Equipment

Here is the equipment we were supplied with to create our preliminary task and our Opening Sequence:

A standard Sony Handicam for filming.

A copy of the sony vegas studio 9.0 which enabled us to edit our peice really quite effectively due to the ablity to add voice overs and music.

And finally a standard camera tripod

Although the equipment we had was very limited in comparison to normal filmmakers, i still feel we managed to develop very effective uses for the equipment that was available.

Genre research for Preliminary Task

Thriller is a broad genre that includes numerous sub-genres (explained later). The basic thriller is characterised by fast-paced frequent action and strong protagonist's who must thwart the plans of the better equiped villains. In simple terms its a villain driven plot whereby the Protagonist must overcome many harsh obstacles to defeat his foe. We chose this Genre for our prliminary as it is an extremely flexible type of genre whereby we can adapt it to suit our own ideas etc.

The Thriller genre has numerous sub-genre's some of which include elements of other genre's, these include:

Action thriller: This will often feature some kind of race against the clock, containing lots of violence and action sequences as well as an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain very many props such as explosions, guns and a vast crew of extras as well as large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. These films often have elements of mystery films and crime films but these elements take a backseat to action. Possibly the most notable example of an Action thriller comes with the ‘James Bond’ films.

Crime thriller: This genre offers a thrilling account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. The emphasis is mainly on the criminals in this type of Genre rather than on the policemen themselves and feature more action sequences than any other type of aspect.

Disaster thriller: The conflict in this Thriller sub-genre usually comes from a type of natural disaster such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc.

Drama thriller: This is normally of a slower paced action focusing more on character development rather than kick ass action sequences.

Horror thriller: The main group of characters is put in danger from a usually unrealistic source such as zombies etc who they must destroy to achieve their goal.

Erotic Thriller: The clue is in the name, simply a mix of erotic adult type film mixed in with Thriller.

Psycholoical Thriller: Rather than following the usual gravitas of being a physical conflict, this genre shows confilct mentally and emotionally.

Religious Thriller: The plot is always closely connected with religous beliefs and religous objects are used throughout.

Most Thrillers are made using a combination of the above sub genre's, the most notable of these being the horror sub genre. Due to there being so many sub genre's within Thriller me and my group felt that this would suit us well when it comes to thinking up ideas and creating our opening sequence.

Location for Preliminary

Afer deciding on the Thriller genre we needed to come up with a suitable location that would not only fit into our chosen genre, but be close enough so we were able to film relatively quickly and simply. Our final decision was to film in the abandoned science block, which as shown above fits in well with the genre and provides a sense of authencity which would make our clip much more realistic. The fact that it was abandoned made the clip seem much more thrilling, the viewer starts to possibly think something bad has happened there, especially seeing as there is still equipment from lessons before. The location was especially good considering there was no background noise, or interferance from any other sources of noise. Finally because the block had been abandoned beforehand we didnt have to sort out any time for people to leave the block, meaning we could film for as long as we wanted. This made our skills in camerawork and in coming up with ideas that much better as we had the time to change and create as much as we wanted.

Variety of shots

We used a large variety of camera shots throughout our preliminary task. Some worked better than others, yet it still helped educate us all in what shots work best in certain situations.

Here are some shots we used and ones which will definately be inlcluded in our final piece:

-Mid shot

The mid shot shows the character in detail, but yet still shows enough for the audience to feel like they are looking at the whole person. This is basically seeing a person "in the flesh" if you were having a normal conversation. This shot is how you would see a character out of your own eyes, so it's a good shot in establishing a character and emphasise features or expressions in large amounts of detail.

-Close up

A close-up frames a person or an object, displaying the most detail of a character or an object, but does not include the wider scene. Moving in to the close up shot can be used by the zoom method on the camera. We used a close up without the zoom capabilities on the camera in our preliminary task because we were advised that it makes the shot look worse especailly with the limited capabilities that the camera's we used had. We used the close up technique when doors are being used, it emphasises the handles and creates tension, something which is key in any thriller.

-Point of View Shot

The clue is in the name here, basically the point of view shot is what the character is looking at from his/her point of view. It is normally done by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction.

-Panning

Panning is a horizontal movement or rotation of the camera. Panning a camera results in a motion similar to that of someone looking from side to side or shaking their head.

-Tracking

A tracking shot is where the camera is mounted on a platform that is pushed on rails while the picture is being taken. Considering we were limited on equipment, we attempted to create this effect by using 1 person filming sitting on a chair, and the other to push the cameraman along. Considering the lack of equipment we had available, the tracking shot came out well. Possibly not quite as well as in the music video for 'Vampire Weekend's' song 'cousins': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e0u11rgd9Q


-Over the Shoulder Shot











A shot where the camera is focused over the shoulder of the character to show where they are moving to and what they are seeing along the way, it is that simple yet incredibly effective. It usually follows an establishing shot which helps the audience place the characters in their setting.
-Shot Reverse Shot

The shot basically shows character 1 looking at character 2, then character 2 looking at character 1, showing the two characters facing in opposite directions looking at each other. This is used to establish a connection between two characters.

It was this variety of shots which helped our preliminary become so effective.

Overview of Preliminary

Throughout the preliminary task the four of us took turns in being the cameraman as it gave us all a chance to create a variety of shots and learn from our own mistakes. We all had our go at editing the final piece which allowed us all to put in some sort of imput. Our decision making was also very good, such as our idea to add music into the piece to create the tension and eerie atmosphere that we were trying to achieve. Nobody made a decision by themselves which i feel was crucial in making our piece of film great, we all pitched in and if we didnt all decide it was the best thing to do, we simply didnt do it. The overall standard of our videa is in my own view, a high quality for beginers such as ourselves. There are a few things that we still need to touch upon (like removing camera equipment out of the shot!) but throughout the preliminary we all gained new skills and bonded well as a team.

The things i feel we need to work on are only very minor but yet can still be crucial in providing a sense of authensicity to our upcoming final piece of film. Firstly characterisation. We did not assign a real authentic role to the two characters. There was no protagonist or antagonist or real basic storyline. So for our real final piece we need to dig deeper into characterisation and find out the best and most suitable clothing etc to put our actors in.

Actors is another key aspect to look at for our final piece. We used two of our group members for the preliminary and neither of them had any experience in acting whatsoever. This can make the piece of film look less authentic and realistic, so we made a group decision to get an actor in for our final peice.

The final thing i feel we need to work on, and again its to do with authenticity, would be to check our setting correctly before shooting. As you can see in our preliminary lying on the floor is a camera stand case! This makes the film look less authentic and makes us look a lot more like amateurs!

Match On Action

Match on Action in simple terms is basically two shots fitted together to make a shot look smoother and appeal more to the audience. An example of Match on Action could be simply a shot of someone kicking a football from the front and from the back then piecing the two together to make the shot look more aesthetically pleasing to the audience.

If this editing technique wasnt done then most shots would look plain and boring with no variation. However it is quite interesting how a simple change in view point can make a piece look so much smoother thus creating an overall better shot. It also allows filmakers to include other aspects within a shot that they were unable to do beforehand with just one shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tchLVE12tk&feature=related - Here is a link to a video showing clever uses of Match on Action.

My particularly favourite shot in this clip comes between 19-21 seconds. This shot really proves the whole concept that Match on Action allows shots to become so much smoother and visually pleasing for the viewer. Without the transition in viewpoint this shot would be simplistic and boring.

Research Into Opening Sequences

For a few months now, ever since knowing we would be creating our own opening sequence, i have watched and studied as many opening sequences as i could. I did this as i thought it would hopefully help me to gain a clearer picture of what i am required to do, but also to see what big budget directors do with their own opening sequences. My research began by watching the first few minutes of 'The Usual Suspects' 'Dirty Harry' and 'Seven'. Throughout the clips there were several particularly good camera angles and shots that i would like to incorporate into my own piece. After this extensive research this is where we decided as a group to base our preliminary in the 'Thriller' genre.





This shot is my particular favourite from the movie 'The Usual Suspects'. I feel that it creates a sense of urgency and drama, telling a lot to the audience as to whats going to happen next. Possibly a death of some sort or an explosion considering the matches look like a semi explosion already. I am able to take away so much information from An Extreme Close-Up. Clever uses of Mise-en-Scene such as this is something i wish to achieve in mine.


There are a variety of features that need to be considered when producing your own opening sequence, especially one as complicated as a thriller. Through extensive reasearch i am positive in saying that the most important ones to consider are: Setting, Narration, Characterisation, Ideology, Genre, Sound. These are the aspects that i used the most when writing about studied opening sequences. They all in some way, shape or form helped me to grasp and describe what was happening in front of me.





Here is an overall evaluation of these conventions:

- Setting

The setting can make or break any piece of film, the setting needs to straight away establish genre and set the scene and tension for the audience. The classic Thriller setting's are usually in urban city's, this is possibly because of the mysterious colour scheme a city provides. All the buildings are tall and grey, providing mysterious shadows etc. This helps emphasise the thriller genre. The only other colours that may possibly be used within an urban environment would be to foreshadow something to come. For example the colour red is a symbol for love and passion yet also for blood and death. Mix this in an urban environment and what this does is foreshadow either a passionate love scene or a bloody death. The other advantage to an urban environment would be the closeness of the buildings, this provides a dark atmosphere and creates shadows that could possibly have villaineous things within.


-Narration


The narrative side within a thriller is usually seen in first person narrative. This technique means thatg the plot is narrated by one or more characters, who usually refer to themselves as 'I'. This direct involvement with the character bridges the gap with the viewer, meaning the viewer is much more involved with the character and the way his mind works.


-Characterisation


Characterisation play the most vital role in determining from the start the differant characters that will be introduced within the piece of film. Within the Thriller genre possibly the most important aspect to establish straight away is the Protagonist and Antagonist as these are the most vital character roles. Characterisation allows for a specific dress code to establish these roles, the Antagonist will usually be seen in the more dark colours, causing the viewer reaction to be one of suspicion. The Protagonist's will usually be more stylish clothes that make him/her stand out but not in an obvious way. Another way characterisation helps establish these characters is how a seemingly immensely strong Protagonist has a fatal flaw that an Antagonist is able to exploit.


-Ideology


Quite like Characterisation, Ideology within thriller is used to trigger off certain emotions from the viewer towards certain characters in film. An innocent old man will hopefully if done correctly give off the aspect of sympathy. Wheras a crazed psychotic killer will provide negative emotions. This interaction with the audience makes the film that little bit more exciting.


-Genre


Thriller is a broad genre that includes numerous sub-genres (explained later). The basic thriller is characterised by fast-paced frequent action and strong protagonist's who must thwart the plans of the better equiped villains. In simple terms its a villain driven plot whereby the Protagonist must overcome many harsh obstacles to defeat his foe.


-Sound


The norm when it comes to sound in thriller's is usually an eerie, suspenseful type of music. This is used by the director to create suspence and tension, or if the director wants the dialogue to be focused upon more than usual no music will be played whatsoever.

All these conventions help to create a succesful thriller

NEW YORK BABY!!

Starting from the 3rd of february and ending on the 7th myself and a number of other students from AMVC AS Media Studies went on a rather epic trip to New York City!. In my view the most important reason for the visit (besides the mega shops) was to partake in a Film Masterclass at the Film Academy.

The masterclass which lasted for roughly 4 hours consisted of 3 differant sections all involved with the media industry, these sections were; film-making, acting and editing. My favourite section came with the film-making aspect, i feel that it generally helped improve my skills when working with a camera. My role within the group whilst doing the film-making was to be the cameraman, i volunteered for this position simply because i wanted to get behind that camera!! I am generally a novice when it comes to film-making so when the opportunity aroused to direct and film the way i wanted there was no way i was not going to turn that down.

So with my newly found camera skills and a good group to work with we created a very short clip to basically prove that we had learned a thing or two. Although the equipment we used in the Masterclass would not be available to us in our actual film making back in the UK i still believe i can take away the techniques i learnt and apply them to my own film.

We were also able to edit this short clip and improve our editing skills. Again being a complete novice on Editing this helped me get a basic overview on what skills and equipment is needed to edit a piece of film. The editing aspect of the Masterclass i found to be especially good as it gave me a lot of easy editing techniques to use, whilst gradually expanding into the more advanced stuff. I am now able to fully apply all those skills and help out my group when it comes down to editing our final piece.

The third and final stage with the masterclass came with Acting. Now having done GCSE Drama i know a thing or two about acting so i didnt find this stage as exciting as the other two. It was still just as interesting however as i learnt whats needed to act in front of a camera, a vital aspect to any actor.

Overall then The film making Masterclass was well worth it, i learnt so many new skills that i will be able to apply to my own film. All of the members in my group also went to NYC so this will hopefully improve our overall piece of film.

The media workshop wasnt the only worthwhile thing that happened in our time at the Big City. After all the whole point of the trip was to see differant aspects of the media industry. Possibly the most intriguing thing i learnt whilst at NY was how far editing effects a peice of film. This was especially true when viewing the friends apartment block. Being an avid friends fan i was shocked at how small it was and how much editing and camera angles play in decieving the audience.

I was also completely shocked with the number of movies that have been filmed at the Big Apple! Aside from the obvious daily Tv shows such as 'friends', 'how i met your mother' etc, there was a startling amount of films. Did you know that New York is the most filmed place on earth? Well neither did I until our very friendly tour guide told us so.

A brief tour of the NBC STUDIOS helped me to gain an insight into the various camera angles that are used in television and also the layout of a tv set itself.

Overall i thoroughly enjoyed my time in NYC, it really put the media industry into perspective for me and helped improve my skills in developing a peice of film, whilst at the same time being an absolutely fantastic city and an awesome tourist attraction.