Preliminary excercise

1) Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

In my group was Michael Cassidy, Alex Thoupos and myself. We were all very professional in the way we handled the various tasks required considering we only had 3 people in our group. Michael started as the director and camera man while Alex and I acted as the bully and his friend. Alex then had to switch with Michael as he became the new actor. Although the main camera man was normally Alex we all got up from time to time to check framing and constantly gave different suggestions to keep the flow of filming going, which was very important due to the short time span we were given to film.

2) How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try to take into account?

To plan our sequence we first decided to draw up a basic script. This script gave a general outline of the dialogue and action of the scene which allowed us to consider which direction we wanted to take with regard to the shooting.

The Bully Script

After that we decided to make a basic storyboard, just with stick figure drawings, which also gave a sense of what we wanted on screen. We also managed to sort out a few problems with framing before we even started filming which was very helpful. As for techniques, we were required to primarily consider continuity. This meant using the 180 degree rule and 30 degree rule as well as match on action and shot reverse shots. While writing it we considered Levi-Strauss' theory of creating narrative through binary opposites like good verses evil. The opposites we had were:
-Big vs. Small
-Friends vs. Friendless
-Tall/confident vs. hunched and scared
-Loud vs. Quiet

 3) What technology did you use to complete the task, and how how did you use it?

As seen in the picture (left) we used a standard cannon HDV video camera with an additional microphone attachment and a basic tripod for steadier shots. The mic had 3 settings, each successive one allowing for more and more of the surrounding noise to be heard. We only used the shotgun setting and the ambient 1 setting, which allowed a high level of focus on the noise. We also used a set of headphones plugged directly into the camera (also seen left) and this allowed the camera man to hear exactly what the camera heard and therefore prevent any mistakes in the sound. The final piece of kit was a clapper board used for simplicity when it came to the editing process; when we saw what was written on the clapper board at the start of a shot we instantly knew what we were looking at.

4) What factors did you try to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

- Time:
We were given an hour to plan, an hour to shoot and another hour to edit. This meant getting our heads down and keeping work flow at a constant. During the planning we made sure we were clear on all shot ideas so that we could shoot them with relative ease when the time came. We also had to make sure it wasn't too complicated in order to get it done in time.

- Number of people:
Unfortunately our group only had 3 people. This meant that we could only have 2 people acting at a time and make sure the transition between different camera men was both smooth during the shooting and didn't show up during the edit. Our idea was easy enough to do with 3 people and we all pitched in during shooting; directing and giving ideas, which really helped keep the project moving

- Continuity:
This was perhaps the most important factor as it was the point of the task. When shooting, we had to make sure that everything in the scene remained unchanged which was achieved simply by keeping the room free and setting up in advance. We had to keep the lighting the same so we used the non natural lights present in the room. We had to follow continuity rules, such as the 180 degree line rule, the 30 degree rule, and the shot reverse shot technique. We also included a technique called eyeline matching which kept the actors at a level with the audience.

- Location:
We were only able to shoot in school, and so we were limited to where we could actually go. Many rooms were in use at the time of our shooting and so we used the most sensible room (the room our lesson was in).

5) How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

The success of our sequence was quite high. The match on action shots were very effective, especially on the grabbing of the door handle and chair. The 180 rule was adhered to and the continuity of the sequence was spot on (which was the point of this exercise)

The last few shots were highly effective in portraying the desired emotion of fear and the speed of the action.

There were however a few problems with the sequence. The arc of the camera was slightly wobbly and the framing off as the bully walked over to sit down by the nerd. This was probably due to the tripod being left on too stiff controls. One major issue is the use of the POV shot when the bully stands. This POV shot is supposed to be from the view of the nerd, however just before that shot the nerd is looking another way so the shot doesn't make sense. In hindsight I would have liked to start that shot with a pan across to the bully to represent the nerds head turning.

I think the sequence on the whole was very successful in portraying what we wanted and what I've learnt will be useful in later projects.

6) What have you learnt from completing the task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

Looking back I think more detailed storyboarding and a wider variety of shots will allow the editing process to be much smoother. Also the time limit was a big constraint so in future projects I will make sure I have plenty of extra time on my hands.

Applying Barthe's Theory

Enigma code:
Will Kyle Gass and JB end up together in a band? Is he the man prophesied to be JB's counterpart? Why was Kyle so cold to JB? How will JB live in Hollywood with no friends, family or steady income to speak of?

Action code:
What will young JB's  foolish action of jocking out in front of his father bring about? The pick is shown to be of some importance when it is highlighted by an extreme close up after being flicked at JB, leaving us wondering as to it's significance.

Semiotic code:

An example of a semiotic code in this sequence is when we see the Hollywood sign as JB steps off the bus as well as the beach and many street performers, giving us a clear sense of where we are.

Applying Levi-Strauss' Theory of Binary Opposites

What is the genre of the film? How are the genre signifiers introduced?

The genre is crime/action. This can be seen by one man being involved with betting on cock fights and then running from an MI5 operative. The action is seen in the various explosions and crazy heart stopping stunts.

Who are the main characters and how are they opposed?

James bond. The protagonist. We see him doing the same running and stunts as the chased antagonist, however bond runs while trying to keep passers by reasonably safe, while the antagonist can be seen constantly pushing people and getting in the way of others. James bond is also made up to be slightly more comical than the other man to make him seem more close to the audience.

What are the main themes of the film and how are they introduced?

Action and crime tend to just be covered in Bond films. The act of chasing is also a recurring theme, as well as the traveling to foreign countries and saving innocent people.

How is the narrative organised to show conflict?

Bond uses both brawn and brain to get down while the other man uses cunning and stealth. One is being chased the other chasing. Bond works for good the other man for bad. Bond never causes explosions only tries to avoid them. The two men are just shown to be complete opposites through the chase while still performing the same acts.

Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium

Who are the agents: the protagonist (the main hero who propels the narrative forward) and antagonist (opposing agent)?

Protagonist: John Anderton (Tom cruise)

Antagonist: The police, Danny Witwer, Lamar Burgess

Describe the Equilibrium. How is it represented?

The equilibrium in this film could have been in two places. The first being the time when John still had his son and wife and wasn't addicted to neuroin. This time is represented in the film as being a bright and happy time where he play's with his son and they appear to have a great relationship. Later the equilibrium could be when he is head of precrime. This is in the opening scene and although the man is sad, he seems to have his job going very well for him and has been living like this for a long time. However in this time its very dark and the character John presents allot of anger through actions like throwing cornflake packets when they annoy him.

What is the Disruption or Disequilibrium?

The disruption of the first situation is his son being taken away by an unknown man, resulting in the loss of his wife and his drug addiction. The second would be when he is told he will kill someone in the future, resulting in a long chase sequence where he tries to prove precrime wrong.

Are there any visual/verbal/aural clues that hint at what the hero's journey might be?

In the trailer we see him running away from the precrime officers showing that his journey will be to eacape them and we also see him looking at the captured prisoners, possibly looking for a flaw in the system.

How will the equilibrium be restored and what will be the new equilibrium?

Tom cruise will find out a flaw in precrime and they will be disbanded. He will find peace in himself and no longer take drugs and it will be hinted at the idea that he will get back together with his wife. The precogs will get a normal life together and will not be tortured anymore.

Applying the principles of continuity

This is the original, color version of the scene in which Uma Thurman's character, the Bride, takes on the Crazy 88's (although they're aren't really 88 of them, they just think it sounds cool)
The released version is in black and white, to avoid an NC-17 rating, and also doesn't have some of the kills as in this version.

Kill Bill is one story, divided into two volumes with five chapters each, presented in a nonlinear narrative style, as is common among Tarantino's films. The film is about a former assassin known as The Bride. On the day of her wedding, she's gunned down by a former employer along with her child, groom-to-be and the rest of her wedding circle. She, however, manages to barely survive, with a bullet lodged in her brain. Five years later, she awakes from a coma. Ready to wreak havoc for the deaths of her child and groom, she's off to kill Bill.

The scene opens with a pan up the body of a man who is clearly one of the ring leaders. Then it cuts to a tilt of The Bride unmoving as the crazy 88 circle in. As it cuts to her she is still standing in the same position as before, she raises her sword to see the reflection behind her in order to get a 180 degree view. All the shots so far have been flowing as they are all mid shots or close ups and have all been following the same swooping motion. As soon as the fighting starts the shots become much shorter and cut between wides and close ups to throw the audience in and out; making them feel like they're moving around in the fight. The match on action shot of The Bride removing an eye of her opponent is pulled off very well by the well cut together motion. The fact that the eye is fake is hidden behind the speed of the action. Each fight between The Bride and a new opponent fits the 180 degree rule in order to not confuse the audience too much.

These rules continue and many match on action shots can be seen, for example the cuts between the axe being thrown and it colliding with another of the crazy 88's chest. The shot order is all very logical; opponent approaches, The Bride attacks, the opponent is shown to be bleeding profusely and then it repeats. We also get shots of the one's she has killed lying in the exact place they died; another continuity technique. The camera is always eyeline matched when The Bride attacks or when emotion is being shown which keeps the audience knowing where they are most of the time, but the shots will also change to HA or LA to either show more of the surroundings or throw the audience away and give them a feel for the speed of the fight.

Principles of Continuity

Why is Continuity important?

Continuity is used to keep the narrative flow both logical and understandable. When continuity errors occur the audience can be left confused as to what has happened.

The Rules of Continuity Editing

Shot order - You should help your audience make sense of the film by moving across physical space in a logical shot order, i.e. long shot to mid shot to close up, instead of jumping from long shot to extreme close up

180 degree rule - This rule refers to an imaginary line running through the middle of the scene (shown below). It is important not to cross the line because it changes the perspective that the viewer see he scene from which can cause confusion and disorientation. So unless this is intended or the viewer actually sees the viewpoint move across the line, then it is important not to cross the line. 

30 degree rule - If the camera angle moves by less than 30 degrees (with the same framing) the audience may notice a 'jump' in the footage (also known as a jump cut)

Eyeline Match - It is important that the direction of the characters' gazes stay constant. For example if one character 1 is taller than character 2, then when the camera is from character 1's point of view it should be a high angle (looking down) and from character 2's point of view it should be a low angle (looking up).

Match on Match Action - You should match the last action of the previous shot to the first action of the next shot. This will ensure that action doesn't appear to repeat itself.

Shot/reverse/shot - When cutting back and forth between two people having a conversation you should do it in stages as following:

• Film it once as a master shot (showing character 1 and character 2)
• Film it again as a close up on character 1
• Film it again as a close up on character 2
• Film BCU's as individual shots when you want to show emotion
• When needed film mid shots, etc.

Creating meaning through Continuity

Meaning can be created through the use of transitions, sound, lighting, camera movement/position and framing.

A selection of techniques are:

Cross Cutting - This is where shots that are from different spaces of the narrative are put together. Overtime audiences have learnt to understand that this action is occurring simultaneously. Cross cutting is often quick and a popular example of this would be in a chase scene.

Fades - Fading in/out of a shot is often used to represent the passing of time

Wipes - Even though wipes are unusual to see, they can be used to make something wacky or lively and is more likely to be seen in a children's tv program or a comical sketch.

How will this help me in future?

I have now learnt the various techniques needed in order to maintain an audiences attention and keep a constant understanding of the story. I will make sure to keep the camera within both the 30 degree rule and 180 degree rule as well as taking a master shot along with a few takes on each shot to make sure one will edit in correctly. Finally i will make sure to shoot a long part of the sequence after setting up the next shot.

Storyboarding

Why are storyboards essential to the film making process?

• They provide a basic outline which in pre-production allows the director to get the correct feel for the movie
• This also helps them to overcome any potential problems before going on set
• The storyboard also provides a useful basis when shooting to guide the camera man and actors around the set, helping them know where to stand to avoid colliding with the intended special effects in post-production
• It can also help with post-production for the editor to understand what feeling to give the movie and a sense of how the story is meant to fit together

P is for psycho analysis

The storyboard shows us that the film begins with a low angled wide shot of a toilet door in low key lighting.  The shot is then mixed to a low angle midshot, slowly tilting up from a mans lower body to see him clutching his hand from a low angle which makes the character seem larger and possibly more dominant. The scene then cuts to an array of possessions which the camera pans across from left to right very slowly. These possessions will reveal details about the character. It then cuts to a close up of a plug hole, down which an alarming amount of blood appears to be flowing. The man in question literally has blood on his hands, a clear metaphor for some form of attack having just taken place. Cutting to a close up of his hands, we see he is bandaging them up. It then cuts to the reflection of his hand, clenching into a fist in the mirror, giving a clear sense of aggression and strength. The camera pulls out and tilts up to show his face turning suddenly to the left of the frame as a sound effect of the door opening is heard. The shot is cut to a midshot of a boy entering, walking from right to left. Cut back to who the audience can only assume is the killer, mid shot. He tucks his gun into his belt and the shot cuts to an extreme close up. This shows the emotion in his eyes deep in shadow to present his dark feelings. We hear him say "bad move kid" as the scene fades to black. After a pause, still in darkness, we hear 2 gunshots.

The narrative flow of this sequence is established first of all by the shot of the toilet door. This sets the scene and the audience knows where they are without having to have dialogue to spell it out for them. After that, the use of interesting transitions and varied shot types keep the viewer interested as they get more and more detail from every shot. The tension is created through slow pans, low key lighting and the fact that allot of information is still being with held. The final few shots are made more dramatic by speeding up the motions and hiding what truly happens.

Although i love this sequence and the way in which the tension is built and emotions change, i would add a few things if i were to direct it. First of all i think the shots are too focus on the subject, only looking away once to see his possession's and another time to see blood going down the drain. I think more suspense would be created by looking at the surroundings, such as blood patterns on the floor left by his hand as he entered the room.

Analysis of my first still

The shot is an ECU of a young white male who appears to have a sinister smirk on his face. It is a slightly high angle and the lighting is high key. In his dull reflective glasses that cover his eyes, you can see a second white male of similar age cowering away into a corner, hands raised in protection. The closeness of this shot really puts across the boy in shades emotion but also gives a very claustrophobic feel. Partnered with the high key lighting and sense of entrapment given in the reflection, this shot could easily be considered to be in the 'Horror' genre.

To achive the effect i used a spotlight on the boy in shades face and stood on a chair at just the right angle to position the second boy in the centre of the glasses reflection.

I really like the emotion you get from both characters and the massive feeling of entrapment given from the boy due to the claustrophobic effect of the "frame within a frame" and the fact it's clear he has no where to turn to escape.

In hindsight I would have prefered to make the boy in shades seem darker, possibly by wearing a black blazer instead of the childish blue top that can be seen bottom left. Also the setting (due to time restrictions) was chosen to be in a very bright/happy room whereas a darker one would put across the horror aspect much nicer. Finnaly a different pair of glasses with a higher reflective capability without a curved surface would mean that the second boy is both clearer and larger in the shot. However i am very happy with the end result considering i only had 10 mins in which to frame it.

DYM homework 1

Analysis of opening sequence to "The Lion King"

The Walt Disney logo slowly reveals over sounds of the rain forest. Tension builds and is broken by the sun rising over the horizon to traditional African music. The wide open plans of Africa can be seen. Various animals begin to look up to the sky with a sense of purpose. The lack of knowledge of what they are looking at raises tensions further. After a flock of birds is seen to be taking off from a river we see various birds eye view shots of the various animals traveling across beautiful scenery. A giraffe and her child step over a grassy hill into the sunlight and as the shot pans across we can see a large herd of assorted animals traveling together. The giraffe run to join them and more tension rises as the audience now knows that something big is happening where all these animals are traveling to.

The next shot shows a tree of ants ECU then the focus changes to a flock of zebras running along. This still promotes the idea of travel but also shows the many layers of the animal kingdom working in close proximity. This is then shown again as we see a shot from the floor of running tiny birds followed by huge elephants, walking just behind. A shot image of comedy comes from one bird avoiding being stepped on as he trails behind the other birds.

We then start to see the animals really converging, birds riding on elephants through a river while antelope and zebra run by. The music begins to reach a climax and the audience suspects whatever they've been traveling to is close by now. The camera pans across a huge number of animals to see 'Pide rock' a large table-top mountain. The camera follows a bird to the mountain and lands by a lion standing regally at the edge. We know he is important from the respect given by the bird and his possition, solitary on the rock.

A baboon is seen to be separate from the large herd, being made a path by the others for him to walk through. He steps into a beam of light and holds a stick, connoting his spiritual importance and old age, making the audience see him as wise. The music begins to soffen as he climbs the mountain and is given a welcome hug from the important lion, then led to a cute young cub, held by a lioness who appears to be the cub's mother. The baboon plays with the young cub then blesses him with fruit juice and dust of the earth. This furthers his image as a holy man and puts the cub in a very important light.

The baboon takes the cub very caringly and carry's him slowly to the edge of the rock. The animals can be seen to stand to attention, pricking thier ears up at what must be the climax of their journey. The music once again builds as the cub is nearing the edge. The baboon hoists him up and the animals all erupt into applause. The audience see's the cub's importance, which is reassuered by the beam of light that falls from the sky onto the cub. The camera pans round to see the cub's face looking slightly confused by the attention causing more comedy. The camera pans away from the big event to the far distance and the words "The Lion King" appear in large red letters.