For our chosen story line, we firstly had to develop six scenes that would potentially take place somewhere in our film, whether it be at the start, middle or end of the film. I had decided to go with my story of the Journalist looking for a story who heads to an abandoned, haunted factory. The six scenes I came up with were:
1- Journalist Edward Taylor is at home/at work with friends/colleagues discussing how he can't find a good story. Feeling the pressure to find a brilliant story because of a bad article he had written in the past where he didn't check facts.
2- Edward's friends join him for a glass of wine one evening and one recommends an old abandoned factory to investigate as there are rumours and unanswered questions about it.
3- Edward is at home researching the factory on his computer and discovers its 'haunted' and that people who used to work there have mysteriously disappeared.
4- Edward is feeling sceptical but decides to take a visit to the factory, he doesn't believe in the paranormal so he's convinced it will be a waste of time.
5- Edward spends an hour or so in the factory, and takes photos of different areas inside. He decides there's no story here, like he thought, and leaves.
6- Edward is sat at home looking through his camera flow of pictures he had taken at factory. One catches his attention- there's a face in the background. Edward realises that maybe he was wrong about the paranormal.
After we had put these scenes together, we had to decide on what scene we should use as our opening scene. I feel I could link the first two scenes into one and include Edward talking about his bad article that was very wrong and that accused people of things they didn't do.
Wednesday 16 January 2013
Generating Character Ideas
The first task we were set on Thursday's lesson was to think back to our two chosen story lines we had developed from the previous session, pick one out of the two and then out of that story and decide who would be our protagonist, opponent, ally and opponent ally. I chose my story of the Detective with a Cocaine addiction who had been set the task of finding a thief that had stolen something from a royal manor. The protagonist of this story was the Detective. The opponent was the criminal/thief that had stolen from the manor, that eventually the Detective would have to find and confront. The ally I chose was the Detective's new assistant picked by his boss for the case and they get on straight away like a house on fire. Finally, the opponent ally I chose was the Police Chief/Detective's Boss as he starts off as an opponent as he doesn't trust the detective and thinks his addiction will get in the way of his case, but he then discovers he's wrong.
After this was completed, I picked one character from this story line to develop fully and design a character profile for them. I chose the Detective. There were a number of things I had to fill in about my character, which was useful as I was developing my ideas as I went along.
Character Profile no. 1
Name: Howard Fisher
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Education: School, College, University - Criminal Law
Hobbies: Playing the saxophone, drinking rum, his cat, cocaine, going to the bar.
Job: Detective
Parents: Mother died, Father in home
Favourite music: Jazz & Classical music
Dislikes: Small spaces, any type of organisation, paper work.
Characters strong points: Intelligent- never needs to write anything down, pays attention to detail, good drinking buddy.
What people find irritating about this character: Messy, unorganised, shy without alcohol.
What motivates this character to get up in the morning: Saxophone, get new cases from work.
Their dream: To persue Jazz and to find that special someone.
You would hurt this character by: making references to his Mother, pointing out his Cocaine addiction.
We then had to do a second profile and I chose my protagonist of my other storyline.
Character Profile no.2
Name: Edward
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Education: school, college, university - Oxford - English degree.
Hobbies: writing, photography, watching wildlife documentaries, going out with friends.
Job: Journalist
Parents: both very wealthy, live together in a house in Virginia Water.
Favourite music: Classical, Indie.
Dislikes: People being late, procrastinators, people not being realists.
Characters strong points: sets his mind to any story, determined, amazing writing skills.
What people find irritating about this character: takes things to seriously
What motivates this character to get up in the morning: work, the idea of a good story being out there.
Their dream: To pursue photography further and travel the world, to prove himself to be a good journalist despite previous problems
You would hurt this character by: telling him he's not good at his job.
After this was completed, I picked one character from this story line to develop fully and design a character profile for them. I chose the Detective. There were a number of things I had to fill in about my character, which was useful as I was developing my ideas as I went along.
Character Profile no. 1
Name: Howard Fisher
Age: 47
Gender: Male
Education: School, College, University - Criminal Law
Hobbies: Playing the saxophone, drinking rum, his cat, cocaine, going to the bar.
Job: Detective
Parents: Mother died, Father in home
Favourite music: Jazz & Classical music
Dislikes: Small spaces, any type of organisation, paper work.
Characters strong points: Intelligent- never needs to write anything down, pays attention to detail, good drinking buddy.
What people find irritating about this character: Messy, unorganised, shy without alcohol.
What motivates this character to get up in the morning: Saxophone, get new cases from work.
Their dream: To persue Jazz and to find that special someone.
You would hurt this character by: making references to his Mother, pointing out his Cocaine addiction.
We then had to do a second profile and I chose my protagonist of my other storyline.
Character Profile no.2
Name: Edward
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Education: school, college, university - Oxford - English degree.
Hobbies: writing, photography, watching wildlife documentaries, going out with friends.
Job: Journalist
Parents: both very wealthy, live together in a house in Virginia Water.
Favourite music: Classical, Indie.
Dislikes: People being late, procrastinators, people not being realists.
Characters strong points: sets his mind to any story, determined, amazing writing skills.
What people find irritating about this character: takes things to seriously
What motivates this character to get up in the morning: work, the idea of a good story being out there.
Their dream: To pursue photography further and travel the world, to prove himself to be a good journalist despite previous problems
You would hurt this character by: telling him he's not good at his job.
Edward Scissorhands Analysis
Edward Scissorhands- micro elements of opening titles analysis
In the opening titles of the film Edward Scissorhands, there are a range of different features used in the four micro elements - sound, mise-en-scene, camera angles/shots/movement and editing that make the audience feel different things at different times.
Firstly, features of mise-en-scene tell the audience about the film before it has started. For example, snow has been incorporated into the 21’st Century Fox studio logo when it is usually just plain; this gives the audience the feel that the film is going to be quite a jolly Christmas film. This fools the audience as we then move into a setting of low key lighting, instantly insinuating the film is darker than expected. The camera takes us through an old door of what looks like a haunted house, this involves the audience and it acts as though they are being taken through the door into the world of the film. After being taken through the door, we know we are in a haunted house as we are shown a gargoyle and taken up some old fashioned steps- the whole setting is very scary and unexpected. The effect this has on the audience is that it makes them question what the rest of the film may be like, leaving them slightly anxious. Towards the end of the titles, we have been introduced to some machinery, emphasising some sort of project is occuring here, yet we have no idea what; creating a sense of unknown.
Sound is an important indicator of how the viewer should be feeling. The film starts with some soft opera like music in the background, as if we were in a church at Christmas time - linking to the snow on the Fox logo. However, as soon as the logo disappears and we are taken to the door, the opera music comes to a halt and turns into a slow and sinister piece. This makes the audience question what is through the door, making them feel nervous. However, after we have been taken through the door, the sinister music turns into a slow light hearted piece that sounds very magical, this is an example of contrapuntal music as the scene is not a happy, magical place that the sound may suggest. The music then fades out and we are introduced to yet another piece of musical score that is very orchestral with singing in the background which is quite chilling and haunting, very suitable to the setting.
The use of editing makes the viewer feel like they are waiting for something to happen, leading to them feeling uneasy. The shots appear on the screen for a relatively long time and the cuts are very slow towards the start and which matches the slower music. This slow pace draws the audience in, leading them in to expect some sort of action as a result. On the other hand, as soon as the camera has gone through the door, the fasts become much faster. In my opinion, I feel that this emphasises that the audience have just entered a more exciting world that contrasts what world they have just left. Fades have been used at the start of the titles, indicating some sort of change, yet also adds to the suspense.
Camera angles, shots and movement are very important. Firstly, tracking has been used when we are taken through the door. It is done at a slow pace, which would have more of an effect than if it was fast because the slower, the more time we have to question what could be through the door, this sense of unknown is very effective and ensures that the viewer is kept at the edge of their seat, feeling edgy. Also, the names of the cast appear to the screen in a canted shot, which is subtle but adds to that sense of anticipation and edginess the viewer is feeling, even though they may not even be aware it of it, let alone has an effect on them. Another movement type that has been used is the panning through machinery, leading us to question what all of the machinery is, and more importantly that where exactly we are, leaving us confused. The scene then ends in an establishing shot of the house which is quite strange as we usually find establishing shots at the start of the scene. It is effective because the viewer can finally paint a picture of where they were and so they know that this house will become significant later on in the film.
In the opening titles of the film Edward Scissorhands, there are a range of different features used in the four micro elements - sound, mise-en-scene, camera angles/shots/movement and editing that make the audience feel different things at different times.
Firstly, features of mise-en-scene tell the audience about the film before it has started. For example, snow has been incorporated into the 21’st Century Fox studio logo when it is usually just plain; this gives the audience the feel that the film is going to be quite a jolly Christmas film. This fools the audience as we then move into a setting of low key lighting, instantly insinuating the film is darker than expected. The camera takes us through an old door of what looks like a haunted house, this involves the audience and it acts as though they are being taken through the door into the world of the film. After being taken through the door, we know we are in a haunted house as we are shown a gargoyle and taken up some old fashioned steps- the whole setting is very scary and unexpected. The effect this has on the audience is that it makes them question what the rest of the film may be like, leaving them slightly anxious. Towards the end of the titles, we have been introduced to some machinery, emphasising some sort of project is occuring here, yet we have no idea what; creating a sense of unknown.
Sound is an important indicator of how the viewer should be feeling. The film starts with some soft opera like music in the background, as if we were in a church at Christmas time - linking to the snow on the Fox logo. However, as soon as the logo disappears and we are taken to the door, the opera music comes to a halt and turns into a slow and sinister piece. This makes the audience question what is through the door, making them feel nervous. However, after we have been taken through the door, the sinister music turns into a slow light hearted piece that sounds very magical, this is an example of contrapuntal music as the scene is not a happy, magical place that the sound may suggest. The music then fades out and we are introduced to yet another piece of musical score that is very orchestral with singing in the background which is quite chilling and haunting, very suitable to the setting.
The use of editing makes the viewer feel like they are waiting for something to happen, leading to them feeling uneasy. The shots appear on the screen for a relatively long time and the cuts are very slow towards the start and which matches the slower music. This slow pace draws the audience in, leading them in to expect some sort of action as a result. On the other hand, as soon as the camera has gone through the door, the fasts become much faster. In my opinion, I feel that this emphasises that the audience have just entered a more exciting world that contrasts what world they have just left. Fades have been used at the start of the titles, indicating some sort of change, yet also adds to the suspense.
Camera angles, shots and movement are very important. Firstly, tracking has been used when we are taken through the door. It is done at a slow pace, which would have more of an effect than if it was fast because the slower, the more time we have to question what could be through the door, this sense of unknown is very effective and ensures that the viewer is kept at the edge of their seat, feeling edgy. Also, the names of the cast appear to the screen in a canted shot, which is subtle but adds to that sense of anticipation and edginess the viewer is feeling, even though they may not even be aware it of it, let alone has an effect on them. Another movement type that has been used is the panning through machinery, leading us to question what all of the machinery is, and more importantly that where exactly we are, leaving us confused. The scene then ends in an establishing shot of the house which is quite strange as we usually find establishing shots at the start of the scene. It is effective because the viewer can finally paint a picture of where they were and so they know that this house will become significant later on in the film.
Dark Knight Rises Analysis
Analysis of micro elements of Batman opening titles
The micro elements of the opening titles of The Dark Night were all very helpful in creating the feel of the rest of film, which was very tense and suspenseful.
Firstly, sound was an important contribution. There were two different soundtracks used in the sequence, the first was when the studio logos appeared and the music slowly built up into an orchestral piece with added drums to add suspense. However, as soon as the main titles appeared, the soundtrack changed to a piece with a much faster pace. The music started to build up and when introduced to a new piece of information, e.g. pictures of faces, it got much louder, with what sounded like strikes of violins. Overall this had a huge impact on the audience because due to the fast cutting music, we have been introduced to this intense film that’ll have us at the edge of our seat.
Secondly, the use of mise-en-scene instantly told the audience exactly what type of film they were watching. For example, as soon as the Warner Brothers logo appeared. It is usually a happy yellow colour, but not in this film. It was black, which automatically suggested that this film was going to be much darker and sinister. Lighting was hugely responsible for the whole feel of the film, throughout the titles, low key lighting was used which again indicates what the rest of the film will be like: dark and full of suspense. Next was the use of props. We are shown a picture of Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) this, without actually saying anything to the audience, emphasises that someone knows that Wayne is Batman. We understand this to be dangerous and instantly, the feel of edginess is created and a sense of the unknown as we are not aware of who the character is that knows the secret. This automatically shows what the rest of the film has in store. Also in the sequence we can see a number of different objects including newspapers and blueprints, leaving us questioning why exactly they are there and again, who’s using them. The names of the actors have been incorporated into the newspapers, the effect of this is that the feel of the film is never taken away, whereas if the names happily popped up on the screen it would contradict the scene and we would not know what to feel. Lastly within the titles there was a recurring bat which has been used so that the viewer never loses sight of what they’re watching, yet it adds intensity and excitement.
Editing is also important, a fade is used right at the start of the film. I think this has been used to make the audience feel like they have just entered into the world of Batman. The opening titles begin and fast cuts have been used of the shots, fitting with the sound. This intrigues the viewer as the effect of this is the feeling of excitement and unease, which are two feelings that normally contradict each other. Towards the end of the titles, the shot cuts to Batman's mask which tells the viewer that this is where the story begins, however they are already feeling extremely uneased.
Finally, camera angles and movement. A technique used frequently during the clip that has a lasting effect is panning, it is used to act as though someone is looking through files/blueprints that instantly creates excitement and a sense of rushing, even at such an early stage of the film. Also, close up shots have been used throughout. This is to ensure the audience is exposed to a tremendous amount of information that will all become vital later, but at the moment, it seems completely unimportant to them, which I feel is a very clever method. The names of the actors in the film appear to the screen in a canted angle, these angles are used to create tension and unease, hence why they have been used here.
In conclusion, I can see that all the micro elements of The Dark Knight Rises have been used for the audience’s benefit. It was to ensure that they feel tension from the start of the film and to make them feel nervous and feel a sense of unknowing of what the rest of the dark film has in store.
The micro elements of the opening titles of The Dark Night were all very helpful in creating the feel of the rest of film, which was very tense and suspenseful.
Firstly, sound was an important contribution. There were two different soundtracks used in the sequence, the first was when the studio logos appeared and the music slowly built up into an orchestral piece with added drums to add suspense. However, as soon as the main titles appeared, the soundtrack changed to a piece with a much faster pace. The music started to build up and when introduced to a new piece of information, e.g. pictures of faces, it got much louder, with what sounded like strikes of violins. Overall this had a huge impact on the audience because due to the fast cutting music, we have been introduced to this intense film that’ll have us at the edge of our seat.
Secondly, the use of mise-en-scene instantly told the audience exactly what type of film they were watching. For example, as soon as the Warner Brothers logo appeared. It is usually a happy yellow colour, but not in this film. It was black, which automatically suggested that this film was going to be much darker and sinister. Lighting was hugely responsible for the whole feel of the film, throughout the titles, low key lighting was used which again indicates what the rest of the film will be like: dark and full of suspense. Next was the use of props. We are shown a picture of Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) this, without actually saying anything to the audience, emphasises that someone knows that Wayne is Batman. We understand this to be dangerous and instantly, the feel of edginess is created and a sense of the unknown as we are not aware of who the character is that knows the secret. This automatically shows what the rest of the film has in store. Also in the sequence we can see a number of different objects including newspapers and blueprints, leaving us questioning why exactly they are there and again, who’s using them. The names of the actors have been incorporated into the newspapers, the effect of this is that the feel of the film is never taken away, whereas if the names happily popped up on the screen it would contradict the scene and we would not know what to feel. Lastly within the titles there was a recurring bat which has been used so that the viewer never loses sight of what they’re watching, yet it adds intensity and excitement.
Editing is also important, a fade is used right at the start of the film. I think this has been used to make the audience feel like they have just entered into the world of Batman. The opening titles begin and fast cuts have been used of the shots, fitting with the sound. This intrigues the viewer as the effect of this is the feeling of excitement and unease, which are two feelings that normally contradict each other. Towards the end of the titles, the shot cuts to Batman's mask which tells the viewer that this is where the story begins, however they are already feeling extremely uneased.
Finally, camera angles and movement. A technique used frequently during the clip that has a lasting effect is panning, it is used to act as though someone is looking through files/blueprints that instantly creates excitement and a sense of rushing, even at such an early stage of the film. Also, close up shots have been used throughout. This is to ensure the audience is exposed to a tremendous amount of information that will all become vital later, but at the moment, it seems completely unimportant to them, which I feel is a very clever method. The names of the actors in the film appear to the screen in a canted angle, these angles are used to create tension and unease, hence why they have been used here.
In conclusion, I can see that all the micro elements of The Dark Knight Rises have been used for the audience’s benefit. It was to ensure that they feel tension from the start of the film and to make them feel nervous and feel a sense of unknowing of what the rest of the dark film has in store.
Sunday 13 January 2013
Ideas for coursework lesson
On Monday's lesson, the class were firstly told to think about our 'influences' of film and television that could possibly give us ideas for our main task where we will be making an opening to a film.These influences could be from things we had seen as a child or maybe more recently that had stuck in our heads. They could also be things that had made us think 'Wow, I wish I made that.' My film influences included the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. I am a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and the first time I watched them I was mesmerised by the whole set up of the film, and then I recently went to watch The Hobbit which I thought was incredible. Alice in Wonderland and Edward Scissorhands are my other influences which were both made by my favourite director Tim Burton. Then we did something similar and had to think about books/magazines that had influenced influenced us and I thought of Woman in Black by Susan Hill and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Lastly, we had to think about our real life experiences with people to help us develop our ideas for our characters. The only thing I could really think of was my Uncle who is very prone to accidents and seems to have a new accident every time I see him. After thinking about all of these influences, I had a slight idea of what approach I could take for my own film.
Our next task was to each get 12 small pieces of paper. On these pieces of paper we had to write down 4 possible characters, 4 possible locations and 4 possible situations. Once we had done this, we all placed our bits of paper in a tray, shuffled the paper around in the tray and we all had to pick 4 random pieces of paper (apart from the ones we had written). I then opened up the pieces I had chosen. The four characters I had received were: Suit Guy looking for a story, Detective with a Cocaine addiction, smart uneducated Woman and a Ghost who wants redemption. The four situations I had received were: searching for something, running from a stranger, itching their toe and fighting a Sea Witch for freedom. And the four locations I had received were Asda store room, royal manor, abandoned factory and a Zoo.
Then, we had to develop two story lines from what we had received. For my first story line I had chosen the character of the Detective with a Cocaine addiction, the location of a royal manor and the situation of searching for something. I then developed this further and the story line I picked was:
'A mystery film in which a detective with a Cocaine addiction is set the task to search for the thief that has stolen from a royal manor and retrieve what has been taken. During this time he has the mission to get over his Cocaine addiction.'
For my second story line I had chosen the character of Suit Guy looking for a story, the location of an abandoned factory and finally the situation of running from a stranger. The story line I chose was
'A male Journalist in his twenties is looking for a story and heads to an abandoned factory but is very sceptical. Eventually, he realises the factory is more dangerous that he thought, hidden with secrets that he tries to run away from.'
I am happy with the two story lines I have developed. I feel that I will definitely be using one or the other as already to me, they feel thrilling and exciting. Overall, I found this lesson extremely helpful as before I was absolutely clueless of what type of film I could produce.
Our next task was to each get 12 small pieces of paper. On these pieces of paper we had to write down 4 possible characters, 4 possible locations and 4 possible situations. Once we had done this, we all placed our bits of paper in a tray, shuffled the paper around in the tray and we all had to pick 4 random pieces of paper (apart from the ones we had written). I then opened up the pieces I had chosen. The four characters I had received were: Suit Guy looking for a story, Detective with a Cocaine addiction, smart uneducated Woman and a Ghost who wants redemption. The four situations I had received were: searching for something, running from a stranger, itching their toe and fighting a Sea Witch for freedom. And the four locations I had received were Asda store room, royal manor, abandoned factory and a Zoo.
Then, we had to develop two story lines from what we had received. For my first story line I had chosen the character of the Detective with a Cocaine addiction, the location of a royal manor and the situation of searching for something. I then developed this further and the story line I picked was:
'A mystery film in which a detective with a Cocaine addiction is set the task to search for the thief that has stolen from a royal manor and retrieve what has been taken. During this time he has the mission to get over his Cocaine addiction.'
For my second story line I had chosen the character of Suit Guy looking for a story, the location of an abandoned factory and finally the situation of running from a stranger. The story line I chose was
'A male Journalist in his twenties is looking for a story and heads to an abandoned factory but is very sceptical. Eventually, he realises the factory is more dangerous that he thought, hidden with secrets that he tries to run away from.'
I am happy with the two story lines I have developed. I feel that I will definitely be using one or the other as already to me, they feel thrilling and exciting. Overall, I found this lesson extremely helpful as before I was absolutely clueless of what type of film I could produce.
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