Note to the moderator

Thank you for taking the time to look around both my individual blog and my Group Blog.

You will find both links to the group blog and the Main teaching blog (which has links to all the other individual and group blogs at my centre) to the right of the page. There is also a list of tags and my blog archive so you can easily navigate my posts, as well as a search bar.

On this blog you will find any independent research I undertook, my individual initial idea and of course my answers to the seven evaluation questions. You can also check out any work I did for my preliminary task, including the evaluation, and view both my finished preliminary task and main opening sequence at the top of this page. I hope you enjoy watching them both, particularly Mute as a lot of hard work was put into it by all four members of my group.

On my Group Blog you will find the work I individually contributed towards the development and production of our opening sequence by clicking on the tag labelled 'Jessica', along with any work the whole group produced together.

All posts are organised chronologically, dated from January up to April of this year. I have posted my evaluation answers in reverse order so you can read them in order from the top to the bottom of the page.

Thanks again and I hope my blogs are enjoyable and interesting to both look at and read.

- Jessica Wilson, Candidate no. 3895 

Closing Post

This blog is now closed, but feel free to browse!

Evaluation Question 1

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Genre
We wanted to make our film opening look like an Action/Drama movie by using similar colour grading and lighting, taking inspiration from big action films like The Dark Knight and I Am Number Four.

The mise-en-scene and style of the sequence was really important in getting across genre conventions, as the opening of our film does not have a lot of action in it, emitting the typical features of an action film like guns and fighting, challenging the conventions of other films like the James Bond franchise which often have fast-paced action scenes right at the beginning of the movie.

This clip from The Dark Knight has shadowy lighting and slightly blue tint, which is the effect we wanted for Mute.

We also looked at Action/Sci-Fi films like I, Robot as our film does have some science fiction elements to it because of the focus on technology and a dystopian world. This clip is also quite dark and is graded with a hint of blue.



Here is a selection of stills from Action films we took inspiration from. As you can see, there is a definite running theme for colour and lighting effects.

We didn’t want our film opening to be quite this blue, as it is also a Drama, and we thought the blue tints on a lot of films were a bit over the top.

The way our opening sequence begins straight away with loud, up-tempo music is also typical of the action genre as the audience is captivated and excited as soon as the titles appear.


Narrative structure
Mute has a traditional narrative structure in that is fits quite well with Todorov’s Theory of Equilibrium:

However, we decided to break the conventions and create another disruption at the end of the film, leaving it open to a sequel. Whilst Ava is celebrating with the rest of the nation, we hear the government plotting to kill off Ava and her new boyfriend, planning to cover it up by announcing to the world that these fake voiceboxes are infected and therefore everyone must have them removed again immediately.

Our film is also untraditional as it does not really fit with Propp’s Character Theory:

• Our protagonist Ava is of course the hero.
• Being a girl she does not have a princess to save and instead has two supporting characters, all three of them helping each other out equally.
• One of the boys, Benjamin’s friend, ends up being the victim who is tragically killed by the government, rather than the typical damsel in distress. 
• There is no straightforward villain either, but instead a faceless government represented in the film by the trained-to-kill team of guards who are sent out to track the trio and try and stop them from reaching their destination.

The first half of our opening sequence does not use real time editing and instead uses a montage style to first show the  people at the bus stop, then to show different parts of Ava’s journey home.
The cross cutting at the beginning of the sequence is deliberately jumpy to create pace and enigma, as the audience does not know who these people are and why they are all engrossed in their phones.

The establishing shot of the bus stop creates a binary opposite between Ava and the other teenagers around her, as they are all looking down at their phones whereas she is staring thoughtfully out across the road, signalling her non-conformity. The second half of the sequence is edited to real time and the pace is much slower, reflecting the monotony of this silent, detached world.

Once inside the house we made sure to stick to the continuity rules.





We filmed the same shots from different angles (all within 180 degrees of each other of course) and  instructed our actress to be extra careful between shots by not moving and by completing the actions in the exact same way every time. There are several cuts between shots in our sequence that involve match-on-action, a valuable continuity rule I learnt during the preliminary task.



Form
The typical form of a film opening sequence is to either

1. Introduce the characters and plotline in the conventional way, or 
2. To start at a key point later in the narrative, then jump back to an earlier date to show the events leading up to this point. 

Here is an example of a film that starts at the end: The Butterfly Effect, conforming to form (2). The opening sequence is flashforward to an event near the end of the film, confusing the audience and leading them to wonder what happened to cause the protagonist to be in this situation.


As we were not making the entire film, we thought it would be much simpler to use the conventional form, way (1) of starting at the beginning, otherwise our sequence would not work as a standalone media product.

To make things more interesting, we used the enigmatic zoom on the webpage at the end of our opening to make the audience aware of what the rest of the film might be about; sure enough, these ‘scientists’ will be very relevant to the plotline.

It is also a convention of an opening sequence to introduce your protagonist, and as Ava is the only character not engrossed in her phone, she immediately stands out and it is obvious that she is the protagonist even before we begin to follow her home.

We didn’t want to waste screen time by putting all our titles on black screens, so instead we placed most of them over the footage, positioning them discreetly at the bottom of the screen so they are both easy to read yet not distracting. The titles end before the vital parts of the sequence where viewers have to concentrate on something important, for example the news article at the very end, so they don’t miss anything.

Style
As well as wanting the typical stylistic features of high-budget action movies, as our product is meant to be part of a gritty British film, we wanted it to look a little different from these Hollywood blockbusters. We liked the low-saturation, high-contrast, washed out look of British superhero drama Misfits. Here is a clip to demonstrate:



In regards to the editing and pacing of our opening sequence, we wanted it to start off very choppy and fast-paced, cut perfectly to the upbeat high-impact soundtrack. Halfway through the sequence, there is a dramatic switch to the eerie silence inside the house as Ava removes her headphones, incorporating Levi-Strauss’s theory of Binary Opposites: the loud drum and bass music juxtaposes the creepy silence.

We deliberately used no music or ambient sound effects at this point to make the natural noises, like the video game and footsteps, sound too piercing and loud to make the viewer feel uneasy and wonder what it is about this world that is wrong. Of course it was integral to our film’s plot that there was no dialogue, putting the emphasis on Ava’s actions and the messages she is receiving.

We thought it was important to show CUs of the characters’ faces throughout the sequence to show the concentration they have when engrossed in their various activities, whether it be texting or playing video games.

Close-Ups

Their blank expressions show the lack of emotion and connection with other people in this dystopian world, and the multiple close-ups are deliberately choppy and jump between different people for enigma and to bring the audience right in on the action.

We chose our titles to be simple and minimalistic, keeping to a colour scheme of white on either black or on top of film footage. The digital-style font relates to a key theme of our film: technology.

Evaluation Question 2

2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Age - Teenagers

We decided to play up to the stereotype of teenagers as always texting and constantly using technology, lulling the audience into thinking that this might just be a social commentary about young people communicating too much by phone. 

When we enter the house and see that the mother is also using solely technology to communicate, it becomes apparent that we aren’t only showing the stereotypical view that young people use technology too much, but everyone does, so we are not trying to show teenagers in a bad light, especially as the rebels who believe the world would be better if everyone could speak again are teenagers. 



The teenagers in our film opening are constantly texting...



But it soon becomes apparent that they are not the only ones.

This challenges the stereotype of the older generation not being tech-savvy and complaining about the younger generation for being constantly on their phones or computers.

Gender - Young females

The use of a young female character as the protagonist in an action film challenges conventions, as she is the hero, rather than being the damsel in distress who needs to be saved by a man.
 

We didn’t dress her like a typical girly female, and instead put her in dark, neutral clothing – black jeans, green jacket and black Doc Martens – to show a tougher side. This outfit paired with her feminine features and blonde curls hopefully makes her relatable to both girly teenagers as well as more tomboyish types.

We found that there weren’t many teenage female protagonists in action movies, so we wanted to break the trend and show that young women can be just as strong and brave as a man, as girl action heroes are  underrepresented in the film industry.

In my mind I had the character of Katniss from the popular young adult book series The Hunger Games, which could be one of the first Action/Sci-fi movies to have a feisty teenage girl lead when the movie adaptation is released next year.

Out of Total Film’s list of the 100 Greatest Female Characters in movies, ‘38 are a character in someone else’s story. 25 of those are primarily a love interest. Approximately 1/5 do not survive their film.’

We wanted to do something different and break these conventions, giving teenage girls a strong role model.

Evaluation Question 3

3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Our fictional production company is called Binary Studios and it is a British institution specialising in gritty dramas starring new talent from across Britain. Our films often have political and/or dystopian themes, making them sometimes controversial and not to everyone’s tastes. Examples of the kinds of films we might make are This Is England, A Clockwork Orange and Shank. 

Mute is a little different to the usual films we might produce, as it requires a higher budget due to the Action/Sci-Fi elements. British production companies rarely make Action movies, so Binary Studios is trying to break into this previously unexplored market.

The Wikipedia page for British Action Films

Due to the recent success of our films, we have sold Mute at a reasonably high price at a film festival to (fictional) British distributor Phoenix International. They specialise in Dramas and smaller independent films, so they were perfect for our film.

They are similar to Revolver Entertainment, a successful renowned institution who has had recent success distributing British films like Kidulthood and Sherlock Holmes.

They would also be able to provide us with the finance needed to produce an even bigger, better sequel to Mute if it was successful. Revolver are well known for their promotional stunts, so they could also create a campaign for Mute that will make the film famous and exciting even before its release.

• We are hoping to exhibit Mute across as many cinemas as possible nationwide and hopefully worldwide. 
• However, the lack of dialogue is unconventional and may put off some potential viewers
• Hopefully this will just prod them out of their comfort zones and intrigue them to see the film, especially if we have a successful viral campaign (of course, with the ironic use of technology) which generates word-of-mouth hype.
• The final disruption at the end of the film should keep the audience on tenterhooks and help persuade the distributors that we have the potential to create a sequel and possibly even a whole franchise of films starring Ava and Benjamin that teenagers and young adults across the world will grow up with.

Evaluation Question 4

4. Who would be the audience for your media product?

• Our film is rated 15 and our target audience would be aged between 15 and 25. 
• The film would be made for a British audience but is hopefully relatable to young people all over the world. 
• It appeals to both genders, as it is a hybrid of genres, including Action, Drama and Sci-Fi, appealing to males, but the aspirational female hero and the romantic elements will hopefully appeal to young females too.



• As previously mentioned, the lack of dialogue is unconventional and may put some people off, similar to how many people don’t like watching films with subtitles, but its uniqueness will hopefully attract them into seeing it just so they can make their own minds up.

A group of target audience members

• As the style of the film is quite dark and de-saturated, and the plotline isn’t particularly joyful, those who go to the cinema for light-hearted fun will not be the kind of person who comes to see Mute, so our target audience is those who like to see hard-hitting dramatic films that don’t necessarily end happily. 
• The 15 rating allows us to be more violent and graphic, and although I wouldn’t go as far as to say the film is depressing, it will definitely be quite dark, as the point of the film is to convey how miserable and lifeless a world without speech would be. This makes the film a little more niche than the typical Hollywood action blockbuster.
• Some adult viewers might be put off by the young main cast but hopefully Mute will become one of those films ‘you just have to see’ as it is quite controversial and could make people look at technology in a completely different way.
• The overall idea of a parallel universe where we have evolved to be born without voiceboxes is very abstract, and it may just be too strange for some people, but for most people I hope it will be intriguing and if it does well in Britain, we could be looking at a mass release.

Here is an average target audience member:

This is Christy.

• She is 18 years old and a sixth form college student.
• She visits the cinema a couple of times a month and enjoys renting and buying dvds to watch with her friends.
• Her film preferences range from Hollywood blockbusters to lesser known indie dramas, and Mute is the kind of thing that will intrigue her and pull her out of her comfort zone.
• Her favourite films from the past year were The Social Network and Black Swan.
• She doesn't mind watching foreign films with subtitles and the Mute premise of having voiceovers and little dialogue doesn't put her off.
• Her other interests include going to parties and gigs and she likes finding new, up-and-coming bands online.
• She would probably go and see Mute at the cinema with her friends or boyfriend as something to do one evening.

We showed our film opening to over fifty 15-17 year olds and got them to fill in a questionnaire. Here are a few we received (please press the zoom button to read some of the responses): 
Mute - Filled In Questionnaires

Everyone rated it between 6 and 10 out of 10 and the majority said they would want to see the rest of the film at the cinema.

This shows that we got our target audience right as the feedback was generally positive within our market, and both boys and girls enjoyed the sequence.

Evaluation Question 5

5. How did you attract/address your audience? 

We used teenage actors to appeal straight away to our core audience of 15-25 year olds, letting them know exactly who the film is centred around.

By using actors of white, black and Asian origins we were racially diverse and presented an accurate picture of modern Britain (though of course we soon find out that this isn’t Britain as we know it). 

Racial Diversity

• The seemingly normal setting and characters allow the viewers to suspend their disbelief, as it feels normal to them, except for of course the one big difference: no-one can speak.
• The music we chose is loud Drum & Bass, a genre popular with young people at the moment, making the film seem modern and exciting. 
• Action is one of the most popular movie genres so already the film has a wider appeal than if it was, for example, Horror or Comedy.



The most popular movie genres based on weekend gross in 2009



• As an entirely speechless film would be dull, we would use voiceovers to reflect the silent characters’ thoughts and to allow the viewers to understand and really relate to Ava, otherwise the audience would find it hard to know what she was going through and wouldn’t feel close to her. 
• The main characters would all be young and attractive to appeal to both boys and girls, and hopefully we would be able to cast a more well-known actor in one of the adult supporting roles to give it a bit more credibility and attract their fan base too.
• As mentioned in question four, the plotline and hard-hitting themes of the film itself would appeal only to people who enjoy films that make them think and don’t necessarily cheer them up, and the film is not created to please those who enjoy happy, idyllic endings.
• Although the cast and a lot of the sets are British, hopefully the idea of a loss of speech and culture as a tragedy will translate well worldwide.
• The love story and fast-paced chase scenes should also help its international appeal, along with the young up-and-coming cast.

We also tried to incorporate Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory:

1. Information - 'finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings, society and the world'. The use of technology is extremely relevant in our current society and our film could make viewers rethink how they communicate with others.
2. Personal Identity - 'finding reinforcement for personal values'. Viewers may be able to relate to the rebellious teenager characters and see their own personal values in them.
3. Integration and Social Interaction - 'finding a basis for conversation and social interaction'. Hopefully our film would generate word-of-mouth hype and give everyone something to talk about, especially as the concept is quite controversial. It may also encourage viewers to interact more with their friends after watching it, as the dystopian setting of the film arose due to the lack of face-to-face communication so it might worry people and make them want to talk more.
4. Entertainment - 'escaping, or being diverted, from problems'. Watching Mute would provide escapism and immersion of the viewer into this dystopian world. The problems of Ava and the other characters may make the audience forget about their problems for a few hours.

To attract target audience members to our preview screening we created a Facebook Event and invited everyone aged 15 or older from our school.

We deliberately put little information on the page, including only vital details like time and location, for enigma and to make our audience come to our screening to see what it was all about.

Evaluation Question 6

6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Throughout this coursework project I have developed my skills using both hardware and software used to make films.

Hardware:

• Video Camera
• Tripod
• Pag Light
• Microphone
• Headphones

Software:

• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe After Affects
• LiveType

Having already used Adobe Premier Pro during my GCSE course, I felt that this time I got more of a chance to edit personally, as we were working in smaller groups and the finished product was longer.

I progressed in my use of sound equalising and non-linear editing and also learnt how to effectively colour grade using ProCamp and Three-Way Colour Corrector which was definitely the biggest challenge, as we were only really using trial and error and we weren’t really sure what colouring we had in mind which made it difficult to know what to do.
Here is a video to demonstrate the kinds of effects we tried on our sequence before deciding on the final setting:

We also put in a high-pass sound effect for when Ava removes her headphones to make it sound as realistic as possible before the music stops completely.

Another important tool we used was the Degrainer in Adobe After Effects, as some of our shots were quite grainy due to low light, so that taught us a valuable lesson to always use the Pag Light even if the shot seems to look okay on the small camera screen.

BEFORE

AFTER

One thing that I think really improved our film opening was using the manual settings on our video camera. We especially liked to use the manual focus, and tried to incorporate several focus pulls into our sequence to give it that cinematic touch.

Here is a video of us practicing using focus pulls:

Certain shots are a little shaky so in hindsight I think we should have made sure to use to tripod whenever possible, because we weren’t intending a handheld effect.

In the future I would like to work on a film with more sound and dialogue, as we didn’t get a chance to do much with the microphone and experiment with settings as our film didn’t require dialogue so all the sound recording was quite straightforward.

Evaluation Question 7

Preliminary Task Brief:

Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. The task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree-rule.

Main Task Brief:
The titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes. All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source.

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Creating the preliminary sequence was all about continuity and it was harder than I expected, which taught me to be extra careful when filming for the full product. This helped the narrative make sense and although there were still a few continuity errors, no-one noticed any of them in our screenings as they were minor.



An example of one continuity error we faced



I learnt the importance of a master shot and how it can be cut into and out of several times throughout a sequence to make it clearer to the audience the positioning of all the characters and to set the scene:

Master/Establishing Shot

The prelim task also taught me not to underestimate how long filming can take and to use time properly, as the very simple, short preliminary task took a lot longer than I expected to film, giving me a rough idea of how long our film opening would take. One of the most valuable continuity techniques I learnt whilst creating the prelim task is the 180 degree rule, something I didn’t previously know about.

Whilst selecting footage to use for our prelim task, we noticed that certain shots just didn’t look right together because we had moved over 180 degrees from one shot to the next. This was a good mistake to get out of the way and I made sure not to do the same when filming our opening sequence, in particular during the stairs scene. 

As I filmed most of the prelim task, I found that the actors subconsciously moved positions slightly between shots, so whilst directing the main task I made sure to tell our actors to stay as still as possible between shots as to not make the cuts look jumpy.



A basic continuity error in the Prelim Task



Another thing we had to do during our prelim task was a location reccie and walkthrough. This was simple enough as we were just using a classroom at school, but even this posed problems as we could hear the other groups talking through our headphones and we had to share a corridor. It taught us not to just assume we will be able to shoot wherever and whenever we want, and made us more thorough when deciding on locations and testing out sequences for our film opening shoot.
This helped us when planning our second shoot for our main task as we did a walkthrough of the extra footage we intended to film at school to flag up any possible problems and to help us decide the shot types for our storyboard:

Final reflections on my finished opening sequence

 

I am extremely pleased with our finished product and we definitely made the right decision by changing our idea early on in the production process.

I still like our original concept, but in hindsight Mute was definitely a more practical, original idea, and it was nice to do something different as every year most groups make Thrillers.

On location

It was really enjoyable working in my group and we got on really well as we were all on the same wavelength throughout most of the project and any conflicting ideas we did have just brought more suggestions and possibilities to the table. It was great having such an enthusiastic group as we all worked equally as hard to produce a product we could all be proud of. 

Research: Popular Action & Drama Films

I looked at IMDB to find out the most popular action and drama films ever released.

Looking at stills and watching the trailers of some of these films helped me to understand what a good Action/Drama film should look like.

Shoot Number 1 Preparation

My group is heading out on our first shoot tomorrow, so here's everything I need to bring along:

• Phone
• iPod touch
• Props to dress the room
• Digital Camera & Accessories
• Video Camera
• Food

Here are some props I brought from my room to help turn Robbie's bedroom into a girl's bedroom.

I also found this t-shirt which I thought we could place somewhere in the bedroom as it hints at Ava's want and need to speak her feelings with a voice she doesn't possess.

Initial Idea for Coursework Project

My coursework group consists of myself, Charley Packham, Odelia Yu and Robbie Lardi.

At our first meeting, we brainstormed as a group and came up with the starting point of a Psychological Thriller. 

We decided it would be best if each of us came up with one initial idea to bring to the next meeting. I liked the idea of the opening sequence consisting of hallucinations, and was inspired by Black Swan, a film I had recently watched at the cinema.

Rivalry between Nina and Lily in Black Swan

Here is my initial idea:

The film:

• Psychological Thriller
• Protagonist: An overacheiving teenage schoolgirl who strives to be the best at everything she does
• She ends up killing her rival in a classroom after the protagonist decides she is too much of a threat to her getting into the college she wants to go to, as the college will only take one person from their school
  

The opening sequence:

• A scene from near the end of the film
• Set in a locked classroom
• The protagonist is sitting at a desk at the back of the room having just killed her rival (the audience does not know this)
• She hallucinates various people appearing in the room and taunging her - e.g. her mother telling her she is a disappointment, her teacher telling her she has failed everything, her rival boasting
• Her hallucinations are interrupted by a knock on the door, then a ratlling of the handle and someone calling the protagonist's name
• Cut to black

Prelim Task Evaluation Questions

1. Who did you work with and how did you manage the task between you?

 

My group, 2C, consisted of myself, Philippa Dodi and Sam Szczurek. We brainstormed ideas as a group and came up with the plot for our sequence together. We then split up the tasks to save time, so Philippa drew the storyboard with help from the rest of the group, then I wrote out the shot list while Sam typed up the script. When in production, Sam and Philippa took the acting roles, so I filmed and directed the shots with both of them in, Sam filmed the shots with just Philippa in and Philippa filmed the shots with just Sam in. In post-production, the three of us took turns editing the sequence while the other two helped.

Here is our script:Group 2C Script

2. How did you plan your sequence? What processes did you use? What theories did you try and take into account?

When planning our sequence, we tried to keep things simple and not try to make it too complicated or elaborate. We used the processes of storyboarding, scripting and brainstorming to develop our ideas. This happened during our group's one hour planning session.

Here is our storyboard (click to enlarge):

Here is our shot list (click to enlarge):

Once we came up with the idea and script for our sequence, we found our location and acted it out to make sure it was feasible and to decide where the camera and actors will be positioned. We made sure to take these theories into account:

• Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium - There is an equilibrium with Sam perfectly happy, sitting in his chair, then Philippa comes in and disrupts the equilibrium.
• Principles of Continuity - We followed the 180 degree rule throughout our sequence. We actually filmed a shot that broke the rule, and once in the sequence it didn't flow properly and looked confusing so we decided to remove it. We also used match on action, in particular between the two shots of Philippa sitting down, meaning we edited the two together to make it look like one flowing movement. We also incorporated shot/reverse/shot to film the conversation between the two characters, editing together multiple OTS shots to make the conversation flow.

3. What technology did you use to complete the task, and how did you use it?

We used a video camera with a microphone and headphones to check the sound was exactly as we wanted it to be. The microphone allowed us to pick up sound more clearly, especially for the long distant shots. We put the camera on the tripod the whole time, to ensure the shots weren't shaky and that they were level. We then captured and edited our sequence using Adobe Premiere.

4. What factors did you have to take into account when planning, shooting and editing?

The first thing we had to take into account was location, as we had to film in school and we needed a classroom set up to go with our story idea, so we sorted out locations within our class so that our group had the space we wanted. Another important factor was time, as we only had one hour to shoot, so we kept the script short and simple, and didn't put in too many camera positions or complicated shots. We again had the one hour time limit when editing, so we made sure to work efficiently and help each other out so we didn't run out of time. We also didn't try to edit anything too fancily, and kept it simple.

5.  How successful was your sequence? Please identify what worked well, and with hindsight, what would you improve/do differently?

I think our sequence was very successful at demonstrating continuity techniques, even though it wasn't particularly original and we didn't take many risks, but that didn't really matter as the point of this task was to show we know the principles of continuity. I think the sequence flows quite well, and nothing looks wrong or confusing to the viewer. This is because we deleted two shots from our sequence during the editing process, as one of them broke the 180 degree rule and one of them didn't quite fit with the match-on-action we wanted, so leaving them in would have made the sequence look wrong. At around 16 seconds in, the sequence does look a bit jolty, as Sam's head moves down then up again quite quickly, so with more time we would have made sure that every shot matched perfectly. I think the OTS shots work very well as shot/reverse/shots, as the conversation looks natural and there aren't really any bits that cut too quickly, and the match-on-action shots when Philippa sits down fit together very well. It probably would have been beneficial if our group had one more member, as the cameraman also had to direct, use the clapperboard and work on sound, which was a little difficult at times, so another person to use the headphones would have been helpful. We also could have made the sequence a bit longer to show a few more continuity techniques.

6. What have you learnt from completing this task? Looking ahead, how will this learning be significant when completing the rest of your foundation coursework, do you think?

From this task I have learnt all of the principles of continuity for filming, and have learnt how to use them in practice. I have learnt to always apply these rules, and to think carefully about whether everything makes sense or not, as we could have saved time filming if we hadn't shot those two clips that we later removed because they didn't work. I have also learnt how the camera microphone works, and how to work with sound on set using the headphones.

This learning will be very helpful when shooting and planning my next coursework task, as I will be able to apply all the principles of continuity I have learnt, and also try to incorporate some of the theories I have learnt, such as Todorov's theory of equilibrium. I think I will also be more productive working in a group for the next task, as we now all know how to use the equipment and how to properly start off and end a shot when filming. Using Adobe Premiere to edit the sequence was also a helpful refresh of everything I learnt about how to use it in year 10, so I will  be able to start using it properly straight away in the next task, as everything is now fresh in my mind.

Research: Barthes Codes in Film Openings (Dorian Gray)

Dorian Gray (2009)

Clip up to 6:00 mins

1.  Identify the key actions within the opening - what kinds of actions are included and how is the narrative moved forward?

The first key action is a young man violently stabbing something we cannot see, and blood spurting all over him. We can than assume that time was skipped to the next scene, either back or forwards, when we see a carriage driving someone somewhere, then the same young man arriving somewhere looking bemused and excited, signifying to the audience that he has just arrived in a new place. The camera follows him as he explores this new place, then cuts to an aerial shot of some houses, then moves down to show the young man arriving at this house, allowing the narrative to move forward from him arriving in the new town to settling into his new home. The next action is the young man playing the piano at the house, and the narrative cleverly moves on from this by dissolving this scene into another where he is playing piano at some kind of event. We then see the young man meeting lots of new people, showing us that he is being introduced into society and that time has passed since he first arrived in town. The next action is the young man standing whilst another man is painting him, which is clearly a very key action in this film as it is based on the book The Picture of Dorian Gray.

2.  Identify the enigma codes within the opening - what kinds of questions are posed and how is the audience meant to read these codes?

The biggest question posed is of course what Dorian is stabbing at the very beginning of the sequence, as it isn’t a very normal, accepted action, so that clip is definitely placed there for extreme enigma. The rest of the story, we expect, will lead up to an explanation of who he was stabbing and why, and the audience are meant to wonder this throughout the whole film until the answer is revealed. We are also wondering where he has come from, as he seems very mysterious, and how he now owns this huge house in a different city.

                                                    
3.  Identify key characters and think about what they represent in the opening

We can tell within a few minutes that the main character is the young man stabbing something at the beginning, and we assume that he is the titular character, Dorian Gray. He seems to represent mystery, as he is a new character in town and we know nothing of his back story or why he’s come to London. He also represents someone seemingly perfect with sinister secrets, as he seems very handsome, rich and popular, but from the very first scene we know that he definitely has a dark side. We are also briefly introduced to another key character, Basil, and all we know so far is that he is a painter and a new friend of Dorian. The audience is curious as to why he is painting Dorian, and how much he knows about this mystery new man.

4. Interpret the cultural codes in the opening.  What kind of knowledge is being drawn on? social/historical/political/art and culture etc.  Highlight the 3 most important references in the opening that help with audience understanding.

This film already draws on cultural codes, as it is based on a famous novel written by Oscar Wilde, so most people will already know something about the story, or at least when it’s set, from the book itself.  The only other real cultural code in this opening is when a man says, “Welcome to London,” so viewers will obviously know where London is and immediately associate the places in this film with the London they know about.

5.  Identify key themes and analyse how they are presented visually/technically.

Some of the key themes are secrets and evil, presented to us very clearly in the first scene when Dorian is shown stabbing someone and covered in blood, straight away giving the audience an uneasy feeling. This scene along with the creepy music and the dark mise-en-scene clearly represents these themes. Corruption is also a key theme, and already we can see that by the contrast between the sinister Dorian and the innocent Dorian, arriving in London for the first time, fill of hope and excitement. Another more obvious key theme is art, and the portrayal of people through artwork, and we can tell this straightaway by the introduction of Basil the painter, and the shot of lots of different sketches of Dorian (5:04 mins).

Research: Continuity in film clips (Inception)

Inception (2010)

The first 40 seconds of this clip is made up of lots of shot/reverse/shots as a conversation between two people is being filmed. There are 11 OTS shots in a row, switching each time from Ariadne to Cobb. Each shot is slightly more zoomed in than the last one, making the audience feel more involved and as if they are moving closer and closer into the action. It also allows the viewers to see the expressions on the characters’ faces, which becomes more important throughout the sequence as Ariadne is becoming more confused.

At 0:42, there is a master shot so we can see the characters in relation to each other and their surroundings, and also to vary up the shot types and avoid it becoming too repetitive. It also fits in with the fact that Ariadne is looking around to find out where she is, so we follow her gaze and take a look around too, making the audience feel more in touch with the character. There are then three more OTS shots as the characters talk a bit more, then a cutaway to show a close up of the cup of coffee shaking on the table. This moves away from the whole action of the sequence and focuses momentarily on a small part of the action, in this case the shaking cup to show that the whole place is actually shaking, again adding variety to the shot types.

Shot order is important in this sequence too, as it deliberately goes back to the OTS shots before the CU of the cup, otherwise it would go straight from a wide shot to a close up which wouldn’t flow very smoothly. At 0:56, there is a reaction shot of Ariadne looking shocked at the shaking cup, and the cut matches as she is looking down at the cup, then we see her look up in the next shot. After all of the books explode from a shop, it cuts to another, further out, master shot so we can see what is happening all around the characters.

At 1:00 there is another reaction shot of Ariadne reacting to the exploding and flying objects, and she looks in the right direction so it makes sense. There are lots of match-on-action shots at the end, because when we some that some objects have already exploded outwards, they are still in logical positions in the next shots, and they don’t seem to have moved back in time or moved too much.

There are also lots of special effects at the end of this sequence and specific techniques have been used in order to make it look as if all the humans in this scene have frozen whilst all of the exploding chaos happens, adding to the effect of this impossible dream world. Of course the diegetic added sounds of the crashing objects and bursting ground fit perfectly with the action so it seems to the audience as if these actions really are creating that noise.

Research: Levi-Strauss's Theory of Binary Opposites (10 Things I Hate About You)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

1. What is the genre of the film? How are the genre signifiers introduced?
This film is a High School Romantic Comedy. We can tell this by the cheery pop music used with the colourful titles at the very beginning of the film. The first characters we see are a group of teenage girls looking over-the-top happy and dancing in their open-top car, which we would expect to see in a romcom aimed at teenagers. The soundtrack then changes to a rock song, Bad Reputation, which clearly fits with the rebellious teenage girl we are introduced to next. All the girls are quite stereotypical - the cheery, girly girls and the lone, miserable-looking rebel - which fits with the conventions of this kind of film, and the way the girls look at each other in quite a bitchy way suggests that this film is a lot to do with cliques and social statuses, another key genre signifier. The next scene clearly shows a high school, and a boy shows a new student around the school whilst talking him through all the different cliques at the school, which is very stereotypical of this genre. There is also of course the classic 'love at first sight' moment with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's new student character and the typical blonde queen bee of the school.

2. Who are the main characters and how are they opposed?
There are a few main characters in this film: Kat, Patrick, Bianca and Cameron. Bianca is the pretty, popular good-girl, Kat is her rebellious older sister, Cameron is the new boy and Patrick is the mysterious 'bad-boy'. The first binary opposite we see (1:06 mins) is the group of girly, perfectly groomed, dancing girls listening to pop music in their car, in contrast to Kat pulling up in her car, on her own, listening to loud rock music ('I Don't give a damn about my reputation...') dressed in dark clothing and looking pretty miserable. The way the camera slowly pans across the screen from the girls in the first car to Kat really emphasises the contrast between them. The next binary opposite (2:42 mins) is between Cameron and Patrick. Cameron has just been shown as quite a nervous, stammery, innocent character, and when he rushes to leave the school office he comes face to face with Patrick, who is much taller and bigger-built than him. Patrick stares at him, looking tough, whereas Cameron is jittery, looks quite startled by him, and nods at him nervously before stumbling out. We are then shown a lot of binary opposites between all the different cliques around the school. There is another strong contrast (5:41 mins) between Kat and the rest of her fellow pupils in her class, shown when she voices her strong opinions that no-one else seems to agree with, especially when one girl describes Hemingway as 'so romantic' and Kat argues back that he was actually 'an abusive, alcoholic misogynist'.

3.What are the main themes of the film and how are they introduced?
One of the main themes will most likely be Cameron's attempt to get Bianca to go out with him, as we can guess by the way he seems to be enchanted by her as soon as he sees her that he won't just forget about her and not bother, despite being told that she is way out of his league and that she can't date anyway. This will of course involve one of the main themes of Romance, and probably Comedy too. There is also the theme of Rebellion, and Non-comformity, as we can tell that Kat is very outspoken with strong opinions, and the viewers will want to know whether she will stay like that throughout the film or maybe change her ways. We also wonder how Patrick will come into it, as he is introduced as a main character but he hasn't really had any connection with any of the other characters yet, although because he seems like such a strong character, we want to know more about him and what will happen to do with him and the other characters. The audience will probably guess that Kat and Patrick will have some kind of romance, as they are both shown as rebellious, non-comforming characters.

4.  How is the narrative organised to show conflict?
The narrative deliberately flows straight from the girly-girls in their car to Kat in her car to show the difference between them, and these differences, plus the way they look at each other in an unfriendly way and Kat's outspoken attitudes, suggests that there will be a conflict between Kat and some of the other girls in her school, even if it's not necessarily these particular girls. The sudden switch of the music also shows conflict between their opinions and tastes. We already see conflict between Kat and her teacher, as well as Kat and Joey (a boy in her class) when she argues with them about literature.

Research: Principles of Continuity

From reading the notes I have learnt a lot of different continuity techniques and rules, and they will be extremely useful to me and my group when it comes to shooting my film opening sequence, as it will look much more professional and effective. I broke a lot of continuity rules whilst filming for the 'accident task' but I didn't even know the rules existed, so now I know I won't be breaking them again, unless intentionally for effect. Here are some of the things I've learnt...

Camera directions and techniques create different effects when filming, and directors use a full range of shot distances. For example:

• Close-Ups for emotion, shock value, to put the audience right in the action, to focus on something important
• Mid range for dialogue, action and for linking shots
• Long range to establish a scene or to show large scale action
• OTS shots to place us on the side of a character and empathise with them 
• Camera movement to create the effect of physical movement

Editing has four main functions:

1. To cut the film down to the required length
2. To remove unwanted material and mistakes
3. To change the order of shots and the way events are portrayed
4. To establish a particular style for the production

Transitions are used to knit clips together, for example:

• Cuts to vary pace and rhythmn
• Fades
• Dissolves to slow time down or link action in different time frames (eg. dreams, flashbacks, etc.)
• Wipes

Continuity editing follows a set of unwritten rules to allow footage to be shot and edited into a seamless narrative. This allows suture, when the audience is metaphorically sewm into the narrative and doesn't notice the editing process. Here are some of the basic continuity editing rules:

THE 180 DEGREE RULE

There is an imaginary line which cuts through the middle of the scene and crossing this line changes the viewer's perspective so that it will create disorientation, therefore breaking the 180 degree rule. There is a similar rule for a moving subject: keep to one side of the direction of motion.

THE 30 DEGREE RULE
Don't change the camera angle by less than 30 degrees within the same framing, or viewers may notice a visible 'jump' in the footage known as a jump cut.

EYELINE MATCHING
The direction of the characters' gazes must stay the same.

MATCH ON ACTION
Movement should be edited so that the character has clearly moved between shots otherwise the action will appear as if it's been repeated.

SHOT/REVERSE/SHOT
When filming two characters talking to each other, film a master shot, then film again close to one character and again close on the other character, allowing you to cut between these three different shots throughout the conversation.

SHOT ORDER
Edit together certain shot distances for a smooth narrative, or it may seem jumpy, for example a CU to a LS may not flow very well in a conventional sequence.


There are many different techniques used in the editing room once the film has been shot:

• Transitions are used to link shots together and make the audience make sense of the film the way you intend them to.
• Sound is added, for example diagetic sound (sound effects), non-diagetic sound (not part of what's on screen eg. music) and a sound bridge (used to link two scenes).
• Lighting can be high-key, low-key for dramatic contrasts, from below to make a subject appear threatening or backlighting to produce a 'halo' effect around the edges of a subject.
• Colour can be edited, for example cold/blue lighting can signify alienation or coldness, whereas warm/yellow lighting can signify comfort and warmth. Very intense colours are describesd as saturated, and sepia or black and white effects can be used to represent a scene set in the past.

Research: Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium (Snow White)

 

Snow White (1937) [Up to 8:00 mins on the clip]

1. Who are the agents: the protagonist (the main hero who propels the narrative forward) and antagonist (opposing agent).
Our protagonist is of course Snow White, the beautiful, innocent titular character of this classic Disney film, and the antagonist is The Queen, who is the first character we are shown in the opening sequence.

2.Describe the Equilibrium. How is it represented? What kind of camera shots can you identify? (e.g establishing shots to create a sense of space or use of CUs/cutaways to emphasise particular objects/characters faces). Pick out 2 or 3 examples. Describe the mise-en-scene: what meanings do the props/costumes/lighting/framing carry?
The equilibrium is Snow White, living peacefully, clearly quite content with her life as it is by the way she is singing happily. The Queen is also living separately, content with knowing that she is the fairest of them all. We can see a contrast between the two characters by the way that the Queen is in a very dark, eerie looking castle, then it changes (with a fade rather than a cut, but that might be more to do with the technology or conventions at the time rather than for effect) to a bright, outdoor location with lots of white (symbolising peace and purity) where Snow White is sitting. The Queen is wearing more extravagant clothing, in rich purple, the colour of royalty, with a harsh-looking pointed crown and over the top dark makeup, whereas Snow White is in very simple, muted clothing and is drawn with a much more natural beauty. The differences between the two agents are also underlined by their facial expressions: Snow White has a constant smile on her face whilst the Queen is scowling throughout her scene.

3. Is the Disruption or Disequilibrium introduced or hinted at? (e.g the serial killer in "Seven" is introduced in the title sequence).
The suggestion of what will be the disruption of the equilibrium is introduced at the beginning of the film, when the Queen is told by her mirror on the wall that Snow White is now the fairest of them all, rather than the Queen herself. We can tell that the Queen doesn’t like being second by her outrage at this revelation, and when she clutches her hand and gasps, “Snow White!” we guess that she is now going to try and get her revenge on her, therefore disrupting the equilibrium of peace between the two characters.

4. Are there any visual/verbal/aural clues that hint at what the hero's journey might be? (e.g having to solve the murders within a time-limit of seven days in "Seven")
From the Queen’s reaction to finding out that Snow White is fairer than her, we assume that the hero’s journey will be something to do with escaping the Queen’s revenge on her, and attempting to thwart her plans to become the fairest of them all once again. We are also introduced to a handsome prince riding by on a horse, so we can also guess that her journey will have something to do with the prince, either teaming up with him to defeat her or trying to overcome the Queen’s evil to be together. Because it is an old-fashioned classic fairytale, it is likely that it will actually end up with the prince saving Snow White himself. At the end of the clip we see the Queen ordering a hitman to kill Snow White, so escaping death or capture by the Queen will probably be the main journey Snow White has to go through in the movie.

5. From your knowledge of the film, how will the equilibrium be restored and what will be the new equilibrium?
Having watched many classic Disney movies and fairytale before, the viewer will probably guess that the equilibrium will be restored by the death of the Queen, leaving Snow White and her prince to live happily ever after. This is of course what happens, when the Queen falls off of a cliff at the hands of the Seven Dwarves, then the prince kisses Snow White to bring her back to life.