Preliminary Task Evaluation

Question 1 What planning did you do for your filming task, and how did this planning aid the filming?
In our groups we created an individual story board based on the storyline we had created as a group. We made individual storyboards because we might have all wanted to use different cuts, which in the end we did use different cuts in our groups, so this would establish the differences in ideas. We also created a shot list which re-enforces our storyboard as a reference to the specific shots we each wanted to use and to each character, it has the same purpose as the storyboard but it is in a different format. I found that the Shot list was easier, quicker and simpler to produce than the storyboards. The storyboard labels what actions the camera should be doing, (type of shot) what is happening in the scene and who should be in it. It also lists how many shots we will be shooting, no doubt the filming of our preliminary task is slightly different to the storyboard but it gives us an idea of what our shots would look like and an overview of the film as a whole. These methods of planning helped us gain an idea of how long our preliminary task would be and how it would look, we made a few amendments whilst filming. We filmed too many shots for the walking down the corridor; we were over complicating the situation by trying to film in too many places. We attempted to film in the Arc and in the science corridor. Because of this we started to go off-storyboard and digress away from our planning. We made it harder for ourselves by doing this and managed to accidently film over shots we had already completed. We filmed over the whole conversation that we had previously filmed, we became incredibly frustrated and angry at ourselves. Ultimately we decided to film the whole task again, however they turned out better than the ones before so it ended well. If we had not completed the planning then the result of us filming over what we had already filmed would have been a much longer process for trying to stay within the deadlines if we had not had the shot list and story board. It made me realise how important recording your planning really is and how much of a help it can be! For my Thriller I will definitely use the same methods of planning.

Question 2 What is the 180 degree rule, and how is this important to the filming task?

The 180 degree rule is probably one of the most important rules in filming. Breaking it could cause the audience huge confusion. I find trying to describe it proves to be very hard. The 180 degree rule is to not go past an invisible line which splits down the middle of the conversation of scene. (Look at the image on the right) A classic example of where the 180 degree rule is put into practice is football or rugby games. the camera stays on one side of the pitch as to not cause confusion as to which team is scoring at which end. The camera would stay on the same side of the pitch.

Another classic demonstration of the 180 degree rule is the opening scene in pulp fiction. The camera stays on the same side the whole time as not to cause confusion. It also performs a very clear shot reverse shot. This is almost a perfect example of the 180 degree rule. Pumpking and Honey Bunny are talking in a cafe, but the shots they use, especially the mediaum/long shot, establishing how crazy they really are. This start sets the mood and the expectations for the rest of the thriller film. The end result of this film is that Pumpkin and Honey Bunny decide to rob the diner as they realise they can make money from the tills and the customers. When they make a move to rob it, it shows a really different side to both of the characters and how ruthless they both can be.

Question 2 What shot types and camera angles did you use in your filming task and to what effect?

We used a variety of camera shots in our Preliminary task. First of all we planned which ones we would use. We planned to use, Point of view shot, Tracking shot, over the shoulder shot, birds eye view shot, medium close up, extreme close up and long shot. However we had problems with filming the birds eye view shot. We could not find anywhere to film it where we could have the camera pointing straight down. We solved this problem by finding a balcony area, which was unfortunately very busy a lot of the time. Therefore we stayed late to film when there were less people to be in the shot.We ended up filming in the science corridor. We also struggled with the over the shoulder shot, because the first time we filmed it, we didn't do the characters sat directly opposite each other, but then when we managed to accidently  film over what we already filmed, the second time we made sure we were doing it right. We positioned ourselves (the characters) to face each other opposite! We used some shots for effect, but some just because it was practical to use, like for example the over shoulder shot, we used this because it clearly showed the conversation between the two characters and where they were positioned during this conversation. By filming the shot of Lyndsey running away from behind it shows how she is in such a rush that she leaves behind the other character. The effect of having the characters sat opposite each, enables the camera angles to have the effect of someone looking over the shoulder of the character who is listening, showing the actions of the speaking character. The effect of the birdseye view is to establish where they are walking, also the surroundings and if anyone else is there. 

Question 4

I have had some previous experience of editing, but only with movie maker and another one (of which I can not remember) Adobe Elements was new to me have developed my skills in that I now know how to use a new editing programme which makes me more versatile when it comes to generally editing videos. I have also learnt the easiest way of editing on that specific programme ‘Adobe Elements’ I feel I am fairly confident using the programme, having had previous experience editing videos, it is pretty easy to understand and work out, also the programme isn’t too complicated which makes the process a lot smoother, you encounter less problems whilst carrying out the editing process. I think once you have ‘captured’ all of the footage you need, it is pretty basic, but I have done it before so that worked to my advantage. The only problem we encountered whilst editing was the cameras, some of the leads were broken and some of the cameras not charged which made the process take a lot longer than it should have done which was mildly frustrating. However it only took us about an hour to edit once all of the footage was on and saved. My partner and I had both edited before which made the experience a lot smoother than it would have been. I am pleased with the outcome of our edit and cut, hopefully it will be different to others.

Kill Bill Analysis

Quentin Tarantino has very cleverly crafted the first scene of Kill Bill. The first thing you come to notice is the black screen that Tarantino produces. The first signifier is of the sound bridge and also diegetic sound of a woman, very heavy breathing. The film then cuts to a high angle close up shot of the bride's face. This shot reveals wounds and injuries. The shot is in black and white, or noir lighting/Chiaroscuro lighting. It may be in black and white as to pay a tribute to the 50's thriller films. Another reason is that it is a flashback, also the blood and injuries look far more realistic in noir lighting then they would in normal coloured lighting.

The film then cuts to a low angle tracking close up shot of a mans feet. The shadows of his feet are very visible and the diegetic sound adds to the effect of this man being a villain. 


From The handkerchief we
immediately know it is Bill.

It cuts back to the shot of the bride's face, this shows the power struggle between the two characters. The two different shots also establish a relationship or link between the make and female. "Do you find me sadistic?" is the first line in the film. This line implies that he has committed these injuries to her, that he has hurt her. It continues to stay on the close up of the brides face and her heavy breathing. This establishes a relationship between the bride and the audience. The man then goes to wipe her face, with a handkerchief embrodered with the name 'Bill' on it, she cringes and flinches at this action, you can tell from her expressions that she is uncomfortable with what he is doing. Immediately we know this man is Bill. From what Bill is wearing and his voice we as the audience can tell what kind of man he is. He has boots with a Cuban heel, so he cares about the way he looks and what people think of him they were probably expensive shoes so he is showcasing his wealth. He is also wearing a bracelet, maybe a family or gang symbol, that implies he is a dangerous man. Finally we see his Handkerchief with 'Bill' embrodered onto it. This tells us that he is a vain enough to have his name on his handkerchief. The name of the film is 'Kill Bill' so from this scene only we know that, 'Bill' has hurt the bride, who potentially, is going to try to 'Kill Bill'. However at the end of the clip, the bride speaks, her first line of the film "Bill, it's your baby". Just as she finishes the sentence, he shoots her in the head. This re-enforces the idea that he is a part of a gang or something similar. We also know that he carries a gun, so he is a danger to society.
The type of shot that is used makes it looks like it is from Bill's point of view, when he was talking to her, this is what he would see. It also makes it look like the bride is in a very claustrophobic place, there is no where to go, she is stuck and in danger. Also they types of character used and the strong use of shadows initiates it is going to be a very dark film.





Preliminary Task, Final Cut

How has Working Title adapted to changes in the film industry?

Working title is one of the biggest names in film. It makes sense that they would market their films adapted to what people want to see on their screens, this is a clever way of bringing in a large amount of money as the film is in demand. 

Working Title markets films differently to the US then it would to the UK. America stereo typically likes British Rom-Com films. They are something the US has yet to master. For example the trailer for 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' is different to the one shown in the UK. The one for the US may have had actors in it that they might have not heard of. However the last image on the US trailer is of Rowan Atkinson, this implies he is a big name in America and someone they enjoy watching.

The films they target the US with, would have award winning directors, a-list actors, sometimes they are based on a best selling novel, much like 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and it would be a popular genre that would do particularly well. Often the locations play a big role in films being so successful, American audiences really take to films like 'Hot Fuzz' because it is filmed in the British Countryside with British A-List actors. Also the films must have a strong target audience, however for a film like 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' it appeals to a pretty wide range of people. 

Film packages often appeal to DVD sales, more often than not usually before the film is released, part of the marketing of the film is to have advertising for it before hand. For example many films release merchandise to put in McDonald's happy meals for children, or to sell the soundtrack before it reaches our home screens. This is a subtle way of promoting the film and making people aware that the film is to come. Another method is a prequel/sequel, for example the Inbetweeners movie, they had three Television series before the movie came out, so it built up a strong target audience who were loyal to the programme, this guaranteed that it would make profit in the cinemas, and repaying the budget of £3,500,000. They are clever ways of subliminal advertising and recognition of the film, before it is in the cinemas. However more recently 3D films have been progressing into cinemas, films such as 'Avatar' was one of the first 3D films in cinemas. Therefore many people have not bought the DVD because the 3D film is not compatable with their Television software. However, there are such things as 3D televisions. This was targeted at people going to the cinema, and to make lots of profit from the big screen, not so much on DVD sales. 

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has been marketed very cleverly, it targets the older audience, possibly middle aged, or people who are interested in the Cold-War and spies etc. I went to see it and I don't think it was appropriate for my age group (16-17) It was difficult to follow and very complicated. Working Title spent $30,000,000 on creating the film and marketing it to it's appropriate target audience. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has an award winning director, Tomas Alfredson. The A-List actors, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, Mark Strong etc. It is also based on a bestselling book 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'. The film also have fantastic screenplay. Part of it was filmed in Hungary so the attraction of different locations was there. Seeing as though Working Title was founded by Brits, it was very important that they made a film with many British actors in it. So Colin Firth and Mark Strong etc must have been very important. To promote this film, they didn't really create a synergy, more of a symbosis, different companies working together to promote the same product. Vivendi Universal owns Vue and Odeon cinemas which are the main multiplexes in Britain, they dominate the film consumption industry in Britain so they control how much of one film is promoted etc.Vivendi has horizontal and vertical integration.

Even though the trends in the film industry are constantly and rapidly changing, Working Title will continue to produce timeless films. For example, people still watch films produced in 1994, 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. Working Title will advertise films differently to individual countries, as said earlier, the film trailer was cut differently for the US market to how it is marketed to the UK audience. Working Title has shaped and created trends for film producers to follow, I think they can continue being an individual British Film company.

Analysis of Thriller Film Clip

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a typical example of a thriller film. This clip shows a very rapid overview of what you shoukd expect to find in the film. If you have watched the film befre, then you would realise that a huge majority of the storyline is exposed in this trailer. It exposes, criminals, victims, the revengeful woman, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, twisted relationships, missing person and female fatales. The physical side of the trailer shows, dimly lit, rainy scenes, torture basement, desolate roads and interior of cars. (tight spaces.)

They spent $2,382,534.80 on this film it did them justice. The film is brilliant and the trailer exhibits that. Their use of shots and how they have cut the trailer is very clever. Also the use of sound is innvoative, and of course there is a narrater. The trailer shows states on venerability, on 0.17 seconds there is a shot of Lisebeth Salander following/chasing a criminal which shows the criminal is venerable. It is a great shot because it shows the side of the car and the full view of the motorbike, showing that she is gaining speed on him. The shot the cuts to a close up of her helmet, (the audience don't know who is on the motorbike) it then cuts to a shot of the side of the motorbike and the back of the car in full view/ or a long shot of the car. this again is showing the venrability of the character and the audience know that something is about to happen. However the sound on the last scene (from 0.17 seconds) there is a narrater and faded sound of the motorbike, it cuts to a quote and some graphics, then cuts back to the motorbike scene, but the sound is a lot louder and really emphasises the desparation of the victim in the car. The girl on the motorbike the takes off her helmet and her identity is revealed. Unexpectely it is a gothic/punky girl who is chasing the victim.

The sudden change of image is quite alarming, the loud strike of the match comes as a surprise, the screen goes black, all you can hear is the sound. this is possibly because thhey don't want to give away what happens of who causes the next scene. An explosion is the next visual image. However the film implies that whoever had the match causes the explosion. It then cuts back to the road with a 'point of view'shot, with the typical conventions of a thriller film, a darkly lit, rainy desolate road. This shot tells the audience that something is about to happen, that someone is going to do somethng. In contrast to the typical thriller shots, it also has graphical shots of text, possible emphasising the story line to a further extent. it gives a structure to the trailer and cuts up the film. I think it makes the audience anticipate and maybe surprised by the next scene of what is to come. The screen of "a missing GIRL" is closely followed by  shot of Lisbeth Salander and Blomkvist (the journalist), her image is quite alarming. Then it continues to an extreme close up of, who we assume the missing girl is, a pretty young lady.

It cuts to the graphical text again "a brutal MURDER". By putting the word "murder" in capital locks, this really emphasises the point that it is going to be a thriller film, that it is going to be a bit scary and the missing girl was murdered. This is closely followed by a long shot of a car, establishing the mise-en-scene to be snowy, isolated and very cold. It also shows the venerable state of the car and whoever is in it. The trailer then cuts to an clip of the Vanger household, a big daunting looking house that is very old, suggesting that this is where the "brutal MURDER" took place.

Following that shot is the image of a dead womens feet, sticking out the end of a barn, this leaves the mind to wonder who she is, is it the missing girl? is she really dead? when was she murdered? who murdered her? is it at the Vanger mansion? (etc) Then as expected a generic location of the thriller genre, the inside of a car, raining which is another convention. The murdered girl exaggerates the point that Blomkvist and Salander (the two people in the car) are heavily involved with the missing girl/the murder. Blomkvist turns to look at Salander, this implies that something did not go to plan, or something else has happened that has put a fault in the plan. The graphical text appears again "an unsolved MYSTERY". This text suggests that maybe she wasn't murdered, somebody definitely murdered, but was it the missing girl or somebody else? was it a mistake? etc.

To put a twist on the trailer there is a flashback, which the audience assume it is the missing girl and the start of her story and what happened to her. However we don't know if the two main characters know of this memory/story. It shows that the girl in the scene is worried, scared, and running from someone. "how CLOSE can YOU GET" followed again by a long shot of a car passing over a bridge, but showing different weather, this implies that Blomkvist and Salander have been working on this case for quite some time. (through different seasons)

In the next shot, the sound of the music heighten, getting louder as the intensity of the trailer increases. A panning shot of Blomkvist shows confusion, maybe realisation, something to do with case, this suggests that something major has happened within the storyline that they do not want to expose int eh trailer, but simply imply. The shot cuts to a loud sound of glass breaking and the moving image to go with it. Blomkvist has broken into someone's house, maybe to uncover some secret or to investigate something. "to the TRUTH" suggests that the truth does out and it is unveiled to all. However it cuts to a scene of Salander being attacked, which twists the storyline once again.

At 1.00 there is a blurred shot to show that someone is a villain, to show tht they are in the wrong and what they are doing  is criminal However their identity remains hidden throught the blurry shot. "before YOU" graphical text, is contacting the audience directly and making a link between the audience and the film. The graphics are followed by a medium close up shot of Salander looking fearful and worried about something this tells the audience that she is possibly in danger. It then cuts to a long shot of Salander with a man, implying that she is fearing the man that was suspected in the previous shot. He closes the blinds implying that he wants to find out or to do something very private as they are the only ones in the room. In contrast this, the following shot is of Blomkvist lying in his bed, and a wedge of light grows wider on his face, clearly a door opening, someone trying to get to him. To the audience this could mean that both the main characters are in danger, and that there might be an un-expected twist in the plot. The clip cuts to a violent shot of the man we saw closing the blinds about to hit something or someone. This suggests that because the audience think the main characters are in danger, that is could be either of the two in peril. 

"become the TARGET" is the next piece of text.  The fragmented sentance creates a really big effect on the audience, it tells part of the plot as well, giving hints about the film. Therefore expectedly the next shot is of Blomkvist looking venerable and scared for himself.He should be scared because the next section of the clip implies that there is some kind of torture device involving rope (A wince, a hangmans nouse) being wound up tighter and tighter. After that, there is another shot of Lisbeth walking across the bridge, alone and looking like she is in a hurry. The weather is grim and dark. After the peacefulness of the bridge that she walks over, in contrast to this there is a sudden scream and a clip of Salander screaming, the audience were right in thinking she was in danger, quite clearly, something happened to her.

Surprisingly it cuts to a shot of Blomkvist jogging through a forrest, alone, then it instantly cuts to the car that we saw right at the beginning of the clip again, to re-iterate that mystery, but that scene was also there to break up what Blomkvist was doing in the forrest, he gets shot at but misses the bullet and falls to the mossy ground. However it then cuts to an image of Salander lying, naked, suspicious of something, but in a comfortable environment.

Changing the tone of the clip, we see a figure smashing/breaking the rope that the audience thought would have put Blomkvist in danger. The audience probably suspect Salander of saving him, as the rope snaps and we see Blomkvist fall to the floor. Then the scene cuts to a shot of Salander running out of a building with a weapon initially to hurt somebody, we instantly see her smash a car window of somebody trying to get away from the scene.

The clip then shows Salander topless, looking deviant, almost instantly it cuts to an image of somebody with a tattoo of a dragon on their back, bending down, (who could this be?) Possibly contradicting the whole film, Salander and Blomkvist kissing. It represents love and compassion for one another, also because they have enforced so much hatred upon those who were the villains. This must confuse people to, as they are known as work associates.

Out of the blue, a plane lands in the sunny plains of a rural area in a warm climate. However the audience do not know exactly where it is, although they know it is different to where they have spent at least 3 seasons. The audience then know that someone has made a discovery in another land. Possibly to do with the missing girl. However contradicting that, we then see someone holding a gun to Blomkvist, one of the Vangers, maybe threatening Blomkvist because of his find in this far away land, maybe even because he murdered the missing girl.

The clip cuts to a car crashing, clipping the end of something. A flash of the country in warm climate, maybe where the discovery has been made, and then back to the man in the car, which is a generic convention of a thriller film. He is losing control of the car, a flash of Blomkvist is bright light, which shows the contrast between the two situations, then back to the car that we saw as one of the first images, rolling down a hill. Cuts to somebody getting out of a car in sunlight, again showing the contrast between the two situation. Also the low angle camera shots shows the importance of the person. Then an extreme close up of who we assume to be Blomkvist, opening a cupboard to reveal pictures, of who we can not see the identity, and then an extreme close up of Salander.

Finally the last image is of the car that was seen right at the start, rolling down a hill at speed, crashing, probably to its death. Ending with daunting graphics "the girl with the dragon tattoo".

Thriller Ideas

Locations

• Lake
• Busy Road
• Quiet Woodland
• Bathroom
• Church
• Garage
• Grand House

Sound/Music

• Sound of Walking
• Rustling of leaves
• (Music has to be written before 1961)

Who/Characters

• Glamourous young woman.
• Younger man
• Older man

Storyline

• Murder by a lake
• Stalking into Grand House
• Murder in a church
• Stalking down busy road

Preliminary Task Evaluation

1.       What planning did you do? How was this useful, and how did you change from your plans?

In our group we each created our own story board to plan out the happenings in our preliminary task. The storyboard labels what actions the camera should be doing (type of shot) what is happening in the scene and who should be in it. It also lists how many shots we will be shooting, no doubt the filming of our preliminary task will differ slightly to the storyboard but it gives us an idea of what our shots would look like and an overview of the film as a whole.

We also created a shot list, which simply listed all the shots we had to film of the subjects acting. It clearly shows the situation, who is in the scene and where we are filming before the list of shots. I think the list or shots are a lot clearer than the story board and I preferred using that to the story board, it is less time consuming and easier and simpler to produce.

These helped us gain an idea of how long our preliminary task would be and how it would look, we made a few amendments whilst filming; we filmed too many shots and started to go off-storyboard and over complicated the task. We made it harder for ourselves by doing this and managed to film over shots we had already completed. Ultimately we had to film a lot of the ending shots again but they turned out better than the ones before so it ended well.

2.       What camera skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the cameras, and has this confidence changed during the project? Give details of specific camera skills/techniques you have developed/improved, and include areas where you lack confidence/need to improve?

Having completed camera work before I already had an understanding of how camera angles have an effect on the audience and what they portray. For example the worm’s eyes view shot is often used to indicate fear, for the audiences view it shows events from the character’s venerable perspective. I have my own camera at home so I often get to use it to progress my skills in camera work. Although I have learnt about new types of shots and following that the effects that they have on the audience and what they see from the character’s perspective. I feel I have improved my understanding of how ‘working title films’ and big films are made, I can’t watch a film now without thinking about what type of shot it is, it has made me more aware of how films are shot. I think my editing side is strong, in the past I have made my own videos and enjoyed editing them together, I also filmed music videos with my friends in my spare time, and so I have had experience in trying to achieve the repetitive effect that videos aim to achieve.

3. What editing skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the editing program? Give details of specific editing skills/ techniques you have developed/improved, and include areas where you lack confidence/need to improve?

I have developed my skills in that I now know how to use a new editing programme which makes me more versatile when it comes to generally editing videos. I have also learnt the easiest way of editing on that specific programme ‘Adobe Elements’ I feel I am fairly confident using the programme, having had previous experience editing videos, it is pretty easy to understand and work out, also the programme isn’t too complicated which makes the process a lot smoother, you encounter less problems whilst carrying out the editing process. I think once you have ‘captured’ all of the footage you need, it is pretty basic, but I have done it before so that worked to my advantage. The only problem we encountered whilst editing was the cameras, some of the leads were broken and some of the cameras not charged which made the process take a lot longer than it should have done which was mildly frustrating. However it only took us about an hour to edit once all of the footage was on and saved. My partner and I had both edited before which made the experience a lot smoother than it would have been. I am pleased with the outcome of our edit and cut, hopefully it will be different to others.

Working Title Film Trailer

Paul
The first line spoken in this film is "you're going on a road trip?" which instantly establishes what the characters have set out to do, go on a road trip. You are the shown the main characters who are A-List actors, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, who have previously worked together in the films 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Shaun of the Dead'. Fans of these films would expect 'Paul' to be a comedy too. Another factor that is obvious is that they are really into aliens and outer space, this establishes where they are going on their road trip. Suddenly and quite bluntly, and alien appears. This entrance sets the rest of the film in place, it also gives the characters a challenge to deal with this alien. They have to get this alien back to where it came from. The may have made the link that Frost & Pegg work in comedy films and this is one of their finest. There is also a love interest in the film which also attracts film-watchers. Income the bad-guys so the audience know that conflict will break out. If you have an interest or not, that does not matter. If you like the film director, and the actors then that is enough for somebody to go and watch this film. Everyone knows that Pegg & Front work well together and the outcome of their films is always of a high standard. This films leaves you wanting to watch the rest of it and to find out what happens to Paul, for that reason people would go and pay to see this film.

Working Title Film Trailer

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

This film trailer tries to do many things. The first thing you instantly recognize is that it is showing you all the A-List actors in the films straight away, to the audience it must draw them in, for the actors are re-nound for being great. A majority of people go and see films because of the actors in them, also through sexual magnetism, if a specific age group of gender find an actor attractive,t he chances of them going to see the film is very high. The second factor you recognize whilst watching this trailer is that it sets out the story line very clearly. It explains what the main character has to do, "there is a mole at the top of the circus, he has been there for years", so ultimately he has to find out who the mole is.  But for people who don't know what that means, it could prove to be a very confusing film. The other thing this trailer does to its audience is leaves longing for the questions to be answered. At the end of the trailer you find there are many ends which need tying up, so the audience may feel compelled to go and watch the film for that reason. Other factors such as, when it was set, are clear in this trailer because of what they are wearing and the props, for example, the typewriter. It is a well crafted film as it shows some of the most important aspects from the film but does not let out too much information however it does showcase the genre of the film which is just enough to keep the audience going until (what the trailer is trying to achieve) they go to the cinema and watch it for themselves.