Sound Poll

As mentioned in my Editing Sound blog post, we have been focusing on sound experimentation with regard to what suits the mood and intensity desired for the opening. In doing so we have struggled to decide upon the sound for the glitch within the scenes without with party. The absence of any sound, we believed, made it appear unfinished and reduced the level of intensity. However, the use of a whispering sound effect may not allow for a big enough contrast in the glitch similarly detract attention from the concept of distressed sound of mind. To resolve this, we edited two versions of the glitch to upload to YouTube, one with the whispering and on without out for people to give their opinion. Which ever version proves most popular, we will edit into the final cut of our opening.

Glitch Edit

Editing Sound

Over the past few lessons, after accumulating the majority of out footage, we have been focusing heavily on our sound editing. As a group, we have decided to explore a mixture of both diegetic and non diegetic sound throughout the film opening with use of uncopyrighted sound to layer with  the recorded ambient sound of the running sequence, for example. Use of the website FreeSound is proving to be very useful with finding numerous options for us to play around with to decide what suits the tone of our film. We want to immediately create a sense of intensity and mystery, initiated by the seemingly feminine and contradictory style of the titles. In editing, the rapid pace of straight cuts with interspersed black screen accompanied by a ringing sound  (inspired by The Missing) creates the desired sense of anticipation for the first half of the opening, acting as mirror for the state of mind of the protagonist largely in the glitch sequence. The second half of the opening will see a much more continuous use of sound, slightly quieter non diegetic sound and enhanced ambient  sound (as oppose to sole use of foley sound) with a longer sequence of match on action. A direct contrast between the two halves of the opening will create a consistent sense of mystery for the audience, as well as introduction to the seemingly vulnerability of the lead character and her clear distress.





BFI Trip

The trip to the British Film Institute today was extremely useful in providing tips for creating and planning our film opening as well as an interesting talk from actor and director Dexter Fletcher giving an overview of the industry and challenges he faced when working on his own films. One of the key pieces of advice I took away from today in regard to the media coursework, is to pay attention to the use of sound both diegetic and non diegetic which I will do a separate blog post on. For our own film opening, the concept of continuity will be even more crucial with the continuous frantic changing of shots to convey the state of mind of the protagonist. To enhance the effect of this, our lighting will need to be of a similar hue and intensity throughout. In spite of this, as mentioned in my previous blog post, the use of black screens interjected between the action to display our title sequence will heighten the desired emotional intensity of our opening. Fletcher said that he gave much less concentration to the titles themselves as he wanted the focus to be with the establishing narrative and character introductions. This is a conclusion we have also come to in the sense that though we have made a conscious decision with the placing of our titles in relevance to the style and genre of the opening, our two minutes are heavily character driven.

One of the three film openings shown by Fletcher was Wild Bill, which after looking into further I think draws similarities to the vision we have of setting and style of our film opening in particular. The film, made in 2011, opens following the protagonist Wild Bill but then cuts to two brothers in an East London flat. This is demonstrated in the still below with the main character and his youngest son.

 

Title sequence inspiration: Drive

As mentioned in my Art of the Title blog post, I think that the style of the text in the title sequence of the film Drive could be used in our film opening. After watching back the footage we have so far for our opening, we decided that the use of black screens alternating between the action within the two minutes would work the best as oppose to accompanying the footage. The pink colour and seemingly "girly" type font used in drive, connoting femininity, could act as a clear contradiction to the  topic of our film. As well as this, in a sense the innocent style text would suggest a false plot to the audience almost tricking them. By doing so, this would emphasise the drama and draw focus to the action of our film opening.

Damien Chazelle: Whiplash and La La Land

The director and writer of the film, Damien Chazelle was initially unable to gain funding for the release of Whiplash so he instead turned it into a short film and entered his work into the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. The film won the Short Film Jury Award, and as a consequence he gained funding with an eventual budget of an $3.3 million. "I think it's a great film to open up Sundance because we made it in 19 days, and they edited it in nine weeks, which is unheard of. So, it took a lot of grit and hard work to get us here," Miles Teller told The Hollywood Reporter at the film's after party. Whiplash was released in the USA on October 10th 2014 and 16th January 2015 in the UK. In the opening weekend it accumulated $135,888. Grossed nearly $50 million worldwide. 

I first watched the film shortly after its UK release in 2015, and my first thought was that I'd never seen such tension or anticipation in a film not associated with the horror genre. Use of straight cuts between shots in quick succession and parallel editing enhance the tension provided by Miles Teller's and J K Simmons' performances. This is demonstrated perfectly in the short clip above. An establishing shot of the stage, cutting to an over the shoulder shot of Simmons' character Fletcher in the foreground, pausing for a second before focus is given to Andrew on the drums in spite of the clearly clenched fist dominating about a third of the shot. All of this occurs in the first five seconds of the scene, capturing the rapid pace of the film accompanied by the drums reoccurring presence. Lights dim, but neither character alters their position or expression leaving the audience waiting, as the drums continue. A low angle shot of Andrew is followed by one of my favourite shots, a tracking POV shot of the drum set where it seems the camera can't quite keep up then cutting to a birds eye view of the drum set. Similar close ups are repeated throughout the film to capture the emotional intensity that drives this film. From the point of around 1:40 minutes in the clip, the choice to have no other sound but the drums for a short while, with no enhanced sound of breath or reaction from ensemble aids the camera work in illustrating Andrew's determination and focus the story thrives on.

Aside from the camera work, the very message of the story is what makes it one of my favourites. No, its not a light hearted easy watch but that's what I love about it. It challenges the concept of the American Dream, channelling this idea through the character of Fletcher. He enforces the idea that it takes a lot to be great, beyond skill you require luck. In the setting of a school filled with an abundance of talented students Teller's character is pushed to the edge in order to see himself succeed. Andrew encapsulates the idea of passion, continuously hindered by the words and spitefulness of Fletcher. By doing so Chazelle makes it very easy for the audience to identify with the topic of the film, taking an immediate almost furious dislike to J K Simmons' character. My favourite quote from the film reads "I'd rather die drunk, broke at 34 and have people at a dinner table talk about me than live to be rich and sober at 90 and nobody remembered who I was"

 

Similarly to Whiplash, Damien Chazelle's upcoming film La La Land tells a story driven by the ambition of its two protagonists, a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress. The film has received five star reviews and especially following  an advanced screenings at the BFI film festival 2016, a hype has been created around the its upcoming release. The film is set to be released in the USA on December 16th 2016 and January 13th 2017 in the UK. As shown in the poster below, Chazelle's newest project has received not only astounding reviews but also multiple wins, creating high expectations for the awaiting audiences and success at events such as the Oscars. Many have said it's set to dominate such award ceremonies in the year to come.

The Missing Review

Following the success of the first series staring James Nesbitt, the BBC has recently aired the second series which focuses on the detective Julien Baptiste and the case of Alice Webster. Initially, the series caused confusion due to the format of the editing and storytelling. Use of continuous flashback and flash forward relies on the attention and intelligence of the audience to understand the storyline and piece information together. A variety of establishing shots and lingering close ups infer things to the audience to remember for later in the eight episode series. Cool toned lighting with blue hues establish a mysterious, sad tone for the programme which at the beginning of the series only draws even further focus to the yellow camper van amongst a deserted landscape. The opening of the series immediately conjures up a variety of questions for the audience. My favourite aspect of the opening is the seemingly hand held tracking shot from behind the protagonist Alice. The shots cut between her at the time of her kidnap and when she has managed to escape. In a forest, the exploration of depth of field, with trees in the foreground allows the clips are edited together at points where Alice's character goes briefly out of sight then re emerges as her grown up self.  It appears that there are two stories, with corruption at the heart of both and gradually the two are seen to overlap with the key characters of Henry Reed and Brigadier Stone shown below. Following episode four, however, I am worried that the storyline with become too far fetched and distract from it's emotional intensity.

First shoot

 

Tuesday was our first time filming for our opening. We decided to film the exterior of the flats and interior of the building shown in the storyboard however, film the party and bathroom shots in my house due to the need for greater space. By doing so, it will require us to pay heavy attention to the mise en scene and consequently the continuity of the overall two minute opening. The main success of the day was our use of lighting in the party scene, briefly shown above. More details and photos to come...

 

Storyboarding our film opening

Below is a compilation of the individual shots with desired sound effects, a rough outline of our film opening. Though the clip is not the full two minutes, we will be including use of pan and tilt shots which we are unable to demonstrate in storyboarding meaning it is substantially shorter. As well as the storyboarding, this post includes our pitch to provide a deeper explanation of the film and our focuses on lighting to convey an overall focus on state of mind in a character driven film opening. The most challenging aspect of our film opening will be a glitch within the editing to further the idea of confusion and distress. Continuity and focus on the mise en scene when shooting the party scene (shots 2, 4,5,6) will be crucial if the glitch is to be the most impressive aspect of the opening. Therefore, over the half term and after filming, I will need to research how to edit the clips in the most professional way possible. As well as this, I will look into hue and intensity of lighting in both films and television for inspiration in establishing tone and mood.
 
1. A tilt shot of the outside of a block of flats, set in the evening with dim lighting.
 
2.The outside of a front door slightly open, meaning the flashing lights are slightly visible accompanied by the sound of thumping music.

3.Cuts abruptly to the bathroom, my character staring into a mirror clearly distressed, tracking me out into the party. 

4. Shots four and five continuously switch between the two to create the glitch to express the protagonists state of mind, similarly demonstrated through lighting.

6. She (my character) walks back out through the front door but after the character slams the door, the camera will linger on the shot as we saw in a clip from Luther from under the bed.

7.Next, an overhead shot birds eye view running down the stairs, the camera will not track so the only movement will be by character running. 

8. Walking out of the door of the flats.

9. A shot from the top of the stairs  at a high angle watching my character going down the stairs.
 
10. Following that, shot of the girl (played by Helin) looking confused in response.
 
11. In conjunction with shot ten is one from the unnamed girl character's point of view looking at my character at the bottom of the stairs.

12. A low angle shot of me at the bottom of the stairs with the same of deep breathing before beginning the running sequence.

13. The use of a dolly shot following me from behind while she is running. We intend on using hand held at points to convey the panic.

14. A wide shot of me running in then quickly out of the frame.

15. Then a close up of my face still running but then transitioning to the next shot whilst her phone rings.

16. Abrupt cut to a black screen with only the sound of panting and the words "I need your help."

Art of the Title research

Using the website Arts of the Title, I found a number of film openings that have key locations, styling or choices in regard to lighting and editing which could be used in our film opening. Most of the films selected below demonstrate use of low key lighting alongside flashing/alternating coloured lights. Quick cuts in editing in conjunction with scenes in slow motion and fluorescent light as shown in 24 Hour Party People and Gaycation could be used in our film opening to illustrate the protagonist's own state of mind. Wes Anderson's direction in Moonrise Kingdom differs in what I take from it. The long pan across the whole house is something I would love to try and incorporate into a party setting in our own film opening however most likely a shorter shot. Styling as well as  initial location of This is England and hue of lighting would ideally be replicated in our film opening. Gone Girl and Drive demonstrate the most likely way our group would choose to present the titles as the initial action is what we want to draw focus to.

24 Hour Party People

 Drive

Gaycation

Gone Girl

Moonrise Kingdom

This is England

Glue TV Series

Though it was first aired in 2014, which was when I first watched it, I have began to re-watch the E4 series Glue but from a more analytical point of view. The programme follows a group of teenagers dealing with the death of one of their close friends. It's storyline incorporates the separate but complex relationships of those in the programme with use of flashback to illustrate the character Caleb Bray's life before his unfortunate death. The use of lighting throughout the episodes conveys the mood and tone. Below is an example of the use of colour which is something I would like to explore in our opening, specifically within a party setting. Hue and intensity of lighting is something we could incorporate into the contrasting locations of a film opening and also provide an insight into the mind set of the chosen protagonist.

The programme does explore quite adult, yet relevant topics across all eight episodes each relating to a specific characters individual story. The clip below captures the moment after the teenagers have been interviewed about Caleb's death at the police station. The dynamic and status of all the characters is made evident through both choice of camera shots and dialogue. In particular, use of quite extreme close up on the character James' face, saying nothing whilst all the others speak quickly around him provides an insight into his personality. Director's choice for the camera to be hand held involves the audience more deeply, with alternating close ups on all characters making it feel as though the audience (as the camera) is standing with them.

Preliminary Task

In Wednesday's lesson it was our group's turn to shoot and edit our prelim. Though short, the process highlighted to me how crucial storyboarding will be when creating our two minute film opening particularly when changing location. As well as this, timing will be crucial as we hope to involve a number of people in a party scene for our film opening therefore utilising the time wisely, not only for our sake, will be beneficial.

The concept of continuity, paying attention to the mise en scene of every shot will be something we need to become accustomed to in order to produce the best work possible. There were a number of times in filming our prelim that the setup of chairs was altered or positioning of myself or Julia was slightly off meaning re filming that specific shot. We did however manage to incorporate shot reverse shot, match on action and follow the 180 degrees rule.

As well as our first time filming as a group, it was our first chance to edit and get accustomed to using iMovie. Following editing and exporting we did notice a sound error at the 10 second point in the clip. If we had observed the sound levels on iMovie we would have been able to spot the sudden rise in sound however this is something we can take away and consider when creating our film opening. Using a MP3 file in the background allowed us to play around with sound levels not only in the clips but overlapping sound.

Ellen

This TV film, created by a team of "breakthrough" film makers aired a few weeks ago on Channel 4. After watching it I believe it contains a number of shots and settings I would love to experiment with in our film opening. The concept of the slow motion party scene captured briefly in the trailer is something I would love to incorporate into our opening. The plot draws focus to the life of  a young teenage girl, and the neglect by her family that  ultimately leads her into a highly vulnerable position. Ellen's character is immediately established to the audience as boisterous and disrespectful through her responses to other characters in her life in spite of any consideration for the relationships. This attitude only exaggerates her affection toward Joe Dempsie's character Jason, and although he is initially portrayed as her escape from life on the estate, he later proves to pose a danger to Ellen. A poignant message is delivered to conclude the film, where again use of slow motion creates emotional intensity. Although the film does not explore a greatly elaborate plot, the drama is character driven, a message relevant to modern day society is delivered through the fate of Ellen. In a bedroom, surrounded by a number of older men the camera dolly zooms out in conjunction with the repeated line "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?". Out of the room, then the house, then the street onto the next road highlights the almost ignorance of people and their perception of who is deemed vulnerable.

In an interview for Radio Times, Sarah Quintrell says “I feel there is a section of our society – young females – who aren’t heard because we have this idea of vulnerability in our society. We have a perception of what a vulnerable girl looks like and that is maybe someone who’s quiet or malnourished or skinny. Vulnerability comes in many guises but one of them fools people and that’s if a girl is mouthy, difficult, smoking, drinking – she has sex and decides to explore her sexuality. She seems to be almost living like a grown up and rather than using those things as a sign that maybe they need someone to step in and check they’re okay or give boundaries, we use that as a sign to write them off"

 

 

Preliminary Task - Techniques

The preliminary task requires us to include match on action, the 180 degree rule and shot reverse shot

Match on action

Match on action is an editing technique where one shot cuts to another, portraying the action of the subject in the first shot. This technique provides a sense of continuity and creates a "visual bridge".

The 180 degree rule

The 180 degree rule means that all filming takes place within the 180 degrees angle in front of the camera which ensures the background remains the same. This allows the audience
to have a greater sense of location in terms of what may be off camera.

 

Shot Reverse shot

 

This technique is used when filming conversations, filming one character then switching the shot to one of the other character in the duologue. Shot reverse shot often ties in with the 180 degree rule to create continuity in the scene by not distorting the location of characters.

 

 

 

 

Breaking the Fourth Wall

In the past few weeks, I have been watching Phoebe Waller-Bridge's series Fleabag. The programme follows a single woman with heavy focus on her love life but also the relationship with her sister and the death of her bestfriend. Very few of the male characters encountered in the programme are given names but all appear to have a key feature or quirk that defines them. The decision to do so highlights their almost insignificance to the character of Fleabag in comparison to her family or bestfriend. As a comedy, use of these humorous nicknames is one of many ways the programme explores humour. The exploration of breaking the fourth wall, speaking to audience directly at the most unexpected, consequently comedic moments made me feel so much more involved in the story as an audience member. Unlike the programme Miranda which similarly explores the breaking of the fourth wall, Fleabag does not include a live or recorded reaction (clapping and laughing) which I think was a clever decision as it allows the viewer at home to find humour in what they please rather than being encouraged. As well as this, I found it much more personal, witnessing the relationship with her sister and the heavy contrast between the members of her family was something I found I could relate to.



The reference to Fleabag in the lesson today began to make me consider the various explorations of breaking the fourth wall in both film and television. A number of examples in film are Fight Club, Goodfellas and a more recent example is The Big Short. The use of breaking the fourth wall is so heavily different to the intention in Fleabag. The Big Short follows the complicated world of finance so to allow the audience to understand the facts behind the plot, director Adam McKay breaks the fourth wall. One example from the film is Margot Robbie explaining key finance terms.

Storyboarding Remember Me

As well as being introduced to camera shots, in the lesson we watched the opening scene of the BBC programme Remember Me. Whilst watching the clip, we filled out a storyboard for each new shot containing as much detail as possible. Doing activity helped me understand the level of detail I'll need to include when working on our groups film opening.

The opening of Remember Me was such an interesting scene to watch as it built so much tension through the varied speed of scenes and mood created by the establishing shots. The older man who appeared to be the protagonist of the story had no dialogue but the later introduction of the ghost leaves so many questions to be answered.



The trickiest part I found in storyboarding, as shown above, was when the camera would tilt or pan within one shot. To demonstrate this I annotated as much as possible alongside use of arrows.



Camera shots and angles

Today's lesson was an introduction to the varying types and uses of camera shots, movements and angles. From the brief drawings I made in lesson along with some research, I was then able to find examples of shots and angles from films.

Establishing Shot
The establishing camera shot is one used in the opening scene or the set the location of a new scene. Typically they are wide or extreme wide shots of landscape.



Long Shot
Much like the establishing shot, long shots set a scene but often film the outside of builders or people within a surrounding.

Full shot
This type of shot draws focus to a person within it, without much else going on in the frame.

Mid shot
The camera films from the waist up, the frame contains a more equal proportion of the person in frame and the background.

Close up
Tightly frames a person, seen most frequently in film with close ups of the actors face in focus with little background.

Extreme Close up
A much more zoomed in close up, with the characters face taking up the large majority of the frame.

Very Extreme Close up
The very extreme close up allows the audience to witness intense detail not made evident in other shots. The focus of the shot takes up the entirety of the frame.

When filming conversation between characters, other shots are used. Alongside the Two shot where the majority of both characters is shown and Over the head shot, the two most widely used shots are Over the shoulder and Face to Face.  

In conjunction with these camera shots, directors use varying camera angles. Many shots, such as the ones above, are at eye level.

Low Angle
In this case, the camera is below the individual looking up at them. This angle can be used to represent the point of view of an unseen character or object but also to illustrate status.

High angle
The camera is above the person looking down. Similarly to the low angle, the high angle can illustrate status or another point of view. This particular shot from Moonrise Kingdom is one of my favourites. Wes Anderson's use of colour and abrupt change of shots makes his films so interesting to watch.

Overhead shot
Provides a birds eye view of a scene or scenario.