M.E.S - Lighting - Miss H

Lighting

 Filmmaking is all about capturing light. A bright light draws the viewer’s eye. A scene can be lit by available light (the sun, moon or existing light sources) or using powerful and expensive artificial light. The way a scene is lit influences how the audience will react emotionally to your movie.

The angle and direction of light gives your audience clues about where and what time of day the scene is taking place. Painters have long understood that the quality of light in a scene can hide or reveal things and influences the viewer's reaction.

In feature films the lighting is a high priority because how well the movie is lit influences how the audience perceives the production values of the movie and therefore the quality of the movie.

 

Under lighting:  this lighting is usually used in horror films where the lighting is a shown from the bottom to give a terrifying effect.

 

Top lighting:  this lighting angel comes from above to give the character of the film a glamorous look.

Back lighting: If little or no light is used, silhouettes are created. Light source is behind the person.

 

 

Low-key lighting is a style of lighting for photography, film or television. It is a necessary element in creating a chiaroscuro effect. Traditional photographic lighting, three-point lighting uses a key light, a fill light, and a back light for illumination. Low-key lighting often uses only one key light, optionally controlled with a fill light or a simple reflector.

High-key lighting is a style of lighting for film, television, or photography that aims to reduce the lighting ratio present in the scene. This was originally done partly for technological reasons, since early film and television did not deal well with high contrast ratios, but now is used to suggest an upbeat mood. It is often used in sitcoms and comedies. High-key lighting is usually quite homogeneous and free from dark shadows.

Natural key lighting: when no lighting has been added, it is what you expect to see

 

High key lighting?

1) Romance films

2) Comedy films

3) Fantasy films

Low key lighting?

1) Horror

2) Thriller

3) Action

 

Low key lighting examples

 

 

 

 

 

Low-key lighting and audience response

Low key lighting will create suspense amongst the audience, because it’s a unusual fact that the audience can’t see every detail that is going on and that you could only see the character as the only focus point, which will make the audience wonder what will happen. Also the location that the character is in will look weird which will create a question mark in the audience head aswell as a shiver in what will happen.

Low-key lighting and atmosphere created

Our first scene that we will take will bat at the train station, where the antagonist will be watching the protagonist, then the same sort of scene will be going on towards the protagonists house, then the final scene will be at the protagonists house

We have two characters the antagonist which is Bryan, and the protagonist which is Tanya. Low – key lighting will indicate that something bad will happen.

The moon and the gutter

In this trailer/film very low-key lighting was used, which created tension as for you could not see everywhere of the scene, which indicated that something bad could happen any moment, which created a thriller in the atmosphere. But the key lighting for me was the red used in the sky which linked into the guys red shoes and at the end which reflected the blood to see the moon in the same form, which shows that the guy in the red shoes was the killer.

planning - What is storyboarding? - Miss B

What is storyboarding?

Storyboarding is the pre-production process of literally drawing shots on paper that will become the template for your intended film or animation production before you begin production.

Why use storyboarding?

It is both an artistic and logistic process allowing the film crew to have a visual idea of what the director wants in the scene before the actors, actresses, props and set get involved.  The role of a good storyboard artist is to prevent a lot of wasted time in filming aspects of the scene that are not what the director is looking for, as well as streamlining or eliminating unnecessary scenes and filming requirements from the production.

Why is it important to use tory boarding?,  what makes a thriller specific?

Film making is hugely collaborative and a good storyboard represents a road map that can keep everyone on track during production.  It lets you see the plan ahead of time and allows the various departments involved to prepare in advance of the cameras rolling.

You can use storyboards in all types of motion projects to help you organise your work and give your clients an idea of what your final project will look like.

Trying to remember everything you want to do even in a short animation piece will be impossible, as a project grows in length, storyboarding becomes more and more useful.  The storyboard also helps you think visually.

I would not use storyboards on simple productions such as talking head shots, this would be a waste of time and money; nor on unpredictable situations such as random pick up shots at a shoot or sports event such as a football match.  In these circumstances you would be better off creating a shot list for the types of shots you want to capture.

What elements should go into a story board?

A good storyboard artist will understand about cinematography and editing which will allow them to create a realistic storyboard.  Considerations include aspect ratio, lenses, composition, perspective, as well as how things will cut together.  It should also be clear and concise so that anyone, at a glance, can understand it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y8bSJxRyZo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BknHApJ6e0

Here are two different versions of batman created by using storyboard. There are advantages and disadvantages to this, an advantage is for the creator of the film they roughly will know what will have to be done in the actual animated film. But also there is disadvantages to this, the actual watcher of the video (audience) does not pin point know what is going on and if there is any noises made in the background which they don’t see a picture too, they will be confused.

By looking in to storyboarding I could see that I have learnt a various amount of stuff. Things I will need to look upon while animating my own thriller, such as making things clear with the sound I use in the background and making things clear visually.

Planning: Cinematography Planning (Miss Begum)

Planning: Cinematography Planning (Miss Begum)

Cinematography is one of the most import factors of films because it portraits what type of character plays what role, especially in thriller films because the camera angles expresses the characters, as in what type of role they play, if they are protagonist or antagonist. For example if a character is shown from the floor (from the toe looking at the head) he will be revealed with wealth and power, but if the camera angle was shown from the head to toe they will be presented as if they are vulnerable. By using cinematography techniques we will keep the audience in the edge of their seats and make them feel awkward because of the tension.

Some of the conventional uses of cinematography in thrillers are Establishing shot, extreme close up, point of view. Establishing shot establishes the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. Extreme close up, Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene. Point of view is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction.

The cinematography I plan to use in my thriller consists of the following:

1. Close-up will be used when I want to show the expressions of the character but not the whole portrait, I have chosen to use this because by showing only the emotions of the character the audience will be wondering about the full portrait. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates suspense and leaves the audience at the edge of their seats.

2. Establishing shot – the establishing shot will enable the audience to know/ get an idea of where the scene will be taking and to cause mystery in what is going to happen.

3. Over shoulder shot -   when the girl walks through the alleyway and she looks ever her shoulder and no one’s there which will cause confusion amongst the audience.

4. Long shot – long shot will be used when the antagonist is stalking the protagonist from far, who creates the long shot.

5. Close up shot – we will use the close up shot of the knife, which will cause suspense.

6. extreme long shot -  extreme long shot will be used when the character is getting stalked as soon as she comes out the train station, the camera angle will be at the top of the hill to the end on the road.

 

Planning: Editing Planning (Miss Begum)

Editing is an important part in creating our trailer; it will allow us to show images in weird ways. I believe it is important to use editing in a thriller trailer because if we use it in a correct way we could make the audience feel awkward to what is happening with the edited colour and texture around that will be shown in the camera.

Some of the conventional uses of editing are

1.       Slow paced editing will get the audience ready for what is going to happen, I have chosen this because it will express every little thing that happens in a slow way, this is conventional to a thriller because it creates tension to the audience.

2.       Fast pace editing will allow me to show a lot of things in a matter of seconds, this will allow me to make the audience feel mysterious in what is happening.

 

Planning: Sound in my thriller (Miss Begum)

Planning: Sound in my thriller (Miss Begum)

Sound is important in films because it is a micro element that provides atmosphere within a scene, and can cause a desired audience response. I think if sound is used in an effective way it could bring tension amongst the audience no matter how bad the video/film is, especially in thriller films, because no matter what scene if a sound track like ‘jaws’ start to play you will automatically expect some type of action or something jumpy.

Some of the conventional uses of sound in thrillers are:

·         Non-diegetic soundtracks are used to build tension amongst the audience and to keep them at the edge of their seats by making them think that anything could happen any second.

·         Diegetic sound is also a very effective sound, because people talking for example could create all sorts of tension because the audience could think that they know about what they are expecting but it could turn out to be the opposite.

·         Off-screen sound could also be an important factor to use after a silence, because it is very short low key sound but every second of it and making it go louder could really put the audience at the edge of their seats.

The sound I plan to use in my thriller consists of the following

1)      On screen is a very important factor, I will use this feature in a point of view shot where the protagonist is on the train. The reason why I have chosen this feature is to let the audience know that the person that is in the point of view shot is the antagonist, and his prospective, and to show tension that the antagonist safety is under danger because she is being stalked. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it creates anticipation for the audience.

2)      Non-diegetic – soundtrack will be used while there is action in the protagonist’s house. This is conventional to a thriller genre because it creates mystery to what will happen.

3)      On screen – this will be used while the stalker is taking pictures of the protagonist on the train. By using this I show the audience once again that she is under danger. This is conventional to a thriller genre because it builds tension amongst the audience and keeps them interested in what will happen.

4)      On screen – this will be used as the protagonist enters her house and the gate will creak. I have chosen this because it creates a haunted or unsafe atmosphere of the house. This is shot is conventional to a thriller because it creates tension and a sign of awkwardness. Also it creates loneliness, which will create question marks is the audiences head.

5)      Off screen – will be used when the protagonist is in her bedroom and something drops to the fall in the kitchen

6)      Non-diegetic – I will use a soundtrack when something unusual happens for example our character getting stabbed

 



Age Certificate - Miss B

Age Certificate

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is an independent body which was originally established by the film industry in 1912. Local Authorities were made responsible for what was shown in cinemas and from early on accepted the decisions of the BBFC. There are obvious benefits to both Local Authorities and the film industry in having a central but independent body bring consistency to the classification process and accept responsibility for decisions.

Local Authorities remain legally responsible for what is shown in cinemas under the Licensing Act 2003 and can still overrule the decisions of the BBFC. This does not happen very often.

Examples where it has happened include the film Spider-man which some Local Authorities rated ‘PG’ or ‘PG12’ instead of the ‘12’ awarded by the BBFC. Westminster Council banned Crash and Camden Council gave ‘18’ certificates to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Story Of O before the films were submitted to the BBFC for classification. Both were subsequently classified ‘18’ uncut.

In 1985 the BBFC became the statutory authority for classifying videos/DVDs under the Video Recordings Act 1984.

The first ‘12A’ was introduced in Spiderman, it was a argument against the BBFC amongst the parents and careers. The argument was that Spiderman was there child’s childhood super hero, and the children in this case should be allowed to watch Spiderman.  Which originally the BBFC gave a rating as ‘12’. So the BBFC introduced `12A’ which basically means that a child is allowed to go in the film if they’re supervised with an adult.

The BBFC tend to give thrillers a 15 because it usually includes strong language, and scenes of violence, which are only suitable for mature adults which is classified as 15+

In my personal opinion I will give a thriller film a classification of 15+ as well, because it may contain strong use of language which only young teenagers are the smallest possible age can visualise (15+).

 

As an overall I have learnt that a thriller films age certificate is one of the main and key things of creating g a film, it clarifies what age should be eligible to watch a film according to what sorts of scenes it has in place. So in our thriller case it taught us what age group will be most appropriate to watch our thriller.

Film censorship - Miss B

Film censorship

 

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify videos, DVDs and some video games under the Video Recordings Act 2010.

 

The BBFC rates theatrically released films, and rated videos and video games that forfeited exemption from the Video Recordings Act 1984, which was discovered in August 2009 to be unenforceable until the act was re-enacted by the Video Recordings Act 2010. Legally, local authorities have the power to decide under what circumstances films are shown in cinemas, but they nearly always choose to follow the advice of the BBFC.

 

The Video Recordings Act requires that video releases not exempt (music, documentary, non-fiction, video games, etc.) under the Act had to be classified, making it illegal to supply any recording that had not been certified. Certificates could restrict release to any age of 18 or under, or to only licensed sex-shops. The government currently designate the BBFC as the authority for certifying video releases. As the law requires the certificate to be displayed on the packaging and media labels of the video recording, in practice only UK releases can be legally sold or hired in the UK, even if a foreign release had identical content.

By being able to censor films they give an age rating in which only that age rating classification and above could be able to watch the film.

 

As an overall I have learnt that it is very important to censor films in every prospective, because children should not be able to see such scenes as sexual and violent scenes. So it has taught me that we have to censor our film properly.

Scream Analysis - Miss B

Scream Analysis

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdyugHTKPuc

From the very first moment that Sidney answers the phone we could infer that the film is a physiological horror. The aim of ‘Scream’ is an older audience 18 and above because not only does it contain strong language and violence but it contains scenes of a horrific nature that can cause distress to some audiences.

The first horror foundations emerge in the opening seconds of ‘Scream’, Sidney receives a phone call that makes her uneasy, the phone then rings again and she is drawn into a conversation with the mysterious caller. ‘Scream’ has a slight thriller aspect, this is when the man on the phone says something that scares her psychologically and puts the audience on the edge of their seat.

 In ‘Scream’ the director uses a establishing shot, this sets the scene and shows the audience where the character is. The camera shot I am specifically talking about is the one that shows the audience the garden and then Sidney’s house, this tells you it is a horror movie as the house is miles away from the town, it is isolated and therefore so is Sidney.

‘Scream’ uses sound to scare the audience and character, for example Sidney realises she’s being watched so she locks all the doors and looks out the front window she then walks into the other room and then straight after that the door bell rings this scares her and the audience as its very unexpected.

Mise En Scene in ‘Scream’ creates the setting, this affects the target year, for example Scream was made in 1996 so the clothes worn by the characters reflect this time period. The Mise En Scene also shows a horror element in the film an example of this is when sidney plays with a knife whilst on the phone creating a horror element, she mentions another horror movie where the killer used a kitchen knife as the murder weapon, and this shows us dramatic irony.

Sound - Miss B

Sound

music gives the movie an emotional stance. It changes the audience's emotions which give them a more positive view on your film by varying your music, either to make the audience, happy, sad, angry, scared, excited, emotional, and more. The "background" music helps heighten a suspenseful moment in the film. Anticipation and wonder keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

Sound effects adds illusion to the movie and the effects in movies are rarely a recording of the real thing. The way sound effects are used in the movie’s final mix entirely depends on the sound design. Off the top of my head, some effects could be: chairs scooting, glasses clanking, footsteps, traffic outside, water running, and buttons being pushed. Listen to a take with your eyes closed. What sounds do you hear? What sounds should be there to make the scene more complete ?

Diegetic Sound: Sound, which is part of the film world e.g. dialogue, music from a radio or jukebox. The sound can be on or off screen.

Non - Diegetic Sound: Sound, which is not part of the film world e.g. a soundtrack, sound effects, voiceovers

On Screen sound: You can see where the sound is coming from  (radio, car)

Off Screen sound: You can hear sound but cannot see where it is coming from, but it makes sense to the film world  (traffic sounds, coughing)

Parallel Sound: is when the sound you hear in a film is what is expected e.g. a scene with children playing on a beach the parallel sounds would be laughter, talking and the sea

Contrapuntal Sound: is when the sound does not match the expectations of what you are viewing an example of this is Jaws. The scenes of the beach are accompanied by the contrapuntal sound of the theme tune ‘dur dur’ which does not fit in with the happy images.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5U8suTUw0

All films analysed had non diegetic music playing in the background creating a sound bridge to create a certain atmosphere. Some films such as the dark knight use dialogue, even if not that much – this usually gives us an insight to the characters motives or their relationships with other characters in the film. Silence and sonic exaggeration are 2 techniques used in dark knight, this is very tough provoking and does well to build up tension, which seems to be a strong convention for thriller films.

This research has made me understand my knowledge on why sound is used in thrillers and how it can be effectively used.

Cinematography - Miss B

Cinematography

Discuss what cinematography

While a film director may have a general idea of how a scene should look, it is the responsibility of a cinematographer to make it happen. This professional is an expert in both the technical and artistic capabilities of a movie camera. He or she works closely with the director during principal shooting in order to properly frame each shot according to the script and/or the director's personal vision. The head cinematographer may also be credited as director of photography or DP, although the two titles are not as interchangeable as one might think.

A cinematographer may also be considered a camera operator, especially if his or her decision-making power is minimal. While working, he or she actually looks through the lens of a camera while filming a scene, much like a still photographer snaps individual photographs. The lighting director and crew will often work with the cinematographer to make sure the amount of light reflecting off the actors and scenery is acceptable. If a special lens or filter is required for an artistic effect, it is this person's job to make the changes.

Camera angles

High angle shot - a high angle shot is usually when the camera angle is located above the eyeline. With this type of angle, the camera looks down on the subject and the point of focus often get "swallowed up" by the setting. The High angle shots also make the figure or object seem vulnerable or powerless, and is  usually used in film to make the moment more dramatic or if there is someone at a high level that the character below is talking to.

Low angle - In cinematography, a low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera angle positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eyeline, looking up. This shows the person or object as something great and powerful.

 Extreme long shot

This can be taken from as much as a quarter of a mile away, and is generally used as a scene-setting, establishing shot. It normally shows an EXTERIOR, eg the outside of a building, or a landscape, and is often used to show scenes of thrilling action eg in a war film or disaster movie. There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.

Long Shot        

This is the most difficult to categorise precisely, but is generally one which shows the image as approximately "life" size ie corresponding to the real distance between the audience and the screen in a cinema (the figure of a man would appear as six feet tall). This category includes the FULL SHOT showing the entire human body, with the head near the top of the frame and the feet near the bottom. While the focus is on characters, plenty of background detail still emerges: we can tell the coffins on the right are in a Western-style setting, for instance.

Medium Shot

Contains a figure from the knees/waist up and is normally used for dialogue scenes, or to show some detail of action. Variations on this include the TWO SHOT, more than three figures and the shot tends to become a long shot. Background detail is minimal, probably because location has been established earlier in the scene - the audience already know where they are and now want to focus on dialogue and character interaction.

4. Close-Up

This shows very little background, and concentrates on either a face, or a specific detail of mise en scène. Everything else is just a blur in the background. This shot magnifies the object (think of how big it looks on a cinema screen) and shows the importance of things, be it words written on paper, or the expression on someone's face. The close-up takes us into the mind of a character. In reality, we only let people that we really trust get THAT close to our face - mothers, children and lovers, usually - so a close up of a face is a very intimate shot. A film-maker may use this to make us feel extra comfortable or extremely uncomfortable about a character, and usually uses a zoom lens in order to get the required framing.

Extreme Close-Up

As its name suggests, an extreme version of the close up, generally magnifying beyond what the human eye would experience in reality. An extreme close-up of a face, for instance, would show only the mouth or eyes, with no background detail whatsoever. This is a very artificial shot, and can be used for dramatic effect. The tight focus required means that extra care must be taken when setting up and lighting the shot - the slightest camera shake or error in focal length is very noticeable.

Panning shot – camera moves across showing what’s in view. Example, usually used when someone is walking

Tilt shot – camera moves up and down. Example If someone is giving someone else a dirty look from head to toe.

Crane shot –on a crane, camera movement can be quite flexible.

Zoom –capture emotion or to get away from it. Example, finding something out.

Point of view (1^st person) – when it looks like it is from the personal view. example, creates tension and suspense.

Hand held – and held cameras denote a certain kind of gritty realism, and they can make the audience feel as though they are part of a scene, rather than viewing it from a detached, frozen position.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5U8suTUw0                                           

The most typical shot used in thriller films seems to be the close up, greatly used in the film se7en to build suspense and mystery in the beginning. Long shots have also been a commonality among thriller being used in the dark knight to set the scene and show the audience where the action will be taking place and show it in a big portrait in the upcoming events.

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

Cinematography has helped me develop my knowledge on camera angles even more and mostly their uses, this will help me I n future coursework’s such as taking my own thriller clip.

What is a thriller? - Miss B

What is a thriller? (Ms Begum)

Genre – Category that a film focus into, for example: horror, romantic comedy.

Codes and convention – the common features that are used in thrillers to appeal to the audience and are typical of a thriller film. Example lighting and sound.

Target audience – The group of people the film is aimed towards, for example the target audience of many thrillers are 18+n this is because they include a lot of violence and some psychological issues which can disturbing for many younger viewers, we could also see the target audience by looking on the back of DVD cover which it states why it is rated as it is such as extreme violence ect, which shows what target audience they are aiming it for.

Theme – The storylines, subject that are present in the film.

Sub-genre - A sub genre is like subdivisions of an encompassing term. Its taking groups like comedies, mysteries, poems, and making the thinking narrower.
 

What is a thriller?

The term “thriller” is that it is a suspenseful and sensational, Thrillers are usually consisted of numerous action scenes and faced paced plots. Not all film thrillers are suspenseful, but many suspense novels are thrillers. But what all thrillers have in common is creating a chilling feeling amongst the audience. The narrative being difficult to follow helps bring up the tension and suspense depending on the sub-genre.

By looking at sub-genres of thriller films, i found that thriller can be related by several sub-genres such as, crime, action/adventure, sci-fi, drama, mystery, horror, physiological.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5TsZ6iyaH4

By combining all the above features we could talk about “scream”. The genre for scream is horror/thriller which also goes into the idea of it being a sub-genre.  The target audience for it is 15+. It is shown that the storyline for “scream” is a number of serial killing,, but the way the serial killer does his murders indicates that the serial killer does it for amusement.

Common themes of thrillers

These are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. Thriller and suspense films are virtually synonymous and interchangeable categorizations, with similar characteristics and features.

If the genre is to be defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that restlessly pursues a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the “edge of their seats” as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the main characters is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible.





Audience response to thrillers

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements, Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods giving them a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and/or terror. Thriller films tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced. plot twists and cliff hangers are used extensively. A thriller is villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the hero must overcome.

The aim for thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer, and fight and chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own unique characteristics and methods.

Conclusion

Doing this coursework helped me by understanding what a thriller is and their sub-genres by watching different thriller films and how they are laid out in the sense of genres and sub-genres. Watching different film trailers gave me different ideas in what I and my peers are going to include in our trailer. I also learnt the differences between a thriller and a horror by watching in detail what exactly both the genres and sub-genres show.

By staying on top of all my coursework and not falling behind, ill be able to meet all the coursework requirements and keep all my work up to date.