Saturday 29 January 2011

The Art of the Title Sequence - Quantum of Solace


The beginning of this title sequence begins with an actor appearing out the eclipse of the sun, with other names appearing straight after a colourful glimmer. We have close ups of the character, which seems as he is in an animated, almost cartoon like, movie. However it is eye catching because it is an action film and the audience is interested to see what will happen next, this is shown as the actor shoots his gun and watery fire is released as the bullet is released in slow motion, so we witness every detail brought about in this sequence.

As the bullet continues to travel with the fire tailing behind it, the name of the film, 'Quantum of Solace' appears on screen, all letters are in bold upper case font with the letter 'Q' standing out from the rest of the letters. This letter has a flowing tail at the end of the Q this corresponds with the image behind it as the picture is also flowing and dreamy as if it is under water.

The background begins with blue ocean colour then fades into a dessert like background entering us into a yellow background, where more actor names appear on screen in a more bright coloured background. The sun in the background also flared out like how the letter 'Q' was and the fire leavign the gun flowing behind the gun, going into an astronomy background with contrasting stars, could indicate it is night time.

We then come into scene with females appearing from the dessert, then we see them danicng around the firey sun, this could indicate culture and identity, we also get and extreme close up of an eye pupil and we see the flareness in detail which was where the letter 'Q' and the flared detail from the fire of the bullet came from, we see the bullet being shot again near the end of the sequence and this time it travelled towards the firey sun, we then see it drop into the sand, which in slow motion disbursts slowly again into the format of an eye which was previously shown in the sequence.

Friday 28 January 2011

Introduction to camera

In this lesson we was introduced on ho to use the camera and what fucntions it is able to carry out, and different weather conditions it may carry this functions out. We was introduced on how to set up the camera upon the camera stand steadily without any risk of it falling of, we also was introduced on the different buttons and what the do, and the memory cards. We was introduced to the safety and handling of the camera and what is appropriate to use and not use, i.e when an area is dark switch it to the mode where enhances more light.

  • Always hand the camera back to the media department as there are not enough cameras for all of the groups in the college. Also lesson are held after your class so in order for everyone to use the cameras, you need to give the camera back on time.

  • You are allowed to borrow a camera for a day but you will need to give the camera back to the media department first thing at nine o’clock, the next morning. As lessons are held at nine o’clock in the morning.


  • If an emergency occurs you call the media department straight away and go straight home. These kinds of emergencies can be when your life is in danger.


  • Never use the camera in the rain; you will be given umbrellas to use when it is raining for the cameras. Not for yourself.



  • Do not perform any illegal actions such as film on a rail track or doing graffiti on a wall, or you will be disqualified.


  • Never touch the lens or it will get damaged. Also because IT COST A LOT OF MONEY.




  • Close the lens after you finish using the camera.


  • When putting the camera on the stand you must make sure that each of the four legs are equal lenght in order to prevent a lop sided view on the camera, there is also a red leaver that you must click to make sure the camera is securely fastened on the stand so it doesn't fall of. Then when you are ready to remove the camera you simply do the reverse to how you put it on to begin with.

    Monday 24 January 2011

    What Lies Beneath Trailer

    Introduction to usage of a camera

    In this lesson we learnt how to use a camera and also certain weather conditions where it is not possible unless you have an umbrella. We were introduced to safety rules and hazards that may be related to the camera.
    We were given additional information on how to use a camera, for instance what button to press in order to zoom on to subject. In addition, we were shown how to focus on to the image by adjusting the lens. We also learnt about the ‘record’ button as well as ‘play’ and ‘pause’. We were also shown how to put the battery on the camera.


    Rules:

    • If an emergency occurs you call the media department straight away and go straight home. These kinds of emergencies can be when your life is in danger.
    • Never use the camera in the rain; you will be given umbrellas to use when it is raining for the cameras. Not for yourself.
    • Do not perform any illegal actions such as film on a rail track or doing graffiti on a wall, or you will be disqualified.
    • Never touch the lens or it will get damaged. Also because IT COST A LOT OF MONEY.
    • Close the lens after you finish using the camera.
    • Always hand the camera back to the media department as there are not enough cameras for all of the groups in the college. Also lesson are held after your class so in order for everyone to use the cameras, you need to give the camera back on time.
    • You are allowed to barrow a camera for a day but you will need to give the camera back to the media department first thing at nine o’clock, the next morning. As lessons are held at nine o’clock in the morning.  

    A Thriller Clip that inspires me

    Analysis of a Title Sequences

    The film which I am going to analyse is The Taking of Pelham 123, the films title sequence is very interesting by the way the writing is shown and how the writing has been mixed with the film.
    The logo for Colombia pictures appeared at 0.08 seconds in the title sequence but Colombia pictures and other production and distribution companies are written on the screen at 0.16 seconds. The writing appears behind a black thick line and after the black line flies off the screen leaving the writing on the screen. The other production and distribution companies are Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer (MGM), Relativity Media, Scott Free Productions and Escape Artist.
    The film title appears at 1.15 seconds and the numbers are shown by each of them flying in the screen one by one. The title is written in capital letters and large font but Pelham is written in a larger font than the rest of the title. 



    Title sequence timeline:

    • 0.16 seconds – Colombia Pictures logo
    • 0.24 seconds – Productions companies names (Colombia Pictures, Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer (MGM))
    • 0.29 seconds – Production company name (Relativity Media)
    • 0.35 seconds – Production Companies name (Scott Free Productions and Escape Artist)
    • 0.42 seconds – Film By Tony Scott
    • 0.46 seconds – Actors Name
    • 0.50 seconds – Actors Name
    • 1.15 seconds – Title
    • 1.20 seconds – Film Information
    • 1.43 seconds – Actors Name
    • 1.45 seconds – Actors Name
    • 1.48 seconds – Actors Name
    • 1.51 seconds – Actors Name
    • 1.53 seconds – Actors Name
    • 2.00 seconds – Actors Name
    • 2.27 seconds – Actors Name
    • 2.31 seconds – Casting by
    • 2.34 seconds – Custom designer
    • 2.49 seconds – Music by
    • 2.52 seconds – Co-executive Producer
    • 2.55 seconds – Editor
    • 3.12 seconds – Production design
    • 3.26 seconds – Cinematography
    • 3.29 seconds – Executive Producer
    • 3.34 seconds – Executive Producers
    • 3.54 seconds – Producers
    • 4.02 seconds – Producers
    • 4.13 seconds – Time information for the film

    Thursday 20 January 2011

    Bag Swap With Soundtrack.

    Analysis Of Thriller Clip






    In classed we watched 'The Stepfather' which is directed by Nelson McCormick, starring Dylan Walsh, one of my favourite actors. 


    In the opening scene, we see Walsh, who is the stepfather, looking into mirror preparing to get ready for what seems to be a mundane morning. We see a panning shot of his shaving equipment and then get a medium close up of him shaving then getting in the shower. Eventually, we see him downstairs in the kitchen preparing a light breakfast of a toast and a cup of tea whilst listening to 'silent night'. All this seems so standard until we see a panning shot of tools covered in blood, and bodies scattered around the room on a Christmas evening. This is when the audience begin to doubt 'The Stepfather'. Suspense is created in the opening sequence as we feel relaxed watching this man enjoy a breakfast until we see dead children and their mother lying on the floor. This is a perfect opening for a Psychological Thriller.

    In the next scene immediately after, we see The Stepfather again in a shopping centre talking to Women asking her where he would find peanut butter. Another standard question someone might ask another person in a shopping centre, however as the audience have just witnessed something irregular, we immediately shout out to the screen telling this innocent lady not to talk to this man, then we see her checking herself in the mirror as she is attracted to him. We later on see them in the car park talking about arranging a meal for the pair to go on, and then we cut to the next scene which is 6 months later of an announcement that the pair will be getting married. Immediately we know that she has made a wrong decision which absorbs the audiences focus into watching 'The Stepfathers' every move in order to protect this innocent lady and her children.

    Another scene where suspense is created in 'The Stepfather' is when an old lady who lives next door comes around to spread the news that there is man who has killed a family who seems to look like 'The Stepfather'. This conversation is over heard. We then cut to a next scene of 'The Stepfather' driving past the old ladies house and shouting out 'hey' whilst smiling and driving off. We then go into the ladies house which appears as she has nobody living inside with her. This creates Suspense as we immediately feel that 'The Stepfather' will do something to this lady. We hear a noise in the background which builds a climax to make us think that this is 'The Stepfather’; however the climax is broke when a black cat jumps out from the cupboard. Immediately after, we see 'The stepfathers' arm tightly squeezed around the old ladies throat then throwing her down the stairs. This created a false plateau as the audience felt something was wrong, and then we see everything is fine which eventually leads to something being wrong. 


    Monday 17 January 2011

    Analysis of title sequence 'The Stepfather'

    The production and distribution companies was introduced at the very start of the film between 22 and 29 Seconds. The companies, 'Screen Gems', 'Malerick Films/Imprint entertainment' and 'Granada production' fading in slowly at the start. The film title was introduced at the beginnign of the film at 52seconds, then from 52seconds onwards, actors, castings, costume, music supervisor, editor and production desginer was introduced.

    Intertexuality

    Intertextuality is a term to describe the visual referencing between films. Quite literally, films 'borrow' from each other, and you may recognise certain camera angles, aspects of mise en scene, snippets of sound or methods of editing in some films that you have seen in others.


    What Lies Beneath - Robert Zemeckis


    - Staircase borrowed from The Stepfather
    - Showerhead borrowed from Psycho
    - White curtain borrowed from Psycho
    - White bath borrowed from Psycho

    The Stepfather - Nelson McCormick


    - Staircase borrowed from What Lies Beneath
    - Breaking door borrowed from Fatal Attraction
    - Stabbing scene borrowed from Fatal Attraction and Psycho
    - Shower curtain borrowed from Psycho
    - Bathroom scene borrowed from Psycho
    - Stabbing scene borrowed from Psycho

    Sunday 16 January 2011

    Created Suspense in the film 'The Stepfather'

    Scene 1: When the neighbour is mudered by Stepfather (David Harris)


    In this scene False Plateau is presented and we witness David Harris attempting to kill the elderly neighbour and as she goes to look and see if someone is in the wardrobe we think that this is where David Harris is hiding and about to kill her, but it is a cat that jumps out and then she continues to go throughout her house. He then comes out of nowhere and pushes her down the stairs. Suspense is created in the film at this scene through the False Plateau. This gets the audience engaged with the film because they are anticipating to see what is going to happin next, and they believe that something is going to go wrong but nothing really happens.

    Scene 2: When older son (Micheal Harding) and his girlfriend(Kelly Porter) goes through Stepfather belongings.

    In this scene False Plateau presented as we get the sense something is

    going to go wrong but is actually fine, when the stepfather leaves to pick up the kids from school but gets a phonecall saying he doesnt have to, whilst he is on his way the son and his girlfriend begin to look around as they believe there is someting supicious about him. He returns and they are still upstairs we believe they are going to get caught in the wardrobe where they hid, but we see a clip of them back in the swimming pool where they was originally before he left out to collect the kids from school.

    Scene 3: When Stepfather (David Harris) and kills the dad (Jay Harding)

    Suspense is built up at this part of the film as we are waiting for the Dad to appear and attack the Dad (Jay Harding) and he rapidly comes from behind and attacks.

    At the start NORMAILITY is established, with the shower, toast, coffee, then the "THRILL" is introduced. Also with with all the suspenseful moments in the film as the ones mentioned above, it has created the bomb theory where the audience knows someting that characters doesn't.

    Analysis of Thriller Clip

    In the opening of the film The Stepfather we get a sense of normality as the main actor is introduced and he is acting casually shaving, as we later learn that was just to change identity, preparing himself for what we assume to be a casual day and has a cup of coffee, this comes to an end when we see him being normal, alongside a dead family laying throughout the house.
    We also believe this is a momento, a momento is a Murderous/ Action/ Passion thriller, we know this is a monmento just from the opening scene of the dead bodies laying around so we acknowledge there has been a very tragic murder. There is also a lot of False Plateau presented throughout the film as we get the sense something is going to go wrong but is actually fine, like when the stepfather leaves to pick up the kids from school but gets a phonecall saying he doesnt have to, whilst he is on his way the son and his girlfriend begin to look around as they believe there is someting supicious about him. He returns and they are still upstairs we believe they are going to get caught in the wardrobe where they hid, but we see a clip of them back in the swimming pool where they was orignally.
    The Stepfather is a mystery thriller as throughtout the film we continue to learn in depth the type of person the stepfather really is. Also he persistenly keeps killing people that intervenes with his plan to kill the family, as we witness him killing the neighbour and the freind of the wife who realises he has identity issues with revealing himself and producing valid documents that proves his identity.

    Monday 10 January 2011

    What interest you about intertextuality in film?

    Intertextuality is when films borrow visual ideas from other films and use those ideas in their own film.

    Intertextuality is interesting in films because you can see where the film writers get their idea from, for their films. For instance, ‘What Lies Beneath’ and ‘Psycho’ have a comparison between them, the shower scene in both films are quiet similar because of the same white shower curtain and the idea of the shower running. Also, they are intertextual because of the same white bathroom. Moreover, other films also take ideas from other film, which I did not know before.
    Another film that shows intertextuality is ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Psycho’, they both have the same white bathroom, white curtains and shower tube. Also, the knife shape of the knife that was used in the film to attack the women was the same. It is interesting to see how many ideas were borrowed from another film. 






    How suspense is created in three scene of ‘the Stepfather’.

    The Stepfather

    Scene 1: When the stepfather (David Harris) killed the dad (Jay Harding).

    In this scene, the stepfather kills the dad. When one evening the dad comes to say bye to his children before boarding a plane, he finds that the stepfather is home. Not knowing that the stepfather wants to kill him, he comes into meet the children and falls into the stepfathers plans. The stepfather disappears after going into the kitchen, so the dad still carries on his conversation thinking that David is still listening. Whilst still taking to David, while he has disappeared he walks down the corridor towards the kitchen and finds himself in the kitchen without David’s presence. Therefore, he tried to look for David and could not find him. As he suddenly turned around David was standing there and then David suddenly hit a glass vas on Jays head. This unexpected hit made Jay unconscious and he falls to the ground. This scene is full of suspense from the start to the finish of the scene. This is because when Jay comes to the door, we already know David’s plans but Jay does not. For that reason, the viewer starts to worry and tension builds inside the viewer as the clip goes on. Not knowing what might happen to Jay makes the viewer uncomfortable and the music playing in the background adds to the tension. In addition, as Jay is walking down the corridor and trying to find David makes the viewer uncomfortable to.


    Scene 2: Michael Harding (older son) and Kelly Porter (his girlfriend) trying to go through the stepfathers possessions.

    In this scene, Michael and Kelly are in the pool in the garden and then David comes and tells them that he is going out to pick up the other two children. After he leaves, Michael is so suspicious of him from before that he wants to go through his possessions to see if he finds any thing unusual. Therefore, he and his girlfriend go up to his bedroom to start to search through his things. Not a while after David reappears back to the house because Susan happens to be free to pick up the kids. As he enters the house, he finds that the children are not in the back pools so he decided to try to search for them in the house. David starts to get suspicious and goes to his room to see if they are there. When Michael and Kelly hears that he is coming they start to panic because they do not know what to do. As David enters the room, he finds that the children are not there, but they are in the back pool as he left them. This clip builds up a lot of suspense, as the viewer does not know what is going to happen next to Michael and Kelly. However, the viewer does know that the stepdad is coming home and he will find the children in his room, so it makes the viewer very uncomfortable. In addition, the way that the stepfather slowly touches the door handle creates suspense because it creates an uneasy feeling in the viewer. However, after finding that they children are not there but they are outside makes the viewer confused but relaxed after. Furthermore, the music that is played in the background also creates a sense of suspense.


    Scene 3: When the saw nearly sliced Kelly’s head off.

    This final scene is right at the end of the film, were Michael is trying to save his mums and his girlfriends life. This scene has a lot of suspense in it as the viewer is clueless on what might happen next and weather the Stepfather is going to die or Michael. The loud voices and fast movement scatters the viewers mind and makes them almost confused and naive on what might happen next. In addition, while everyone is sounding and scared, it makes the viewer uncomfortable and it builds up suspense. This scene takes place in the attic where Michael, Kelly and Susan go to hide but unfortunately, David reaches the attic. This is when they start to fight back and Kelly reaches for the saw to attack David. However, the saw falls out of her hand and falls to the ground and her and Susan fall through the floor. They land on the first floor and suddenly the saw was about to fall. Nevertheless, it fell beside Kelly and did not chop of her head. This part of the scene makes the viewer scared for Kelly and creates a lot of suspense as they do not know if she is going to die or not.

    Analysis of a Thriller clip

    Momento

    Momento is a Murderous/ Action/ Passion thriller; you can find this out by the opening scene. This is because you can see all of these elements in the opening scene, the dead body can imply that it is a murderous thriller, the man holding the gun can show the action side of it and the mans reaction to after when he has killed his enemy, shows the passion side. The clip starts of by rewinding back in time of the few minutes that has just passed, and then it shows the whole clip again but as a normal clip going forward in time. The clip is set in a dark place in a building somewhere that seems like a confined place, which looks like a basement. As the opening scene is been played the camera mainly concentrates on a few things, such as a close up of a hand taking a photograph, over the shoulder, blood, bullet of the floor and the photographs that are being taken. By showing these things as a close up, it makes the viewer pay more attention on the objects because it maybe important in the rest of the film. As the clip is playing there is music playing in the background, which is slow and dull sounds that sound like deep violins. This gives a sinister and miserable effect to the atmosphere in the clip and builds up suspense. In addition, it makes the viewer wonder what is going to happen next as he has just murder a man. The opening scene is edited to play in a slow pace, which goes with the music playing in the background. This also makes the viewer think about what we are looking at and why. This clip has been shown in a very clever and interesting way as it gives the viewer time to think and make their own assumptions about the film. Furthermore, at the beginning of the clip, the way that the titles appeared on the screen was in randomly. Therefore, it appeared suddenly in formal, plain and simple writing. The font was very small and in capital letters, and in a shade of blue. They were placed in the middle of the screen, which makes it easy for the viewers to see who the characters are.

    List of thriller sub-genres that inspire me

    • Romance Thriller
    Romance thriller is one of the sub-genres that I have chosen because I think it would be a good idea to use this as an idea for my project. With this type of sub-genre I like the way that you can confuse the viewer on believing that this might be a romantic story because of the way the film may begin. For instance, in ‘He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not’ the way the film began, it was like how a romantic film would start. As it started in a flower shop with up beat music it showed and implied to the viewer that it may be a romantic film. Also, as we are making a thriller opening scene and we chose to base our clip on a romance thriller, the viewer may watch it and may want to watch more. As they know that it is a thriller opening clip, they may want to watch more. This can draw the viewer in more to the opening clip.


    • Supernatural Thriller
    However, making an opening scene, which is base on a sub-genre like supernatural thriller, could be a good idea, as everyone loves watching a supernatural thriller, including me. Normally a film with this type of genre draws the viewer in more because the story line is unusual and the viewer does not know what is going to happen next, until they watch the clip. For example, in ‘What Lies Beneath’, the opening scene is very spooky and unusual because of the face that comes out of the bath and the music playing in the background. Also, the affect of the lettering of the cast’s names in the opening scene compliments the opening scene of the film, as that is very spooky to. In addition, you could come up with lots of ideas if we use this as the sub-genre of our opening scene. Furthermore, you can use different places and stages of your day and interpret that in your supernatural thriller opening scene.


    • Murderous Thriller
    Murderous thriller is another sub-genre that I find very interesting. Using this as your sub-genre can be an advantage because you can use certain aspects such as blood or various objects for instance, a dead body, to make the viewer shiver or feel vulnerable. Another film clip that I watched, which was linked to murderous thrillers is ‘Momento’, this clip was interesting to watch because of the way it was being played backwards. Also, the way the dead body was shown and the music playing gave me lots of ideas that I may include in my own clip.

    Thursday 6 January 2011

    Thriller Sub - genres !!!

    Psychological Thrillers

    Psychological thrillers are one of my most inspirational sub-genres as it requires one to focus and study in order to figure out what it actually happening and what it means through the movie. This type of thriller contains elements that are related to the mind or process of the mind, rather than the physical nature.Usually it is based on conflict between the main character and their mental/emotional state in which they have to resolve the conflict between the two. Generally thrillers fouce on plot over character where it is more physical action, however psyhcological thrillers reverse this formula to a certain degree and pay more attention to the character more so the plot. The suspense is then created by two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state.
    The following films are examples :
    Psycho

    Phone Booth

    Orphan


    Supernatural Thriller

    This type of thriller brings in an otherworldly element which brings out suspense, tension and plot twists. I am inspired by this type of thriller as it enables to explore beyond what is seen as "normal" and morally correct. It lets you explore places and elements that doesn't necessarily have to really exist in the real world.
    Example films of this are :

    What lies beneath

    The Skeleton Key

    Techno Thriller

    This type of thriller builds suspense upon manipulation of sophisticated technology and gives audience FALSE PLATEAU as you feel as if everything is normal or the villain has finally been terminated the sinister elments enter and the villain returns. This type of thriller is more technology based and may include science fiction.

    The Matrix

    Terminator

    Suspense

    Suspense may occur in any situation where there is a lead up to a big event or dramatic moment, with tension being a primary emotion felt as part of the situation. Suspense is an feeling on uncertainty and anxiety one may feel during a time of actions and dramatic behaviour, not knowing what is going to happen next.


    Suspense can often begin with a sense of normality then fade into sinister elements. It could aslo be used as FALSE PLATEAU where we are lured into a false sense of security. The audience could be feeling suspense as they may know or expect something bad to happen but they are powerless to intervene to prevent what is happening, so they are also left with a helpless feeling.

    Tuesday 4 January 2011

    Definition of Suspense

    Suspense is when a person/audience feels anxiety and uncertainty about a certain situation or action, this word is used to describe an audience reaction after watch a dramatic work. Suspense can be created in any situation weather it is a big event or a dramatic moment, and tension is also built in the audience while suspense is.

    The clip that were shown in class show different ways to show suspense in the films for instance; ‘What Lies Beneath’, is a film that portrays suspense by playing music in the background and not having no dialogue from the characters, only screams. This can make the audience built tension within them because they do not know what is going to happen next. Also this same film has a shot where the camera is skimming around the place/house in the film, it is making the audience feel uncertainty about the situation so therefore suspense is created.


    Another film that creates suspense well is ‘The Shining’; this is done by the audience not knowing what is going to happen next or where the character is going. In addition, images has been shown in between a clip so it leave the audience not knowing what going to happen and tension is built within them. The music that is been played also creates a sense of uncertainty and get the audience to wonder what is going to happen next.

    Monday 3 January 2011

    Crime thriller

    One of my favourite genres of film are action. Which is often packed with crimes such as murders,robberies, chases and shoot-outs. For a genre to be a hybrid type of both crime and thriller really interests me as it offers a suspenseful account of failed crime or crimes.

    Favourite crime thrillers: 'Silence of the lambs'. 'A Perfect Murder'

    Mystery thriller

    Mystery thrillers interest me due to the idea of wanting or having to find out the mystery in order to understand the film. This was it immediately grabs the viewers attention from start to finish. Mystery thrillers are often Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in, a mystery.

    Favourite mystery thrillers: 'Shutter Island' 'Memento'

    Psychological thriller


    Psychological thrillers highlight conflict between the main characters in particular which is often mental and emotional, rather than physical.
    Occasionally this particular genre will border into the wide ranging horror genre

    Favourite psychological thrillers: 'Panic Room' 'Dead Calm' 'Phone booth' 'Psycho'