1. What gender are you? Male Female
2. What age are you? Under 16 17-26 27-36 37-46 47-56 57-66 66+
3. Which of these movie genres is your favourite? Comedy Thriller Musical Romance Drama
Sci-Fi Other
4. Which of these movies do you most enjoy? Harold And Kumar The Bourne Identity High School Musical Pride And Prejudice Othello Terminator I haven't seen any I don't like any I like them all
5. What do you consider to be the conventions of a Thriller movie?
6. Which of these settings entices you the most? Park Street Nightclub Office House
Police Station Abandoned Warehouse
7. Which of these characters is most iconic? Terminator (Terminator Movies)
Batman (Batman Movies) Jigsaw (Saw Movies) Jason Bourne (Bourne Trilogy) None Other
8. Which is your favourite movie from the following? Ocean's Eleven Ocean's Twelve Ocean's Thirteen
Monday, 22 November 2010
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Comparing Two Opening Sequences
Kidulthood
Sound: The non-diagetic music used in the opening sequence of 'Kidulthood' is a steady beat, which fits in well with the theme of the movie and lasts throughout the sequence. The diagetic sound includes a drill being used by Trevor to construct a gun and general conversations in the playground.
Mise-en-scene: The characters are all dressed to fit in with the theme. The opening scene is in a high school so everyone is wearing the uniform. The high school setting means it is filled with many people.
Narrative: The main character, Trevor is constructing and hiding a gun, meanwhile Sam is being hostile to people in the playground and asking questions and finally, some random white guy is handing out invitations to a party.
Camera shots: The sequence uses extreme close ups when Trevor is constructing the gun and also close ups are used to show the concentrated look in his eye. An establishing, high angle shot is used in the playground to show its size and all the people.
Aim: The aim of the opening sequence is to establish the theme of the movie. The opening scene hints that the movie will involve violence with the gun being constructed and Sam behaving in an aggressive manner. The scene also establishes the fact that the characters will be mostly high school students. There is some enigma because the viewer is not made aware of why Sam is being aggressive and why Trevor is constructing a gun and whether the two actions are linked.
Silence of the Lambs
Sound: The non-diagetic sound is slow background music which helps build tension. The diagetic sound includes the woman's footsteps as she runs.
Mise-en-scene: The woman is wearing a casual/sport sweatshirt which shows that the situation is nothing special at first sight. The setting is a dull, forrest filled with obstacles.
Narrative: A woman is running through a forrest in a fast tempo fashion and an FBI officer is there and provides her with some information.
Camera shots: A longshot is used at first which shows the forrest and then the shot pans down. A low angled shot is used as the woman moves towards the shot. A tracking shot is then used as the woman continues to run. As she goes through obstacles the camera pans around her. When she meets the FBI officer a close up is used to show his facial expression as the camera zooms on him. The camera zooms in on the woman at the end before gory images are shown.
Aim: The aim of the sequence is to produce some enigma as the viewer does not initially know why the woman is running and tension is also built by the slow music to intrigue the viewer, and make them want to watch the rest of the movie.
Sound: The non-diagetic music used in the opening sequence of 'Kidulthood' is a steady beat, which fits in well with the theme of the movie and lasts throughout the sequence. The diagetic sound includes a drill being used by Trevor to construct a gun and general conversations in the playground.
Mise-en-scene: The characters are all dressed to fit in with the theme. The opening scene is in a high school so everyone is wearing the uniform. The high school setting means it is filled with many people.
Narrative: The main character, Trevor is constructing and hiding a gun, meanwhile Sam is being hostile to people in the playground and asking questions and finally, some random white guy is handing out invitations to a party.
Camera shots: The sequence uses extreme close ups when Trevor is constructing the gun and also close ups are used to show the concentrated look in his eye. An establishing, high angle shot is used in the playground to show its size and all the people.
Aim: The aim of the opening sequence is to establish the theme of the movie. The opening scene hints that the movie will involve violence with the gun being constructed and Sam behaving in an aggressive manner. The scene also establishes the fact that the characters will be mostly high school students. There is some enigma because the viewer is not made aware of why Sam is being aggressive and why Trevor is constructing a gun and whether the two actions are linked.
Silence of the Lambs
Sound: The non-diagetic sound is slow background music which helps build tension. The diagetic sound includes the woman's footsteps as she runs.
Mise-en-scene: The woman is wearing a casual/sport sweatshirt which shows that the situation is nothing special at first sight. The setting is a dull, forrest filled with obstacles.
Narrative: A woman is running through a forrest in a fast tempo fashion and an FBI officer is there and provides her with some information.
Camera shots: A longshot is used at first which shows the forrest and then the shot pans down. A low angled shot is used as the woman moves towards the shot. A tracking shot is then used as the woman continues to run. As she goes through obstacles the camera pans around her. When she meets the FBI officer a close up is used to show his facial expression as the camera zooms on him. The camera zooms in on the woman at the end before gory images are shown.
Aim: The aim of the sequence is to produce some enigma as the viewer does not initially know why the woman is running and tension is also built by the slow music to intrigue the viewer, and make them want to watch the rest of the movie.
Our Group's Idea For An Opening Sequence
This is the rough idea for our group's opening sequence so far.
There will be a man answering a phone. The man's identity remains unknown. He talks to another unknown man on the phone throughout the opening two minutes about hunting someone down. Again the hunted man is unknown and only referred to as "him". This interlinks with a sequence involving a man walking along the road and taking various paths in a quick and panicked fashion. It can be assumed that this man is the one being hunted. There are numerous shots of him taking paths which are then shown to be blocked by henchmen, and he is forced off into many different directions. There will also be around three or four rapid flashback shots during the sequence, which will be blurred and tinted so it will be clear that the scenes are flashbacks. The titles will come up simply in black and white every now and then during the sequence.
The sequence will have a quick feel to it with the numerous shots used in quick succession. Tracking shots will be used to show the man on the run and extreme close ups will be used of the first man's phone ringing and him answering it. As was aforementioned the flashbacks will be clearly defined with some blur and tint, if possible although it should be recognised that this may prove difficult to acheive and so may have to be cut in the final plan. The costumes will be casual/smart and dark, mostly greys and blacks. The music will have a dramatic feel to it and will probably be an instrumental by acclaimed artist Ashgo 9Teen as we have gained legal rights to use his material. The most likely pieces for use are the tracks 'Rayners Lane' or 'Rusteeq' as using his more complicated pieces would take away from the visual and the theme of the sequence.
Our initial idea for a title is 'Untitled' because the man is unknown and unnamed. The tagline is "Unknown quantities cannot be titled". The movie would fit into the thriller genre, and the sub-genre would be a hybrid; a man-on-the-run thriller with elements of a psychological thriller. The movie's style is rather rapid and creepy. The psychological element could show similar content to such movies as 'Donnie Darko' whereas the man-on-the-run element could be like the movie 'The Fugitive'.
There will be a man answering a phone. The man's identity remains unknown. He talks to another unknown man on the phone throughout the opening two minutes about hunting someone down. Again the hunted man is unknown and only referred to as "him". This interlinks with a sequence involving a man walking along the road and taking various paths in a quick and panicked fashion. It can be assumed that this man is the one being hunted. There are numerous shots of him taking paths which are then shown to be blocked by henchmen, and he is forced off into many different directions. There will also be around three or four rapid flashback shots during the sequence, which will be blurred and tinted so it will be clear that the scenes are flashbacks. The titles will come up simply in black and white every now and then during the sequence.
The sequence will have a quick feel to it with the numerous shots used in quick succession. Tracking shots will be used to show the man on the run and extreme close ups will be used of the first man's phone ringing and him answering it. As was aforementioned the flashbacks will be clearly defined with some blur and tint, if possible although it should be recognised that this may prove difficult to acheive and so may have to be cut in the final plan. The costumes will be casual/smart and dark, mostly greys and blacks. The music will have a dramatic feel to it and will probably be an instrumental by acclaimed artist Ashgo 9Teen as we have gained legal rights to use his material. The most likely pieces for use are the tracks 'Rayners Lane' or 'Rusteeq' as using his more complicated pieces would take away from the visual and the theme of the sequence.
Our initial idea for a title is 'Untitled' because the man is unknown and unnamed. The tagline is "Unknown quantities cannot be titled". The movie would fit into the thriller genre, and the sub-genre would be a hybrid; a man-on-the-run thriller with elements of a psychological thriller. The movie's style is rather rapid and creepy. The psychological element could show similar content to such movies as 'Donnie Darko' whereas the man-on-the-run element could be like the movie 'The Fugitive'.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Thriller Sub-Genres
The Thriller category of movies is very wide and unspecific. The following are sub-genres of the Thriller genre.
Psychological Thriller - e.g Donnie Darko. Movies with complicated and often creepy storylines.
Man On The Run - e.g The Fugitive. Movies which follow one person or a group of people's journey as they are hunted down.
Action Thriller - e.g Con Air. Movies which are packed with explosions, gunfire and fighting, but suffer from unrealistic moments and minimal storyline.
Slasher Thriller - e.g Scream. Movies which usually follow a violent series of killings.
Spoof Thriller - e.g Shawn of The Dead. Movies which use stereotypical elements of famous thrillers and pack them in a funny way into one movie.
Horror Thriller - e.g Saw. Movies which are designed simply to scare the viewer.
Psychological Thriller - e.g Donnie Darko. Movies with complicated and often creepy storylines.
Man On The Run - e.g The Fugitive. Movies which follow one person or a group of people's journey as they are hunted down.
Action Thriller - e.g Con Air. Movies which are packed with explosions, gunfire and fighting, but suffer from unrealistic moments and minimal storyline.
Slasher Thriller - e.g Scream. Movies which usually follow a violent series of killings.
Spoof Thriller - e.g Shawn of The Dead. Movies which use stereotypical elements of famous thrillers and pack them in a funny way into one movie.
Horror Thriller - e.g Saw. Movies which are designed simply to scare the viewer.
The Birds Scary Scene Evaluation
1st shot - Establishing shot
2nd shot - Mid Shot
3rd shot - Medium Long Shot (tracking)
4th shot - Low angle Mid Shot with slow rotation
5th, 6th shot - Mid Shot
7th shot - Medium Close-Up
8th shot - long shot
9th shot - Medium Close-Up
10th shot - Medium Close-Up
11th shot - Medium Close-Up
12th shot - High Angle, Wide Shot
13th shot - Medium Shot
14th shot - Close-Up
15th shot - Long shot continuity Medium Long Shot
16th shot - Long shot
17th shot - low Angle, Close-up
2nd shot - Mid Shot
3rd shot - Medium Long Shot (tracking)
4th shot - Low angle Mid Shot with slow rotation
5th, 6th shot - Mid Shot
7th shot - Medium Close-Up
8th shot - long shot
9th shot - Medium Close-Up
10th shot - Medium Close-Up
11th shot - Medium Close-Up
12th shot - High Angle, Wide Shot
13th shot - Medium Shot
14th shot - Close-Up
15th shot - Long shot continuity Medium Long Shot
16th shot - Long shot
17th shot - low Angle, Close-up
1. What principles of continuity are used here? How successfully? Refer to specific shots / screen grabs.
The continuity is mainly completely smooth but some parts of the woman's journey are missed out and in the shot of the woman going through the front door, a couple of her footsteps and the opening of the first door are skipped.
2. What is the effect of the editing on the viewer? What are we meant to feel at different stages? (ie before she enters the house, in the kitchen, in the corridor, in the bedroom, running away)?
There is a lot of build up as the woman opens the door. Then a point of view shot is used as she looks around the room and finally comes to the man. Then a close/mid shot is used to show the woman's expression and reaction.
3. What is the 'best bit' for you in this sequence in terms of learning new techniques and why?
The best bit was as the woman discovered the body and ran away, a view is used which allows us to see the woman running towards the camera but also shows the corridor behind her as if there is a possibility of something or someone coming behind her as she tries to escape.
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