The story that we used for this task was an interrogation. We used techniques such as:
Eye-Line Match
I think that we used this technique correctly and that it looks really good.
Match-on-Action
We also used this technique accurately and i think that it flows very well.
Graphic Match
I think that we could have done this technique better as i do not think that it flows.
Shot/Reverse Shot
I think that this technique is pretty well done.
Overall i think that our film was well done and that we edited them well too. I think that we could have improved the graphic match as i think that it did not flow very well.
"Shifty" is a British film that was made in 2008 under
the Microwave Scheme that was funded by the UK film council (since replaced by
the BFI). The aim of the scheme was to provide young London film makers with a
platform to make a small independent film.
The rules of the
Microwave Scheme were that the film had to be made in 18 days and with a budget
of less than £100,000. "Shifty" was the second Microwave film to be
released. "Shifty" opened in 51 small independent cinemas such as the
Curzon chain and on its opening weekend took £61,000. The final box office
takings were £143,000. Most of the film's profits came from DVD and television
sales.
"Shifty"
was distributed by Metrodome. £50,000 was spent on making celluloid prints of
the film, administration and advertising. The intention was to attract two
different audiences. The first audience was the middle class audience that
regularly sees small independant films at independent cinemas. In addition they
wanted to attract a new,younger urban audience. The audience had made
"Kidulthood" and "Adulthood" profitable.
In order to target both audiences, Metrodome produced different trailers.
Interestingly the trailer targeting the youth audience had a soundtrack oh 'hip
hop' music. there was no soundtrack in the actual film.
In addition Metrodome ran adverts on a pirate radio stations, used Fly Posters
(these are illegal posters that are put up) and gave out 'business cards' which
depicted shifty as a drug dealer and directed the recipient to a website. A
music video to promote the film was posted on Youtube and a website was created
and promoted on social network sites.
Most controversially, the film sent out viral emails that identified the
recipient as a potential drug dealer. The Advertising Standards Authority
received a complaint and the emails were banned. However, the ‘bad’ publicity
helped to promote the film.
Finally, Metrodome targeted the youth audience through a competition offering
£500 worth of studio time to young musicians. The lucky winner had the opportunity
to work with Riz Ahmed - a musician who starred in the film.
The Plot of the Film.
"Shifty" is a thriller that builds slowly. There are
three interwoven threads to the story. Chris (Daniel Mays), a young man in his
twenties returns home to visit his best friend who he hasn't seen in a long
time. An enigma is set up. Why why did Chris leave? We suspect
something awful happened but are not sure.
Quickly we learn that Shifty became a drug dealer. As he finishes his
"rounds" the film shows us a realistic image of urban life. The
second thread to the story shows Trevor, who is a drug addict and is desperate
for drugs. The audience are dragged in to his desperate search for drugs, which
becomes even more desperate.
The third and most important plot involves Shifty being placed in
danger by Glen who lies and claims Shifty is short changing his supplier.
Shifty fears for his safety and the film builds towards a climax of tension.
The final resolution to the film takes the audience by surprise.
My Reaction to
this Film.
I really enjoyed
this thriller as it was very effective in the way they present the characters
to show life in the urban area. I think that the fast scenes, where the action
was very fast paced, were the best parts. I also think that the part where
Shifty and Chris were sitting by the window in Shifty's house,
i think this
scene is particularly successful in this movie as after all the intense action
there is a short scene, which shows Shifty and Chris laughing together about
the problems they had all day and this takes the viewers attention from the
problem for a bit until we see the car driving to someones house, which would
make the scene intense again.
Continuity editing retains a sense of realistic chronology and generates the feeling that time is moving forward, it may also use flash-backs or flash-forwards but the narrative will still be seen to be progressing forward in an expected or realistic way.
Eye-line Match
-> We see a character looking at something off screen and then we cut to a shot of what they are looking at.
Match-on-Action
-> We see a character start an action in one shot and then see them continue the action in the next shot.
Graphic Match
-> When two shots are linked with a similar shape or composition of an image.
-> The film maker can choose to place shots in a certain order so as to create a smooth visual transfer from one frame to the next.
-> When two consecutive shots are matched in terms of the way they look is called a graphic match.
180 Degree Rule
-> The 180 degree rule is a basic guideline that two or more characters (or other elements) in the same scene should always have the same left/right relationship to each other.
-> If the camera passes over the imaginary axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line.
Shot/Reverse Shot
-> Shot/reverse shot is used to show conversations/arguments.
The first use of colour was seen in films such as "Voyage a Travers l'impossible" by the Pioneer Georges Melies in 1904. Here the film was hand painted frame by frame. The next development was the introduction of two-strip-technicolor using only red and green, e.g. The Mystery of the Wax Museum. First full three strip technicolor was Becky Sharp (1935).
From the 1930's to the 1940's black and white represented reality and colour represented fantasy and spectacle, to this day the opposite is true. The Wizard of Oz is one of the movies that had a black and white/sepia reality and a colourful fantasy.
Denotation & Connotation
Denotation - the literal description of an idea, concept or object.
Connotation - what we associate with a particular idea, concept or object.
Connotations for the following are:
Red - Warning - Blood - Danger- Romance
- Hot - Love - Stop
Blue - Clean - Calm - Relaxing - Sad
- Sea - Peace - Tranquillity
- Cold - Death
Green - Natural - Nature - Peace
- Tranquillity - New Life
- Rebirth - Sickness - Go
White - Cleanliness - Purity
Colour works on the subconscious to create mood.
Lighting
This is the standard lighting setup:
Key Light - is the brightest and most influential.
Back Light - helps counteract the effect of the key light or creates an outline or silhouette.
Filler Light - helps to soften the harsh shadows that the use of key and back lights create.
Under Lighting
This is when the main source of lighting comes from below the subject. Used in Thrillers and Horror films.
Top Lighting
This is when the main source of light comes from above, highlighting the features, used to create a glamorous look.
High key & Low Key Lighting
Low key lighting is created by using only the key and back lights, this will produce a sharp contrast of light and dark areas on the screen as very deep, distinct shadows are formed.
This is known as Chiaroscuro
High key lighting uses more filler lights and the lighting appears realistic.
Mise-en-Scene Exercise In this exercise we had to show the different types of emotions, for example, relaxation right at the beginning, we showed relaxation by having Diana put up her feet and the leaning back in your chair, expresses the relaxed atmosphere, next we did embarrassment, when i fall over walking into the room and the i get sympathy form Diana. In the next part we showed Viktorija(P)being agitated, to show this she tapped her fingers on the cupboard, this could also show that she was trying to intimidate us, to show that we were nervous we started to take away the relaxed atmosphere by looking nervous, Diana removed her feet from the desk to show that she wasn't comfortable in the situation, and we all try not to make eye contact with Viktorija(P). Then we see Viktorija(P) get angry by raising her voice and leaning in towards us in a menacing way.
Rope 1948 rope is a psychological thriller, it was adapted from Patrick Hamilton's play which appeared in 1929. The play was based upon the real life murderers Leopold and Loeb who killed an innocent man to see how it felt. The case became very famous in America. It was linked to the ideas of Nietzsche and his notion of 'superman' a morally superior being. Nietzsche's ideas influenced Hitler and the rise of the Nazis.
The film was made in 1938 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The unique and interesting thing about the film is the editing. Hitchcock wanted to film the story as one long continuous take so that it was like watching a play and the audience felt they were 'living' the action. However, before digital, film came in ten minute rolls. Hitchcock had to compromise and each unedited scene is ten minutes long. changes between scenes appear rather 'clunky' to a modern audience.
Using this editing technique creates a feeling of claustrophobia. The actors and the audience are both trapped in the film. The fact that the trunk with the body in it is always present throughout the movie creates adds the the tension.
Another fascinating element to the is the way homosexuality is portrayed. The strict censorship of the 1920s meant that the subject could be implied but not openly stated. Even though they had to try to hide the homosexuality there were some hints that gave the audience a hint of the gay relationship between Brandon (John Dall) and Philip (Farley Granger)were that whenever they spoke to each other they stood right next to or in front of each other keeping little distance from each other. Also there is some sensual tension between them. This movie had many conventions of a thriller but the most obvious were suspense and a cliff-hanger, the suspense was when we constantly wait for the body to be discovered in the trunk and the movie ends with Rupert Cadell (James Stewart) shooting the gun out the window and we hear sirens.
Our task was to film a sequence of scenes and include all the different types of sounds used in movies. The sounds that we used were:non-diagetic sound, off-screen sound, on-screen sound, parallel sound, pleonastic sound (door slam), ambient sound(empty room). We used off-screen sound, ( off-screen voice- "well look who it is") to make the viewer question who the voice belongs to and makes the atmosphere mysterious. We used pleonastic sound, (Loud door slam off-screen) we put this at the beginning straight after the non-diagetic voice over, to grab the viewers interest. Some of the sound that we captured could have been improved, for example during the off-screen sound, you can hear talking from outside the room. To records the voice over that we put at the start of the film was used with a recording device that we had to take to a quiet room to record with as it could pick up any surrounding sound. Every time we had to record, we checked that you couldn't hear any surrounding sound such as footsteps and talking as the microphone we used can also pick up any surrounding sound and it would ruin the footage if there was any other sound in the recording.The most positive elements of our film in my opinion were the off-screen and non-diagetic sounds. To improve we could have used sound bridges and contrapuntal sounds.
IN THIS FILM WE WERE TRYING TO SHOW A CASUAL CONVERSATION BETWEEN TO FRIENDS, I NAMED IT "NOT INTERESTING INTERESTS" BECAUSE THE TOPICS THAT THEY SPOKE ABOUT WERE NOT VERY INTERESTING. THE SHOTS THAT WE INCLUDED IN OUR FILM WERE; WIDE SHOT, MEDIUM SHOT, OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT, WE ALSO USED THE PANORAMA CAMERA MOVEMENT AT THE BEGINNING.
AT THE BEGINNING WE USED AN ESTABLISHING SHOT TO SHOW THE SETTING OF WHERE THE FILM IS MADE. I USED THE OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT IN THE CONVERSATION TO FOCUS ON THE PERSON WHO IS TALKING, WE USED THE WIDE SHOT AT THE END TO ADD EMPHASIS ON THE ENDING. MOST SHOTS WERE SHOT ON A TRIPOD WHCIH MADE SURE THAT THE SHOTS WERE STILL, OUR LAST SCENE WHERE THEY ARE WALKING AWAY FORM EACH OTHER WAS A BIT SHAKY BECAUSE IT WAS FILMED BY HAND AS THE TRIPOD WAS NOT TALL ENOUGH TO FILL WITH.
I THINK THAT MOST OF OUR SHOTS WERE FRAMED APPROPRIATELY BECAUSE THE FRAMES HAD THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS IN THEM.
IN MY OPINION THE MOST POSITIVE ELEMENT OF OUR FILM IS THE ESTABLISHING SHOT BECAUSE IT INTRODUCED THE LOCATION OF WHERE THEY HAVE THE CONVERSATION. TO IMPROVE I THINK WE WOULD NEED TO FOCUS ON INCLUDING MORE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHOTS AND TRYING TO GET ALL OUR SHOTS TO BE STILL.
DIRECTOR: Alfred Hitchcock WRITERS: Joseph Stefano (screenplay) Robert Bloch ( novel ) STARS: Anthony Perkins Janet Leigh Vera Miles
HITCHCOCK'S THOUGHTS
The
audience know there is a murderer in the house.They don’t know when she/he will
strike again but to be suspenseful they must know it could happen any minute.
Hitchcock stressed that as the apprehension increases there is less and less violence on screen.
Fast Pacing Action
"thrillers are characterised by fast pacing frequent action. "
This is true in "Psycho" because in the shower scene when the killer is stabbing Marion Crane in the shower all the action is happening very quickly and the camera movement is also very fast.
NORMAN BATES
Hitchcock said that it is important to avoid cliché and repetition - particularly with regard to character - e.g murderers can be charming and the heroes flawed.
In Hitchcock's films he often placed evil in the most banal of settings. Like a place you would see in everyday life.
Suspense, Red Herrings and Cliff-Hangers
Story-wise,"Psycho"is not extraordinary; it's true brilliance lies in it's construction.
Hitchcock has developed the film in such a way that it consistently flouts audience expectation.
There are two major surprises.
1. The shower scene murder
2. The final revelation about mother.
A viewer who sees the film for the first time without knowing about either will experience the full impact of what Hitchock intended.
The greatest shock for the uninitiated is the early exit of Janet Leigh.
This is doubly unexpected because, to this point, the screenplay had tricked us into accepting Marion as the main character.
When she dies and the point-of-view shifts to Norman Bates, the audience are puzzled.
In order to keep this crucial aspect of the film secret when Psycho opened in 1960, there were no advanced screenings and no one was admitted to a showing after the feature had started.
"The McGuffin"
Hitchcock said that the McGuffin is the plot device that causes the action to happen. The McGuffin usually comes in the first part of the film and sometimes returns at the end. In his thrillers the audience don't really care about the McGuffin. In Psycho the money that Marion stole is the McGuffin.
WHEN "PSYCHO" WAS INITIALLY RELEASED IN 1960, IT WAS A HUGE BOX OFFICE HIT, THERE ARE STORIES OF 3-MILE LONG LINES AT DRIVE-IN ENTRANCES.
The Shower Scene
Whenever anyone speaks about Psycho, the first images that come to mind are those of Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, being hacked in the shower. The scene is so famous that people who have not seen the film are aware of that particular scene.
What we actually see in this scene:
- A knife
- blood(chocolate syrup)
- water
- woman's naked body(certain parts hidden)
- only a brief showing of the blade penetrating the flesh.
The full horror of the murder is only hinted at on-screen.
It takes the power of the viewer's imagination to fill in the blanks.
"NORTH BY NORTHWEST" IS IN MANY PEOPLES OPINION THE PERFECT THRILLER. NORTH BY NORTHWEST WAS RELEASED IN 1959, ALFRED HITCHCOCK DIRECTED THE MOVIE, THE WRITER OF THE MOVIE WAS ERNEST LEHMAN, THE MAIN STARS OF THE MOVIE WERE;
EVA MARIE SAINT
CARY GRANT
JAMES MASON
SUMMARY OF NORTH BY NORTHWEST:
A
‘innocent’ New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by
a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for
a way to survive.
HITCHCOCK'S WORKING METHODS
Hitchcock always planned every scene visually in advance.
Before shooting Hitchcock learns all the dialogue and rarely needs to look at the script. When
directing, Hitchcock never looked at the camera – he always imagined he was
looking at a cinema screen.
"NORTH BY NORTHWEST" Triller Conventions
"Triller movies are characterised by fact pacing, frequent action".
An example of this could be the last scene at the end of the movie on the cliff top, when Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint are running away from the antagonists and they have to climb down the cliff.
"Thrillers have resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains". This is true in North by Northwest as Cary Grant is the resourceful hero who has to thwart the plans of James Mason who is the more powerful villain.
Hitchcock - Two clever techniques
SETTING --> Its very important. Mount Rushmore is a symbol of order - Hitchcock throws in disorder, so that the story contradicts the setting of the movie. RELIEF FROM SUSPENSE --> Hitchcock says that audiences often need it - a change of pace - possibly a laugh.
"THE MCGUFFIN"
Hitchcock said the McGuffin is the plot device that causes the action to happen.
The McGuffin usually comes in the first part of the film and sometimes returns at the end.
In Hitchcock thrillers the audience don't really care about the McGuffin.
In "North by Northwest" it is the Microfilm that is the McGuffin.
