace and Gromit'. In this clip we see Wallace getting out of bed using a contraption which gets him dressed and makes his breakfast all automatically. The whole of this film is made out of clay using stop-motion. They make the characters by firstly giving them a simple structure made out of wire, from here they then cover this in clay to make them look like this. In order to actually film this they took one frame shots and then moved the clay, they done this over and over again until they had enough shots to finish the film. Making a film with this method can take a very long time, altogether to create 'Wallace and Gromit: the curse of the wererabbit' it took a total of five years to make. This is a staggering amount of time which shows the amount of work and dedication that has to be put in to make this work.
Toy-'mation: The clip above is an example of 'Toy-'mation'. This type of stop motion is doing using toys, from this they then take thousands of single frame shots in order to create a smooth moving film. This example of toy-'mation is called 'GO MINIMAN GO - 30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure'. This tells the story of how minifigures started off in the prehistoric times and then advanced through time until the present state, including lots of historical things which happened such as Isaac Newtons discovery of gravity. This type of stop motion is very effective and it looks very good, this is less time consuming than clay animation as you do not have to make the characters or setting however it still takes a long time.
2D claymation: The clip above it a 2D claymation called 'The plum crazies'. This sort of stop motion is done using clay, the same as in normal claymation, however this time it is placed onto a flat surface, such as a table. In the clip above they used glass to put everything on top of. By using a flat surface to put the clay and background on it makes the claymation come out 2D and give a different effect to 3D claymation. This is still very smooth and hard to tell it is done using static objects. My personal preference between the two claymations is the 3D one, however i still like this.
Paper animation: Paper animation is done very similarly to 2D claymation, however this is done using paper or cardboard cut outs and then placing these on a flat surface such as a table. This clip above is a paper animation remake of the tale 'little red riding hood', in it we see litte red riding hood walking through the woods to get to her Grandmas house, while walking there a wolf follows her and gets to her Grandmas house before her. By the time she arrives her Grandma has been eaten by the wolf, finally a lumberjack comes and kills the wolf and the equilibrium is restored. Paper animation is the easiest of all the stop motions to do, it is the most time efficient and also it is easy to make the figures and back ground.
My opinion on stop motion is that it is very good, the fact that it makes static objects move is very fascinating however the time that it takes to do puts me off doing it, for this reason i have decided not to include any stop motion in my film at all due to time restrictions. However if i had a longer time to make my film opening then stop motion would become a serious consideration.
Narrative in films - including the narrative from my own opening
Narrative in films
There are two types of narrative within film, these are linear and fractured. A linear narrative is a story which is told from the beginning to the end where the problem is then solved. A fractured narrative is where the story jumps back and forth in time, for example a story about a 40 year old man could flashback to his childhood. There are many different ways to use narrative, you can use flashbacks, voiceover and multiple perspectives (more than one main character), all of these are different ways which the story could be told.
An example of a linear film is 'Toy story 3', in this film Andy departs for college and leaves his toys behind, his toys then ended up being put in day care which was hell for the toys, from here they then had to plan an escape along with their new friends which they have made in the day care. Once they finally escape after facing many problems along the way they finally get home, after this they then find themselves being given to one of Andys friends, this friend is a little girl who plays with all of her toys. This is where the equilibrium is restored for the toys as they are now finally happy and back to being played with.
There are two types of narrative within film, these are linear and fractured. A linear narrative is a story which is told from the beginning to the end where the problem is then solved. A fractured narrative is where the story jumps back and forth in time, for example a story about a 40 year old man could flashback to his childhood. There are many different ways to use narrative, you can use flashbacks, voiceover and multiple perspectives (more than one main character), all of these are different ways which the story could be told.
An example of a linear film is 'Toy story 3', in this film Andy departs for college and leaves his toys behind, his toys then ended up being put in day care which was hell for the toys, from here they then had to plan an escape along with their new friends which they have made in the day care. Once they finally escape after facing many problems along the way they finally get home, after this they then find themselves being given to one of Andys friends, this friend is a little girl who plays with all of her toys. This is where the equilibrium is restored for the toys as they are now finally happy and back to being played with.
An example of a fractured film is the film 'Blind spot', this film is about a 17 year old student (Danny) which falls in love with an older man, this older man (Darcy) then disappears and while is trying to find Darcy he ends up finding new love, and these three then develop a new bond. Throughout this there are constant flashbacks of Dannys past which is what makes it a fractured narrative.
My own film
My proposed film idea is to tell the story of a door to door salesmen who wants to change his life, i plan on this being a linear narrative. In the beginning he will find a problem, this problem is that he is going no where, no one wants to buy his products, hes single and lives at home by himself. To solve this problem he decides to ask his friends to move to Las Vegas and from there they then improve their lives, making money from gambling and also partying non-stop, finally they then realise this is not what they want either, in fact what they want is a proper job, and a whole family, they find this and the equilibrium is restored.The way i would tell the story is with a voiceover, this will not be from any of the characters, there will be a designated person to do the voiceover. I would also intend to start the film from the beginning of the story with no flashbacks.
Monday, 20 January 2014
Editing styles in film
Editing in films
Editing can change how a film is perceived, editing can make a scene feel very romantic and intimate or very fast paced and scary. The way a film is edited and change the feeling of the film. There are many different types of editing but these can bet categorised under two main styles, fast-paced editing and slow-paced editing. These two types of editing are the main ones used in the film industry.
Fast-paced editing
Fast paced editing tends to include shots which are no longer than 3/4 seconds, the effect the short clips can give can make a scene very tense or fast paced. This type of editing is generally used to show action between characters, for example it can be used to show a gun fight between a group of characters, or to show the speed that cars are going in a chase. This can make the audience be more engaged with the film as they are nervous for the characters.
This clip is from the film 'A good day to die', in this short scene all of the clips are no longer than 3 seconds, this gives the audience the effect that everything is happening very quickly and fast paced, the camera angle is constantly changing to show what is happening. The sound effects which go with the clip are also very loud and stand out from everything else. All of these effects make the scene very dramatic and captures the audiences attention as they don't want to miss anything. If this were edited differently then it could make the scene be perceived differently, for example if this was slow paced editing then this could make the film seem like no one is in a rush and that they weren't in danger which is not how the film is supposed to be.
This clip is from the film '2 fast 2 furious', this is the second film of the fast and furious franchise. In this scene we see Brian and Roman racing against other competitors in order to win a race so they can get a job. All of the shots in this scene are very short, around 3 seconds long and the camera angle is constantly changing so we can see where the action is happening. This gives the effect that the cars are going very fast and dangerously which engages the audience as they are always scared that something such as a car crash could happen. This engaging of the audience enhances their viewing experience which makes it better for them. If this scene were to be done with slow paced editing then it would make it a completely different scene, it would seem as though the cars were going very slowly and that they were not in a rush to get everywhere which would not be how the director would want it to be perceived.
slow paced editing
Slow paced editing usually consists of clips which are longer than 5 seconds, the shots tend to be very slow moving and fluid, nothing within the clips will be fast. The effect that this can have is to make the scene feel romantic or intimate, if the film is a comedy then timing is crucial so a simple difference in the editing time can be vital. Because the clips are slow paced it means the audience has a chance to see the characters emotions and see how they are feeling.
The clip above is from one of the most well-known films ever, titanic. In this scene we see Jack taking Rose to the front of the ship, from here he then tells her to trust him which she does and then they pretend they are flying. In this scene the clips are very prolonged and slow moving which makes it very romantic and intimate, this effect makes the audience engage with them and feel what they are feeling. Because the editing and clips are slow it gives the audience a chance to see how the characters are feeling, for example we can see that rose is happy and also enjoying her time with Jack. This clip can make the audience feel very emotional which shows how much of an impact editing can have. If this scene were to be done with fast editing then it could change it compeltely as it would make it seem like action packed.
In this clip from the film 'Love Actually' we see Mark go to Juliets door and tell her how he feels about her, he does this by holding boards with writing on showing how he feels, at the end Mark walks off but we see Juliet run after her. All of the clips in this scene are very long, and in almost every shot we get to see the characters facial expressions. This shows the audience how the characters are feeling and gives the audience empathy.
Editing can change how a film is perceived, editing can make a scene feel very romantic and intimate or very fast paced and scary. The way a film is edited and change the feeling of the film. There are many different types of editing but these can bet categorised under two main styles, fast-paced editing and slow-paced editing. These two types of editing are the main ones used in the film industry.
Fast-paced editing
Fast paced editing tends to include shots which are no longer than 3/4 seconds, the effect the short clips can give can make a scene very tense or fast paced. This type of editing is generally used to show action between characters, for example it can be used to show a gun fight between a group of characters, or to show the speed that cars are going in a chase. This can make the audience be more engaged with the film as they are nervous for the characters.
This clip is from the film 'A good day to die', in this short scene all of the clips are no longer than 3 seconds, this gives the audience the effect that everything is happening very quickly and fast paced, the camera angle is constantly changing to show what is happening. The sound effects which go with the clip are also very loud and stand out from everything else. All of these effects make the scene very dramatic and captures the audiences attention as they don't want to miss anything. If this were edited differently then it could make the scene be perceived differently, for example if this was slow paced editing then this could make the film seem like no one is in a rush and that they weren't in danger which is not how the film is supposed to be.
This clip is from the film '2 fast 2 furious', this is the second film of the fast and furious franchise. In this scene we see Brian and Roman racing against other competitors in order to win a race so they can get a job. All of the shots in this scene are very short, around 3 seconds long and the camera angle is constantly changing so we can see where the action is happening. This gives the effect that the cars are going very fast and dangerously which engages the audience as they are always scared that something such as a car crash could happen. This engaging of the audience enhances their viewing experience which makes it better for them. If this scene were to be done with slow paced editing then it would make it a completely different scene, it would seem as though the cars were going very slowly and that they were not in a rush to get everywhere which would not be how the director would want it to be perceived.
slow paced editing
Slow paced editing usually consists of clips which are longer than 5 seconds, the shots tend to be very slow moving and fluid, nothing within the clips will be fast. The effect that this can have is to make the scene feel romantic or intimate, if the film is a comedy then timing is crucial so a simple difference in the editing time can be vital. Because the clips are slow paced it means the audience has a chance to see the characters emotions and see how they are feeling.
The clip above is from one of the most well-known films ever, titanic. In this scene we see Jack taking Rose to the front of the ship, from here he then tells her to trust him which she does and then they pretend they are flying. In this scene the clips are very prolonged and slow moving which makes it very romantic and intimate, this effect makes the audience engage with them and feel what they are feeling. Because the editing and clips are slow it gives the audience a chance to see how the characters are feeling, for example we can see that rose is happy and also enjoying her time with Jack. This clip can make the audience feel very emotional which shows how much of an impact editing can have. If this scene were to be done with fast editing then it could change it compeltely as it would make it seem like action packed.
In this clip from the film 'Love Actually' we see Mark go to Juliets door and tell her how he feels about her, he does this by holding boards with writing on showing how he feels, at the end Mark walks off but we see Juliet run after her. All of the clips in this scene are very long, and in almost every shot we get to see the characters facial expressions. This shows the audience how the characters are feeling and gives the audience empathy.
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Use of camera in film
Camera shots
A camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different things within a film, camera shots can emphasise how we see something, for example if a camera shot is low down looking up at someone it can show dominance in the bigger character as it would make them seem bigger. This shows that camera shots are very important within film. There are lots of different camera shots frequently being used in film.
1.Extreme long shots: This kind of shot often contains a lot of landscape, this shot is generally used as an establishing shot at the beginning of a film or in order to set a new location within the film. Another name for this shot is an establishing shot, however it is more commonly known as an extreme long shot.
2. Tracking shot: A tracking shot is filmed on top of a short piece of track, the reason this is done is to keep the flow of the camera smooth. This sort of shot is used for things such as filming rooms, this can give the audience a tour of the room which is also very smooth.
A camera shot is the amount of space that is seen in one shot. Camera shots are used to demonstrate different things within a film, camera shots can emphasise how we see something, for example if a camera shot is low down looking up at someone it can show dominance in the bigger character as it would make them seem bigger. This shows that camera shots are very important within film. There are lots of different camera shots frequently being used in film.
1.Extreme long shots: This kind of shot often contains a lot of landscape, this shot is generally used as an establishing shot at the beginning of a film or in order to set a new location within the film. Another name for this shot is an establishing shot, however it is more commonly known as an extreme long shot.
2.Long shots: This shot contains less landscape than an extreme long shot and tends to give the viewer a more detailed setting of the film, for example a long shot may show buildings where the film may take place.
3.Full shot: This contains a full view of the characters, you tend to be able to see the costumes, their facial expressions and body language, from this shot the audience can see the relationships between characters, get a feel for how old the characters are and also the type of personality the character will have.
4.Mid shot: From this camera angle we can see the characters from the waist up. From this shot we get to see the characters facial expressions more clearly which gives us an insight into what they are thinking/doing. We can also see interaction with other characters more clearly.
5. Close-up: A close up only contains one characters face, in this you cannot see their body, because of this it means the audience can see the characters facial expressions and emotions very easily making it easier for the audience to understand what the character is feeling.
6.Extreme close-up: This shot can contain one part of a characters face or an object. This type of shot can make the mood of the film very intense, so this type of shot is very often used in horror films to make it scarier for the audience.
Camera angles
Camera angles are very different to camera shots, a camera angle is used to position the audience so they can see the relationships between characters. This can be very important as the camera angle can make the audience view a character completely different, so if done badly the audience could perceive a character to be small and timid whereas they could be big and menacing.
1.Birds eye angle: This angle is from directly above the scene/characters, this camera angle is very often used at the beginning of a film or to establish the scene. This shot is also used with the extreme long shot to add for effect.
2. High angle: A high angle looks down on a character, this is to make the characters look small and vulnerable. Angles like this are used in films to make it easier for the viewer to understand the point of view of another character e.g. A bully looking down on a smaller, younger kid.
3. Eye-level angle: This angle is used to put the audience on the same level as the character, this can be used to show conversation between two different characters. This type of angle is also used to make the viewers feel more comfortable with the character.
4. Low angle: This is a camera angle which looks up at the character, this has the opposite effect of which the high angle does, this shot makes a character look powerful and dominant. This effect makes the audience feel vulnerable.
Camera movement
Camera movement is the way in which the camera is being moved when filmed, the movement of the camera can create many different effects for the viewer. There are a few different types of camera movements which are done within film. I will now explain these.
1. Crane shot: This shot is filmed by using a crane, at the top of which is a cameraman and camera, this is used to make the shot go up and down smoothly without any bumps. The effect that it can give is often used at the end of films or scenes.
2. Tracking shot: A tracking shot is filmed on top of a short piece of track, the reason this is done is to keep the flow of the camera smooth. This sort of shot is used for things such as filming rooms, this can give the audience a tour of the room which is also very smooth.
Use of sound in film
Sound within film is just as important nowadays to the viewer as what they are seeing on the screen. Sounds in film influence the way the audience perceives a character, or the way in which something is happening. For example if there was no sound and someone saw a character they would have a hard job depicting what they were saying, with the use of sound the audience can find out what sort of charcter this person is and then judge them off what they are saying. Within film there are 3 main types of sound, these are sound effects, dialogue and music.
Sound effects: Sound effects within a flm are sounds which are made artificially, this does not include speech or music. An example of sound effects within a film is the sound of shooting guns. Most of the time when a film is being filmed the prop guns being used do not actually make a sound, so to make the film more realistic they add sound effects to make it sound like the gun is shooting. This sort of sound effect is synchronous. A synchronous sound effect is a sound which is seen on screen, like a gun being shot, or door being slammed. These sounds are used to help make a film more realistic and to emphasise what the audience are seeing on the screen. The opposite of a synchronous sound effect is a asynchronous sound effect. These sounds are sounds which cannot be seen on screen but are still happening. For example this could be a helicopter flying past a characters house, you wouldn't be able to see it but you would still know that it is happening. The reason this is used in film is because it can add to the realism of a film, hearing background noises such as these makes a film more realistic and therefore offers a better film experience for the audience.
Dialogue: Dialogue within a film is a conversation with two or more people,this can be anything from an argument between two people to a massive conference with hundreds of people. Dialogue in film is very important, if the dialogue is done wrong or badly then it can make a good film awful but then again if dialogue is done well then it has the capability of making a bad film good. Dialogue is used to show what a character is feeling and what they want, if the dialogue is good then it can help the audience make a connection with the character and feel what they are feeling. This sort of experience can enhance the film for the audience and make it seem better and more realistic.
This clip is from the film 'Pineapple express', in this clip we see a conversation between James Franco and Seth Rogen, James Franco is playing a drug dealer while Seth Rogen is playing a salesmen who has come to buy some drugs. We can tell what sort of characters they are from the way that they are talking, for example we can see that they are good friends with each other due to the fact they are chatting and laughing a lot. Around 2 minutes into the film Seth goes to leave and James Franco says something in a sad tone, this shows that he was upset so the dialogue in this instance was showing us that he did not want Seth to leave. This 4 minute clip shows the importance of what dialogue can tell and audience and how it can make you feel what the characters are feeling.
Music: Music is a combination of sounds, generally made from a musical instrument or a persons voice put together in order to make an effect. Music within film is very important, if music is used wrongly then it can make a scene feel very different to how it should. For example if someone has just passed away and people are crying there should not be happy music on because this would confuse the audience and make it seem like its not sad, whereas if a different style of music was played, something slow and sad then this would help the audience connect with the characters and would put them in a more sad mood. Music can not only be used to show the mood of a scene in film but it can also help build suspense. In a horror film for example, if there is about to be a murder music could be played to enhance the fact that this is going to happen and make the audience more scared.
Sound effects: Sound effects within a flm are sounds which are made artificially, this does not include speech or music. An example of sound effects within a film is the sound of shooting guns. Most of the time when a film is being filmed the prop guns being used do not actually make a sound, so to make the film more realistic they add sound effects to make it sound like the gun is shooting. This sort of sound effect is synchronous. A synchronous sound effect is a sound which is seen on screen, like a gun being shot, or door being slammed. These sounds are used to help make a film more realistic and to emphasise what the audience are seeing on the screen. The opposite of a synchronous sound effect is a asynchronous sound effect. These sounds are sounds which cannot be seen on screen but are still happening. For example this could be a helicopter flying past a characters house, you wouldn't be able to see it but you would still know that it is happening. The reason this is used in film is because it can add to the realism of a film, hearing background noises such as these makes a film more realistic and therefore offers a better film experience for the audience.
This is an example of a asynchronous sound which cannot be seen on screen but you still know its happening.Dialogue: Dialogue within a film is a conversation with two or more people,this can be anything from an argument between two people to a massive conference with hundreds of people. Dialogue in film is very important, if the dialogue is done wrong or badly then it can make a good film awful but then again if dialogue is done well then it has the capability of making a bad film good. Dialogue is used to show what a character is feeling and what they want, if the dialogue is good then it can help the audience make a connection with the character and feel what they are feeling. This sort of experience can enhance the film for the audience and make it seem better and more realistic.
This clip is from the film 'Pineapple express', in this clip we see a conversation between James Franco and Seth Rogen, James Franco is playing a drug dealer while Seth Rogen is playing a salesmen who has come to buy some drugs. We can tell what sort of characters they are from the way that they are talking, for example we can see that they are good friends with each other due to the fact they are chatting and laughing a lot. Around 2 minutes into the film Seth goes to leave and James Franco says something in a sad tone, this shows that he was upset so the dialogue in this instance was showing us that he did not want Seth to leave. This 4 minute clip shows the importance of what dialogue can tell and audience and how it can make you feel what the characters are feeling.
Music: Music is a combination of sounds, generally made from a musical instrument or a persons voice put together in order to make an effect. Music within film is very important, if music is used wrongly then it can make a scene feel very different to how it should. For example if someone has just passed away and people are crying there should not be happy music on because this would confuse the audience and make it seem like its not sad, whereas if a different style of music was played, something slow and sad then this would help the audience connect with the characters and would put them in a more sad mood. Music can not only be used to show the mood of a scene in film but it can also help build suspense. In a horror film for example, if there is about to be a murder music could be played to enhance the fact that this is going to happen and make the audience more scared.
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
Use of narration
Narration is the use or action of telling a story. so for example, there could be a voiceover speaking throughout the whole film telling you what is happening, if this were the case then the film would be a narrative, as it is dictated by the narrator. There are many very popular films which use narration within them. in this blog I will give examples of films using narration and write a brief reason as to why they may have used it and how this helps us understand the film.
My first example of use of narration within films is the hugely successful 'Forest Gump'. The film is based in America and revolves around a boy named 'Forest Gump', this film tells the story of this mans life and the challenges he has faced all told to us by the use of narration. The film starts fairly happy and then moves onto a more depressing tone nearer the end of the film. The way that they have used narration within this film is by using Forest to tell his story to random people he meets, while he is telling the story they show footage of him at the time, doing what he is explaining in the story he is telling. This works very well as not only are we being told what happened in his life we are also being shown it at the same time. The reason why they may have chosen to use narration in this film is because it makes it easier for us to understand and also attaches us to it more because we can see the person telling the story and what he will become by the end of it, this gives us a sense of realism to the story.
A second example where narration is used within a film is 'Stand by me'. This is a film of four boys journey to find a dead body in order to get in the newspapers and become famous, although they have difficulties on the way. The way in which they narate this film is presented by two characters talking to one another in their vehicles, both men are middle aged. 'Geordie' is the one telling the story and from this the film is the narrated and shown to us. One reason why they might have chosen to use narrative to tell the story is because it gives a good ending to the film, it gives the audience a insight into what the future was like for the boys who were looking for the dead body and how they ended up living their lives. they may have thought this was a better way to end it than finishing it when the boys were all still very young.
A third film which using narration is 'Big Fish, this film revolves around a father which is dying and his son who has never appreciated the stories, legends and myths which his father told, by the end of the film the son finally understands why his father told these myths however then his father dies. The film narrative is done by the father, he is the one who is telling stories of his life and then the film shows us these stories as he tell them. The stories are very far fetched and things happen which surely can't be reality. The impact this gives us is very good, it makes us see the whole life of the father with detail.
From writing about these 3 film examples i have realised that most films which use narrative are all about telling someones life story from when they are older, either about to die.
My first example of use of narration within films is the hugely successful 'Forest Gump'. The film is based in America and revolves around a boy named 'Forest Gump', this film tells the story of this mans life and the challenges he has faced all told to us by the use of narration. The film starts fairly happy and then moves onto a more depressing tone nearer the end of the film. The way that they have used narration within this film is by using Forest to tell his story to random people he meets, while he is telling the story they show footage of him at the time, doing what he is explaining in the story he is telling. This works very well as not only are we being told what happened in his life we are also being shown it at the same time. The reason why they may have chosen to use narration in this film is because it makes it easier for us to understand and also attaches us to it more because we can see the person telling the story and what he will become by the end of it, this gives us a sense of realism to the story.
A second example where narration is used within a film is 'Stand by me'. This is a film of four boys journey to find a dead body in order to get in the newspapers and become famous, although they have difficulties on the way. The way in which they narate this film is presented by two characters talking to one another in their vehicles, both men are middle aged. 'Geordie' is the one telling the story and from this the film is the narrated and shown to us. One reason why they might have chosen to use narrative to tell the story is because it gives a good ending to the film, it gives the audience a insight into what the future was like for the boys who were looking for the dead body and how they ended up living their lives. they may have thought this was a better way to end it than finishing it when the boys were all still very young.
A third film which using narration is 'Big Fish, this film revolves around a father which is dying and his son who has never appreciated the stories, legends and myths which his father told, by the end of the film the son finally understands why his father told these myths however then his father dies. The film narrative is done by the father, he is the one who is telling stories of his life and then the film shows us these stories as he tell them. The stories are very far fetched and things happen which surely can't be reality. The impact this gives us is very good, it makes us see the whole life of the father with detail.
From writing about these 3 film examples i have realised that most films which use narrative are all about telling someones life story from when they are older, either about to die.
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