Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Thriller film openings
In terms of the credits for thriller films there aren't many conventions that are needed to be followed, as directors are always introducing new ways to show the credits, and make them unique from any other. This varies from not showing any credits at the start of the film (like The Dark Knight), having text over the opening scene in Silence of the lambs or the use of font on blank screen (in The Sixth Sense).
However in terms of things such as mise en scene, there are some conventions that appear in the majority of thriller films. The lighting for example is normally fairly dark. There is always some sort of light whether it be natural, and obstructed by trees for example, or artificial light form a lamp or something. As mentioned previously, there is normally some form of weapon in thriller films, and is sometimes shown in the opening scene, to make the audience feel uneasy. The setting of thriller films, are almost always set in a run down isolated place. This may be in an apartment for example. This adds the suspense of the film and makes the audience feel out of place, they aren't comfortable watching it.
Thriller openings also have a convention of including extreme close ups in the title sequence, as shown in Se7en and Momento. This is very effective as means it doesn't show the actual identity of somebody, which creates a sense of mystery. It also shows close ups of objects within the room. This is more visible to the audience, however they still don't know the use of them, for example the razor in Se7en or the glasses in Momento.
The title sequence will sometimes introduce you to a character, this could be the main character, the bad guy, or the victim, different films introduce different characters at different points in the film. This again could be used effectively through the use of a non-chronological film, where the character is introduced at the start of the film, however it is showing them at the end of the story. They will then go back and show how it got to this stage. The introduction to character, is the first 2 minutes is a very good way to introduce the character, as it makes the audience aware of their presence from the very beginning.
A lot of the time openings to thriller films, will straight away make the audience uncomfortable. This may be just a very subtle way or something more obvious. A very discrete way of doing this would be the slow zoom at the very beginning of The Dark Knight. This may make the american audience uneasy as it may give connotations towards the 9/11 terrorist attack. This isn't an obvious case, however, psychologically it does have an impact on the audience. This can be done more obviously, and have a setting such as in the middle of a forest, and isolated from anything else. Both of these have a psychological effect on the audience and will start the film off with a sense of unease. Another way that the opening can make the audience uncomfortable is having a murder at the very beginning of the film. An example of this would be a film like JAWS, where the first thing you see is someone being eaten to the shark. This catches the audience by surprise, and isn't what the audience expect, in the first scene.
However as said previously, in terms of the credits there are various effective ways of showing the opening credits.
However in terms of things such as mise en scene, there are some conventions that appear in the majority of thriller films. The lighting for example is normally fairly dark. There is always some sort of light whether it be natural, and obstructed by trees for example, or artificial light form a lamp or something. As mentioned previously, there is normally some form of weapon in thriller films, and is sometimes shown in the opening scene, to make the audience feel uneasy. The setting of thriller films, are almost always set in a run down isolated place. This may be in an apartment for example. This adds the suspense of the film and makes the audience feel out of place, they aren't comfortable watching it.
Thriller openings also have a convention of including extreme close ups in the title sequence, as shown in Se7en and Momento. This is very effective as means it doesn't show the actual identity of somebody, which creates a sense of mystery. It also shows close ups of objects within the room. This is more visible to the audience, however they still don't know the use of them, for example the razor in Se7en or the glasses in Momento.
The title sequence will sometimes introduce you to a character, this could be the main character, the bad guy, or the victim, different films introduce different characters at different points in the film. This again could be used effectively through the use of a non-chronological film, where the character is introduced at the start of the film, however it is showing them at the end of the story. They will then go back and show how it got to this stage. The introduction to character, is the first 2 minutes is a very good way to introduce the character, as it makes the audience aware of their presence from the very beginning.
A lot of the time openings to thriller films, will straight away make the audience uncomfortable. This may be just a very subtle way or something more obvious. A very discrete way of doing this would be the slow zoom at the very beginning of The Dark Knight. This may make the american audience uneasy as it may give connotations towards the 9/11 terrorist attack. This isn't an obvious case, however, psychologically it does have an impact on the audience. This can be done more obviously, and have a setting such as in the middle of a forest, and isolated from anything else. Both of these have a psychological effect on the audience and will start the film off with a sense of unease. Another way that the opening can make the audience uncomfortable is having a murder at the very beginning of the film. An example of this would be a film like JAWS, where the first thing you see is someone being eaten to the shark. This catches the audience by surprise, and isn't what the audience expect, in the first scene.
However as said previously, in terms of the credits there are various effective ways of showing the opening credits.
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Thriller codes and conventions
Thriller films have various codes and conventions, that make them recognisable as a Thriller film. An example of this would be through the use of deep background music. This music will normally build up and create tension amongst the audience. The tension, or suspense, is something that the audience will expect when going to watch a thriller film, as it has become such a recognisable convention of thriller films. The audience will expect to be put in situation where they are watching a main character in danger, for example.
Another convention of thriller films are that they are normally set in an urban area. The fact that they are set in an urban area, shows that more people are in danger and that whoever they are looking for could easily be lost in a crowd. It also gives the sense of terrorism as if there something happens and gets put of control, buildings could easily collapse. This gives the sense of unease as the audience watch, even if the film is unrelated to terrorism.
Weapons are used in almost every thriller film, and are the first thing the audience expect to see when watching the film. As thriller films are made up of a variation of crime, there will always have to be a weapon. The bad guy (who normally has psychological issues) will normally carry something like a knife, and will find a way to torture somebody, whereas, the good guy (normally some sort of police officer) will carry a gun. This will then show that the bad guy is insane and enjoys killing people, whereas the police officer will want to kill instantly with a gun shot, and doesn't enjoy dealing with death, instead won't kill the bad guy immediately, with the aim to interrogate, and then imprison them.
As mentioned previously, there is normally a psychopathic person, with a desire to kill. This is apparent in the majority of all thriller films. In terms of Todorovs narrative theory, when the psychopath is introduced is where there is the disruption to the equilibrium. The psychopath, will normally kill and disrupt the equilibrium (where everything should be). This is then followed by the recognition and the repair stages, all leading to the restoration, where peace, is normally recovered (or temporarily recovered) back to the equilibrium.
These are just a few conventions of thriller films, along with many more unmentioned. However some thriller films don't just follow the codes and conventions of thriller films, but also show other conventions, of other film types which act as cross genres, and have conventions from other genres included within them, called hybrids or sub-genres. These could be crime-thrillers, comedy-thrillers, action-thriller etc. These can be effective as proven by successful examples including The Sixth Sense which is a supernatural-thriller for example. This will be something I will be looking to do and will hope to include something like this when making my film opening.
Another convention of thriller films are that they are normally set in an urban area. The fact that they are set in an urban area, shows that more people are in danger and that whoever they are looking for could easily be lost in a crowd. It also gives the sense of terrorism as if there something happens and gets put of control, buildings could easily collapse. This gives the sense of unease as the audience watch, even if the film is unrelated to terrorism.
Weapons are used in almost every thriller film, and are the first thing the audience expect to see when watching the film. As thriller films are made up of a variation of crime, there will always have to be a weapon. The bad guy (who normally has psychological issues) will normally carry something like a knife, and will find a way to torture somebody, whereas, the good guy (normally some sort of police officer) will carry a gun. This will then show that the bad guy is insane and enjoys killing people, whereas the police officer will want to kill instantly with a gun shot, and doesn't enjoy dealing with death, instead won't kill the bad guy immediately, with the aim to interrogate, and then imprison them.
As mentioned previously, there is normally a psychopathic person, with a desire to kill. This is apparent in the majority of all thriller films. In terms of Todorovs narrative theory, when the psychopath is introduced is where there is the disruption to the equilibrium. The psychopath, will normally kill and disrupt the equilibrium (where everything should be). This is then followed by the recognition and the repair stages, all leading to the restoration, where peace, is normally recovered (or temporarily recovered) back to the equilibrium.
These are just a few conventions of thriller films, along with many more unmentioned. However some thriller films don't just follow the codes and conventions of thriller films, but also show other conventions, of other film types which act as cross genres, and have conventions from other genres included within them, called hybrids or sub-genres. These could be crime-thrillers, comedy-thrillers, action-thriller etc. These can be effective as proven by successful examples including The Sixth Sense which is a supernatural-thriller for example. This will be something I will be looking to do and will hope to include something like this when making my film opening.
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Types of film openings
The openings of films are very important to the whole film. When used well, they can be very effective, and influential fir the whole film. However there isn't one set way that a film should open, as films generally find a new way to present the opening scene and opening credits.
One variation of film openings is through the use of a montage. This consists of showing lots of short clips of something, usually mysterious in the case of thriller films, giving the sense of uncertainty amongst the audience. This would then normally have the opening credits over the top. An example of this would be the film Se7en. The opening credits to this film show the person who they are looking for, at work preparing for a murder, however at the start the audience don't know what they are watching. This is very effective as the audience will understand what they were watching after they have seen what happens at the end of the film. However it doesn't always have to show something mysterious, as this varies as well. An example of this is in World War Z. This films opening credits show the equilibrium in Todorov's narrative theory, before the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Both of these opening credits are effective, in very different ways.
A second variation of film openings and the credits is through the use of an animation title sequence. This is where the opening credits are shown in a sequences where there are normally no actors/actresses, and instead are replaced by animated figures. Example of this include James Bond Casino Royal, Robin Hood and the Hunger Games Mocking Jay. All three of these openings include animated figures, to display the credits. Directors also do like to put in different icons from the film and previous films ,if they are in a series, in these animated sequences such the card suits in the James Bond sequence and the mocking jay icon in the Hunger Games. This should then be put with the right type of music, as all the examples have done, and will be highly effective, and make the audience enjoying the film before it has already properly started. In my opinion getting the music of is one of the most important components of the opening, and I will ensure that when I do my opening, I will select the correct piece of music. This however is normally very difficult and expensive to do, and I don't have the expertise or budget to do something like this. It is also not something that is commonly done in thriller films anyway, therefore won't be doing an animated title sequence in my film opening. The montage and the animated opening scenes would classify as a stylised opening scene as they are of a specific style that tailored to the type of film.
Another way that a film could open would be with the credits over the top of the beginning of the film. This does the basic job of of showing the credits and will introduce characters, location etc. whilst doing so. Example of this include Silence of the lambs, The Shining and Lord of war. This will show the film in the equilibrium stage and before anything has happened to change the story line of the film. This is a form that can again be effective, however isn't used commonly in modern films, unless used for effect, as other methods are preferred, as they are more appealing now that animated and montage title sequences are available as they do look better and can engage the audience more than having names appear in the middle of a screen. This would be seen as a narrative opening credits.It is also very common to see font over a blank screen, or a still image. This isn't a narrative opening scene, as there is nothing going on in the background, however still displays the credits in a similar way.
At the start of a film, the director normally decides to start the film in chronological order, however an unconventional, and very effective, form of film openings would be to use a non-linear or non-chronological opening. This is where the film starts either in the middle or end of the story and will go back a show how it got to this place. Examples include Deadpool. Deadpool shows the main character in action, and then goes back to show how he got to this situation. This is a method that can be used very effectively, if it is following a story line that could be told in a non-chronological order.
These are just a few variations of how openings and opening credits can be shown, along with many other examples. directors are always coming up with new and unique ways in which they can show the opening credits. for example the heavy and fast paced editing of the Mission Impossible films, the comical opening credits of Deadpool, they do this in order to fit the genre of the film, and make the audience aware of the type of film they are going to see. Some films also decide not to have any opening credits in their films. This will normally be when the film goes straight into an action scene. An example of this would be The Dark Knight, where the film goes straight into a bank robbery. This is effective as it fits with what is going on in the scene, and the audience won't want to have opening credits over an intense scene such as this.
These example of different variations of successful film openings enforce that there is no right or wrong way to show the opening credits. It does depend on the genre of the film, on what type of opening should be used.
One variation of film openings is through the use of a montage. This consists of showing lots of short clips of something, usually mysterious in the case of thriller films, giving the sense of uncertainty amongst the audience. This would then normally have the opening credits over the top. An example of this would be the film Se7en. The opening credits to this film show the person who they are looking for, at work preparing for a murder, however at the start the audience don't know what they are watching. This is very effective as the audience will understand what they were watching after they have seen what happens at the end of the film. However it doesn't always have to show something mysterious, as this varies as well. An example of this is in World War Z. This films opening credits show the equilibrium in Todorov's narrative theory, before the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Both of these opening credits are effective, in very different ways.
A second variation of film openings and the credits is through the use of an animation title sequence. This is where the opening credits are shown in a sequences where there are normally no actors/actresses, and instead are replaced by animated figures. Example of this include James Bond Casino Royal, Robin Hood and the Hunger Games Mocking Jay. All three of these openings include animated figures, to display the credits. Directors also do like to put in different icons from the film and previous films ,if they are in a series, in these animated sequences such the card suits in the James Bond sequence and the mocking jay icon in the Hunger Games. This should then be put with the right type of music, as all the examples have done, and will be highly effective, and make the audience enjoying the film before it has already properly started. In my opinion getting the music of is one of the most important components of the opening, and I will ensure that when I do my opening, I will select the correct piece of music. This however is normally very difficult and expensive to do, and I don't have the expertise or budget to do something like this. It is also not something that is commonly done in thriller films anyway, therefore won't be doing an animated title sequence in my film opening. The montage and the animated opening scenes would classify as a stylised opening scene as they are of a specific style that tailored to the type of film.
Another way that a film could open would be with the credits over the top of the beginning of the film. This does the basic job of of showing the credits and will introduce characters, location etc. whilst doing so. Example of this include Silence of the lambs, The Shining and Lord of war. This will show the film in the equilibrium stage and before anything has happened to change the story line of the film. This is a form that can again be effective, however isn't used commonly in modern films, unless used for effect, as other methods are preferred, as they are more appealing now that animated and montage title sequences are available as they do look better and can engage the audience more than having names appear in the middle of a screen. This would be seen as a narrative opening credits.It is also very common to see font over a blank screen, or a still image. This isn't a narrative opening scene, as there is nothing going on in the background, however still displays the credits in a similar way.At the start of a film, the director normally decides to start the film in chronological order, however an unconventional, and very effective, form of film openings would be to use a non-linear or non-chronological opening. This is where the film starts either in the middle or end of the story and will go back a show how it got to this place. Examples include Deadpool. Deadpool shows the main character in action, and then goes back to show how he got to this situation. This is a method that can be used very effectively, if it is following a story line that could be told in a non-chronological order.
These are just a few variations of how openings and opening credits can be shown, along with many other examples. directors are always coming up with new and unique ways in which they can show the opening credits. for example the heavy and fast paced editing of the Mission Impossible films, the comical opening credits of Deadpool, they do this in order to fit the genre of the film, and make the audience aware of the type of film they are going to see. Some films also decide not to have any opening credits in their films. This will normally be when the film goes straight into an action scene. An example of this would be The Dark Knight, where the film goes straight into a bank robbery. This is effective as it fits with what is going on in the scene, and the audience won't want to have opening credits over an intense scene such as this.
These example of different variations of successful film openings enforce that there is no right or wrong way to show the opening credits. It does depend on the genre of the film, on what type of opening should be used.
Tuesday, 7 March 2017
Preliminary task
Preliminary Task
My preliminary film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzebWgMWuH4
The criteria of my preliminary task was to follow the 180 degree rule, use shot reverse shots, and use match on action editing. The 180 degree rule is where the camera does not cross an invisible line going straight through the scene. It is a rule that ensures that all the characters are facing the correct way rather than both characters facing the same way, which would create confusion amongst the audience. As shown by the examples, my film does follow the 180 degree rule. All of my shots are shown form this side of the action, always having the boy on the left and the girl on the right. In my film I also use match on action editing. This is where the camera cuts from one shot to another, but they are connected. For example a character walks through a door, but the camera doesn't show them walking through the door it twice, the camera cuts, and picks up again exactly where the character was the shot before hand. The final technique I had to use was shot reverse shot. This is where the camera cuts to show the characters faces as they are having a conversation.This is very common in films, as it is a very effective way to show a conversation between two people.This is more effective than just having a medium shot with both characters is the scene as it also shows facial expressions, and a backwards and forwards conversation. The shot doesn't always just show the person speaking, and sometimes to be the most effective shows the person, who's facial expression are the most important in the scene. The speed of the editing can also be altered depending on the pace of the conversation. For example is there is an argument between the 2 characters the editing will be quick. Straight after there is a cut the dialogue starts, and shows an interruption of the other character. This demonstrates the fast paced conversation between the 2 characters, and the conflict between them.
Star Wars extract shows an argumentative shot reverse shot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMeNIvH86L8
The Hunger Games extract shows a slower shot reverse shot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Ey0a6LJRA
These 2 extract both display shot reverse shots however, in very different ways. The Star Wars scene show the conflict between Princess Leia and Darth Vader. This shows the speed of editing as fast as there is dialogue straight after the cut which gives the impression that he is interrupting her and is very impatient.
The Hunger Games extract however, uses a slower paced cut where there is no interruptions between Peter and Katniss, as the editing allows the audience to see the character thinking before answering the other character. This scene therefore shows the characters in a more comforting, worried and less aggressive way, which makes the characters become portrayed as reasonable and less aggressive.
Story board:
This is my original story board that I made before I started filming. The general film has stayed the same throughout, however I did have to make some changes. For example I did decide to change the camera shots when the character walks through the door. Originally I was going to have the camera follow the character through the door. However I decided to change this as I was informed that the use of a cut and the use of a match on action would be more effective for the task that I have been set. It also doesn't look as good if you are filming with the back of one of the characters heads being shown. therefore decided it would be best if I were to change what I was doing, and go against my storyboard.
I did have difficulties whilst doing my preliminary task, as there were somethings that I didn't take into consideration. For example, half way through filming I realised that the door was open in some scenes and not others, as well as being able to see myself in the reflection of the window when filming the scene.
I also had to re-film some scenes as one of the actors picked up a pen half way through a scene, without him being filmed picking it up. I therefore had to film extra parts and show him picking up the pen, as well as making sure everything in the scene was exactly the same, including lighting, costume and props.
A mistake that I made when doing my preliminary task, and change that I would make if I was to do it again, would be have a wide, and long shot of the woman, as the first introduction to her, was through a shot reverse shot.
A second mistake that i made was that i broke the 30 degree rule. From one shot to the next in one cut there was a change in the cameras position of less than 30 degrees. This doesn't look very good, as the change is very slight and looks unprofessional, and could easily be changed.
My preliminary film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzebWgMWuH4
The criteria of my preliminary task was to follow the 180 degree rule, use shot reverse shots, and use match on action editing. The 180 degree rule is where the camera does not cross an invisible line going straight through the scene. It is a rule that ensures that all the characters are facing the correct way rather than both characters facing the same way, which would create confusion amongst the audience. As shown by the examples, my film does follow the 180 degree rule. All of my shots are shown form this side of the action, always having the boy on the left and the girl on the right. In my film I also use match on action editing. This is where the camera cuts from one shot to another, but they are connected. For example a character walks through a door, but the camera doesn't show them walking through the door it twice, the camera cuts, and picks up again exactly where the character was the shot before hand. The final technique I had to use was shot reverse shot. This is where the camera cuts to show the characters faces as they are having a conversation.This is very common in films, as it is a very effective way to show a conversation between two people.This is more effective than just having a medium shot with both characters is the scene as it also shows facial expressions, and a backwards and forwards conversation. The shot doesn't always just show the person speaking, and sometimes to be the most effective shows the person, who's facial expression are the most important in the scene. The speed of the editing can also be altered depending on the pace of the conversation. For example is there is an argument between the 2 characters the editing will be quick. Straight after there is a cut the dialogue starts, and shows an interruption of the other character. This demonstrates the fast paced conversation between the 2 characters, and the conflict between them.Star Wars extract shows an argumentative shot reverse shot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMeNIvH86L8
The Hunger Games extract shows a slower shot reverse shot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Ey0a6LJRA
These 2 extract both display shot reverse shots however, in very different ways. The Star Wars scene show the conflict between Princess Leia and Darth Vader. This shows the speed of editing as fast as there is dialogue straight after the cut which gives the impression that he is interrupting her and is very impatient.
The Hunger Games extract however, uses a slower paced cut where there is no interruptions between Peter and Katniss, as the editing allows the audience to see the character thinking before answering the other character. This scene therefore shows the characters in a more comforting, worried and less aggressive way, which makes the characters become portrayed as reasonable and less aggressive.
Story board:
This is my original story board that I made before I started filming. The general film has stayed the same throughout, however I did have to make some changes. For example I did decide to change the camera shots when the character walks through the door. Originally I was going to have the camera follow the character through the door. However I decided to change this as I was informed that the use of a cut and the use of a match on action would be more effective for the task that I have been set. It also doesn't look as good if you are filming with the back of one of the characters heads being shown. therefore decided it would be best if I were to change what I was doing, and go against my storyboard.
I did have difficulties whilst doing my preliminary task, as there were somethings that I didn't take into consideration. For example, half way through filming I realised that the door was open in some scenes and not others, as well as being able to see myself in the reflection of the window when filming the scene.
I also had to re-film some scenes as one of the actors picked up a pen half way through a scene, without him being filmed picking it up. I therefore had to film extra parts and show him picking up the pen, as well as making sure everything in the scene was exactly the same, including lighting, costume and props.
A mistake that I made when doing my preliminary task, and change that I would make if I was to do it again, would be have a wide, and long shot of the woman, as the first introduction to her, was through a shot reverse shot.
A second mistake that i made was that i broke the 30 degree rule. From one shot to the next in one cut there was a change in the cameras position of less than 30 degrees. This doesn't look very good, as the change is very slight and looks unprofessional, and could easily be changed.
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
First blog
My name is Jamie Coleman, I am 16 years old and am an A-Level Media student.
My task is to create an opening two minutes to a film. Whilst doing this, I will be studying the conventions of film openings, in different genres of films. Personally I like film openings to be abstract and different to any film opening I have seen before, however still following the vital conventions that an opening must include, such as the opening credits (which should be shown in an unique way), including the names of the lead actors/actresses, director etc.
I have chosen to do an opening to a thriller film, as I believe that the conventions of thriller films, are identifiable, clear, and are very effective. An example of a film that I like is the film se7en, as the opening sequence turns out to be crucial, and influential, once the end of the film has been shown. The audience are shown the killer right at the beginning of the film in the opening credits, however, not shown his whole face. This creates tension as the audience don't know what they are being shown at the beginning of the film, therefore dismiss it. However, once they have seen what happens at the end of the film, or they see it for a second time, they should realise that they are actually showing the killer at work, preparing for his murders. This then gives the impression that the killer is always one step ahead of the audience. This is just one example of a thriller that I like with an interesting way of showing the opening credits. Many thriller films find a new and unique way of showing the opening credits, and Se7en is just one example of a way that the opening credits could be shown.
In doing this task I am hoping to gain experience, making my own film opening and become better educated on what makes a good opening sequence and why it makes it good. I am also very interested in the importance of film credits and the best ways in which they should be used. Therefore will be looking at the best and most unique methods of presenting the opening credits, as well as including what I believe to be the best way of presenting the credits in my film.
My task is to create an opening two minutes to a film. Whilst doing this, I will be studying the conventions of film openings, in different genres of films. Personally I like film openings to be abstract and different to any film opening I have seen before, however still following the vital conventions that an opening must include, such as the opening credits (which should be shown in an unique way), including the names of the lead actors/actresses, director etc.
I have chosen to do an opening to a thriller film, as I believe that the conventions of thriller films, are identifiable, clear, and are very effective. An example of a film that I like is the film se7en, as the opening sequence turns out to be crucial, and influential, once the end of the film has been shown. The audience are shown the killer right at the beginning of the film in the opening credits, however, not shown his whole face. This creates tension as the audience don't know what they are being shown at the beginning of the film, therefore dismiss it. However, once they have seen what happens at the end of the film, or they see it for a second time, they should realise that they are actually showing the killer at work, preparing for his murders. This then gives the impression that the killer is always one step ahead of the audience. This is just one example of a thriller that I like with an interesting way of showing the opening credits. Many thriller films find a new and unique way of showing the opening credits, and Se7en is just one example of a way that the opening credits could be shown.
In doing this task I am hoping to gain experience, making my own film opening and become better educated on what makes a good opening sequence and why it makes it good. I am also very interested in the importance of film credits and the best ways in which they should be used. Therefore will be looking at the best and most unique methods of presenting the opening credits, as well as including what I believe to be the best way of presenting the credits in my film.
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