Skills Audit: Soundtrack

For our soundtrack we firstly decided to have two different types of music to reflect the two characters, but after a couple of minuets we noticed that one, it would take up too much time and two it wasn't as effective.
We all agreed on having a smooth yet tense sound that gradually builds, adding other pieces of sound to emphasis the natural sound. Such as the Breathing sound when I',m running, the Knock on the door when the letter comes through.
We also laid on other types of sound to add dramatic effect in certain places.

Skills Audit: Creation of Titles

For our titles we decided to be different and put some on a black screen and some over the film,
inspired by the film Marathon Man.
To keep it simple we used the colour white and font Arial Black to give a bold and thrilling feel. We added effects such as Frigid (which shakes slightly) and Dirtbike (which swoops the test into the screen with a background dust on comng off the text) just to make it more interesting.

some of out titles include:
JOBA Productions Presents - as the production company
JOBA - as the distribution (and we made a logo of a silhouette running up a hill)
Production Designer
Music Composed by
Producer
Director

also..
the characters names (we didn't use our real names cause we wanted it to sound more realistic)
Zara Gibson - Me
Micheal Dylan - Jevoney

Skills Audit: Filming & Editing

After we finished our pitch and storyboards, it was then time to start filming.
By now we was exited because we had a clear image of what we wanted the final piece to look like.

Filming
Our filming took place on a Sunday morning, in Jevoney's flat in Mile End where we shot his scene, we then walked up the road to Mile End Park, where I shot my running scene.
In total we had to film on three different occasions due to us wanting to add and change things.
when doing this we kept in mind the continuity, and had to make sure Jevoney wore the same clothes and hiss flat was the same.
Overall, I thinking the filming was a good experiance and I grew to learn how to use the equipment, although it was stressful at times having to carry the camera and tripod around, I really enjoyed it.

Editing
I would say that the editing was much harder and much more stressful than filming. We wanted to include a variety of interesting shots; close ups and match cuts but it was hard to fit it all together to make it look smooth. It was also really annoying because we all knew what we wanted it to look like, but we just couldn't get it together.
But now, that we've finished I am really pleased with the final result and I think we all worked hard to get it to look like this so I'm happy with it.

Location Shots

Primarily for locations we knew we needed at least two locations for me and Jevoney (the two actors).

For my character, we decided on Mile End Park with a big green area as my character is a runner in the film.
We wanted a nice, clean peaceful park as my character is calm. For this reason, we decided to film on a Sunday Morning, as that's the quietest time of the day and week.

As for Jevoney, being a dark, mysterious character we kept it simple by filming him in his Mile End flat with gloomy lighting to reflect his mysterious character. It was also convenient as Mile End Park is only up the road from his flat.
Jevoney's flat was on the highest floor, so the view from his balcony was amazing, overlooking the city's landscapes such as Canary Wharf and The Gherkin, establishing the film's setting (London)

.

News & Current Affairs Events

Here are two news stories I've seen and read recently that would make a good basis for a plot of a thriller movie:

Story One:


Haiti Earthquake - (Disaster Thriller: could be a film based a family that suffered massively due to a natural disaster)
The earthquake was tragic natural disaster that killed thousands and thousands of people, crushed houses, school, hospitals and the presidential palace. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck the small Caribbean island has been the worst quake to hit the capital in over two centuries.

Story Two:


Khyra Ishaq Story - (Psychological/Crime Thriller: mother mistreats child, due to possible mental issues)
This tiny seven year old girl weighed just 2 stone, when her body was found. Abused and starved to death, in a house with a packed fridge, by her mother Angela Gordon and partner Junaid Abuhamza. In 2008 her case slipped through the net and her file was closed by the council a month before Khyra died. However on the 25th of February 2010 Gordon was convicted of manslaughter in court, where she admitted cruelty too five other children in her care. Abuhamza was also found guilty of manslaughter and admitted cruelty to other children. Here is a heart-breaking quote from the Daily Mirror: 'The girl could barely move but he lashed her three times with a cane as he thought she was possessed'


Although two very sad and chilling stories, I would say they could both actually make rather good thriller films and sound extremely like other thriller films already made, as they're believeable and people would be able to relate to the stories.

Skills Audit: Livetype & Sound

Desciption:
When filming our Bag Swap clip, about two identical silver briefcases 'accidentally' on purpose, dropping them into each other and us walking away with the opposite cases.
After editing, we exported the final cut to a software called Livetype and Soundtrack.

Livetype:
We use this software to add our own credits for our title sequence and being able to design it using different fonts, colour, effects and transitions such as fade, dissolve etc, which gives our sequence a sharp and professional look and a hopeful opening to a film.

Soundtrack:
The Soundtrack program is obviously to do with sound. We are able to export music, that could be instruments (e.g. drum, piano), natural sound (e.g. footsteps, wind, police sirens) or even creating an original piece using different types of tunes and beats. Whether adding it on top of a sound or as backing, it simply makes the sequence more interesting to watch and would definitely be more effective. We matched specific sounds and noises to the scenes, such as suspenseful music to create the tense atmosphere and footsteps on top of mine to add pressure to viewers and also police sirens in the background, to subconsciously get people thinking something fishy is going down.

Preliminary Match Cut Film

Our Clip
The synopsis: "A character opens a door, walks into a room, sits down opposite another character and they share a few lines of dialogue."


Also:
This match cut exercise was given to us in lesson, were we were given the synopsis above.
It was compulsory to include the following:
- at least one match cut
- a shot/reverse shot
- show understanding of 180 degree rule

My Opinion:
I found this task easier than the bag swap task. From the planing, to the filming, down to the editing, maybe because of more experience or maybe just a better understanding of the camera's uses and functions due to practice. Whatever it is, using the camera has become easier and is really growing on me!

Final Edit of Livetype & Sound Filming Practice

Task:
Our task was to film a bag swap, following the theme of Collateral. Not having a lot of time meant we had to stay close, so we decided to use the college area as our location.

Camera:
Using the camera, at first was quite tricky because it was our first time using it and we were trying to keep everything we just learnt in mind. Trying to keep it safe and still think of all the different types of camera shots ( point of view, over the shoulder and the basic close ups and long shots.)

Suspense:
Creating suspense in the short amount of filming was the most difficult because we didn't no how to do this in such a little amount of time, but we eventually agreed that slow, subtle and a long wait would probably defiantly create suspense. By starting filming from the actors feet, working out way up slowly with the camera and hiding their faces throughout the entire clip, we managed to create some sort of excitement, hopefully causing suspense.

Seven

Intro
In class, everyone studied Collateral, for their suspense film however because I didn't get to watch it I chose to watch and write about Seven instead.
The film is about two detective spies, played by well known actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, on some sort of investigation trail, to do with a vicious killer who chooses victims according to seven deadly sins.

Camera & Mise en Scene:
Camera: the consistence camera creates suspense by the way it moves so ridgy as if the camera was being hand-held. At the start when the camera slowly follows Freeman about it makes us feel uneasy and as if we're with him in the situation which creates suspense because the waiting becomes lengthy. Also the close up of the clock emphasises the importance of time as it adds to the wait.
Mise en Scene: the genre of the film is clearly a thriller type and we know this almost instantly because of the mise en scene. Every image somehow relates to an investigation or mystery crime story. Its seem to be set in New York as we're shown the a quite New York City type setting. Features like the gloomy eerie room and slow movement adds emphasis to whats going on.

Editing & Sound:
Editing: the editing in the short Seven clip throughout, is consistently slow, stretching out movement to lengthen and increase tension with the long wait and unsurity. also, the titles run for long which gives an extra feel of anticipation.
Sound: is rather simple but effective. the peaceful orchestral background music runs through the scene increasing towards the end creating nerve-jangling feelings. it creates many different emotions without anyone saying anything, which I like, as it makes a more mysterious tone.

Editing Tutorial

Editing
The editing tutorial was extremely helpful and interesting as I had never done anything like that before. I learnt a range of simple editing techniques such as closing a gap, cut using a blade and delete if necessary, shorten/lengthen by simply dragging the clip on the time line, and the in and out feature by pressing (I) and (O) on the keyboard, which I found really effective. I was able to practise by using a couple of short clips we all watched.

Outcome:
We was told to use the features and tools we'd learnt to make a short smooth clip, including cuts and sound and transitions, such as fade/ dissolve, which we was also taught how to use to make a sad, happy, dramatic etc addition or to emphasis something that's going on. It was fun and interesting to play around with the different tools and to finally watch some. I thought the tutorial was a great experience.

Camera Tutorial

Camera
My camera tutorial was all about learning what each part of the camera was and what its used for, also to learn how to handle it safely. At the start, we had a short talk using the projector to give us the basics about what what. Then we had a chance to ask questions or to repeat anything we was unsure about, and at last we got to make a mini opening, duplicating the Collateral exchanging bags scene.

Outcome:
I learnt all kinds of things, like how to switch the camera on and off safely, how to put our work onto the computer, and importantly to check the battery and space on memory card before going out and filming because having a dead camera, or no space on the memory card to film on would be a disaster. Keeping in mind what we'd learnt filming was really good, we used a variety of shots like close ups, extreme close up, point of view, low angle and establishing shot.

Art of the Title Sequence: Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AjdBaDAFxU

Analysis:

The style of this title sequence is a classic and common narrative opening with the titles running throughout, which is my particular favourite. It immediately gives a cool, subtle feel and makes the audience feel calm, yet anxious. The names of the cast fade in instantly on a very steamy and mysterious sky background. Written in white in capital block letters, the names slowly and gently fade around the screen, allowing us to notice them clearly. The serif font used is quite traditional and formal, suggesting the film may be historical or professional. The use of the capital letters I believe, gives a sense of male dominance as it looks solid and strong and the first few name are men names 'Peter' 'Micheal'. The titles don't just tell us the names of cast but also of the crew. Names of music directors, the editor, production designer, producer, co-producer and director and others makes the sequence look very professional. The way the name of the film 'Six Feet Under' is shown is very interesting. The glow effect, the rectangular shape the forms around it and the change from white font to red makes it extremely striking to the eye.

The slow motion effect that runs through the whole sequence emphasises the long wait and already makes us feel quite tense, using suspense. I particularly like it when the two hands slowly separate as it implies something bad will happen and gives the audience a moment to wonder. Also the weird images like a tag on what looks like a hospital person's toe, lifeless eyeball and dying flowers suggests confusion and mystery and we want to know what going on.
The close up on these specific images allows us to see it properly and implies their importance as they're shown close up. The connections with death also creates uncertainty, which creates tension.

The slow establishing shot at the very start of the sequence, showing a grassy, misty field is very good as we get an immediate understanding of a setting.

The whole mysterious and random atmosphere appeals to me because I love not knowing whats going on. The steam and mist in the scene I also like alot as it adds to the mystery.

Photo 'Words' Activity

Future
This photo I took of the City and Islington College, I believe represents future, because its a place we come to prepare for our future. Everything we do in this building creates a image for our future. The low angle shot of the College puts more emphasis on the building and shows its importance as we look up to it. the lighting on the building seems bright and sunny representing a good, warm place of work and our future.

Confusion
I have chosen to take a photo of this pigeon to represent confusion, asthey seem to be lost creatures that just wonder about, with no aim or knowledge of where they're heading. We don't really take any notice of them however if they suddenly all disappeared I think we'd notice. The high angle shot of the pigeon shows how small it is compared
to the world and emphasises its confusion.

Thriller Clip Analysis

Intro:
In class we watch several thriller film trailers, eg Arlington Road and Dead Calm. I have chosen to talk about my favourite and the one that seems the most interesting, Seven.

Analysis:
In the clip, the use of camera is very rough and unstable and is probably film hand-held. We can immediatly tell it's a Spy Thriller as theres alot to do with violence, crime, detective and images like putting words together and building up and image gives us a sense of spies and policework, trying to find a criminal. The mise en scene of the clip I found quite hard to observe as the editing was so fast pace and jumpy. The location seemed to be some sort of private detective looking office/room filled with vital spy tools and equipment. The blades, dirty hands and nails, suspicious unclear note writing and strands of hair add to the confusion and already creates tension and suspense due to our uncertainty of whats going on.
The titles and text are written in red and white in a sharp and ridgy way. It doesn't stay still on the screen which I thought was interesting, instead it shakes about and looks quite distaugted.
I really liked this trailer and thought it gave an excellent sense of suspense, with no dialogue.

Seven Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE

Thriller Sub-Genres

Intro:
Thriller is a broad genre used in film and television, which include several sub-genres. They are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes (protagonists) expected to defeat the villains (antagonists).

Sub-Genres:

Action Thrillers: usually containing actors like James Bond (protagonist) that have a lot to do with technology, fast cars, explosions, violence and quick race against the clock.

Disaster Thrillers: are one of my favourite type of thrillers as they keep me on the edge of my seat using Hitchcock's method. Films such as 2012 and I Am Legend come into this category, in fact most Will Smith movies are disaster thrillers.

Physcological Thrillers: are by far my favourite type of thrillers and inspires me at the moment because I love the way that with such little if not no sound at all can create so much tension and aggravation. They often consist of mental and emotional scenes, where we (audience) no something a character doesn't, for example a girl being followed by a murderer about to be killed. The longness and usual silence creates suspense as we're aware of what will probably happen.

Hitchcock: ¬

Suspense?

Suspense:
Suspense is a strong feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to us as the audiences' perceptions in TV dramas, and films. Suspense is usually built gradually using features such as silence or even loudness and the scene is almost always dark. In the kind of suspense described by film director Alfred Hitchcock, we experience suspense when we expect something bad to happen and yet we are powerless to intervene to prevent it from happening. I believe this is the best type of suspense.


Thriller:
Thriller is a broad genre used in film and television, characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who defeat the powerful villains. Suspense is on the main, if not the most important feature used in thrillers, and subsequently separates thrillers and horrors. Cliffhangers are also used extensively, to add to the tension. Thriller is a broad genre and umbrellas several types of sub-genres, such as:
Action, Conspiracy, Crime, Disaster, Drama, Erotic, Legal and much more.